123 - What the king said to Nuno Álvares concerning his challenge and the reasons he gave him in reply

Summary

The prior and Nuno Álvares reached Lisbon, where the king was, and as soon as the king saw Nuno Álvares, he asked him how the undertaking he had set in motion with Juan de Osórez, the son of the Castilian Master of Santiago of Castile, was progressing.

‘My liege,’ said Nuno Álvares, ‘Your Grace knows it as well if not better than I.’ Then the king spoke, saying, ‘Would you really do what you started out to do?’

‘I swear to God, Sire,’ he answered, ‘I would do it, and that most willingly.’ The king inquired of him what the reason was which moved him to it. Nuno Álvares replied as follows:

‘Sire, Your Grace should be aware that I do have a great desire – after being raised by you, and having received, along with my father and family, so many favours from you (and hoping, indeed, for more to come) – to serve you in anything in which my service might please you. Furthermore, I have considered how the Castilian Master of Santiago has done you disservices in this war. Indeed, I am not in a position to call upon many men nor for the present moment can I thwart him in any other way, seeing how good a knight is Juan de Osórez his son, whom he loves greatly. For those reasons, I decided to challenge him, as in fact I did, to mortal combat, ten men against ten, as Your Grace well knows. There were two reasons for this. First, if it were to please God that I got the better of him, that would bring his father great sadness and displeasure, thus making amends for the damage he has caused you in your own land, since for the time being my power does not go beyond that. Second, if I were to die there, I know I would have died well, as it would have been both in my own honour and in your service. Therefore, Sire, I ask that in your mercy you be pleased by it anyway and that I may have your permission to carry out my earnest wishes in this affair.’