DISCOVERIES OF THE PORTUGUESE. 73 
present, declaring her total ignorance of the fact 
alluded to ; and having afterwards seen the king, 
she satisfied him that his information, as to these 
nightly excursions, was entirely unfounded. The 
violence of his resentment was thus appeased ; 
but a coolness continued till his death, which hap- 
pened soon after. Panso Aquitimo then took 
advantage of being on the spot, and of the fa- 
vour of his heathen countrymen, to seize the va- 
cant throne, without regard to the rights of his 
elder brother. Alfonso, on receiving the intelli- 
gence, repaired to a post near the capital, where 
he was only able to collect thirty-six Christians ; 
while the cries of his brother's troops, heard from 
a prodigious distance, announced the numerous 
army by whom he was supported. Alfonso, how- 
ever, we are assured, sent strict orders to his ad- 
herents by no means to come to his aid, as he 
placed his sole reliance on the aid of heaven, and 
wished nothing which could diminish the splendour 
of the miracle which was to be wrought in his fa- 
vour. Accordingly, in a few days, he and his 
brother came to action ; when Alfonso began by 
invoking the aid of the Apostle St James. St 
James appeared in the clouds, bearing the sign of 
the cross, and attended by "a numerous cavalry 
of angels at sight of whom the unbelieving army 
fled with such precipitation, that their chiefs were 
left in the rear, and unable to save themselves. 
