III. on; their bread and their wine, and the very stones in BOOK their walls. If there be any one in Zamora to gainsay what I have said, I will do battle with him, and with God's pleasure conquer him, so that the infamy shall remain upon you. Don Arias Gonzalo replied, If I were what thou sayest I am, it had been better for me never to have been born; but in what thou sayest thou liest. In that which the great do the little have no fault, nor the dead for the deeds of the living, which they neither see nor hear: but setting aside these and the things which have no understanding, as to the rest I say that thou liest, and I will do battle with thee upon this quarrel, or give thee one in my stead. But know that you have been ill advised, in making this impeachment, for the manner is, that whosoever impeacheth a Council must do battle with five, one after another, and if he conquer the five, he shall be held a true man, but if either of the five conquer him, the Council is held acquitted and he a liar. When Don Diego heard this it troubled him; howbeit he dissembled this right well, and said unto Don Arias Gonzalo, I will bring twelve Castilians, and do you bring twelve men of Zamora, and they shall swear upon the Holy Gospel to judge justly between us, and if they find that I am bound to do battle with five, I will perform it. And Don Arias made answer that he said well, and it should be so. And truce was made for three times nine Chr. Gen. days, till this should have been determined and the combat f. 217. fought. Chr. del Cid.cap.66. ner in combat was III. Then when the truce was made, Don Arias Gon- of the manzalo went out from the town into the host of the Castilians, which the and his sons with him, and many of the knights of the town, to be perand all the Ricos-omes and knights who were in the host formed. assembled together with them, and consulted what was to be done in this impeachment. And they chose out twelve alcaldes on the one part, and twelve on the other, who should decide in what manner he was bound to perform combat who impeached a Council. And the four and twenty III. BOOK alcaldes accorded concerning what was the law in this case; and two of them who were held the most learned in these things arose, the one being a Castilian and the other of Zamora, and said that they had found the law as it was written to be this: That whosoever impeacheth the Council of a town which was a bishop's seat, must do battle with five in the field, one after another; and that after every combat there should be given unto him fresh arms and horse, and three sops of bread, and a draught either of wine or of water, as he chose. And in this sentence which the twain pronounced, Cid.cap.69. the other twenty and two accorded. Chr. Gen. ff. 218. Chr. del How Don Arias and IV. On the morrow before the hour of tierce, the four his sons re- and twenty alcaldes marked out the lists upon the sand solved to do beside the river, at the place which is called Santiago, and Zamora. in the middle of the lists they placed a bar, and ordained combat for that he who won the battle should lay hand on the bar, and say that he had conquered: and then they appointed a term of nine days for the combatants to come to those lists which had been assigned. And when all was appointed as ye have heard, Don Arias returned to Zamora, and told the Infanta Doña Urraca all that had been done, and she ordered a meeting to be called, at which all the men of the town assembled. And when they were gathered together, Don Arias Gonzalo said unto them, Friends, I beseech ye, if there be any here among ye who took counsel for the death of King Don Sancho, or were privy thereunto, that ye now tell me, and deny it not; for rather would I go with my sons to the land of the Moors, than be overcome in the field, and held for a traitor. Then they all replied, that there was none there who knew of the treason, nor had consented unto it. At this was Don Arias Gonzalo well pleased, and he bade them go each to his house; and he went to his house also with his sons, and chose out four of them to do combat, and said that he would be the fifth himself; and he gave them directions how to demean themselves in the lists, and said, that he would enter first; and if, said he, what the Castilian saith be true, I BOOK would die first, not to see the infamy; but if what he saith be false, I shall conquer him, and ye shall ever be in honor. held III. Arias How Don Arias was that his son Pedrarias battle in V. When the day appointed was come, Don Gonzalo early in the morning armed his sons, and they persuaded armed him; and it was told him that Don Diego Ordoñez was already in the lists. Then he and his sons mounted should do their horses, and as they rode through the gates of their his stead. house, Doña Urraca, with a company of dames met them, and said to Don Arias, weeping, Remember now how my father, King Don Ferrando, left me to your care, and you swore between his hands that you would never forsake me; and lo! now you are forsaking me. I beseech you remain with me, and go not to this battle; for there is reason enough why you should be excused, and not break the oath which you made unto my father. And she took hold on him, and would not let him go, and made him be disarmed. Then came many knights around him, to demand arms of him, and request that they might do battle in his stead; nevertheless he would give them to none. And he called for his son Pedro Arias, who was a right brave knight, though but of green years, and who had greatly intreated his father before this, that he would suffer him to fight in his stead. And Don Arias armed him completely with his own hands, and instructed him how to demean himself, and gave him his blessing with his right hand, and said unto him, that in such a point he went to save the people of Zamora, as when our Lord Jesus Christ came through the Virgin Mary, to save the people of this world, who were lost by our father Adam. Then went they into the field, where Don Diego Ordoñez was awaiting them, and Pedrarias entered the lists, and the judges placed them each in his place, and divided the sun between them, and went ff. 219. out, leaving them in the lists. Chr. Gen. Chr. del BOOK Of the first combat. VI. Then they turned their horses one against the other, and ran at each other full bravely, like good knights. Five times they encountered, and at the sixth encounter their spears brake, and they laid hands upon their swords, and dealt each other such heavy blows that the helmets failed; and in this manner the combat between them continued till And when Don Diego Ordoñez saw that it lasted so long, and he could not yet conquer him, he called to mind that he was there fighting to revenge his Lord, who had been slain by a foul treason, and he collected together all his strength. And he lifted up his sword and smote Pedrarias upon the helmet, so that he cut through it, and through the hood of the mail also, and made a wound in the head. And Pedrarias with the agony of death, and with the blood which ran over his eyes, bowed down to the neck of the horse; yet with all this he neither lost his stirrups, nor let go his sword. And Don Diego Ordoñez seeing him thus, thought that he was dead, and would not strike him again; and he called aloud, saying, Don Arias, send me another son, for this one will never fulfil your bidding. When Pedrarias heard this, grievously wounded as he was, he wiped the blood away with the sleeve of his mail, and went fiercely against him and he took the sword in both hands, and thought to give it him upon his head; but the blow missed, and fell upon the horse, and cut off great part of his nostrils, and the reins with it; and the horse immediately ran away because of the great wound which he had received. And Don Diego had no reins wherewith to stop him, and perceiving that he should else be carried out of the lists, he threw himself off. And while he did this, Pedrarias fell down dead, just without the mark. And Don Diego Ordoñez laid hand on the bar, and said, Praised be the name of God, one is conquered. And incontinently the judges came and took him by the hand, and led him to a tent and disarmed him, III. and gave him three sops,' and he drank of the wine and BOOK rested awhile. And afterwards they gave him other arms, and a horse that was a right good one, and went with him to the lists. Chr. Gen. cond com VII. Then Don Arias Gonzalo called for another son, Of the sewhose name was Diego Arias, and said unto him, To horse! bat. and go fight to deliver this Council and to revenge the death of your brother: and he answered, For this am I come hither. Then his father gave him his blessing and went with him to the lists. And the judges took the reins of the two champions and led them each to his place, and went out and left them in the lists. And they ran against each other with such force that both shields failed, and in another career they brake their lances. Then laid they hand on their good swords, and delivered such blows that their helmets were cut away, and the sleeves of the mail. And at length Diego Arias received such a blow near the heart that he fell dead. And Don Diego Ordoñez went to the bar and laid hold on it, and cried out to Don Arias Gonzalo, Send me another son, for I have conquered two, thanks be to God. Then the judges came and said that the dead knight was not yet out of the lists, and that he must alight and cast him out. And Don Diego Ordoñez did as they had directed him, and alighted from his horse and took the dead man by the leg, and dragged him to the line, and then letting the leg fall he thrust him out of the lists with his feet. And then he went and laid hand upon the bar again, saying that he had liefer fight with a living man than drag a dead one out of the field. And then the judges came to him, and led him to the tent, and disarmed him, and gave him the three sops and the 'So in one of the Scotch Metrical Romances Thre soppes de mayn Thei brought to Schir Gawayn, For to confort his brayn, The King gared commaunde. Sir Gawan and Sir Galaron. 2. xi. |