CC del Castillo de la Fama. Laberinto Contra Fortuna... Facsimile Edition

On the cover, the full title tells us: Las CC. del castillo de la fama compuestas por el licenciado Alfonso Albares Guerrero jurista: dirigidas al muy alto y serenissimo y catholico Emperador don Carlos rrey de rromanos y de las Españas semper augusto (The CC. of the castle of the fame, written by the graduate Alfonso Albares Guerrero, a man of law: directed to his Royal Highness the Grand and serene semper augusto Don Carlos, king of the Romans and of Spain).

But this title doesn't remind us of all the rich content of the book. Some other interesting texts have to be read, they are not announced on the cover: Las cincuenta del laberinto contra fortuna of the same author, a work also dedicated to Charles V, followed by “Siguese la linea de los emperadores de Alemania: después que el imperio passo en los germanos...” that is to say, it is a genealogy from the Emperor Oton I, and the work is completed at the end of the volume, placing, just in front of the colophon, a curious text, as “Un theologo muy grande amigo del auctor, le embio este mote: compuesto por el, y el auctor lo gloso y se lo embio", (a very important theologist, a good friend of the writer,  nicknamed him, and the writer took it into his gloss and used it).

The theologist's nickname, a friend of Alfonso Alvarez Guerrero said "Mira bien de lo passado / lo que esperas" (look at what's happened and of what you are expecting) and its gloss is as follows: "cuando mas muestre halago / el mundo y mas dulce calma / el tiempo turbio aziago / del mal passado y estrago / se imprima dentro en el alma. / Y en bonança no oluidado / tal daño según lo vieras / con seso diestro auisado / Mira bien de lo passado / lo que esperas", (look at the past and what you are expecting).

The author encourages us to enjoy his glosses, offering 4 nicknames of the author. “Yodo lo vende el sufrir", "El seso es camino llano", "No ay mal que yguale a la fuerza", y, "Nunca se perdio el bien hecho".

The author wrote his work because he thought "la fama de los nuestros estar casi obumbrada y cubierta con el velo de las tinieblas del olvido: y ansi mesmo los grandres y excelentes hechos de los estraños en noticia y memoria de pocos, por la diversidad de las lenguas y por la confusión de tantos auctores que sus vidas y hechos escrivieron en tanto numero y volumenes de libros", (the fame of our people was almost forgotten and covered by a veil of the mists of time forgotten: and also the great and excellent facts of unknown people and the lost memories of people, because of the languages diversity, because of, as well, the confusion of many authors whose lives and facts were reflected in many books).