449 / 1070
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BooK
I.
Royal Commeniariei.
. '' rhe Revenue ofthe King is
íl
prodigious
fy1afs
ofWealth and
T
reaf9re. Thus
far -~ rhe Words of
.1Worales:,
which we have willingly alledged in confirmation
ofche thl__rh of whac we have faid, being defirous noc to wrice any thing bue that
which we~ari avouch on good grourid anct autho~ity...And for farther proofof this ·
difficulty, and how hard a thing ic i~ tQ
füt:1,1
qp die _Revenúe
.of
chis King of
Spain;
now Emperour of che oewWorld,
I
íhaJI pr_oduce th~ Tefümony of
¡ohn Botero,
a
grear and an univerfal Hiílorian, who, afcer he had mad5!_acalculate of theRevenu~
ofche King ofC
hina,
and_of the Renes which
(lalhi4, A.fturia.
and
Portugal
anciently ;
yielded to the Reman Empire; with whac was die Revenue
9[
the Kings of
Navarre,
France,
the Emperour,
Poland, England,
Duke of
Lorrakn,
Ki[.)g
of
Scotlandj Swedeland
and
Gothland;
as alfo whacwas ti.e Incorrle oftheHouie of
4u_ftria,
ofth~King of
Narjiny,a,
_the
Neriffe
of
Egypt,
and of tpe
Gran Signot;
yec coming to the Reve–
nue of our King of
Spain,
hé is there filent; for which
1
can render no other rea–
.fon, than betau~ chis Authour coming ro chis Account; h.e fqund himfelffo plun–
ged and immerfed therein, chat he duríl: noc adventure to fathom .che fame; not
having~ as
I
imagine, numbers fufficient to fum up che iribute of his many King–
doms, and with chem the immenfe.Riches imported from
P1ru.
.
·
And in confirmation of che greac_Treafure wich which
Peru
hath ~nriched
all
rheWorld, I have chis farrher Tefiimony
to
offer from the moíl: R,ever_end Father
Don Pa11/o de Lt,guna,
who was PrefideQt ~f che Council of bis MajeHy's Exche–
quer, and afcerwards Pr<;1fident of che Council ofche
Indies,
and Vice-king of che
New World; and in che Yea~
1603.
was, ~leéted Biíhop of
Cordova;
this greac
Perfon difcourfing one day with bis Confeifour, and others, concerning che im–
menfe Riches of
Peru,
did confidencly affirrn, chac from one Mountain onely of
Pm,,
there had been cranfported iqto
Spain,
uncill che Year
1601..
two hundred
Millions of Pieces of Eiglic, which had been regillred; and chaeac leaíl:·one hun–
<lred Millioos more had been irnporced wichout Regiíl:er;
And I clln farther add,
,
(faid he)
that twenty five Millions in Gold and Si/ver have been brought into
Spai,n
/,y
one
'
F!eet in my time.
The Standers-by h~aring this, anfwered,
We could 11eper believe it~
my
Lord, but that we receive
it
from
fo
authentick.,
an
Authour .uyour Lordfbip. wliat
J
f
ay,
replied the Biíhop,
J
k._nGw
for a (eYtain truth; and moreovcr
1
a.lfur:e ¿ou, tha}
~¡¿
the Kings
of
Spain,
joined together from King
Pelayo
to thefe times, have not been M a–
.fters
of
fo
much Money
M
ICing
Philip
the,ú1. hath been.
After which ceíl:imony
frorri
fo greac a perfon, we íhall not need to add, or requ~e farcl1er proofs for what we
have alledged.
Bue fuch as look on che Riches of
Peru
with more than a common Eye, are of
opinion, that chey have racher been hurtfull than g0od or beneficia! to Mankind;
far that Riches have been che caufe of Vice, and noc of Vercue, having inclined
the Nacure ofMento Pride and Ambition, to Gluttony and Luxury; for enjoyi.ilg
an affiuence ofFortune, they have given themfelves up to Sloth, and Effeminacy;
·becoming neither
fit
for Government in the times of Peace, n0r yec for Hardíhip
and Labour in the times oí War, employing their ·whole thoúghts and time
in
concriving new Diíhes, and Liquours, to pleafe their Appecice, and fancaíl:ica1
Faíhions for their Clothing; in which they are arrived to that height ofextrava- , .
gance, that they fcarc~ ~now whac to wear, an~ are come co
1
chac undecency of
Drefs, thac cheir Hab1c 1s more correfpondent
to
Women than to Men.
And
as che Renes of che Rich have been raifed to maintain che Luíl:s and riocous
Li–
ving ofgreac Perfons, fo have the Poor been o_ppreffed, aQd reduced co Rags, and
Famine,
to
fupport che Pride and Luxury of théir Landlords. And ch€ truth
is,
the Poor are become much more poor chan formerly; .for che quantity of Money
being increafed, which
is
al! accumulated inco che Coffers of che Rich, hath en–
hanfed che price of Provifions and Commodities ro that degree, chac che Poor
fiarve by che abundance of che Rich; and though the Rich have a plenty of Mo–
ney, and may out of_
th~ir greac íl:ores enlárge cheir Charities towards che Poor ;
yet che_ir A!ms do not anfwer ~he price of Provifions which the plenty of Money
hath ra1fetl m the World;
fo
mthort they conclude, chat the füches of the new
World noc having increafed che Provifions neceífary for che fupporc of humané
Life, bue rather ferved to make tbem dear, and Men effeminate, liaving enfeebled
. them in their Bodies and Underílandings, and debauched thern in their Habics and
Cuíl:orns of living, che generality ofMankind is becorne much worfe ,_·and lefs
concented, and having been formidable, aad dreaded in ancient times by.ali che·
World, are n9w rendred mean and effeminace by the corrupcion 0f rhei:r Rich~s.
I
i
i
Now