‘Sire, we told Nuno Álvares everything you told us to say, as well as all that we deemed to be in your service and best interests. However, his final reply was that the only relevant course of action was to place matters in God's hands and to test them on the field of battle. As for your question as to how your forces should proceed, our opinion is that, subject to correction on the part of Your Grace and of all the noblemen and great lords here present, you ought to proceed as follows: the day is already well advanced, and it will soon be evening; most of your troops have had nothing to eat or drink and are disgruntled with the heat and the long march; besides, many of the foot soldiers and crossbowmen haven't even arrived yet, because they’re accompanying the baggage carts and the army's mule train. Moreover, in our opinion, though the vanguard of your battle formation is worthily and nobly disposed, the two wings, where many valiant knights are to be found, from what we can see of their deployment, will benefit you little, because they have two valleys ahead of them which they cannot cross, either to hold back the enemy or to go and help the vanguard.