Perez “had ventured into the water” upon the subject, he said, by praising the Governor warmly to his Majesty.  The King had responded by a hearty eulogium, adding that the greatest comfort in having such a brother was, that he might be where his Majesty could not be.  Therefore, it was out of the question for Don John to leave the provinces.  The greatest tact was necessary, urged Perez, in dealing with the King.  If he should once “suspect that we have a private purpose, we are lost, and no Demosthenes or Cicero would be able to influence him afterwards.”  Perez begged that his ardent attachment to Don John might be represented in the strongest colors to that high personage, who was to be assured that every effort would be made to place him at the head of affairs in Spain, according to the suggestion of Escovedo.  “It would never do, however,” he continued, “to let our man see that we desire it, for then we should never succeed.  The only way to conquer him is to make him believe that things are going on as he wishes, not as his Highness may desire, and that we have none of us any will but the King’s.”  Upon this passage the “terrible man” made a brief annotation:  “this paragraph does admirably,” he said, adding, with characteristic tautology, “and what you say in it is also excellent.”

“Therefore,” continued the minister, “God forbid, Master Escovedo, that you should come hither now; for we should all be lost.  In the English matter, I assure you that his Majesty was extremely anxious that the plan should succeed, either through the Pope, or otherwise.  That puts me in mind,” added Perez, “to say, body of God!  Senor Escovedo! how the devil came you to send that courier to Rome about the English plot without giving me warning?” He then proceeded to state that the papal nuncio in Spain had been much troubled in mind upon the subject, and had sent for him.  “I went,” said Perez, “and after he, had closed the door, and looked through the keyhole to see that there were no listeners, he informed me that he had received intelligence from the Pope as to the demands made by Don John upon his Holiness for bulls, briefs, and money to assist him in his English scheme, and that eighty thousand ducats had already been sent to him in consequence.”  Perez added that the nuncio was very anxious to know how the affair should best be communicated to the King, without prejudice to his Highness.  He had given him the requisite advice, he continued, and had himself subsequently told the King that, no doubt, letters had been written by Don John to his Majesty, communicating these negotiations at Rome, but that probably the despatches had been forgotten.  Thus, giving himself the appearance of having smoothed the matter with the King, Perez concluded with a practical suggestion of much importance—­the necessity, namely, of procuring the assassination of the Prince of Orange as soon as possible.  “Let it never be absent from your mind,” said he, “that a good occasion must be found for finishing Orange, since, besides the service which will thus be rendered to our master, and to the states, it will be worth something to ourselves.”