by his intimate knowledge of the inner life of the Portuguese court, not only mentioning the names of Sebastian’s ministers and the ambassadors who had been accredited to Lisbon, but describing their appearance and peculiarities, and recounting the chief measures of his government, and the contents of the letters which had been written by the king.  At length, after cheerfully submitting to be examined on twenty-eight separate occasions, he grew tired of being pestered by his questioners, and refused to answer further interrogatories, exclaiming, “My Lords, I am Sebastian, king of Portugal!  If you doubt it, permit me to be seen by my subjects, many of whom will remember me.  If you can prove that I am an impostor, I am willing to suffer death.”

The Portuguese residents in Italy entertained no doubt that the pretender was their countryman and their monarch, and made most strenuous exertions to procure his release.  One of their number, Dr. Sampajo, a man of considerable eminence, and of known probity, personally interceded with the governor of Venice on his behalf.  He was told that the prisoner could only be released upon the most ample and satisfactory proof of his identity; and Sampajo, confident that he could procure the necessary evidence, set out forthwith for Portugal.  After a brief stay in Lisbon, he returned with a mass of testimony corroborating the pretender’s story; and, what was naturally considered of greater importance, with a list of the marks which were on the person of King Sebastian.  The accused was stripped, and on his body marks were found similar to those which had been described to Dr. Sampajo.  Still the authorities hesitated; and explained that in a matter of such importance, and where such weighty interests were involved, they could not act on the representations of a private individual; but if any of the European powers should demand the release of their prisoner it would be granted.

Nothing daunted by their failure, the believers in the claims of the so-called Sebastian endeavoured to enlist the sympathy of the foreign potentates on behalf of one of their own order who was unjustly incarcerated and deprived of his rights.  In this they failed; but at last the government of Holland, which had no love for Philip, espoused the cause of his rival, and despatched an officer to Venice to see that justice was done.  A day was appointed for the trial, and the prisoner being brought before the senate, presented his claims in writing.  Witnesses came forward who swore that the person before them was indeed Sebastian, although he had changed greatly in the course of twenty years.  Several scars, malformed teeth, moles, and other peculiarities which were known to be possessed by the king, were pointed out on the person of the pretender, and the evidence was decidedly favourable to his claims; when, on the fifth day of the investigation, a courier arrived from Spain, and presented a private message from King