103 - How the prince arrived in Coimbra to kill Dona Maria, and concerning the words he had with her before he killed her

Summary

The day that the prince left Tomar, he went to sleep at a place called Espinhal. At midnight, he rode with his men to Foz de Arouce and from there to Almalaguês in the district of Coimbra; arriving in the olive groves of the city, he descended to the River Mondego a little before the Monastery of Santa Ana, which is beside the great bridge. At that place, the prince called all those whom he found with him and made them keep still. He drew apart from them to talk to Diogo Afonso and Garcia Afonso do Sobrado, and having done so he called the others to his side and began to speak:

‘All of you who are thus here together are my vassals and criados, as you were of my father. I have great trust in you because you are of good breeding and lineage, and I should not do anything that you do not know about first. Although until now I concealed some things from you concerning my affairs, you should not blame me because it was necessary for me to do so. Now I make it known to you that I have been told that Dona Maria, the queen’s sister, continues to say in public that she is my wife and I her husband, and that she has documents and noble witnesses to prove it. Either this thing is true or it is not. If it were true, it should have been kept in great secrecy for her honour and mine. Now that, from her side, something has been brought up and discovered, which could bring great danger and harm to me, and likewise to her, I am going to go where she is, to talk to her and deal with her as befits my honour and estate.’

To this, one and all replied that they were ready and prepared, not only for this which was nothing, but also for the greatest thing that could happen to him. He thanked them very much.