300 REPORT OF LOPEZ S TREASON. 



Ferrera should be his only trunk, and all his dealings 

 should pass through his hands, thinking thereby to 

 have gone invisible. 



Whereupon he cast with himself, that it was not 

 safe to use the mediation of Manuel Louis, who had 

 been made privy to the matter, as some base carrier 

 of letters ; which letters also should be written in a 

 cipher, not of alphabet, but of words ; such as might, 

 if they were opened, import no vehement suspicion. 

 And therefore Manuel Louis was sent back with a 

 short answer, and Lopez purveyed himself of a base 

 fellow, a Portuguese called Gomez d Avila, dwelling 

 hard by Lopez s house, to convey his letters. After 

 this messenger provided, it was agreed between 

 Lopez and Ferrera, that letters should be sent to the 

 count de Fuentes, and secretary Juarra, written and 

 signed by Ferrera, for Lopez cautelously did forbear 

 to write himself, but directed, and indeed dictated 

 word by word by Lopez himself. The contents 

 thereof were, that Lopez was ready to execute that 

 service to the king, which before had been treated, 

 but required for his recompence the sum of 50,000 

 crowns, and assurance for the same. 



These letters were written obscurely, as was 

 touched, in terms of merchandise ; to which obscurity 

 when Ferrera excepted, Lopez answered, they knew 

 his meaning by that which had passed before. Fer 

 rera wrote also to Manuel Louis, but charged this 

 Gomez to deliver the same letters unto him in 

 the presence of Juarra; as also the letter to Juarra 

 in the presence of Manuel Louis. And these letters 



