1576. Cópia de carta de Álvaro Mendes para Manuel Leitão, ex-guarda do Santo Ofício.

Copy of a private letter from Álvaro Mendes to Manuel Leitão, prior guard of the Holy Office.

The author wishes to see his friend out of jail; he claims he does not know where his son is, among other news about some friends and enemies.

This is the second process of Manuel Leitão, prior guard of the Holy Office in Coimbra, who was accused of facilitating the correspondence between inmates and their families and friends. While in prison, he kept corresponding with an old inmate, Álvaro Mendes. These letters were intercepted and copied by members of the Inquisition, who then put them back in their envelopes and sent them to the intended recipient. This exchange lasted from August to October 1576. The defendant later tried to deny these contacts, but ended up confessing and accusing a large number of other people.