o lose his life and his country's
freedom.

[Sidenote: Tomb in Graca, Santarem.]

The first governor of Ceuta was Dom Pedro de Menezes, count of Viana.
There he died in 1437, after having for twenty-two years bravely
defended and governed the city--then, as is inscribed on his tomb, the
only place in Africa possessed by Christians. This tomb, which was made
at the command of his daughter Dona Leonor, stands in the church of the
Graca at Santarem, a church which had been founded by his grandfather
the count of Ourem in 1376 for canons regular of St. Augustine. Inside
the church itself is not very remarkable,[86] having a nave and aisles
with transepts and three vaulted chapels to the east, built very much in
the same style as is the church at Leca do Balio, except that it has a
fine west front, to be mentioned later, that the roof of the nave was
knocked down by the Devil in 1548 in anger at the extreme piety of Frey
Martinho de Santarem, one of the canons, and that many famous people,
including Pedro Alvares Cabral, the discoverer of Brazil, are therein
buried.

In general outline the tomb of the count of Viana is not unlike that of
his master Dom Joao, but it is much more highly decorated. On eight
crouching lions rests a large altar-tomb. It has a well-moulded and
carved base and an elaborately carved cornice, rich with deeply undercut
foliage, while on the top lie Pedro de Menezes and his wife Dona Beatriz
Coutinho, with elaborately carved canopies at their heads, and pedestals
covered with figures and foliage at their feet. Beneath the cornice on
each of the longer sides is cut in Gothic letters a long inscription
telling of Dom Pedro's life, and lower down and on all four sides there
is in the middle a shield, now much damaged, with the Menezes arms. On
each side of these shields are carved spreading branches, knotted round
a circle in the centre in which is cut the word 'Aleo.' Once, when
playing with King Joao at a game in which some kind of club or mallet
was used, the news came that the Moors were collecting in great numbers
to attack Ceuta. The king, turning to Dom Pedro, asked him what
reinforcements he would need to withstand the attack; the governor
answered: 'This "Aleo," or club, will be enough,' and in fact, returning
at once to his command, he was able without further help to drive back
the enemy. So this word has been carved on his tomb to recall how well
he did his duty.[87] (Fig. 39.)

[Sidenote