16 - How the king left Guimarães for Ponte de Lima

Summary

When Estêvão Rodrigues realised that the participants in this plan were letting him down in this way and that everything that they had planned and agreed was coming to nothing, he resolutely decided to carry on with what he had begun and spoke to his brother as to how he might help him. Having agreed not to fall short in any way, several days went by after this until the king captured Guimarães. When news of this resounded throughout the region, Estêvão Rodrigues sent a message to the friar, telling him to go immediately to inform the king that, on a specific day that he appointed to him, he should set out and would recover the town. Delighted to receive such news and keeping everything to himself, the king sent a message to the count in Braga, which lay 3 leagues away and where he still was stationed, fully informing him of the situation. He commanded him to make ready swiftly in order to accompany him, indicating a certain place where he should await him, so that they could join forces. The count did as he was commanded and set out at once for the designated place. Having made these arrangements, the king ate a meal and then quietly set out accompanied by ample forces with which to fulfil his objective and feigned to be making for the monastery at Costa, so that nobody should grasp his true intent.

However, despite all this, when the king set out, a man who was active in that area as a scout hurried at once to Ponte de Lima to inform Lope Gómez as follows:

‘You should be aware that the king has left Guimarães, and that nobody knows where he is going. But some people assert that he's making for the monastery at Costa, whereas others say that he's going to Vila Real.’

‘Surely, he’ll be heading to attack Vila Real’, answered Lope Gómez. ‘That's a town held by João Rodrigues Portocarreiro. But don't worry, let him go wherever he pleases. Tell him to scratch about in the soil for he won't damage the hedge.