r anything. He had instructed them
to tell me to rest myself thoroughly, and that he would receive me
the following day. Early Wednesday he sent me by a courier, as a
present, a sack of barley, a cask of wine, a wether, eight pairs of
capons and hens, two large torches, two bundles of wax candles, and
two boxes of sweetmeats. He, however, did not appoint an hour for
an audience, but sent his excuses and said I must not think it
strange. The reason was that he had risen at the twentieth hour
(two o'clock in the afternoon) and had dined, after which he had
gone to the castle, where he remained until night, and whence he
returned greatly exhausted owing to a sore he had in the groin.

To-day, about the twenty-second hour (four in the afternoon), after
he had dined, he had Signor Ramiro fetch me to him; and with great
frankness and amiability his Majesty first made his excuses for not
granting me an audience the preceding day, owing to his having so
much to do in the castle and also on account of the pain caused by
his ulcer. Following this, and after I had stated that the sole
object of my mission was to wait upon his Majesty to congratulate
and thank him, and to offer your services, he answered me in
carefully chosen words, covering each point and very fluently. The
gist of it was, that knowing your Excellency's ability and
goodness, he had always loved you and had hoped to enjoy personal
relations with you. He had looked forward to this when you were in
Milan, but events and circumstances then prevented it. But now that
he had come to this country, he--determined to have his wish--had
written the letter announcing his successes, of his own free will
and as proof of his love, and feeling certain that your Majesty
would be pleased by it. He says he will continue to keep you
informed of his doings, as he desires to establish a firm
friendship with your Majesty, and he proffers everything he owns
and in his power should you ever have need. He desires to look upon
you as a father. He also thanked your Majesty for the letter and
for having sent it him by a messenger, although the letter was
unnecessary; for even without it he would have known that your
Majesty would be pleased by his success. In short, he could not
have uttered better and more seemly words