her diminished armies; the four strongholds of Arzilla,
Alcazar-Sequer, Saphin, and Azamor, had been wrested from her; and
Mazagan, Ceuta, and Tangier alone remained to her of all her African
possessions. Consequently, the tutors of the boy-king were delighted
to see his warlike instinct, and carefully instilled into his mind a
hatred of the Paynim conquerors.

The lesson was well learnt, and from the moment King Sebastian reached
his 14th year (the period of his majority), it was evident that all
his thoughts centred on an expedition to Africa, to revive the former
glories of his house, and to extend his empire even beyond its former
limits. In 1574 he set out, not to conquer the land, but simply to
view it, and with youthful audacity landed at Tangier, accompanied by
only 1500 men. Finding no opposition to his progress, he organized a
hunting expedition among the mountains, and actually put his project
into execution. The Moors, by this time thoroughly incensed by his
audacity, mustered a force and attacked his escort, but he succeeded
in beating them off, and escaped in safety to his ships, and reached
his kingdom unharmed.

This peculiar reconnaissance only strengthened his resolution to wrest
his former possessions from the Moslems; and although Portugal was
impoverished and weak, he resolved at once to enter on a crusade
against Muley Moluc and the Moors. The protests of his ministers were
unheeded; he laid new and exorbitant imposts on his people, caused
mercenaries to be levied in Italy and the Low Countries, and
reluctantly persuaded his uncle, Philip I. of Spain, to promise a
contingent. His preparations being at last completed, and a regency
established, he put to sea in June 1578. His armament consisted of
9000 Portuguese, 2000 Spaniards, 3000 Germans, and some 600