94 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



John I. king of Portugal, after many fuccefsful battles 

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

 return vanquished to their native country. By this he had 

 changed his former difhonourable name of baftard to the 

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

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

 vigators, he paned over to Barbary, laid fiege to Ceuta, and 

 fpeedily after made himfelf mailer of the city. This early 

 connection with the Englifh arofe by his having married 

 Philipina of Lancafter, 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 youngefl, fcarce twenty years of age, was the firft that 

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

 was thereupon created Mailer of the Order of Chrifl, anew 

 inilitution, whofe fole end and view was the extirpation of 

 the Mahometan religion. 



Although every thing promifed 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 

 effectual againfl the enormous power of the Mahometans, 

 then in pofiefllon of cxtenfive dominions in the richefl parts 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 ple ; even agriculture itfelf was in a manner abandoned 

 fince the expulfion of the Moors. 



Prince 



