On the other hand, Perez was profuse in his professions of friendship both to Don John and to Escovedo; dilating in all his letters upon the difficulty of approaching the King upon the subject of his brother’s recal, but giving occasional information that an incidental hint had been ventured which might not remain without effect.  All these letters, were, however, laid before Philip, for his approval, before being despatched, and the whole subject thoroughly and perpetually discussed between them, about which Perez pretended that he hardly dared breathe a syllable to his Majesty.  He had done what he could, he said, while reading, piece by piece, to the King, during a fit of the gout, the official despatches from the Netherlands, to insinuate such of the arguments used by the Governor and Escovedo as might seem admissible, but it was soon obvious that no impression could be made upon the royal mind.  Perez did not urge the matter, therefore, “because,” said he, “if the King should suspect that we had any other object than his interests, we should all be lost.”  Every effort should be made by Don John and all his friends to secure his Majesty’s entire confidence, since by that course more progress would be made in their secret plans, than by proceedings concerning which the Governor wrote “with such fury and anxiety of heart.”  Perez warned his correspondent, therefore, most solemnly, against the danger of “striking the blow without hitting the mark,” and tried to persuade him that his best interests required him to protract his residence in the provinces for a longer period.  He informed Don John that his disappointment as to the English scheme had met with the warmest sympathy of the King, who had wished his brother success.  “I have sold to him, at as high a price as I could,” said Perez, “the magnanimity with which your Highness had sacrificed, on that occasion, a private object to his service.”

The minister held the same language, when writing, in a still more intimate and expansive style, to Escovedo.  “We must avoid, by a thousand—­leagues, the possibility of the King’s thinking us influenced by private motives,” he observed; “for we know the King and the delicacy of these matters.  The only way to gain the good-will of the man is carefully to accommodate ourselves to his tastes, and to have the appearance of being occupied solely with his interests.”  The letter, like all the rest, being submitted to “the man” in question before being sent, was underlined by him at this paragraph and furnished with the following annotation:  “but you must enlarge upon the passage which I have marked—­say more, even if you are obliged to copy the letter, in order that we may see the nature of the reply.”

In another letter to Escovedo, Perez enlarged upon the impropriety, the impossibility of Don John’s leaving the Netherlands at that time.  The King was so resolute upon that point, he said, that ’twas out of the question to suggest the matter.  “We should, by so doing, only lose all credit with him in other things.  You know what a terrible man he is; if he should once suspect us of having a private end in view, we should entirely miss our mark.”  Especially the secretary was made acquainted with the enormous error which would be committed by Don John in leaving his post.