II. Chr. del therefore give up the town to him within nine days, and I BOOK will go to Toledo to my brother King Don Alfonso. The men of Zamora when they heard this had great sorrow, because they had endured the siege so long, and must now Cid. cap. give up the town at last; and they determined all to go with Chr. Gen. the Infanta, and not remain in the town. 58. 59. ff. 214. do Dolfos the town. XXVIII. When Vellido Dolfos' heard this, he went to How VelliDoña Urraca and said, Lady, I came here to Zamora to do fled out of you service with thirty knights, all well accoutred, as you know; and I have served you long time, and never have I had from you guerdon for my service, though I have demanded it but now if you will grant my demand I will relieve Zamora, and make King Don Sancho break up the siege. Then said Doña Urraca, Vellido, I shall repeat to thee the saying of the wise man, A man bargains well with the slothful and with him who is in need; and thus you would deal with me. I do not bid thee commit any evil thing, if such thou hast in thy thought; but I say unto you, that there is not a man in the world to whom if he should relieve Zamora, and make the King my brother raise the siege, I would not grant whatsoever he might require. And when Vellido heard this he kissed her hand, and went to a porter who kept one of the gates of the town, and spake with him, saying, that he should open the gate unto him when he saw him flying toward it, and he gave him his cloak. Then went he to his lodging and armed himself, and mounted his horse, and rode to the house of Don Arias Gonzalo, and cried with a loud voice, We all know the reason, Don Arias Gonzalo, why you will not let Doña Urraca exchange Zamora with her brother; it is because you deal with her as with a harlot, like an old traitor. When Arias Gonzalo heard this, it grieved him to the heart, and he said, In an evil day was I born, that so shameful a falsehood as this Dolfos is the corrupted patronymic of Ataulpho, the Adolphus of modern Germany. II. BOOK three nights so bravely that all the ditches were filled up, and the barbicans thrown down, and they who were within fought sword in hand with those without, and the waters of the Douro, as they past below the town, were all discolored with blood. And when Count Don Garcia de Cabra saw the great loss which they were suffering, it grieved him; and he went unto the King and told him that many men were slain, and advised him to call off the host that they should no longer fight against the town, but hold it besieged, for by famine it might soon be taken. Then the King ordered them to draw back, and he sent to each camp to know how many men had died in the attack, and the number was found to be a thousand and thirty. And when the King knew this he was greatly troubled for the great loss which he had received, and he ordered the town to be beleagered round about, and in this manner he begirt it, that none could enter into it, neither go out therefrom; and there was a great famine within the town. And when Don Arias Gonzalo saw the misery, and the hunger, and the mortality which were there, he said to the Infanta Doña Urraca, You see, Lady, the great wretchedness which the people of Zamora have suffered, and do every day suffer to maintain their loyalty; now then call together the Council, and thank them truly for what they have done for you, and bid them give up the town within nine days to the King your brother. And we, Lady, will go to Toledo to your brother King Don Alfonso, for we cannot defend Zamora; King Don Sancho is of so great heart and so resolute, that he will never break up the siege, and I do not hold it good that you should abide here longer. And Doña Urraca gave orders that the good men of Zamora should meet together in Council; and she said unto them, Friends, ye well see the resoluteness of King Don Sancho my brother; and already have ye suffered much evil and much wretchedness for doing right and loyally, losing kinsmen and friends in my service. Ye have done enough, and I do not hold it good that ye should perish; I command ye II. Chr. del therefore give up the town to him within nine days, and I BOOK will go to Toledo to my brother King Don Alfonso. The men of Zamora when they heard this had great sorrow, because they had endured the siege so long, and must now Cid. cap. give up the town at last; and they determined all to go with Chr. Gen. the Infanta, and not remain in the town. 58. 59. ff. 214. do Dolfos the town. XXVIII. When Vellido Dolfos' heard this, he went to How VelliDoña Urraca and said, Lady, I came here to Zamora to do fled out of you service with thirty knights, all well accoutred, as you know; and I have served you long time, and never have I had from you guerdon for my service, though I have demanded it but now if you will grant my demand I will relieve Zamora, and make King Don Sancho break up the siege. Then said Doña Urraca, Vellido, I shall repeat to thee the saying of the wise man, A man bargains well with the slothful and with him who is in need; and thus you would deal with me. I do not bid thee commit any evil thing, if such thou hast in thy thought; but I say unto you, that there is not a man in the world to whom if he should relieve Zamora, and make the King my brother raise the siege, I would not grant whatsoever he might require. And when Vellido heard this he kissed her hand, and went to a porter who kept one of the gates of the town, and spake with him, saying, that he should open the gate unto him when he saw him flying toward it, and he gave him his cloak. Then went he to his lodging and armed himself, and mounted his horse, and rode to the house of Don Arias Gonzalo, and cried with a loud voice, We all know the reason, Don Arias Gonzalo, why you will not let Doña Urraca exchange Zamora with her brother; it is because you deal with her as with a harlot, like an old traitor. When Arias Gonzalo heard this, it grieved him to the heart, and he said, In an evil day was I born, that so shameful a falsehood as this Dolfos is the corrupted patronymic of Ataulpho, the Adolphus of modern Germany. II. BOOK should be said to me in mine old age, and there should be none to revenge me! Then his sons arose and armed themselves hastily, and went after Vellido, who fled before them toward the gate of the town. The porter when he saw him coming opened the gate, and he rode out and galloped into the camp of the King Don Sancho, and the others followed him till they were nigh the camp, but farther they did not venture. And Vellido went to the King and kissed his hand, and said unto him these false words with a lying tongue Sir, because I said to the Council of Zamora that they should yield the town unto you, the sons of Arias Gonzalo would have slain me, even as you have seen. And therefore come I to you, Sir, and will be your vassal, if I may find favor at your hands. And I will shew you how in a few days you may have Zamora, if God pleases; and if I do not as I have said, then let me be slain. And the King believed all that he said, and received him for his vassal, and did him great honor. And all that night they talked together of his secrets, and he made the King believe that he Cid.cap 60. knew a postern by means of which he would put Zamora Chr. Gen. into his hands. Chr. del ff. 215. How the men of Za mora warn XXIX. On the morrow in the morning, one of the knights who were in the town went upon the wall, and ed King cried out with a loud voice, so that the greater part of the of the trea- host heard him, King Don Sancho, give ear to what I say; Don Sancho son which ed. was design- I am a knight and hidalgo, a native of the land of Santiago; and they from whom I spring were true men and delighted in their loyalty, and I also will live and die in my truth. Give ear, for I would undeceive you, and tell you the truth, if you will believe me. I say unto you, that from this town of Zamora there is gone forth a traitor to kill you; his name is Vellido Dolfos; he is the son of Adolfo, who slew Don Nuño like a traitor, and the grandson of Laino, another traitor, who killed his gossip and threw him into the river; and this is as great a traitor as the rest of his race; look to yourself therefore and take heed of him. I say this to you, II. that if peradventure evil should befall you by this traitor, BOOK it may not be said in Spain that you were not warned against him. Now the name of this knight was Bernal Diañez de Ocampo. And the men of Zamora sent also to the King to bid him beware of Vellido, and the King took their warning in good part, and sent to say unto them, that when he had the town he would deal bountifully with them, for this which they had done; nevertheless he gave no heed to the warning. And Vellido, when he heard this, went to the King, and said, Sir, the old Arias Gonzalo is full crafty, and hath sent to say this unto you, because he knows that by my means you would have won the town. And he called for his horse, feigning that he would depart because of what had been said. But the King took him by the hand, and said, Friend and vassal, take no thought for this; I say unto you, that if I may have Zamora, I will make you chief therein, even as Arias Gonzalo is now. Then Vellido kissed his hand and said, God grant you life, Sir, for many ff. 34. and happy years, and let you fulfil what you desire. But Cid.cap.61. the traitor had other thoughts in his heart. Sandoval, Chr. del Chr. Gen. ff. 215. Dun Sancho XXX. After this Vellido took the King apart and said How King to him, If it please you, Sir, let us ride out together alone; was slain we will go round Zamora, and see the trenches which you by treason. have ordered to be made; and I will show unto you the postern which is called the Queen's, by which we may enter the town, for it is never closed. When it is night you shall give me a hundred knights who are hidalgos, well armed, and we will go on foot, and the Zamorans because they are weak with famine and misery, will let us conquer them, and we will enter and open the gate, and keep it open till all your host shall have entered in; and thus shall we win the town of Zamora. The King believed what he said, and they took horse and went riding round the town, and the King looked at the trenches, and that traitor showed him the postern whereof he had spoken. And after they had ridden round the town the King had need to alight upon the side |