148 A. D. 1568. 



yet there ftill remained a great number in Granada and Murcia, who 

 outwardly made profeflion of chriflianity to preferve their property. 

 The bigoted Romifh clergy had before this time frequently fet on foot 

 perfecutions againfl thofe miferable people, as particularly againfb 

 thofe of the Albaizin, a quarter in the city of Granada, where great 

 numbers of very rich Mooriih merchants inhabited, as did alfo fome 

 of their nobility, and of the blood of their antient Moorifli kings, rec- 

 koned to amount to i o,oco men lit for war. In other towns alfo ot 

 Granada, particularly in the mountainous parts, there were above 

 100,000 families of Moors, moil of whom were fliepherds and farmers. 

 All thefe were the defccndants of thofe Moors, to whom Ferdinand and 

 Ifabeila, on their conquefl of Granada, had promifed that they and their 

 pofterity fliould remain there with all fafety and liberty, to enjoy their 

 religion, fo long as they obferved the laws, and paid taxes as other fub- 

 jeds. But that had been long before broke through, after a flout re- 

 iSftance by the Moors of Alpuxarra, who were at lad compelled to be- 

 come Chriftians or leave the country. Such as remaiiaed in Spain, and 

 conformed outwardly to the eftablifhed religion, were termed new 

 Chriftians by the Spaniards ; and they were compelled to fend their 

 children to fchools, wherein they were to be taught the Caftilian tongue 

 only. They were, moreover, forbid to keep any Arabic books in their 

 houfes, the doors whereof were to be kept open on Fridays, Saturdays, 

 and Sundays, that any might enter and fee what they did. They were 

 now alfo to leave their Mooriih drefs, and to wear a Spanifli one ; to 

 leave off the ufe of baths ; to affift at mafs on all Sundays, feftivals, 

 &c. under fevere penalties ; wherefor they lived in continual vexation. 

 It can therefor be little wondered at, that the Moors, whole religion,, 

 language, garb, and manners, were now no longer to be tolerated, fhould 

 rebel. In their firft fury, ^:hey murdered all the Spaniards they could 

 find in the country of Alpuxarra, efpecially the clergy. They elected 

 a king, and at firft had a confiderable force along the coafl as far as 

 Gibraltar, and fortified fome pofts among the mountains near the fhore, 

 in hopes of fuccours from their brethren of Barbary and Conftantin- 

 ople. They were at length di (armed, when King Philip II promifed 

 that they Ihould not be molefted, provided they would behave peace- 

 ably, and remove from their inaccellible caftles and precipices in the- 

 mountains of Andalufia and Murcia, and fettle in level countries. In 

 fliort, this war is faid to have coft Spain 30,000 lives, and five millions 

 of crowns, befides the perpetual and rancorous hofiility of the pofterity 

 of thofe Moors, who preferring their confcience to their intereft, had 

 exiled themfelves from their native country, and fettled on the oppofite 

 coafl: of Barbary. 



On the fide of the Moors fo great a multitude of all ages and of both 

 fe:<,eswas deftroyed as is almoft incredible ! How much wifer and happier 



