1712. Carta de Andrés Merlo, dependiente en la colecturía del subsidio, para Nicolás Gómez Ramírez, agente de la colecturía del subsidio.

Letter from Andrés Melo to Nicolás Gómez Ramírez, both tax collectors.

The author regrets not have been able to meet with Nicolás Gómez Ramírez since he was suffering from tertian fever. He shares some words about certain people they both know. He pays particular attention to different agricultural products such as chickpeas, wheat and barley and shows his concern about Nicolás Hernández’s health, hoping he gets better with the exercises that the blessed Agustina Salgado recommended.

The trial for fooled and self-delusion against Agustina Salgado, blessed of Our Lady of Carmel, occurred between 1712 and 1716. She was found guilty. The correspondence relates to Nicolás Hernández’s healing process, who suffered from an unknown affection that requested the blessed’s intervention. Agustina Salgado was staying at her nephew’s house, Andrés Merlo, because she was ill and she was found once in a very bad condition «rolled up on herself, very injured, with puzzled arms and broken bones in her body without being able to move [...] word was passed around that an evil spirit had come upon her»(7v). Eugenio González de María, the sender of some of the letters from this set, witnessed one of the moments in which the defendant was under the influence of the devil. Nicolas Hernández heard that Agustina Salgado was a virtuous woman and, before going to her, he inquired Eugenio Aguado about her capabilities (PS8023). Aguado explains him she was a very spiritual woman and, consequently, Nicolás Hernández decided to contact her. He intended for her to entrust him to God and also ask her if it was appropriate for him to marry María Teresa Pezeño. Agustina Salgado told him that the marriage would please God. So they got married in 1712 and ever since they did Nicolás Hernández suffered from an unknown soul affection (127v). Fl.128. Eventually, Nicolás Hernández denounced Agustina through Manuel Garzo and the defendant tried to convince Nicolás Hernández to leave the businesses in which his agent, Nicolás Gómez Ramírez, was working so that he did not get sick as it happened to himself. It seems that the ulterior motive behind her demands was to pass these businesses to her relatives. On the left margin of folio 181r the inquisitors wrote down "13ª". Besides, there is a mark covering the text in which the blessed is mentioned. The letters are provided to the process by their addressees.