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“Ye may very well believe me if I tell you that I felt in my soul the soreness of my captivity, and above all the loss of those certificates and provisions I received at Rome, which I brought along with me, lapped up in a little box of tin, as likewise my bill of exchange for a thousand and six hundred crowns. But, as good luck would have it, they lighted into the hands of a Christian captive, a Spaniard, who kept them safe; for if they had once come to the Turks’ fingering, I should at least have given for my ransom as much as my bill made mention of.

“They brought me to Algiers, where I found the Fathers of the Order of the Blessed Trinity treating of the redeeming of Christian captives. I spake with them; I told them who I was; and moved out of charity, though I was a stranger unto them, they redeemed me in this form and manner following. They gave for me three hundred ducats, one hundred to be laid down presently, and the other two at the next return of the ship that should come to redeem the father of that society, who remained in Algiers, engaged in four thousand ducats more than those that he brought with him; for to such great pity and compassion extendeth the charity of these men, that they give their own for other folk’s liberty, and remain themselves captives for to free others from captivity. And for an addition of this happiness of my liberty, I found my lost box, with my certificates and my bill also of exchange. I showed it to that holy father who had ransomed me, and I offered him five hundred ducats more than my ransom came to, towards the payment of his engagement.

“It was almost a year ere the ship of alms returned, and that which in the interim happened unto me, if I should go about to recount it now unto you, it would be another new history. Only I will tell you that I was known of one of the twenty Turks whom I had set at liberty with the rest of the Christians before mentioned. But he was so thankful and so honest a man that he would not discover me. For had the Turks known that I was the man that sunk their two galleys, and took out of their hands that great ship of India, they would either have presented me to the Great Turk, or have taken away my life; and to have presented me to the Great Turk had been the loss of my liberty during life.

“In conclusion, the father that did ransom me came to Spain with me, together with other fifty redeemed captives. In Valencia we made a general procession, and from thence every one went his own way which he liked best, with these ensigns and tokens of their liberty which are these poor kind of habits. This day I came to this city, with so great and earnest a desire to see my espoused Isabella, that without any other thing detaining me, I inquired for this convent, where I was to have notice given me of my spouse. That which herein hath befallen me ye have already seen; that which remaineth to be seen are these certificates in order that my story may be known to be true, for it has in it as much of miracle as of truth.”

And with that he took out from a tin box the certificates of which he spoke, and put them into the Dean’s hand, who perused them together with the Asistente, who did not find anything in them that might make doubt of the truth of that which Ricaredo had delivered unto them; and for further confirmation thereof, Heaven had so ordained it that the Florentine merchant was present at all this upon whom the bill was for the payment of sixteen hundred ducats. He entreated that they would let him see the bill; and they showing it him, he presently acknowledged and accepted it, for it was many months since that he had ordered for it. All this was but to add admiration to admiration, and amazement to amazement.