_ 407 _ infidels in the service of God and the Kings of Portugal, shedding much blood and at the price of their lives. This would be a lawful obstacle in the case of Refoios and also of Pombeiro, with the addition of the rights of Frei Felipe, which Your Highness should make the chief reason why, with any justice, it cannot be given to another. Then, Your Highness can leave it to the elected man and his kinsmen to make their protests and lamentations, and you can lawfully prevent possession being taken of the property and delay it for a thousand years, and the Pope will have no reason to say that they are not obeying him. Everyone will consider Your Highness's handling of the situation very judicious everywhere, and the Pope will be held to have committed an injury. When I was in conversation with Cardinal Borromeo a few days ago, he swore to me that he had been promised five thousand cruzados in Rome for this monastery, whether he took possession of it or not. When I told him that he should give it up, and made it clear to him the punishment that would be given to such a Portuguese, he told me that he promised that if he had to reach an agreement, it would only be through me, that he wanted to know how much it produced and to have the property, and that then, he would talk about it.
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