_ 152 _ pleasure, but by this Your Lordship does not relieve me of my duty to defend this kingdom, and to indulge the people and show them friendship in many other ways so that they help me to defend it. This, sir, is not done without money, because the men cannot live on their pay and maintenance allowance, especially since there are many fidalgos and knights who do not have quarters and a salary form the King. I have to give them my own money, and I do not have so much that it would not be a charity to be publicly for alms throughout the city for me, rather than for captive. Because of these needs, it is in His Highness’s service that Your Lordship should approve of my paying twenty pardaus to a man [if he is wounded or sick] when I send them to serve His Highness. If Your Lordship saw fit to give this power to the captains of Diu, who are in a [...], Your Lordship should consider how great are the needs of the captain of so large a kingdom as this one is, which he must defend sword in hand, for it cannot be defended with money, as has been done up to now, because there is none. Returning to the favour I requested. I say, sir, that I have often written to Your Lordship to send me a writ by which I could bring the factor to account when he tells me that he has no money. This is something that would be in
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