Chronicle Of The Cid
by
Various
Part 5 out of 5
themselves, and to take vengeance for King Don Alfonso, and for him,
and for themselves, that he might receive good tidings from them in
Valencia. And they took his counsel well, as they afterwards manifested
when there was occasion. But Martin Antolinez made answer, Why do you
say this, Sir? we have undertaken the business and we shall go through
it; and they said unto him, God have you in his guidance. Sir, and be
you sure and certain, that by the mercy and help of God we shall so
demean ourselves as to come to you without shame. But if for our sins
it should betide otherwise, never more shall we appear before you dead
or living,... for slain we may be, but never vanquished. Then he bade
them return to the King, praying to God to have them in his keeping,
and assist them in fulfilling their demand, as he knew that their cause
was right.
BOOK X.
I. Now King Alfonso misdoubted the Infantes of Carrion that they would
not appear at the time appointed, and therefore he said that he would
go to Carrion, and the battle should be fought there. And he took with
him the Counts whom he had appointed Alcaldes, and Pero Bermudez and
Martin Antolinez and Muno Gustioz went with the Count Don Remond, to
whose charge the King had given them. And on the third day after the
Cid departed from Toledo the King set forth for Carrion; but it so
chanced that he fell sick upon the road, and could not arrive within
the three weeks, so that the term was enlarged to five. And when the
King's health was restored he proceeded and reached Carrion, and gave
order that the combat should be performed, and appointed the day, and
named the plain of Carrion for the place thereof. And the Infantes came
there with a great company of all their friends and kindred, for their
kinsmen were many and powerful; and they all came with one accord, that
if before the battle they could find any cause they would kill the
knights of the Cid: nevertheless, though they had determined upon this
they dared not put it in effect, because they stood in fear of the
King.
II. And when the night came of which the morrow was appointed for the
combat, they on one side and on the other kept vigil in the Churches,
each in that Church to which he had the most devotion. Night is past
away, and the dawn is now breaking; and at day-break a great multitude
was assembled in the field, and many Ricos-omes came there for the
pleasure which they would have in seeing this battle, and the King sent
and commanded the champions to make ready. Moreover he made the two
Counts his sons-in-law, Don Anrrich and Don Remond, and the other
Counts and their people, arm themselves and keep the field, that the
kinsmen of the Infantes might not make a tumult there. Who can tell the
great dole and sorrow of Count Gonzalo Gonzalez for his sons the
Infantes of Carrion, because they had to do battle this day! and in the
fullness of his heart he curst the day and the hour in which he was
born, for his heart divined the sorrow which he was to have for his
children. Great was the multitude which was assembled from all Spain to
behold this battle. And there in the field near the lists the champions
of the Cid armed themselves on one side, and the Infantes on the other.
And Count Don Remond armed the knights of the Cid, and instructed them
how to do their devoir, and Count Garci Ordonez helped arm the Infantes
of Carrion and their uncle Suero Gonzalez, and they sent to ask the
King of his favour that he would give command that the swords Colada
and Tizona should not be used in that combat. But the King would not,
and he answered that each must take the best sword and the best arms
that he could, save only that the one should not have more than the
other. Greatly were they troubled at this reply, and greatly did they
fear those good swords, and repent that they had taken them to the
Cortes of Toledo. And from that hour the Infantes and Suero Gonzalez
bewrayed in their countenances that they thought ill of what they had
done, and happy men would they have thought themselves if they had not
committed that great villainy, and he if he had not counselled it; and
gladly would they have given all that they had in Carrion so it could
now have been undone.
III. And the King went to the place where the Infantes were arming, and
said unto them, If ye feared these swords ye should have said so in the
Cortes of Toledo, for that was the place, and not this; ... there is
now nothing to be done but to defend yourselves stoutly, as ye have
need against those with whom ye have to do. Then went he to the knights
of the Cid, whom he found armed; and they kissed his hand and said unto
him, Sir, the Cid hath left us in your hand, and we beseech you see
that no wrong be done us in this place, where the Infantes of Carrion
have their party; and by God's mercy we will do ourselves right upon
them. And the King bade them have no fear for that. Then their horses
were brought, and they crost the saddles, and mounted, with their
shields hanging from the neck; and they took their spears, each of
which had its streamer, and with many good men round about they went to
the lists; and on the other side the Infantes and Count Suero Gonzalez
came up with a great company of their friends and kinsmen and vassals.
And the King said with a loud voice, Hear what I say, Infantes of
Carrion!... this combat I would have had waged in Toledo, but ye said
that ye were not ready to perform it there, and therefore I am come to
this which is your native place, and have brought the knights of the
Cid with me. They are come here under my safeguard. Let not therefore
you nor your kinsmen deceive yourselves, thinking to overpower them by
tumult, or in any other way than by fair combat; for whosoever shall
begin a tumult, I have given my people orders to cut him in pieces upon
the spot, and no enquiry shall be made touching the death of him who
shall so have offended. Full sorrowful were the Infantes of Carrion for
this command which the King had given. And the King appointed twelve
knights who were hidalgos to be true-men and place the combatants in
the lists, and show them the bounds at what point they were to win or
to be vanquished, and to divide the sun between them. And he went with
a wand in his hand, and saw them placed on both sides; then he went out
of the lists, and gave command that the people should fall back, and
not approach within seven spears-length of the lines of the lists.
IV. Now were the six combatants left alone in the lists, and each of
them knew now with whom he had to do battle. And they laced their
helmets, and put shield upon the arm, and laid lance in rest. And the
knights of my Cid advanced against the Infantes of Carrion, and they on
their part against the champions of the Campeador. Each bent down with
his face to the saddle-bow, and gave his horse the spur. And they met
all six with such a shock, that they who looked on expected to see them
all fall dead. Pero Bermudez and Ferrando Gonzalez encountered, and the
shield of Pero Bermudez was pierced, but the spear past through on one
side, and hurt him not, and brake in two places; and he sat firm in his
seat. One blow he received, but he gave another; he drove his lance
through Ferrando's shield, at his breast, so that nothing availed him.
Ferrando's breast-plate was threefold: two plates the spear went clean
through, and drove the third in before it, with the _velmes_ and the
shirt, into the breast, near his heart; ... and the girth and the
poitral of his horse burst, and he and the saddle went together over
the horse's heels, and the spear in him, and all thought him dead.
Howbeit Ferrando Gonzalez rose, and the blood began to run out of his
mouth, and Pero Bermudez drew his sword and went against him; but when
he saw the sword Tizona over him, before he received a blow from it, he
cried out that he confessed himself conquered, and that what Pero
Bermudez had said against him was true. And when Pero Bermudez heard
this he stood still, and the twelve true-men came up and heard his
confession, and pronounced him vanquished. This Ferrando did thinking
to save his life; but the wound which he had got was mortal.
V. Martin Antolinez and Diego Gonzalez brake their lances on each
other, and laid hand upon their swords. Martin Antolinez drew forth
Colada, the brightness of which flashed over the whole field, for it
was a marvellous sword; and in their strife he dealt him a back-handed
blow which sheared off the crown of his helmet, and cut away hood and
coif, and the hair of his head and the skin also: this stroke he dealt
him with the precious Colada. And Diego Gonzalez was sorely dismayed
therewith, and though he had his own sword in his hand he could not for
very fear make use of it, but he turned his horse and fled; and Martin
Antolinez went after him, and dealt him another with the flat part of
the sword, for he mist him with the edge, and the Infante began to cry
out aloud, Great God, help me and save me from that sword! And he rode
away as fast as he could, and Martin Antolinez called out after him,
Get out, Don Traitor! and drove him out of the lists, and remained
conqueror.
VI. Muno Gustioz and Suero Gonzalez dealt each other such strokes with
their spears as it was marvellous to behold. And Suero Gonzalez being a
right hardy knight and a strong, and of great courage, struck the
shield of Muno Gustioz and pierced it through and through; but the
stroke was given aslant, so that it passed on and touched him not. Muno
Gustioz lost his stirrups with that stroke, but he presently recovered
them, and dealt him such a stroke in return that it went clean through
the midst of the shield, and through all his armour, and came out
between his ribs, missing the heart; then laying hand on him he
wrenched him out of the saddle, and threw him down as he drew the spear
out of his body; and the point of the spear and the haft and the
streamer all came out red. Then all the beholders thought that he was
stricken to death. And Muno Gustioz turned to smite again. But when
Gonzalo Ansures his father saw this, he cried out aloud for great ruth
which he had for his son, and said, For God's sake do not strike him
again, for he is vanquished. And Muno Gustioz, like a man of good
understanding, asked the true-men whether he were to be held as
conquered for what his father said, and they said not, unless he
confirmed it with his own mouth. And Muno Gustioz turned again to Suero
Gonzalez where he lay wounded, and lifted his spear against him, and
Suero Gonzalez cried out, Strike me not, for I am vanquished. And the
judges said it was enough, and that the combat was at an end.
VII. Then the King entered the lists, and many good knights and
hidalgos with him, and he called the twelve true-men, and asked them if
the knights of the Cid had aught more to do to prove their accusation;
and they made answer that the knights of the Cid had won the field and
done their devoir, and all the hidalgos who were there present made
answer, that they said true. And King Don Alfonso lifted up his voice
and said, Hear me, all ye who are here present: inasmuch as the knights
of the Cid have conquered, they have won the cause; and the twelve
true-men made answer, that what the King said was the truth, and all
the people said the same. And the King gave command to break up the
lists, and gave sentence that the Infantes of Carrion and their uncle
Suero Gonzalez were notorious traitors, and ordered his seneschal to
take their arms and horses. And from that day forth their lineage never
held up its head, nor was of any worth in Castille; and they and their
uncle fled away, having been thus vanquished and put to shame. And thus
it was that Carrion fell to the King after the days of Gonzalo
Gonzalez, the father of the Infantes. Great was their shame, and the
like or worse betide him who abuseth fair lady, and then leaveth her.
VIII. Then the King went to meat, and he took the knights of the Cid
with him; and great was the multilude which followed after them,
praising the good feat which they had atchieved. And the King gave them
great gifts, and sent them away by night, and with a good guard to
protect them till they should be in safety; and they took their leave
of the King, and travelled by night and day, and came to Valencia. When
the Cid knew that they drew nigh, he went out to meet them, and did
them great honour. Who can tell the great joy which he made over them?
And they told him all even as it had come to pass, and how the King had
declared the Infantes of Carrion and their uncle to be notorious
traitors. Great was the joy of the Cid at these tidings, and he lifted
up his hands to heaven, and blest the name of God because of the
vengeance which he had given him for the great dishonour which he had
received. And he took with him Martin Antolinez and Pero Bermudez and
Muno Gustioz, and went to Dona Ximena and her daughters, and said to
them, Blessed be the name of God, now are you and your daughters
avenged! and he made the knights recount the whole unto them, even as
it had come to pass. Great was the joy of Dona Ximena and her
daughters, and they bent their knees to the ground, and praised the
name of Jesus Christ, because he had given them this vengeance for the
dishonour which they had received; and Dona Elvira and Dona Sol
embraced those knights many times, and would fain have kissed their
hands and their feet. And the Cid said unto Dona Ximena, Now may you
without let marry your daughters with the Infantes of Aragon and
Navarre, and I trust in God that they will be well and honourably
married, better than they were at first. Eight days did the great
rejoicings endure which the Cid made in Valencia, for the vengeance
which God had given him upon the Infantes of Carrion, and their uncle
Suero Gonzalez, the aider and abettor in the villainy which they had
committed.
IX. Now it came to pass after this, that the Great Soldan of Persia,
having heard of the great goodness of the Cid, and of his great feats
in arms, and how he had never been vanquished by mortal man, and how he
had conquered many Kings, Moor and Christian, and had won the noble
city of Valencia, and had defeated King Bucar Lord of Africa and
Morocco, and twenty nine Kings with him, all these things made him
greatly desirous of his love. And holding him to be one of the noble
men of the world, he sent messengers to him with great gifts, which
will be recounted hereafter, and with them he sent one of his kinsmen,
a full honourable man, with letters of great love. When this kinsman
reached the port of Valencia, he sent word to the Cid that he was
arrived there with a message from the Great Soldan of Persia, who had
sent a present by him; and when the Cid knew this he was well pleased.
And in the morning the Cid took horse, and went out with all his
company, all nobly attired, and his knights rode before him with their
lances erect. And when they had gone about a league they met the
messenger of the Soldan coming to Valencia: and when he beheld them in
what order they came, he understood what a noble man the Cid Campeador
was. And when he drew nigh, the Cid stopt his horse Bavieca, and waited
to receive him. And when the messenger came before the Cid and beheld
him, all his flesh began to tremble, and he marvelled greatly that his
flesh should tremble thus; and his voice failed him, so that he could
not bring forth a word. And the Cid said that he was welcome, and went
towards him to embrace him; but the Moor made him, no reply, being
amazed. And when he had somewhat recovered and could speak, he would
have kissed the Cid's hand; but the Cid would not give it him: and he
thought this was done for haughtiness, but they made him understand
that it was to do him honour; then was he greatly rejoiced, and he
said, I humble myself before thee, O Cid, who art the fortunate, the
best Christian, and the most honourable that hath girded on sword or
bestrode horse these thousand years. The Great Soldan of Persia, my
Lord, hearing of thy great fame and renown, and of the great virtue
which is in thee, hath sent me to salute thee and receive thee as his
friend, even as his best friend, the one whom he loveth and prizeth
best. And he hath sent a present by me who am of his lineage, and
beseecheth thee to receive it as from a friend. And the Cid made answer
that he thanked him greatly.
X. Then the Cid bade his people make way that the sumpter beasts which
carried the present might pass, and also the strange animals which the
Soldan had sent, the like whereof were not in that land. And when they
were passed he and his company returned towards the town, and the
messenger with him. And whensoever the messenger spake to the Cid, it
came into his mind how his voice had failed and his flesh trembled when
he beheld him; and he marvelled thereat, and would fain have asked the
Cid why it should be. And when they entered Valencia, great was the
crowd which assembled to see the sumpter beasts, and the strange
animals, for they had never seen such before, and they marvelled at
them. And the Cid gave order that the beasts should be taken care of,
and he went to the Alcazar and took the Moor with him; and when they
came to Dona Ximena the Moor humbled himself before her and her
daughters, and would have kissed her hand, but she would not give it
him. Then he commanded that the camels and other beasts of burthen
should be unloaded in their presence, and he began to open the packages
and display the noble things which were contained therein. And he laid
before them great store of gold and of money, which came in leathern
bags, each having its lock; and wrought silver in dishes and trenchers
and basons, and pots for preparing food; all these of fine silver and
full cunningly wrought, the weight whereof was ten thousand marks. Then
he brought out five cups of gold, in each of which were ten marks of
gold, with many precious stones set therein, and three silver barrels,
which were full of pearls and of precious stones. Moreover he presented
unto him many pieces of cloth of gold, and of silk, of those which are
made in Tartary, and in the land of Calabria. And moreover, a pound of
myrrh and of balsam, in little caskets of gold; this was a precious
thing, for with this ointment they were wont to anoint the bodies of
the Kings when they departed, to the end that they might not corrupt,
neither the earth consume them: and with this was the body of the Cid
embalmed after his death. Moreover he presented unto him a chess board,
which was one of the noble ones in the world; it was of ivory riveted
with gold, and with many precious stones round about it; and the men
were of gold and silver, and the squares also were richly wrought with
stones of many virtues. This was a full rich, and great and noble
present, so that no man could tell the price thereof.
XI. When the Moor had produced all these things before the Cid, he said
unto him, All this, Sir, with the animals which thou hast seen, my Lord
the Soldan of Persia hath sent unto thee, because of the great fame
which he hath heard of thy goodness and loyalty; and, Sir, he
beseecheth thee to accept it for the love of him. And the Cid thanked
him, taking great pleasure therein, and said that he would fain do him
greater honour than he had ever yet done to any one. And then he
embraced him in the name of the Soldan, and said, that if he were a
Christian he would give him the kiss of peace; and he asked whether
among those things there was aught which had belonged to the person of
the Soldan, that if so he might kiss it in his honour, and in token
that if he were there present, he would kiss him on the shoulder,
according to the custom of the Moors, for he knew that his Lord was one
of the noblest men in all Pagandom. When the kinsman of the Soldan
heard this he was greatly rejoiced, because of the great courtesy with
which the Cid had spoken, and he perceived how noble a man he was. And
he said unto him, Sir Cid, if you were present before my Lord the
Soldan, he would do you full great honour, and would give you the head
of his horse to eat, according to the custom of our country; but seeing
that this is not the custom of this country, I give you my living
horse, which is one of the best horses of Syria; and do you give order
that he be taken in honour of my Lord the Soldan, and he will be better
than his head would be boiled. And I kiss your hand, Sir Ruydiez, and
hold myself more honoured and a happier man than ever I have been
heretofore. And the Cid accepted the horse, and gave consent to the
Moor that he should kiss his hand. And then he called for his
Almoxarife, and bade him take with him this kinsman of the Soldan, and
lodge him in the Garden of Villa Nueva, and do him even such honour and
service as he would to himself.
XII. Great was the honour which the Almoxarife of the Cid Ruydiez did
unto the kinsman of the Soldan, and he served him even as he would have
served his Lord the Cid. And when they had disported and taken solace
together, the kinsman of the Soldan asked him concerning the Cid, what
manner of man he was. And the Almoxarife answered that he was the man
in the world who had the bravest heart, and the best knight at arms,
and the man who best maintained his law; and in the word which he hath
promised he never fails; and he is the man in the world who is the best
friend to his friend, and to his enemy he is the mortallest foe among
all Christians; and to the vanquished he is full of mercy and
compassion; and full thoughtful and wise in whatsoever thing he doeth;
and his countenance is such that no man seeth him for the first time
without conceiving great fear. And this, said the Almoxarife, I have
many times witnessed, for when any messengers of the Moors come before
him, they are so abashed that they know not where they are. When the
messenger of the Soldan heard this he called to mind how it had been
with him, and he said unto the Almoxarife, that as they were both of
one law he besought him to keep secret what he should say, and he would
tell him what had befallen him himself. And the Almoxarife said that he
would do as he desired. And with that he began to say, that he
marvelled greatly at what he had heard, for even as he had now told him
that it happened unto other messengers, even so had he himself found it
the first time that he had seen the Cid; for so great was the fear
which he conceived at the sight of his countenance, that for long time
he had no power of speech; and according to his thinking, this could
only proceed from the grace of God towards the Cid, that none of his
enemies might ever behold his face without fear. When the kinsman of
the Soldan had said this, the Almoxarife perceived that he was a wary
man, and one of good understanding; and he began to talk with him, and
asked him whether he would tell him what he should ask, and the
messenger replied that he would. Then the Almoxarife asked of him if he
knew what was the reason which had moved his Lord the Soldan to send so
great a present to the Cid Campeador, and why he desired to have his
love when he was so far away, beyond sea. Now the messenger of the
Soldan conceived that the Almoxarife sought to know the state of the
lands beyond sea, and he feared that this had been asked of him by
command of the Cid; and he made answer, that so great was the renown of
the Cid, and the report which they had heard in the lands beyond sea of
his great feats in arms, that it had moved the Soldan to send him that
present and desire his love. But when the Almoxarife heard this, he
said that he could not believe that this had been the reason, but that
some other intention had moved him. And when the messenger perceived
that the Almoxarife understood him, and that he desired to know the
whole of the matter, he said that he would tell him, but he besought
him to keep it secret. And the Almoxarife promised to do this. Then he
told him that the land beyond sea was in such state that they weened it
would be lost, and that the Christians would win it, so great a Crusade
had gone forth against it from Germany, and from France, and from
Lombardy, and Sicily, and Calabria, and Ireland, and England, which had
won the city of Antioch, and now lay before Jerusalem. And my Lord the
Great Soldan of Persia, hearing of the great nobleness of the Cid, and
thinking that he would pass over also, was moved to send him this
present to gain his love, that if peradventure he should pass there he
might be his friend. And when the Almoxarife of the Cid heard this, he
said that of a truth he believed it.
XIII. While yet that messenger of the Soldan of Persia abode in
Valencia, tidings carne to the Cid that the Infantes of Aragon and
Navarre were coming to celebrate their marriage with his daughters,
according as it had been appointed at the Cortes of Toledo. He of
Navarre hight Don Ramiro, and he was the son of King Don Sancho, him
who was slain at Rueda; and he married with Dona Elvira, the elder: and
the Infante of Aragon who married Dona Sol, the younger, hight Don
Sancho, and was the son of King Don Pedro. This King Don Pedro was he
whom the Cid Ruydiez conquered and made prisoner, as the history hath
related; but calling to mind the great courtesy which the Cid had shown
in releasing him from prison, and how he had ordered all his own to be
restored unto him, and moreover the great worth and the great goodness
of the Cid, and the great feats which he had performed, he held it good
that his son should match with his daughter, to the end that the race
of so good a man might be preserved in Aragon. Howbeit it was not his
fortune to have a son by Dona Sol, for he died before he came to the
throne, and left no issue. When the Cid knew that the Infantes were
coming, he and all his people went out six leagues to meet them, all
gallantly attired both for court and for war; and he ordered his tents
to be pitched in a fair meadow, and there he awaited till they came up.
And the first day the Infante Don Sancho of Aragon carne up, and they
waited for the Infante Don Ramiro; and when they were all met they
proceeded to Valencia. And the Bishop Don Hieronymo came out to meet
them with a procession, full honourably. Great were the rejoicings
which were made in Valencia because of the coming of the Infantes, for
eight days before the marriage began. And the Cid gave order that they
should be lodged in the Garden of Villa Nueva, and supplied with all
things in abundance.
XIV. When eight days were overpast the Bishop Don Hieronymo married the
Infantes of Aragon and Navarre to the daughters of the Cid in this
manner: the Infante Don Ramiro of Navarre to Dona Elvira; and the
Infante Don Sancho of Aragon to Dona Sol. And on the day after they had
been espoused they received the blessing in the great Church of St.
Peter, as is commanded by the law of Jesus Christ, and the Bishop said
mass. Who can tell the great rejoicings which were made at those
marriages, and the great nobleness thereof? Certes there would be much
to tell; for during eight days that they lasted, there was feasting
every day, full honourably and plentifully, where all persons did eat
out of silver; and many bulls were killed every day, and many of those
wild beasts which the Soldan sent; and many sports were devised, and
many garments and saddles and noble trappings were given to the
joculars. And the Moors also exhibited their sports and rejoicings,
after such divers manners, that men knew not which to go to first. So
great was the multitude which was there assembled, that they were
counted at eight thousand hidalgos. And when the marriage was
concluded, the Cid took his sons-in-law and led them by the hand to
Dona Ximena, and showed them all the noble things which the Soldan had
sent him; and they when they beheld such great treasures and such noble
things were greatly astonished, and said that they did not think there
had been a man in Spain so rich as the Cid, nor who possessed such
things. And as they were marvelling from whence such riches could have
come, both of gold and silver, and of precious stones and pearls, the
Cid embraced them and said, My sons, this and all that I have is for
you and for your wives, and I will give unto you the noblest and most
precious things that ever were given with women for their dowry: for I
will give you the half of all that you see here, and the other half I
and Dona Ximena will keep so long as we live, and after our death all
shall be yours; and my days are now well nigh full. Then the Infantes
made answer, that they prayed God to grant him life for many and happy
years yet, and that they thanked him greatly, and held him as their
father; and that they would ever have respect to his honour and be at
his service, holding themselves honoured by the tie that there was
between them. Three months these Infantes abode with the Cid in
Valencia, in great pleasure. And then they dispeeded themselves of the
Cid and of their mother-in-law Dona Ximena, and took each his wife and
returned into their own lands with great riches and honour. And the Cid
gave them great treasures, even as he had promised, and gave them
certain of those strange beasts which the Soldan had sent. And he rode
out with them twelve leagues. And when they took leave of each other
there was not a knight of all those who came with the Infantes to whom
the Cid did not give something, horse, or mule, or garments, or money,
so that all were well pleased; and he gave his daughters his blessing,
and commended them to God, and then he returned to Valencia, and they
went to their own country.
XV. After the Cid had seen his sons-in-law depart, he sent for the
messenger of the Soldan, and gave him many of the rare things of his
country to carry unto his Lord. And he gave him a sword which had the
device of the Soldan wrought in gold, and a coat of mail and sleeve
armour, and a noble gipion which was wrought of knots; and his letters
of reply, which were full of great assurances of friendship. Much was
the messenger of the Soldan pleased with the Cid for the great honour
which he had shown him, and much was he pleased also at seeing how
honourably the marriage of his daughters had been celebrated. So he
departed and went to the port, and embarked on board his ship, and went
to his Lord the Soldan.
XVI. After this the Cid abode in Valencia, and he laboured a full year
in settling all the Castles of the Moors who were subject unto him in
peace, and in settling the Moors of Valencia well with the Christians;
and this he did so that their tribute was well paid from this time till
his death. And all the land from Tortoso to Origuela was under his
command. And from this time he abode in peace in Valencia; and laboured
alway to serve God and to increase the Catholic faith, and to make
amends for the faults he had committed towards God, for he weened that
his days now would be but few. And it came to pass one day, the Cid
having risen from sleep and being in his Alcazar, there came before him
an Alfaqui whom he had made Alcalde of the Moors; his name was
Alfaraxi, and he it was who made the lamentation for Valencia, as is
recorded in this history. This Alfaqui had served the Cid well in his
office of Alcalde over the Moors of Valencia: for he kept them in
peace, and made them pay their tribute well, being a discreet man and
of great prudence, so that for this and for his speech he might have
been taken for a Christian; and for this reason the Cid loved him and
put great trust in him. And when the Cid saw him he asked him what he
would have: and he like a prudent man bent his knees before him, and
began to kiss his hand, and said, Sir Cid Ruydiez, blessed be the name
of Jesus Christ who hath brought you to this state that you are Lord of
Valencia, one of the best and noblest cities in Spain. What I would
have is this. Sir, my forefathers were of this city, and I am a native
hereof; and when I was a little lad the Christians took me captive, and
I learnt their tongue among them, and then my will was to be a
Christian, and to abide there in the land of the Christians; but my
father and mother, being rich persons, released me. And God showed me
such favour, and gave me such understanding and so subtle, that I
learnt all the learning of the Moors, and was one of the most
honourable and best Alfaquis that ever was in Valencia till this time,
and of the richest, as you know, Sir; and you in your bounty made me
Alcalde, and gave me your authority over the Moors, of which
peradventure I was not worthy. And now, Sir, thinking in my heart
concerning the law in which I have lived, I find that I have led a life
of great error, and that all which Mahommed the great deceiver gave to
the Moors for their law, is deceit: and therefore, Sir, I turn me to
the faith of Jesus Christ, and will be a Christian and believe in the
Catholic faith. And I beseech you of your bounty give order that I may
be baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, and give me what name you
will. And from this time forward I will live the life of a Christian,
and fulfil what is written in the Gospel, and forsake wife and children
and kin, and all that there is in the world, and serve God, and believe
in his faith and holy law, as far as the weakness of my body can bear.
When the Cid Ruydiez heard this he began to smile for very pleasure;
and he rose up and took Alfaraxi with him to Dona Ximena, and said,
Here is our Alcalde, who will be a Christian, and our brother in the
faith of Jesus Christ: I beseech you therefore give order to provide
all things that may be needful. When Dona Ximena heard this she
rejoiced greatly, and gave order that all things should be full nobly
prepared. And on the morrow the Bishop Don Hieronymo baptized him, and
they gave him the name of Gil Diaz: and his godfathers were Don Alvar
Fanez, and Pero Bermudez, and Martin Antolinez of Burgos; and Dona
Ximena, with other honourable dames, were his godmothers. And from that
time forward Gil Diaz was in such favour with the Cid, that he trusted
all his affairs to his hands, and he knew so well how to demean
himself, both towards him and all those of his company, that they all
heartily loved him.
BOOK XI.
I. It is written in the history which Abenalfarax, the nephew of Gil
Diaz, composed in Valencia, that for five years the Cid Ruydiez
remained Lord thereof in peace, and in all that time he sought to do
nothing but to serve God, and to keep the Moors quiet who were under
his dominion; so that Moors and Christians dwelt together in such
accord, that it seemed as if they had alway been united; and they all
loved and served the Cid with such goodwill that it was marvellous. And
when these five years were over tidings were spread far and near, which
reached Valencia, that King Bucar the Miramamolin of Morocco, holding
himself disgraced because the Cid Campeador had conquered him in the
field of Quarto near unto Valencia, where he had slain or made
prisoners all his people, and driven him into the sea, and made spoil
of all the treasures which he had brought with him; ... King Bucar
calling these things to mind, had gone himself and stirred up the whole
Paganism of Barbary, even as far as Montes Claros, to cross the sea
again, and avenge himself if he could; and he had assembled so great a
power that no man could devise their numbers. When the Cid heard these
tidings he was troubled at heart; how beit he dissembled this, so that
no person knew what he was minded to do; and thus the matter remained
for some days. And when he saw that the news came thicker and faster,
and that it was altogether certain that King Bucar was coming over sea
against him, he sent and bade all the Moors of Valencia assemble
together in his presence, and when they were all assembled he said unto
them, Good men of the Aljama, ye well know that from the day wherein I
became Lord of Valencia, ye have alway been protected and defended, and
have past your time well and peaceably in your houses and heritages,
none troubling you nor doing you wrong; neither have I who am your Lord
ever done aught unto you that was against right. And now true tidings
are come to me that King Bucar of Morocco is arrived from beyond sea,
with a mighty power of Moors, and that he is coming against me to take
from me this city which I won with so great labour. Now therefore,
seeing it is so, I hold it good and command that ye quit the town, both
ye and your sons and your women, and go into the suburb of Alcudia and
the other suburbs, to dwell there with the other Moors, till we shall
see the end of this business between me and King Bucar. Then the Moors,
albeit they were loth, obeyed his command; and when they were all gone
out of the city, so that none remained, he held himself safer than he
had done before.
II. Now after the Moors were all gone out of the city, it came to pass
in the middle of the night that the Cid was lying in his bed, devising
how he might withstand this coming of King Bucar, for Abenalfarax saith
that when he was alone in his palace his thoughts were of nothing else.
And when it was midnight there came a great light into the palace, and
a great odour, marvellous sweet. And as he was marvelling what it might
be, there appeared before him a man as white as snow; he was in the
likeness of an old man, with grey hair and crisp, and he carried
certain keys in his hand; and before the Cid could speak to him he
said, Sleepest thou, Rodrigo, or what are thou doing? And the Cid made
answer, What man art thou who askest me? And he said, I am St. Peter,
the Prince of the Apostles, who come unto thee with more urgent tidings
than those for which thou art taking thought concerning King Bucar, and
it is, that thou art to leave this world, and go to that which hath no
end; and this will be in thirty days. But God will show favour unto
thee, so that thy people shall discomfit King Bucar, and thou, being
dead, shalt win this battle for the honour of thy body: this will be
with the help of Santiago, whom God will send to the business: but do
thou strive to make atonement for thy sins, and so thou shall he saved.
All this Jesus Christ vouchsafest thee for the love of me, and for the
reverence which thou hast alway shown to my Church in the Monastery of
Cardena. When the Cid Campeador heard this he had great pleasure at
heart, and he let himself fall out of bed upon the earth, that he might
kiss the feet of the Apostle St. Peter; but the Apostle said, Strive
not to do this, for thou canst not touch me; but be sure that all this
which I have told thee will come to pass.
And when the blessed Apostle had said this he disappeared, and the
palace remained full of a sweeter and more delightful odour than heart
of man can conceive. And the Cid Ruydiez remained greatly comforted by
what St. Peter had said to him, and as certain that all this would come
to pass, as if it were already over.
III. Early on the morrow he sent to call all his honourable men to the
Alcazar; and when they were all assembled before him, he began to say
unto them, weeping the while, Friends and kinsmen and true vassals and
honourable men, many of ye must well remember when King Don Alfonso our
Lord twice banished me from his land, and most of ye for the love which
ye bore me followed me into banishment, and have guarded me ever since.
And God hath shown such mercy to you and to me, that we have won many
battles against Moors and Christians; those which were against
Christians, God knows, were more through their fault than my will, for
they strove to set themselves against the good fortune which God had
given me, and to oppose his service, helping the enemies of the faith.
Moreover we won this city in which we dwell, which is not under the
dominion of any man in the world, save only of my Lord the King Don
Alfonso, and that rather by reason of our natural allegiance than of
anything else. And now I would have ye know the state in which this
body of mine now is; for be ye certain that I am in the latter days of
my life, and that thirty days hence will be my last. Of this I am well
assured; for for these seven nights past I have seen visions. I have
seen my father Diego Laynez, and Diego Rodriguez my son; and every time
they say to me, You have tarried long here, let us go now among the
people who endure for ever. Now notwithstanding man ought not to put
his trust in these things, nor in such visions, I know this by other
means to be certain, for Sir St. Peter hath appeared to me this night,
when I was awake and not sleeping, and he told me that when these
thirty days were over, I should pass away from this world. Now ye know
for certain that King Bucar is coming against us, and they say that
thirty and six Moorish Kings are coming with him; and since he bringeth
so great a power of Moors, and I have to depart so soon, how can ye
defend Valencia! But be ye certain, that by the mercy of God I shall
counsel ye so, that ye shall conquer King Bucar in the field, and win
great praise and honour from him, and Dona Ximena. and ye and all that
ye have, go hence in safety; how ye are to do all this I will tell ye
hereafter, before I depart.
IV. After the Cid had said this he sickened of the malady of which he
died. And the day before his weakness waxed great, he ordered the gates
of the town to be shut, and went to the Church of St. Peter; and there
the Bishop Don Hieronymo being present, and all the clergy who were in
Valencia, and the knights and honourable men and honourable dames, as
many as the Church could hold, the Cid Ruydiez stood up, and made a
full noble preaching, showing that no man whatsoever, however
honourable or fortunate they may be in this world, can escape death; to
which, said he, I am now full near; and since ye know that this body of
mine hath never yet been conquered, nor put to shame, I beseech ye let
not this befall it at the end, for the good fortune of man is only
accomplished at his end. How this is to be done, and what ye all have
to do, I will leave in the hands of the Bishop Don Hieronymo, and Alvar
Fanez, and Pero Bermudez. And when he had said this he placed himself
at the feet of the Bishop, and there before all the people made a
general confession of all his sins, and all the faults which he had
committed against our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Bishop appointed him
his penance, and assoyled him of his sins. Then he arose and took leave
of the people, weeping plenteously, and returned to the Alcazar, and
betook himself to his bed, and never rose from it again; and every day
he waxed weaker and weaker, till seven days only remained of the time
appointed. Then he called for the caskets of gold in which was the
balsam and the myrrh which the Soldan of Persia had sent him; and when
these were put before him he bade them bring him the golden cup, of
which he was wont to drink; and he took of that balsam and of that
myrrh as much as a little spoon-full, and mingled it in the cup with
rose-water, and drank of it; and for the seven days which he lived he
neither ate nor drank aught else than a little of that myrrh and balsam
mingled with water. And every day after he did this, his body and his
countenance appeared fairer and fresher than before, and his voice
clearer, though he waxed weaker and weaker daily, so that he could not
move in his bed.
V. On the twenty-ninth day, being the day before he departed, he called
for Dona Ximena, and for the Bishop Don Hieronymo, and Don Alvar Fanez
Minaya, and Pero Bermudez, and his trusty Gil Diaz; and when they were
all five before him, he began to direct them what they should do after
his death; and he said to them. Ye know that King Bucar will presently
be here to besiege this city, with seven and thirty Kings whom he
bringeth with him, and with a mighty power of Moors. Now therefore the
first thing which ye do after I have departed, wash my body with
rose-water many times and well, as blessed be the name of God it is
washed within and made pure of all uncleanness to receive his holy body
to-morrow, which will be my last day. And when it has been well washed
and made clean, ye shall dry it well, and anoint it with this myrrh and
balsam, from these golden caskets, from head to foot, so that every
part shall be anointed, till none be left. And you my Sister Dona
Ximena, and your women, see that ye utter no cries, neither make any
lamentation for me, that the Moors may not know of my death. And when
the day shall come in which King Bucar arrives, order all the people of
Valencia to go upon the walls, and sound your trumpets and tambours,
and make the greatest rejoicings that ye can. And when ye would set out
for Castille, let all the people know in secret, that they make
themselves ready, and take with them all that they have, so that none
of the Moors in the suburb may know thereof; for certes ye cannot keep
the city, neither abide therein after my death. And see ye that sumpter
beasts be laden with all that there is in Valencia, so that nothing
which can profit may be left. And this I leave especially to your
charge, Gil Diaz. Then saddle ye my horse Bavieca, and arm him well;
and ye shall apparel my body full seemlily, and place me upon the
horse, and fasten and tie me thereon so that it cannot fall: and fasten
my sword Tizona in my hand. And let the Bishop Don Hieronymo go on one
side of me, and my trusty Gil Diaz on the other, and he shall lead my
horse. You, Pero Bermudez, shall bear my banner, as you were wont to
bear it; and you, Alvar Fanez, my cousin, gather your company together,
and put the host in order as you are wont to do. And go ye forth and
fight with King Bucar: for be ye certain and doubt not that ye shall
win this battle; God hath granted me this. And when ye have won the
fight, and the Moors are discomfited, ye may spoil the field at
pleasure. Ye will find great riches. What ye are afterwards to do I
will tell ye to-morrow, when I make my testament.
VI. Early on the morrow the Bishop Don Hieronymo, and Alvar Fanez, and
Pero Bermudez, and Martin Antolinez, came to the Cid. Gil Diaz and Dona
Ximena were alway with him; and the Cid began to make his testament.
And the first thing which he directed, after commending his soul to
God, was, that his body should be buried in the Church of St. Pedro de
Cardena, where it now lies; and he bequeathed unto that Monastery many
good inheritances, so that that place is at this day the richer and
more honourable. Then he left to all his company and household
according to the desert of every one. To all the knights who had served
him since he went out of his own country, he gave great wealth in
abundance. And to the other knights who had not served him so long, to
some a thousand marks of silver, to others two, and some there were to
whom lie bequeathed three, according who they were. Moreover, to the
squires who were hidalgos, to some five hundred, and others there were
who had a thousand and five hundred. And he bade them, when they
arrived at St. Pedro de Cardena, give clothing to four thousand poor,
to each a skirt of _escanforte_ and a mantle. And he bequeathed to Dona
Ximena all that he had in the world, that she might live honourably for
the remainder of her days in the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardena; and
he commanded Cil Diaz to remain with her and serve her well all the
days of her life. And he left it in charge to the Bishop Don Hieronymo,
and Dona Ximena his wife, and Don Alvar Fanez, and Pero Bermudez, and
Felez Munoz, his nephews, that they should see all this fulfilled. And
he commanded Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez, when they had conquered
King Bucar, to proceed forthwith into Castille and fulfil all that he
had enjoined. This was at the hour of sexts. Then the Cid Ruydiez, the
Campeador of Bivar, bade the Bishop Don Hieronymo give him the body of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and he received it with great
devotion, on his knees, and weeping before them all. Then he sate up in
his bed and called upon God and St. Peter, and began to pray, saying,
Lord Jesus Christ, thine is the power and the kingdom, and thou art
above all Kings and all nations, and all Kings are at thy command, I
beseech thee therefore pardon me my sins, and let my soul enter into
the light which hath no end. And when the Cid Ruydiez had said this,
this noble Baron yielded up his soul, which was pure and without spot,
to God, on that Sunday which is called Quinquagesima, being the twenty
and ninth of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand and ninety and
nine, and in the seventy and third year of his life. After he had thus
made his end they washed his body twice with warm water, and a third
time with rose water, and then they anointed and embalmed it as he had
commanded. And then all the honourable men, and all the clergy who were
in Valencia, assembled and carried it to the Church of St. Mary of the
Virtues, which is near the Alcazar, and there they kept their vigil,
and said prayer and performed masses, as was meet for so honourable a
man.
VII. Three days after the Cid had departed King Bucar came into the
port of Valencia, and landed with all his power, which was so great
that there is not a man in the world who could give account of the
Moors whom he brought. And there came with him thirty and six Kings,
and one Moorish Queen, who was a negress, and she brought with her two
hundred horsewomen, all negresses like herself, all having their hair
shorn save a tuft on the top, and this was in token that they came as
if upon a pilgrimage, and to obtain the remission of their sins; and
they were all armed in coats of mail and with Turkish bows. King Bucar
ordered his tents to be pitched round about Valencia, and Abenalfarax
who wrote this history in Arabic, saith, that there were full fifteen
thousand tents; and he bade that Moorish negress with her archers to
take their station near the city. And on the morrow they began to
attack the city, and they fought against it three days strenuously; and
the Moors received great loss, for they came blindly up to the walls
and were slain there. And the Christians defended themselves right
well, and every time that they went upon the walls, they sounded
trumpets and tambours, and made great rejoicings, as the Cid had
commanded. This continued for eight days or nine, till the companions
of the Cid had made ready every thing for their departure, as he had
commanded. And King Bucar and his people thought that the Cid dared not
come out against them, and they were the more encouraged, and began to
think of making bastilles and engines wherewith to combat the city, for
certes they weened that the Cid Ruydiez dared not come out against
them, seeing that he tarried so long.
VIII. All this while the company of the Cid were preparing all things
to go into Castille, as he had commanded before his death; and his
trusty Gil Diaz did nothing else but labour at this. And the body of
the Cid was prepared after this manner: first it was embalmed and
anointed as the history hath already recounted, and the virtue of the
balsam and myrrh was such that the flesh remained firm and fair, having
its natural colour, and his countenance as it was wont to be, and the
eyes open, and his long beard in order, so that there was not a man who
would have thought him dead if he had seen him and not known it. And on
the second day after he had departed, Gil Diaz placed the body upon a
right noble saddle, and this saddle with the body upon it he put upon a
frame; and he dressed the body in a _gambax_ of fine sendal, next the
skin. And he took two boards and fitted them to the body, one to the
breast and the other to the shoulders; these were so hollowed out and
fitted that they met at the sides and under the arms, and the hind one
came up to the pole, and the other up to the beard; and these boards
were fastened into the saddle, so that the body could not move. All
this was done by the morning of the twelfth day; and all that day the
people of the Cid were busied in making ready their arms, and in
loading beasts with all that they had, so that they left nothing of any
price in the whole city of Valencia, save only the empty houses. When
it was midnight they took the body of the Cid, fastened to the saddle
as it was, and placed it upon his horse Bavieca, and fastened the
saddle well: and the body sate so upright and well that it seemed as if
he was alive. And it had on painted hose of black and white, so
cunningly painted that no man who saw them would have thought but that
they were grieves and cuishes, unless he had laid his hand upon them;
and they put on it a surcoat of green sendal, having his arms blazoned,
thereon, and a helmet of parchment, which was cunningly painted that
every one might have believed it to be iron: and his shield was hung
round his neck, and they placed the sword Tizona in his hand; and they
raised his arm, and fastened it up so subtilly that it was a marvel to
see how upright he held the sword. And the Bishop Don Hieronymo went on
one side of him, and the trusty Gil Diaz on the other, and he led the
horse Bavieca, as the Cid had commanded him. And when all this had been
made ready, they went out from Valencia at midnight, through the gate
of Roseros, which is towards Castille. Pero Bermudez went first with
the banner of the Cid, and with him five hundred knights who guarded
it, all well appointed. And after these came all the baggage. Then came
the body of the Cid with an hundred knights, all chosen men, and behind
them Dona Ximena with all her company, and six hundred knights in the
rear. All these went out so silently, and with such a measured pace,
that it seemed as if there were only a score. And by the time that they
had all gone out it was broad day.
IX. Now Alvar Fanez Minaya had set the host in order, and while the
Bishop Don Hieronymo and Gil Diaz led away the body of the Cid, and
Dona Ximena, and the baggage, he fell upon the Moors. First he attacked
the tents of that Moorish Queen the Negress, who lay nearest to the
city; and this onset was so sudden, that they killed full a hundred and
fifty Moors before they had time to take arms or go to horse. But that
Moorish Negress was so skilful in drawing the Turkish bow, that it was
held for a marvel, and it is said that they called her in Arabic
_Nugueymat Turya_, which is to say, the Star of the Archers. And she
was the first that got on horseback, and with some fifty that were with
her, did some hurt to the company of the Cid; but in fine they slew
her, and her people fled to the camp. And so great was the uproar and
confusion, that few there were who took arms, but instead thereof they
turned their backs and fled toward the sea. And when King Bucar and his
Kings saw this they were astonished. And it seemed to them that there
came against them on the part of the Christians full seventy thousand
knights, all as white as snow: and before them a knight of great
stature upon a white horse with a bloody cross, who bore in one hand a
white banner, and in the other a sword which seemed to be of fire, and
he made a great mortality among the Moors who were flying. And King
Bucar and the other Kings were so greatly dismayed that they never
checked the reins till they had ridden into the sea; and the company of
the Cid rode after them, smiting and slaying and giving them no
respite; and they smote down so many that it was marvellous, for the
Moors did not turn their heads to defend themselves. And when they came
to the sea, so great was the press among them to get to the ships, that
more than ten thousand died in the water. And of the six and thirty
Kings, twenty and two were slain. And King Bucar and they who escaped
with him hoisted sails and went their way, and never more turned their
heads. Then Alvar Fanez and his people, when they had discomfited the
Moors, spoiled the field, and the spoil thereof was so great that they
could not carry it away. And they loaded camels and horses with the
noblest things which they found, and went after the Bishop Don
Hieronymo and Gil Diaz, who, with the body of the Cid, and Dona Ximena,
and the baggage, had gone on till they were clear of the host, and then
waited for those who were gone against the Moors. And so great was the
spoil of that day, that there was no end to it: and they took up gold,
and silver, and other precious things as they rode through the camp, so
that the poorest man among the Christians, horseman or on foot, became
rich with what he won that day. And when they were all met together,
they took the road toward Castille; and they halted that night in a
village which is called Siete Aguas, that is to say, the Seven Waters,
which is nine leagues from Valencia.
X. Abenalfarax, he who wrote this history in Arabic, saith, that the
day when the company of the Cid went out from Valencia, and
discomfited King Bucar and the six and thirty Kings who were with him,
the Moors of Alcudia and of the suburbs thought that he went out alive,
because they saw him on horseback, sword in hand; but when they saw
that he went towards Castille, and that none of his company returned
into the town, they were astonished. And all that day they remained in
such amaze, that they neither dared go into the tents which King
Bucar's host had left, nor enter into the town, thinking that the Cid
did this for some device; and all night they remained in the same
doubt, so that they dared not go out from the suburbs. When it was
morning they looked towards the town, and heard no noise there; and
Abenaltarax then took horse, and taking a man with him, went toward the
town, and found all the gates thereof shut, till he came to that
through which the company of the Cid had gone forth; and he went into
the city and traversed the greater part thereof, and found no man
therein, and he was greatly amazed. Then he went out and called aloud
to the Moors of the suburbs, and told them that the city was deserted
by the Christians; and they were more amazed than before: nevertheless
they did not yet dare either to go out to the camp or to enter into the
town, and in this doubt they remained till it was mid-day. And when
they saw that no person appeared on any side, Abenalfarax returned
again into the town, and there went with him a great company of the
best Moors; and they went into the Alcazar, and looked through all the
halls and chambers, and they found neither man nor living thing; but
they saw written upon a wall in Arabic characters by Gil Diaz, how the
Cid Ruydiez was dead, and that they had carried him away in that manner
to conquer King Bucar, and also to the end that none might oppose their
going. And when the Moors saw this they rejoiced and were exceeding
glad, and they opened the gates of the town, and sent to tell these
tidings to those in the suburbs. And they came with their wives and
children into the town, each to the house which had been his before the
Cid won it. And from that day Valencia remained in the power of the
Moors till it was won by King Don Jayme of Aragon, he who is called the
Conqueror, which was an hundred and seventy years. But though King Don
Jayme won it, it is alway called _Valencia del Cid_. On the morrow they
went into the tents of King Bucar, and found there many arms; but the
tents were deserted, save only that they found certain women who had
hid themselves, and who told them of the defeat of King Bucar. And the
dead were so many that they could scarcely make way among them. And
they went on through this great mortality to the port, and there they
saw no ships, but so many Moors lying dead that tongue of man cannot
tell their numbers; and they began to gather up the spoils of the
field, which were tents, and horses, and camels, and buffaloes, and
flocks, and gold and silver, and garments, and store of provisions, out
of all number, so that they had wherewith to suffice the city of
Valencia for two years, and to sell to their neighbours also; and they
were full rich from that time.
XI. When the company of the Cid departed from the Siete Aguas, they
held their way by short journies to Salvacanete. And the Cid went alway
upon his horse Bavieca, as they had brought him out from Valencia, save
only that he wore no arms, but was clad in right noble garments; and
all who saw him upon the way would have thought that he was alive, if
they had not heard the truth. And whenever they halted they took the
body off, fastened to the saddle as it was, and set it upon that frame
which Gil Diaz had made, and when they went forward again, they placed
it in like manner upon the horse Bavieca. And when they reached
Salvacanete, the Bishop Don Hieronymo, and Dona Ximena, and Alvar
Fanez, and the other honourable men, sent their letters to all the
kinsmen and friends of the Cid Ruydiez, bidding them come and do honour
to his funeral; and they sent letters also to his sons-in-law, the
Infantes of Aragon and Navarre, and to King Don Alfonso. And they moved
on from Salvacanete and came to Osma, and then Alvar Fanez asked of
Dona Ximena if they should not put the body of the Cid into a coffin
covered with purple and with nails of gold; but she would not, for she
said that while his countenance remained so fresh and comely, and his
eyes so fair, his body should never be placed in a coffin, and that her
children should see the face of their father; and they thought that she
said well, so the body was left as it was. And at the end of fifteen
days the Infante of Aragon arrived, with Dona Sol his wife, and they
brought with them an hundred armed knights, all having their shields
reversed hanging from the saddle bow, and all in grey cloaks, with the
hoods rent. And Dona Sol came clad in linsey-woolsey, she and all her
women, for they thought that mourning was to be made for the Cid. But
when they came within half a league of Osma, they saw the banner of the
Cid coming on, and all his company full featly apparelled. And when
they drew nigh they perceived that they were weeping, but they made no
wailing; and when they saw him upon his horse Bavieca, according as ye
have heard, they were greatly amazed. But so great was the sorrow of
the Infante that he and all his company began to lament aloud. And Dona
Sol, when she beheld her father, took off her tire, and threw it upon
the ground and began to tear her hair, which was like threads of gold.
But Dona Ximena held her hand and said, Daughter, you do ill, in that
you break the command of your father, who laid his curse upon all who
should make lamentation for him. Then Dona Sol kissed the hand of the
Cid and of her mother, and put on her tire again, saying, Lady mother,
I have committed no fault in this, forasmuch as I knew not the command
of my father. And then they turned back to Osma, and great was the
multitude whom they found there assembled from all parts to see the
Cid, having heard in what manner he was brought, for they held it to be
a strange thing: and in truth it was, for in ne history do we find that
with the body of a dead man hath there been done a thing so noble and
strange as this. Then they moved on from Osma, and came to Santesteban
de Gormaz. And there after few days the King of Navarre came with the
Queen Dona Elvira his wife; and they brought with them two hundred
knights; howbeit their shields were not reversed, for they had heard
that no mourning was to be made for the Cid. And when they were within
half a league of Santesteban, the company of the Cid went out to meet
them, as they had the Infante of Aragon; and they made no other
lamentation, save that they wept with Dona Elvira; and when she came up
to the body of her father she kissed his hand, and the hand of Dona
Ximena her mother. And greatly did they marvel when they saw the body
of the Cid Ruydiez how fair it was, for he seemed rather alive than
dead. And they moved on from Santesteban, towards San Pedro de Cardena.
Great was the concourse of people to see the Cid Ruydiez coming in that
guise. They came from Rioja, and from all Castille, and from all the
country round about, and when they saw him their wonder was the
greater, and hardly could they be persuaded that he was dead.
XII. At this time King Don Alfonso abode in Toledo, and when the
letters came unto him saying how the Cid Campeador was departed, and
after what manner he had discomfited King Bucar, and how they brought
him in this goodly manner upon his horse Bavieca, he set out from
Toledo, taking long journies till he came to San Pedro de Cardena to do
honour to the Cid at his funeral. The day when he drew nigh the Infante
of Aragon and the King of Navarre went out to meet him, and they took
the body of the Cid with them on horseback, as far as the Monastery of
San Christoval de Ybeas, which is a league from Cardena; and they went,
the King of Navarre on one side of the body, and the Infante of Aragon
on the other. And when King Don Alfonso saw so great a company and in
such goodly array, and the Cid Ruydiez so nobly clad and upon his horse
Bavieca, he was greatly astonished. Then Alvar Fanez and the other good
men kissed his hand in the name of the Cid. And the King beheld his
countenance, and seeing it so fresh and comely, and his eyes so bright
and fair, and so even and open that he seemed alive, he marvelled
greatly. But when they told him that for seven days he had drank of the
myrrh and balsam, and had neither ate nor drank of aught else, and how
he had afterwards been anointed and embalmed, he did not then hold it
for so great a wonder, for he had heard that in the land of Egypt they
were wont to do thus with their Kings. When they had all returned to
the Monastery they took the Cid from off his horse, and set the body
upon the frame, as they were wont to do, and placed it before the
altar. Many were the honours which King Don Alfonso did to the Cid in
masses and vigils, and other holy services, such as are fitting for the
body and soul of one who is departed. Moreover he did great honour to
the King of Navarre, and to the Infante of Aragon, ordering that all
things which were needful should be given to them and their companies.
XIII. On the third day after the coming of King Don Alfonso, they would
have interred the body of the Cid, but when the King heard what Dona
Ximena had said, that while it was so fair and comely it should not be
laid in a coffin, he held that what she said was good. And he sent for
the ivory chair which had been carried to the Cortes of Toledo, and
gave order that it should be placed on the right of the altar of St.
Peter; and he laid a cloth of gold upon it, and upon that placed a
cushion covered with a right noble _tartari_, and he ordered a graven
tabernacle to be made over the chair, richly wrought with azure and
gold, having thereon the blazonry of the Kings of Castille and Leon,
and the King of Navarre, and the Infante of Aragon, and of the Cid
Ruydiez the Campeador. And he himself, and the King of Navarre and the
Infante of Aragon, and the Bishop Don Hieronymo, to do honour to the
Cid, helped to take his body from between the two boards, in which it
had been fastened at Valencia. And when they had taken it out, the body
was so firm that it bent not on either side, and the flesh so firm and
comely, that it seemed as if he were yet alive. And the King thought
that what they purported to do and had thus begun, might full well be
effected. And they clad the body in a full noble _tartari_, and in
cloth of purple, which the Soldan of Persia had sent him, and put him
on hose of the same, and set him in his ivory chair; and in his left
hand they placed his sword Tizona in its scabbard, and the strings of
his mantle in his right. And in this fashion the body of the Cid
remained there ten years and more, till it was taken thence, as the
history will relate anon. And when his garments waxed old, other good
ones were put on.
XIV. King Don Alfonso, and the sons-in-law of the Cid, King Don Ramiro
of Navarre, and the Infante Don Sancho of Aragon, with all their
companies, and all the other honourable men, abode three weeks in St.
Pedro de Cardena, doing honour to the Cid. And the Bishop Don
Hieronymo, and the other Bishops who came with King Don Alfonso, said
every day their masses, and accompanied the body of the Cid there where
it was placed, and sprinkled holy water upon it, and incensed it, as is
the custom to do over a grave. And after three weeks they who were
there assembled began to break up, and depart to their own houses. And
of the company of the Cid, some went with the King of Navarre, and
other some with the Infante of Aragon; but the greater number, and the
most honourable among them, betook themselves to King Don Alfonso,
whose natural subjects they were. And Dona Ximena and her companions
abode in San Pedro de Cardena, and Gil Diaz with her, as the Cid had
commanded in his testament. And the Bishop Don Hieronymo, and Alvar
Fanez Minaya, and Pero Bermudez, remained there also till they had
fulfilled all that the Cid Ruydiez had commanded in his testament to be
done.
XV. Gil Diaz did his best endeavour to fulfil all that his Lord the Cid
Ruydiez had commanded him, and to serve Dona Ximena and her companions
truly and faithfully; and this he did so well, that she was well
pleased with his faithfulness. And Dona Ximena fulfilled all that the
Cid had commanded her; and every day she had masses performed for his
soul, and appointed many vigils, and gave great alms for the soul of
the Cid and of his family. And this was the life which she led, doing
good wherever it was needful for the love of God; and she was alway by
the body of the Cid, save only at meal times and at night, for then
they would not permit her to tarry there, save only when vigils were
kept in honour of him. Moreover Gil Diaz took great delight in tending
the horse Bavieca, so that there were few days in which he did not lead
him to water, and bring him back with his own hand. And from the day in
which the dead body of the Cid was taken off his back, never man was
suffered to bestride that horse, but he was alway led when they took
him to water, and when they brought him back. And Gil Diaz thought it
fitting that the race of that good horse should be continued, and he
bought two mares for him, the goodliest that could be found, and when
they were with foal, he saw that they were well taken care of, and they
brought forth the one a male colt and the other a female; and from
these the race of this good horse was kept up in Castille, so that
there were afterwards many good and precious horses of his race, and
peradventure are at this day. And this good horse lived two years and a
half after the death of his master the Cid, and then he died also,
having lived, according to the history, full forty years. And Gil Diaz
buried him before the gate of the Monastery, in the public place, on
the right hand; and he planted two elms upon the grave, the one at his
head and the other at his feet, and these elms grew and became great
trees, and are yet to be seen before the gate of the Monastery. And Gil
Diaz gave order that when he died they should bury him by that good
horse Bavieca, whom he had loved so well.
XVI. Four years after the Cid had departed that noble lady Dona Ximena
departed also, she who had been the wife of that noble baron the Cid
Ruydiez, the Campeador. At that time Don Garcia Tellez was Abbot of the
Monastery, a right noble monk, and a great hidalgo. And the Abbot and
Gil Diaz sent for the daughters of the Cid and Dona Ximena to come and
honour their mother at her funeral, and to inherit what she had left.
Dona Sol, who was the younger, came first, because Aragon is nearer
than Navarre, and also because she was a widow; for the Infante Don
Sancho, her husband, had departed three years after the death of the
Cid, and had left no child. King Don Ramiro soon arrived with the other
dame, Queen Dona Elvira his wife, and he brought with him a great
company in honour of his wife's mother, and also the Bishop of
Pamplona, to do honour to her funeral; and the Infante Don Garcia
Ramirez, their son, came with them, being a child of four years old.
Moreover there came friends and kinsmen from all parts. And when they
were all assembled they buried the body of Dona Ximena at the feet of
the ivory chair on which the Cid was seated; and the Bishop of Pamplona
said mass, and the Abbot Don Garcia Tellez officiated. And they tarried
there seven days, singing many masses, and doing much good for her
soul's sake. And in that time the Bishop Don Hieronymo arrived, who
abode with King Don Alfonso, and he came to do honour to the body of
Dona Ximena; for so soon as he heard that she was departed, he set off
taking long journies every day. And when the seven days were over, King
Don Ramiro and Queen Dona Elvira his wife, and her sister, Dona Sol,
set apart rents for the soul of Dona Ximena, and they appointed that
Gil Diaz should have them for his life, and that then they should go to
the Monastery for ever: and they ordained certain anniversaries for the
souls of the Cid and of Dona Ximena. After this was done they divided
between them what Dona Ximena had left, which was a great treasure in
gold and in silver, and in costly garments; ... the one half Queen Dona
Elvira took, and Dona Sol the other. And when they had thus divided it,
Dona Sol said that all which she had in the world should be for her
nephew the Infante Don Garcia Ramirez, and with the good will of Queen
Elvira his mother, she adopted him then to be her son, and she took him
with her to Aragon, to the lands which had been given her in dower, and
bred him up till he became a young man; and after the death of his
father he was made King of Navarre, as may be seen in the book of the
Chronicles of the Kings of Spain. And when all these things were done
they departed each to his own home, and Gil Diaz remained, serving and
doing honour to the bodies of his master the Cid and Dona Ximena his
mistress.
XVII. Now Don Garcia Tellez the Abbot, and the trusty Gil Diaz, were
wont every year to make a great festival on the day of the Cid's
departure, and on that anniversary they gave food and cloathing to the
poor, who came from all parts round about. And it came to pass when
they made the seventh anniversary, that a great multitude assembled as
they were wont to do, and many Moors and Jews came to see the strange
manner of the Cid's body. And it was the custom of the Abbot Don Garcia
Tellez, when they made that anniversary, to make a right noble sermon
to the people: and because the multitude which had assembled was so
great that the Church could not hold them, they went out into the open
place before the Monastery, and he preached unto them there. And while
he was preaching there remained a Jew in the Church, who stopt before
the body of the Cid, looking at him to see how nobly he was there
seated, having his countenance so fair and comely, and his long beard
in such goodly order, and his sword Tizona in its scabbard in his left
hand, and the strings of his mantle in his right, even in such manner
as King Don Alfonso had left him, save only that the garments had been
changed, it being now seven years since the body had remained there in
that ivory chair. Now there was not a man in the Church save this Jew,
for all the others were hearing the preachment which the Abbot made.
And when this Jew perceived that he was alone, he began to think within
himself and say. This is the body of that Ruydiez the Cid. whom they
say no man in the world ever took by the beard while he lived ... I
will take him by the beard now, and see what he can do to me. And with
that he put forth his hand to pull the beard of the Cid; ... but before
his hand could reach it, God, who would not suffer this thing to be
done, sent his spirit into the body, and the Cid let the strings of his
mantle go from his right hand, and laid hand on his sword Tizona, and
drew it a full palm's length out of the scabbard. And when the Jew saw
this, he fell upon his back for great fear, and began to cry out so
loudly, that all they who were without the Church heard him, and the
Abbot broke off his preachment and went into the Church to see what it
might be. And when they came they found this Jew lying upon his back
before the ivory chair, like one dead, for he had ceased to cry out,
and had swooned away. And then the Abbot Don Garcia Tellez looked at
the body of the Cid, and saw that his right hand was upon the hilt of
the sword, and that he had drawn it out a full palm's length; and he
was greatly amazed. And he called for holy water, and threw it in the
face of the Jew, and with that the Jew came to himself. Then the Abbot
asked him what all this had been, and he told him the whole truth; and
he knelt down upon his knees before the Abbot, and besought him of his
mercy that he would make a Christian of him, because of this great
miracle which he had seen, and baptize him in the name of Jesus Christ,
for he would live and die in his faith, holding all other to be but
error. And the Abbot baptized him in the name of the Holy Trinity, and
gave him to name Diego Gil. And all who were there present were greatly
amazed, and they made a great outcry and great rejoicings to God for
this miracle, and for the power which he had shown through the body of
the Cid in this manner; for it was plain that what the Jew said was
verily and indeed true, because the posture of the Cid was changed. And
from that day forward Diego Gil remained in the Monastery as longed as
he lived, doing service to the body of the Cid.
XVIII. After that day the body of the Cid remained in the same posture,
for they never took his hand off the sword, nor changed his garments
more, and thus it remained three years longer, till it had been there
ten years in all. And then the nose began to change colour. And when
the Abbot Don Garcia Tellez and Gil Diaz saw this, they weened that it
was no longer fitting for the body to remain in that manner. And three
Bishops from the neighbouring provinces met there, and with many masses
and vigils, and great honour, they interred the body after this manner.
They dug a vault before the altar, beside the grave of Dona Ximena, and
vaulted it over with a high arch, and there they placed the body of the
Cid seated as it was in the ivory chair, and in his garments, and with
the sword in his hand, and they hung up his shield and his banner upon
the walls.
XIX. After the body of the noble Cid Campeador had been thus honourably
interred, Gil Diaz his trusty servant abode still in the Monastery of
St. Pedro de Cardena, doing service to the graves of the Cid and Dona
Ximena, and making their anniversaries, and celebrating masses, and
giving great alms to the poor both in food and clothing, for the good
of their souls; and in this manner he lived while Don Garcia Tellez was
Abbot, and two others after him, and then he died. And his deportment
had alway been such in that Monastery, that all there were his friends,
and lamented greatly at his death, because he had led so devout and
good a life, and served so trustily at the graves of his master and
mistress. And at the time of his death he gave order that they should
lay his body beside the good horse Bavieca whom he had loved so well,
in the grave which he had made there for himself while he was living.
And Diego Gil remained in his place, doing the same service which he
had done, till he departed also. And the history saith that though Gil
Diaz was good, Diego Gil was even better.
XX. Eighty and six years after the death of the Cid Campeador, that is
to say, in the year of the Era 1223, which is the year of the
Incarnation 1185, it came to pass, that there was war between the Kings
of Leon and Navarre on the one part, and the King of Castille on the
other, notwithstanding this King Don Sancho of Navarre was uncle to the
King of Castille, being his mother's brother. And this King Don Sancho
entered into the lands of his nephew King Don Alfonso of Castille, and
advanced as far as Burgos, and with his sword he struck a great stroke
into the elm tree which is before the Church of St. John at Burgos, in
token that he had taken possession of all that land; and he carried
away with him a great booty in flocks and herds and beasts of the
plough, and whatever else he could find, and with all this booty went
his way toward Navarre. Now he had to pass nigh the Monastery of St.
Pedro de Cardena, where the body of the Cid Campeador lay. And at that
time the Abbot of the Monastery, whose name was Don Juan, was a good
man, and a hidalgo, and stricken in years; and he had been a doughty
man in arms in his day. And when he saw this great booty being driven
out of Castille, he was sorely grieved at the sight, and though he was
now an old man, and it was long since he had got on horseback, he went
to horse now, and took ten monks with him, and bade the strongest among
them take down the banner of the Cid from the place where it was hung
up, and he went after King Don Sancho who was carrying away the spoil.
And the King when he saw him coming marvelled what banner this might
be, for in those days there was no banner like unto that borne by any
man in all the kingdoms of Spain; and perceiving how few they were who
came with it, he halted to see what it might be. And the Abbot humbled
himself before him when he came up, and said, King Don Sancho of
Navarre, I am the Abbot of this Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardena,
wherein lies the body of Cid Campeador, your great grandfather; and for
that reason presuming on your bounty and favour, I am come hither with
this banner, which was borne before him in his battles, to beseech you
that you would leave this booty for the honour of this banner and of
the body of the Cid. And when King Don Sancho heard this, he marvelled
at the great courage of the man, that he should thus without fear ask
of him to restore his booty. And he said unto him after awhile, Good
man, I know you not: but for what you have said I will give back the
booty, for which there are many reasons. For I am of the lineage of the
Cid, as you say, and my father King Don Garcia being the son of Dona
Elvira his daughter, this is the first reason; and the second is for
the honour of his body which lies in your Monastery; and the third is
in reverence to this his banner, which never was defeated. And if none
of these were of any avail, yet ought I to restore it were it only for
this, that if he were living there is none who could drive away the
spoils of Castille, he being so near. For the love of God therefore,
and of my forefather the Cid, I give it to him, and to you, who have
known so well how to ask it at my hands. When the Abbot heard this he
was as joyful as he could be, and would have kissed the hand of King
Don Sancho, but the King would not suffer this because he was a priest
of the mass. Then the King ordered the spoil to be driven to the
Monastery, and went himself with it, and saw the banner hung up again
in its place, and abode there three weeks, till all that booty had been
restored to the persons from whom it was taken. And when this was done
he offered to the Monastery two hundred pieces of gold for the soul of
his forefather the Cid, and returned into his kingdom of Navarre, and
did no more evil at that time in the realm of Castille. This good
service the Cid Ruydiez did to Castille after his death.
XXI. Moreover when the Miramamolin brought over from Africa against
King Don Alfonso, the eighth of that name, the mightiest power of the
misbelievers that had ever been brought against Spain since the
destruction of the Kings of the Goths, the Cid Campeador remembered his
country in that great danger. For the night before the battle was
fought at the Navas de Tolosa, in the dead of the night, a mighty sound
was heard in the whole city of Leon, as if it were the tramp of a great
army passing through. And it passed on to the Royal Monastery of St.
Isidro, and there was a great knocking at the gate thereof, and they
called to a priest who was keeping vigils in the Church, and told him,
that the Captains of the army whom he heard were the Cid Ruydiez, and
Count Ferran Gonzalez, and that they came there to call up King Don
Ferrando the Great, who lay buried in that Church, that he might go
with them to deliver Spain. And on the morrow that great battle of the
Navas de Tolosa was fought, wherein sixty thousand of the misbelievers
were slain, which was one of the greatest and noblest battles ever won
over the Moors.
XXII. The body of the Cid remained in the vault wherein it had been
placed as ye have heard, till the year of the Incarnation 1272, when
King Don Alfonso the Wise, for the great reverence which he bore the
memory of the Cid his forefather, ordered a coffin to be made for him,
which was hewn out of two great stones; and in this the body of the Cid
was laid, and they placed it on that side where the Epistle is read;
and before it, in, a wooden coffin, they laid the body of Dona Ximena.
And round about the stone coffin these verses were graven, in the Latin
tongue, being, according as it is said, composed by King Don Alfonso
himself.
BELLIGER, INVICTOS, FAMOSUS MARTE TRIUMPHIS,
CLAUDITUR HOC TUMULO MAGNUS DIDACI RODERICUS.
And upon his tomb he ordered these verses to be graven also:
QUANTUM ROMA POTENS BELLICIS EXTOLLITUR ACTIS,
VIVAX ARTHURUS FIT GLORIA QUANTUM BRITANNIS,
NOBILIS E CAROLO QUANTUM GAUDET FRANCIA MAGNO,
TANTUM IBERIA DURIS CID INVICTOS CLARET.
And upon the walls it was thus written. I who lie here interred am the
Cid Ruydiez, who conquered King Bucar with six and thirty Kings of the
Moors; and of those six and thirty, twenty and two died in the field.
Before Valencia I conquered them, on horseback, after I was dead, being
the seventy and second battle which I won. I am he who won the swords
Colada and Tizona. God be praised, Amen.
XXIII. The body of the Cid remained here till the year of the
Incarnation 1447, when the Abbot Don Pedro del Burgo ordered the old
Church to be pulled down that a new one might be built in its place.
And then as all the sepulchres were removed, that of the Cid was
removed also, and they placed it in front of the Sacristy, upon four
stone lions. And in the year 1540 God put it in the heart of the Abbot
and Prior, Monks and Convent of the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardena,
for the glory of God, and the honour of St. Peter and St. Paul, and of
the Cid and other good knights who lay buried there, and for the
devotion of the people, to beautify the great Chapel of the said
Monastery with a rich choir and stalls, and new altars, and goodly
steps to lead up to them. And as they were doing this they found that
the tomb of the blessed Cid, if they left it where it was, which was in
front of the door of the Sacristy, before the steps of the altar, it
would neither be seemly for the service of the altar, because it was in
the way thereof, nor for his dignity, by reason that they might stumble
against it; ... moreover it was fallen somewhat to decay, and set badly
upon the stone lions which supported it; and there were other knights
placed above him. Whereupon the Abbot, Prior, Monks, and Convent,
resolved that they would translate his body, and remove the other tombs
to places convenient for them, holding that it was not meet that those
who neither in their exploits nor in holiness had equalled him in life,
should have precedency of him after death. And they were of accord that
the day of this translation should not be made public, knowing how
great the number would be of knights and other persons who would be
desirous of being at this festival, for which cause they doubted least
some misadventure would betide of tumults and deaths, or scandals, such
as are wont to happen on such occasions; they were therefore minded to
do this thing without giving knowledge thereof to any but those who
were in the Monastery, who were of many nations and conditions, and who
were enow to bear testimony when it was done; for there was no lack
there, besides the religious, of knights, squires, hidalgos, labourers,
and folk of the city and the district round about, and Biscayans and
mountaineers, and men of Burgundy and of France.
XXIV. So on Thursday, the eighth day of Epiphany, being the thirteenth
day of January in the year of our Lord 1541, and at the hour of
complines, the Abbot and Convent being assembled, together with
serving-men and artificers who were called for this purpose, they made
that night wooden biers that the tomb might be moved more easily and
reverently, and with less danger. And on the morrow, which was Friday,
the fourteenth day of the said month and year, the Convent having said
primes, and the mass of Our Lady, according to custom, and the Abbot,
Fray Lope de Frias, who was a native of Velorado, having confessed and
said mass, the doors of the Church being open, and the altar richly
drest, and the bells ringing as they are wont to do upon great
festivals, at eight in the morning there assembled in the Church all
the brethren of the Monastery, nineteen in number, the other fifteen
being absent each in his avocation; and there were present with them
Sancho de Ocana, Merino and Chief Justice of the Monastery; Juan de
Rosales, Pedro de Ruseras, and Juan Ruyz, squires of the house; master
Ochoa de Artiaga, a mason, with his men; Andres de Carnica, and Domingo
de Artiago, master Pablo and master Borgonon, stone-cutters, with their
men; and master Juan, a smith, with his; and all the other workmen and
serving-men and traders who were in the house. And the Abbot being clad
in rich vestments, and the ministers and acolites with him, with cross,
candles, and torches burning, went all in procession to Our Lady's
altar, where the sacrament was at that time kept, because of the
repairs which were going on in the great Chapel; and all kneeling on
their knees, and having recited the Pater-noster and the Ave-maria, the
Abbot gave a sign, and the Precentor of the Convent began in plain
descant the antiphony _Salvator Mundi_. And when the whole Convent had
sung this, the Abbot said the verse _Ostende nobis_, and the verse
_Post partum virgo_, and the prayer _Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui es
omnium dubitantium certitudo_, and the prayer _Deus qui salutis
oeternoe_, demanding the grace and favour of the Lord. When this was
done they returned in procession to the great Chapel, before the tomb
of the blessed Cid, and then the choir began the anthem _Mirabilis
Deus_, saying it to the organ. And while this was singing in great
accord, the workmen stood ready with their instruments in hand, to lift
off the upper stone of the coffin, because it was well nigh impossible
to remove the whole together, and also because the Abbot, Prior, and
Convent, had resolved to see that holy body and relicks, by reason of
the devotion which they bore to the blessed Cid, and that they might
bear testimony in what manner he lay in that tomb, wherein he had been
deposited to many years ago, as behoved them for the honour of the Cid
and the authority of the Monastery.
XXV. When the anthem was finished, the Abbot said the verse _Exuliabunt
saneti in gloria_, and the prayer _Deus qui es tuorum gloria servorum_.
And when all had said Amen, the Abbot himself, with a little bar of
iron, began first to move the lid of the stone coffin; and then the
workmen and others easily lifted it off upon the bier, and thus the
tomb was laid open; and there appeared within it a coffin of wood
fastened-down with gilt nails, the hair of the coffin being entirely
gone, and great part of the wood decayed also. Within this coffin was
the holy body, now well nigh consumed, nothing but the bones remaining
entire. On some of the bones the flesh was still remaining, not
discoloured, but with a rosy colour, and the bones, were of the same
rosy colour, and the flesh also which had fallen from them. The body
was wrapt in a sendal wrought after the Moorish fashion, with sword and
spear by its side, as tokens of knighthood. As soon as the coffin was
opened there issued forth a good odour, and comforting fragrance. It
appeared that no part of the body was wanting: but this was not
narrowly examined, by reason of the reverence which they bore it. After
all this had been seen well and leisurely by all those who were
present, the Abbot and his ministers passed a clean sheet under the
coffin, and collecting into it all the bones and holy dust, covered it
with another sheet, and took it out, and laid it upon the high altar,
with candles and torches on each side; and in this manner it remained
there all day, till it was time to deposit it in the tomb. And all this
while the choristers sung to the organ, and the organ responded. And
when the body was laid upon the altar, the Abbot said the verse
_Mirabilis Deus_, and the prayer _Magnifuet te Domine sanctorum tuorum
beaia solemnitas_. And when this was done he went and disrobed himself
of his sacred vestments. And the workmen went and removed the stone
lions, and placed them in the place where they were to be, and the tomb
upon them. And the Convent went to perform divine service, which was
celebrated that day at all the hours with a full choir. And at the hour
accustomed, after this was done, the Abbot and the Convent invited all
who were there present to be their guests, giving a right solemn feast
to all; and the chief persons dined with the Convent in the Refectory.
And that same day in the evening, after vespers, when it was about four
o'clock, the workmen had removed the stone lions, and placed the tomb
upon them, and laid the lid of the tomb hard by, and made all ready to
fasten it down, so soon as the holy body should be laid in it. And at
that time, the bells ringing again, and all being again assembled, the
Abbot having put on again his vestments, which were of white brocade,
and his ministers with him, went to the altar whereon they had laid the
holy body, which had been right nobly guarded and accompanied. And the
singers singing the while, he and his ministers took it and laid it
with great reverence in the tomb, all seeing it when it was laid there,
wrapt up and covered with the sheets. And in the presence of all, the
workmen put on the lid and fastened it down. Then the Abbot began the
_Te Deum laudamus_, and the singers continuing it, they went in
procession to Our Lady's Chapel, where the most holy sacrament then
was, as ye have heard. And the Abbot said the verse _Benedicamus Patrem
et Filium cum Sancto Spiritu_, and the prayer _Deus ad quem digne
laudandum_, and they all returned thanksgiving to the Lord. And the
Abbot and the ministers went into the Sacristy, and took off their
sacred vestments; and then he returned and again invited all who were
there to a collation in the Refectory, which had been prepared by the
servants of the Monastery. And when this was over they separated, each
going with great content to his several occupation, praising God.
XXVI. It was a thing of great consolation that there was not a person
in that Monastery, who did not all that day feel great joy and delight
in his soul. And there befell a thing of which many took notice, and
which ought not to be passed over in silence, and it was this. There
was a great want of rain in the land of Rioja and Bureva, and the
district of Cardena also was in want of water, though not in such great
need, for it was long since any rain had fallen; and it pleased God
that on the aforesaid Thursday, the eve of the translation, at the very
hour when the Abbot and his people began to prepare the bier, and make
all things ready for opening and removing the tomb, a soft and gentle
rain began, such a rain that to those who were out of doors it was
nothing troublesome, and to the country greatly profitable, and
pleasant unto all; and it lasted all that night, and all the day
following, till the holy business of the translation was accomplished,
and then it ceased. Now it was found that this rain had fallen at the
same time and in the same manner, both in the country below Burgos, and
also in Bureva, albeit that it rarely hath happened for rain to fall at
one time in both provinces, because they are wont to have rain with
different winds. It seemeth therefore that this blessed knight, who
while he lived protected and defended that country with his person and
his arms, beholding the service which was done him, and how he was
remembered, favoured it at that time in heaven with his holy
intercession, by sending that thing whereof it had then most need,
which was water from heaven, in order that it might be made manifest
that he never ceased to show favour to those who trusted in him, and to
that Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardena. And an account of this
translation, and of all this which befell, was drawn up by the Abbot
Fray Lope de Frias, and signed by all the brethren of the Monastery,
and all the chief persons there present.
XXVII. Now albeit this translation of the body of the blessed Cid had
been made with such honour and reverence, there were many who murmured
against it; and Don Pedro Fernandez de Velasco, Duke of Frias, who was
then Constable of Castille. and the Municipality of Burgos, sent advice
thereof to the Emperor Charles V. who was at that time in Flanders,
beseeching him to give order that the tomb of the Cid might be
translated back to its former place, and that of Dona Ximena also,
which had been removed into the Cloisters of the Monastery. Hereupon
the Emperor dispatched letters to his Governor, Cardinal Juan, bidding
him see that the petition of the Constable and of the City of Burgos
was fulfilled, and the Cardinal in obedience thereunto dispatched the
provision here following.
The King.
Venerable Abbot, Monks and Convent of St. Pedro de Cardena, know ye
that we have ordered to be given, and do hereby give our edict unto
you, to the following tenor. The Council, Justice, and Regidores,
Knights, Esquires, Artificers and Good Men of the City of Burgos, have
made a memorial to us the King, showing, that we well know the fame,
nobleness, and exploits of the Cid, which are notorious to all, from
whose valour there redoundeth honour to all Spain, and especially to
that city whereof he was a native, and where he had his origin and
birth place; and that one of the principal things which they who pass
through that city, both natives of these kingdoms, and strangers also,
desire to see, is his tomb and the place wherein he and his ancestors
are interred, for his greatness and the antiquity thereof; and that it
is now some thirty or forty days since ye, not having respect to this,
neither bearing in mind that the Cid is our progenitor, nor the
possessions which he left to your house, nor the authority that it is
to the said Monastery that he should there have been interred, have
removed and taken away his tomb from the middle of the great Chapel,
where it had stood for more than four hundred years, and placed it near
a staircase, in a place unseemly, and unlike that where it was placed
heretofore, both in authority and honour. Moreover ye have removed with
him the tomb of Dona Ximena his wife, and placed it in the Cloisters of
the said Monastery, full differently from where it was. The which that
city, as well because it toucheth us as for her honour, doth greatly
resent; and albeit that as soon as it was known the Corregidor and
three of the Regidores thereof went there to prevail with ye that ye
should restore the said bodies to the place where they were wont to be,
ye would not be persuaded; whereof the said city holdeth itself greatly
aggrieved: and moreover it is a thing of bad example for Monasteries
and Religioners, who, seeing how lightly the tomb of so famous a person
hath been removed, may venture to remove and change any monuments and
memorials, whereby great evil would accrue to our kingdoms. And the
said City supplicateth and beseeching us of our grace, that we would be
pleased to give command that ye should restore the bodies of the Cid
and of his wife to the same place and form as heretofore. And the Cid
having been so signal a person, and one from whom the Royal Crown of
Castille hath received such great and notable services, we marvel that
ye should have made this alteration in their tombs, and we command you
if it be so that their bodies or their tombs have been indeed removed,
as soon as ye receive this, to restore them to the same place, and in
the same form and manner as they were before; and in case they have not
yet been removed, that ye do not move nor touch them, neither now nor
at anytime to come. And having first complied with this order, if ye
have any cause or reason for making this removal, ye are to send us an
account thereof, and also how ye have restored the said bodies and
tombs to their former place within forty days, to the end that we may
give order to have this matter inspected, and provide as shall be most
convenient. Done in Madrid, the 8th day of the Month of July, in the
year 1541. Johannes Cardinalis, by command of his Majesty. Governor in
his name.
XXVIII. This provision having been notified unto them, the Abbot and
Monks made answer that they were ready to obey it, and that he would go
and give account to the Lord Governor of what had been done. And the
Abbot went accordingly to Court, and informed the Cardinal Governor of
the translation which had been made; and that the tomb of the Cid had
been removed to a place more decorous, and nearer the High Altar, and
answering the site where King Don Alfonso VI. had commanded him to be
placed in his ivory chair before he was first interred; and where the
vault had been made wherein he had lain many years. And that the reason
why the tomb had been moved was, that the passage from the Sacristy to
the choir and the High Altar might be cleared; and that the reason why
it had not been placed in the middle of the Great Chapel, was, that if
that place were occupied, it seemed due to Queen Dona Sancha, the
foundress of that House, or to King Don Ramira, who had held that place
in the old Church. But notwithstanding all these reasons which the
Abbot alleged, the Cardinal ordered him to obey the King's command.
Hereupon the Abbot returned to the Monastery and determined to place
the tombs of the Cid and of Dona Ximena in the middle of the Great
Chapel, before it should be known in Burgos that the translation was to
take place; and accordingly when those persons who would fain have been
present made enquiry, they were told that the thing was done.
XXIX. Now there have not been wanting over-curious persons who, because
the Monastery of Cardena is the first under the royal patronage, by
reason that it is a foundation of Queen Dona Sancha, who is the first
royal personage that ever founded a Monastery in Spain, and because
King Don Alfonso the Great re-edified it, and Garcia Ferrandez the
Count of Castille restored it, have said, that the Cid hath taken the
place of these patrons. And when King Carlos II. was in this Monastery
in the year 1679, he asked whose the tomb was which occupied the middle
of the Great Chapel; and Fray Joseph del Hoyo, who was at that time
Abbot, made answer, Sir, it is the tomb of Rodrigo Diaz, the Cid
Campeador. Why then, said one of the Grandees, doth the Cid occupy the
best place, seeing that this Monastery is a royal foundation? Upon this
the Abbot made answer, that the Emperor Charles V. had ordered the
Abbot and Monks to place him in that place; and King Carlos II. said,
The Cid was not a King, but he was one who made Kings. And from that
time till the present day the tomb of the Cid hath remained in the same
place, and that of Dona Ximena beside it; and with such veneration and
respect are they preserved, that they are alway covered and adorned
with two cloths, whereof the upper one is of silk, and on great
festivals they are adorned with one still more precious.
XXX. Many are the things which belonged to Ruydiez the Cid Campeador,
which are still preserved with that reverence which is due to the
memory of such a man. First, there are those good swords Colada and
Tizona, which the Cid won with his own hand. Colado is a sword of full
ancient make: it hath only a cross for its hilt, and on one side are
graven the words _Si, Si_ ... that is to say, Yea, Yea: and on the
other, No, No. And this sword is in the Royal Armoury at Madrid. That
good sword Tizona is in length three quarters and a half, some little
more, and three full fingers wide by the hilt, lessening down to the
point; and in the hollow of the sword, by the hilt, is this writing in
Roman letters, _Ave Maria gratia plena, Dominus_, and on the other
side, in the same letters, I am Tizona, which was made in the era 1040,
that is to say, in the year 1002. This good sword is an heir-loom in
the family of the Marquisses of Falces. The Infante Don Ramiro, who was
the Cid's son-in-law, inherited it, and from him it descended to them.
Moreover the two coffers which were given in pledge to the Jews Rachel
and Vidas are kept, the one in the Church of St. Agueda at Burgos,
where it is placed over the principal door, in the inside, and the
other is in the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardena, where it is hung up
by two chains on the left of the dome; on the right, and opposite to
this coffer, is the banner of the Cid, but the colour thereof cannot
now be known, for length of time and the dampness of the Church have
clean consumed it. In the middle is his shield hanging against the
wall, covered with skin, but now so changed that no blazonry or device
is to be seen. In the Sacristy there are the keys of the coffer, a
great round chest of sattin wood, the setting of the amethyst cup which
he used at table, and one of the caskets which the Soldan of Persia
sent with the myrrh and balsam; this is of silver, and gilt in the
inside, and it is in two parts, the lid closing over the other part;
its fashion is like that of the vessels in which the three Kings of the
East are represented, bringing their offerings to Christ when he was
newly born. On the upper part is graven the image of our Redeemer
holding the world in his hand, and on the other the figure of a serpent
marvellously contorted, per-adventure in token of the victory which
Jesus atchieved over the enemy of the human race. That noble
chess-board, the men whereof were of gold and silver, was also in the
Monastery in the days of King Don Alfonso the Wise, but it hath long
since been lost, no man knoweth how. Moreover there is in this Sacristy
a precious stone of great size, black and sparkling; no lapidary hath
yet known its name. The Convent have had an infant Jesus graven
thereon, with the emblem of the Passion, that it might be worthily
employed. It is thought also that the great cross of crystal which is
set so well and wrought with such great cunning, is made of different
pieces of crystal which belonged to the Cid. But the most precious
relick of the Cid Ruydiez which is preserved and venerated in this
Monastery, is the cross which he wore upon his breast when he went to
battle; it is of plain silver, in four equal parts, and each part
covered with three plates of gold, and in the flat part of each five
sockets set with precious stones of some size; and with other white
ones which are smaller; of these little ones, some are still left,
fastened in with filigrane. In the middle of the cross is a raised
part, after the manner of an artichoke, ending in white and green
enamel; and it is said that in the hollow thereof are certain relicks,
with a piece of the holy wood of the true cross. Verily, that part of
the writing which can still be read implieth this, for thus much may at
this day be discerned.... CRUCIS SALVATOR * * SANCTI PETRI * * PORTO.
Of the four limbs of this cross the upper one is wanting. King Don
Alfonso, the last of that name, asked for it, and had it made into a
cross to wear himself when he went to battle, because of the faith
which he had, that through it he should obtain the victory; of the
lower limb little more is left than that to which the plates of silver
and gold were fastened on. From point to point this cross is little
more than a quarter.
XXXI. There is no doubt that the soul of the blessed Cid resteth and
reigneth with the blessed in Heaven. And men of all nations and at all
times have come from all parts to see and reverence his holy body and
tomb, being led by the odour of his fame, especially knights and
soldiers, who when they have fallen upon their knees to kiss his tomb,
and scraped a little of the stone thereof to bear away with them as a
relick, and commended themselves to him, have felt their hearts
strengthened, and gone away in full trust that they should speed the
better in all battles into which they should enter from that time with
a good cause. By reason of this great devotion, and the great virtues
of my Cid, and the miracles which were wrought by him, King Philip the
Second gave order to his ambassador Don Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, to
deal with the Court of Borne concerning the canonization of this
venerable knight Rodrigo Diaz. Now Don Diego was a person of great
learning, and moreover, one of the descendants of the Cid; and being
greatly desirous that this thing should be effected, he sent to the
Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardena, and had papers and depositions sent
from thence, and made a memorial of the virtues and miracles of the
Campeador, showing cause why this blessed knight should be canonized.
But before the matter could be proceeded in, the loss of Sienna took
place, whereupon he was fain to leave Rome and thus this pious design
could not be brought about. Nevertheless the Cid hath alway been
regarded with great reverence as an especial servant of God: and he is
called the Blessed Cid, and the Venerable Rodrigo Diaz. Certes, his
soul resteth and reigneth with the blessed in Heaven. Amen.
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