143 - Concerning the message that Vasco Martins received, that he should kill the Master and Gonçalo Vasques, and how he did not wish to do so

Summary

As soon as it was known that the Master and Gonçalo Vasques de Azevedo were taken prisoner, everyone was amazed at this news. Rumours were soon current throughout the kingdom regarding the queen's responsibility for their arrest, and the manner in which she had worked to bring it about, as well as her reason for doing so. Nobody could suspect anything bad of them; rather, everyone was very saddened by their arrest and surprised at the king for not understanding that they could not be guilty. They really thought that such things would end badly, and men's minds were full of confused thoughts.

At this point, various accounts have arisen, to the effect that immediately on the night when they were arrested, the queen had a false warrant drawn up; it appeared to have been signed by the king's hand, ordering the knight who had them in his power, as soon as he saw it, to have them beheaded without delay. If the warrant was itself very urgent, there was a yet greater urgency in the manner of its delivery in the king's name.

When Vasco Martins saw the warrant, he was quite amazed that such a thing was happening. Whilst he perceived that they were arrested through the queen's doing, he had his doubts about the warrant, because he knew that many such warrants went through in the king's name in that fashion. However, he said to the man who brought it that he would carry out what was contained in it. Soon afterwards, another messenger came in the king’s name to find out if what he had ordered had been done, and he said it had not. The second messenger departed, and a further messenger arrived with another warrant which was even more urgent than the first, in which the king ordered Vasco Martins to have their heads cut off immediately, saying that he was very displeased that the deed had not yet been done.

Since the man who brought it was so urgent, and Vasco Martins saw the whole thing as very dubious, he said to him, ‘My friend, you can see that it is already dead of night and an hour at which justice is not normally carried out.