1.

ness and so sweet an odor? Then said he, I am Saint BOOK Lazarus, and know that I was the leper to whom thou didst so much good and so great honor for the love of God; and because thou didst this for his sake hath God now granted thee a great gift; for whensoever that' breath which thou hast felt shall come upon thee, whatever thing thou desirest to do, and shalt then begin, that shalt thou accomplish to thy heart's desire, whether it be in battle or aught else, so that thy honor shall go on increasing from day to day; and thou shalt be feared both by Moors and Christians, and thy enemies shall never prevail against thee, and thou shalt die an honorable death in thine own house, and in thy renown, for God hath blessed thee; therefore go thou on, and evermore persevere in doing good; and with that he disappeared.' And Rodrigo arose and prayed to our lady

E por el bien que tu por el su amor me feziste, otorgate Dios un gran don, que quando el bafo que sentiste ante te veniere, que comiences la cosa que quisieres fazer; assi como en lides, o en otras cosas, todas las acabar as complidamente.

Both the Chronica del Cid and the Chronica General have this passage. It is remarkable that the promised token is never afterwards referred to. The Ballad which appears to be one of the more ancient ones, omits the circumstance altogether. Sepulveda, ff. 66. Escobar. Rom. 12.

This miracle of the leper is sufficiently common in hagiology. Simam Rodriguez, who introduced the Jesuits into Portugal, took one in like manner into his bed, who disappeared during the night; por ventura, sem saber quem agasalhava, recolhia ao mesmo Christo, says Tellez. In most of these miraculous stories charity is carried to an excess at once loathsome and ridiculous. Thus in the Chronicle, diz que les semejava que caya la gafedad en la escudilla en que comia.

Berganza displays some right Catholic logic upon this subject. We believe, he says, the cruelty of Dives towards Lazarus in refusing him the crumbs which fell from his table; why then should we not believe that the human heart is capable of an equal degree of charity? And as if to show there was nothing extraordinary in the miracle, he relates three such, one of which happened "about, if not at the very same time, to Pope Leo IX." The devotion of the Cid to St. Lazarus is brought forward in proof of the truth of the story. He gave certain houses in Palencia to form a parish and hospital under his invocation, and estab

I.

BOOK and intercessor St. Mary, that she would pray to her blessed son for him to watch over both his body and soul in all his undertakings; and he continued in prayer till the day broke. Then he proceeded on his way, and perChr Gen. formed his pilgrimage, doing much good for the love of God and of St. Mary.

Chr. del

Cid. cap. 7.

195.

Of the combat which

for

horra.

Cala

X. Now the day came which had been appointed for the was fought combat concerning Calahorra, between Rodrigo and Don Martin Gonzalez, and Rodrigo was not arrived; therefore his cousin Alvar Fañez Minaya undertook the battle in his stead, and ordered his horse to be harnessed' right well. While he was arming himself Rodrigo came up and took the horse of Alvar Fañez, and entered the lists; Don Martin Gonzalez did the same, and the judges placed them fairly, each in his place, so that neither should have the sun in his eyes. They ran their career, one against the other, and met so fiercely that their lances brake, and both were sorely

lished a brotherhood (Cofradia) of knights in the hospital to attend to the lepers. This institution was revived by Don Alonzo Martinez de Olivera, one of his descendants, as appears by his will, and by a privilege of Fernando IV. granted in 1296. Another proof is, that the promise of perpetual success made by the Saint was accomplished.

Leprosy is a disease so loathsome, and was considered as so dreadfully infectious, that it is easy to conceive how charity towards a leper should be considered as an effort of heroic piety. Why was there a sort of infamy attached to it? A clergyman becoming a leper was to be superseded, and just enough allowed him from his former preferment to subsist upon; but if he were disabled by any other disease, a coadjutor was allowed him, and he was to receive half his income, and retain his rank. 1 Partida. Tit. 16. l. 18.

1 Mando armar su cavallo muy bien. Harness, it may be remembered, is a word used in our Bible for armor.

Partieronles el sol. The phrase is remarkable, and may best be rendered by explaining it. Many battles, in what the Spaniards call the days of the shield and lance, have been lost because the conquered army had their faces towards the sun.

" is the

way

"Equally without any favor distributed to them the sunin which Anthony Munday expresses this. Primaleon, P. 1. page 201.

I.

wounded; but Don Martin began to address Rodrigo, think- BOOK ing to dismay him: Greatly dost thou now repent, Don Rodrigo, said he, that thou hast entered into these lists with me; for I shall so handle thee that never shalt thou marry Doña Ximena thy spouse, whom thou lovest so well, nor ever return alive to Castille. Rodrigo waxed angry at these words, and he replied, You are a good knight, Don Martin Gonzalez, but these words are not suitable to this place, for in this business we have to contend with hands and not with empty speeches; and the power is in God who will give the honor as he thinketh best. And in his anger he made at him, and smote him upon his helmet, and the sword cut through and wounded as much of the head as it could reach, so that he was sorely hurt and lost much blood. And Don Martin Gonzalez struck at Rodrigo, and the sword cut into the shield, and he plucked it towards him that with main force he made Rodrigo lose the shield; but Rodrigo did not forget himself, and wounded him again in the face. And they both became greatly enraged, and cruel against each other, striking without mercy, for both of them were men who knew how to demean themselves. But while they thus struggled Don Martin Gonzalez lost much blood, and for very weakness he could not hold himself upon his horse, but fell from his horse upon the ground; and Rodrigo alighted and went to him and slew him: and when he had slain him he asked the judges if there was any thing more to be done for the right of Calahorra: and they made answer that there Then came the King Don Ferrando to him, and alighted by him, and helped to disarm him, and embraced him much; and when he was disarmed he went with him from the field, he and all the Castilians greatly rejoicing; but as great as was the pleasure of King Don Ferrando and his people, so great was the sorrow of King Don Ramiro of Aragon and of his. And he ordered them to take up Don Martin Gonzalez, and they carried the body into his own lands, and he went with it, and Calahorra remained in the Cid. cap. 8. power of King Don Ferrando.

was not.

Chr. del

Chr. Gen.

196.

BOOK
I.

How the Counts plotted against

Rodrigo.

XI. But when the Counts of Castille saw how Rodrigo increased day by day in honor, they took counsel together that they should plot with the Moors, and fix a day of battle with them, on the day of the Holy Cross in May, and that they should invite Rodrigo to this battle, and contrive with the Moors that they should slay him; by which means they should be revenged upon him, and remain masters of Castille, which now because of him they could not be. This counsel they sent to communicate to the Moors and to the Moorish Kings who were Rodrigo's vassals, being those whom he had made prisoners and set at liberty. But they, when they saw this counsel and the falsehood which was devised, took the letters of the Counts, and sent them to Rodrigo their Lord, and sent to tell him all the secret of the treason. And Rodrigo thanked them greatly for their good faith, and took the letters and carried to the King, and showed him all the enmity of the Counts, and especially of the Count Don Garcia, who was afterwards called of Cabra. When the King saw this as it was, he was astonished at their great falsehood, and he issued his letters in which he ordered them to leave his dominions; then he went to Santiago on a pilgrimage, and ordered Rodrigo to cast these Counts out of the land; and Rodrigo did as the King commanded him. Then Doña Elvira his kinswoman, the wife of the Count Don Garcia, came and fell on her knees before him; but Rodrigo took her by the hand and raised her up, and would not hear her till she was arisen. And when he had raised her up she said, I beseech you Cousin, since you have banished me and my husband, that you would give us a letter to some King who is one of your vassals, enjoining him to befriend us, and give us something for your sake, whereon we may live. So he gave her a letter to the King of Cordova, who received her and her husband well for the love of Rodrigo, and gave Cabra to him, that he and his people might dwell therein. This Count was afterwards so ungrateful to the

I.

King of Cordova, that he made war upon him from Ca- BOOK bra which the King had given him, till Rodrigo' came and took it.

Chr. del

Cid. cap. 9.

196.

great vic

the Moors.

Cid. cap.

XII. The history relateth that at this time, while the Chr. Gen. King was in Galicia, the Moors entered Estremadura, and the people called upon Rodrigo of Bivar to help them. How Rodrigo obAnd when he heard the summons he made no delay, but tained a gathered together his kinsmen and his friends, and went tory over against the Misbelievers. And he came up with them between Atienza and San Estevan de Gormaz, as they were carrying away a great booty in captives and in flocks, and there he had a brave battle with them in the field; and in fine Rodrigo conquered, smiting and slaying, and the pursuit lasted for seven leagues, and he recovered all the spoil, which was so great that two hundred horses were the fifth, for the whole spoil was worth a hundred times a thou- Chr del sand maravedis. Rodrigo divided the whole among his 11. Chr. people without covetousness, and returned with great honor. Gen. 197. XIII. Now the greater part of these Moors had been of the taking of they of Merida, Badajoz, Beja, and Evora, and the King Viseu. was minded to requite them in their own land according to their deeds; and he entered into the heart of their country, carrying with him fire and sword, and pressed them sorely so that they yielded vassalage. Then turning through Portugal, he won the town of Sea, which was upon the western slope of the Serra da Estrella; and also another town called Gamne, the site whereof cannot now be known, for in course of years names change and are forgotten. And proceeding with his conquests he laid siege to the city of Viseu, that he might take vengeance for the death of King Don Alfonso, his wife's father, who had been slain before that city. But the people of Viseu, as they lived with this

1 Como vos lo contara adelante la hystoria says the Chronica del Cid, and the promise is repeated in the Chronica General; but no such account is to be found in either.