X792* on Portugal. 15 



such a discovery, or the ruin of it, l^c. iSc, is a. 

 thing which requires so much patience, expence, 

 and time, before you can begin, that I fear Mr 

 . will be disgusted in his first labours. 



Although I know many Portuguese have under- 

 taken that talk, and even now. two are upon it, 

 yet, as I am certcin it is impofsible for any one of 

 my countrymen, to write their history with a phi- 

 losophic propriety, living as they do in a place 

 vChere superstition and ignorance hold yet too 

 much dominion, I am ready to do every thing that 



may encourage Mr i.o go on. 



To proceed then regularly, I must tell you 

 that you may inform your friend how manu- 

 scripts have become so rare here. The earth- 

 quake in 1 75 J was the last event that contributed 

 to the ruin of those that had escaped the desola- 

 tion of Portugal under the Philips. In private 

 archives it is very difficult to find any. The two 



sources then from whence Mr could 



get any of these, are the Torre do Tomho, or 

 Great Chancery of the Kingdom, and the king's 

 library ; but to peep into such manuscripts is a 

 matter of extreme difficulty and great expence ; 

 and it is almost impofsible to get copies. To suc- 

 ceed in this attempt the person w'ho undertakes it 

 must have great patience and time ; and for that 



reason I fhould advise Mr to come 



himself, because with money and fome credit, he 

 Would open all doors. Much informatiou can 

 also be got in monkilh archives, as those of Alco-, 

 haca^ Batatha, Belevi. Sat ze das, Santa Crux, i^c. 



