IT is the opinion of many, that the Right and Title to the Crown of Portugal re­sides in the Kings of Spain, an Errour springing either from their not knowing the Genealogies of those Princes, or from an apprehension that sixty years possession by the Austrian Family could make a Title in­dubitable, which was never warranted by right of blood, or by the Laws of Portugal. It is true, Philip the Se­cond, who seized upon that Kingdom, was the Son of a Portugal Princess, but she had a Brother, whose issue yet remains, and from whom descends the present King of Portugal, who being descended from a Brother, must be preferred before the issue of the Sister, the Male being ad­judged the better by all the Laws of Christendom, though perhaps among the Amazons the Laws were otherwise. But to make good this Title, I must run back to the begin­ning of the Portugal Monarchy, and present you with some of their Fundamental Laws, whose Authority can never be gainsaid.

In the Year 1139. Don Alphonso, General of the Por­tugal Army, then ready to encounter with five Mahometan Kings, commanding an Army of four hundred thousand Moors, was unanimously saluted King, which Legion of [Page 4] Locusts by his courage and conduct were put to flight, and easily became the first Trophies to this conquering King. And now the angry storm of War blown over, the King betakes himself to the Arts of Peace, to make good Laws, which was done by assembling the three Estates in the City of Lamego, where were enacted many Laws, which they justly account their Fundamentals, as unalterable as those of the Medes and Persians, made Sacred by the observation of them both by Prince and People, to the holy tye of which they both oblieg'd their Faith; these Laws then are the ground on which we build, and from whence we shall easily justifie the undoubted Title of the now King of Portugal.

First, it was Enacted, that his Son, and Grandson, and so forward, should reign after him in secula seculorum, but if the King have only Daughters, the Eldest should be Queen after her Father, upon condition she be married to a Native of Portugal, and that he be a Nobleman, who shall not take upon him the name of a King, untill he hath a Son born, nor wear a Crown on his head, nor take the right hand of his Wife.

But that which I insist on, is the last clause which I shall faithfully transcribe.

‘Sit ista Lex in sempiter­num, quod Prima Filia Re­gis accipiat maritum de Portugale, ut non veniat regnum ad Extraneos; & si casaverit cum Principe extraneo, non sit Regina: quia nunquam volumus nostrum Regnum ire de [Page 5] Portugalensibus qui nos sua fortitudine Reges fecerunt, fine adjutorio alieno, per suam fortitudinem & cum sanguine suo.’

[Page 4] ‘Let it be a Law for ever, that the Kings Eldest Daughter marry a Native of Portugal, that so the Crown may never descend to Strangers; and in case she should marry a Prince that is a Stranger, let her not be Queen: for we will never have our Kingdom go out of the Race [Page 5] of the Portugals, who have made us Kings by their own Valour, with out forreign assistance, by their own valour, and with the effusion of their own blood.’

This Law was put in execution after the death of Fer­nando the ninth King of that Race; for Donna Beatrice his Daughter, being married to a forreign Prince, was ex­cluded, and King John the First was advanced to the Throne, from whom descended Emmanuel the fourteenth King, who had six Sons and two Daughters.

• 1. Don John, afterwards King, Father of John Prince of Portugal, Father of Sebastian, King of Portugal, slain in Affrica, 1578. without issue.
• 2 Son was Don Lewis, who left no issue Legiti­mate.
• 3 Son Don Fernando, who died without issue.
• 4 Son Don Alphonso Cardinal, Archbishop of Lisbon, and Abbot of Alcobaza, never married.
• 5 Son Don Henry, Cardinal, and Archbishop of Braga, afterwards King.
• 6 Son Don Edward, who left two Daughters, the El­dest was Mary, married out of the Kingdom to Alexander Duke of Parma; the Younger was Katherine, married in Portugal to John Duke of Braganza, Grandfather of John the Fourth, King of Portugal, Father of Alphonso now reigning.

Of King Emmanuels two Daughters, the Eldest was married to the Emperour Charles the 5th. Father of Phi­lip the Second, King of Spain, Grandfather of Philip the Fourth, from whom it was regained by the Right Heir.

[Page 6] The youngest Daughter of Emmanuel King of Portu­gal was married to the Duke of Savoy, Father of Philip Duke of Savoy.

After the death of King Sebastian, slain as aforesaid without Issue, the Crown of Portugal sell to his gre [...] Uncle, Henry the Cardinal, at 67. years of age, who sweyed the Scepter two years, and died unmarried: Now the Masculine Race of Emmanuel being extinct, the Fe­male, according to the Fundamental Laws of Lamego, were to succeed.

There were several Pretenders, as Philip the Second of Spain, whose Mother was daughter to Emmanuel, and the Duke of Savoy, descended from the youngest Daugh­ter of Emmanuel, and both of them could but pretend a Title, for they had no Right.

The True and Undoubted Right rested in the Chil­dren of Don Edward, one of the Sons of Emmanuel as a­foresaid, and Brother to the King of Spains Mother, and the Duke of Parma's the fore-mentioned Pretenders. He left, as we said, two Daughters, Mary, the Eldest, mar­ried to the Duke of Parma; and Katherine, the Youngest, to the Duke of Braganza, Rainuccio Prince of Parma, though the Son of the Eldest Daughter of Prince Edward, could not succeed, because his Mother was married out of Portugal, for the Fundamental Laws, which were those of Lamego, as upon the Failer of the Male Line, they made the Female capable of Succession, did it with this restriction, that they should be married within Portu­gal, if they married any Forreign Prince, they should have no Right in the Succession, which was barr'd by this Match of Princess Mary with the Duke of Parma, an Italian, and it was great reason that this Law, which was twin-born with the Monarchy of Portugal, should be just­ly [Page 7] observed, and was so, after the death of Don Fernan­do, the 9th. King, whose Daughter was excluded the Succession, by vertue of this Law of Lamego, which both Prince and People were sworn to observe; nor can any think it hard measure to the Dukes of Parma, to be ex­cluded the Succession to the Crown, being descended of Prince Edwards Eldest Daughter, and that the Duke of Braganza, descended of the Younger Daughter, who mar­ried with a Native of Portugal, should have the undoub­ted Right: For had it not been for that Law, which ex­cludes the Daughter of Portugal, i [...] married to a stranger, Emmanuel (the Father of Prince Edward, from whom the Duke of Parma claimes) had never been King, but it had gone with the Daughter of Fernando the 9th. King of Portugal, justly excluded by their Laws, for marrying with a Forreigner; and the posterity of the Eldest Daugh­ter cannot quarrel with this Clause in the Law of Lamego, seing it was that very Clause, and that alone, that brought the Sovereignty to the Line of Emmanuel, from whom the Prince of Parma descends. Katherine the Youngest Daughter of Prince Edward, marryed to the Duke of Braganza, a Native of Portugal, could only lay a just claim to the Crown. But Philip the Second, of Spain, though he could not pretend so far as the Duke of Parma, as being descended from a Daughter, whose Brothers Heirs must in all reason be preferred before hers, yet to acquire a Kingdom, which might joyn the whole Con­tinent of Spain together in one hand, he dis-inherits all Right, and by his Martial Favourite the Duke of Alva, invades Portugal with an Army, marching directly to­wards Lisbon, where wisely striking at the Head, he brought a whole Kingdom on their Knees, and receives a Crown, adorned with the richest Jewels of the East, [Page 8] (that Nation having many rich Factories there) which hapned in the Year, 1580. Being thus possest, he left it to his Son Philip 3d and he to Philip 4th till the Year 1640. When on a sudden, not only Portugal, but the Islands and Territories thereunto belonging (Ceuta in Barbary excepted) fell from the Spaniard like a Dream, and awakened its old Glory and Freedom, in the Person of the Duke of Braganza (Grandson of that Duke of Bra­ganza that married Katherine, Daughter of Prince Ed­ward, Son of Emmanuel, King of Portugal) then pre­sently proclaimed by the Name of John the 4th. King of Portugal, and so own'd by all Princes, whom the Austrian Greatness did not over-awe; who dying, left his Crown descending by a Just and Undoubted Title to Alphonso the Sixth, now King of Portugal.