105 - How the prince left Court feeling sorrowful and went to the Minho

Summary

The king left the place where he was and went to the province of the Alentejo. Before his departure, and then afterwards, the prince spoke of his marriage in conversation with the queen and with those to whom it was convenient for him to speak of it. Both the queen, who had no desire for the marriage, and the others, knowing her wishes, made the prince understand that it could not happen as quickly as he wanted since the princess would first have to be disengaged from the Duke of Benavente, to whom she had been betrothed with great assurances, as he knew well. After this, it would be necessary to get a dispensation for their marriage so that it could be as strong and valid as it should be, and this could not be done immediately for the time being but required such preparation and time as was appropriate for such an act. With these and other arguments, they went on deluding him, anointing his lips with sweet words of good hope, in such a way that he gathered from their words and behaviour that this matter would much later or never come to fruition.

Angry at such excuses and delays, the prince left the Court at a place called Vimieiro, took the road for Oporto and went up to the Minho where he wandered for a while. From there, he went to Beira, and while wandering in this way he eventually understood that he was being duped. He started to grow sad and become much aggrieved; so much so that in equal measure to how he had previously left feeling pleased after Dona Maria's death, having taken revenge for a crime that had not been committed, he afterwards frequently drew aside to weep, mourning her death, blaming himself a great deal for the evil he had done. He thus lived a grievous life. His men also had a very bad time of it, for he got few and scanty maintenance payments and grants from the king with the result that they pawned their arms and clothing until they no longer had anything to pawn other than alaunts and running-hounds.

In this state of poverty, the prince made his way to the banks of the River Coa, and there they lived their waste of a life.