The Sun.
London, England, 1823-01-31 00:00:00

PORTUGUESE SUPERSTITION.

We have extracted the folloiving remarkable
account of great national superoition from Mr.
SOUTHEY'S History of the Peninsular War.

" The French, in the pride of their strength,- and their ig-
norance of the national character, despised this poor oppressed
people too much to be in any fear of what despair might impel
them to ;' and one remarkable effect of the general misery tend-
ed at once to increase their contempt and their security. Thera
exists in Portugal a strange superstition concerning King Se-
bastian, whose re-appearance is as confidently expected by many
of the Portuguese as the coining of the lelessieh by the Jews.
The rise and progress of this belief forme a curious part of
their history : it began in hope, when the return of that un-
happy prince was not only possible, but might have been Con-
sidered likely ; it was fostered by the policy of the Braganssn
party after all reasonable hope had ceased ; and length of timie
served only to ripen it into a confirmed and rooted superstition,
which even the Intolerance of the Inquisition spared, for 'the
sake of the loyal and patriotic feelings in which it had its birth.
The Holy Office never interfered farther with the sect than to
prohibit the publication of its numerous prophecie3, which
were suffered to circulate in private. For many years the per-
' sons who held this strange opinion had been content to enjoy
their dream in private, shrinking from observation and from
ridicule ; but, as the belief had begun in a time of deep tale,
1 mity,
.se now, when a heavier evil haft overwhelmed the king-
dom, it spread beyond all former example. Their 'prophecies
were triumphantly brough to light, for oriTeeire the proMilett
which were there held out could the Portuguese find onecone
solution; and proselytes increased so rapidly, that half Lis-
bon became Sebastianists. The delusion was not confined' to
the lower orders : it reached the educated classes : and Then
who had graduated in theology became professors of a Fiftri
and Universal Alonarchy. Sebastian was 'speedily to coma
from the Secret Island ; the queen would resign the scones
into his hands ; he would give Buonaparte battle near Evora on
the field of Sertiorae, slay the tyrant, and become monarch of
the world. These event' had long been predicted ; and it had long
since been ahown,that the very year in which they, must occur Wee
mystically prefigured in the areas
,ofrortugal.. Those arms had
been miraculously given to the founder' of the Portuguese Me-
narchy ; and the five wounds were represented in the slit lel by
as many round marks or ciphers, two on each side, and one in
the middle. Bandana, the shoemaker, who was one of the
greatest of their old prophets, had taught them the my etey
therein. Place two U's one upon the other, said he, place
another on the right hand, then make a second figure like
the first, and you have the date given. The year being thus
clearly designated, the time of his appearance was fixed for
the holy week : on Holy Thursday they .eflirtued the storm
would gather, and front that time till the Sunday there would
be the most tremendous din of battle that had ever been heard
in the world ; for this April wag the month, of lightning which
Bandarm had foretold. In pledge of all this, some of the
bolder believers declared, that there would be a full moon on
the 19th of March, when she was in the wane ! It was a
prevalent opinion that the Encobereo, or the Hidden One,
as they called Sebastian, was actually on board the Russian
squadron !
" Those parts of the old prophecies which clearly pointedt.O
the year It4o, when the event for which they were intended
was accomplished, were omitted in the copies wl let were
now circulated and sought with equal avidity.. Ottimpsets
were easily fitted to the present circumstanceen A rhyme, inn
porting that he of Braganza, would go out and lie of France
would come in, which was written something the war of the
succession, was now interpreted to point to the Priece of Brstil
and letionaparte r. and the imperial eagle whirl' was . pre-
served in the Spanish banners after Cherie* the Fifth, and
against which so many denunciations had been poured out,
was the device of this new tyrant. The secret Island hati
lately been seen from the coat of Algarve, and the quay dile
tingtoshed from which Sebastian was to emberic, ,and , the
fleet in which he wits to sail. The tongues of the dumb
had been loused, and an infant of three months had die-
tinctly spoken in Lisbon, to announce his coming. One believer
reed prophecies in the lines of those eee.shells upon whieel
a resemblance to musical characters may be famed... This
effect of this infatuation was, that in whetever happened the
fiebastianists found something to confilm theit faith, and every
fresh calamity was hailed be them as a fulfilinteit of what hal
been foretold. The emigration of the Prince and the entrance
of the French were both in the prophecies, and both, therefittre,
were regarded with complacency by the believers. ' When the
French flag was hoisted they cried Bravo ! these mire til lei T
at the sight of which Bandana, one of the greatest iota
that ever existed shed tears ! During the tumult init then
1,
their cry was, Let them fire ! let them kill ! ail this 1 in the
prophecies ! Thia folly gave occasion to many impoeitidtutewhiat
served less to expose the credulity of individuals,than to
the prevalent delusion. One Sebastianist found a letter from
King Sebastian in the belly of a fish. appointing himlettneet
him at night vii a certain part of the shore. A more.sjtilful trick
wee practieed'upon another with perfect succio: An egg witstpeo-
d u ced with thelettenV. D. S. R.P. die tin ctly traced upon ete Atli ;
the owner of the hen, in whine nest it ems deposited, fully Wier.
ed that it had been laid in this state, end the lettere; we im-
rned lately interpreted to mom Vier Ann Viasilam Iter ctei':,:,..
t'w'it. The tidings spread over the city;, end,crewils. tioeited to
the bowie, Tee arm was sent roand en a 'silver ativorv,:the
higher order of believers.- After it had been the great topic of
conversation for three days, it was carried tie Juno-, LY eifedm
it Will detained at worthy of I sting. placed in thi, Nowa biti.
cieurn at Paris. Theae.thingi nattertellY exeleteletheewretereent
and -ridicule of the French; DevertWesst wheat ,1it1,.4,0.19
put out of remembrance the very names of the Hie*" I;trt
ordered „the AAA *l' wore tiled ater thei Miley *
Queen to be maw, me Porttigucte and the City at ' ' bOW ;
ry
4 be tattled time Mat iethirSt- Sebastian also."