THE PORTUGAL VOYAGE ad. 



1589. 



readie to serve him for men of war against us, laden for 

 his store with corne, victuals, masts, cables and other 

 marchandizes ; slaine and taken the principal men of war 

 he had in Galitia ; made Don Pedro Enriques de Gusman, 

 Conde de Fuentes, Generall of his forces in Portugall, 

 shamefully run at Peniche ; laid along of his best Com- 

 manders in Lisbon ; and by these few adventures 

 discovered how easily her majestie may without any 

 great adventure in short time pull the Tirant of the world 

 upon his knees, as wel by the disquieting his usurpation 

 of Portugall as without difflcultie in keeping the com- 

 moditie of his Indies from him, by sending an army 

 so accomplished, as may not be subject to those ex- 

 tremities which we have endured : except he draw, for 

 those defences, his forces out of the Low countries and 

 disfurnish his garisons of Naples & Milan, which with 

 safetie of those places he may not do. And yet by this 

 meane he shall rather be inforced thereunto, then by any 

 force that can be used there against him : wherefore I 

 directly conclude that this proceeding is the most safe and 

 necessary way to be held against him, and therefore more 

 importing then the war in the Low countries. Yet hath 

 the journey (I know) bene much misliked by some, who 

 either thinking too worthily of the Spaniards valure, too 

 indifferently of his purposes against us, or too unworthily 

 of them that undertooke this journey against him, did 

 thinke it a thing dangerous to encounter the Spaniard at 

 his owne home, a thing needlesse to proceed by invasion 

 against him, a thing of too great moment for two 

 subjects of their qualitie to undertake : And therfore did 

 not so advance the beginnings as though they hoped for 

 any good successe therof. 



The chances of wars be things most uncertaine : for 

 what people soever undertake them, they are in deed 

 as chastisements appointed by God for the one side or the 

 other. For which purpose it hath pleased him to give 

 some victories to the Spaniards of late yeeres against 

 some whom he had in purpose to ruine. But if we con- 



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