BOOK IX. well to this day, that if you would listen to me and be commanded by me, I should hold it good that you took your seat with me; for he who hath conquered Kings, ought to be seated with Kings. But the Cid answered, That, Sir, would not please God, but I will be at your feet for by the favor of the King your father Don Ferrando was I made, his creature, and the creature of your brother King Don Sancho am I, and it behoveth not that he who receiveth bounty should sit with him who dispenseth it. And the King answered, Since you will not sit with me, sit on your ivory seat, for you won it like a good man; and from this day I order that none except King or Prelate sit with you, for you have conquered so many high-born men, and so many Kings, both Christians and Moors, that for this reason there is none who is your peer, or ought to be seated with you. Sit therefore like a King and Lord upon your ivory seat.' Then the Cid kissed the King's hand, and thanked him for what he had said, and for the honor which he had done him; and he took his seat, and his hundred knights Cid. 3115. seated themselves round about him. All who were in the Chr. del Cid. cap. Cortes sate looking at my Cid and at his long beard which 250. he had bound with a cord; but the Infantes of Carrion could f. 293. not look upon him for shame. Poema del 3137. Chr. Gen. King ap that pointed Al Sir caldes to give judg ment in you this cause. VIII. When they were all seated the King gave com- How the mand that they should be silent; and when the Cid saw they were all still, he rose and spake after this manner. King Don Alfonso, I beseech you of your mercy that would hear me, and give command that I should be heard, and that you would suffer none to interrupt me, for I am not a man of speech, neither know I how to set forth my words, and if they interrupt me I shall be worse. Moreover, Sir, give command that none be bold enough to utter unseemly words, nor be insolent towards me, least we should 1 On that seat which you gave me as a gift, says the Poem, omitting all the previous circumstances about it. BOOK come to strife in your presence. Then King Don Alfonso rose and said, Hear me, as God shall help you! Since I have been King I have held only two Cortes, one in Burgos, and one in Carrion. This third I have assembled here in Toledo for the love of the Cid, that he may demand justice against the Infantes of Carrion for the wrongs which we all know. The Counts Don Anrrich and Don Remond shall be Alcaldes in this cause; and these other Counts who are not on either side, give ye all good heed, for ye are to take cognizance that the right may be decreed. And I give order, and forbid any one to speak without my command, or to utter aught insolent against the Cid; and I swear by St. Isidro, that whosoever shall disturb the Cortes shall lose my love and be banished from the kingdom. I am on the side of him who shall be found to have the right. Then those Cid. 3138. Counts who were appointed Alcaldes were sworn upon the Holy Gospels, that they would judge between the Cid and 251. the Infantes of Carrion, rightly and truly, according to the law of Castille and Leon. Poema del 3153. Chr. del Cid. cap. Chr. Gen. ff. 293. How the Cid demanded back Cola da and Tizona. IX. When this was done the King bade the Cid make his demand; and the Cid rose and said, Sir, there is no reason for making long speeches here, which would detain the Cortes. I demand of the Infantes of Carrion, before you, two swords which I gave into their keeping; the one is Colada and the other Tizona. I won them like a man, and gave them to the keeping of the Infantes that they might honor my daughters with them, and serve you. When they left my daughters in the Oak-forest of Corpes they chose to have nothing to do with me, and renounced my love; let them therefore give me back the swords, seeing that they are no longer my sons-in-law. Then the King commanded the Alcaldes to judge upon this demand according as they should find the right; and they took counsel and judged, that the swords should be restored unto the Cid. And Count Don Garcia said they would talk IX. concerning it; and the Infantes of Carrion talked apart BOOK with those who were on their side, and they thought that they were well off; for that the Cid would demand nothing more of them, but would leave the Cortes when he had recovered the swords. So they brought the swords Colada and Tizona, and delivered them to the King. The King drew the swords, and the whole Court shone with their brightness: their hilts were of solid gold; all the good men of the Cortes marvelled at them. And the Cid rose and received them, and kissed the King's hand, and went back to his ivory seat; and he took the swords in his hand and looked at them; they could not change them, for the Cid knew them well, and his whole frame rejoiced, and he smiled from his heart. And he laid them upon his lap and said, Ah, my swords, Colada and Tizona, truly may I say of you, that you are the best swords in Spain; and I won you, for I did not get you either by buying or by barter. I gave ye in keeping to the Infantes of Carrion that they might do honor to my daughters with ye. But ye were not for them! they kept ye hungry, and did not feed ye with flesh as ye were wont to be fed. Well is it for you that ye have escaped that thraldom and are come again to my hands, and happy man am I to recover you. Then Alvar Fañez rose and kissed the hand of the Cid, and said, I beseech you give Colada into my keeping while this Cortes shall last, that I may defend you therewith: and the Cid gave it him and said, Take it, it hath changed its master for the better. And Pero Bermudez rose and made the same demand for the sword Tizona, and the Cid gave it him in like manner. Then the Cid laid hand upon his beard as he was wont to do, and the Infantes of Carrion Cid. and they who were of their side thought that he meant to Chr. del disturb the Cortes, and they were greatly afraid; but he 252. Chr. sate still like a man of good understanding, for he was not 233. one who did things lightly. Poema del 3154, 3210. Cid. cap. Gen. ff. BOOK IX. How the Cid made demand Infantes. X. Then the Cid rose and said, Thanks be to God and to you, Sir King, I have recovered my swords Colada and Tizona. I have now another demand against the Infantes of his second Carrion. King Don Alfonso, you well know that it was your against the pleasure to bid me meet you at Requeña, and I went there in obedience to your command. And you asked of me my daughters in marriage for the Infantes, and I did not refuse, in that I would not disobey your command; and you bade me deliver them to my kinsman here Don Alvar Fañez, and he gave them to the Infantes to be their wives, and the blessing was given them in the church of St. Mary, according to the law of Rome. You, Sir, gave them in marriage, not I; and you did it for good, not for evil; but what they did was after another wise. And though they are of great blood and honorable, yet would I not have given my daughters to them, unless in obedience to your command; and this, Sir, you well know, for so I said unto you. I gave them, when they took my daughters from Valencia, horses and mules, and cups and vessels of fine gold, and much wrought silver, and many noble garments, and other gifts, three thousand marks of silver in all, thinking that I gave it to my daughters whom I loved. Now, Sir, since they have cast my daughters off, and hold themselves to have been dishonored in marrying them, give command that they restore unto me this which is my own, or that they show cause why they should not. Then might you have seen the Infantes of Carrion in great chafing. And Count Don Remond called upon them to speak; and they said, We gave his swords to the Cid Campeador, that he might ask nothing more of us, if it please the King. But the King said that they must answer to the demand. And they asked to consult together concerning it; and the King bade them take counsel and make answer incontinently. So they went apart, and with them eleven Counts and Ricos-omes who were on their side, but no right or reason could they find for opposing this demand which the Cid had made. How IX. beit Count Don Garcia spake for them and said, Sir, this BOOK which the Cid demands back from them, it is true that he gave it, but they have expended it in your service; we hold therefore that they are not bound to make restitution of it, seeing how it hath been expended. Nevertheless if you hold it to be lawful that they should restore this money, give order that time be given them to make the payment, and they will go to Carrion, their inheritance, and there discharge the demand as you shall decree. When the Count had thus said he sate down. And the Cid arose and said, Sir, if the Infantes of Carrion have expended aught in your service, it toucheth not me. You and the Alcaldes whom you have appointed have heard them admit that I gave them this treasure, and this excuse which they set up; I pray you let judgment be given whether they are bound to pay it or not. Then King Don Alfonso answered and said, If the Infantes of Carrion have expended aught in my service, I am bound to repay it, for the Cid must not lose what is his own and he bade the Alcaldes consult together and judge according to what they should find right. And the Alcaldes having taken counsel gave judgment, that seeing the Infantes acknowledged the Cid had given them this treasure with his daughters, and they had abandoned them, they must needs make restitution in the Cortes of the King there-right: and the King confirmed this sentence, and the Cid rose and kissed the King's hand. Greatly were the Infantes of Carrion troubled at this sentence, and they besought the King that he would obtain time for them from the Cid, in which to make their payment; and the King besought him to grant them fifteen days, after this manner, that they should not depart from the Court till they had made the payment, and that they should plight homage for the observance of this. And the Cid granted what the King desired, and they plighted homage accordingly in the hands of the King. Then made they their account with the King, and it was found that what they had expended for his service was two hun |