IOhn the fourth King of Portugal and Algarve being son to the Duke of Braganza hath married Lovisa a daughter of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, being of the house of the Gusmans, and comming from the right off-spring of Edward sonne to Don Emanuel; the Commons had willingly chosen him long agoe for their Prince, not onely because of the yoake and great over-burdens which the Spaniards had laid upon them, but also because they would rather see in their Kingdome a Prince borne there: Seeing the King of Spaine now busie both in out-land, and domesticke warres, they with a unanimous consent chose this Prince, unto whom God grant, that he may long raigne and governe to his owne glory, and the good of his subjects, and thereby the children of Don Antonio, will likewise get their owne againe.

After that the King of Spaine had caused to bee published by a great Noble man, the last day of November 1640. a most heavy Decree, which made the Commons to murmurre because of the ex­treame burdens; the chiefest and Principall men of the Countrey, which two years agoe already minded such a thing to free themselves [...] a convenient time from the extreame yoake of the Castillians, [...] now the Commons so inclinable to it, begun the first of De­ [...]ber 1640. to prepare themselves to put their intention into exe­ [...]tion, beginning in the same manner as hereafter followeth.

Upon Satterday being the first of this Moneth, about nine of the clocke, the Nobles of this City (having for many dayes together, as afterwards was plainly seene, resolved and consulted) comming with their men armed from their houses, went into the Court, and first of all into the Secretaries Quarter, slew (A) there the Secretary Michael de Vasconsellos, and tooke presently all things into their pos­session, together with the High Dutch and Spanish Watch, and her highnesse Princesse Margarita, and some other of her Nobility; and the same time also, all the Counsellours, namely those of the Chamber of Justice, high Counsell, the Court and Counsell of the Kings Revenews: And this being done, they came through the streets of this City with the two Standards of the Chamber, proclaiming the Duke of Braganza King, Don Iohn the fourth: which thereupon also without any contradiction, was proclaimed by the Commons of the City, without slaying any man more, but him that's mentioned above, and another (B) Counsellour or Al­derman of Albergaria, who was then by meere accident in the Secretaries Chamber, (C) and another being a German. Wherupon immediatly Governors were chosen and elected by the sayd Nobles, with the two Arch-Bishops of Lisbone and Braga, which be­gunne immediately to governe, and thereby the whole Citie was set in peace and quietnesse, albeit the tumult was so great as could be, especially there were set at liberty (in the name of the new King) out of two prisons in this Citie all the prisoners, excepting those, that were cast in prison for extraordinarie theft, and albeit the same day no Court of Law was kept, yet no disorder and confusion happe­ned: The aforesaid Governours governed very well for five days to­gether. The second day the Castle of the City was taken without making any shot against it, as also the Fort of Bethelem, the Fort of Cabesa Seca came likewise to be taken by a stratagem, and immedi­atly thereupon Postes and expresses were dispatched for the City of Ville Vilosa, which brought word of it to the King, and the same Saturday at midnight he had notice of it, and thereupon dispatched Expresses throughout the whole Kingdome.

(D) On Monday beeing the 3. of this moneth, the King was sworne in the City of Evora by the Marquis de Fereira: The Nobles and Magistrates of the said Citie and throughout the whole Kingdome of Portugall it was proclaimed in the same forme. Wher­upon his Majestie went by post, and upon Thursday beeing the 6. of this month about noon he came into this Citie, whereupon his Majesty immediatly and the Counsell of State sate at Counsell to consult, how to maintaine war, ordering and disposing all things requisite to be done, and being the Forts and Castles of S. Iulian and Cascais refused to yeeld, order was given, and forces and Cannons were sent, wherewith they begun to batter the same, and at last be­ing the 12. of the aforesaid month the Fort of S. Iulian was surren­dred, and Don Antonio Mascarensis was put into it for Governor and all the Forts of Algarve, Sentuvall, Port a Port had yeelded already before together with those of Viana, and the Commanders as namely Alcaides were in al hast sent to their Cities to raise forces, and the Marquis de Ferreira and the Count of Vinnoso (which are said to be the chiefest) goe as Governours every one to his Jurisdi­ction, and on Saturday being the 15. of the aforesaid month his Majesty was sworne King in this City upon a publick G Theater or Scaffold, which was made for that purpose neare the pallace where the Scepter was delivered unto him, and hath sworne to observe the Ordinances of the Kingdome, and immediately thereupon he went on horseback in a habit embroidered with gold, and with a golden Scepter to the Cathedral under a (H) canopie accompanied by al the nobillity a foot & bare head, & comming to the gate of Peloirin the Keyes of the I City were delivered unto him, and at his returne from the Cathedrall he passed through the Rua nova and Calcetaria, and heere in this Citie are expected euery day (M) the Queen Dona Luy­sa and the Prince Don Sebastian, and the Infanta, which staid be­hind at Villa Visosa: in Michael de Vasconcellos was seene an Ex­ample of the continuation of the fortunes of the world, who was come to such a height, that he commanded all the judgement seats and Iustices of this Kingdome, his will was a law, made and unmade Earles, Marquisses and Bishops: (O) He was slain with Bullets and stabs, and throwne out of a window from the place where he was dwelling in the Fort, and fell upon the Terreiro do Passo; where the people stript him of his cloaths, and his dead corps lay there still all that day long and the next night following till 10. of the clocke at Sonday, and then the Misericordia haled him from thence with a paire of the Negroes without a suit or shirt, beard or eyes or shape of a man: The same houre his house was pillaged so long till some stop was made: and the house where his Brother Adayan Bruga dwels, belonging unto him, which he had caused to be built Scaffans of the King being a rare building, (whence he had fled in womans appar­rell) was likewise pillaged, and they begun to breake downe win­dowes and doores, and if the Governours had not sent thither a guard of souldiers, they would have totally pulld downe the same. The aforesaid Adayan (after that no cloyster would take him in) went in a Priests habit towards Lerya, where the Bishop his bro­ther hid him; and it is thought, that he is gone towards Castile: The Government of his Majesty hath altered nothing in the Offices of the Commons, only hath casheir'd the providor of the Alsandiga; because he was sonne in law to Dego Soares and the Count of Custen­heda, who was President of the Table of consciecne the assistants and contractours remaine in their places, as they have been before: What in Castile is done, we know not as yet, because of this newes, which is so great, whereof the whole world will speake, Ambassadours are sent towards the North, and towards England is gone Don Antonio Almada, and for France the upper Menteiro chiefe Hunter; & for Holland Don Tristan de Mendosa, and for Rome the Bishop of La­mego, we shall see what good successe their Ambassages will have, and so the reasons, which are to be set downe and printed, and shall come abroad, and shall be added unto it. Her Highnesse Margarita together with Marquis De la Puebla were imprisoned in the pallace of Enxobregas being watched by two companies, they have allowed them yearly 14000. Duck ats for keeping of their table, in their mo­veables they were not toucht the other Spaniards of note are kept in custody in the Castle, and many souldiers, that married there, gave up their names to serve under the Portugalls. Hereupon his Majesty begun presently to governe, and all things were done in so good or­der that all the world cannot sufficiently wonder at it, for after that he had mastred the Fort of S. Iulian and al the Forts of his Kingdome he sent for his Counsell, and after that they appeared before him the last of December: His Majesty published and caused to be registred a decree which you shall have shortly printed in English.