94 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



John I. king of Portugal, after many fuccefsful battles 

 with the Moors, had at laft forced them to crofs the fea, and 

 return vanquifhed to their native country. By this he had 

 changed his former dilhonourable name of bajlard to the 

 more noble and much more popular one of John the aven- 

 ger. This did not fatisfy him. Alliiled by fome Englifh na- 

 vigators, he paiTed over to Barbary, laid ficge to Ceuta, and 

 fpeedily after made himfelf mailer of the city. This early 

 connexion with the Englifli arofe by his having married 

 Philipina of Lancailer, filler of Henry IV. king of England, 

 by whom he had five fons, all of them heroes, and, at the 

 taking of Ceuta, capable of commanding armies. Henry, 

 the youngeft, fcarce twenty years of age, was the fii-ft that 

 mounted the walls of that city in his father's prefence, and 

 was thereupon aeated Mailer of the Order of Chriil, a,new 

 inllitution, whofe fole end and view was the extirpation of 

 the Mahometan religion. 



Although every thing promifcd fair to John in the war 

 of Africa, yet it early occurred to prince Henry, that a fmall 

 kingdom like Portugal never could promife to do any thing 

 effedual againll the enormous power of the Mahometans, 

 then in pollellion of cxtenfive dominions in the richefc parts 

 of the globe. The fudden rife of Venice was before his 

 eyes, and almoft happened in his own time. By applying 

 to trade alone, flie had acquired a power fufficient to cope 

 with the iloutell of her enemies. Portugal, fmall as it was, 

 merited quite another degree of refped ; but poverty, ig- 

 norance, pride, and idlenefs prevailed among the poor peo- 

 ple ; even agriculture itfelf was in a manner abandoned 

 frnce the expulfion of the Moors, 



PRiNcm 



