61 - How King Fernando refused to address his people as he had promised, and secretly left Lisbon

Summary

Have no doubt that all the nobility and advisers of the king were greatly pleased at this gathering which the people were organizing, because they realized that they were doing it out of their love for the king's service and to preserve his honour. Besides, as the king cared not one bit for the advice they had to give him, they concluded that in this way he would be obliged to abandon Dona Leonor.

The following day, many people made their way to the great portico of the Monastery of São Domingos, where the king had undertaken to come and listen to the reasons which they were planning to present to him as to why this marriage was inappropriate. Among the many people who came were all the members of the royal judiciary.

Before the king was due to arrive, Fernão Vasques, whose task it was to present the people's case, began to address those magistrates as follows. ‘Sirs, the good folk gathered here have charged me with declaring to the king, our liege lord, what they consider to be in his best service and to his greater honour. Since statute requires that, when the principal parties are present, the task of any spokesman should cease in matters which those parties are able to express well, and since you are the principal parties in this affair, which is of greater relevance to you than to us, then you should be making this case, not I. However, though that is so, I shall state what I have been charged to say, because you have no wish to get involved in the matter, revealing thereby that you care little about the honour and service of the king, our liege lord.’

While they were all there waiting and advancing many and various arguments about the matter, the king learned about it while still in his palace. Realizing that they were all becoming very excited and that in general their arguments were against the marriage, he refused to go to the monastery and left the city with Dona Leonor in the utmost secrecy.