The historie of the vniting of the kingdom of Portugall to the crowne of Castill containing the last warres of the Portugals against the Moores of Africke, the end of the house of Portugall, and change of that gouernment. The description of Portugall, their principall townes, castles, places ... Of the East Indies, the isles of Terceres, and other dependences ...

The Authors Apologie vnto the Reader.

IF it argues guilt to be accused, no man shall be innocent; he is therefore blamelesse, that being charged, defends himselfe: Gentle Reader, the first impression of this historie of Portu∣gall, came no sooner foorth, but many (greedie to detract from anothers glorie) did therein bitterly wrong me, accusing me to be ill affected to the Portugall nation in generall, and a se∣uere censor of the priuate actions of great personages, and of the officers of that crowne. And albeit it behooueth him that shall write of late accidents, in the Theater of this vniuersall worlde, to beare the malice and follie of many; besides that, he shall hardly satisfie all; yet were it more tollerable, if some (content wrongfully to backbite me,) were not so transported with their owne pas∣sions, as to labour to haue the vse of this Booke forbidden throughout all Spaine; notwithstanding it had beene allowed by the Inquisitors: Albeit I knowe well that many men of iudgement, and louers of truth, haue shewed themselues fauorers of this worke: yet haue I thought it fitte in this second edition briefly to make my innocencie knowen. And although they haue inuented many more to these two slanders, yet will I satisfie euery point I thinke necessarie, with this supposition for a firme ground, that the truth and diligence of a historie, be the qualities that giue it spirit, and life, the which by no meanes can be infringed, without conuerting the most graue and profi∣table manner of writing, into the most vaine and preiudiciall of all others: So as if my accusations grow from the truth and my diligence, I will not yeeld my selfe guil∣tie, seeing I cannot amend them without errour. But let them vnderstande that I write onely to those Readers that can iudge of the truth of a historie and the newtral∣litie of the writer: First of all, they must consider it was my chance to write the acti∣ons of that realme, which hapned in those fower most vnfortunate yeeres, which suc∣ceeded that of 77. so as there is no reason that such as report I was enclined to dis∣grace the Portugals, shoulde from the qualitie of the time, sinisterly iudge of the di∣sposition of the writer; neither let them hold him partiall in the conquerors behalfe, seeing that in accidents of warre, they can hardly honour him that fals, but he that suffereth himselfe to be vanquished, must with his losse, willingly beare the blame that growes thereby: The which the ancient writers could so well obserue (whose exam∣ple I do willingly imitate) that if Titus Liuius had begon and finished his historie in the course of Hannibals victorie, he had been held for a Carthaginian; and Iosephus in describing the calamities of the Iewes, and the triumphs of Titus, seemed a Ro∣maine: If I writing of two battailes, where in the one, the Portugals lost their king; in the other their kingdome; besides that at sea, and the losse of the Terceres; what

offence is it, if I seeme not a Portugall? seeing that if I were one, I should not seeme to be so: or how is it possible to conuert this mornefull historie into praises, making him seeme valiant that looseth? without doubt, if it had fallen to my lot, to write the deeds of that nation, whereby they made shew how apt they were to armes, and to noble at∣tempts, as the victories they got of Castile at Aliubarotta, and at Trancosa, the con∣quests they made in Affrick, their woonderfull nauigations and happie successe in Asia, touched in this historie, as occasion required. I had not then beene more faith∣ful then now I am, though more acceptable to Portugals, yet men of iudgment do with one minde feele both gaine and losse, praise and dispraise, when they be truely related: So as without doubt we may conclude, that no man ought to censure the inclination of the writer by the matter he treates of, be it either in fauour or blame of the nation of which he writes; but onely of the truth and indifferencie he professeth. My accu∣sers must also vnderstand, that a Historiographer doth not wrong any nation, in de∣scribing the qualities which the heauens that couer them, doe infuse vpon them, the aire they breath, and the water they drinke, especially when those properties be not base but excesses of vertue: As for example, if a man should (imitating Iulius Caesar) write, that the French are in the beginning furious, and in the end, faint; he shoulde not for this shew him selfe an enimie, nor disgrace that mightie and warlike nation: And who should say that the Spaniards are proud, should he therefore impugne their reputation published through the worlde? neither should he offend the Portugals, that should say they are naturally presumptuous, seeing they neither can deny it, nor do seeke to hide it; yea themselues are woont to say, that they liue by opinion, that is, they sup∣port themselues more, with that they imagine themselues to be, then with what they are in effect: my accusers shoulde likewise consider, that I offend not the Portugals, in saying, that the ignorant regard not dangers a farre off, and feare them neere, if they meane not to separate them from the condition of man, and against all reason make equall ignorance with knowledge. Moreouer I would gladly knowe why it were not lawfull for me without offence, to relate with truth the misfortunes and calamities of the Portugals, and the altered forme of their realme, as well as for some of the same nation to write many of their actions blame woorthie, and yet not helde discourteous: The entrie which Henrie the bastard, king of Castill made armed into Portugall, running from the confines of Gallitia, vnto Lisbone, where he lodged, forcing obedi∣ence in all places, was it not more dishonorable then any thing I haue written, king Ferdinand not being able to make any resistance? Read the Chronicles of Iohn the second their naturall king, being quiet and peaceable, what conspiracies were practi∣sed against him by the nobilitie of his realme, so as he was forced to seeke reuenge by stabbing, and to behead some of the chiefe publikely, is not this a reprochfull thing? Although some alleage, that the king exceeded in the execution, & that by nature he was a seuere man, and full of reuenge, yet there want not others that do number him amongst the saints; but be it as it may, it lies not in me to iudge, and yet this booke is Printed and sold in Lisbone, whereas my booke (that treates not of matters of so great doubt) is mightily abhorred. As for the priuate personages of the realme, nei∣ther haue they reason to surmise that I haue spoken of them, either with passion or im∣modestlie, the which I beleeue themselues haue founde, if they haue had any leisure to read this historie with iudgement, or haue any perfect knowledge in the Italian toong. But relying vpon the report of such as (enclined to flatter) reprooue all wri∣tings,

that are not corrupted with flatterie, it is no woonder, if they be induced to be∣leeue, that I haue written discurteously of them and with passion: But to make knowne the contrarie, they must vnderstande, that of vices which are common to states, and to mens priuate humours, we may saie the like as hath beene saide of those that are commonly incident vnto nations, that they blemish not so much as they ought to be concealed, but march alwaies vnited to the state and qualitie of the person. For example, he that talking of a yoong gentleman, shoulde say, that he were phantasticke, cholericke, amorous, arrogant, for all this he doth him no wrong; for besides they are no base affections, they are commonly incident to youth and nobilitie: In like sort, an officer respected by his prince, or any fauorite whosoeuer, ought not repine, if he be described to be tealous, circumspect, ambitious, a temporizer, carefull in his owne causes, and carelesse of others, being qualities that do accompanie princes fauours: so as when I touch any one with such like, no man of iudgement ought to greene more, then if I shoulde terme him cholericke or flegmatike, being certaine na∣turall qualities, as the humours and inclinations: Notwithstanding when I particu∣larly note such points as seeme blame woorthie, although they be publike and appa∣rant, yet doe I suspend my iudgement, attributing the faults to the emulation of courts, and the ambition of competitors: And such as will not be satisfied with this exception shewe plainly they desire to be flattered; but they striue in vaine, for I esteeme flatterie in a writer, to be like the sinne of idolatrie. Some haue beene so sensible as to note for an excesse (speaking of any officer) to sate couertly, that men transported slander him with some secret action, to such I can make no answer, see∣ing they are not content that I tearme them passionate that blame others, that I re∣prehende surmises that I call in question that which others affirme for certaine, ex∣cusing in a manner the accused.

Others haue laboured to publish vnto the world, that in my relation touching the title of the realme, I haue shewed my selfe partiall for the Catholique king: To such I can not say any thing, but wish them to be aduised, they accuse not the diuine pro∣uidence as partiall, which depriued of life twentie successors of that crowne, all pre∣ceading the saide king. But I woulde haue these men to tell me if in this historie (where I coulde not alleage Bartoll nor Bald) I haue omitted any one point of im∣portance, which hath beene alleaged by the pretendents, and haue not set euery rea∣son downe as their owne aduocats did plead it: Let them consider if there be any thing omitted touching the representation of the Dutchesse Katherine, of the trans∣mission of Rainucius Farnese, of the precedence of Phillibert duke of Sauoy, in case that Henrie had out liued Philip, of the election the people pretended, of An∣tonie his grounds, and his pretended legitimation; and to conclude, if there were anything defectiue of that which Queene Katherine of Medicis alleaged against the eleuen kings of that realme: Now if all these reasons which I haue so largely set downe, can not hinder the king of Spaine from being the eldest kinseman, that Hen∣rie left when he died, a male, and legitimate, what faulte is there in me? If men will not beleeue that Katherines prerogatiue by her father be of more vertue and efficacie then Philips owne right, and that the imperfection deriued from his mo∣ther doth more preiudice the king, then that of the Dutchesse which remaines in her owne person, how can I helpe it? It is most manifest, that such onely as are partiall

haue held me partiall in relating plainely, this title with the rest, without giuing mine owne iudgement, and the rather for that they see such as are indifferent, doe happily esteeme it better then the rest: I may not be more tedious in this respect, ho∣ping it shall suffice for euerie man of a free iudgement to discerne mine innocencie, from the malice or ignorance of mine aduersaries. But moreouer I entreate them that know me to be a writer not accustomed to lie, to consider that I haue written to Ita∣lians in the Italian toong, who coulde not perfecty vnderstande the substance of this historie, if I had giuen them lesse knowledge of men whom they knew not: And to verifie this, let a Portugall writer in Italy describe in his owne toong, vnto his owne countrimen the tumults of any of our cities, he shall well finde, (if he desire to be vnderstoode in Portugall) whether he may forbeare to specifie much more then I haue done, of the humours of the head and principall members of that pro∣uince whereof he writes. But if all this sufficeth not to iusti∣mine me; I make God iudge of the sinceritie of mine hart, and the indifferen∣cie I haue strictly ob∣serued.