Chapter 120 - How the Lisbon galleys arrived at Oporto, and how the crews joined the men of the city to fight the Galicians

Summary

The next day at dawn, they all armed themselves and went forth through the Olival Gate, because they had heard that those men intended to come from that direction, and they went out to await them for a long while, a long distance from the city. As they waited there, the galleys arrived, which we have said had left from Lisbon, all pavisaded and well-equipped. Sounding their trumpets with great joy, calling out their greetings according to the custom of seafarers, they anchored in front of the city. Those who had remained inside and had not gone forth, when they saw the galleys, were very happy about them, and sent word to the others at once. As for the men of the galleys, as soon as they arrived and were told how the men of the city had gone forth to fight the enemy troops, then, without further delay or hesitation, they unshipped the gangplanks and all leaped ashore with the banner of the Master unfurled before them, namely: Gonçalo Rodrigues de Sousa; Rui Pereira; Afonso Furtado; Estêvão Vasques Filipe; Gonçalo Vasques, the son of Vasco Martins de Melo, and his brother [Vasco Martins de Melo, the Younger]; Antão Vasques; Aires Vasques de Alvalade; and other noblemen and galley masters, and with them around 300 lances, 500 crossbowmen, and 3,500 galley rowers. Thus there were in all, with the men of the city already mentioned, 1,000 men-at-arms, 800 crossbowmen, and 5,000 foot soldiers, all with a great will to fight.

When the Galicians heard that the Portuguese galleys had arrived, and how the men they brought in them had joined forces with the men of the city, they were very perturbed at the news, so that they quite lost the hope in which they had trusted. However, since they were sure that the men of the town were not mounted, they remained quietly where they were. When the Portuguese learned of this, they reached agreement among themselves, saying, ‘Since it is the case that they do not want to come to us, let us go and seek them out where they are, and let no one show tiredness as long as we are able to walk, for otherwise we would be mocked by them.’