*

Affairs of
Portugal.

1509

Emanuel the Ift had been King of Portugal fifteen Years, when Henry the VIIIth afcended the Throne of England, and continued fo to the Death of Cardinal Wolfey. Emanuel was bred up to all Manner of Learning, fo that he was qualified either for a Divine, or a temporal Prince. When King he fo devoted himself to Religion that the Affairs of his Kingdom exceedingly fuffered, thro' the evil Administration of thofe he had entrufted with the Government.

The Archbishop of Lisbon, (a wife and good Prelate) foreseeing that the Kingdom must be inevitably ruined, in cafe fome Steps were not taken to reform the Abuses and Mifmanagements crept into the Administration, took the Liberty to reprefent to his Prince the Condition his People was in, which had the defired Effect; for the King was made fenfible, that what the Archbishop had advanced was Truth, which induced him to take upon himself the Government of his People, to enquire into their Grievances, and feverely to punish

By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq;

• The King feeing the Cardi<nal fo deceived in his Choice, could not forbear Laughing, but pulling down his Vizard, and Sir Edward Nevill's alfo, with fuch a pleasant Countenance and Cheer, that all the noble

Eftates defired his Highness to take his Place: To whom the King made Answer, that he would first go and fhift him; and thereupon went into the 'Cardinal's Bed-chamber, where was a great Fire prepared for

• him;

* The Kingdom of Portugal is bounded on the North with the Rivers Minio and Avia, which part it from Gallicia on the South, and on the Weft with the two Caftiles. From North to South along the Sea Coast it contains 400 Miles, in the broadest part 100, and in the narrowest 80 Miles. There are three Archbishopricks, Lisbon, Braga, and Evora; ten Bishopricks with large Revenues; and 1460 Parishes. The Provinces of Portugal have all their particular Commodities, which produce, among other Things, ftore of Citrons and excellent Oranges. Their Parliaments affemble at Lisbon and Oporto, Places for the general Receipt of the King's Revenues, and famous for Commerce thro' Europe.

punish those who had abused the Truft repofed in them. He next made several wife Laws for the Benefit of his Subjects. These Proceedings foon gained him the Affection of his People in general, who furnamed him EMANUEL THE GOOD.

Having thus fettled his Kingdom at home to the Content of his Subjects, he next applied his Mind to the aggrandizing them abroad; for having, as we have before observed, had good Success from his Fleet fent to the East Indies, he next fitted out another for the West Indies, and there made Difcoveries and took Poffeffion of the Brafiles in America. He also fent another towards the South, which added to their for

The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL,

• him; and there he new apparrelled himself with rich and princely Garments: And, in the King's Abfence, the Dishes of the Banquet was clean taken away, and the • Tables covered again with new and perfumed Cloths, every Man fitting ftill until the King's Majefty with his Mafquers came in among them, every Man new apparrel⚫led.

Then the King took his Seat under the Cloth of Eftate, commanding every Perfon to fit ftill as they did be⚫fore; and then came in a new Banquet before his Majesty of two hundred Dishes, and fo they paffed the Night in Banqueting, and Dancing until Morning, which much rejoiced the Cardinal to fee his Sovereign Lord fo pleased at his • House.

CHA P. IX.

Of the original Inftrument of the Cardinal's Fall, Mistress Anne.

N

Bullen.

OW you fhall underftand, that the young Lord of Northumberland at⚫tended upon my Lord Cardi

6 nal, who, when the Cardinal went to Court, would ever have Conference with Mrs. Anne Bullen, who then was

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former Acquifitions the Kingdoms of Conga and Angola.

The happy Discoveries made in the East Indies encouraged him to fend a more powerful Fleet, and a Body of Land Forces, with Directions to fettle Plantations there; but, before they could obtain what they defired, thefe Forces were obliged to difpute the Ground with both the Turks and the Egyptians, which were fo fuccefsful as to beat both thofe Ene. mies, and poffefs themselves of the Island of Ormus in the Perfian Gulph; an Ifland fo rich and fo well fituated, that the Arabians used to fay, If the whole World were a Ring, that would be like a Diamond in it. Many other Forts and Places upon the Seacoafts they likewife brought under Subjection, and, having fortified them, returned home richly laden.

By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq;

yered to any; and then ad⚫ vised the Cardinal to fend for ⚫ the Earl of Northumberland his Father, and take Order to diffolve the Contract made between the faid Parties, which the Lord Cardinal did, after a 'fharp Reprehenfion, in Regard

he was contracted without the King and his Father's Knowledge; he fent for his Father, who came up to London very 'fpeedily, and came first to my • Lord Cardinal, as all great "Perfonages did, that in fuch 'fort were fent for, of whom

they were advertised of the 'Caufe of their fending for: * And when the Earl was come, he was presently brought to the Cardinal into the Gallery. After whofe Meeting, my, Lord Cardinal and he were in ⚫ fecret Communication a long Space. After their long Dif

Thus

courfe, and drinking a Cup of Wine, the Earl departed, and at his going away, he fat 'down at the Gallery and in the Hall upon a Form, and being fet, called his Son unto him, and faid,

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Son (quoth he) even as thou art, and ever haft been, a proud, difdainful, and very unthrifty Mafter, fo thou hast now declared thyself; wherefore what Joy, what Pleafure, what Comfort, or what Solace can I conceive in thee? that thou without Difcretion, baft abufed thy felf, having neither Regard to me, thy natural Father, nor unto thy natural Sovereign Lord, 6 to whom all boneft and loyal Subjets bear faithful Obedience, nor yet to the Prosperity of thine own Eftate; but haft fo unadvifedly ensnared thyself to her, •for whom then baft purchased

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the

Thus the Riches of India, which before had been brought over the vaft Deferts of Arabia, upon the Backs of Camels, to Grand Cairo in Egypt, and from thence by Sea conveyed to Venice, and fo difperfed over the European Parts of the World, were now brought home by Sea, which was a fhorter Way, performed much fooner, and at lefs Expence.

In fhort, Emanuel carefully avoided entering into the Quarrels that arose between the other European Princes; for, while his Fleets were performing thefe glorious Exploits, in the before unknown Parts of the World, he applied himself in keeping his Kingdom in Peace at Home and Abroad; and, being bleffed with a noble and numerous Iffue, after having governed his Kingdom 41 Years, with great Glory and Renown, ended his Days at Lisbon, about the Year 1535, in the 73d Year of his Age, and was buried, in the Cathedral of that City, among many of his Ancestors. To fum up this Prince's Charac

The SECRET HISTORY of the CARDINAL,

the King's high Difpleasure intolerable for any Subject to fuftain. And, but that the King doth confi fider the lightness of thy Head, and wilful Qualities of thy Perfon, his Difplea fure and Indignation were fufficient to caft me, and all my Pofterity into utter Ruin and • Deftruction. But he being my fingular gond Lord, and favourable Prince, and my Lord Cardinal my very good Friend, kath, and doth clearly excuse me in thy Lewdness, and do rather lament thy Folly than malign thee, ⚫ and bath advised an Order to be

ter

after; for affure thyself, that, if thou doft not amend thy Prodigality, thou wilt be the last Earl of our Houfe. For thy natural • Inclination, thou art masterful and prodigal, to confume all that thy Progenitors have with Igreat Travel gathered and kept together with Honour. But, having the King's Mojefiy, my fingular good Lord, I trust, 1 affure thee, fo to order my Succeffion, that thou shalt confume thereof but a little.

For I do not intend (I tell thee) truly to make thee Heir, for (thanks be to God) I have more Boys, than I truft will use themselves much better, prove more like to wife and ho

and

taken for thee, to whom both I and you are more bound than we con'caive of, I pray to God, that this maybe a fufficient Admonition unto thee to use thyfelf more wifelybere-neft Men, of whom I will

• choose

ter in a Word, the Portuguese Hiftorians in general fay, "He fo lived and fo ruled his People, that he "deservedly merited the glorious Title they had

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given him, of Emanuel the Good." The Benefits that have accrued to this Nation from those Discoveries, and the Trade that has been fince carried on with Portugal by our Merchants, are fo well known, that they need not be here expreffed.

.1509.

Cardinal Ximenes, whilft nothing was to Affairs of be seen in Italy but one Prince endeavouring Spain. to destroy another, under the Pretence of Zeal for Religion, and the Glory of God, employed his Time in a more agreeable Manner; for, with his Majefty's Leave and Affiftance, after the Taking of Granada, he converted, by his Preaching, in that City 3000 Mahometans in one Day, and among them a Prince of the Blood, whom he alfo baptized. He then ordered all the Books of the Alcoran to be brought into the great Market-place, where he burnt them: And

By GEORGE CAVENDISH, Efq;

choose the most likely to fucceed

me.

Now good Mafters and Gentlemen (quoth he) unto us, it may be your Chances hereafter, when I am dead, to fee thofe Things, that I have spoken to my Son, prove as true as I now speak them; yet, in the mean Time, I defire you all to be his Friends, ⚫ and tell him his Faults in what • he doth amifs, wherein you shall Shew your felves friendly to him; and fo I take my Leave

་

of you: And Son, go your ways unto my Lord, your Mafter, and Serve him diligently; and fo parted, and went down into the Hall, and fo took his Barge.

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Then, after long and large VOL. II.

debating the Matter about the

Lord Piercy's Affurance to Mrs. Anne Bullen, it was de'vifed, that the Contract fhould