12 
Indiana University Studies 
This brings us to the point of examining the play itself. 
This examination is based on the text of the Biblioteca de 
Autores espanoles . 31 
The first act opens with Don Pedro Giron, suitor of three 
years’ standing of Doha Juana de la Cerda, lamenting the fact 
that she will have nothing to do with him. At this point Her- 
nando, former servant of Pedro’s, comes back from military 
service in Flanders, and on seeing his former master in the 
same state as that in which he left him, he offers his services 
to cure him. Don Pedro feels sure that it cannot be done, but 
promises to follow Hernando’s instructions, putting himself 
entirely in the latter’s hands. Hernando goes to Doha Juana’s 
house and enters just in time to hear her and her servant, 
Leonor, exclaim : “Mueran los hombres, guerra contra 
ellos .” 32 Juana tells Hernando he may stay at her house, if he 
will not try to find means to further Pedro’s suit. Hernando 
says to himself that they will both “dar en la liga”. Leonor 
is left with him, with instructions to receive no notes nor gifts 
from any of her thirty suitors. While Hernando is talking to 
Leonor about women in the same way she and her mistress 
have been abusing the men, two pages from Alonso and Juan, 
rival suitors, appear with gifts from their masters. Hernando 
hides during the interview when Leonor refuses the gifts and 
leaves. The pages get into an argument concerning the rela- 
tive merits of their masters and, in the excitement, put down 
the gifts which Hernando secretly picks up and takes to Pedro. 
When the pages are on the way to the open country to fight 
out their differences, they discover that they have left the 
presents behind and both decide to tell their masters that 
Juana received the gift of the one and spurned the other. 
This news so delights both Juan and Alonso that they go to 
see Pedro by way of vaunting their claims to the lady in ques- 
tion and to tell him he may as well give up his suit. During 
Alonso’s call, Hernando brings Pedro a drink in the silver cup 
which was Alonso’s present, saying that Juana sent it to him 
because he was sick and that it had been the gift of a suitor. 
Alonso is absolutely confused and leaves, swearing vengeance. 
31 Vol. XXXI V, Comedias de Lope de Vega, ordenadas por J. E. Hartzenbusch, 
Tomo II, Madrid, 1855, pp. 235-249. 
32 Los milagros, Act I, scene iv. 
