BOOK land be brought to destruction. And now also will be accomplished that which my fosterer Arias Gonzalo said, for now that King Don Garcia who is my younger brother, hath dispossessed me and broken the oath which he made unto my father, what will not the elder do, who made the vow by compulsion, and alway made protestation against the division! God send that as thou hast disherited me, thou mayest speedily thyself in like manner be disherited, Amen! But when King Don Sancho heard what his brother had done he was well pleased thereat, thinking that he might now bring to pass that which he so greatly desired; and he assembled together his Ricos-omes and his knights, and said unto them, The King my father divided the kingdoms which should have been mine, and therein he did unjustly; now King Don Garcia my brother hath broken the oath and disherited Doña Urraca my sister; I beseech ye therefore counsel me what I shall do, and in what manner to proceed against him, for I will take his kingdom away from him. Upon this Count Don Garcia Ordoñez arose and said, There is not a man in the world, Sir, who would counsel you to break the command of your father, and the vow which you made unto him. And the King was greatly incensed at him and said, Go from before me, for I shall never receive good counsel from thee. The King then took the Cid by the hand and led him apart, and said unto him, Thou well knowest, my Cid, that when the King my father commended thee unto me, he charged me upon pain of his curse that I should take you for my adviser, and whatever I did that I should do it with your counsel, and I have done so even until this day; and thou hast alway counselled me for the best, and for this I have given thee a county in my kingdom, holding it well bestowed. Now then I beseech you advise Chr. del me how best to recover these kingdoms, for if I have not Chr. Gen. counsel from you I do not expect to have it from any man in the world. Cid.cap.35. ff. 207. II. How King BOOK V. Greatly troubled at this was the Cid, and he answered and said, Ill, Sir, would it behove me to counsel Don San you that you should go against the will of your father. You well know that when I went to Cabezon unto him, after he had divided his kingdoms, how he made me swear King Don to him that I would alway counsel his sons the best I could, cho had a meeting with his brother Alfonso. and never give them ill counsel; and while I can, thus must I continue to do. But the King answered, My Cid, I do not hold that in this I am breaking the oath made to my father, for I ever said that the partition should not be, and the oath which I made was forced upon me. Now King Don Garcia my brother hath broken the oath, and all these kingdoms by right are mine: and therefore I will that you counsel me how I may unite them, for from so doing there is nothing in this world which shall prevent me, except it be death. Then when the Cid saw that he could by no means turn him from that course, he advised him to obtain the love of his brother King Don Alfonso, that he might grant him passage through his kingdom to go against Don Garcia: and if this should be refused, he counselled him not to make the attempt. And the King saw that his counsel was good; and sent his letters to King Don Alfonso, beseeching him to meet him at Sahagun. When King Don Alfonso received the letters, he marvelled to what end this might be howbeit he sent to say that he would meet him. And the two Kings met in Sahagun. And King Don Sancho said, Brother, you well know that King Don Garcia our brother hath broken the oath made unto our father, and disherited our sister Doña Urraca for this I will take his kingdom away from him, and I beseech you join with me. But Don Alfonso answered that he would not go against the will of his father, and the oath which he had sworn. Then King Don Sancho said, that if he would let him pass through his kingdom he would give him part of what he should gain: and King Don Alfonso agreed to this. And upon this matter they fixed another day to meet; and then forty knights were named, II. twenty for Castille and twenty for Leon, as vouchers that BOOK this which they covenanted should be faithfully fulfilled on both sides. Chr. del sent to ask King aid from his brother if he King Don Alvar Fañez, Alfonso. VI. Then King Don Sancho gathered together a great f. 208. host, Castilians and Leonese, and they of Navarre and How King Biscay, Asturians, and men of Aragon and of the border. Don Garcia And he sent Alvar Fañez, the cousin of the Cid, to Don Garcia, to bid him yield up his kingdom, and refused to do this, to defy him on his part. albeit unwillingly, was bound to obey the bidding of his Lord, and he went to King Don Garcia and delivered his bidding. When King Don Garcia heard it he was greatly troubled, and he cried out in his trouble and said, Lord Jesus Christ, thou rememberest the oath which we made to our father! for my sins I have been the first to break it, and have disherited my sister. And he said to Alvar Fañez, Say to my brother that I beseech him not to break the oath which he made to our father; but if he will persist to do this thing, I must defend myself as I can. And with this answer Alvar Fañez returned. Then King Don Garcia called unto him a knight of Asturias, whose name was Ruy Ximenez, and bade him go to his brother King Don Alfonso, and tell him what had passed, and how King Don Sancho would take away his kingdom from him; and to beseech him as a brother that he would not let him pass through his dominions. And King Don Alfonso replied, Say to my brother that I will neither help King Don Sancho, nor oppose him : and tell him that if he can defend himself I shall be well pleased. And with this answer Ruy Ximenez returned, and bade the King look to himself for defence, for he would find Cid.cap 37. no help in his brother. Chr. del Chr. Gen. ff. 208. Frojaz slew VII. Now Don Garcia was not beloved in his kingdom How Don of Galicia, neither in Portugal, for as much as he showed Rodrigo little favor to the hidalgos, both Galegos and Portuguese, Verna. and vexed the people with tributes, which he had newly II. BOOK imposed. The cause of all this was a favorite,' by name Verna, to whom the King gave so much authority, that he displeased all the chief persons in his dominions, and hearkened unto him in all things; and by his advice it was that he had despoiled his sister Doña Urraca of her lands, and his sister Doña Elvira also, and had done other things, whereby Portugal and Galicia were now in danger to be lost. And the knights and hidalgos took counsel together, how they might remedy these evils, and they agreed that the King should in the name of them all be advised how ill he was served, and entreated to put away his favorite. Don Rodrigo Frojaz was the one named to speak unto the King; for being a man of approved valor, and the lord of many lands, it was thought that the King would listen more to him than to any other. But it fell out otherwise than they had devised, for Verna had such power over the mind of the King, that the remonstrance was ill received, and Don Rodrigo and the other hidalgos were contumeliously treated in public by the King. Don Rodrigo would not bear this, being a right loyal and valiant man; and he went one day into the palace, and finding Verna busied in affairs of state, he drew forth his sword and slew him; then leaving the palace, for none cared to lay hands on him, he left Portugal, and took the road towards France; many of his Nobiliario, del Conde vassals and kinsmen and friends following him, to seek Don Pedro, their fortunes in a country where valor would be esteemed, Cid.cap.38. for they were weary of the bad government of King Don ff. 208. Garcia. p. 45. Chr. del Chron.Gen. Of the bat VIII. But when King Don Garcia knew of the league tle at Agoa which his brethren had made to divide his kingdom between de Mayas. them, it was a greater trouble to him than the death of Verna, and he called his chief captains together and consulted with Garibay says a female favorite; in this he differs from all other authorities, otherwise the manners of the age would not render his account improbable. The story of Iñez de Castro is well known. II. them; and they advised him that he should send to recall BOOK Don Rodrigo Frojaz, for having him the realm would be secure, and without him it was in danger to be lost. So two hidalgos were sent after him, and they found him in Navarre, on the eve of passing into France. But when he saw the King's letters, and knew the peril in which he then stood, setting aside the remembrance of his own wrongs, like a good and true Portugueze, he turned back, and went to the King at Coimbra. In good time did he arrive, for the captains of King Don Sancho had now gained many lands in Galicia and in the province of Beira, finding none to resist them, and the Count Don Nuño de Lara, and the Count of Monzon, and Don Garcia de Cabra, were drawing nigh unto Coimbra. When Don Rodrigo heard this and knew that the Castilians where approaching, and who they were, he promised the King either to maintain his cause, or die for it; and he besought him not to go into the battle himself, having so many vassals and so good; for it was not fitting that he should expose himself when there was no king coming against him. And it came to pass that when the scouts gave notice that the Castilians were at hand, he ordered the trumpets to be sounded, and the Portugueze sallied, and a little below the city, at the place which is now called Agoa de Mayas, the two squadrons met. Then was the saying of Arias Gonzalo fulfilled, that kinsmen should kill kinsmen, and brother fall by his brother's hand. But the Portugueze fought so well, and especially Don Rodrigo, and his brothers Don Pedro and Don Vermui Frojaz, that at length they discomfited the Castilians, killing of them five hundred and forty, of whom three hundred were knights, and winning their pennons and banners. Howbeit this victory was not obtained without great loss to themselves; for two hundred and twenty of their people were left upon the field, Nobiliario, and many were sorely wounded, among whom, even to the 211. great peril of his life, was Don Rodrigo Frojaz, being wound- cap. 30. ed with many and grievous wounds. In this battle was ff. 208. p. 46. Do. Chr.delCid. Chron. Gen. |