so be that we have your favour and dwell among Christians. Only for the
love of God, and for the remedy of your own soul, give us one church
with its dwelling-houses within the city, and confirm unto us the gifts
made to us in old times by your forefathers, and the good men to whom
God give a happy rest. With that the King turned to his sons and his
soldiers, and said, Of a truth, by our Creator, these who desire so
little are men of God. I would have given them half the city, and they
will have only a single church! Now therefore, since they require but
this, on the part of God Almighty let us grant and confirm unto them
what they ask, to the honour of God and St. Mamede. And the brethren
brought him their charters of King Ramiro, and King Bermudo, and King
Alfonso, and of Gonzalo Moniz, who was a knight and married a daughter
of King Bermudo, and of other good men. And the King confirmed them,
and he bade them make a writing of all which had passed between him and
them at the siege of Coimbra; and when they brought him the writing,
they brought him also a crown of silver and of gold, which had been
King Bermudo's and which Gonzalo Moniz had given to the Monastery in
honour of God and St. Mamede. The King saw the crown, how it was set
with precious stones, and said to them, To what end bring ye hither
this crown? And they said, That you should take it, Sire, in return for
the good which you have done us. But he answered, Far be it from me
that I should take from your Monastery what the good men before me have
given to it! Take ye back the crown, and take also ten marks of silver,
and make with the money a good cross, to remain with you for ever. And
he who shall befriend you, may God befriend him; but he who shall
disturb you or your Monastery, may he be cursed by the living God and
by his Saints. So the King signed the writing which he had commanded to
be made, and his sons and chief captains signed it also, and in the
writing he enjoined his children and his children's children, as many
as should come after him, to honour and protect the Monastery of