CHRISTOPHER
CHAP. I V . ]
COLUMBUS.
95
dilla, marchioness of Moya, instead of the king and queen. After wounding Don Alvaro dangerously, he was foiled in a blow aimed at the marchioness, and immediately cut to pieces by the attend ants.*
The lady here mentioned was of extraordinary merit and
force of character.
She eventually took a great interest in the
suit of Columbus, and had much influence in recommending it to the queen, with whom she was a particular favorite.† Malaga surrendered on the 18th of August, 1487.
There
appears to have been no time during its stormy siege to attend to the question of Columbus, though Fernando de Talavera, the bishop of Avila, was present, as appears by his entering the cap tured city in solemn and religious triumph. The campaign being ended, the court returned to Cordova, but was almost immediately driven from that city by the pestilence. For upwards of a year the court was in a state of continual migration; part of the time in Saragossa, part of the time invad ing the Moorish territories by the way of Murcia, and part of the time in Valladolid and Medina del Campo.
Columbus attended
it in some of its movements, but it was vain to seek a quiet and attentive hearing from a court surrounded by the din of arms, and continually on the march.
Wearied and discouraged by
these delays, he began to think of applying elsewhere for patron age, and appears to have commenced negotiations with King John I I for a return to Portugal.
He wrote to that monarch on
the subject, and received a letter in reply dated 20th of March, 1488, inviting him to return to his court, and assuring him of protection from any suits of either a civil or criminal nature, that * Pulgar, Cronica, cap. 87.
P. Martyr,
† Retrato del Buen Vassallo, lib. ii. cap. 16.