Teresa de Cartagena,Arboleda de los enfermos y Admiraçión operum Dey, ed. by Lewis J. Hutton, Madrid 1967. [Anejos del “Boletín de la Real Academia Española” XVI].

Teresa de Cartagena had just published the book Arboleda de los enfermos. Some of the men and women humanists of her circle accuse her of plagiarism saying, with pretended admiration, that a woman could not have written a work like that. She defends herself by writing, at the request and petition of her friend Juana de Mendoza, another book, entitled Admiración de las obras de Dios, in which she argues that women have been given, through grace, their own divine and, men, theirs. This book is the first known of written in Castilian by a woman participating in the Querelle des Femmes.

“Introduction

I am often given to understand, virtuous lady, that some of the reasonable males and, also, discrete females marvel or have marvelled at a treatise which, with the divine grace leading my weak feminine understanding, was written by my hand. And as it is a small work, of little substance, I am astonished. And it cannot be believed that the reasonable males tend to want to marvel at such a little thing; but, if their marvelling is true, it seems that my insult is not in doubt, since they do not manifest this admiration for the deservingness of the writing but rather for the defect of its author or composer; as we see through experience that when a person of simple and crude understanding says a word that seems to us of sense: we are astonished by it, not because what they have said is worthy of admiration but rather because the very being of that person is so censurable and low and held in such little esteem that we do not expect anything good of them. And, because of this, when it happens, through the mercy of God, that these simple and crude people say or do something that, although it is not altogether good, is uncommon, we are greatly astonished because of the afore-mentioned relationship. And it is due to the same relationship that I certainly believe that the reasonable males have marvelled at the treatise I made: not because it contains things that are very good or worthy of admiration but rather because my own being and just desert with the adverse fortune and growing illnesses speak against me and incite all to admire themselves in saying: “How can there be any good in a person in whom so much bad resides?” And from this it has followed that the work that is feminine and of little substance, that is worthy of reproach amongst common men, with much reason would be made worthy of admiration in the approval of the singular and great men, since the prudent one does not marvel without cause when he sees that the fool knows how to speak. And let those who want say that the said admiration is praise, to me it seems an insult; and, of my own will, I prefer to be offered injurious insults than futile praises, since neither the insult can hurt me nor the futile praise benefit me. Since I do not want to usurp the other’s glory nor do I wish to flee from my own insult. But there is another thing that I should not consent to, since truth does not consent to it: it seems to be that not only do the prudent marvel at the fore-mentioned treatise, but that some of them even are unable to believe that it is true that I have done such good; that in me less is supposed, but in the mercy of God greater good is found. And as they say to me, virtuous lady, that the cited volume of papers in draft-form has reached the attention of Mr Gómez Manrique and your own, I do not know if the doubts that surround the treatise have been presented before your discretion. And, although the good work, which before the subject of the sovereign truth is true and certain, is not very damaged if held as doubtful – like this one- in the reception and judgement of human men; that can destroy and does destroy the substance of the writing; and even appears to take away in great measure the benefit and grace given to me by God. In any case, in honour and glory of this sovereign and liberal Lord, of whose mercy the earth is full, I, who am a small piece of earth, dare to present before your great discretion this that in mine, small and weak, is before you now.”

“Introduçión

Muchas vezes me es hecho entender, virtuosa señora, que algunos de los prudentes varones e asy mesmo henbras discretas se maravillan o han maravillado de vn tratado que, la graçia divina administrando mi flaco mugeril entendimiento, mi mano escriuió. E como sea vna obra pequeña, de poca sustançia, estoy maravillada. E no se crea que los prudentes varones se ynclinasen a quererse marauillar de tan poca cosa, p[er]o sy su marauillar es çierto, bien paresçe que mi denuesto non es dubdoso, ca manifiesto no se faze esta admiraçión por meritoria de la escritura, mas por defecto de la abtora o conponedora della, como vemos por esperençia quando alguna persona de synple e rudo entendimiento dize alguna palabra que nos paresca algund tanto sentida: maravillámonos dello(s), no porque su dicho sea digno de admiraçión mas porque el mismo ser de aquella persona es asy reprovado e baxo e tenido en tal estima que no esperamos della cosa que buena sea. E por esto quando acaesçe por la misericordia de Dios que tales personas sinples e r[u]d[a]s dize[n] o haze[n] alguna(s) cosa(s), avnque no sea del todo buena, (e) sy no comunal, maravillámonos mucho por el respecto ya dicho. E por el mesmo respecto creo çiertamente que se ayan maravillado los prudentes varones del tractado que yo hize, y no porque en él se contenga cosa muy buena ni digna de admiraçión, mas porque mi propio ser e justo meresçimiento con la adversa fortuna e acresçentadas pasyones dan bozes contra mí e llaman a todos que se maravillen diziendo: ‘¿Cómo en persona que tantos males asyentan puede aver algund bien?’ E de aquí se ha seguido que la obra mugeril e de poca sustançia que dina [es] de reprehensyón entre los onbres comunes, (e) con mucha razón sería fecha dina de admiraçión en el acatamiento de los singulares e grandes omes, ca no syn causa se maravilla el prudente quando vehe que el nesçio sabe hablar. E diga quien quisyere que esta ya dicha admiraçión es loor, que a mí denuesto me paresçe(r) e, por la mi voluntad, antes se me ofrescan injuriosos denuestos me paresçe que no vanos loores; ca ni me puede dañar la injuria nin aprovechar el vano loor. Asy que yo no quiero vsurpar la gloria ajena ni deseo huyr del propio denuesto. Pero ay otra cosa que [no] devo consyntir, pues la verdad non la consyente, ca paresçe ser no solamente se maravillan los prudentes del tractado ya dicho, mas avn algunos no pueden creer que yo hisyese tanto bien ser verdad: que en mí menos es de lo que se presume, pero en la misericordia de Dios mayores bienes se hallan. E porque me dizen, virtuosa señora, que el ya dicho bolumen de papeles bor[r]ados aya venido a la noticia del señor Gómez Manrique e vuestra, no sé sy la dubda, a bueltas del tractado, se presentó a vuestra discreçión. E como quier que la buena obra que antel subjeto de la soberana Verdad es verdadera e çierta, non enpeçe mucho si nel acatamiento e juizio de los onbres vmanos es avida por dubdosa, como ésta, puede estragar e estraga la sustançia de la escritura, e avn paresçe evacuar muy mucho el benefiçio e graçia que Dios me hizo. Por ende, a onor y gloria deste soberano e liberal Señor de cuya misericordia es llena la tierra, e yo, que soy un pequeño pedaço de tierra, atréuome presentar a vuestra grand discreçión esto que a la mía pequeña e flaca por agora se ofresçe.”