"And now, O king," the kneeling Egas cries,
"Behold my perjured honor's sacrifice:
If such mean victims can atone thine ire,
Here let my wife, my babes, myself expire.
If gen'rous bosoms such revenge can take,
Here let them perish for the father's sake:
The guilty tongue, the guilty hands are these,
Nor let a common death thy wrath appease;
For us let all the rage of torture burn,
But to my prince, thy son, in friendship turn."

Touched by the patriotism and devotion of Moniz, the foe not only
spared his life, but showered favors upon him and even allowed him to
go home.

The king, thus saved from vassalage by the devotion of Moniz, is
considered the first independent ruler of Portugal. Shortly after this
occurrence, he defeated five Moorish rulers in the battle of Ourique,
where the Portuguese claim he was favored with the appearance of a
cross in the sky. Because of this miracle, the Portuguese monarch
incorporated a cross on his shield, surrounding it with five coins,
said to represent the five kings he defeated. Later on, being made a
prisoner at Badajoz, he abdicated in favor of his son.

After proudly enumerating the heroic deeds of various Alphonsos and
Sanchos of Portugal, Da Gama related the touching tale of Fair Inez de
Castro (retold by Mrs. Hemans), to whom Don Pedro, although she was
below him in station, was united by a secret marriage. For several
years their happiness was unbroken and several children had been born
to them before the king, Don Pedro's father, discovered this alliance.