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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2024
While these works were being carried out, the townspeople never stopped bombarding the siege camp, and those from the camp hurled stones from siege engines at the town. When the townspeople saw the aforesaid siege engines finished, fearing to suffer damage from them, they sent word to João Fernandes Pacheco asking him to come and talk with them, so the king sent him there. He came to the barbican, and Álvaro Pérez [de Sotomayor] went to the town wall; they spoke for some time but could not come to an agreement. That day two fiery women came to blows, one from the town and one from the camp; they tugged each other's hair, and the one from the camp was victorious. From then on, every day the cannons and siege engines were shooting at each other; the siege engines did a great deal of damage in the town, but the cannons did not cause any harm.
At this time the queen arrived in Monção, 3 leagues from Melgaço; with her came Doctor João das Regras, João Afonso de Santarém and other knights. Then the queen went to the Convent of Feães, a league from Melgaço. At the same time, Count Gonçalo and João Rodrigues Pereira arrived at the camp. The count's men skirmished with the men of the town; some were wounded on both sides, but no one was killed.
A message came to the king that the town of Salvatierra [de Miño], which Dom Pedro had given to him, had been handed over by a notary and two men-at-arms to Pay Sorredea. The king at once sent the Prior [of the Order of the Hospitallers] there with many men, but they could accomplish nothing.
Wishing to move his siege engines so as to attack the town, the king told the queen to come and watch the day of the assault. She came there on Monday, 3 March, after she had eaten. The king ordered the belfry with all its devices to be deployed against the town, as had been planned. It was moved by manpower, although it was fully 18 fathoms high; then, he had one siege ladder moved forward, and then the other, till both were facing the town wall, separated one from the other.
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