While King Juan was in Santarém, from among the noblemen of the realm, the following great lords and captains were present there with him: Don Enrique Manuel de Villena, the son of Don Juan Manuel, who was the Count of Seia and held Sintra; Dom Pedro Álvares Pereira, who was Prior of the Order of the Hospitallers; Count João Afonso, Queen Leonor's brother; the Count of Viana; Gonçalo Vasques de Azevedo, who held Torres Novas; Vasco Peres de Camões, who held Alenquer; João Gonçalves Teixeira, who held Óbidos; Diogo Álvares and Fernão Pereira, brothers of the said Prior of Crato [Pedro Álvares Pereira]; Vasco Martins da Cunha, along with Martim Vasques, Gil Vasques and Vasco Martins his sons; Vasco Martins de Melo; João Afonso Pimentel; João Rodrigues Portocarreiro; Martim Gonçalves de Ataíde; Afonso Gomes da Silva; Fernão Gomes da Silva; Martim Afonso de Melo and his brother Vasco Martins, along with their sons; Fernão Gonçalves de Sousa; Gonçalo Rodrigues de Sousa; and, throughout the kingdom, many other noble knights who held mighty fortresses in obedience to the king's command.

Of these great lords and nobles who came to Santarém the king ordered a number to return to their towns and villages, whereas others remained in his company. It is important that you should know that all the great lords and noblemen who remained there with him, as well as those who went back to the castles which they had already offered him, were in receipt of wages authorised by the king with which to pay for a certain number of lances who would serve him. Among those nobles was Gonçalo Vasques de Azevedo, to whom he authorised payment of wages for 100 lances.

Gonçalo Vasques possessed a great household and came accompanied by many honourable squires who resided with him, for example Rodrigo Eanes de Buarcos, Vasco Rodrigues Leitão, João Rodrigues da Mota and other similarly reliable men. One day he went to the palace, having left instructions to his bursar to pay wages to all his men as he had previously ordained. The bursar placed three heaps of money on a table, one consisting of florins, another of silver reais and the other of general coinage.