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A09559 The Spanish pilgrime: or, An admirable discouery of a Romish Catholicke Shewing how necessary and important it is, for the Protestant kings, princes, and potentates of Europe, to make warre vpon the King of Spaines owne countrey: also where, and by what meanes, his dominions may be inuaded and easily ruinated; as the English heretofore going into Spaine, did constraine the kings of Castile to demand peace in all humility, and what great losse it hath beene, and still is to all Christendome, for default of putting the same in execution. Wherein hee makes apparant by good and euident reasons, infallible arguments, most true and certaine histories, and notable examples, the right way, and true meanes to resist the violence of the Spanish King, to breake the course of his designes, to beate downe his pride, and to ruinate his puissance.; Traicte paraenetique. English. 1625 (1625) STC 19838.5; ESTC S118337 107,979 148

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touching your incredulitie and the opinion which you haue that the loue of a mans countrey doth easily deceiue them and make the remedie of their miseries and seruitude to seeme easie surely wee may with good reason call this incredulitie a blind ●nueiglement and darknesse of vnderstanding and therefore I come once againe to say as I haue sayd and I doe againe and againe aduise you That to send a good and well conducted Armie into Spaine or other parts of his Dominions will be the onely meane to resist and withstand the enemie to breake the course of his designes to beat downe his pride and to destroy his puissance And albeit that this may well be granted to follow by that which hath beene aboue spoken yet I will proue it by one other example onely which being most true maketh very much to our intended purpose Henry Count of Trastamara The Histories of Castise Portugall England c. the bastard sonne of Alphonsus the Iusticier by the aide of the French had slaine the King Don Pedro his lawfull brother Of this Peter there remayned two daughters The youngest Isabel espoused Edmond de Langley the fifth sonne of Edward the third King of England This Edmond hauing gotten sundry victories in fau●ur of the Portugals who accompanied him against the Castillians in Spaine did manage those affaires with such prudence and wisdome that he constrayned the sayd Henry King of Castile to accept and receiue of Fernand King of Portugall who was in a manner brought to vtter destruction both he and his whole Realme such conditions of peace as were most ignominious and dishonourable and very preiudiciall both to himselfe his vassalls and subiects In regard of which his notable deedes and deserts the said Edmond was afterwards made Duke of Yorke by Richard the second King of England his Nephew the sonne of Edward the Blacke Prince his eldest brother in a Parliament holden at Westminster in the yere of Christ 1386. Of these two Edmond and Isabell descended the Queene of England likewise named Isabell The other daughter being the eldest of King Peter and called Constance espoused Iohn of Gaunt the fourth brother of the sayd Edmond both by father and mother and Duke of Lancaster by his first wife Blanche who had by him Henry the fourth afterwards King of England and two daughters of which the eldest Philip was Queene of Portugall the wife of Ivan the Bastard Of John of Gaunt and Constance was borne one onely daughter called Katherine of whom we shall hereafter make further mention The said John of Gaunt in regard of his wife Constance did entitle himselfe King of Castile and Leon Guaribay lib. 15. cap. 25. and for the obtayning of his right to that Kingdome hee passed from Gascoigne which was then vnder the Dominion of the English into Spaine with eighteene thousand footmen and two thousand horse where with the aide of the Portugals who were his good friends he tooke the Groigne From thence he went into Portugal out of which he entred into Castile marching euen to the Citie of Burgos which was distant from the place of his departure more then a hundred and twentie Leagues The entry and inuasion of the English with the Portugals into Castile And from the time of his first arriuall he tooke and made himselfe Lord of all the Cities Townes and Castles which hee found in his way besides such as being farther off did come to render and yeeld themselues for very feare and terror And he might easily haue passed on much further if his people had not died who by reason of their disorder which they kept and by their ill rule and demeaning of themselues were oppressed with extreame famine whereof ensued this plague and pestilence amongst them And they were reduced to such necessitie of Victuals The amitie of the French and English out of their owne Countreyes that they were constrayned to haue recourse euen to the Campe of their enemies where then was in fauour of the King Iohn of Castile Lewes Duke of Burbon accompanied with the French forces of whom they demaunded reliefe for the sustentation of their poore and wretched liues The which being perceiued by John the Bastard then elected King of Portugall he complayned to the Duke of Lancaster telling him that he held it not good nor conuenient that his souldiers should goe to entreat with the enemie affirming that these might more endomage him then the others and that therefore he should immediately recall them and forbid them to haue any communication conference or parley with any of the contrary party otherwise that hee would fight against them altogether The valour of Iohn the Bastard King of Portugall Thomas Walsingham and would cause them all to be put to the sword the one for the loue of the other Thomas Walsingham an English Historiographer doth set it downe in these very words and he sayth that the King of Portugall had then with him foure thousand Portugals well armed Some haue esteemed the saying of this Historiographer as very ridiculous or as a meere Brauado onely The valour of the Portugals but they are much deceiued for these foure thousand Portugals hauing their King for their Chiefetaine and Leader had beene sufficient to defeat twentie thousand Castillians The same King with fiue thousand An Historie worthie the marking and so many Portugals and a hundred and fiftie Englishmen did defeat the said Iohn King of Castile both of them being present in person in the battaile of Aljibarot and put him to flight hauing with him foure and thirtie thousand fighting men of the which died vpon the place twelue thousand and there were of prisoners ten thousand taken by foure thousand and so many Portugals and a thousand Englishmen who remained masters of the field for there died in the fight about a thousand Portugals and fiue hundred English who fought as if they had beene Lyons About the same time Don Nunalvres Pereira This Historie is well worthie the marking the battell was called the battel of Valverde Constable of Portugall with three thousand footmen and a thousand horse defeated fiue and twentie thousand Castillians and slew and tooke the principall and chiefe men of Castile The same King before that he came to reigne and afterwards had many victories vpon his enemies no lesse admirable then that other insomuch that a certaine Nobleman of Castile being in speech one day and deuising with his King which was the said John he sayd vnto him Sir I cannot conceiue the cause why the King of Portugall with so few men hath so often vanquished you seeing that you haue alwayes had fiue or six against one of them The King answered him The cause is for that the King of Portugall doth fight against me being accompanied with his children and I combat against him being accompanied with my subiects I am King and Lord of Castile and hee is King and Lord of the
your Maiestie to a gentleman who had the managing of this businesse and had made an ouerture thereof vnto you did gaine you the affections of all good Frenchmen who did thereupon imprint you in their hearts and much more when it was knowne that your Maiestie had aduertised the most Christian king of the same in the year 1583 Insomuch that his Maiesty did permit you the yeare following 1584. to make an assembly of the chiefe Heads and Lords of the religion at Mountaban where it was well knowne that your Maiesty did sharply reproue those which had plotted these troublesome practises and others which were seene afterwards to bee set abroach by the enemy in the yeare 1585. And that your Maiestie did then make an accord reciprocally neither to enterprise nor to deliberate vpon any thing the one against the other And it was reported that all the pretended reformed Churches in this assembly did require your Maiestie for their Chiefe and secondly Monsieur the Prince of Conde and that all this was done by the permission of the said most Christian King who did greatly repent himselfe that hee had let passe the oportunitie to giue aid and succours to the late king of Portugall for the recouerie of his Realme as himselfe declared to that stranger aboue mentioned being at Bloys in the yeere 1589. At which time he complained of the tyrannie and irreligion of Philip and sent him into England there to entreat vpon his affaires with the Queene and the King of Portugall vnto whom hee promised that the first thing which he would doe after he had recouered Paris should be to send an armie into Portugall and to make warre vpon the enemie within his owne countrey and to constraine him to demand peace as the English with the aid of the Portugals had at other times constrained his predecessors to doe the like And in case that the said King of Portugal did and should vndertake the Voyage as it was giuen him to vnderstand that he was so resolued he prayed him that so soone as he should be arriued thither he would aduertise him hereof to the intent The desire that the Frēch K. Henry the third had to restore Portugall to her libertie that immediately vpon his comming into Portugall or any other part of Spaine if he had but two thousand men yet hee would send them away with all speed because he knew full well and was most assured that if the enemie were once entangled in Spaine and kept busied at home hee should soone be rid of him in France as the euent did make it manifest For as soone as the newes came that the King of Portugall was at Lisbon the most Christian King for the accomplishing of his promise commanded the late Monsieur the Marshall de Biron that he should put himselfe in a readinesse to passe into Portugall with as great speed and diligence as was possible for to succour the Portugals and to giue aide to their rightfull King Don Anthonio to reestablish him in his Kingdome But God which with a iust and equall ballance doth weigh and examine all things did display his wondrous workes where and when it pleased him Portugall the gate of the war in France Hereof then we doe gather two things the first That the enemie to keepe Portugall hath brought and caused the ciuill Warre in France the second That our deliuerance and his ruine doe depend vpon this That there be sent a good army into Spaine whereof he is exceedingly afraid Wherefore most excellent Princes to deliuer your estates from the danger that threateneth them and to set them in assurance you ought to vndertake and to enterprise this Voyage so importune and so necessarie for all Christendome without hauing any regard to the charge thereof be it neuer so great considering that in not doing it and that presently you shall euery day more and more in time to come bring your selues into hazard and extreame danger Take example by the times fore-past and looke vpon the instructions contayned in Histories written by men no lesse curious then vigilant and well affectioned to the weale publike and in reading and vnderstanding them make your owne profit and benefit of them Agathocles after he had beene about seuen yeeres King of Sicily being enuironed both by Land and by Sea within the Citie of Syracusa by the Carthaginians and finding himselfe in great trouble and perplexitie How important a thing it is to make war vpon an enemy in his owne Countrey as being lately forsaken of many people of his owne Realme who had at the first beene partakers with him and perceiuing also that he wanted both victuals money and other necessarie munitions for the warre and that it was not possible for him to escape out of the hands of the Carthaginians if he did not vse some draught or deuice which had not erst beene put in practise He did at the last leaue within the Towne a brother of his owne to whom hee committed the commaund and charge thereof and left with him for the defence thereof a certaine number of men whom he knew to be well affected vnto him and taking with himselfe certaine other troopes he embarked them vnknowne to any whither hee went and setting sayle to Africke hee there landed where hee warred so couragiously vpon the Carthaginians as if they had beene but his equals And hauing at the first beginning defeated certaine of their Captaines that came against him he ouer-ran harried and wasted all their Countrey hee burnt and ransacked all their Townes Villages and houses of pleasure round about Carthage After which victorie and good fortune with a certaine number of souldiers Bandoliers and aduenturers which came and ioyned themselues with him a thing vsuall and ordinarie in such tumultuous and troublesome times he encamped within a League of Carthage By this stratageme his affaires did not onely prosper in Africke but throughout all Sicily also for Antander so was his brother named being certified of the good successe of Agathocles tooke courage vnto him and sallying out of Syracusa vpon the Carthaginians that besieged him hee woon their trenches and hauing slaine a great number of them hee made such hauocke amongst them that this their ouerthrow and the victories of Africke being spread abroad and reported from thenceforth all the strong-holds and places of Sicily that before held with the Carthaginians did then reuolt from them This was about 314. yeres before the birth of Christ and did altogether abandon them which was the occasion also that Agathocles returning victorious into Sicily did all the rest of his life time afterwards enioy it quietly and peaceably After the death of Agathocles and his partizans the Signiorie of Carthage continued the Warre for the Conquest of Sicilia in such sort that in the end they carryed it and held the whole Island in their possession which was about 277. yeeres before the birth of Christ Whereupon the Romanes considering of
Portugall hee vsed this speech vnto him Captaine Ferras I would gladly know what should be the cause that made you to follow the partie of the French against me seeing wee are of one and the same Nation for albeit you be a Portugall and I a Castillian yet are we both Spaniards The Colonell made him this answere Sir when the Portugals doe trauaile abroad out of their owne countrey whether they be rich or poore their onely end and scope is to get them honour and reputation For mine owne part I had the meanes to liue honestly in my countrey like a Gentleman neuerthelesse being resolued to see the world I began to cast my account with my selfe what course I were best to take Hauing made my reckoning I conceiued with my selfe that I should purchase me more honour by bearing Armes against the greatest Captaine of the World then in taking of his part to serue against any other and for this cause I tooke Armes against your Maiestie The Emperour smyling sayd I beleeue that this is not the cause but rather the old rancour and hatred which the Portugals beare to the Castillians Portugall answered him againe in great choller Sir An excellent answere of a Portugall to Charles the 5. I sweare vnto your Maiestie That neyther for good nor for bad I trouble not my minde with the Castillians not so much as to thinke of them The Emperour making semblance as though this answere did content him did embrace him many times and often but hee iudged of the Portugall as his affection led him for hee had enough of the bloud of a Castillian by his mothers side to make him to hate him A little Leauen c. And thus may you see the vntruth of Conestagio His Historie is well written and in a good style but most false and full of passion for hee both reprehendeth and iniurieth all those of whom hee speaketh yea euen King Philip himselfe in whose fauour hee wrote it and for this cause principally it was forbidden in Portugall But leauing Conestagio now that we haue shewed how the Castillian Nation is much more maligne and peruerse then all the other people of Spaine I will tell you one thing worthy to be noted ere wee proceed which doth more neerely touch the Portugall Nation than any of the rest that is That all those Nations generally are so desirous of libertie that they doe seeke by all meanes possible to obtayne it being readie to receiue euen the Deuils themselues if they would be readie to further and fauour them in the same And yet if any strange Nation should passe into Spaine to any other end they would vse the vttermost of their endeuours to stop their passage and to hinder their entrance making little or no reckoning of their liues and much lesse of their goods and substance When I doe speake of causing strange Nations to passe into Spaine I must tell you thus much That they shall be much more welcome and finde better entertainment of the people of the Countrey when they shall be mingled many and diuers Nations together then if one should goe thither alone for that this diuersitie will take from them all conceit and suspition which they might otherwise haue that their comming were to make a conquest of their countrey and not to procure their libertie and freedome and so they would vndoubtedly receiue them ioyfully and with all assurance In like manner if the Tyrant should commaund them to goe to the warres out of their owne countrey especially if it were for their Religion they would serue him more faithfully then did Auila and Simancas in Castile or Celorico the Castle of Coimbre in Portugall For proofe hereof The meaning hereof is expounded in the end of this Treatise you may remember how in the yeere 1588. the King of Castile in his Fleet and Armie by Sea that came vpon the Coast of France sent two Regiments of Portugals each of them consisting of eight hundred men or thereabouts The loyaltie of the Portugals These forces notwithstanding that in regard of his vsurpation of the countrey they were enemies to him yet hauing promised to serue him faithfully in this voyage in the fight which they had against the Englishmen and Flemings they did make such proofe of their valour that they did farre excell all the rest of the Army in prowesse and deedes of Armes and they alone did more for the seruice of the King of Castile then all the residue of his Allyes insomuch that there was none of them who had command and gouernment in the Army that were receiued with honour by the King Catholike saue only the Portugall Colonels Portugall Colonels in the Armie of the yeere 1588. namely Gasper de Sousa and Antonie Perera The which Perera before that time had serued and fought most valiantly for the defence of the libertie of his Countrey and for the seruice of his true and naturall King against the said King of Castile at such time as hee entred into Portugall with a mightie Army to inuade it In the yeere 1582. when Don Aluar de Bassana Marquesse de Santa Cruce did encounter vpon the Sea with the Lord de Stroce those which fought best and shewed themselues most valiant was the Marquesse de Fauare Marquesse of Fauare a Portugall most true and faithfull to his Countrey and to his King and by whose counsaile and aduertisements a certaine great and excellent seruitor of the estate and of the King Don Antonio had his life preserued besides certaine other Gentlemen his countreymen Who tooke the Ship called the Reuenge The taking of the Reuenge of England belonging to the Queene of England euen Don Lewes Coutigno a Lord of Portugall who before time had beene most true and faithfull to his Countrey and for the defence of his King fighting against the Duke de Alua had receiued many mortall wounds in the battaile of Alcantara the same day that Lisbon was lost which was in the yeere 1580. and the 26. of August And for the more distinct and cleare demonstration of the truth of this matter I will recite vnto you a most true Historie In the yeere 1589. Don Anthonie King of Portugall accompanied with the Englishmen and Hollanders made a Voyage into Portugall and casting anchor in the Hauen of Penicha they of the Castle began to play with their Ordinance vpon the armie but the Captaine of the Castle Anthonio de Arauio a Portugall being ascertained that the king Don Anthonio was in that armie he forbad the Cannoniers to shoot any more and caused a white Ensigne to be put forth vpon sight whereof Don Anthonio commanded that euery man should goe on shore and take their way towards the Towne the which they did not without some resistance made by certaine companies of Castillians who in the end were forced to retyre with the losse of some of their people The first that arriued to the Towne was
vpon the countrey of the enemie and to see our owne flaming with fire and spoiled and ransackt by our enemies Moreouer he which assaulteth is more couragious then hee which is put to his defence adde hereunto that the feare and astonishment is much the more and greater where it is not foreseene and preuented Now as soone as a man entreth within the enemies countrie he shall soone take knowledge both of the good and euill that may befall him therein he shal quickly discouer the commodities or the discommodities of the country Liu. Dec. 4. lib. ● Saying of P. Sulpitius to the Romans Remember well that which P. Sulpitius saide vnto the Romans and take it to your selues as if he had spoken it vnto you to wit That they had had good experience by that which was past how their warres were alwaies more happy and fortunate and their armies much more puissant in the countrey of the enemie then in their owne Hearken to the counsell which Hanniball gaue vnto Antiochus Idem Decad. 4. lib. 4. and make your profit thereof better then he did Assure your selfe that the countrie of the enemy will yeeld you souldiers who desire their libertie and will furnish you with victualls and all commodities for your armie Let the faults and ouersights of others make you wise doe as Cyrus did who cast himselfe away by contemning the counsell of Croesus Herodotus and by not making any recknoning of Tomyris his enemie Halicar lib. 1. Take heede that you doe not incurre more blame in this behalfe then all others and it may bee more deseruedly because you haue euer and doe daily vse too too much to contemne and not to regard your enemie Certainly this is the first and principall cause of the ruine of all estates when they contemne and set not by their enemies and when they will not hearken to any thing that shall bee alledged to the contrary For the question is not now of entring into a forraigne countrey to subdue and conquer it or to get to bee Lord and Master of it but onely to restore vnto libertie so many peoples and nations who doe crie and call for aide vnder the yoke and burthen of this tyranny and to deliuer your owne subiects from the armes of the enemie who hath gotten footing in the best and goodliest prouince of your realmes and kingdomes If you doe not as I aduise you I feare me least to morrow they will take yet some other of your townes and the next day another and so afterwards at one blow will seize vpon all the rest Take heed therefore to that which I tel you I would not haue you for the assailing of your enemie to leaue your selues vndefended but that in doing of one thing you do not let passe another because 4. or 5. thousand men which you men of Guyen Languedock Dauphine and other prouinces will not bring you to any such want of men but that you may haue meanes enough to defend your selues both in Picardie and elsewhere Thirdly to depriue a king from his Crowne and scepter and to dispossesse him of his realmes and dominions Two things do soone depriue a Prince of his crowne and scepter crueltie and licencious liuing when he is a tirant cruell or of a wicked licentious and lewd life there needeth no great forces Two thousand men which Charles the 8. King of France gaue vnto Henrie Earle of Richmond his cousine german remoued for he was the grand child of Katherine sister of Charles the 7. his grandfather who had to her first husband Henrie the fifth king of England were sufficient for the said Earle passing ouer into England to gather together men enough to bid battel to Richard the third in the which Richard was defeated and slaine most shamefully The cronicles of England by reason of hir crueltie and tyrannie Peter king of Castile the sonne of Alphonse the Iusticier The histories of Spaine for his tyrannie and many cruelties which hee committed got the sirname of cruell and was for the same cause slaine by his brother Henrie the bastard The crueltie which Christierne the second of that name Many histories brother in law to Charles the fifth vsed towards the principall and chiefe Nobles of Swethland made him lose the said Realme and consequently also the kingdomes of Denmarke and Norwaie which he was rightfull king and Soueraigne The kingdome of Spaine was taken from the King Roderike a most loose and licentious Prince The common historie of Spaine onely by twelue thousand Moores whom the Earle Iulian Captaine of the towne of Septa procured from Vlit king of Barbarie who in the yeare 713. passing into Spaine in Marchants ships had for their Chiefe and Generall Tarif Ab●n Zarca who being blind of one eye gaue the name vnto the Towne of Tarifa which was before called Carteya and hauing destroyed the Towne of Seuill did take and ruinate many others both i●●he Prouince of Boetica and in Portugall and did ouerthrow in set battell a cousin of the sayd king Roderike which Roderike himselfe afterwards assembling his forces vpon the riuer of Guadelethe on the seuenth of Iuly or according to others on the seuenth of September in the yeare 724. did giue battell vnto the Moores in the which hee was ouercome and vanquished and immediatly after he lost almost all Spaine The wicked li● of this king was the onely cause of this losse and of the ruine of that kingdome and especially because he had dishonoured Caua the daughter of the sayd Earle Julian who vpon this occasion finding himselfe grieuously outraged gaue free entry vnto the Moores by that towne of Septa which is as it were the key of Affrike and Europe Besides he did serue for a guide vnto them in that their inuasion At which time the said Mores had very good and happy successe in their affaires in Spaine by reason that they found the people not vsed nor accustomed to the warres as they are not now at this day likewise Antiochus the Great for his dissolute disordinate life at such time as he should haue set Greece at libertie and haue made warre vpon the Romaines for the assurance security of his owne Empire was reduced to such termes that he saw himselfe constrained in the end to accept peace of them vpon such conditons as pleased them And retiring himselfe out of Europe and Asia he was glad to withdraw himselfe into a corner as their vassall and tributary The Annalls of France Childericke for his voluptuous liuing and for seeking nothing but for his owne pleasures lost the Crowne and kingdome of France By all which examples sufficing as well as 6000. moe may be seene how little strength and small forces there doe need to trouble and ruinate the enemy in in Spaine which hath not at any time induced nor had any Prince so tyrannous and cruell nor of such wicked and licentious liuing Fourthly
all Spaine and France it selfe also and it may be hee would not otherwise haue failed to haue sent a good part of those forces euen for England at the least for Ireland Portugall the principal cause of all the warres By those last words aboue vsed by the King and the former recited examples may be easily discouered not onely the ingratitude of this peruerse and vn pleasing Catholike but wee may also collect and gather that Portugall is the principall cause of so many warres so many murthers and mischaunces and that if the same were wrung out of the hands and power of this tyrant the most Christian King and the other Princes of Christendome should dwell in peace the Potentates and common wealths of Europe should be in rest the Cardinals at Rome should not be at his direction nor the elections of the Popes at his will and pleasure ouer the which he doth so tyrannize that in each of them he maketh himselfe the first person and as the saying is preferreth himselfe before the holy Ghost There is neuer any election of a Pope How Philip doth germandise the elections of the Cardinals and Popes but he nameth some three foure or fiue persons to the end that the Conclaue of Cardinals should choose one of them was there euer seene greater impudency or presumption that a mortall man should dare vsurpe Gods office Ha most Christian King it is the part of your Maiesty to defend and maintaine the soueraigne and chiefe Bishops they are in their possession to be defended and preserued by the most Christian Kings of France and to that end haue they endowed them with so great priuiledges liberties and prerogatiues Banish therefore and driue away Sir this monster breake the head of this Serpent tame this Lyon and deliuer the Church from this so tyrannicall seruitude and hard captiuitie Restore vnto your pupils their wonted peace and liberty to the intent they may with hardinesse chastise the euill and vicious and without feare reward the good and vertuous How often haue the soueraigne Bishops desired to honour and doe good to some persons in recompence of their vertues and merits and to correct others for their vices and haue not beene able to performe either the one or the other Oftentimes against their wils haue the Popes permitted the wicked to triumph and more often haue they consented that the good should endure afflictions Who did better deserue to be made a Cardinall if I may not say Pope then that famous learned man Doctor Martin Aspilcueta of Nauarre Martin Aspilcueta a Nauarrois whose memory shall be eternall both for his doctrine and for his holinesse and vertue Neuerthelesse onely because Philip could not abide him for defending against him the cause of that reuerend Prelate Don. Fra. Bartholmew Carrance Fra. Bartholmew Carrance Archbishop of Toledo a religious person of the order of S. Dominicke Archbishop of Toledo and for maintaining also with many and strong reasons that the Portugals ought of right to choose their King by election and for prouing by most firme and infallible arguments that his Catholike Maiesty did possesse the Realme of Portugall by vniust and tyrannicall title was therefore thrust out of all and dyed in the estate of a poore and simple Priest Who did euer in all reason deserue better or more worthily to be strangled and burnt then N and yet because Philip would haue it so hee liueth still and triumpheth Wherefore most humbly I beseech both your Maiesties euen for the honour of GOD wherein your selues haue more interest then any other that you would vouchsafe to attend this matter of so great importance and that you would vndertake to leuy and make ready a good Armie to passe into Spaine and to consider withall how great is the prudence the industry and subtilty of this common enemy that your Maiesty would regard his actions his ambition and his tyranny that you would awaken and grow to a resolution knowing that you haue so great a tyrant to your Neighbour as of himselfe alone is greater then all others that euer were or which now are in the World Tyranny as natural to Ph●lip as is laughter to a man all of them set together and who hath gotten like his predecessors all that which he possesseth by pure and plaine tyranny which is indeede so proper and naturall vnto him and doth belong vnto him as properly and vnseparably as laughter doth to a man Giue me leaue I p●ay you to proue that which I speake by most cleere and certaine Histories to the intent I may take away all occasion from those who are addicted to ill speaking and to deceitfull dealing to thinke or take me for a lyar for this that I say may be verified by all the Historiographers of Spaine both ancient and moderne which are worthy to be credited or haue any truth in them some of which doe liue yet at this day and it is no long time since they made their workes and imprinted them with the fauour and at the costs and charges of the said Philip. And this I will endeuour to proue as briefly as I can and I will shew how in all the Realmes and Prouinces which the King Catholike possesseth in Spaine whereof I my selfe being a Spaniard doe know somewhat hee possesseth and holdeth them by tyranny committed many times and often And for as much as to proue that which I intend it shall suffice to touch onely that which hath happened since the 380 yeeres last past I will not speake of any thing that hath befalne before the yeere of Christ 1217. Castile tyrannized ●he first time Henry King of Castile the sonne of Alphonsus the noble dying left his eldest sister Blaunch Queene of France which was the mother of S. Lewes who was then but two yeeres old Garibay lib. 22. cap 41. and his Father who was not yet King of France was occupied in the warres of England whither hee was called by them of that land against their King called King John who was reputed for a tyrant Henrie being dead as is sayd his youngest sister named Berangera the wife of Alphonsus King of Leon with her sonne Fernand encroched vpon the possession of the Realme of Castile and vsurped it against the right of the sayd Blanch her eldest sister and consequently against the sayd S. Lewes her nephew Fernand being dead Alphonsus his eldest sonne called Emperour of the West because some of the Electors of the Empire had elected him whereas the residue had chosen Richard the brother of Henrie the third King of England made an accord with the sayd S. Lewes the cousen German of his father touching the succession of Castile in this manner That Fernand the eldest sonne of Alphonsus should e●pouse Blanch the daughter of the sayd S. Lewes with condition that the children borne of that marriage should inherit Castile Of them twaine were issued Alphonsus and Fernand who were
the County of Essex a Prince of the bloud Royall of England and one that was adorned with many morall vertues This Lord comming to speake with the Captaine of the Castle which was vpon the Wall one of his companie sayd My Lord the Earle of Essex is come hither by the commandement of the Queene of England in whose name hee commandeth to haue the Castle rendred vnto him The Captaine answered him Philip King of Castile hath committed the keeping of this Castle vnto me and for the same I haue done him homage in regard whereof I will defend it against all those that shall seeke to dispossesse me of it and I will not yeeld it vp to any person saue to the King Don Anthonio because his it is and I acknowledge him onely for my King and Lord and if he be not in this armie as hath been told me that he is I would aduise that euery man doe retyre himselfe otherwise I shall cause you all to loose your liues Vpon this word the Countie of Essex retyred himselfe to the Sea side and there went to meete him the Lords Scipio de Figueyredo Vascoucelles late Gouernour of the Terceras and Anthony de Brito Pimentell and other Gentlemen Portugals of the Kings trayne who vnderstanding by the Count the speech of the Captaine went on directly to the Castle and assured the Captaine that the King Don Anthonio their Lord was come thither Within a while after the King arriuing there and calling the Captaine who knew him by his speech hee made him this answere Sir I come to open the gates vnto your Maiestie The port being opened he kneeled downe before the King and kissing his hands The yeelding of the Castle of Penicha deliuered him the Keyes of the Castle This is most true that if he would haue held good the English armie had not bin able to haue taken that Castle it was so well furnished and prouided of artillerie and all things necessarie for besides great store of Iron peeces there were 85. of Brasse All these examples doe shew euidently how faithfull the Portugals are to them to whom they haue once promised and plighted their faith and fidelitie And for as much as I know that your Maiesties haue conceiued an opinion of me as of a person giuen to be somewhat curious and who is acquainted with the accidents which passed in this Voyage and that your Maiesties haue a desire to vnderstand what was the cause why Don Anthonio did not continue in Portugall and what made him to render vp this Castle and other places which were impregnable and to returne into England with his armie without doing any other act of any worth and with the losse of the greatest part of his companie with which he was embarked I will briefely recount the successe of this Iourney crauing many particularities because to count them all it would require much more time then is requisite for the finishing of this Treatise I say then that as God when he chasteneth humbleth great Estates and Monarchies doth suffer and permit for the sinnes of the people such as are like Pharao's Nabuchodonozors Caligula's Nero's and Dioclesians vsing them as his executioners and hangmen as Attila called himselfe the Scourge of God and Tamerlan the Wrath of God so it seemeth he hath permitted that K. Philip should be his minister the executioner of his wrath anger and that in his secret iudgement beyond all apparance of humane reason his will is not yet that Portugall should be deliuered and set at libertie for it is not possible that men should be so blinded to their owne losse and destruction as they were in this Voyage if the Diuine puissance had not blinded them by taking away the vse of their sence and vnderstanding The greatest part of the Armie was embarked at Douer The declaration of the Portugall Voyage in the yeere 1589. the 24. of March and from thence went to Plimmouth From thence they departed all together the 29. of Aprill at which time perceiuing their numbers to be greatly diminished by the contagion that was amongst them in stead of taking the direct way to Portugall they set their course for the Groine where the most part of the souldiers died and all the best Canoniers insomuch that their forces were much abated and they gaue thereby good leysure vnto the enemie both to send fresh men into Lisbon and to draw out of Portugal those who were any way suspected as they did indeed take from thence more then an hundred Lords and Gentlemen of marke Noble men taken out of Portugall by the Castillian who were all of them very contrarie to him and by their absence were greatly missed both of their King and countrey They came to the Groine the sixt of May where they were till the twentieth on which day they did againe take shipping and set sayle towards Portugall where they tooke land at Penicha the sixe and twentieth From thence hauing left in the Castle certaine souldiers with Anthonie de Brito Pimentell aboue named who is the chiefe of the House of the Pimentels of Spaine and about 800. sick men they tooke their way the Generall Drake by Sea and the Lord Generall Norris by Land with 35. or 40. horse and some 6000. foot so ill armed that a good part of them wanted their Swords and there was not of them aboue 50. Corslets the cause whereof was want of Waggons and Carriages for to carry them ouer the land and the souldiers themselues were constrained to carry their powder on their shoulders Besides many of them at their departure out of their lodgings had left their Pikes and some their Harquebuses loading themselues with pots bottels of Wine which they found there in great abundance Wine marreth all the which in very truth did the more hinder and endomage them for by meanes hereof they fell into diuerse diseases and died in great numbers the English Nation not being accustomed to drinke Wine alwayes their Beere is not so strong a kind of drinke The day following 3. leagues before their arriuall to a Towne called Loires Vedras the keyes of the Castle were brought to the king Don Anthonio which Castle is so strong that 20. men with necessarie munitions may keepe defend it against 100000. All the way along to Lisbon which is 60. good miles there was not one Castillian that durst appeare and 7. horsemen English did put to flight 60. Castillians From thenceforth many Portugals came to kisse the hands of their King in great abundance notwithstanding for that they came without armes hauing beene before disarmed and for that there was no body of whom they might get or haue any neither for loue nor money howbeit that they brought with them good store of siluer purposely to that effect they did the most part of them returne againe to their owne houses and there could not be armed of them aboue one thousand foot and