V. Cid laid lands of King did when the Cid saw that the heart of the King was changed, BOOK he returned to Valencia, and the King went back to Toledo. XXIV. After this King Don Alfonso drew forth a great How the host and went towards Valencia, and sent to all the Castles waste the in that land, saying that for five years they should pay him King Don Alfonso, the tribute which they were wont to pay unto the Cid. and the When the Cid knew this he sent to the King, saying, he him justice. marvelled why the King should thus seek to dishonor him, and that he trusted in God soon to make him know how ill he was advised by those about him. And presently the Cid gathered together a full great host both of Moors and of Christians, and entered the land of King Don Alfonso, burning and destroying whatever he found, and he took Logroño, and Alfaro also, and sacked it. While he was at Alfaro, Count Garci Ordoñez and certain other Ricos-omes of Castille sent to say to him, that if he would tarry for them seven days, they would come and give him battle. He tarried for them twelve days, and they did not dare to come; and when the Cid saw this he returned to Zaragoza. Now when King Don Alfonso knew what the Cid had done in his land, and that the Ricos-omes had not dared fight against him, he saw that he had taken an evil counsel when he set his heart against him. And he sent his letters to the Cid saying, that he forgave him all that he had done, seeing that he himself had given the occasion; and he besought him to come to Castille, where he should find all things free which appertained unto him. Much was the Cid rejoiced at these tidings, and he wrote to the King thanking him for his grace, and beseeching him not to give ear to bad counsellors, for Chr. del he would alway be at his service. Cid. cap. 162. of certain How AbenAnd they the Almo iaf sent to ravides XXV. Now it came to pass, that by reason affairs the Cid tarried a long time in Zaragoza. of Valencia being no longer kept in awe by his presence, to come complained one to another of the oppressions and wrongs against Vawhich they endured from him and from his servants, and from Abenalfarax, the Guazil whom he had appointed; lencia. V. BOOK and they conspired with an Alcayde who was called Abeniaf. And when Abenalfarax the Guazil understood how Abeniaf cast about to disturb the peace of the city, he would have taken him and cast him into prison; but this he dared not do till the Cid should come, and moreover he weened that upon his coming the disturbance would cease. Now Abeniaf knew that the Guazil was minded to seize him if he could have dared so to do, and he sent his messengers to Ali Abenaxa the Adelantado of the Almoravides, who was now Lord of Murcia, telling him to come to Valencia, and he would deliver the city into his hands. Moreover he took counsel with the Alcayde of Algezira de Xucar, that the Alcayde also should send to Ali Abenaxa, exhorting him to make good speed himself, or to send an Alcayde with a fitting power, and to come to Algezira, which was near, and then presently proceed to Valencia. So soon as Ali Abenaxa had received this message, he made speed to come, and as many castles as were upon his road submitted unto him. When the Alcayde of Denia heard of his coming, and that all these Castles had submitted, he durst not abide there, but fled to Xativa; and Ali Abenaxa took possession of Denia, and he sent his Alcayde to Algezira de Xucar, and took possession of that also. When these tidings came to Valencia, the Bishop who was there, and the forty knights who were with the messenger of the King of Aragon because of the friendship between their King and the Cid, and all the other Christians who were in the city, would no longer abide there, but took of their goods each as much as he And the Guazil was greatly could, and went away in fear. V. riches, under the care of a nephew of the Guazil and many BOOK • others, to the Castle of Benaecab, that is to say, the Castle of the Eagle, to be in charge of the Alcayde thereof. And the King and the Guazil bestirred themselves, and gathered together foot soldiers and cross-bowmen to defend the Alcazar, and sent speedily to Zaragoza, telling the Cid to come; but he could not set forth so speedily as need was: and the stir which was in the city endured for full twenty days. Then that Alcayde of Ali Abenaxa who was in Algezira de Xucar, set forward in the first of the night with twenty horsemen of the Almoravides, and as many more of Algezira, all clad alike in green, that they might all be taken for Almoravides; and they came by day-break to Valencia to the gate of Tudela, and sounded their drums, and the rumor in the town was, that there were full five hundred knights of the Almoravides, and the Guazil was in great fear. And he went to the Alcazar to take counsel with the King, and they f. 254. gave order that the gates of the town should be barred, and Chr. del that the walls should be manned. Chr. Gen. Cid. cap. 163. lencia was Almoravi XXVI. Then the King's soldiers went to the house of How VaAbeniaf the Alcayde who had sent for the Almoravides, and won by the called unto him to come forth that they might take him be- des. fore the King; but he was trembling in great fear, and would not come out. And the men of the town came to his help, and when he saw the company that were on his side, he came forth and went with them to the Alcazar, and entered it and took the Guazil of the Cid. And the townsmen ran to the gates and drove away those of the King's party who guarded them; and they strove to beat the gates down, but they could not, and they set fire to them and burnt them. And others let down ropes from the walls, and drew up the Almoravides. King Yahia put on woman's apparel, and fled with his women, and hid himself in a dwelling near unto a bath. And the Almoravides took possession of the Chr. Gen. Alcazar, and plundered it. One Christian they slew who Chr. del guarded the gates, and another who was of St. Maria de 163. 164. ff. 254. Cid. cap. • BOOK Albarrazin, who guarded one of the towers of the wall. In this manner was Valencia lost. V. How Abe niaf put to death. XXVII. Now when Abeniaf saw that all the people were King Yahia on his side, and obeyed him, his heart grew and he was puffed up, insomuch that he despised those who were as good as himself or better. Albeit he was of good parentage, for his fathers before him had all been Alcaydes ever since Valencia was in the hands of the Moors. And because he knew that the King had not fled out of the town, he made search for him, and found him in the house where he had hidden himself with his women. Now the King when he fled from the Alcazar had taken with him the best of his treasures, pearls, among which was one the most precious and noble that could be, so that no where was there a better one to be found, nor so good; and precious stones, sapphires and rubies and emeralds; he had with him a casket of pure gold full of these things; and in his girdle he had hidden a string of precious stones and of pearls, such that no King had so rich and precious a thing as that carkanet. They say that in former times it had belonged to Queen Seleyda, who was wife to Abanarrexit King of Belcab, which is beyond sea; and afterwards it had come to the Kings called Benivoyas, who were Lords of Andalusia; after that King Alimaymon of Toledo possessed it, and gave it to his wife, and she gave it to the wife of her son, who was the mother of this Yahia. Greatly did Abeniaf covet these treasures and this carkanet, and incontinently he thought in his heart that he might take them and none know thereof, which could no ways be done unless he slew King Yahia. When therefore it was night he gave order to cut off his head, and throw it into a pond near the house in which he had been taken. This was done accordingly, and Abeniaf took the treasures, and they who were set over King Yahia to guard him and murder him, took also each what he could, and concealed it. And the body lay where it had been slain till the following day; but then a good V. Chr. Gen. man who grieved for the death of his Lord took it up, and BOOK. laid it upon the cords of a bed, and covered it with an old horsecloth, and carried it out of the town, and made a grave for it in a place where camels were wont to lie, and buried f. 255. it there, without graveclothes and without any honors what- Cid. cap. soever, as if the corpse had been the corpse of a villain. Chr. del 165. |