_ 479 _ I am quite prepared to help Luis Falcão in this matter both because of the service that I thereby render to Your Lordship and because of his friendship and the goodwill I see he has to serve the King our Lord in this matter. It is true that this evil is so common to all that [...] and a reason why they are giving their lives and property to build a fortress on an island near Basra. In order to build it, I am offering to take as many ships laden with plaster and stone and all the other building materials needed for that work as can be transported at short notice. I am most certainly prepared to help with everything else that is needed by that island, and to attend to this business immediately. Furthermore, since Luis Falcão will write in more detail about the vitality and drive of this people, I shall say no more to Your Lordship in this letter except, "May Our Lord give you life and health so that you complete this task as well as possible and as is most in your interests". Item Your Lordship should have given permission to the King of Ormuz to have a fortress built in this land of Arabia so that, if something happened, it would be possible to shelter the common people, and in this way the soldiers could attend to what was to be done with greater resolve, because if they believed their possessions and their wives
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