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 Cala X. Now the day came which had been appointed for the was fought combat concerning Calahorra, between Rodrigo and Don horra. 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 2 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 A clergyman becoming a leper was to be superseded, and just enough allowed him from his former preferment to subsist upon; but if he were disabled by any other disease, a coadjutor was allowed him, and he was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. dered by explaining it. The phrase is remarkable, and may best be renMany 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. "Equally without any favor distributed to them the sun—” is the way in 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 was not. 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 Chr. del power of King Don Ferrando. Cid. cap. 8. 196. BOOK 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 1 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 196. drigo ob great vic the Moors. Cid. cap. Gen. 197. 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 RoAnd 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. XIII. Now the greater part of these Moors had been of the takthey of Merida, Badajoz, Beja, and Evora, and the King Viseu. ing of 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. I. BOOK fear before their eyes, had fortified their city well, and stored it abundantly with all things needful, and moreover, they put their trust in their Alcayde, who was an African, by name Cid Alafum, a man tried in arms. He encouraged them, saying that the city could not be taken in ten years, by a greater power than the Christians; and there were. many good arbalisters in the city, who shot so strong that neither shield nor armor availed against their quarrels. King Don Ferrando therefore ordered mantles to be made, and also pavaises to protect his people; and moreover he enjoined them to fasten boards upon their shields, so that the quarrels from the cross-bows might not pierce through. And he continued for eighteen days to combat the city, keeping such good watch, that neither could they within receive help from without, nor themselves issue forth; and on the eighteenth day, which was the Vesper of St. Peter's, he won the city by force of arms; and few were they who escaped from the sword of the conquerors, except those who retreated with Alafum into the Castle. And on the following day at the hour of tierce they also came to terms, and yielded themselves to his mercy, saving their lives. In this manner was Viseu recovered by the Christians, and never after did that city fall into the hands of the barbarians. And the Moor who had slain King Don Alfonso fell into ' The particulars of this siege are recorded in a MS. Chronicle, which belonged to Andre de Resende, better known to antiquarians by his latinized name, Resendius. Both Brito and Sandoval relate them from this source. The Alcayde had lands given him by Ferrando, where his name is still preserved, a Serra being still called Monte Alafom, and the whole district the Concelho de Alafoens, from whence the ducal title, lately extinct in the person of Don Joam Carlos de Braganza, Sousa, e Ligne, the third Duke. Brito, P. 2. L. 7. C. 28. 2 Alfonso V. Having laid siege to Viseu, he rode out one day to reconnoitre, with nothing on but his shirt and his cloak, on account of the heat. This Moor took aim at him, and though he was at a considerable distance |