treasurer, and a great favourite of John II. king of Castile, was famous for the prodigious ascendancy he gained over this prince, and for the punishment which at length overtook him. He was a natural son of Don Alvaro de Luna, lord of Canete in Aragon, and of a woman of infamous character. He was born in 1488, and named Peter; but Pope Benedict XIII., who was charmed with his wit though yet a child, changed Peter to Alvares. He was introduced to court in 1498, and made a gentleman of the bedchamber to King John, with whom he grew into the highest favour. In 1427 he was obliged to retire: the courtiers exerted all their endeavours to ruin him: they complained, that a man of no military skill, of no virtues whatever, should by mere artifice and flattery, be advanced to the highest authority; and they could not bear, that by the affluence of a few upstart men, whom he had raised and fixed to his interest, he should reign as absolutely as if he were king.

They prevailed against him, and Alvares was banished from court a year and a half: but this was the greatest affliction imaginable to the king; who showed all marks of distress the moment he was removed from his presence, and now thought and spoke of nothing but Alvares. He was therefore recalled; and, being invested with his usual authority, revenged himself severely upon his enemies, by persuading the king to banish them. Of the 45 years he spent at court, he enjoyed for 30 of them to entire an ascendancy over the king, that nothing could be done without his express orders: nay, it is related by Mariana, that the king could not change an officer or servant, or even his clothes or diet, without the approbation of Alvares. In short he wanted nothing to complete his grandeur but the name of king: he had all the places in the kingdom at his disposal; he was master of the treasury, and by bounties had so gained the hearts of the subjects, that the king, though his eyes were now opened, and his affections sufficiently turned against him, durst not complain.

But the day of reckoning was approaching, and at length he was seized; yet not directly, openly, and violently, but with some of that management which upon a similar occasion was formerly employed by Tiberius against Sejanus. During his confinement, he made several Several attempts to speak to the king in person; but not being able to effect this, he sent the following letter, from which, as well as from the rest of Alvarez's history, all court favourites may draw abundant matter for edification and instruction. "Sir, It is five and forty years since I was admitted into your favour. I do not complain of the rewards I have received: they were greater than my merits or expectations, as I shall not deny. There was but one thing wanting to complete my happiness; and that was, to have fixed proper limits in time to this great fortune of mine. While, instead of choosing retirement, after the example of the greatest men, I still continued in the employment, which I thought not only my duty, but necessary for your interest, I fell into this misfortune. It is very hard that I should be deprived of liberty, when I have risked life and fortune more than once to restore it to you. Grief prevents me from saying more. I know that the Deity is provoked against me by my sins; but it will be sufficient for me, if his anger is appeased by the calamities I now suffer. I can no longer bear that prodigious mass of riches, which it was wrong in me to have heaped together. I should willingly resign them, but that everything I have is in your power; and I am denied the opportunity of showing mankind, that you have raised a person to the height of greatness, who can contain wealth as well as procure it, and give it back to him from whom he received it. But I define you by the strongest terms, that, as I was obliged by the laws of the treasury, to raise 10,000 or 12,000 crowns by methods I ought not to have taken, you will restore them to the persons from whom they were extorted. If you will not grant this on account of the services I have done, yet I think it necessary to be done from the reason of the thing."

This letter, however, produced no effect in his favour: Alvarez was tried, and condemned to lose his head. After condemnation, he was removed to Valladolid; and having confessed himself, and received the sacrament, he was carried upon a mule to the marketplace, in the middle of which a large scaffold was erected. Mounting the scaffold, he paid reverence to the cross, and presently gave his hat and signet to the page, saying, "These are the last gifts you will ever receive from me." He then submitted himself to the axe with the utmost intrepidity.