“I believe that his truth and efforts will be worth as much as the lies of the Porras brothers.  The bearer of this letter is Martin de Gamboa.  I am sending by him a letter to Juan Lopez and a letter of credit.  Read the letter to Lopez and then give it to him.  If you write me, send the letters to Luis de Soria that he may send them wherever I am, because if I go in a litter, I believe it will be by La Plata.—­[The old Roman road from Merida to Salamanca.]—­May our Lord have you in His holy keeping.  Your uncle has been very sick and is now, from trouble with his jaws and his teeth.

“Done in Seville, November 28.

“Your father who loves you more than himself.

.S.
.S.A.S. 
XMY
Xpo FERENS.”

Bartholomew Columbus and Ferdinand were remaining with Christopher at Seville; Bartholomew probably very nearly as ill as the Admiral, although we do not hear so many complaints about it.  At any rate Diego, being ay Court, was the great mainstay of his father; and you can see the sick man sitting there alone with his grievances, and looking to the next generation for help in getting them redressed.  Diego, it is to be feared, did not receive these letters with so much patience and attention as he might have shown, nor did he write back to his invalid father with the fulness and regularity which the old man craved.  It is a fault common to sons.  Those who are sons will know that it does not necessarily imply lack of affection on Diego’s part; those who are fathers will realise how much Christopher longed for verbal assurance of interest and affection, even though he did not doubt their reality.  News of the serious illness of Queen Isabella had evidently reached Columbus, and was the chief topic of public interest.

Letter written by CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS to DON DIEGO, his Son, December 1, 1504.

“Very dear son,—­Since I received your letter of November 15 I have heard nothing from you.  I wish that you would write me more frequently.  I would like to receive a letter from you each hour.  Reason must tell you that now I have no other repose.  Many couriers come each day, and the news is of such a nature and so abundant that on hearing it all my hair stands on end; it is so contrary to what my soul desires.  May it please the Holy Trinity to give health to the Queen, our Lady, that she may settle what has already been placed under discussion.  I wrote you by another courier Thursday, eight days ago.  The courier must already be on his way back here.  I told you in that letter that my departure was certain, but that the hope of my arrival there, according to experience, was very uncertain, because my sickness is so bad, and the cold is so well suited to aggravate it, that I could not well avoid remaining in some