The chief promontories of Spain are, Promontorium Saerum, ST VINCENT, where the land projects in the form of a wedge, hence called Cuneus; Prom. Celticum, Nerium, or Artabrum, CAPE FINISTERRE. The islands belonging to Spain were, the Baleares, Major and Minor, oppofite to the mouth of the Iberus, called by the Greeks Balearides, now MAJORCA and MINORCA. They were named Baleares, from the dexterity of the inhabitants at flinging *. Pityufa Infula, oppofite to the mouth of the Sucro; Ebufus, now IVICA, famous for breeding cattle; and Ophiufa, fo called from being infested with ferpents, now For [PON the overthrow of the Roman empire in the West, UPO Spain was first conquered by the Vandals, A. D. 411. They were expelled by the Goths, and Vifigoths, or West Goths, who held it till the year 712; when the Saracens or Moors, by the invitation of two exiled princes, as it is faid, and of Oppas, archbishop of Seville, their uncle, invaded it in the reign of RODERICK, whom they vanquished in battle The boys of thefe iflands are faid to have been trained to this art by their mothers, who used to fufpend the break aft of their fons on the top of a pole, and to let them remain fafting till they ftruck it down with a stone from a Aing, Diodor. v. 18. near near XEREZ, and in eight months made themselves masters of almoft the whole country. Under ABDERAMAN, the emir or governor of Spain, they attempted to conquer France; but were defeated in a bloody battle, near Tours, by Charles Martel, in which Abderaman was flain, and according to the exaggerated accounts of those times, upwards of three hundred thousand men, A. D. 732. The Saracens brought along with them into Spain, that taste for the arts, that love of elegance and splendor, which began to be cultivated by their brethren in the cast. Upon a revolution in the califate at Damafcus, 750, Prince Abderaman or ALMANZOR, having escaped from the masfacre of his family into Spain, laid the foundations of an independent kingdom in that country. He fixed his refidence at Cordova, where the arts and sciences were ftudied, when the other nations of Europe were degraded by ignorance and barbarity. But his death, which happened 788, was followed by cruel difcord and war among his children. In the mean time, fuch of the old inhabitants as would not submit to the government of the Moors, had taken refuge in the mountains of Afturias; where, under PELAGIO, a hero of the blood royal, they defended themselves by their valour, and in process of time gathered ftrength. ALPHONZO, the fon-in-law of Pelagio, taking advantage of the civil wars in which the Moors were engaged, attacked them in several places with fuccefs, and made confiderable conquefts. The conteft between the Chriftians and Moors was maintained for near eight centuries, during which, according to the pompous relation of the Spanish hiftorians, three thoufand feven hundred battles were fought. The poffeffions of both were split into a number of independent ftates. Almoft every great town of the Moors had its feparate fovereign, Toledo, Valentia, Seville, &c. which difunion rendered them more easy to be conquered. The chief kingdoms of the Chriftians were thofe of Leon and Afturias, Navarre, Caftile, Arragon, and Portugal, which were established at different times. At length FERDINAND, King of Arragon, having united all the kingdoms of Spain, except Portugal, by his marriage with ISABELLA, Queen of Caftile, took Granada, the laft city which the Moors retained in Spain, 1492, and expelled them from the kingdom, to the number of one hundred and feventy thousand families; on which account he obtained from the Pope the title of Catholic. The expulfion of fo many induftrious inhabitants, moftly artists and manufacturers, manufacturers, proved very hurtful to the country; and the influx of wealth after the discovery of the new world, which was made much about this time, by COLUMBUS, added to that calamity, by rendering the Spaniards extremely indolent. The evil was ftill farther aggravated, by the introduction of that horrid court, the Inquifition, to prevent the return of the Moors and Jews. Ifabella died, 1504, and Ferdinand, 1516. CHARLES V. of Germany, or I. of Spain, of the house of Auftria, grandson to Ferdinand and Isabella, by their daughter Joanna, fucceeded, by inheritance, to the greatest dominions that any prince in Europe had poffeffed fince Charles the Great: Spain, the best part of Italy, the Netherlands, fome provinces in Africa, and the new acquifitions in America; to all which was afterwards added, the dignity of Emperor of Germany, to which he fucceeded upon the death of his grandfather Maximilian, 1519. During his minority Spain was governed by Cardinal XIMENES, a perfon of a fingular character, but of great abilities, who crushed the liberties of that country, by abolishing their free affemblies called Cortes. The ambition of Charles involved the most part of Europe in disturbance during his long reign. At laft, being finally unfuccefsful, he refigned his hereditary dominions to his fon Philip, at Bruffels, October 25. 1555; and after endeavouring in vain to get him elected Emperor, he refigned the Imperial crown to his brother Ferdinand, King of Hungary, Auguft 27. 1556, after which he retired to a monastery in Spain, near Placentia, in Estremadura, where he lived, regardless of worldly affairs, till his death, 1558, aged fifty-eight. PHILIP II. prosecuted the fame ambitious views that his father had done, and with ftill lefs fuccefs. His tyranny in the Low Countries, and his cruel bigotry in the cause of Popery, occafioned the revolt and loss of the United Provinces. So long a continuation of war exhaufted Spain; and the defcendants of Philip proving weak princes, this kingdom long continued in a feeble state. The Auftrian line failing in the perfon of Charles II. who died without iffue, 1700, a long and bloody war was carried on between the powers of Europe about the fucceffion. It was at laft determined in favour of Philip, Duke of Anjou, grandfon to Lewis XIV. of France, by the treaty of Utrecht, 1713. The prefent king of Spain CHARLES III. is his fon, who fucceeded his brother Ferdinand, 1759. The kings of Spain are inaugurated by the delivery of a fword, without being crowned. Their fignature is, I the King, without without mentioning the name. Their ufual place of residence is the Efcurial, fifteen miles from Madrid, the largest palace in Europe. It has about eleven thousand windows. It was built by Philip II. and dedicated to St Laurence, to commemorate a great victory which his troops gained over the French, at St Quinton, on St Laurence's day, 1563; and because that saint is faid to have fuffered martyrdom by being broiled on a gridiron, the palace was built in that form, and the fame figure obferved in its principal ornaments; which conceit has spoiled its appearance. It is faid to have coft above three millions Sterling. The King's eldeft fon is ftyled Prince of Afturias; the younger fons, Infants; and the daughters, Infantas. Although the king of Spain be an abfolute prince, he treats the grandees with great diftinction. They have the privilege of appearing covered in his prefence. The Spaniards are grave and stately in their deportment, but honourable, generous, and humane. They are very zealous Catholics; and no other religion is tolerated. The Inquifition used to reign here in all its terrors, the fentence of which was called Auto de Fe, or The Act of Faith; but of late it has been fomewhat moderated. There are eight archbishops, and forty bishops. The Archbishop of Toledo is ftyled Primate of Spain, and has an annual revenue of above a hundred thousand pounds Sterling. There are in Spain two thoufand one hundred and forty convents and nunneries, containing at least fifty thousand monks and nuns. Arts and sciences are not much cultivated in this country, although they have twenty-two universities. PORT PORTUGA L. ORTUGAL is bounded by Spain on the north and east, and on the fouth and weft by the Atlantic; about 300 miles in length, and 100 in breadth; lying between 37 & 42° north lat. and 7 & 10° weft long. It is in general as mountainous as Spain, and thofe mountains are ufually barren rocks. The most remarkable of thefe is Cape Roca, or the Rock of Lisbon, at the north entrance of the Tagus, twenty-two miles weft of Lisbon. PORTUGAL was anciently a province of Spain, and underwent the fame revolutions with it. The kingdom of Portugal was founded by HENRY of Burgundy, who married one of the daughters of Alphonfo king of Caftile, by whom he had been created Count of Portugal, 1088. The Portuguese had the honour of leading the way to all the discoveries which were made in the 15th and 16th centuries. DON HENRY, fon of John II. by his genius excited a thirst for navigation among his countrymen. They turned their attention to the western coafts of Africa; and in 1420 difcovered the island of Madeira, where they planted fugar-canes, a production of the Indies, which had been brought by the Arabians into Sicily and the isle of Cyprus; and was afterwards tranfplanted into America. After the death of Henry, 1461, the Portuguese still pushed on their enterprises. In the year 1497, EMANUEL I. fent VASQUEZ GAMA to the Indies, with a crew only of 160 men, including foldiers as well as feamen. Gama furmounted all the dangers of the ocean, turned the fouthmost point of Africa, which he called the Cape of Good Hope, landed in several parts of India, and returned to Portugal in two years. His discoveries and thofe of Columbus have entirely changed the face of Europe. ALPHONSO ALBUQUERQUE, who fucceeded De Gama, carried the fame of his name to the remoteft parts of the caft. Sebaftian king of Portugal being cut off in a rafh expedition against the Moors in Africa, 1479, and leaving no children, Philip II. king of Spain annexed Portugal to his own dominions by force of arms. This put a stop to all the further difcoveries of the Portuguefe; and the Dutch afterwards became malters of fome of their most valuable acquifitions. Portugal continued fubject to the yoke of Spain till the year 1640, when the DUKE of BRAGANZA, whofe family Philip had unjustly deprived of the fucceflion to the crown, by a well-conducted confpiracy, and without any bloodfhed, 3 Q |