The second part of Massaniello his body taken out of the town-ditch, and solemnly buried, with epitaphs upon him. A continuation of the tumult; the D. of Guise made generalissimo; taken prisoner by young Don John of Austria. The end of the commotions. By J.H. Esquire.

The Proeme.

IT is well known to the world what a high pitch of Power, and vast latitude of Dominion, the Kingdom of Spain hath arriv'd unto in the com∣pass of a few years: The first step into this great∣ness was the Conjunction of Castile and Arra∣gon by Marriage. The second was the Discove∣ry of the West-Indies, which happen'd a little after. The third was an Alliance 'twixt the Houses of Austria and Burgundy, whereby all Belgium, viz. The seventeen Provinces of the Low-Countreys, or the Netherlands, came to be united in a joynt Subjection to the Empe∣perour Charles the Fifth, who attempted to heighten those Provinces to the Title of a King∣dom: but He, and his Son Philip the Second, after him, fail'd in the Design. The fourth step was the Conquest of Portugal (though an He∣reditary Title was pretended) whereby Spain came to be Mistress of the East-Indies, and part of the Antipodes, with sundry Islands in the Atlantick Sea, and divers strong Maritim holds in Barbary.

Now, since the time that Spain came to this height by such a marvellous Celerity (for all these Accessions happen'd in less then fifty years, part∣ly by Alliances, partly by Succession and Inhe∣ritance, partly by Donation, and partly by right of Discovery and Conquest) I say, since these huge Accumulations of Titles and Territories, both in the old and new world.

1. The first Countrey that rose up and revol∣ted from the King of Spain was Holland with her five considerate Provinces, which happen'd a little after the beginning of Queen Elizabeths Reign.

2. The second was Catalonia, some twelve years since.

3. The third was the Kingdom of Portugal, which entirely fell off from him a little after, and setled it self under another King in a ve∣ry few dayes, in such a quietness as if it had been twenty years a doing.

4. The last that banded against him were the Kingdoms of Sicily and Naples, which happen'd about four years since; but the fire of the first was quickly extinguisht; yet the flames there∣of flew ore the Phare of Messina into Calabria, and so to Naples, where they grew to such a vi∣olence, that an utter revolt was intended.

Touching the falling away of Holland, which

kept such a stirre in the world, the causes thereof may be comprehended in two words, viz. Inquisition and Imposition, the latter whereof conduc'd to wring the Purse, the o∣ther the Conscience.

Catalonia flew off in regard of the free Quar∣ter which the Castilian Souldiers took, with other Insolencies they committed in their march to imbark for Italy.

The Portuguais unyok'd himself, not so much for the extraordinary Taxes, but that the King of Spain, having so many irons in the fire, could not, or at least neglected to protect him against the Hollander in Brasile, and elsewhere in the Indies.

Now the causes of the Risings of Naples have much Analogy with all the former, for they proceeded from the multiplicity of Gabels that were laid upon every thing both for Back and Belly: Add hereunto the forced Services that were so frequently impos'd upon the Subjects to go to hazard their lives in other Countreys; And lastly, the Rapine of the Viceroyes (with the Gabelliers or Customers) It being a kind of Proverb in Italy touching the Governour of Milain, the Viceroy of Sicily, and he of Na∣ples, that the one eats, the other gnaws, and the third devours.

These Commotions came at last to such a vio∣lence that the whole Kingdom was upon the point of an utter defection, having introduc'd the French for Protector, and trac'd the form of a Common-wealth: but the soft Napolitan was not, it seems, so constant to his ends as the Hollander or Catalon, and other tougher Na∣tions. The ensuing History will satisfie the Rea∣der with much exactness and fidelitie the whole Circumstance of the business, extracted out of Authentick Manuscripts, which Collection and Collation of Letters from divers Persons of Ho∣nour.

J. H.