The king of Portugal sent the baron of Alvito on a diplomatic mission to the Emperor Charles V, King of Spain.
The baron entered Castile accompanied by a glittering retinue of eighteen knights. At one point, a Castilian who was astonished at the number of knights asked them:
— “Do you gentlemen intend to conquer Castile?”
— “Had I come for that I would have brought fewer Portuguese,” answered the baron proudly.
José Hermano Saraiva, Ditos portugueses dignos de memória (Sintra: Europa-América, 1997).
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 373
