Now that we have shown that the King and Queen of Castile do not possess the right qualities to rule Portugal, let us see if we can find some other close relatives who might be able to rule in their stead. Indeed, we have them on hand, and they are the Princes João and Dinis, the sons of King Pedro. Many people think it is redundant to discuss whether or not they should inherit the throne. That is because, just as any man who wants to find salvation will never cast doubt on the faith he believes in, so with regard to these princes, such people, with no further doubt, are always willing to hear that they are legitimate heirs, without finding anything that might be contrary thereto. Since some people are inclined towards this idea and lest we should make a careless mistake, let us weigh up this matter well, without being bound by any affection, and let us give it a fair judgement as reason and the law demand, so that we can see whether the truth contradicts the wishes of such people.

As all our explanations must be clearly set forth in order to arrive at certainty on this point, without other arguments or further disputes, venerable truth first requires that two things concerning this issue be known. One is whether Dona Inês was, in fact, the wife of King Pedro. The other is, even if he should marry her, whether she could be his lawful wife and their offspring could succeed. The fact that many people believe that he had taken her to wife is no surprise, for having seen the sworn statements made by the king and others on this matter and likewise the explanation put forward by the Count of Barcelos in this city at the time, as well as a letter of dispensation which was made public before everyone, it is natural to think that she was, without a shadow of doubt, his wife.

Since all these things are well known, and there are many here who were present at those events, I do not intend to dwell further on how they came to pass.