I. blow. To do him more honour the Queen gave him his BOOK horse, and the Infanta Doña Urraca fastened on his spurs ; and from that day forth he was called Ruydiez 19. Then the King commanded him to knight nine noble squires with his own hand; and he took his sword before the altar, and knighted them. The King then gave Coimbra to the keeping of Don Sisnando, Bishop of Iria; a man, who having more hardihood than religion, had by reason of his misdeeds gone over to the Moors, and sorely infested the Christians in Portugal. But during the siege he had come to the King's service, and bestirred himself well against the Moors; and therefore the King took him into his favour, and gave him the city to keep, which he kept, and did much evil to the Moors till the day of his death. And the King departed and went to Compostella to return thanks to Santiago. Chr. del Cid, сар. 14. Chr. Gen. f. 199. Escobar. taking of XIX. But then Benalfagi, who was the Lord of many lands of the in Estremadura, gathered together a great power of the Moors Montemor. and built up the walls of Montemor, and from thence waged war against Coimbra, so that they of Coimbra called upon the King for help. And the King came up against the town, and fought against it, and took it. Great honour did Ruy diez win at that siege; for having to protect the foragers, the enemy came out upon him, and thrice in one day was he beset by them; but he, though sorely prest by them, and in great peril, nevertheless would not send to the camp for suc "Ruy is merely the abbreviation of Rodrigo. Berganza (5. 11. § 142.) infers from this passage, that they who aspired to knighthood were called only by their baptismal names, and did not assume the patronymic till they had received the order;-in signification that they were not to pride themselves upon hereditary honour till they were able to support it. I. BOOK cour, but put forth his manhood and defeated them. And from that day the King gave more power into his hands, and Brito Mon. made him head over all his household. Lus. 2.7.28. Chr. del Cid. cap. 17. Chr. Gen. f. 200. diez was called the Cid. XX. Now the men of Leon besought the King that he would repeople Zamora, which had lain desolate since it was How Ruy destroyed by Almanzor. And he went thither and peopled the city, and gave to it good privileges. And while he was there came messengers from the five Kings who were vassals to Ruydiez of Bivar, bringing him their tribute; and they came to him, he being with the King, and called him Cid, which signifyeth Lord, and would have kissed his hands, but he would not give them his hand till they had kissed the hand of the King. And Ruydiez took the tribute and offered the fifth thereof to the King, in token of his sovereignty; and the King thanked him, but would not receive it, and from that time he ordered that Ruydiez should be called the Cid, because the Moors had so called him. Chr. del Cid. cap. 19. Chr. Gen. f. 201. How the bute of Spain. XXI. In those days Pope Victor II. held a council at manded tri- Florence, and the Emperor Henry there made his complaint against King Don Ferrando, that he did not acknowledge his sovereignty, and pay him tribute like all other Kings; and he besought the Pope to admonish him so to do. And the Pope being a German, and the friend of Henry, sent to the King to admonish him, and told him that unless he obeyed he would proclaim a crusade against him; and in like manner the Emperor, and the King of France, and the other Kings, sent to exhort him to obedience, defying him if he should refuse. When the King saw their letters he was troubled, for he knew that if this thing were done, great evil would follow to Castille and Leon. And he took counsel with his honourable men. They seeing on the one hand the great power of the Church, and on the other the great evil that it would be if Castille and Leon I. should be made tributary, knew not what counsel to give; BOOK howbeit at length they said to him that he should do the Pope's bidding. At this council the Cid was not present, for he had lately completed his marriage with Doña Ximena Gomez, and was then with her; but at this time he arrived, and the King showed him the letters, and told him the matter how it then stood, and what had been the advice of his good men, and besought him to speak his advice, as a good and true vassal to his Lord. When the Cid heard what had passed it grieved him to the heart, more for the counsel which had been given to the King, than because of the Pope's commands; and he turned to the King and said, In an ill day, Sir, were you born in Spain, if it be in your time to be made tributary, which it never was before; for all the honour which God hath given you, and whatever good he hath done to you, is lost if it should be so. And, Sir, whoever hath given you this counsel is not a true man, neither one who regardeth your honour nor your power. But send to defy them since they will have it so, and let us carry the war home to them. You shall take with you five thousand knights, all of whom are hidalgos, and the Moorish Kings who are your vassals will give you two thousand knights; and, Sir, you are such a one as God loves, and he will not that your honour should perish. And the King thought that he was well counselled by him, for the King was of a great heart. Chr. del Cid. cap. 21. Chr. Gen. ff. 202. swer which sent. XXII. Then the King ordered letters to be written, in of the anwhich he besought the Pope not to proceed farther against the King him without just cause, for Spain had been conquered by those who dwelt therein, by the blood of them and of their fathers, and they had never been tributary, and never would be so, but would rather all die. Moreover he sent his letters to the Emperor and to the other Kings, telling them that they well knew the wrong which the Emperor did him, having no jurisdiction E I. BOOK over him, nor lawful claim; and he besought them to let him alone that he might continue to wage war against the enemies of the faith; but if they persisted to speak against him he then sent them back their friendship, and defied them, and where they all were there would he go seek them. While this reply was on its way he gathered together his people, as he and the Cid had advised, and set forward with eight thousand and nine hundred knights, both of his own and of the Cid, and the Cid led the advanced guard. When they had passed the passes of Aspa they found that the country was up, and the people would not sell them food; but the Cid set his hand to, to burn all the country before him, and plunder from those who would not sell, but to those who brought food he did no wrong. And after such manner did he proceed, that wherever the King and his army arrived they found all things of which they could stand in need; and the news went sounding throughout all the land, so that all men trembled. Chr. del Cid. cap. 22. Chr. Gen. f. 202. How the Cid defeated the Lord of Savoy. XXIII. Then Count Remon, Lord of Savoy, with the power of the King of France, gathered together twenty thousand knights and came beyond Tolosa, to hold the road against King Don Ferrando. And he met with his harbinger the Cid, who went before him to prepare lodgings, and they had a hard battle; and the men of the Count were discomfited, and 20 20 Aposentador. Harbinger is the corresponding word: an officer of the Prince's court, that allotteth the noblemen and those of the houshold their lodgings in time of progress. Minshew. Anthony Munday (Primaleon, Part 1. p. 58.) speaks of the Fourriers and Harbingers of the Emperor. The former of these terms is found in French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and German. Its etymology is doubtful, and it seems in England to have given place to a word of more obvious meaning, as Furriel has done in Spain. I. he himself made prisoner and many with him, and many were BOOK slain. And the Count besought the Cid of his mercy to set him free, saying that he would give him a daughter he had, the which was right fair; and the Cid did as he besought him, and the daughter was given to him, and he set the Count free. And by this woman King Don Ferrando had his son the Cardinal Ferrando, who was so honourable a man. Chr. del Cid. cap. 22. Chr. Gen. ff. 202. Pope and yielded their XXIV. After this the Cid had another battle with all the How the power of France, and discomfited them, and at neither of these the Emperor battles did the king and his main army arrive. So the news demand. went sounding before them to the council, of the fierceness of the Cid; and as they all knew that he was' the conqueror of battles, they knew not what to advise; and they besought the Pope that he would send to them, begging them to turn back, and saying that they did not require tribute. These letters came to the King when he had past Tolosa, and he took counsel with the Cid and with his good men, and they advised that he should send two of his good men to the Pope, who should tell him to send a Cardinal with power to make a covenant, that this demand should never again be made upon Spain; and that persons from the Emperor and from the other Kings also should come to ratify this, and meanwhile he would abide where he was. But if they did not come he would go on to them. Count Don Rodrigo, and Alvar Fañez Minaya, and certain learned men, were sent with this bidding. And when they came to the Pope and gave him their letters, he was much dismayed, and he assembled the good and honourable men of the council, and asked of them what he should do. And they made answer that he must do as the King willed him, for none was so hardy as to fight against the good fortune of his vassal the Cid. Then the Pope sent Master Roberto, the Cardinal of St. Sabina, with full powers, and the representatives of the Emperor and of the other |