Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A37089
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A compendious chronicle of the kingdom of Portugal, from Alfonso, the first King, to Alfonso the Sixth, now reigning together with a cosmographical description of the dominions of Portugal / by John Dauncey.
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Dauncey, John, fl. 1663.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing D289; ESTC R22503
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109,540
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240
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zeal and devotion towards God yet he must needs advise him that God had placed him as King and Governor over his people that the Divine Majesty would be better pleased if he would with his prayers to the Almighty for their welfare add his care for their protection that it was a duty incumbent upon him to provide for his subjects felicity as of parents for their children whilest according to the Apostle He that does not take care for his family was worse then an infidel that for want of his superintendency the kingdom was posting into the road of destruction by reason of the ill administration of his Ministers that according to his duty he could not but advise him to free them from oppression c. These Speeches of the Arch Bishop extreamly stirred up the Kings affections to his people both because he was sensible of the great love the Arch Bishop bore him and because he knew what he had spoken was truth he therefore takes the Helm of State into his own hands calls those unjust Steward to account frees the people from their oppresses where he finds cause punishes them severely and finally makes several Laws for the good and benefit of the people whose affections he in short time so far gained that they surnamed him the Good And having thus setled his kingdom to the content of his subjects at home he next applies his minde to the aggrandising of it to which purpose in the year 1500. he fitted out a great number of ships which he divided into three Fleets sending one towards the East the second towards the West and the third towards the South to make discoveries That which steered their couse towards the East were the first Christian Fleet that ever passed the Cape of Good-Hope and found out the passage by Sea into the East-Indies that towards the West made discovery and took possession of Brazile in America that towards the South reinforced and added to their former Conquests in the kingdoms of Conga and Angola These happy discoveries thus made at the return of the fleet from the East-Indies a more potent was sent out with a convenient Land Army to take possession of some places in the Country these discomfited the great Armies of the Turks and Sultan of Egypt possessed themselves of the Island of Ormus in the Persian Gulf an Island so rich and well situated that the Arabians used to say that if the whole world were a ring that would be like the Diamond in it many other Forts and Places upon the Sea-coast they likewise subjected and fortified and returned home richly laden Thus were the riches of India which before had been brought over the vast Arabian deserts upon the backs of Camels to Grand Cairo in Egypt and from thence by Sea transported to Venice and so dispersed over these parts of the World were now brought home by Sea a longer but less chargeable and far quicker way Emanuel while his Fleets were performing these glorious services abroad governed his kingdoms in peace and prosperity at home blessed with a noble and numerous Issue to wit six sons and two daughters the sons were first Prince Iohn who succeeded him in the kingdom secondly the Infante D. Lewis thirdly the Infante D. Alfonso who was after a Cardinal Arch-Bishop of Lisbon and Abbot of Alcobaza fourthly the Infante D. Henry Cardinal and Arch-Bishop of Braga fifthly Infante D. Fernando sixthly the Infante D. Edward The daughters were first the Infante Isabella who was married to Charles the fifth that famous Emperor and King of Spain and secondly the Infante Beatrice married to Emanuel Duke of Savoy Emanuel having long governed this Nation to his great glory and renown at last in the seventy third year of his life and forty first of his Empire yielded to fate at Lisbon in or about the year 1435. and was buried in the Cathedral of that City amongst many of his Ancestors He was a Prince in whom the Divinity seem'd to have been at a strife whether his body or minde should be made more amiable for the features of his face were worthily to be admired yet his outward part could not boast more beauty then his soul could that imbellisher of man vertue I can not well say whether he was more severe or merciful but where he met with offences that he could not pardon he was always pitiful in sum he so lived and so ruled that he deservedly merited that Glorious Name of Emanuel the Good JOHN the III. Fifteenth KING of PORTVGAL JOhn the third of that Name who succeeded his father in the kingdom was born in the year 1504. and educated in the University of Conimbria in all those Sciences befitting a Prince he arrived at the Crown at the age of one and thirty years Heir as well to his fathers vertues as kingdoms He prosecuted those discoveries made by the Fleets of his father in the East and West Indies in the first of which he took and possessed many Islands and Towns his Armies encountred and overthrew the potent and formidable kings of Bengala Pegu and Siam and likewise obtained many signal Victories over the Moors of Malacca Sumatra and Molucco who were as well provided of Artillery as any Princes of Europe His Armies in West Indies had no worse success taking and fortifying divers places noâ— was fortune less favorable to him in Guiny During his fathers life-time being about the age of three and twenty years he was married to Catherine sister to Charles the fifth Emperor and King of Spain by whom he had Issue Prince Iohn who died during his reign but left behind him a son named Sebastian who succeeded this Iohn his Grand-father in the kingdom Iohn the third reigned in all eight and thirty years making many Laws for the increasing and encouragement of Traffique to the great enriching of his subjects he died in the sixty ninth year of his age and in the year of our Lord 1573. being buried in the Cathedral at Lisbon SEBASTIAN the I. Sixteenth KING of PORTVGAL SEbastian Grand-child of King Iohn the third was his successor in the kingdom which he entred into at about three and twenty years of age Scarce was he well seated in his Throne or had sat in it much above a year and a half when he was by Ambassadors from Muly Mahamet then turned out of his kingdoms of Fesse and Morocco by his Unkle Abdemelech implored to aid him in the recovery of his kingdom with promise that if by his means he could drive out Abdemelech he would freely resign to Sebastian the kingdom of Morocco and content himself with that of Fesse Ambition of glory and hopes to propagate the Christian Religion makes Sebastian readily undertake the enterprize and to that purpose makes all possible speed to levy Men and Arms he sends to Phillip the second King of Spain who promises him the assistance of ten thousand men but fails yet Sebastian not discouraged resolves with his own forces
Don Antonio D'Oquendo that when they had relieved Flanders with men and mony they should with the whole Fleet put into Portugal and then as soon as the Duke should according to the duty of his new place and office come aboard they should immediately set Sail and bring him away to Callis but this plot was by a strange divine providence prevented for that Fleet was totally routed by the Hollanders upon the Coast of England JOHN the IV. The One and twentieth KING of PORTVGAL NOw was the time come wherein according to St. Bernards prophecy the kingdom of Portugal was to be released from the tyranny of strangers and restored again to the Government of a Native King to which all things seemed so well to quadrate that we cannot imagine there was less then a divine hand in it for though all Plots failing against the Duke of Braganza the Spaniards beginning to fear somewhat drew out as many of the Native soldiers out of the kingdom as conveniently they could thinking thereby to lessen the ill humors which begâ—n now to appear yet they did thereby onely the more stir up and enflame those discontents which were taken at Vasconsellos managing all Affairs of State For although the most Illustrious Infanta Margarita of Mantoua was a Princess of great judgement and knowledge in State-affairs yet she permitted her self to be so much over-ruled by Vasconsellos Secretary of State or at least was so much over-ruled by him whether she would or no that he either by some secret consent of his Catholick Majesty or led on by his own ambitious spirit confiding in the great favour he had at Court never permitted the Infanta to enjoy other then the title of Vice-Queen And insufferable was the Government of Vasconsellos to the Portuguesses who as much hated his obscure birth as they did his evil Customs he was a man wholly composed of pride cruelty and avarice that knew no moderation but in excesses small lapses were by him made capital crimes chastising with all severity those whom he did but suppose dissatisfied with his Government And exercising with all rigor the Spanish Inquisition punished not onely the actions but the very thoughts of men The infringing of the greatest priviledges of the Portugal Nation seemed to him but a trifle which continued oppressions in the end so exasperated the whole people that animated by the knowledge of their own strength by the many diversions of the Spanish Nation by the late example of the Catalonians and incited by the absolute ruine which they saw hung over their heads whilst six thousand of them were yearly listed and forced to serve the Spaniard in his forreign wars they resolved to loose his yoke from off their Necks and to disclaim his obedience by the election of a King of their own Some have been of opinion that this conspiracy was at least of ten years standing agreed and assented to by most of the Grandees of Portugal I dare not affirm it nor deny it for such great actions of State do resemble lightning which once past leave but the greater darkness the Air of State-mysteries is not to be flown in by less then Eagles I shall therefore omit to search into so great a Privacy and onely recount the publique action On Saturday the first of February Anno 1640. and Saturday's have been often observed to be propitious to the Portugal Nation all the Nobility of the Kingdom led on by the Marquesses of Ferrera the Count of Vimioso took Arms and accompanied with a great multitude of the inhabitants of Lisbon and some Portuguese soldiers came to the Castle which scituate in the middest of Lisbon serves both for a Palace and a Castle this was the residence of the Vice-Queen and hither assembled all the Magistrates for Governing of the Kingdom the guards which were two Companies of Spaniards and two of high Dutch either before gained by secret intelligence or frighted with the great numbers of the Portugals or desire of Novelty or else perhaps unwilling to make resistance against those to whom they were most of them joyned by friendship or marriage without the least opposition abandoning their post gave them free admittance Whilest these things had happened the Secretary Vasconsellos was in the Chambers of his Office upon some reasons he had by the Discontents of the people to suspect an Insurrection at that instant writing into Spain of the Alienation of the mindes of the Nobility from the Spanish Government and earnestly pressing that some rigorous Resolution might be taken to prevent it which Letters afterwards taken did sufficiently demonstrate his ill will to the Portuguese Nation Whilst he was thus busied the confused noise of the Soldiers pierced his ears at which wondring not so much at the tumult as at what should be the cause of it being accompanied onely with a Dutch man and another of the Guard he would have gone down but was hindred by the Portugals who came running up crying Kill the Traytor Kill the enemy of our Blood whereupon not knowing where to save himself he fled with those two accompanying him into an inner chamber and there with his sword in his hand accompanied and assisted by those two that were with him disposed himself to sell his Life at the dearest rare he could but his valor stood him in no stead for those two who endeavored to defend him being slain with two Musquet-shot he seeing it vain to defend himself there longer leapt desperately out of the window rather to seek his death than out of any hopes to save his life for no sooner was he down but numberless swords were embrued in his blood the very women and children running to tear in pieces his dead body with the same alacrity as he used to torment them when alive In the mean time the Marquess of Ferrera was gone to secure the Vice-Queen whom having committed to the Guard of two hundred Musquetteers he calls a Council and in a short Discourse sets forth the miseries the kingdom had endured whilest it lay subject to the Spanish Government who had sought no other end but their destruction Then putting them in minde of the Valor and Merits of their Nation he exhorts them to condescend to the Election of a New King nominating to them the Duke of Braganza as the most worthy of the Crown not so much for his Power Riches or the greatness of his House as because the kingdom was his indubitable Right he being the onely Person left of that Stock which for so many years had gloriously governed Portugal A long Discourse was superfluous to those who were before perswaded A publick shout interrupted the Marquesses Speech all of them crying with a loud voice That they would have John Duke of Braganza for their King In the whole multitude there was not a face much less a voice that did gainsay this general Vote either because they did all really rejoyce to see that they should again have