affable and exceeding vertuous behauiour and that he obserued his fasts very seuerely praying almost continually and said farther vnto me weeping Father I feare that Prince is much iniured I beseech the Almightie God to preserue him O that it were lawfull for me and for his safetie that I might keepe him within my simple habitation not as he is a Prince but in respect of his bountie and honour and if I should happen to die before him I could leaue him sufficient to liue on all the dayes of his life Trust me the simplicitie of this poore old man pleased me exceedingly and induced me the rather to beleeue him He also informed me by what title the Senate of Venice called him and inquired of him if euer he entertained him in his house and whether his answers to diuers interrogatories were true or not and whether all that he told the Lords were true or false To which he answered iustly and failed not a iot and he maintained him to be the true King of Portugale hauing many reasons so to perswade him the one was the confident assertion of the Portugal gentleman that dined in his company at Ferrara saying he departed out of Portugal secretly yet proued by many circumstances and this old man assisted me much when the Senate conuented him before them asking him how long he kept companie with him before he came to Ferrara and whether he were the same man that lodged in his house Then he kneeled downe before his feete embracing them and looking towards the Senate said This is Dom Sebastian King of Portugale which lodged in my house whom afterward I accompanied to Ferrara And when the king was asked of the Iudges whether he knew that old man or no he answered that he had neuer seen him before this day At which answer the old man told me he was more perplexed then he was with his sudden departure from him at Ferrara and wept most bitterly I must excuse the king for thus confuting the old man before the Senate for that he vnderstood at Venice and Padua a litle after he departed from the presence of the Senate that they had straightly imprisoned and punished one Monsieur Ieronimo at Venice for entertaining him into his house and had punished diuers other for doing him the like fauour And the King fearing that the like rigour might be offered this silly old man made him to disclaime his acquaintance which the King vpon his returne to prison reuealed incōtinently to Count Caesar Martinengo to Count Charles his brother and diuers other his fellow prisoners And the Lords said vnto me they called me to see one Iohn Baptista Sartori de Verona and asked me if I knew him and for that I was much bound to this good old man for many good offices done vnto me and for that I saw it turned them al to displeasure that did me any good I answered for his safetie that I knew him not nor had euer seene him which the poore old man digests very heauily and if any good friend would but deliuer this my excuse vnto him I wil acknowlege my self much bound to him for that friendly courtesie The selfe same act in the like words a Cannon of Bresse reported vnto me meeting me in that city accōpanying me as far as Lac hapning to speake of the king and of the opinion that was deliuered of them generally that had seene him that it was thought verily he was D. Sebastian the king most assuredly not knowing me to be any fauorer of his proceedings telling me that al he knew of the matter he heard of these Counts and gentlemen that were in prison with him for the space of fiue moneths whereof he recited vnto me many particulars and this Cannon as I take it was called De Lone so after long conference the night approching I tooke my leaue of him c. The King departing from Ferrara held on his way to Padua and being there he thought it fit he should attend the answer of his letters he sent into Portugale by Marco Tullio Catizzone his deuotion performed to S. Anthony he determined to go to Venice where all these things happened vnto him which we haue alreadie reported in the former treatise intituled Admirable Aduentures c. as you may reade in a letter sent to me from Iohn de Castro in that which the king wrote to his Holinesse where it is at large specified how he was betraied into the hands of the Castilians by one of his owne seruants for reward and so committed to prison This trecherous varlet being conuinced and reproued by some of the Kings friends that had vnderstanding of his perfidious seruice being already bought and corrupted with a few pence following the periured faction like a maisterlesse curre fell into the art of slandering and banding against his loyall maister with hote pursute and vehement accusations as sodomie cosinage in prison and abroade Notwithstanding all this villanie God that weyes all mens causes in equall ballance will not suffer his seruants euer to quaile vnder the burden of iniquitie the hearing of his cause was committed to Sr. Marco Quirini which was at that time Sabio de la terre firme and at this day is Sabio Grande one of the foure Iudges commissioners allotted for this circuite The said Quirini reporting to the Senate what he had heard concerning his accusations and what also was testified in his defence said That he not only found this man innocent and guiltlesse of the crimes laid to his charge but thought him generally to haue liued a harmelesse life This sentence was well approued and allowed by the Senators assoone as it was published which was in the beginning of the yere 1599 they freed the king from the dungion where he lay before and placed him in a more fauourable prison a place of some libertie You shall reade hereafter the paines and punishment Dom Sebastian the King my maister indured sithence his misaduenture in Africke vntill the day of his manifestation to the world I beseech you hold me excused though I satisfie you not so plentifully and so orderly as you expect or desire it is all I could learne and it is hard to gather so much in these parts where the truth hath bene so ingeniously laboured to be suppressed and smoothered beside the great hazard of my person in trauelling to obtaine this litle assuring you that our hope withers not but springs dayly to see my Lord Dom Sebastian to be as absolute King of Portugale as it is iustly due vnto him by the law of God and nations then shall my pen trample vpon the vale of tyrannie and oppression that now so imperiously curbes poore patience and equitie Seeing God hath hitherto bene both his lampe and shield to lighten and guard him through so many darke and dangerous ambushments why should we not be assured that he that can hath a purpose to make vs reioyce and wonder as much at
doth many miracles to the benefit of the wel-beleeuers So soone as I was entred into Rome which was Sunday the fourteenth of Iuly I sought out my very friend of whom I gathered that his Holinesse and all the Lords of the Court of Rome conceiued and were perswaded verily that the prisoner which the Duke of Florence caused to be sent therehence the three and twentith of Aprill at eleuen of the clock at night and deliuered into the hands of the gouernour of Orbetelo was D. Sebastian the true vnfallible King of Portugall Of him I learned how he was conducted from Orbetelo to Hercules port and from that port in a galley to Naples and last to Castelnouo This gally the enemies made the subiect to giue notice to the whole world that the said Dom Sebastian was condemned to the gallies and after to the castle Del ouo Further I was shewed the copie of a letter which the Count of Lemos Viceroy of Naples wrote to the Duke of Sessa Ambassadour from the King of Castile vnto his Holinesse giuing him to vnderstand that the same prisoner was Dom Sebastian the true King of Portugal I haue also found out which of the Cardinals and Prelates fauour the cause of that vertuous and holy Prince A friend of mine lent me his coach wherein I went directly to the most excellent Prince the Cardinall of Florence and kist his hand of whom I had the euidences your Lordship is aduised of and after an houre and halfes conference with him I departed in the same coach so visit sir Alexander Giusti Iustice de la Rota our deare friend From whom so soone as I was departed I met neare his gate with another of my familiar acquaintance that discouered vnto me certaine plots and circumuentions attempted and suggested by the Duke of Sesse informing against me in the Consistorie of Rome that I was a seditious man preiudiciall to the state of Christendome generally for that heretofore the Christian Princes had vsed to associate themselues in a league ioyntly to make warre against the Infidels which I had bene a cause to hinder by interposing diuision and contention betwixt those Princes and as a principall reason to induce them to beleeue the same he shewed publickly the discourse which I sent your Lordship from Lions intituled Admirable aduentures c. which for the more familiar vnderstanding was translated into Italian and Spanish The common dispersing of which discourse was like to breede much dishonour and damage to D. Philippo the third King of Castile his maister and so purchase vnto himselfe being his agent infinite disgrace and harme by his displeasure For my part I answered that I merited no punishment for traducing into writing such true accidents as they were the confirmation whereof increased with the time considering they were not of mine owne inuention or stamping Relinquishing this friend I hasted straight to the Cardinall of Ossat into whose owne hands when I had deliuered letters and informed him thoroughly of the cause of my repaire thither he aduised me not to shew my selfe so openly there vntill such time as I vnderstood what my enemies had conspired to obiect against me since my entrance into this city which could not be concealed for that the Patriarke of Constantinople who was and is Generall of the Order of S. Francis a Sicilian borne and so much the more my forcible enemie by how much he was zealous for the King of Castile his maister had a glance of me in the Cardinall of Florence his house My occasions detained me so long with this Cardinall till night grew on so that his Lordship caused me to remaine with him vntill the morrow wherehence after the hearing of his Masse I departed to my first friends house whither diuers persons of qualitie repaired to visit me signifying vnto me that the Ambassadour for Castile intended to work me all the mischiefe he could possible and seeing he found no sufficient meanes to indamage me before the estate he had a purpose to bring me within compasse of the Inquisition alleaging these accusations that follow First he obiected against me that I had bene in England sixe or seuen yeares and that I euer fauoured the proceedings of heretickes that I composed diuers bookes fraught with heresies that at Lions I made and began to imprint a booke against his Holinesse and the Inquisitors generall of Portugale with many other matters which I let passe for troubling your Lordship To all which I answered without blemish to my honour or reputation in this manner I thanke God all the time I was in England I liued amongst men that were religious as mine enemies can testifie and for my continance in France I hope to acquite my selfe easily from misdemeanure there To the most capitall matter and of greatest importance that I wrote and began to print a booke at Lions against his Holinesse and the Inquisitors generall of Portugale I can purge my selfe purely and passe as cleare as the most vnspotted innocent being alwayes approued religious and zealous wherein I appeale to the sincerie of al the brethren of mine own order In that he termes me a rebel and a traitor to the King his maister for shewing my self seruiceable and faithfull to a forein Prince his enemie in that he is assistant to my affaires recommending my estimation by opening a gap to discipher the traiterous in Portugale backsliders enemies to their owne friends and very Castilian hypocrites that I am a disperser of many lies in conuenticles at this instant That article is worthy of such mens preferring as they seem to be and not fitting men of worth and louers of Religion As it hapneth I haue the booke about me that was printed at Lions which shall confute and display the malice and impudencie of him that caused the rest of my bookes to be burnt The remainder that concernes these affaires is best knowne to your Lordship and therefore to conclude this point I craue pardon for being so tedious Now to returne to my former subiect Sunday being the 15. of Iuly and the Monday following after I had finished the principall part of my intention I determined by the counsel of my friends to returne directly to France And being aduertised that the Duke of Sessa had sent beforehand some of his people to way-ly me in the ordinarie way I changed my course by Vmbrie I departed out of Rome the fourth day after my arriuall and passing by the cities of Narne Tarne Spoleto Foligni and Assise I came to Peruse which I did onely passe thorough and shaped my course by Siene Florence Bologne thorough the confines of Modene and Mirandole and before I could reach to Mantua my horse fell vpon me and hurt one of my legs very grieuously which caused me to stay in this place where I might prouide the best meanes for my recouerie I assure your Lordship I tooke this mischance to be ominous that God would haue it so for that
vnto me at large that which he had oft recited to me in this town concerning the estate of that King And because his answer was that he could not agree to the satisfaction of my demaunds I ceased to importune him any further in that behalfe But forasmuch as at my being at Venice some of the chiefest of the Siegniorie of that State asking me if I were able to say any thing concerning that the King had answered vpon his examination saying that he had bene in Paris and there conferred with a Portugale fled out of his countrey for D. Antonioes cause being his cosin And further that he met with a gentlemā of Swisser-land at Soleurre departing from thēce towards Annissi by whom I sent a letter to D. Nouuelet in the which I most instantly desired him to set downe in writing all that he had declared to me at Paris concerning my maister D. Sebastiā c. At my great importunity it pleased him to grant me my desire and here I haue annexed the same copied out verbatim as it was written in maner and forme with the recommendations he assigned me to do to his friends named in the same originall men of good esteeme for birth office and popular affectation So that to his truth and sinceritie no man can take exception being a professor in his art both very learned and excellently experienced in his life and manners neuer detected Therefore all suspition either of the matter or the man is preuented The copie of a Letter sent from D. Nouuelet to Fr. Ioseph Texere SIR I receiued your last Letter dated the eighteenth of the moneth past whereby you make me recal to mind the griefe I conceiued by your letters preceding concerning the troubles of Emanuell Godigno a Gentleman borne in Portugale I had long since expressed in writing and sent it you if I had cōiectured your disposition had bene apt to entertaine newes So ready and willing I am to applie my endeuours to do you seruice in any thing you shall please to commaund me but the consideration of your rare perfection of memorie made me decline from doubt of any defect therein and so much the slower in committing that to writing which I had before so obseruantly vttered in your hearing and in the presence of many persons of good respect aswell of your countrey as of other nations imputing this imposition rather to your desire to be better assured Obsignatis tabulis then to any want of cariage in your vnderstanding parts I thus addresse my pen to confirme my tongues discourse In the yeare of our Lord 1588. being at Nance in emploiment and seruice of my Lord the Cardinall of Gondie about the affaires of my Lord the Bishop of Paris his nephew that was called Abbot of Buzai I tooke vp my lodging in the couent of the Iacobins where I found good oportunitie to ingraft my selfe in the fauour and friendship of the reuerend father D. Sampayo a man much commended for his liberall erudition in letters but recommended for his integritie and zeale one of your owne order and of your ancient and approued acquaintance and being both godly and learned vnited in more assured bonds of loue and amitie then are exercised among the vulgar Meane while that league of friendship then planted betweene that good Dr. Sampayo and me tooke so good roote in vs both as it continueth without perill of supplanting til this day and is like for your sake to fructifie aboundantly as well by increase of loue as of acquaintance with many other noble gentlemen of good sort and condition Among the rest of the ordinary frequenters came Sr. Emmanuell Godigno to visite Doctor Sampayo at my lodging and taking some acquaintance of me continued the same as long as I lay in Nance till I retired towards Paris leauing to my great sorrow the sweete conuersation betwixt Doctor Sampayo and my selfe louing each other dearely This Godigno loth to let slip out of vse the complements that had past betweene him and me at Nance at his comming to Paris frequented my lodging daily to vnderstand of Doctor Sampayoes health and welfare whereof I not being able to giue him any certaine intelligence he began to mourne and looke heauily whom I could not chuse but in that passion to accompanie enuying any mans affection should exceed mine in zeale to my friend It followed that vpon a sunday in what moneth I remember not this Sr. Godigno receiued the Communion very deuoutly ministred by the chiefe of the Iacobins which made me refraine for that time to salute him or he me for intruth I thinke he saw me not and I not willing to interrupt his deuotion let him passe without any ceremonie on my part performed Notwithstanding the same afternoone he repaired to my lodging and as his custome was demaunded what tidings I heard of his friend and mine Doctor Sampayo and I hauing no better means to informe him then before desired him to excuse my ignorance being vnable to giue him any contentment by intelligence of him or from him At which answer the kind gentleman seemed very pensiue and appaled sitting still a long while mute and silent whereby I imagined he had somwhat that inwardly distempered him for I might perceiue the teares trickle downe his cheekes Which perturbation breaking out at his eyes afforded him some libertie to vtter these words following Sir I consider the great loue that was betwixt Doctor Sampayo and you that maenifestly appeared to me at Nance withal the confidence he reposed in your fidelitie towards him which perswades me that I cannot commit a secret matter of great consequence to a man that can more assuredly conceale it then your selfe And I doubt not but the same shall be as safely guarded in the treasurie of your constancie as in his if you will vouchsafe to giue me your vnfained promise so to do Whereunto I answered Sir if it be a secret neuer as yet by you reuealed to any man but vnto me you may boldly speake it but if you haue alreadie trusted any man or shall hereafter declare the same to any other it may so fall out that you may lay some other mans deserued blame to my charge Therefore in this doubtfull case I beseech you trust your selfe and tell me nothing for I will not haue you ransacke your inclosure vpon my protestation although I presume so much vpon your honest sinceritie being a Gentleman both honest and religious you wil vtter nothing vnto me that shall not be like your selfe considering beside I haue seene you this day participate a sound mystery most reuerently and deuoutly among the Iacobins which assures me that you cannot produce any thing out of your mouth either prophane or wicked Whereunto he replied that he was expresly prepared to receiue the holy Communion vpon this day to the end God might inspire him with the vnderstanding what was fittest for him to do in this case and resolued absolutely
his aduancement and dignitie as his poore friends and seruants are grieued and dismayed with his fall and miserie hoping all Christian magnificent and maiesticall Princes will ioyne in intercession to the Almightie to restore my poore yet princely Maister from his wofull impisonment to his Crowne and libertie A Declaration NOw it is requisite that I report vnto you somewhat concerning the ring that hath bene so famous throughout the world and of the rare vertues it was esteemed for and so forward to handle other matters whereof some make for his purpose and other some as much for his hinderance You haue heard gentle Reader of one that shewed this King a ring c. thus it happened As soone as he was come to Venice there was warning giuē to the goldsmiths both by him selfe and some other of his friends that he was robbed of certaine peeces of gold and iewels at Rome then he gaue them the markes and tokens desiring them that if any such came into their hands by chaunce they would make stay of them vntill he or some for him came to chalenge them Not long after a goldsmith lighted vpon a ring of gold wherein was grauen the Armes of Portugale which ring he presently brought to Monsieur Ieronimo of whom you haue read before an inhabitant of the same towne who was ioyntly apprehended with the King for lodging in his house and was not deliuered vntill fiue houres after the King was set at libertie Ieronimo tooke the ring and brought it secretly to the King lodging priuily in his house Assoone as the King beheld the ring he said This ring is none of mine but it belongs to D. Anthony my cosin This relation I had from Ieronimo himselfe at Venice in the presence of many witnesses and how the goldsmith happened to get this ring In Moran an Iland some halfe league from Venice there is an Abbot called Capelo a gentleman of Venice a graue personage and of great authoritie hearing that the King laid waite for certaine iewels that he had lost hoping thereby to recouer some of them hauing a diamond in his keeping with the armes of Portugale came to the towne to the conuenticles of S. Francis called Frari where the King lay concealed for that he was pursued by some that meant him no good who no sooner beheld the ring but he said Verily this is mine and I either lost the same in Flanders or else it was stolne from me And when the King had put it vpon his finger it appeared otherwise ingrauen then before The Abbot inquiring of him that brought him the ring how he came by it he answered It is true that the King hath said Therehence arose a strange rumour of a ring that by turning the stone you might discerne three great letters engrauen S. R. P. that is as much to say Sebastianus Rex Portugalliae Ignorant people not cōceiuing aright of the thing raised thereupon such rumours as their owne imaginations could gather and at all times so often as the Abbot shewed the ring to the King he had many witnesses to testifie the same I soiourned three weekes in the same I le very neare the Abbots house after this had past To the second point although the King were leane and weake by reason of his trauell and troubles as it is like he could not be so strong and puissant as he was when he raigned in Portugale being there full fed and corpulent yet in Padua in the house of D. Prospero Baracco he was seene to lift vp two men at once with great facilitie one of the which was called Pasquino Morosini the other Bernardino Santi both these together putting his arme betweene their legs he heaued from the ground without straining or wrenching in the view of many He did the like in the I le of Moran to two other the one called Ieronimo Calegari the other Pascalino Calegari and there was present the Archbishop of Spalato at the like performance of his puissance with other men of qualitie and this Pasquilino was a man both tall and corpulent A Venetian gentleman of the house wherein the the King was prisoner oftentimes took occasion to scoffe at the king saying It was impossible he should be the person he reported himself to be with other geering frumpes whereto the King said earnestly Sir I pray you tell me the reason of your incredulitie and whereupon it is grounded and Moliner answered Because I haue heard it often reported that the King Dom Sebastian was a lusty strong man of power to pul a horse-shooe in sunder with his hands and able to tire sixe horses in an houre and you are but a spare poore megar shrimpe and a gristle in respect of such a one and scarcely able to teare foure cards asunder if they be well ioyned together nor like to tire one horse in an houre Well said the King if force will prooue me to be Dom Sebastian c. and the matter rest onely vpon that it may be that one day I may satisfie you in that point So long this gallāt continued in his former geering and railing that one day aboue the rest he moued the Kings patience and made him angrie and constrained him to shew him by the force of his hands that he was Dom Sebastian c. and made him confesse the same for being in a rage he came vpon him directly and tooke him by the girdle with his right hand and heauing him higher thē his head caried him round about the prison in that manner to the great admiration of all that beheld it and this Gentleman neuer after durst abuse him any more but vsed him with the honour and reuerence that was due vnto him In like manner he tooke vp in the same prison by the girdle one Gasparo Turloni a Gentleman of Venice with his right hand and Baptiste Marsoto with his left hand and lifted them both vp from the ground at one time He also in the same prison tooke vp putting his arme betweene their legges two other Gentlemen one very grosse and corpulent namely Messier Lucio de Messine and Alexander de Alexandria and lifted them both of a good height the oportunitie of this Gentleman made him do it in prison and at Padua and at Moran he was disposed to shew his force to pleasure his friends thereby That which before was spoken of the ring and of his forces were the two things I thought necessarie first to giue you notice of To ad to the two first two other In Venice there is a rich and an honourable merchant who hearing of this King what marks and tokens he had on his bodie and what he had said and done tooke occasion to go to him and made meanes to deserue his loue and amitie by the performance of many kind offices towards him This merchant was a Piemontoise by nation by name called Monsieur Iohn Bassanesse and his mother being a widow maried after to one Bartholomaeo Verneti a