34 - How the noblemen in the King of Castile's army came to speak to the constable, and concerning the conversation they had with him

Summary

By the time the king had drawn up his battle formation facing Leiria, from where the enemy were due to approach, and which lay a good two leagues distant, it was already well into the morning, around ten o’clock. Meanwhile, as many as wished to be so were dubbed knight by the king, and he uttered to his men many words to build up their courage, telling them to be strong and daring and to trust in God, Who was bound to help them, for they were fighting to defend a just cause.

While he was thus lying in wait, the King of Castile's forces started to appear. There were so many of them spread across the land that anybody who saw them could not possibly imagine that the Portuguese could fare well against them. The foot soldiers, bearing their shields, and the crossbowmen led the way, resembling droves of cows and great herds of a variety of livestock so that hills and vales were hidden beneath the vast multitude of their ranks. With the sun beating down on their shining armour, they appeared to be far more numerous than people said they were, so that there is no point in asking whether the sight of them struck terror and awe into those who beheld them. Advancing very slowly, they reached a point close to the Portuguese. The sun now stood at noon. When they saw the Portuguese in position, right across the road on which the church dedicated to Saint George now stands, they chose not to confront them there, but started off towards Aljubarrota, to their seaward. The Portuguese concluded that they did not want to give battle and said to one another, ‘The Devil take them! They’re heading off and don't want to fight!’

At this point, with the Castilian forces manoeuvring in this fashion, they started to come to a halt at a good distance from the Portuguese and there they rested and took their ease. In order to discover the disposition of the Portuguese, the King of Castile summoned Pero López de Ayala, Diego Fernández, who was the Marshal of Castile, and Diogo Álvares, who was the constable's brother, and enjoined them to go and raise a number of matters with the constable, demonstrating to him how they held this conversation to be of interest for both sides.