While the fleet was making preparations in Oporto, getting ready to sail as you have heard, the King of Castile had spies positioned along the road, so that every day he was informed of what was happening in that city. A few days before the fleet was due to leave, he was told on which day it would come out of the estuary. He sent for Fernán Sánchez de Tovar, his High Admiral, and Pero Afán de Ribera, captain of the naos, and spoke to them, saying, ‘I want you to get all the commanders of the galleys and masters of the naos assembled here tomorrow, for I wish to discuss with you and them a few things that concern my service.’

The next day they did as the king had asked and assembled the commanders of the galleys and the masters of the naos, whose names were on the roll. The king went with them into the Monastery of Santos, taking with him some knights, such as Pedro Fernández de Velasco, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, the Count of Mayorga and a few others. The king ordered the guards to close the gates and move people away from the area around the monastery so that no one could hear what was being said inside it. The king sat down on the steps of the high altar, which had been arranged appropriately. A missal was placed there and, when everyone was seated before him, on both sides, the king addressed them, saying: ‘I have summoned you here in council in order to consult you all about something. But before you hear what I am going to tell you, you must swear to me on the Holy Gospels that not a word of what I shall talk to you about here will be revealed until such time as is necessary for it to be made known.’

When they had all sworn, he went on to add: ‘In spite of the oath that you have all taken, I forbid each one of you, on pain of treason, to speak of any matter which will now be mentioned here to either a relative or a friend, or anyone else whomsoever. You must not disclose anything or give the slightest inkling to anyone, unless I order you to do so, or when it is set in motion.’