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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
order_n	hand_n	open_v	rank_n	2,740	5	12.3069	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A71204	The history of the revolution in Portugal in the year, 1640, or, An account of their revolt from Spain and setting the crown on the head of Don John of Braganza, father to Don Pedro, the present king and Catharine, Queen Dowager of England / written in French by the excellent pen of the Abbot Vertot ... ; and done into English.; Histoire de la conjuration de Portugal en 1640. English	Vertot, abbé de, 1655-1735.	1700 (1700)	Wing V272; Wing H2177; ESTC R43002	41,466	186

time secure the Queen and the young Princes just as the Princess of Mantua had before been as Hostages for the Surrender of the Citadel That Preparations should be made to fire those Vessels which were in Harbour That the Archbishop and the Grand Inquisitor with all his Officers should march thro' the City to appease the People and prevent any Commotion by the dread of the Inquisition And that the Marquess de Villareal should take upon him the Government till farther Orders should arrive from Spain But having no Assurance the People would declare for them they needed Troops to support this Action To this end it was agreed to sollicit the Conde Duke to send a considerable Fleet on the Coasts to be ready to enter the Harbour at the Moment the Conspiracy should be put in Action That upon the first notice of the Success he should give Orders to all the Troops on the Frontiers to march directly to Lisbon to make Head against all Opposition But the Conspirators found great difficulty in settling this necessary Correspondence with the Prime Minister Assoon as the King was informed the Vice-Queen had writ to Madrid he had placed so strict a Guard on the Frontiers that no Person could go out of the Kingdom without his express Leave and it was not judged safe to corrupt the Guards for fear they should prove Treacherous and deliver the Letters up or disclose the Practices used to corrupt them At length being prest with the necessity of acquainting the Spanish Minister with their Intentions without which all the Measures they should take would be vain and doubtful what way to effect this they cast their Eyes on a Rich Merchant of Lisbon who was Treasurer of the Douane who upon the Account of his great Dealings in several Parts of Europe had a Permission to write into Castile This Man named Baeze made a Publick Profession of the Christian Religion but was one of those whom the Portuguese call New Christians who are suspected to observe in Private the Jewish Rites They offer'd him a very great Sum of Money to engage in this Affair This joyn'd with the Importunity of the Jews who were in the secret of this Conspiracy determined him he accepted their Offers and undertook to have their Letters deliver'd to the Conde Duke d' Olivarez He addressed his Packet to the Marquess d' Aiamonte Governor of the first Frontier Place in Spain not doubting they were safe as soon as out of the Dominion of Portugal This Marquess who had a private Interest in the Affairs of Portugal being nearly Allied to the Queen surprized to find Letters with the great Seal of the Inquisition affixed to them and addressed to the First Minister of Spain instantly open'd them fearing they might contain some Particulars of his Private Correspondence with the King and Queen of Portugal notwithstanding the late Revolution but found in them to his no small Amazement the Project and Plan of a Conspiracy which was ripe for Execution and aimed to destroy him and the whole Royal Family He sent the Packet back to the King of Portugal His surprize was unspeakable to find upon opening the Letters that Princes nearly Allied to him an Archbishop and several of the Chief Men in his Court who shewed the greatest Joy at his Elevation should so soon Conspire to deprive him at once of his Life and Crown He summoned a Council privately and some Days after acted according to the Resolutions then taken The Fifth of August was the Day when the Plot was to be put in execution about Eleven a Clock at Night the Particulars of which were set down in the intercepted Papers The same Day the King ordered all the Troops quarter'd in the Neighbouring Villages to march into Lisbon under a Pretence of a General Review in the great Court of the Palace He gave privately with his own Hand several Billets sealed to those about him in whom he most confided with strict Orders not to open them till Noon and then to execute punctually the Orders contained in them In the next place taking the Archbishop and the Marquis de Villareal into his Closet under pretence of Communicating some Business to them he secured them without noise about Noon and a Captain of the Guards seized on the Duke of Camino in the Great Square Those who received the Billets opening them found Orders to seize some of the Conspirators and commit them to such and such Prisons and to set a Guard on them till farther Orders These Measures were so well taken and so punctually executed that in less than an Hours time the whole Forty seven were seized no one having Notice to make his escape The noise of this Plot being spread thro' the Town the People flocked to the Palace in great Crowds demanding the Traytors to be delivered to them Tho' the King was pleased to see the Affection of his New Subjects yet this unusual Concourse made him a little uneasie He feared these popular Tumults might grow frequent which he look'd on as no better than Seditious Assemblies So having thanked the People for their Concern for his Person and assured them Justice should be done he ordered the Magistrates to disperse them However lest the Heat of the People should abate who easily pass from the most violent Fury and Rage to Sentiments of Pity and Compassion this Prince gave out the Conspirators had a Design to Assassinate him and the whole Royal Family to set the City on Fire and seize what escaped the Flames as their Plunder And to prevent all Conspiracies for the future and to discharge their Vengeance they had resolved to People the Town with a Colony of Spaniards and to send the Citizens to the Mines in America and bury them alive in that Abyss which had swallowed a World of People In the next place he appointed Judges out of the Supreme Court of Judicature for the Tryal of the Conspirators to these he added two of the Grandees of the Kingdom upon the Account of the Archbishop of Braga the Marquess of Villareal and the Duke of Camino The King ordered the Commissioners not to make use of the Letters which he put into their Hands if they could Convict the Plotters without them for fear the Court of Spain should come to know by what means they came to fall into his Hands But there was no need to employ them to discover the Truth Baeze contradicted himself in almost all the Questions which were put to him and this Wretch on the first Torture confess'd his Guilt and disclosed the whole Plan of the Conspiracy He owned they had a Design to kill the King that the Office of the Inquisition was full of Arms and they only waited the Conde Duke's Answer for the Execution of their Designs Most part of the other Plotters being put to the Question their Depositions were agreeable to those of the Jew The Archbishop the Grand Inquisitor the Marquis de Villareal and the

and intolerable Tyrants Margaret Duchess of Mantua govern'd Portugal at that time in Quality of Vice-Queen but this was but a glittering Title which the Court has given to a very limited Power The secret Counsels and the great Management of Affairs were entrusted in the Hands of Moguel Vasconcellos a Portuguese who had the Character of Secretary of State to the Vice-Queen but was indeed an Absolute and Independent Minister This Man receiv'd his Orders immediately from the Conde Duke whose Creature he was with whom he had ingratiated and made himself necessary by a singular Art he had of drawing perpetually considerable Sums out of Portugal and an intrieguing Wit which enabl'd him to accomplish his private Designs He had the Art of raising Feuds and Animosities among the Great Men of the Kingdom which He would craftily foment by his Favour and affected Distinctions by which he was sure to please and engage those who received them and to create Spite and Envy in the rest While these Divisions continued he concluded all was safe persuading himself the contending Parties would be wholly employ'd in satisfying their Resentments and not have leisure to attempt any thing against the setled Government There was no Man in Portugal besides the Duke of Braganza who could give the Spaniards the least Disquiet This Prince was of a mild and sweet Temper a Lover of Ease more a Man of Good Sense than Quickness of Wit In Business he went to the main Point and easily made himself Master of what he apply'd himself to but seldom cared for Application Duke Theodosius his Father a Hot and Violent Man had labour'd to infuse into him an Hereditary Hate to the Spaniards whom he lookt on as Usurpers of a Crown which belong'd to his Family and us'd all possible means to fill his Breast with the Ambition of regaining his Right and all the Heat and Courage which is necessary for so Great and Hazardous an Enterprize Dom John had indeed imbib'd the Sentiments of his Father not to so high a Degree but in such a Manner as suited with his calm and moderate Temper He hated the Spaniards but not so as to be in pain to revenge the Injury He had Ambition and did not despair of re-ascending the Throne of his Ancestors but in this He did not shew so much Impatience as Duke Theodosius had done He contented himself with a distant Prospect of a Crown without hazarding the Repose of his Life and a certain Fortune which was already the greatest that could consist with the Condition of a Subject In short it is most certain if he had been precisely what Duke Theodosius wish'd him he had been less fit to obtain what he design'd him for The Conde Duke observ'd him with so strict an Eye that if his manner of Living had not been entirely the Effect of his Natural Inclination that vigilant Minister would have soon descry'd it and this must have been fatal to his Ease and Fortune The Court of Spain would never have entrusted him with so large a Power or suffer'd him to lead an unmolested Life in the Heart of his Country The most refin'd Politicks could never have taught so wise a Conduct towards the Spaniards as the Bent of his Genius His Birth his Fortunes his Title to the Crown but by the Laws of Politicks it is ever a Crime to be Formidable This he knew well enough and saw plainly there was but one way for him to take and this his Inclination as well as Reason led him to There was but one way to lessen his Offence and that was to render himself less fear'd To this end he concern'd himself in no manner of Business and seem'd wholly bent on his Diversion and Pleasure He acted very well this Part and at Villavveiosa the Ordinary Residence of the Dukes of Braganza there was nothing but Hunting-Matches Entertainments and all those about him were a sort of People proper to make the Pleasures of a Delicious Country relish In short Nature and Fortune seem'd to conspire one to give him all the Qualities proper for the present State of Affairs and the other to dispose the State of Affairs to display his Natural Qualities These did not shine enough to give the Spaniards grounds to fear he would attempt to make himself King but they appear'd solid enough for the Portuguese to hope for a mild and easy Government of themselves should they re-place him on the Throne of his Ancestors His Conduct did not give the least Jealousy till a certain Accident alarm'd the First Minister The People of Evora being oppress'd with new Taxes and reduc'd to Despair rose and in the Heat of the Tumult some of their Leaders began to exclaim against the Spanish Tyranny and declare publickly for the House of Braganza This Accident made the Court sensible how much they had mistaken their Interest in leaving so Rich and Potent a Family whose Rights to the Crown were so clear in the midst of a Conquer'd Country For this Consideration the Council of Spain resolv'd to secure the Duke of Braganza or at least to send him out of Portugal In the first place they offer'd him the Government of Milan which he refus'd pretending his frequent Indisposition That he had not a sufficient Knowledge of the Affairs of Italy to acquit himself in a Post of so much Difficulty and Weight The Minister seem'd to approve his Reasons but look'd out for some other means to draw him to Court The King 's Marching to Suppress the Revolt in Catalonia was the Matter which afforded the next Pretence Upon this Occasion he writes to him to come at the Head of the Nobility of his Country to join the Troops of Castile in so glorious an Expedition where the King Commanded in Person But the Duke who had a just Suspicion of whatever came from Court soon discover'd this Artifice and excus'd himself from this Attendance pretending That His Birth and Quality oblig'd him to an extraordinary Expence and his Fortunes were not in a condition to support it France and Spain were at that time engag'd in a War and the French Fleet had been off the Coasts of Portugal and this Occasion gave that Minister a fair Colour to cover his Design It was necessary to appoint some General to Command the Forces which were design'd for the Defence of the Coasts and preventing the French from making a Descent He sent the Duke therefore a Commission for this purpose which was so fill'd with Compliments and intrusted him with so unlimited a Power to encrease or make alteration in all Garisons and dispose of Vessels in the Ports at his Discretion that by so absolute a Confidence he seem'd to deliver the whole Kingdom into his hands But this fair Appearance only conceal'd the Snare and at the same time he sent secret Orders to Dom Lopez Ozono who Commanded the Spanish Fleet to put into one of the Ports near where the Duke should happen to

Manner of Living Here he would complain of that Idle Life in which he seem'd to be buried expressing his great Regret that the only Person who was able to remedy their Grievances should shew so little Affection to his Country or Concern for his Honours and observing these Discourses to make an impression on them he push'd Matters so far as to flatter some with the Glorious Title of the Asserters of the Liberty of their Country raising their indignation at the ill treatment of the Spaniard and to give other Hopes of advancing their Fortunes by a Revolution In short he manag'd the Temper of the People with so great Skill that being well assur'd of Divers privately he procur'd a Meeting of the Nobility with the Archbishop of Lisbon at their Head This Prelate was descended of one of the best Houses * D' Acugna in that Kingdom was a Man of Learning an able Statesman and belov'd by the People but hated by the Spaniards whom he hated no less because they had preferr'd the Archbishop of Braga * Dom Sebastian de Mattos de Noroguia a Creature of the Vice-queen whom they had made President of the Chamber of Opaco and given a share in the Administration of Affairs Dom Miguel d' Almeida was one of the most cOnsiderable Members of this Company This was a venerable Old Gentleman who had gain'd a mighty Esteem by his Worth He plac'd his Glory in preferring the Interest of his Country to his Fortunes and could not without Indignation see it enslav'd by Usurpers He persisted in this sense his whole Life with great Bravery and Resolution and neither the Advice of his Friends or the Intreaties of his Relations could ever induce him to go to the Palace or make his Court to the Spanish Ministers This Steddiness in his Conduct had created some Jealousy of him and determin'd Pinto to pitch on him to make his Declaration to being well assur'd he should not hazard any thing in making a Confidence with a Man of such a Character and one who was able to bring so great a Number of the Nobility over to his Party Dom Antonio d' Almada an intimate Friend to the Archbishop was there and Dom Lewis his Son Dom Lewis d' Acugna Nephew to that Prelate and married to the Daughter of Dom Antonio d' Almada the Master of the Horse Mello Dom George his Brother Pedro Mendoza Dom Rodrigo de Saa High Chamberlain and divers Officers of the Royal Family whose Place were become empty Title since Portugal had lost her Natural Kings At this Meeting the Archbishop who was naturally Eloquent display'd the calamitous State of that Kingdom He represented to them How Philip the Second to secure his Conquest had destroy'd an infinite Number of the Nobility That He had not spared the Church witness the Famous Brief of Absolution * C●nestagio which he had obtain'd of the Pope for the Murther of Two thousand Priests and Religious persons whom he had put to Death to secure his Usurpation That since those Dismal Times the Spaniards had not changed their Measures That they had taken off a great many Worthy persons for no other Crime but their Love to their Country That no Man present had his Life or Estate secure to him That the Great Men were excluded from the Government destitute of Employ and neglected That the Church had been fill'd with a scandalous Clergy since Vasconcellos had bestow'd Benefices as Rewards on his Creatures That the People were oppress'd with Taxes the Country wanted Hands to Till it and the Cities were desolate being exhausted by those Forces which were sent into Catalonia That these Orders to Summon the Nobility under a Pretence of attending the King was the last shift the Minister could use to take off the Remains of those Gentlemen whom he conceiv'd might be an Obstacle to his pernicious Designs That the least Misfortune which could befal them must be a tedious Banishment and they must wear away their Lives in the Heart of Castile while new Colonies were possess'd of their Estates at Home That for his part in this deplorable state of Things he should chuse to dye rather than see the entire Ruin and Destruction of his Country if he had not some Hopes of so many Worthy Persons were not met together to no purpose This Speech reviv'd in the Company the uneasy Memory of those Grievances they had so long labour'd under Every one was earnest to give some Instances of the Cruelties of Vasconcellos Some had lost their Estates by his Injustice others had been turn'd out of their Hereditary Places and Governments to make room for his Creatures divers of them had for a long time groan'd in Prison to satisfy the Jealousy of the Spanish Ministers some were concern'd for the Loss for their Fathers Brothers Friends detain'd at Madrid or sent into Catalonia as Hostages for the Fidelity of their Countrymen In short there was no one in this publick Cause who had not some private Injury to revenge The Expedition into Catalonia incens'd them and rais'd their Indignation to the last degree They saw plainly this did not proceed from any Necessity which constrain'd the Spaniards to make use of their Assistance but a design of that Court to ruin them by so long a March These Considerations joyn'd with the Hopes of Revenging so many Affronts as they had receiv'd determin'd them and made them resolve to take all proper Measures to throw off a Yoke which they sound too heavy to bear and being depriv'd of all Hopes of mitigating their unhappy Condition they reproach'd their Patience as a Baseness and Meanness of Spirit and unanimously agreed there was a necessity of driving out the Spaniard but were divided what Form of Government they ought to prefer One part of the Company were for a Republick like that of Holland another part were inclin'd to have a King and of this Number some propos'd the Duke of Braganza others the Marquess de Villareal and others the Duke d' Aveiro all three Princes of the Royal Blood of Portugal each delivering his Mind as his Fancy or Interest led him But the Archbishop who was devoted to the House of Braganza dextrously using the Authority of his Character made a Remonstrance not without some Vehemence alledging That the Choice of Government was not Arbitrary That they could not in Conscience break that Oath of Fidelity which they had taken to Spain except it were to do Justice to the Rightful Heir of that Crown which all the World knew was the Duke of Braganza and therefore they must resolve to acknowledge him as their King or for ever remain under the Dominion of Spain In the next place he desir'd them to reflect on the Power the great Wealth and the vast Number of Vassals of that Prince on whom one Third of that Kingdom depended urging They could never hope to drive out the Spaniards unless they had him at their

Head and that to engage him in an Affair of this nature they must offer him the Crown whose Right was indubitable as being the first Prince of the Blood From thence he pass'd to his good Qualities extolling his Prudence Wisdom and especially the sweetness of his Temper and his obliging Behaviour In short he gave so happy a Turn to this Matter they all declar'd for him as their King and agreed That nothing should be wanting that could engage him in this Design Thus the Company broke up having first agreed on the Time and Place where they should meet again to consider of the best Means to bring the Matter to a speedy and successful Issue Pinto seeing them thus dispos'd in Favour of his Master writ privately to him to come into the Neighbourhood of Lisbon for the encouraging the Conspirators by his Presence and taking precise Measures with them for the Execution of that Design This crafty Man put in Motion all the Wheels in that Affair without appearing to be any farther concern'd than a private Person acted by a Zeal for the Publick Service He seem'd to doubt whether his Master would enter into it upon the Account of his Natural Aversion to all Hazardous Undertakings which require Application and Attendance He started some Difficulties which serv'd only to remove all Suspicion of any Understanding between him and his Master and yet were such as tended rather to excite their Ardour than discourage them Upon the Advice which Pinto gave the Duke some Days after left Villa-viciosa and came to Almada a Castle near Lisbon under Colour of Visiting the Forts of that Kingdom His Equipage was very Magnificent and he had a vast Train compos'd of Men of Quality and Officers of the Army which more resembl'd a King taking Possession of his Kingdom than of a Governour of a Province visiting the Places under his Care and Inspection Being near Lisbon he could not dispense with paying his Duty to the Vice-Queen When he enter'd the Great Court of the Palace all the Avenues were fill'd with an infinite number of People who crowded to see him pass along and most of the Nobility came to his House to wait on him It was a general Holy-day throughout the Town and all People were overjoy'd to see him there seem'd only to want a Herald to proclaim him King or Resolution enough in himself to put the Crown on his Head But this Prince was too wise and had too much Experience to trust so important a Concern to the Sallies of a fickle and inconstant Multitude He very well understood the vast difference between those vain Shouts which the People soon quit and those steddy Motions which are necessary to support an Enterprize of that nature Thus after he had taken his Leave of the Vice-Queen he retir'd to Almada without going to Braganza-House or passing through the City to prevent making the Spaniards uneasy who were already too much alarm'd at the Transports of the People Pinto did not fail to observe to his Friends the Fear and Caution which his Master us'd urging That they ought to improve the opportunity of his stay at Almada to break the Matter to him and use some sort of Violence to engage him to accept of the Crown which was at this time absolutely necessary for the publick Good The Conspirators approving this Advice appointed him to obtain of his Master some favourable Occasion for making this Proposition He accepted this Commission without much difficulty and the Duke of Braganza agreed to an Interview on condition that only Three of the Conspirators should meet him not judging it proper to explain himself to more So Miguel d' Almeida Antonio d' Almada and Mendoza came to him that Night and being introduc'd privately into his Closet d' Almada who spoke for the rest made a lively Representation of the unhappy State of that Kingdom where persons of all Conditions were expos'd to the Injustice and Cruelty of the Castillians adding That himself with all his Greatness was not secure from their Attempts That He was too discerning a person not to observe the Industry which the prime Minister us'd to destroy him That there was no other Refuge to escape his ill designs except the Throne That in order to put him into that he had Commission to offer him the Services of a considerable Number of Persons of Rank who would sacrifice their Lives and Fortunes with pleasure for his Interests and to deliver their Country from its insolent Masters In the next place he told him The Time of Charles the Fifth and Philip the Second were past when the Spaniards were the Terror of Europe and gave Laws to their Neighbours That this Monarchy which had formerly conceiv'd such vast Designs could now scarce preserve her ancient Territory was attack'd and often beat by the French and Hollanders That Catalonia alone employ'd her utmost Strength That she was destitute of Troops and Money and govern'd by a weak Prince who himself was govern'd by a Minister hateful to the Kingdom He wish'd him to consider the Alliance and Protection which he might expect from those Princes in Europe who were Eternal Enemies to the House of Austria That Holland and Catalonia shew'd what Assistance he might expect from a great Minister * The Cardinal Richelieu whose mighty Genius seem'd bent to ruin that House That the Sea open'd a way for receiving all necessary Supplies In short That the Kingdom being empried of the Castillian Garisons which the King had been forc'd to draw out of Portugal to encrease his Army in Catalonia he could never hope for a more fovourable Juncture to assert his Right and free his Country from Tyranny and Slavery It may easily be thought this Discourse was very well relish'd by the Duke of Braganza but he with that Coldness which was natural to him so order'd the Expressions of his Reply to the Deputies that he seem'd neither to lessen or encrease their Hopes He told them That he was of their Opinion That the Spaniards had reduc'd the Kingdom to a Deplorable State That Himself was not exempt from Danger That he could never enough commend their Zeal for their Country And that he was in particular very much oblig'd to them for the favourable Regard they had to his Interest but after all he doubted if the Time was yet come to think of such violent Remedies as they propos'd which always had very bad consequences if the Event did not fall out as was projected To this Answer for a more positive one he would not give he added so many Caresses and obliging Thanks to each Man in particular that they went away satisfy'd their Message was well Receiv'd but that they must expect the Prince would make no more Advances in the Matter than by giving his Consent when Things should be in a Condition to put the Success out of doubt After the Deputies were gone he agreed with Pinto what new Measures were best to be

or the City They seized on the Marquess de la Pueiba Major domo to the Vice-Queen and eldest Brother to the Marquess de Leganez Dom Didaco Cardevas Major-General Dom Fernant de Castro Intendant of the Marine the Marquess de Bainetto Gentleman Usher to the Vice-Queen and several Sea-Officers who were in the Port. All this was done with as little Disturbance as if they had been apprehended by Orders from the King of Spain No Man stirred to assist them and themselves were not in a Condition to resist being for the most part taken in their Beds In the next place Antonio de Saldania at the Head of his Friends with a vast Crowd following him went up to the sovereign Chamber of Justice He made a short Speech to the Company displaying the Happiness of Portugal that now had regained her Natural Lord telling them That Tyranny was now at an End That the Laws would be re-established and Justice have its ancient Course under the Government of so Wise and Just a Prince This Speech was received with a general Applause and answered by loud Acclamations and all Decrees made in the King of Spain's Name were changed and stiled By the Authority and in the Name of Dom Juan King of Portugal Whilst this Gentleman obliged the Chamber of Justice to own the Duke of Braganza for their King Dom Gaston Contingno set free those whom the Severity of the Spanish Ministers had confined These poor Men passing in one Moment from a gloomy Dungeon and the continual fear of Death to the delightful view of the Liberty of their Country transported with Gratitude and dreading the return of their Chains made up a new Company who did not shew less Ardour to establish the Throne of the Duke of Braganza than the Body of the Nobility who formed the first Design In the midst of this general Gladness which the Success of the Enterprize gave the Conspirators Pinto and several of the Chief were extreamly uneasie The Spaniards were still in the Citadel from whence they could batter the Town and soon give them occasion to repent of their hasty Joy Besides this was a Port where the King of Spain could re-enter the City at pleasure therefore thinking they had done nothing till they were Masters of the Place they went to the Vice-Queen and demanded an Order from her for the Governour to put that into their Hands She rejected the Proposition with Scorn reproaching them with their Rebellion and asking them disdainfully if they intended to make her an Accomplice D' Almeida mad at her Refusal all on Fire and his Eyes sparkling with Rage swore that if she did not sign this Order without farther delay he would instantly stab all the Spaniards they had in Custody The Princess surpris'd at the Passion of the Man and fearing so many People of Quality might lose their Lives thought the Governour knew his Duty too well to pay Obedience to an Order which he must needs see was extorted by Force and upon this Consideration she Signed it but this had a very different Effect from what she imagined The Spanish Governour Dom Louis del Campo a Man of small Resolution seeing so many of the Conspirators in Arms and follow'd by a vast Crowd of People who threatned to tear him and the whole Garrison in pieces if he did not instantly Surrender was glad to come off so cheaply and have so good a pretence to cover his Cowardice surrendred the Citadel and tamely delivered it into their Hands The Conspirators having thus secured all sides dispatched away Mendoza and the Master of the Horse to the Duke of Braganza to carry him the News and to assure him from the City that there was nothing wanting to compleat their Joy but the Presence of their King However this was not equally desired by all Persons The Great Men of the Kingdom could not see his Elevation without a secret Envy and most of the Nobility who had no share in the Conspiracy were silent waiting for the Issue before they would declare their Sentiments Nay some proceeded so far as to question whether that Prince would own an Action which would infallibly have such terrible Consequences Above all the rest the Creatures of Spain were in a strange Consternation not a Man of them daring to stir for fear of irritating the People furious with their new Liberty and every one kept himself close at Home till Time should shew what they had to Fear or Hope from the Designs of the Duke of Braganza But his Friends who were well informed of his Intentions pursued their way They met at the Palace to give Orders till their New Master should arrive and unanimously declared the Archbishop of Lisbon President of the Council and Lieutenant-General for the King He excused himself at first representing to them that the present State of the Kingdom required a General rather than a Man of his Character in such a Post But at length pretending to comply with the Importunity of his Friends he consented to take upon him the signing the Orders provided the Archbishop of Braga were appointed for his Colleague in the management of Business and all Dispatches till the King's Arrival By this Device that crafty and politick Prelate hoped under Colour of sharing an Authority with him to render the other an Accomplice and Criminal in the Eyes of the Spaniards if he accepted the Offer or in case he refused to ruin him with the King and render him Odious to the People and all Portugal as a declared Enemy of that Kingdom The Archbishop of Braga perceived the Snare laid for him but being wholly devoted to the Spaniards and in the Interests of the Vice-Queen he refused peremptorily to have any share in the Government So the Archbishop of Lisbon had it alone and Dom Miguel d' Almeida Pedro Mendoza and Dom Antonio d' Almada were appointed as Counsellors of State to assist him One of the first Cares of this Governour was to seize the three great Spanish Galleons in the Port of Lisbon For this purpose several Barks were fitted out into which the Youth of the City threw themselves They discover'd an eager desire to gain Honour in this Exploit but little Opposition was made the Officers and greatest part of the Soldiers being seized in the City at the Time when the Conspiracy broke out The same Evening he dispatched Couriers to exhort the People to give Thanks to God for the Recovery of their Liberty with Orders to the Magistrates of each City to proclaim the Duke of Braganza King of Portugal and secure all the Spaniards they could find In short he made all Preparations at Lisbon for the magnificent reception of their new Master The Archbishop gave notice to the Vice-Queen that it would be convenient she should leave the Palace and make room for the King and his Houshold and ordered an Apartment to be prepared for her in the Royal House of Xabregas at one end of