138 - Concerning the arguments that Nuno Álvares put to his men to encourage them to fight, and what happened to him when alone fighting the Castilians

Summary

When Nuno Álvares saw that at this point he could not inflict any more damage, he gathered before him those that came with him and went up on to a mound facing the door of the Monastery of Santos, a place that could easily be spotted by those in the [enemy] fleet, who could see how the followers of Nuno Álvares ran after their men and forced them to throw themselves into the water. In their anger, they recovered their courage, and out of the naos came some 250 men-at-arms with long lances and many crossbowmen and foot soldiers, eager to fight, as later events revealed.

When Nuno Álvares saw the boats come out, he was very pleased at their approach, like one who had as much taste for the game as they, and he began to urge on his horse, and encouraged his men with the following words:

‘Friends and brothers, you well know the objective with which you came out of the city, which I need not repeat. I believe you have ready before you what you came to seek, for which you should be joyful, because that is the case with me. So I now ask all of you, since what we desire has been placed in our hands, to take pleasure in remembering your rank and honour, and to fight doggedly without turning your backs on the enemy, come what may. In this, with God's help, I shall be the first to attack them, and you shall follow, doing as I do. You can be certain they’ll not resist you if they sense your strength but will immediately turn their backs, because they have no hope of support, and that way you’ll defeat them.’

These and other worthy arguments that Nuno Álvares put to his men to encourage them were of no avail at that moment, for they saw that already many men from the fleet had landed, and were advancing towards them, getting very close, with the result that their fear grew and grew as they awaited their onset. Recognizing their fear, Nuno Álvares tried to encourage them as much as he could, but his gentle words, mixed with harsh shouting, could not persuade them. Indeed, they demonstrated by moving off and refusing to wait so that they neither heard nor paid him any heed.