77 - How Count Alfonso attacked Cascais, and García Rodríguez [Taborda] was taken prisoner in a skirmish

Summary

Customary as it was for those in the city to skirmish with those outside, both at the Iron Gate and at the Sea Gate that we have mentioned, one day several Portuguese went forth from within the city wall to skirmish with their enemies. As they were charging them, their strength and daring grew so much that they drove them back along the Rua Nova, fully halfway down the street. King Enrique was watching from the belvedere of São Francisco, where he was lodging, and saw, in complete safety, everything that was happening. While he was praising in the presence of his men the boldness of those Portuguese who were behaving in that way, so many of his men rallied to provide aid in that skirmish that they forced those from the city to take refuge within its walls, and not without having to escape grave danger. García Rodríguez, the chief bailiff of King Fernando, was taken captive there, without anyone else being captured nor any death on either side. Those who were captured in that way were exchanged for one another, and in some cases for an agreed ransom.

At this point, Count Alfonso, son of King Enrique, went with 400 lances to attack a walled town called Cascais, which is very close to the sea, 5 leagues from Lisbon. The few townspeople, who could not defend it, surrendered to him at once without a battle, and the Castilians took prisoner whomsoever they wished, looted the town of much wealth and returned with it to the city [of Lisbon]. In this manner, the captains who had come with King Enrique spread out around the outskirts of the city to forage, without being hindered by anyone. They carried off great booty of many and varied things and cut down vines and olives and other trees, setting fire to many farmhouses, which they totally destroyed.

Thus with the Castilians on one side and the men of King Fernando on the other, there was a double flame that consumed and destroyed the land. Since it was from the houses that were closest to the wall that those in the city suffered harm, with arrows being fired at them, at times from inside the houses, they decided to burn them all down, so that their enemies might not hide in them.