་་ THE PREFACE. T "WO Things, of no small Use, are very Remarkable in this Hiftory; the one is, how great an Unhappiness it is to any Nation, to be Subject to the Pope: And the other is, That the Papacy, which boldly tells the World he is directed immediately by the Spirit of God in her Government of the Church; and which Cant is believed by many People; is much rather directed in it, by the Spirit of Machiavel, or by the fame Spirit, which the Governments the World, that have the leaft Regard to Religion in all that they do, are governed by: Earthly Hopes, and Fears, and Carnal Affections, with reference to its own Temporal Security and Advancement, having been visibly the Springs of all the Motions of the Papacy in this Affair, in which Religion was fo much concerned. Neither ought the Materials of this Hiftory, báving been collected chiefly out of Portuguefe Writers, be any Prejudice to its Credit: The Veneration the Portuguefes have for the Roman See, being fo F great, great, that this long ill Ufage of them by the Popes, was not, so far as I have feen, able to draw one hard Word from them, neither against the Papacy, nor against the Perfons of the Popes, by whom they were fo ill treated: And tho' one would have thought, that it might have been enough to provoke them to bare thrown off a Yoke which lay fo heavy upon their Necks, fince its Bonds may fo easily be dif cover'd not to have any true Strength in them; as. the Venetians were ready to have done, upon a much shorter Provocation; yet the Reverence the Portugueses are poffefs'd with for the Roman Chair, is fo profound, and enchanting; that as it made one of their Kings prefer the Title, of the Pope's moft humble Servant, to all the glorious Religious Titles which were offered him; so that whole Nation is reduced by it to an incredible Tameness under all the Wrongs and Oppreffions, which the daily fuffers under that Proud and Tyrannical Superiour. So that of the Two, I do really believe, that the Portugueses have been partial for the Popes in the Relation of this Affair; or at least have put the most favourable Constructions upon all that they did in it; rather than that they have done the contrary. However, I have endeavoured to fet that whole Tranfaction in as true a Light as I could find for it; and having dine that, I leave it to the Reader to judge, whether there be not fomething of a Sorcery in Popery; and whether any thing of the Direction of the Spirit of God does appear to have been in the Popes managery of this great Religious Affair; which was kept by them fo long upon the Stage, partly out of Fear or Affection for the Spaniard, but chiefly for to have got to themselves the Nominati on on of the Bishops in Portugal, and in all its Plen, tations: To which Power, (the' they have never exercifed it,) as the Popes do ftill pretend to have the Original Right, fo they are always grasping after that Power, when they have any Hopes any Hopes of being able to obtain it. And as nothing can be more abfurd, than the Papal Champions concluding that the Church has a Supream and uncontroulable Governour fet over ber on Earth by Chrift, because it would be convenient for Her to bave fuch an one: For with better Logick they might conclude from the fame Topick, that that Supream Governour is always call'd to that Office by an audible Voice from Heaven, and is able to work Miracles to convince all Gainfayers: So that Such an Headship, Headship, as it is lodged in the Bishop of Rome, has great Inconveniencies attending it, will be manifeft to all that shall read the following History. And tho I will not fay, but that such an Headship, if it were always lodg'd in Perfens of fuch Heavenly Minds, as made the Advancement of God's Honour, and the Edification and Salvation of Souls, their only Care, would be of great Benefit to the Church, and to the whole World; fo on the contrary, that Headship, as it has been lodg'd for a Thousand Year, by Reafon of that covetous, ambitious, cruel, fraudu lent, and turbulent Spirit, which feems to be entail'd on the Roman Chair, is by univerfal Experience known to have been the Bane of all true Religion, and the great Nuifance to the whole Chriftian Church: So that had the Papacy nothing to Support its great Power, but the Conveniencies which it yieldeth to the Church of God, and to Christendom, it must quickly tumble down, to the Joy of all, ex F 2 cept |