IV.

comfort and said, If you will indeed do this thing, I shall BOOK marvel at you as long as I live. Eat then, said Ruydiez, and I will do it; but mark you, of the spoil which we have taken from you I will give you nothing; for to that you have no claim neither by right nor custom, and besides we want it for ourselves, being banished men, who must live by taking from you and from others, as long as it shall please God. Then was the Count full joyful, being well pleased that what should be given him was not of the spoils which he had lost; and he called for water and washed his hands, and chose two of his kinsmen to be set free with him; the one was named Don Hugo, and the other Guillen Bernalto. And my Cid sate at the table with them, and said, If you do not eat well, Count, you and I shall not part yet. Never since he was Count did he eat with better will than that day. And when they had done he said, Now Cid, if it be your pleasure, let us depart. And my Cid clothed him and his kinsmen well with goodly skins and mantles, and gave them each a goodly palfrey, with rich caparisons, and he rode out with them on their way. And when he took leave of the Count he said to him, Now go freely, and I thank you for what you have left behind; if you wish to play for it again let me know, and you shall either have something back in its stead, or leave what you bring to be added to it. The Count answered, Cid, you jest safely now, for I have paid you and all your company for this twelvemonths, and shall not be coming to see you again so soon. Then Count Ramon pricked on more than apace, Poema del and many times looked behind him, fearing that my Cid 1089. would repent what he had done, and send to take him back to prison, which the Perfect one would not have done for the 106. 107. whole world, for never did he do disloyal thing.

story was invented by the ballad-makers. The uniform testimony of all the histories of the Cid, both in prose and verse, supported by these early authorities, seems to me of more weight than the silence of the Catalan writers.

Cid.v.1008.

Chr. del Cid. cap.

Chr. Gen.

ff. 231.

160

BOOK
IV.

How the

XVII. Then he of Bivar returned to Zaragoza, and divided the spoil, which was so great that none of his men And the Moors of the town re

Cid won all knew how much they had.

the lands of:

Borriana. joiced in his good speed,

Cid. v. 1090. 1005. Chr. del

liking him well, because he protected them so well that they were safe from all harm. And my Cid went out again from Zaragoza, and rode over the lands of Monzon and Huerta and Onda and Buenar. And King Pedro of Aragon came out against him, but my Cid took the Castle of Monzon in his sight; and then he went to Tamarit and one day as he rode out hunting from thence with twelve of his knights, he fell in with a hundred and fifty of the King of Aragon's people, and he fought with them and put them to flight, and took seven knights prisoners, whom he let go freely. Then he turned towards the

Poema del sea-coast, and won Xerica and Onda and Almenar, and all the lands of Borriana and Murviedro; and they in Valencia were greatly dismayed because of the great feats which he did in the land. And when he had plundered all that country he returned to Tamarit, where Zulema then was.

Cid. cap. 108.

Chr. Gen. ff. 232. How the Cid de

Abenal

Don Ramon

XVIII. Now Zulema had sent for my Cid, and the cause feated King was this. His brother the King of Denia had taken counsel fange and with Count Ramon Berenguer, and with the Count of CarBerenguer. dona, and with the brother of the Count of Urgel, and with the chiefs of Balsadron and Remolin and Cartaxes, that they should besiege the Castle of Almenar, which my Cid had refortified by command of King Zulema. And they came up against it while my Cid was away, besieging the Castle of Estrada, which is in the rivers Tiegio and Sege, the which he took by force. And they fought against it and cut off the And when my Cid came to the King at Tamarit, the King asked him to go and fight with the host which besieged Almenar; but my Cid said it would be better to give something to King Abenalfange that he should break up the siege and depart; for they were too great a power to do battle with, being as many in number as the sands on the sea-shore. And the King did as he counselled him, and sent

water.

IV.

to his brother King Abenalfange, and to the chiefs who BOOK were with him, to propose this accord, and they would not. Then my Cid, seeing that they would not depart for fair means, armed his people, and fell upon them. That was a hard battle and well fought on both sides, and much blood was shed, for many good knights on either party were in the field; howbeit he of good fortune won the day at last, he who never was conquered. King Abenalfange and Count Ramon and most of the others fled, and my Cid followed, smiting and slaying for three leagues; and many good Christian knights were made prisoners. Ruydiez returned with great honor and much spoil, and gave all his prisoners to King Zulema, who kept them eight days, and then my Cid begged their liberty and set them free. And he and the King returned to Zaragoza, and the people came out to meet them, with great joy, and shouts of welcome. And the King Cid. cap. honored my Cid greatly, and gave him power in all his 109: dominions.

Chr. del

Chr. Gen. ff. 232.

Of the great

treason

committed

XVIII. At this time it came to pass that Almofalez, a Moor of Andalusia, rose up with the Castle of Reuda, which which was was held for King Don Alfonso. And because he held pris- at Rueda. oner there the brother of Adefir, another Moor, Adefir sent to the King of Castille, beseeching him to come to succor him, and recover the Castle. And the King sent the Infante Don Ramiro his cousin, and the Infante Don Sancho, son to the King of Navarre, and Count Don Gonzalo Salvadores, and Count Don Nuño Alvarez, and many other knights with them; and they came to the Castle, and Almofalez said he would not open the gates to them, but if the King came he would open to him. And when King Don Alfonso heard this, incontinently he came to Rueda. And Almofalez besought him to enter to a feast which he had prepared; howbeit the King would not go in, neither would his people have permitted him so to have risked his person. But the Infante Don Sancho entered, and Don Nuño, and Don Gonzalo, and fifteen other knights; and as soon as they were within

2.133.

IV.

BOOK the gate, the Moors threw down great stones upon them and killed them all. This was the end of the good Count Don Gonzalo Salvadores, who was so good a knight in battle that he was called He of the Four Hands. The bodies were ransomed, seeing that there was no remedy, the Castle being so strong, and Don Gonzalo was buried in the Monastery of Oña, according as he had appointed in his will; and the Infante Don Sancho with his forefathers the Kings of Navarre, ff. 232. in the royal Monastery of Naxara.'

Sandoval, ff. 232. Chr. del Cid. cap. 110.

Chr. Gen.

How the

Cid took

Rueda.

XIX. Greatly was King Don Alfonso troubled at this the castle of villany, and he sent for the Cid, who was in those parts; and the Cid came to him with a great company. And the King told him the great treason which had been committed, and took the Cid into his favor, and said unto him that he might return with him into Castille. My Cid thanked him for his bounty, but he said he never would accept his favor unless the King granted what he should request; and the King bade him make his demand. And my Cid demanded, that when any hidalgo should be banished, in time to come, he should have the thirty days, which were his right, allowed him, and not nine only, as had been his case; and that neither hidalgo nor citizen should be proceeded against till they had been fairly and lawfully heard; also, that the King should not go against the privileges and charters and good customs of any town or other place, nor impose taxes upon them against their right; and if he did, that it should be lawful for the land to rise against him, till he had amended the misdeed. And to all this the King accorded, and said to my Cid that he should go back into Castille with him; but my Cid said he would not go into Castille till he had won that Castle of Rueda, and delivered the villanous Moors thereof into his hands, that he might do justice upon them. So the

'The Black Book of Santiago notices this. Era 1121. (A. D.) 1083. fuit interfectio apud Rodam, ubi et Gundisalvus Comes interfectus. Sandoval.

IV.

King thanked him greatly, and returned into Castille, and BOOK my Cid remained before the Castle of Rueda. And he lay before it so long, and beset it so close, that the food of the Moors failed, and they had no strength to defend themselves; and they would willingly have yielded the Castle, so they might have been permitted to leave it and go whither they would; but he would have their bodies, to deliver them up to the King. When they saw that it must be so, great part of them came out, and yielded themselves prisoners; and then my Cid stormed the Castle, and took Almofalez and they who held with him, so that none escaped; and he sent him and his accomplices in the treason to the King. And the King was right glad when they were brought before Chr. del him, and he did great justice upon them, and sent to thank 110. 111. my Cid for having avenged him.

Cid. cap.

Chr. Gen.

ff. 233.

Cid took

Pedro of

prisoner.

XX. After my Cid had done this good service to King How the Don Alfonso, he and King Zulema of Zaragoza entered Ara- King Don gon, slaying, and burning, and plundering before them, and Aragon they returned to the Castle of Monzon with great booty. Then the Cid went into King Abenalfange's country, and did much mischief there; and he got among the mountains of Moriella, and beat down every thing before him, and destroyed the Castle of Moriella. And King Zulema sent to bid him build up the ruined Castle of Alcala, which is upon Moriella; and the Cid did so. But King Abenalfange being sorely grieved hereat, sent to King Pedro of Aragon, and besought him to come and help him against the Campeador. And the King of Aragon gathered together a great host in his anger, and he and the King of Denia, came against my Cid, and they halted that night upon the banks of the Ebro; and King Don Pedro sent letters to the Cid, bidding him leave the Castle which he was then edifying. My Cid made answer, that if the King chose to pass that way in peace, he would let him pass, and show him any service in his power. And when the King of Aragon saw that he would not forsake the work, he marched against him, and attacked him.