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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 December 2023
Once the king had decided that his fleet should fight on the river, as we have said, he ordered two galleys to go beyond the mouth of the river to act as lookouts, and wait there; they were to let him know as soon as they spotted the Portuguese fleet approaching.
While the galleys lay 7 leagues from the city, at a place called Mata-Palombas, the whole Portuguese fleet came into view together. It was made up of seventeen naos and seventeen galleys, as you have heard. As soon as the two galleys saw them, they went to deliver the news to the King of Castile and the men of his fleet. When these men were informed that the Portuguese fleet had appeared, all the crews of the Castilian galleys rose to their feet and started to brandish their unsheathed swords and other weapons, jeering and shouting, with great excitement, thinking that they would vanquish the fleet the following day, and that once they had done so the city would be taken immediately. This took place just over an hour before sunset. The people in the city could see the men of the fleet making such a display of their merriment, but they did not know why they were so excited. At this point the [Portuguese] fleet reached Cascais after their [noon] meal on that day, which was Sunday, 17 July of the year already mentioned.
With the [Portuguese] fleet at anchor in that place, which was 5 leagues from the city, its captains discussed how they would enter the Tagus and how the fight should proceed. Some said that, since the King of Castile had many men and a much larger fleet than they did, they ought not to pull too far out into the open sea because there were many landlubbers on board who were not used to the sea, and who might get seasick; but if the Castilian naos followed them, they could turn round and attack when they saw fit, and this would greatly help them overcome the Castilians. They talked to one another about this and many other possibilities, but they could not come to a final decision.
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