the Conde Duke with some other of the principall Spaniards were secured as Hostages for those Portugals that should be found at Madrid or else where in the Catholique Kings dominion Thursday following the Duke made his entry into Lisbon with the generall acclamations of all sorts crying God save King John all the Canons discharging Bells ringing with Bonfires and Fireworks for three nights following And the more to gain the peoples affections divers impositions were taken off prisoners set at liberty and Offices confer'd upon the Race of those whose Ancestors had enjoyed the same under the naturall Kings of Portugall All sorts of Men Clergy or Laymen or women brought in their Plate Gold Jewels c. to make money for the maintenace of this new Kingdome The Clergy brought in as a gift six hundred thousand Crowns the Nobility four hundred thousand and the people one Million of Gold The 15 of December the King was sworn and January the 28 following was delared and confirmed in a generall Assembly or Parliament of the Three States Lords Spiritual Lords Temporal and Commons of that Kingdom The King sent a courteous Complement by some Nobles to the Infanta Margarit of Savoy assuring her of all civill usage befitting a Princess of her quality desiring her withall to forbear all discourse whereby she might instill into his subjects hearts any opinion prejudicial to his most just and righteous cause But she notwithstanding with much boldnesse after many expressions of thankfulnesse to the Duke fell into a large and grave exhortation to thoâ—e Nobles to lay aside all vain hopes and return to their true allegeance not doubting to obtain pardon but the Rubicon was already passed nor is any Rhetorick powerful enough to perswade a King to quit a Royal Scepter The King was about 37 years old when he was proclaimed King affecting always a plain Garb and sober diet often saying that great personages ought to be affable and that any clothes becom them and any diet nourisheth them he is very active of body few there are that can outrun him and indeed he hath run wel that hath gained a Crown He hath â—y his wife the sister of the Duke of Medina Sidonia many sons and daughters Thus was the Kingdom of Portugal the best pearl in the king of Spains Crown utterly lost It is for wealth power and commodity of situation above all other that Kings Dominions It is 350 miles long and about 12â— broad lying all along upon the Sea thick peopled and powerful at Sea With it revolted all the Tercera Islands all the East Indies all upon the coast of Africa but onely one Town called Ceuta which is the onely place that belonged to the Portugall Kings that is now in the hand of the Spaniard Immediatly Ambassadours were dispatched into England and Holland but chiefly into Catalonia to offer them all aide and assistance possible The newes of the generall Revolt of Portugall stroke a generall sadness in all the Court at Madrid onely the Conde Duke came laughing to the King some would thereby collect that the Duke took great delight in chastising the people and imposing new Laws and demanded of His Majesty las Albricias as they call it that is A reward for bringing of good news for that His Majesty was now absolute over Portugall the People having forfeited all their Priviledges by their Rebellion and lawfull Owner oâ— all the Estate of the duke of Braganza and all the Nobles his followers to dispâ—â—se amongst his Loyall Subjects Although others imagine with more reason that the Conde Duke inwardly resented that business more then any man but according to his manner would set a good face on it After so many principall Feathers had been pluckt out of the Austrian Eagle as if the world had conspired to leave Her staâ—k naked some nearer home began to be plucking likewise The Duke of Medina Sidonia whose sister was now Queen of Portugall with some other discontented Nobles of Andaluzia the next best Countrey that the King of Spain had at this time resolve by the help of the Portugall their next Neighbour and the assistance of the French and Dutch fleet then near upon that Coast to Cantonize all Andaluzia and Medina Sidonia to bee Head thereof unless the King would bee perswaded to change the present Ministers of â—tate and require a â—ust account of so many Millions gathered of the People which if He would doe they would then continue his Loyall Subjects But the Conde Duke by his cunning extinguished this fire in the Birth for with much sweetness and fair words without the least violence he drew the Duke of Medina Sidonia to Madrid and secured his person as he stands at this day in Valliadolid and sent another Govern ur with such instructions that he satisfied or terrified all turbulent spirits These many disasters one upon the neck of another awaked the Court of Spain and so startled them that they now began to double their diligence and circumspecti insomuch that the Councell of State sate constantly morning and Evening to provide against the many storms that threatned on every side Not long before the disgrace and death of the Conde Duke was discovered the unparaleld Forgery of Michael de Molina and his Treachery in giving informations some false and some true to most of the Ambassadors of Forraign States which for its extraordinary strangeness for it is Exemplum sine Exemplo shall after this Relation be fully rehearsed But to proceed nevertheless the Conde Duke cast all the miscarriages in Portugall upon the Infanta and laboured as much as possibly hee could to hinder her from coming to Court lest she should justifie her self and cast if not suspicion upon his Loyalty yet at least a foul blot upon his Reputation therefore she being sent out of Portugall was by Olivarez means confined in Estremadurae and afterwards at Ocania near Madrid where shee was not allowed necessaries which made her at length privately fly away to Madrid Besides the Infanta he had also much discontented the chief Nobility who afterward all helped to pull him out of his seat for he never thought himself sufficiently assured in the Kings favor and command of the Kingdome unless after Tarquins example he abased instead of cutting off the Heads of the Grandees the house of Lerma the house of Toledo the Duke of Alva the duke of Ferrandino the duke of Hijar the dukes of Maqueda Lemos Fuentecalida Altamire c. All either ruined or disgraced by the Dukes means Onely the Conde de Monterey and the Marquess de Leganes were thought worthy by Olivarez to have part in the Government two Men of mean extraction and Fortune by their prodigious exactions for which they were called Los dos Ladrones the two Theeves raised to incredible wealth Whereat the prime Nobility of Spain were so much incensed that they all withdrew themselves from Court none waiting upon the King at Table at Chappell nor in Hunting
affection enforced her to discover to his Majesty what perhaps many others durst not for human respects The King giving her leave to speak freely she represented unto him the generall affliction of his people the calamity of his Kingdoms the abuses committed in his Revenues the many losses on every side and the sad condition of the whole Monarchy of Spain shewing him that these evils were the judgments of God upon him for suffering the government of his Kingdoms which God had appointed for him onely to continue in the hands of another that now it was high time that his Majesty should be out of his minority and that he should not incense the wrath of God against him by suffering his poor subjects to be abused at least that he would have compassion on the Prince his Son who ran an hazard to be simple King of Castile or lesse concluding that if she had offended his Majesty by her liberty of speech she was ready to receive punishment being well content having given her milk for the good of her King to sacrifice her blood for the good of the Realms of her Prince The King having hearkned unto her with much attention answered Haveis hablado verdades You have told me the truth After this appears upon the Stage for perfecting the Catastrophe of the Dukes Tragedy the Infanta Margarite de Savoy Dutchess of Savoy who had been so roughly handled by the Duke both before after her leaving Portugall being secretly come from Ocania where she had been in a manner confined and arrived at Court the Duke did his utmost to debar her audience with the King and to discredit her in the Councell of State and would not vouchsafe to visit her Neverthelesse the Queen invited her to come to her Lodgeings and took order that she should have opportuity to speak with the King for two hours space The Infanta gave God thanks for her safe deliverance out of the hands of the Portugals that after so great sufferings she might once more appear in the presence of his Majesty to make known her innocence and the failings and errors of others made a brief Relation of all things past in Portugall making it appear that she was innocent and that the losse of Portugall was to be attributed to the carelesnesse and negligence if not to the intention of the Duke The Queen in the mean time failed not to help out the Infanta in all her discourse which left so deep an impression in the heart of the King that it may truly be said That the mortall wound was given that very day to the favour of the Duke To dispatch him the sooner it was represented to the King what little respect the Grandees bare now to his Majesty not waiting upon him as they were wont but all retiring themselves The King asked the Marquess of Carpio what was the reason hereof Who replied That being little accounted of by the Duke they judged it more meet to forbear the services they owed to his Majesty then to lie under the suspition of the Duke and to give him occasion by their residence at Court to make them feel the effects of his jealousie To help forward there happened a memorable accident in Segovia where six men masked entring by force into the Governors house who imagining them to be Robbers offered them money and all that he had so they would not defile his wife and defloure his daughters One of them answered That they were not come to rob him but to serve the King and delivering a paper into his hands told him that if he would save his life t he should go immediatly to Madrid and present this Writing not to the Duke but to the King himself that it contained affairs very secret and of great importance to the State and to the service of his Majesty and would not depart till they saw him upon his way to Madrid threatning to kill him if he performed not that whereto he was obliged as a subject and as a Minister of the Kings Being arrived he had audience of the King and so was sent back to his Government It was judged by the circumstances that the contents of the Writing was very prejudiciall to the Duke Hereunto may be added one thing more that might probably have a strong influence upon the spirit of the King for the removall of his Favourite The Marquess of Grana Ambassador in Madrid for the Emperour bringing with him the hereditary valour of the House of Caretti the courage prudence and conduct of Affairs whereof he hath given sufficient testimonies in the military imployments which he hath had many years in Italy in Flanders and in Germany together with his great gift of five Languages which he speaks as if they were all naturall hath gained him a great esteem with all men And the liberty which he used in speaking of the affairs of the State although it proceeded from the natural ingenuity and zeal towards the interest of the House of Austria rendring him odious to the Duke whose ears had been accustomed to hear onely applauses full of flattery and not the plain sincere truth having now an opportunity to revenge himself with Justice did it to the purpose For having received a letter from the Emperour to the King that the affairs of the House of Austria grew worse and worse every day so that if speedy order were not taken all would be ruined that his Majesty ought to consider wel the quality of the person that had made him lose Portugall Catalonia and so many other Dominions c. He presently communicates the same to the Queen together with his instructions that he had a part of what he should doe therein for the Letter was open and so had audience of the King where it may well be imagined with what violence and ardor he prest the affair against his enemy To all these assaults that came upon the neck one of another this was none of the least that the Prince Don Balthazar Carlos the only son of the King was now going into the fourteenth year of his Age yet to the great astonishment of all the world he continued under the tuition of Women without any Officers and servants given him after the manner of Princes whereas at the same time one of the Kings base sons of the same age had a Court formed him was declared Generalissimo of Portugall Prince of the Sea and Grand Prior of Castile for the order of Malta and named Don John de Austria and had the Marquess of Castanieda given him for his Governor whereat the people murmured greatly For this Don John was begotten upon a Woman of base Extraction called la Calderona a Comedian not handsome but of extraordinary pleasantness who is since made a Nunne The Youth being of excellent parts and like to make a gallant Man was much affected by the King though he be quite of another complexion The King having before been earnest to have
Michael Molina to be hanged on a gallowes and his goods to be confiscated to the Kings use the execution whereof they leave to the Lord Judge D. John de Quinnoues and this is their will and pleasure This sentence was made known to the prisoner upon the first of August and execution done accordingly in the Plaça Major of Madrid the third day following at which time and place the Proclamation usually made at the execution was thus THis is the Justice which the King our Soveraigne Lord commandeth to be done upon this man for having committed high treason and published falsities forgeries and horrible cheats on the affaires and grave ministers of state for which he commands that he be hanged by the neck till he die to the end that it may be to him for a punishment and to others an example then concludes Quien tal haze tal pague He that thus doeth let him thus pay for the same As he stood upon the ladder ready to be turned off he delivered in writing to father Andrew Emanuel of the Society of Jesus a declaration the contents whereof ensueth word for word LOyall subjects of our soveraigne Lord the King I am Michael de Molina born at Cuenca the grievousnes of my crimes is so great that a punishment can hardly be invented to equalize mine offences against God against our soveraigne Lord the King whom God preserve against the Emperour against my native country against the Lord Duke de Olivarez and Sant Lucar against the most grave faithfull and loyall Ministers of state whom I have discredited with my forgeries and lies The clemency of the King our soveraigne whom God preserve hath been very eminent in sentencing me so mercifully God grant to whom I now goe to render a strict account that there be found mercy for me in the life to come and that I then pay not for the clemency shewed me here I do here declare and confesse upon mine own free will that not having the feare of God nor man before mine eyes I have been the cause of the gretest part of the mischiefes that this Monarchy suffereth and of those calamities and miseryes which you faithfull people yet suffer for which I humbly beg pardon of all those that are absent as well as of you here present For I am the man that feigned that the King our soveraigne Lord whom God preserve and the Emperour instigated thereunto by the Lord Duke of Saint Lucar and fomented by him did plot the death of our most holy father Urban the 8 th Pope head of the Church and vicar of Christ for which purpose I invented and contrived orders of the King our soveraign and of the Emperour letters from the Duke Orders instructions and judgments of the Counsellours of State with letters from Vice Royes and Embassadours with purpose to abuse and deceive the Nuntio and the Embassadours of severall Princes and thereby to get money from them not caring for the dammage might arise and accrue from thence to the world and to this Monarchy and not contented here with I invented that in case the said death could not be effected that then endeavour should be to call a Councell and to depose the Pope or make a schisme in the Church I invented and forged that the Lord Duke did by order from the King the Emperour and the Counsell of state endevour to kill the Cardinal Richelieu Favorit to the most Christian King of France for which purpose and for the death of the Pope I feigned persons that were to have been instruments of the same I gave notice to the Ambassadours hereof shewing them letters and Orders which I feigned as I judged meet I made them believe that I was an Officer of the Counsell of state and that by that means I came to the knowledg of these plots and conspiracies whereby I have disturbed the world caused jealousyes and suspitions amongst all the Princes of Europe and the mischiefs that this Monarchy now suffereth I also advertised the Embassadours and the enemies of this state of letters consults orders and decrees made by the King and Counsell for driving the French out of Piemont the Correspondencies of the Cardinal of Savoy with the subjects of that state for effectuating the same the coming of Prince Thomas from Flanders to Savoy for the same purpose and to lay siege to Casal of an Army to be raysed and maintayned in Alsatia of an intention to kill Duke Bernard de Weimar General of the Swedes the intentions of the King our Soveraign with the states of Venice and Genoa concerning Piemont and Casal the purpose of supplies which both states of Venice and Genoa would send to France and Holland and the intentions of the Pope to assist France against Spain the intent of England to â—â—gue with Spain the purpose that the French and Hollanders had to joyn their fleets to hinder all succours of Flanders and to surprise the plate fleet and infect the coasts of Spain the design that the Hollander had upon Antwerp in the year 1638. the successe of Fontarabie whereupon I feigned letters from the Prince of Conde and from the Duchesse de Cheverâ—use also concerning the imprisonment of Don Gualterio Peni Secretary and Resident for France in this Court with whom I had intimate friendship which was the ground of all these disasters of the secret compliance between the Cardinall Infante and the Prince of Orenge of the conspirarcy by the Prince of Orenge to kill the Cardinal Richelieu the design of Holland that the States of Flanders should be independent of Spain and our King should renounce his right to the Cardinall Infanta to the end the Hollanders should receive him and subject themselves to him of the capitulations and agreement twixt the King our Sov and the Duke of Modena whereby I feigned that the said Duke was to assist with six thousand men at his own charge against France and that the King was to give him the charge of Viceroy of Catalonia and twenty thousand souldiers to enter into France by Catalonia which was the first ground of the warr at Salsas and Perpignian the key of Catalonia of the general resolutions of the year 1639. in order to the affayres of Germany Flanders and Italy of the purpose to take away the Nuntio's Court in these kingdomes for the disorders and excesses of the same of the great resentments of the King our soveraign against the King of France for his leagueing with the Swedes his confederation with the Turks and Protestant Princes of Germany for his protection and league with Holland for his commerce with Venice and Genoa to the great discommodity of Spain for the disunion which he endeavoured to make between Spain and England of the resentment that the King our Soverain had against the Pope for his amity and assisting of France and not his endeavouring rather as a father of the whole Church to pacify the warres by all meanes possible of the
so that Olivarez now was said to bee sole Servant as sole Master of his Catholique Majesty at which time he was in his third Seventh year or grand Climacterical of his Favor for he declined and fell soon after beyond the hopes and expectation but on this side the desires and wishes of the wâ—ole Monarchy Because the Fall of this huge tall Cedar was so late and eminent the manner of his Fall the Ropes and Engines made use of together with the Persons that put their Hands to this work shall bee more particularly related The favour of the Count Olivarez duke of St Lucar which had continued twenty two yeares had cast so deep roots in the heart of the King that all the world believed it to be as immoveable as the old Oak that resists all storms and that it was never to be shaken neither by the Winds of Envie nor the Whirlwinds of persecution nor yet by the Tempests which of ten arise in Kings Courts by the conspiracies and conjurations of those who are ambitious of rule that which upheld this common conceite was the naturall inclination which the King had from his youth to the person and rare endowments of the Lord Duke an inclination which proceeded as some judged rather out of a kinde of respect then bare amity because the affection towards him which upon all ocasions he expressed was not a token of singular love only but of a certain fear to doe any thing that might give the least disgust to him which was no small diminution of his Royal greatnes and seemed to overthrow the very order which Nature and the lawes doth establish twixt King and subject insomuch that some out of respect to his Majesty would not question his prudence but rather believe and publish that this so strong passion could not be effected without some kind of witchcraft but the Dukes known vertues were sufficient to convince such popular slanders The first motives of the disgrace of the Lord Duke were the unfortunate successes of the Monarchy of Spain whilst he had the managing thereof In the losse of Ormus Goa and all those other vast dominions in the East Indies the losse of Brasile and the Terceras Ilands of the Kingdome of Portugal and the Principality of Catalonia the two most populous and fertile parts of all that Continent of Rossillion and a part of Burgundy of Hesdin and Arras in Flanders of divers strong Towns in Luxemburg of that most important Place Brisach The impoverishment and almost ruin of the Kingdomes of Naples and Sicily and of the Dutchy of Milan the losse of above two hundred ships at sea the extorting from the subject by First fruits One part whereof was employed towards the raising of Armies that were soon lost and to rigge Navies that were soon destroyed the other part hoarded up in the Coffers of the Vice Royes Governours Generalls and other Ministers of state his creatures â—ll these things laid together made the world desire to see the recovery of these losses built upon his ruins by his fall to see the rise of the Monarchy and by his disgrace and ruin to set up the reputation of the King and reformation of the State But desires effect little there must be vigourous endeavours to remove such a favourit with a resolution to ruin or be ruined no medium there Chi vuoll appicar il sonaglio alla gatta when none other durst venture to hang the bell about the Cats neck it was undertaken by the Queen It happened that the King going in person to his Army in Catalonia the Queen was left Governesse at Madrid where she had opportunity to employ and make known her rare qualities and endowments for abateing the austere gravity of the Spanyard and mixing it with the courtesy of the French she oft visited the souldiery about Madrid discoursed with the Captains took order for their pay encouraged them to serve faithfully the King caused Justice to be administred with integrity gave often audience to all sortes discontented none in the raysing moneyes and in all affaires behaved her selfe with such an heroick discretion that all men esteemed her the most deserving Queen that ever Spain had the fame of her merit that had been buryed so many years arrived to the Kings eare at his return to Madrid where shee took occasion to speake of the Interest of the Monarchy of the losse of Kingdomes and ruin of Armyes the want of money the continuall complaints of subjects and that the King might not imagine she spake in opposition to the Duke shee authorized all with the testimonies of some of the principall Ministers of state who had already agreed to second her so soon as she had broken the ice amongst whom was the Count de Castrillo who was the more forward herein not only because he was a lover of the Publick but also because he was brother to the Marques de Carpio who maried the Dukes sister whereby he had Don Lewes de Haro the present favorit who was the only nephew of the Duke yet disinherited by him to the end he might advance his bastard The King considering their discourse began to be perswaded at length that if the Duke had any longer the Managery of the state all would come to ruin hereupon every day abateing the fervour of his affections towards him he would sometimes reproach the Duke that hee was ill informed and sometimes that hee was a most unfortunate man The Duke fore-seeing his declination demanded leave to retire himself from the Court whereto the King answered coldly my Lord we ought both of us to devise some remedy for these misfortunes In the mean time it was noysed abroad that the favour of the Duke was so shaken that one shock more would down with it to the ground all men blessing and commending the Queen crying that the Isabells were ever fortunat to the Monarchy of Spain Isabell of Portugall wife of King John the 2 d overthrew the insolent favour of Alvares de Luna and discharged her husbands Kingdom of the tyranny of that favorite Isabella de Castile demonstrated to Ferdinand her Husband that in the Kings Court the Kings favourite ought to be none but the Queen that the subjects were born only to obey and the King to command and that the happy removall of this most puissant favourite could bee hoped from no other hand but of Isabella de Burbon When a Tree is falling every one cryes Down with it A Lady that was once the Kings Nurce Donna Anna de Guevara partly out of zeal to the Kings service and partly to be revenged on the Dutchess as the King was to pass by night from his Lodgings to the Queens she put herself in the passage casting herself at the kings feet having protested that she was not there to demand any grace at his Majesties hands but to render to the Crown of Spain the greatest service that it could receive she said that her motherly
if heretofore they had not waited upon him according to their obligations his Majesty knew well â—he reason of the same The King being arrived at the Palace in Madrid asked whether the Duke was â—etired it was answered No. The King 〈◊〉 a chafe turning to Don Lewes de Haro â—ying Que aguarda el hombre la fuerca What doth the man stay for to be thrust out Hereupon the Duke seeing no more hopes left prepared himself to be gone spending the whole night in viewing his papers and burning a great part of them In the mean time the people longed to see the day of his departure and one more impatient then the rest set abroad this Distick Phosphore redde diem quid gaudia nostra moraris Ecce Comes Cecidit Phosphore redde diem Friday about one of the clock afternoon he departed not without much artifice For fearing to be torn in pieces by the people having caused Coaches and Mules to stand ready for three dayes together before he intended to depart But as the Coaches with six Horses waited at the great gate of the Palace he went forth by the back gate behind the kitchin and put himself into an ill-favoured Coach drawn with four Mules where having drawn the Curtains and placed himselfe between two Iesuits as if he had been going to execution he took his way by the street of Atocha at the same time that his Family in his velvet Coaches passed the ordinary way where they were met with a company of Boyes that thinking the Duke was there discharged a showre of stones at the Coaches but being shewn that the Duke was not there they ceased so that the Duke by this subtilty arrived safe at Loeches a place whereof he had the Royalty In the mean time the Dutchess continued at Court governing the Prince and little Infanta but without once entring into the Queens chamber Now the consequences of this disgrace of Olivarez are many and those very remarkable In the first place the King hath thereby recovered the credit and reputation which he had utterly lost in the opinions of all men as well forraigners as sublects who saw him so wholly led away by the will of the Conde Duke that he seemed rather a Subject then a Soveraign But on the Saturday after the departure of Olivarez the King called a Councell of State in his Lodgings where he spake so judiciously that all admired his ability and testified by their tears their great affections and respects towards him The subject of the Kings discourse was to advertise the Councell how he had deprived the Conde Duke of his dignities not for any crime that he had committed but to satisfie himself in giving satisfaction and content to his subjects That his desire was That the memory of the Conde Duke might be kept in esteem among all men for the good services which he had so faithfully rendred to the Crown so many years protesting for the future not to give the Title of Favourite to any of his subjects but to assist himself in all Councels and that all weighty affairs should pass through his own hands commanding to every one of those there to speak their opinions freely without partiality at all times and not to conceale the truth from him Whereto the Cardinall Borgia as head of that Councell answered That they would give obedience to these his Majesties commands as to Laws Divine Next day his Majesty having called together all his Gentlemen of his Bed-chamber whereof most are Grandees of Spain he demanded the assistance of their Tenants Friends and Kindred for the speedy settlement of the kingdom Which together with other testimonies of prudence and care that his Majesty manifested made all men say It was now the time that Philip the fourth deserved the surname of Grand which had been given him by the flattery of Olivarez at that time when he caused his Majesty to lose his Dominions and Reputation Next day the King caused all his plate to be coined into money by whose example also the Nobility and Commons sent theirs to the Mint and all contented themselves to be served in earthen ware The next consequence of Olivarez disgrace was the advancements of divers Noblemen to their dignities and the pulling down of the Favorites of the Conde Duke The third effect and perhaps that which Olivarez resented most of all is the miserable condition of his Bastard son a business of that strange and extraordinary carriage that it is worthy a large Treatise but was briefly thus The Conde Duke being at Madrid twelve years before he was in favour at Court fell in love with Donna Marguerita Spinola whose Father was a Genoway and mother a Spaniard This Lady though noble and rich yet was not free from temptations amongst which riches and honour are the most efficacious Don Francisco de Valeasar Alcalde of the Court and Palace one of the highest places of Judicature in Spain although he had a wife one Donna Marguerita to his lust maintained her and her family at his charges and with profuse presents and Iewels kept her wholly to himself At length Olivarez with much difficulty got a share in her also and she soon after had a son named Julian which none then made doubt to be the son of the Alcalde who neverthelesse understanding that others had had a finger in the pye as well as himself took no affection to nor care of the child so he was brought up idly by the mother untill the age of 18 years at which time his mother dying and he finding himself without father or mother went boldly to the Alcalde and besought him to declare him his son that so he might not be exposed to the world without Father and without Name protesting that he would never lay claim to any thing but onely under the name of Valeasar he would get his living with his Sword The Alcalde wholly uncertain that he was his child would not be induced to declare thus till upon his death-bed and then rather out of charity then belief that he was his son So then by the name of Julian Valeasar he went first into the Indies where for some Roguery he was condemned to be hanged but because the Vice-king there was a great friend to the Alcalde he gave him his pardon Thence he went into Flanders and Italy where he served as a common Souldier but was very debosht and of rude behaviour In the mean time Olivarez having no further hope of children sent to search out this vagabond Valeasar who he remembred was born at the time that he had to do with his mother but before Valeasar could be found he had married D. Isabella de Azueta a common Strumpet nevertheless November 1641. to the astonishment of all men Olivarez owned him for his son and declared him so by a publick act by the good will and pleasure of his Majesty wherein he names him Don Henry Philipe de Guzman heir apparent
that the person of Don Duarte should be secured and how much it behoved his Imperial Majesty in this particular to shew his affection to the Catholick King his brother and to the whole house of Austria shewing that this Prince was the main prop of the house of Braganza that God had left this only remedy in the hands of the house of Austria whereby Portugal may be reduced to obedience that it would be a great error not to make use of this opportunity that if he should escape out of their hands he might by his great insight in Warlick affairs assist his brother and thereby much infest the Catholick King The Emperor having heard this discourse of Mello was at first so farr from being perswaded that he answered him he abhorred the breach of publick Faith and the violation of Hospitality that this would be against the Liberties of the Empire and against his own honor to imprison a Prince for no fault but on the contrary that had deserved so well of the Empire and to whom his Majesty confessed himself very much obliged The Arch-Duke Leopold brother to the Emperor did so farr detest the motion that he said he washt his hands of so foule and shamefull an act yet Mello not at all discouraged pursues his design corrupting with sums of money the Count of Tratmansdorff and some other pensioners to the Crown of Spain but they at length ashamed of the imployment Mello resolves upon a more subtil invention which was to perswade the Emperor to hearken to one Father Diego de Quiroga who of a Souldier turned Monk and was now Confessor to the Empress this Father being wont to give his opinion of such actions as these according to the rules of Interest of State would perswade the Emperor not only that with good conscience he might secure the person of Don Duarte but that for divirs reasons of State he ought to do it His Imperial Majesty at first very unsatisfied in the business was resolved not to do it but by the importunity of Mello and the ghostly perswasions of Quiroga he was at length induced to alter his resolution and to give order to D. Lewes Gonzaga that he should go to Leipen the Princes quarters and to summon him to Ratisbon in the mean time to prevent the ill impression that this would cause in the minds of all men of honor and honesty it was reported abroad that D. Duarte was fled for some misdemeanor and thereupon proposal was made of sixteen thousand crowns to any man that could bring him alive or dead of which the Prince being ignorant escaped very narrowly the hands of some of those people that went searching for him in hopes of the proposed reward when he was com to Ratisbon he was cast into a vile prison appointed only for persons of mean quality and all his Servants imprisoned D. de Francisco de Mello not content herewith now sollicites the Emperor afresh that he may be delivered into the Spaniards hands and sent prisoner to Milain whereto his Majesty would not hearken but on the contrary sent a message to D. Duarte promising upon his word not to deliver him into the hands of the Spaniard but to procure speedily his liberty But his ill usage increasing D. Duarte made all the means possible to get audience of the Emperor which would never be granted nor was it any wonder for there is no face mere ugly or more terrible to the offender tehn the face offended hereupon the Infante made his protestation calling God and man to witness the wrong and injurie done unto him by the Emperor to whom he was neither subject by any obligation or birth that when his brother was made King of Portugal he was in the Emperors service wholly ignorant of any designe of his brothers that if the King of Spain was offended he might revenge himself upon the person offending that that business no way concerned the Emperor All which particulars were acknowledged by his Imperial Majesty by a messenger sent to Don Duarte in prison assuring him again that he should not be delivered into the hands of his enemies yet that his liberty could not be granted for some reasons of State whereupon D. Francisco de Sosa Coutigno Ambassador extraordinary from Portugal to Swethland in the name of the King his Master represented at large to the Diet at Ratisbon the whole proceeding requiring justice and libirty for the Infante But nothing can prevail against Interest the effects of all Manifesto's Petitions and Intercessions were that the Infante was removed from place to place and sent farther off where he had still harder usage only the Emperor seemed yet immutable in his resolution not to deliver him into the hands of the Spaniard untill the most powerfull means in this world to conquer all difficulties was used which is money for upon promise of forty thousand crowns the Emperor contrary to the immunities of the Empire to the rules of hospitality to the priviledge of free Princes to the Law of Nations and contrary to his word and promise so often reiterated yeilded that the most innocent Prince should be sent whether the Catholick King should think meet so he was hurried away towards the State of Milain to remain prisoner in that Castle by the way as he entred into the Spanish Territories he was received by the Count de Siruela the Governor of that state wherethe Commissary of the Emperor took his leav to return to whom D. Duarte said openly Tell thy Master that I am more sorry that I have served so unworthy a Prince then to see my self a prisoner sold into the hands of my enemies but that the just Judg of the World will one day suffer the like dealing towards his children who are no more privildged for being of the house of Austria then my self that am of the blood royal of Portugal and that posterity will judg of him and of me The Emperor in his instructions to those that convoyed the Infante gave express order that in case their prisoner made any attempt to escape they should kill him upon the place Being arrived at Milain he was clapt up in the prison where all the Rogues and Banditi are to be kept with a guard in the same chamber so rude that he could hardly take any sleep Any man of honor would have been pierced to the very soul with this harsh treaty how much more a Prince of so high blood who knew himself descended from so many glorious Kings and allyed to the greatest Princes of Europe for which cause the Kings ever treated the house of Braganza much different from the Grandees of Spain giving them the respect due to soveraign Princes in so much that Philip the second who desired to a base that Family always received the Duke of Braganza under the same cloth of State within the Royal Curtain in all publick Assemblies allowing him always a chair with a cushion and as oft as
THE RISE FALL OF THE Late Eminent and powerful Favorite of SPAIN The Count OLIVARES THE Unparallel'd Imposture OF MICHAEL de MOLINA Executed at MADRID in the Year 1641. The Right and Title of the present King of Portugall Don JOHN the fourth With the most memorable Passages of his Reign unto the year 1644. Translated out of the Italian Spanish and Portughez By Edw Chamberlayne Gent ' In tenui Labor London Printed by T N for Thomas Heath at his shop in Russell street near the Piazza's of Covent-Garden 1653. FIDE ET FORTITUDINE The Right Hon ble Algernon Capell Earl of Essex Viscount Maldon Baron Capell of Hadham 17â—1 To the Reader THE Originall Structures from whence the materials of these pieces are taken seeming more spacious then was necessary I have taken the pains to pull them down and rebuild them in the narrow room here presented wherein my principall care hath been ut misceam utile dulci that no part of these new buildings may be without commodity or delight although the beauty of them may be somewhat defaced for translations are ever prejudiciall to the grace and splendor of the Original especially when done by an unskilfull pen yet I choose rather to be censured of weakness in exposing to the publick then of envy in engrossing to my selfe a Commodity that might any way benefit my Countrey-men Amongst the many curious Pieces that came to my hands in forraign parts I have made choyce of these in the first place wanting opportunity for a more weighty task because pieces of this nature have this peculiar unto them that they are acceptable to most intelligent persons for that they represent sunccinctly many curious particularities whereof generall Histories cannot take any notice The first of these Relations was written at Madrid in Italian by an Agent there to one of the Princes of Italy at the time that the Conde Duke de Olivarez was banisht the Court of Spain I have pruned off some superfluous branches and ingrafted a few necessary Cions borrowed from other trees The second was written at large in Spanish by the Alcalde or Judge to whom was committed the prosecution of that whole business The Book was swoln with various digressions and infinite quotations as their manner is which would have been very impertinent ro an English Reader The former part of the third Discourse was written in the Portugal Tongue and the later part in Italian the one amplified with the numberless authoritics of Civilians and the other with many prolix excursions which in English would have been as tedious as improper If the Reader reaping in few houres the fruits of many dayes labour shall receive content I shall not onely be satisfied for this pains but encouraged for another undertaking Faults to be corrected PAge 10. line 8. for Aunt read Cousin p. 14. l. 2. leave out would P. 47. l. 8. for in read ni P. 51. l. 26. read fuer Ça P 52. l. 17. for having read he P. 57. l. 24. r debauched P. 102. l. 19. for mus read mas P. 104. 24. for in r. ni There are many false pointings and other inconsiderable mistakes whereof the Printer humbly demands pardon THE RISE FALL OF THE Late eminent and Powerfull Favourite of SPAINE Don Jaspar de Guzman Conde Duke of Olivares and S t LUCAR DON Jaspar de Guzman son of Don Henry Count de Olivares was born in Rome at the time that his Father was there Ambassador from Philip the second and it was noted as an unlucky presage that he drew his first breath in the Palace of Nero which gave occasion to some Wits to style him the Nero disguised because his actions were always very cruell yet without shedding blood his deliberations violent but without noise his carriage courteous but without love his words very fair but without effect Being the third Son of his Family he be took himself to the study of the Law at Salamanca where he was Corrivall with three Learned persons for a Prebendary at Sevill which he obtained Not long after coming to Court at the time when Don Balthazzar Zuniga was in favor with Philip the 3 d upon the fall of the house of Lerma he easily crept into the favor and familiarity of Philip the fourth then Prince and complying in all things with his humor became absolute master of his Will by that time the death of his Father had made him absolute Monarch of Spain To assure himself in this height of Honor and Power he held at a distance from his Majesty the Princes of the blood particularly Prince Philibert de Savoy and it is believed that jealous of the vivacity and Noblenesse of spirit which began to shine in the Infante Don Carlos who was idolized by the Spaniards he hastned his death As for the Cardinall Infante Don Ferdinando he speciously pretended that it was necessary he should be employed in the Wars of Germany and afterwards in the Government of Flanders Sent most of the Grandees and persons whose parts or power gave any occasion of jealousie to the Conde Duke to Employments farre from the Court thereby so powerfully suppressing the worth of all other that none being left to oppose him he became the sole Arbibitrator of the Monarchy and absolute Master of his Masters will As for the Queen whom the the Laws of God and Man forbad to bee separated from her Husband she was kept in such awe and subjection by the Dutchess of Olivarez her first Lady of Honor that though she had the Title and outside of a Queen she was little better than a slave to the Duke who would often intimate to the King that no other account was to be made of a Woman but as a thing necessary to propagate the species Now although some rigour should bee used in the examination of all the actions of the Conde Duke it will not be denyed but that he had most rare endowments for a Minister of State for the zeal and passion he had for to Aggrandize his Master and his Dominions knew no bounds He gave himself wholly to the transaction of publique Affairs insomuch that he would not allow himself one hour of Recreation He was the declared enemy of all Presents not suffering any of his servants to sell his Favor or their Credit with him But on the contrary spent of his own Revenues for the service of the King professing that all he had was devoted to the publique good and that hee did nothing but to augment the grandeur of the King and to serve the State Yet some that would seem to see farther then vulgar eyes say That the reason why hee received no presents was because hee conceived that to be the only way to continue in favor and that by other ways being as covetous as cruell hee found out the true secret of heaping up treasure without appearing ambitious To this end he got into his hands Commanderies of all the three