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VIII.

that there were full five thousand pavilions, besides common BOOK tents. And when the Cid heard this, he took both his sonsin-law and Suero Gonzales with them, and went upon the highest tower of the Alcazar, and showed them the great power which King Bucar of Morocco had brought; and when he beheld this great power he began to laugh and was exceeding glad: but Suero Gonzalez and his nephews were in great fear howbeit they would not let it be seen. And when they came down from the tower the Cid went foremost, and they tarried behind, and said, If we go into this battle, we shall never return to Carrion. Now it so chanced that Muño Gustios heard them, and he told it to the Cid, and it grieved the Cid at heart; but he presently made sport of it, and turned to his sons-in-law, and said, You, my sons, shall remain in Valencia and guard the town, and we who are used to this business will go out to battle; and they when they heard this were ashamed, for they weened that some one had overheard what they said and they made answer, God forefend, Cid, that we should Cid. cap. abide in Valencia! we will go with you to the work, and Chr. Gen. protect your body as if we were your sons, and you were the Poema del Count Don Gonzala Gomez, our father. And the Cid was 2347. well pleased hearing them say this.

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Chr. del

232.

ff. 283.

Cid 2321.

message

King Bucar to the Cid.

V. While they were thus saying, word was brought to of the the Cid that there was a messenger from King Bucar at the sent by gate of the town, who would fain speak with him. The name of this Moor was Ximen de Algezira, and the Cid gave order that he should be admitted. Now the history saith, God had given such grace to my Cid that never Moor beheld his face without having great fear of him; and this Ximen began to gaze upon his countenance, and said

A gap occurs here in the Poem, the MS. wanting a leaf in this place. It seems by the first lines which follow, as if some quarrel had been related between Pero Bermudez and one of the Infantes, who had been extolling his own courage.

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VIII.

BOOK nothing, for he could not speak. And so great was the fear which came upon him, that the Cid perceived it, and bade him take courage and deliver the bidding of his Lord, without fear or shame, for he was a messenger. And when the Moor heard this, he laid aside his fear, and recovered heart, and delivered his bidding fully, after this wise. Sir Cid Campeador, King Bucar my Lord hath sent me to thee saying, great wrong hast thou done him in holding Valencia against him, which belonged to his forefathers; and moreover thou hast discomfited his brother King Yucef. And now he is come against thee with twenty and nine Kings, to take vengeance for his brother, and to win Valencia from thee in spite of thee and of all who are with thee. Nevertheless, King Bucar saith, that inasmuch as he hath heard that thou art a wise man and of good understanding, he will show favor unto thee, and let thee leave Valencia with all the lands thereof, and go into Castille, and take with thee all that is thine. And if thou wilt not do this he sends to say that he will fight against Valencia, and take thee and thy wife and thy daughters, and torment thee grievously, in such manner that all Christians who shall hear tell of it shall talk thereof for evermore. This is the bidding of my Lord King Bucar.

Chr. del

Cid. cap.

233.
Chr. Gen.
ff. 284.

Of the answer of the Cid.

VI. When the Cid heard this, notwithstanding he was wroth at heart, he would not manifest it, but made answer in few words and said, Go tell thy Lord King Bucar I will not give him up Valencia: great labor did I endure in winning it, and to no man am I beholden for it in the world, save only to my Lord Jesus Christ, and to my kinsmen and friends and vassals who aided me to win it. Tell him that I am not a man to be besieged, and when he does not expect it I will give him battle in the field; and would that even as he has brought with him twenty and nine Kings, so he had brought all the Moors of all Pagandom, for with the mercy of God in which I trust, I should think to conquer them all. Bear this answer to your Lord, and come here

VIII.

no more with messages, neither on this account, nor on BOOK any other. When Ximen de Algezira, the Moorish messenger, heard this, he left Valencia and went unto his Lord and told him before the twenty and nine Kings all that the Cid had said. And they were astonished at the brave words of the Cid, for they did not think that he would have resisted, so great was their power, neither did they ween that he would so soon come out to battle. And they began to give order to set their siege round about Valencia, as the history, and as Gilbert also relateth. This King Bucar and his brother King Yucef were kinsmen of Alimaymon, who had Chr. del been King of Toledo and Valencia, and this was the rea- 233. son why Bucar said that Valencia had belonged to his fore- Chr. Gen. fathers.

Cid. cap.

ff. 284.

der of the

tle.

VII. No sooner had Ximen, the messenger of King Bu- of the orcar, left the city, than the Cid ordered the bell to be struck, Cid's batat the sound of which all the men at arms in Valencia were to gather together. Incontinently they all assembled before the Cid, and he told them all to be ready full early on the morrow, to go out and give battle to the Moors. And they made answer with one accord that they were well pleased to do this, for they trusted in God and in his good fortune that they should overcome them. On the morrow therefore, at the first cock-crow, they confessed and communicated, as was their custom, and before the morning brake they went forth from Valencia. And when they had got through the narrow passes among the gardens, the Cid set his army in array. The van he gave to Alvar Fañez Minaya, and to Pero Bermudez who bore his banner; and he gave them five hundred horsemen, and a thousand and five hundred men a-foot. In the right wing was that honorable one with the shaven crown, Don Hieronymo the Bishop, with the like number both of horse and foot; and in the left Martin Antolinez of Burgos and Alvar Salvadores, with as many more. The Cid came in the rear with a thousand horsemen all in coats of mail, and two thousand five hundred

VIII.

BOOK men a-foot. And in this array they proceeded till they came in sight of the Moors. As soon as the Cid saw their tents he ordered his men to slacken their pace, and got upon his horse Bavieca, and put himself in the front before all his army, and his sons-in-law the Infantes of Carrion advanced themselves with him. Then the Bishop Don Hieronymo came to the Cid and said, This day have I said the mass of the Holy Trinity before you. I left my own country and came to seek you, for the desire I had to kill some Moors, and to do honor to my order and to my own hands. Now would I be foremost in the business; I have my pennon and my armorial bearing, and will employ them by God's help, that my heart may rejoice. And my Cid, if you do not for the love of me grant this, I will go my ways from you. But the Cid bade him do his pleasure, saying that it would please him also. And then the great multitude of the Moors began to come out of their tents, and they formed their battle in haste, and came against the Christians, with the sound of trumpets and tambours, and with a great uproar; and as they came out upon the alarm, not expecting that the Cid would come against them so soon, they did not advance in order, as King Bucar had commanded. And when the Cid saw this, he ordered his banner to be advanced, and bade his people lay on manfully. The Bishop Don Hieronymo he pricked forward; two Moors he slew with the two first thrusts of the lance; the haft broke, and he laid hand on his sword. God, . . how well the Bishop fought! two he slew with the lance, and five with the sword; the Moors came round about him and laid on load of blows, but they could not pierce his arms. He who was

1 Pendon traio a corzas.

Poema del Cid. 2385.

The Glossary says upon this passage, parece que se habla de pendon ligero para llevarle quando se corria. Acaso debe leerse cordas porque iria asegurado con cuerdas.

VIII.

born in happy hour had his eyes upon him, and he took his BOOK shield and placed it before him, and lowered his lance, and gave Bavieca the spur, that good horse. With heart and soul he went at them, and made his way into their first battle; seven the Campeador smote down, and four he slew. In short time they joined battle in such sort that many were Chr. del slain and many overthrown, on one side and on the other, 234 and so great was the din of strokes and of tambours that Chr. Gen. none could hear what another said; and they smote away cruelly, without rest or respite.

Cid. cap.

ff. 284. Poema del

Cid. 2378.

2407.

Cid defeat

Bucar and

VIII. Now it came to pass in this battle that the Infante How the Diego Gonzalez encountered a Moor of Africa who was of ed King great stature and full valiant withal, and this Moor came the twentyfiercely against him; and when the Infante saw how fiercely nine Kings. he was coming, he turned his back and fled. No one beheld this but Felez Muñoz the nephew of the Cid, who was a squire; he set himself against the Moor with his lance under his arm, and gave him such a thrust in the breast, that the streamer of the lance came out all red with blood between his shoulders, and he down'd with the dead man and took his horse by the bridle, and began to call the Infante Diego Gonzalez. When the Infante heard himself called by his name he turned his head to see who called him, and when he saw that it was his cousin Felez Muñoz, he turned and awaited him. And Felez Muñoz said, Take this horse, cousin Diego Gonzalez, and say that you killed the Moor; nobody shall ever know otherwise from me, unless you give just cause. While they were talking the Cid came up, after another Moorish knight, whom he reached just as he came up to them, and smote him with his sword upon the head, so that he split it down to the teeth. When Felez Muñoz saw the Cid, he said, Sir, your son-in-law Don Diego Gonzalez hath great desire to serve and help you in this day's work, and he hath just slain a Moor from whom he hath won this horse and this pleased the Cid much, for he weened that it was true. And then they all three advanced themselves

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