VII. BOOK of Count Don Gonzalo. And they found the company of the Cid about half a league from the town, and when the King saw how many they were, he blest himself, for they seemed like a host. And Minaya and Pero Bermudez pricked on when they saw him, and came before him, and alighted, and knelt down, and kissed the ground and kissed both his feet: and he bade them rise and mount their horses, and would not hear them till they had mounted, and taken their places one at his right hand, and the other at his left. And they said, Sir, the Cid commends himself to your grace as his liege Lord, and thanks you greatly for having sent him with such honor his wife and daughters. And know, Sir, that since they arrived, he hath achieved a great victory over the Moors, and their King Yucef of Morocco, the Miramamolin, who besieged him in Valencia with fifty thousand men. And he went out against them, and smote them, and hath sent you these two hundred horses from his fifth. Then Alvar Fañez gave order that the horses should be led forward. And this was the manner in which they came. The two hundred horses came first, and every one was led by a child, and every one had a sword hanging from the saddle, on the left side; and after them came the pages of all the knights in company, carrying their spears, and then the company, and after them an hundred couple with spears in rest. And when they had all past by, the King blest himself again, and he laughed and said that never had so goodly a present been sent before to King of Spain by his vassal. And Alvar Fañez said moreover, Sir, he hath sent you a tent, the noblest that ever man saw, which he won in this battle and the King gave order that the tent should be spread, and he alighted and went into it, he and all his people, and he was greatly pleased; and they all said that they had never seen so noble a tent as this: and the King said he had won many from the Moors, but never such as this. But albeit that all the others were well pleased, Count Don Garcia was not so; and he and : VII. Cid. cap. to 222. Chr. Gen. ff. 279. Cid.v.1812. 1827. Infantes of sired to Cid's ten of his lineage talked apart, and said that this which BOOK the Cid had done was to their shame, for they hated the Cid in their hearts. And King Don Alfonso said, Thanks be to God and to Sir Saint Isidro of Leon, these horses may do me good service; and he gave three of them to Minaya, and Pero Bermudez, and bade them choose, and he ordered food and clothing to be given them while they remained, and said that he would give them complete ar- Chr. del mor when they returned, such as was fit for them appear in before my Cid. And they were lodged, and all things that were needful provided for them and their Poema del people. XXV. When the Infantes of Carrion, Diego Gonzalez How the and Ferrando Gonzalez, saw the noble present which the Carrion deCid had sent unto the King, and heard how his riches and marry the power daily increased, and thought what his wealth must daughters. needs be when he had given those horses out of the fifth of one battle, and moreover that he was Lord of Valencia : they spake one with the other, and agreed, that if the Cid would give them his daughters to wife, they should be well married, and become rich and honorable. And they agreed together that they would talk with the King in private upon this matter. And they went presently to him, and said, Sir, we beseech you of your bounty to help us in a thing which will be to your honor; for we are your vassals, and the richer we are the better able shall we be to serve you. And the King asked of them what it was they would have, and they then told him their desire. And the King thought upon it awhile, and then came to them, and said, Infantes, this thing which you ask lies not in me, but in the Cid; for it is in his power to marry his daughters, and peradventure he will not do it as yet. Nevertheless that ye may not fail for want of my help, I will send to tell him what ye wish. Then they kissed his hand for this favor. And the King sent for Alvar Fañez and Pero Bermudez, and went apart with them, and praised the Cid, and thanked him for the VII. BOOK good will which he had to do him service, and said that he had great desire to see him. Say to him, he said, that I beseech him to come and meet me, for I would speak with him concerning something which is to his good and honor. Diego and Ferrando, the Infantes of Carrion, have said unto me that they would fain wed with his daughters, if it seemeth good to him; and methinks this would be a good marriage. When Alvar Fañez and Pero Bermudez beard this, they answered the King, and said, Certain we are, Sir, that nei223. Chr. ther in this, nor in anything else will the Cid do aught but what you, Sir, shall command or advise. When ye have your meeting ye will agree concerning it as is best. Then 1888. 1923. they kissed his hand, and took their leave. Chr. del Cid. cap. Gen. ff. 280. Poema del How the XXVI. On the morrow the messengers of the Cid demeeting was apparted from Valladolid, and took their way towards Vapointed between the lencia; and when the Cid knew that they were nigh at hand King and the Cid. he went out to meet them, and when he saw them he waxed joyful; and he embraced them, and asked what tidings of his Lord Alfonso. And they told him how they had sped, and how greatly the King loved him; and when we departed, said they, he bade us beseech you to come and meet him anywhere where you will appoint, for he desireth to speak with you concerning the marriage of your daughters with the Infantes of Carrion, if it should please you so to bestow them now by what the King said it seemeth unto us that this marriage pleaseth him. And when the Cid heard this he became thoughtful, and he said to them after awhile, What think ye of this marriage? And they answered him, Even as it shall please you. And he said to them, I was banished from my own country, and was dishonored, and with hard labor gained I what I have got; and now I stand in the King's favor, and he asketh of me my daughters for the Infantes of Carrion. They are of high blood and full orgullous, and I have no liking to this match; but if our Lord the King adviseth it we can do no otherwise: we will talk of this, and God send it for the best. So they entered VII. Valencia, and the Cid spake with Doña Ximena touching BOOK this matter, and when she heard it it did not please her; nevertheless she said, if the King thought it good they could do no otherwise. Then the Cid gave order to write letters to the King, saying, that he would meet the King as he commanded, and whatever the King wished that he would do. And he sealed the letters well, and sent two knights with them. And when the King saw the letters he was well Cid. cap. pleased, and sent others to say that the time of their meeting Chr. Gen. should be three weeks after he received these letters, and Poema del the place appointed' was upon the Tagus, which is a great 1924. 1973. river. Chr. del 224. ff. 280. Cid. meeting. XXVII. Now began they to prepare on both sides for How they made ready this meeting. He who should relate to you the great prepa- for the rations, and the great nobleness which were made for the nonce, would have much to recount. Who ever saw in Castille so many a precious mule, and so many a goodgoing palfrey, and so many great horses, and so many goodly streamers set upon goodly spears, and shields adorned with gold and with silver, and mantles, and skins, and rich sendals of Adria? The King sent great store of food to the banks of the Tagus, where the place of meeting was appointed. Glad were the Infantes of Carrion, and richly did they bedight themselves; some things they paid for, and some they went in debt for: great was their company, and with the King there were many Leonese and Galegos, and Castilians out of number. My Cid the Campeador made no tarriance in Valencia; he made ready for the meeting there was many a great mule, and many a palfrey, 1 The Poem leaves the place of meeting at the Cid's choice, . . which is something over-courteous on the King's part. The Chronica del Cid names Requena, which is near Valencia,' making the King appoint it. This is still less likely. I follow the scene of the Poem. 2 Adria, which the Spanish editor observes upon this passage must have been famous for this sendal-silk, is a city belonging to what was once the Venetian State; it has been greatly reduced by inundations. VII. BOOK and many a good horse, and many a goodly suit of arms, cloaks, and mantles both of cloth and of peltry;'.. great and little are all clad in colors. Alvar Fañez Minaya, and Pero Bermudez, and Martin Munoz, and Martin Antolinez that worthy Burgalese, and the Bishop Don Hieronymo that good one with the shaven crown, and Alvar Alvarez, and Alvar Salvadores, and Muño Gustios that knight of prowess, and Galind Garcia of Aragon; all these and all the others made ready to go with the Cid. But he bade Alvar Salvadores and Galind Garcia and all those who were under them, remain and look with heart and soul to the safety of Valencia, and not open the gates of the Alcazar neither by day nor by night, for his wife and daughters were there, in whom he had his heart and soul, and the other ladies with them; he like a good husband gave order that not one of them should stir out of the Alcazar till he returned. Then Poema del they left Valencia and pricked on more than apace; more Cid. 1974. than a thousand knights, all ready for war, were in this company. All those great horses that paced so well and 224.225. were so soft of foot, my Cid won; they were not given to 2022. Chr. del Cid. cap. Chr. Gen. ff. 280. Of the meeting. him. XXVIII. King Don Alfonso arrived first by one day at the place of meeting, and when he heard that the Cid was at hand, he went out with all his honorable men, more than a long league to meet him. When he who was born in a good hour had his eye upon the King, he bade his company halt, and with fifteen of the knights whom he loved best he alighted, and put his hands and his knees to the ground, and took the herbs of the field between his teeth, as if he would have eaten them,' weeping for great joy; . . thus did 1 Pellizones. Neither of the Chronicles make the Cid thus enact Nebuchadnezzar before his Lord the King; both however represent him as offering to kiss his feet. It is remarkable that even this should not have been felt as a humiliation; and that so free a people as the Spaniards should have adopted the loathsome forms of eastern servility from the Moors. |