By his last Will he had order'd, that a Juncto, or Assembly of the States, should be call'd, to settle the Succession; but King _Philip_ not caring to wait for their Decision, sent a powerful Army into _Portugal_, commanded by the Duke of _Alba_, which ended the Dispute, and put _Philip_ in possession of that Kingdom. [Sidenote: 1581.] We cannot find that the Duke of _Braganza_ us'd any Endeavours to assert his Right by force of Arms. The Grand Prior indeed did all he could to oppose the _Castilians_; the Mob had proclaim'd him King, and he took the Title upon him, as if it had been given by the States of _Portugal_: and his Friends rais'd some Forces for him, but they were soon cut in pieces by the Duke of _Alba_, than whom _Spain_ could not have chosen a better General. As much as the _Portuguese_ hate the _Castilians_, yet could they not keep them out, being disunited among themselves, and having no General, nor any Regular Troops on foot. Most of the Towns, for fear of being plunder'd, capitulated, and made each their several Treaty; so that in a short time _Philip_ was acknowledg'd their lawful Sovereign by the whole Nation, as being next Heir Male to his great Uncle, the late King: of such wondrous use is open Force to support a bad Cause! After him reign'd his Son and Grandson, _Philip_ III. and IV. who us'd the _Portuguese_ not like Subjects, but like a conquer'd People; and the Kingdom of _Portugal_ saw itself dwindle into a Province of _Spain_, and so weaken'd, that there was no hope left of recovering their Liberty: Their Noblemen durst not appear in an Equipage suitable to their Birth, for fear of making the _Spanish_ Ministers jealous of their Greatness or Riches; the Gentry were confin'd to their Country-Seats, and the People oppress'd with Taxes. The Duke of _Olivarez_, who was then first Minister to _Philip_ IV. King of _Spain_, was firmly persuaded, that all means were to be us'd to exhaust this new Conquest; he was sensible of the natural Antipathy of the _Portuguese_ and _Castilians_, and thought that the former could never calmly behold their chief Posts fill'd with Strangers, or at best with _Portuguese_ of a _Plebeian_ Extraction, who had nothing else to recommend 'em but their Zeal for the Service of _Spain_. He thought therefore, that the surest way of establishing King _Philip_'s Power, was to remove the Nobility of _Portugal_ from all Places of Trust, and so to impoverish the People, that they should never be capable of attempting to shake off the _Spanish_ Yoke. Besides this, he employ'd the _Portuguese_ Youth in foreign Wars, resolving to drain the Kingdom of all those who were capable of bearing Arms.