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country_n	ancient_a	call_v	situation_n	3,751	5	12.3408	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19211	The historie of the vniting of the kingdom of Portugall to the crowne of Castill containing the last warres of the Portugals against the Moores of Africke, the end of the house of Portugall, and change of that gouernment. The description of Portugall, their principall townes, castles, places ... Of the East Indies, the isles of Terceres, and other dependences ...; Dell'unione del regno di Portogallo alla corona di Castiglia. English	Conestaggio, Gerolamo Franchi di.; Silva, Juan de, conde de Portalegre, 1528-1601, attributed name.	1600 (1600)	STC 5624; ESTC S108618	292,010	348

about a yeere and a halfe and died in the beginning of the yeere 1580. he was the last of the house of Portugall to whom succeeded 18. Philip sonne to Charles the fift Emperour and of Isabell King of Spaine c. borne the 7. of May 1527. c. THE VNITING OF THE REALME OF PORTVGALL TO THE CROWNE OF CASTILL The Contents of the first Booke The originall of the Realme of Portugall the description thereof with their newe conquests The life of King Sebastian his first voyage into Affrick his enteruiew with the Catholique King at Guadalupa the preparatiues of warre made at Lisbone for the enterprize of Affrick the kings departure from Portugall with his armie I Vndertake the Historie of the Realme of PORTVGALL from the time that king Sebastian the first passed into Affrick with a mightie armie to make warre against the Moores which inhabite Mauritania Tingitana till that after many afflictions this Realme was vnited to those of Spaine vnder Phillip the second king of Castill A subiect of importance for the generall state by the increase of power to so mightie a king yea considerable for the diuers accidents hapned in so short a time contrarie to common hope and profitable by the examples of the instabilitie of this worlde and the dangers that Princes and people runne into by their ill grounded resolutions I hope to relate these euents sincerely with truth hauing beene present at the greatest part and receiued the rest from a faithfull Reporter I am voide of passion an enimie to the vncorrupt writing of Historiographers being neither borne in any of those countries nor subiect or vassall to any king or prince But before I enter into the welspring of those warres I haue thought it conuenient to make a briefe relation of the state of the Realme of the scituation beginnings enterprises and such like to the end that being to report the fall we may withall see the rising thereof by what meanes it encreased and was supported how and when it declined and finally altered his forme The description of the Realme of Portugall POrtugall is a part of Spaine lying vpon the furthest borders of the Ocean It bordereth vpon the East with the kingdome of Castill vpon the West with the great Ocean vpon the North with Gallicia and towards the South with the Atlantike sea and Andelouzia The late writers haue deuided it into sixe countries which they call Comarques that is beyond the riuer of Tagus Estremadura betwixt Duero and Minies and this with the countrie which stretcheth to Coimbra is the ancient Portugall behinde the mountaines Beira and Algarues which last hath also the Title of a kingdome It containes in circuit 850. miles whereof 400. run along the Sea shore the rest is maine land which maketh it in forme long and narrow It hath in it eighteene cities with many great villages and castles in number aboue 470. Three of these cities haue Archbishopricks Braga Lisbone and Euora whereof the first is Lord both spirituall and temporall Nine haue their Bishopricks Coimbra Lamego Visco Porto Miranda Portalegro Guarda Leiria and Eluas the other fiue remaine without dignitie and those are Bragança Tauira Lagos Faro and Silues These last fower be in the kingdome of Algarues whereof one Bishop hath the Title It is watered with many riuers whereof two are most famous Tagus and Duero the first runneth by the walles of Lisbone and sixe or seuen miles off dischargeth it selfe into the Sea the other doth the like by the citie of Porto and two miles from thence falleth into the Ocean from their mouthes vnto the citie they are no riuers but as it were armes and bosomes of the Sea and most assured and capable portes for many great ships which may saile farre vp against the streame but further in that of Lisbone then of the other whereas many great vessels passe fifteene or twentie miles vp beyonde the towne besides these two portes twentie miles from Lisbone towards the South is Settuual which hath a small Tower at the entrie thereof with a port capable of many ships And in Algarues is Tauira Lagos and Villeneuue these three are of reasonable capacitie the rest are lesse with many pleasant plashes The seate of the countrie is commodious for all partes of the world being in the middest of many great kingdomes fit for the ancient and later nauigations For turning towards the West they discouer directly Gallicya Biscay Fraunce England Germanie the other Northerne Regions Before them lieth the Islands of Azores otherwise called Terceres the fortunate Islands with the countries called the West Indies On the left hād lieth Andelouzia the Streits of Gibraltar by the which they enter into the Mediterranean Sea for the Nauigation of Italie and Greece And leauing the Streits coasting Affrick on the left hand they discouer many nations and new people vnknowne to the auncient who beleeued that the burning Zone was inhabitable from which places many ships arriue at Lisbone with great riches chieflie from the East Indies the which the Portugalles themselues as we shall declare hereafter conquered besides their traffiqne with the kingdome of Castile which lieth behinde them Lisbone is the best and chiefest of all their Cities on the which the whole Realme dependes It is verie populous yea many beleeue that of all the cities of Christendome except Paris it containes the greatest number of people The aire is verie wholesome and temperate distant from the Equinoctiall nine and thirtie degrees and with the ebbing and flowing of the salt water which is great vpon that coast there bloweth alwaies a temperate winde which doth refresh it It is neither wholie plaine nor all mountaines but deuided into fiue small hilles betwixt th' one and the other of these the plaine extends vnto the Riuer It hath beene walled whereof some part continues to this day but for that it hath beene since much augmented that part without the walles exceedes the other in greatnes There stands vpon an high hill a very ancient castell which hath no other strength in it but his height nor any guard but is reserued as a prison for noble men At the mouth of Tagus on the citie side stands a Fortresse built after the newest manner which they cal the rocke of Saint Iulian made to defend the entrie of the Riuer The fruite it bringeth foorth surpasseth all their neighbours in bountie and although it yeeldeth not corne sufficient to feede them yet haue they prouision daily out of Fraunce and Germanie The whole Realme is at this present greatly inhabited being replenished with manie Noblemen and Gentlemen and much building of ships and vessels for sundrie Nauigations Besides the order of the knights of Saint Iaques and Alcantara or of Saint Bennet which they call d'Auis of a place so named these carrie a red crosse and these a greene like vnto the Knights of Castill when as the Templers were suppressed they did institute another order with the

Cape-Vert fortifyed the Castle of Saint George in Ethiopia which they call Mina discouered the Princes Island and that of Saint Thomas which lyeth perpendicularly vnder the Equinoctiall with certaine smal Ilands thereabouts they became Lords ouer all And passing further they entred into league with the Realmes of Congo and Angolla all Moores hauing passed the great Cape of Buena Esperança and the Island of Saint Laurence right against it vpon the mayne land they became Lords of Soffolla Mozambique and Melynde where according to the humours and qualitie of the people they had won some by loue some by force although for the most part where they set footing they preuailed by Armes In the time of the said Emanuell they passed the mouth of the red sea traffiquing at Socotra Calahiate they did run through the Persian gulph and hauing passed the mouth of the riuer Indus they entred into India where first by traffique after by force they landed at Calecut Cochin and other places thereabouts but more strongly then in any other place vnder the conduct of Alphonso Albuquerque a famous captaine at Goa a small Iland in the Realme of Accen neere vnto the countrey of Idalcan the which is now a citie with an Archbishopricke chiefe of that State where the Vizeroy maketh his ordinarie aboad They haue gone along all that coast building small fortresses and hauing turned backe to the mouth of the said gulph they are become Maisters of the I le of Ormus and along that coast haue conquered the cities of Chaul Damane Bazain and Diu. Vpon the point of the coast of Mallabar which they call the Cape of Comery turning towards the gulph of Gangis they haue traffique and fortresses in the I le of Zeilan which some take to bee the ancient Taprobana where groweth the best Cinnamom And hauing passed the said gulph towards the East the mouth of Gangis they discouered the other coast at the point whereof which the ancient call the golden Chersonesse they became Lords of the towne of Malaca fiue and twentie miles from the great Iland of Somatra held also of some for Taprobana And passing on further not onely by their traffique in the Realme of Pegu and other countries vpon the firme lande but also by their nauigation they haue discouered the greater and lesser Iaua the kingdome of China the great sea of the Isles of the Molucques from whence come all the Cloues and Nutmegs with many other drugs the I le of Iappon To conclude they haue sayled on so far as they haue met in those quarters with the Castillians that came to the Conquest of the West Indies discouered by Christopher Columbus a Geneuoys in the name of the Kings of Castill Of late daies some by these two nauigations haue compassed the whole world and ioyned East to West They haue also in the time of Emanuell conquered opposite to Ethiopia and to the Cape of Buena esperança the prouince which they cal S. a Croix commonly called Brazill ioyning to Peru running 1500. miles in length yet stretcheth it not far into the maine land they haue deuided it into eight parts which they call Captaineships and haue in a manner giuen it to those that haue conquered it reseruing to the King the greatest part of the iurisdiction And although for a time it did seeme of small profit so as the criminall Iudges of Portugall did and doe yet still confine and banish thither theeues murtherers and such like malefactors yet being fertile it is greatly inhabited so as at this day there are great dwellings and manie buildings for sugars The principall townes be the Bay of Alsaints and Pernanbuc All these countries of new conquest whereof we haue made mention are rich and of great importance from thence commeth yeerely as we haue said into Portugall ships laden with sugars spice drugs stones with many other precious things and of great value And to say the truth this nation is woorthie of great praise that hauing but a small and barren countrey they haue made themselues equall by the good institutions frugalitie and vertue of some of their Kings not onely to all the kingdomes of Spaine but haue gloriously maintained war against Castil a Realme far more rich and mightie then that of Portugall and their other neighbours They haue shewed the like vertue nay rather greater far from home as well in Affricke as at the Indies hauing not onely perfourmed so woonderfull a nauigation as was held in the beginning by the wisest to be rash and foolish but also giuen such testimonie of their Armes in those parts that the writers hold many of their deeds to be miraculously performed by reason of the inequalitie wherewith they were attempted hauing shewed themselues in fight at sea and defending of forts more valiant than in any thing else And besides the conquest of so great an empire in so long and large a sea as we haue written it hath caused an other good of greater importance for Christian religion the which is now planted in all those countries So as whole Realmes which were Idolatrous are now obedient to the Apostolique Sea to the great commendation of the Iesuits whom in that countrey they call Apostles who haue and doe still maintaine a spirituall war Notwithstanding the Portugals who for the space of 460. yeeres had beene busied in these glorious attempts who had planted their crosses in the farthest bounds of the East whereas the name of Christ was not yet knowen they haue not since followed the steps begunne but contented with the weake borders of the Indian seas they haue not pearst into the maine lande but corrupted with the pleasures of the people and inriched with the traffique of marchandize they haue beene content to enioy their gettings not acknowledging the benefite of the giuer of graces and hauing conuerted the militarie reuenewes of Commandries into pleasures they became idle and vaine attributing to themselues the honors and ceremonies which faithfull Christians reserue vnto God they liued long in this estate yet in good opinion of the worlde This corruption and weakenes of the Realme brought in by the delights of Asia was in the education of king Sebastian discouered and reiected by the Iesuits who as religious men desired and laboured much to reforme it But they applied not fit medicines for so languishing a body not considering the impossibilitie sodainly to reclaime a whole people alreadie corrupted with libertie to the extreame rigor and sparingnes of these Fathers A hard matter to performe not onely in a kingdome but also in the precinct of their monasteries Whereupon they made sumptuarie lawes and especially vpon victuals which the auncient Spartaines coulde hardly haue tolerated They did specifie what meates were allowed and what defended distinguished wherein euerie man should imploy his money taking from them in a manner all that came from forraine countries were they for profite or pleasure So as these violent remedies prooued not