of their murther and cruelty which belongeth to this part of confusion wherin they alone haue top and top gallant Solon hauing giuen lawes to the Athenians was demanded why he made not one for parricide for that saith he I thinke no man so beastly to commit it The Philosopher thought nature to haue great authority in this matter but seing that loue only descendeth she commandeth little That the child hath murthered the parent moued by a couetous desire either of patrimony or gouernement is more apparant in the line of Othomano then piety would but for the father to kill his innocent sonne or the husband his chast wife besides that family and the act of Herod I knowe no authentike proofe vnlesse Spaine can yeeld some president for both In the yeare 1568. the Duke of Alba descending with the Terrezans of Milan and Naples into the lower countries vpon pretence of pacifying that state and leauing no kind of tyranny vnexercised gaue great mislike of his doings to all men especially to the young Prince of Spaine who often complained of his crueltie in those prouinces the gouernment of which belonged as he saide no lesse to him in the life of his father then it did to Philip who had the same in the time of Charles the fift This complaint though it seemed iust to some yet others chiefely the fathers of the Inquisition reproued it as matter to be suspected and sauoring more of noueltie then appertained to one of his yeares by which slaunder they brought him into common hatred specially of his father who being wholly addicted to his secreat pleasures easily beleeued any thing in respect whereof and that hee had made committies for hearing all matters of State it was thought meete by them to restraine the Prince of libertie as a man without other practise knowing the greatnes of his mind to shorten his time although he died not without suspition of poyson The Queene of Spaine during his restraint presuming much on her place and pitying his innocencie and tender yeares solicited the king to receiue him againe into fauour but the mallice of the Princes aduersaries preuailed both towards him and the Queene whom they found no lesse zealous for the peace of Belgia then for the kings honour for which cause they ordered that both their hearses were within one moneth which I sawe at Antvvarpe lamented with teares and at Naples solemnized with ioy so great a matter it was for the prouinces to loose good Princes and for the Spaniards to be ridde of them by whose pietie and wise prouidence their auarice and crueltie had beene bridled and so small a thing it is in Spaine for a father to murther his son and a husband his wife the one being after the French phrase Le petit fils of two Emperors and the sonne of a king the other the daughter of a king the sister of kings and wife of a king Some may obiect that these reports are scandalous and belong rather to the Councell of Spaine and fathers of the Inquisition then to the king I confesse that besides publicke fame which suffizeth to driue the accusant to his purgation I can oppose but these grounds First that he who propelleth not an iniurie if he may is no lesse faultie then he that offereth the wrong secondly that those subiectes whose Prince regardeth not by what meane his sonne and wife were oppressed are not to hope the defence of his ciuill or martiall sword Now remaineth their confusion of things ciuill which I ascribe not only to the subuersion of positiue lawes priuiledges and customes but to the ouerthrow also of that society which ought to be betwene men of one nation or seueral countreyes for maintaining their particular quiet That they haue subuerted the ciuill state by altering of ancient ordinances I hope they will not denie which if they do their policie in Belgia framed by Escouâ—do secretarie to Don Iohn of Austria vz. that the king must chastice one Prouince by an other to be made absolute in all being compared with the priuiledges and customes of those Prouinces graunted in the Bull of gold and since confirmed by their Princes will conuince them of great impudencie For if amongst other things contained in that Bull the Princes of Belgia are prohibited to amplifie the Ecclesiasticall state further then hath bene prescribed or to leauie any mony or to make any innouatioÌ„ in matter of state without consent of the Nobilitie and people or to place forenners in the ciuill gouernment vnlesse in some small offices with this caution that if they fall into any of these errours their subiects making due protestation are absolued from their obedience what is it to enioyne diuerse townes of Brabant to receiue Bishops the vnited Prouinces the Spanish Inquisition Spanish and Italian gouernours and to impose this burthen that besides the yearely tenth of mens goods nothing is bought and sold to the vse of the bodie out of which the kings officers trie not a part of siluer What other thing I say is this alcumie then the rooting vp of a State planted by the hands of good Princes then which there is no iniustice more capitall To antiquate these things seemeth no other then the cancelling of societie but they are distinct and but in part like some obeying no ordinance and yet hauing mutuall societie which groweth by a secret agreement of nature making them conuersant By which I collect the confusion of societie amongst men liuing vnder one law is their morositie onely This vice is rife amongst them and wherein the Spaniard hath his difference from all men aswell for offending therein their owne persons as priuate persons the Soueraigne and the Soueraigne the subiect as also priuate persons one another in all which they haue predominatiou and if it were possible exceede them selues For sinning against their owne persons behold a rare example Don Piero of Castill the sonne of Alphonso the xi leading the vantgard of a battail against the Mores of Granado and being aduertised that his vnkle Don Iohn who was in the arergard was like to be distressed by a sudden eruption of Mores and finding him selfe vnable to relieue his vnkle his souldiers departing the field was so surprized with beastlines that he fel from his horse dead which when Don Iohn was certified he died also A matter saith the author not before heard that a man should die of displeasure yet presidents no lesse rare in their sort do folow but first of offences against the Soueraigne A Spaniard beholding Ferdinando grandfather to Charles the fift in procession at Barcelona that day they name Corpus Christi feast strake him so furiously with a dagger on the necke that he had slaine him if the greatnesse of his chaine had not put by the thrust and that for no other cause as he confessed being taken but that the king stood not in his good grace and that he liked not his countenance an opinion no
11. lent vpon the Counties of Roussilion and Parpignan by meane of that cousining frier Oliuer Maillard I let passe with these notes that as it behooueth the kings of France to suspect the hypocrisie of friers in regard of the ambition of Spaine and Lorran so it standeth the king of Spaine in hand not to dye in Egypt no man being buried there by an ancient law of that region if his gouernement hath bin tyranous or his debts vnpaide To returne to the second part of their couetousnesse ouerthrowing the foundation of Iustice if this ground be true that nothing is profitable that is not honest these men are too deuout seruitors of the Pope he crying this Prince sweats or fetch to leape like water spaniels at the sacred dignities of kings and to enter violently their Domaines established by his diuine order who said by me kings do raigne I will iustifie it that if the right of Millaine appertaine not to the kings of France who claimed that Dutchie by Valentina grandmother to Levvis the twelfth daughter and heire to Iohn Galeazzo who had it of the gift of the Emperor Sigismund that then it belongeth to the Empire It is also certaine that the Spanish claime to the kingdome of Naples and Sicilia if the treatie at Madrick helpe not is voidable the same growing vpon the adoption of Alphonso king of Aragon by Iohn the daughter of Lancelot the son of Charles de la Paix an vsurper of those realmes which for good cause shee retracted in her life conuaied her title to Levvis the third sonne to Levvis the second sonne to Levvis the first being Duke of Aniou and before adopted by Ioan the daughter of Levvis the sonne of Robert all which were lawfully possessed of those Realmes After which Levvis the third Duke of Aniou hauing in him the right of the two Queenes and dying without issue left thē to his brother Rene who hauing no issue male gaue his interest to his brother Charles who dying likewise without issue left his title by testament to the french king Levvis the 11. in respect wherof Charles the 8. his sonne entred Italie recouered Naples where he was crowned Moreouer the Spaniard neither as king of Spaine or Duke of Burgundie hath any right to Holland Zeland and Henault the same hauing bene the patrimonie of Iaquet daughter heire to Guilliam Duke of Bauiers wife to Iohn Duke of Brabant who died without issue since which time Philip the Duke of Burgundy his cosen his heire hauing their will for law haue violently detained those prouinces Furthermore their title to Maiorica Minorica to the higher Nauar resteth vpon these doubts first that if king Philip were takē in battel or intrapped by other meanes and imprisoned during his life whether Spaine shuld be forfait to him whose captiue he were Secondly if Spaine were prescribed by the holy father who many times is implacable whether that kingdome were his who first laid hand thereon I am perswaded they would reck on these questions absurd but if the case bee altered with names it is cocke on the hoope for them clearer then the midday For the king of Aragons conquest of Maiorica and Minorica was by no other meane then by keeping the king of both in prison till his death of which wrong the king his sonne complained to Edvvard Duke of Aquitan who assured him his wars ended for Don Piero of Castile he would yeeld him all fauor possible Their chiualrie in their thieuish surprising the higher Nauarre which they hold by force of the Popes proscription is of like condition whereby it may appeare that notwithstanding these Caualeros haue their Rapiers hanging point blancke that it is their penurie at home that giues them stomake according to their name that they are Sagaces Hispani to winde or smell their neighbors cupbords abrode The late Prince of Orenge hath declared their iniurie to Don Anthonio for Portingall and God himselfe wherein we haue to boast and be thankfull hath with hautie stile penned our Apologie for England wherefore I omit both to shewe the last branch of their couetousnesse then which there is nothing that more toucheth their indignitie for if it be proper to the Lion and Tiger to pursue with incredible furie those that bereue them of their whelpes what greater beastlines can there be in man who hath reason is not borne for himselfe then contrarie to the naturall instinct of brute beastes to make his issue captiue whom nature made free as the Spaniards by selling the Indian women conceiued with child by them haue done to their great obloquie This kinde of auarice caused the Indians to practise new matter but rather it may be the diuine punishment considering the simplicitie of that people who as they could opportunely take the Spaniards powred melted gold into their mouthes vsing Thomyris words to Cyrus head in bloud now drinke your fill To returne from whence I digressed touching their qualities expressing the significations of Spaine Next to their couetousnesse their enuy is to be regarded a vice proper to men of base account and peculiar aboue all others to this nation as well by testimonie of Gaston the Erle of Foix a Prince of singular magnificence and valure who dehorting the Lords of Biern from seruing the king of Castill against the Portingall tould them the Spaniards were filthie lowsie and enuious of the prosperitie of straungers which at Iuberoth the French desiring to haue the vanward found true the king of Castill not being able in regard of their place to bring his Spaniards though 20000. to make supply by meane whereof the Lords of Biern with their retinue being 12000. were slaine As also by the Duke of Albas reproouing Countie Egmond who with the aide of our artilery from sea ouerthrew the Frenchmen betweene Grauelin and Dunkercke which victorie the Spaniard imputed onely to the Counties temerity and for recompence of his valure could not after aford him his life Hitherto haue I prooued the significations of Spaine as causes by their effects or maximes by their consequences now remaineth to speake of Tubal signifying of the world worldly confusion and ignomy Some may thinke that what hath bene said for Spaine belongeth also to Tubal but I am of another minde for as it followeth not necessarily that whosoeuer is rich is therefore proud high minded and insolent no more is it consequent that the poore are worldly confuse and ignominious many of both sorts being such whom God doth loue in respect whereof it behoueth me to handle this as the other a part to make apparant that they are no lesse confuse and ignominious than naturally poore and miserable As for these words worldly or of the world although their grosse ignorance of diuine things may be prooued thereby yet for that they belong to my Masters the Diuines I let them passe First therefore as touching confusion it is a peruerting
lesse daintie then that of the Romane Senate for as they esteemed not on a God who was not allowed by their authoritie no more would this yonker that any should haue the name of king that had not dignitie of person agreeable to his romth which villanus temeritie hath giuen iust cause for Princes to withdraw their ordinarie presence from the common subiect and to bring in this custome that no man weareth a dagger in Spaine But nowe to their confounding of societie with the subiect for the sequell of singular president for all princes Ferdinando the fourth of Castill for displeasure onely against two knights of good name made their processe of execution and though supplications were offered with teares for pacifying that rigor yet contrarie to the lyons nature who spareth the humble he proceeded with all seueritie in respect whereof the two knights appealed to the great iudge before whō they summoned the king to be in person within twentie dayes the last of which Ferdinando appeared Time may rather want then iust matter to blase their vices which are not common but rare and in the highest degree of beastlinesse leauing therefore their murthering the Nobilitie of the sacred order of Burgundi their cutting out and searing with hot irons the tongues of honest Citizens their drawing the mouthes of some a sunder with other instrumentes their wilfull murthering a father at Traiect beyond the Mose for lodging his sonne one night their banishing chast matrons for receauing their husbands an act condemned by no good law for the inseperable bonds of their loue their furious beastlinesse at Turnace vpon the citizens and a widow named Potier whom they slue with her daughter and neece and their massacring with bullets the vnarmed people at Ipre beholding a godly minister put to death I will touch onely their barbarous inhumanitie towards the naked Indians a people very tractable if they had found good maisters and such as had skill of honestie Setting the acts of Moses and Iosua a part I think there is no president that the godly haue rooted out the natural inhabitants of any countrey but that the wicked haue chastized sinners many passages both of diuine and prophane writings haue testified It is then apparant that the Spaniards as idolaters were suffered to chastice idolaters and not to enlarge the faith for had their intention bene to haue learned those simple soules the true knowledge of God as they made shewe at the first by erecting in some regions diuerse Bishoprickes and schooles they would either haue continued that order or haue bin conuersant with them in all mildnesse and humanitie pietie being no way better taught then by demonstration but as they could seeme no others then they were no more could the Indians gather grapes of thornes in respect whereof though at the first this naked people might haue bene moulded into anie forme yet after they had tasted the Spanish Creados they abandoned their companie with all rites and ceremonies of the Romish religion which manie of them had reuerently before receiued neither was there anie death so fearefull whether by poyson famine or other meane before mentioned that in respect of the cruelty of those Don Diegos they would not haue willingly embraced as their sure port of rest end of their euils In describing the miserable state of these wretched people Metellus saith that to a very ill president manie of the Spanish souldiers punished their seruants most greuously if either they brought not home their day hier or finished not their taske in the gould and siluer mines or had committed smaler faults yealding them their hands and feet being bound to a crosse pale in steed of their supper many stripes with corde or the sinnewes of a Buphal dropping on them either boyling pitch or oile and after washing them with salt water they would lay them so long vpon a table as they imagined those wretches might beare the paine after this kind of cookerie if a more cruell maister hapened to some of them they were buried all night in earth to the necke as a present remedie for their stripes If any of them died in this newe diet as it chaunced very often the maister accompting to the King the heds of his slaine seruants was quited of the paine of manslaughter This crueltie some excuse saith Metellus by the law of Baion But it appereth vpon iust cause wicked to all men as being void of all piety Touching this barbarous crueltie he bringeth in also one Alquinotec baptized Cacicnis of the prouince of Iucatana complaining to Monteius generall of that prouince in these or the like wordes Our natiō Monteius whilst I was a boy was grieuously afflicted with a disease causing them to vomit wormes whereof the greatest part died after which falling by degrees from on euill to another we had wars with them of Mexico wherin we lost mo then an hundred and fifty thousand all which in respect of the slaughter crueltie that we receaue of thee Monteius of thy souldiers we esteeme nothing Metellus further affirmeth that the Spaniards hauing wasted many prouinces with their crueltie and transporting by sea from other places better peopled sundry of those miserable wretched Indians murthered many by pestering them in the bottomes of their ships some by famine some by their daily stripes so that few or not one of thē landed that were imbarked Hee moreouer specially noteth for the rest one Piero Calis who in driuing whole droues of that naked people slue all that were not able to trauell without regard of age sexe or their vse of labour which in respect of a continuall ease was most hard and intollerable to them He lastly concludeth with Macchiauel who maintaineth that where the Pope and Cardinals set footing they leaue most fearefull printes of confusion that in what place the Spaniards display their ensignes nothing is to be looked for but crueltie and slaughter and all miserie The prouince of Cumanus of 700000. hauing scarce any remaining Hispaniola of 2000000. hauing left but 200. or 150. and Hondurensis of 400000. but 8000. besides the slaughters of Cuba Iamica and Portus diuitis Thus farre Metellus by which I collect in respect of a Sympathia betweene the creatures of seuerall kinds that the Spaniards are no lesse daungerous in regarde of their crueltie then the Basilisc both hauing a desolate and wast Empire as also that those Indians hauing behelde moe miseries then all the Nations of the earth haue beene reserued for the handes of this cruell and proude Nation whose condemnation may appeare iust and most great I also note the sagacitie of this politike and wise people that if they establish any law tending to reformation they conuert it for the most part to their priuate commoditie for as they dealt by the Inquisition specially prouided for the Moores and Ievves of Spaine so haue they done by the Law of Baion made by Ferdinando and Isabella for the
man or horse their fields being extremely parcht with the Sunne till the returne of the Equinoctial Who therefore mindeth to inuade Spaine hauing no acquaintance with that ayre it behoueth him to take the field in March or at the least in Aprill so councelled Iohn the king of Portingale his father in law the Duke of Lancaster who hauing in few weekes conquered Galitia after contended only with the aire scarsitie of the fields the Spaniards hauing brought their corne hay and other prouisions into their walled townes by meane whereof he lost twelue Barons foure score knights and two hundred Esquires besides the common souldiers and horse of seruice Yet are not these discommodities of aire or countrie or losse of so many great personnages and resolute men to deterre vs hereafter we being not to measure at any time our attempts by the euents but by what reason they were enterprized which being of late to diuert a capitall and stubburne enemie are necessitie commanding oportunely to be renued nothing being impossible to a prudēt deliberation accōpanied with true fortitude Say then noble countrimen with resolute Cato speaking to his souldiers in the deserts of Libya These are my mates in armes vvhom dangers onely leade But what heare I Great is the Hesperian god Plutus Spain not onely abounding with fruitfull fields and rich mines but with such men as haue bene parentes of all good customes It suffiseth but let this be tried by Lazarillo di Tormes he being lesse partiall then Hieronimo Ruscello Rodirigo di Toledo or Taraphe and by the trauellers in Spaine who find nothing in their hosteries but a mat to lye vpon and a candle to bring them to bed It is no good consequent there be birds because there is a nest or he is a gentleman for that he neuer leaueth riding But graunt the South of Spaine may be compared with the fruitfull parts of Italie and that some of them were of like seede as Pallas yet it maketh no more for the fertilitie of the rest and good breeding of that people then the teeth of an Aethiopian for the whitenesse of his bodie Neither doth the varietie of their mines proue the fatnesse of the soyle but the contrarie for all mettals being ingendred by influence of the Planets of which they haue their properties and apt temperature of the earth inclined to the disposition of those Planets of which she is impressed do shew the nature of their cause by their effects which being in the third and fourth degree of drought prooueth their ground more barren vnlesse in some part then any region about them Moreouer their mines which by men skilfull in minerals are likened to trees hauing rootes trunkes boughes branches blossomes or floures they haue bene wasted by sundry nations in all ages as the mines of seacole and kannel which haue their bounds are subiect to an end First the Phoenecians had for things of small price great store of their mettall by the helpe whereof they erected diuerse colonies in Sicilia Sardinia Libya and Spaine it selfe Secondly the Carthagenians did trafficke their brasse with the Tyrians inlarged thereby their commodities in other mettall their Empire against the Libyans Sicilians and Romaines Lastly the Romaines mined many furlongs with great vaults in sundrie parts of Spaine an argument of scarsitie in their time and that the birds were then flowen which is now a cause also the king of Spaine preuaileth little for the lower countries treasure as some hold being the sinewes of warre As for this opinion that other nations should take light frō their courtly port martiall behauiour it is vaine argueth a yearely pention Antonio di Gueuarra affirming that to giue perfection to the Spaniards it behoueth to draw him that is bred in the mountaines to be trained in Castill which I gesse is for no other cause then that the Montanese is by nature rough and the Castillian efeminat but what state this man will beare let them report who haue either seene beggers set on horsebacke or haue beheld a mans head placed on a horses necke c. This my self can say that I haue knowē fifteene hūdred Biscaies which people Florus nameth the chiualrie of Spaine at their first landing in Antvvarpe to be men contemptible of person filthy in apparell and rude in behauiour and within one moneth after they had tasted the pay of that towne and relished the cates of that contrey to be terrible of countenance magnificall in gesture and seeming of so hautie conceit as though all things were vile which they esteemed not and therefore dare auowe that who so was entertained with their customes prospered as a tree embrased with iuie This barbarous naturall of the Spaniard was better knowen to Hanibal then to men of our time for he after his discomfiture at Cilla hauing some Spanish horsemen remaining and fearing in respect of their vertuous training their readines to chaffer the state of their friends fled with on horseman in two dayes two nights to Adrumetum distant frō the battail three thousand furlongs which commeth to three hundred seuentie fiue of our miles an argument he loued and trusted them well from whom he fled in such hast It is a ground that a compound is lesse perfit more daungerous for nature then a simple if therefore those Spaniards which descended only of Tubal haue in respect of their parent or soile but the image of perfect men what shall we thinke of the Spaniards of these dayes which are confected of the pilferers of the wold truely that there is no vice in which they haue not a surplussage aboue anie other nation of the earth I meane the South of Spain now containing Catalonia Aragona Castilia nueua Valenza Granado and Andaluzia to which only the Romans before Polybius time gaue the name of Spaine As for Galitia and Portingale the one taking name of those French men that in the time of Charles the great entred Spaine against the Mores the other of those French and Normans that in the yeare 700. past against the Sarasins as also the Biscais descended of those Gauls which were called Celtae and of those Spaniards named Iberi as Diodorus in his sixt booke of antiquities and Lucan in his fourth hooke make mention I number them a part as being ech way more honorable then the rest But to returne to the South of Spaine the rest not being knowen to the learned antiquitie the Goths and Alani being of those Scythians that dwelt neere the riuer Danubius who in the time of Honorius came vnder the leading of Gensericus into Spaine inhabited that part which is now called Catalonia a word compounded of both their names and was at the first named Gottalania Of these Scythes who haue their name as vacantes scyphis are descended those that inhabit Castilia nueua and Arragon named at the first Terracona Next to these is the prouince of Valenza