XI,

BOOK scabbard in his left hand, and the strings of his mantle in his right, even in such manner as King Don Alfonso had left him, save only that the garments had been changed, it being now seven years since the body had remained there in that ivory chair. Now there was not a man in the Church save this Jew, for all the others were hearing the preachment which the Abbot made. And when this Jew perceived that he was alone, he began to think within himself and say, This is the body of that Ruydiez the Cid, whom they say no man in the world ever took by the beard while he lived ... I will take him by the beard now, and see what he can do to me. And with that he put forth his hand to pull the beard of the Cid;.. but before his hand could reach it, God, who would not suffer this thing to be done, sent his spirit into the body, and the Cid let the strings of his mantle go from his right hand, and laid hand on his sword Tizona, and drew it a full palm's length out of the scabbard. And when the Jew saw this, he fell upon his back for great fear, and began to cry out so loudly, that all they who were without the Church heard him, and the Abbot broke off his preachment and went into the Church to see what it might be. And when they came they found this Jew lying upon his back before the ivory chair, like one dead, for he had ceased to cry out, and had swooned away. And then the Abbot Don Garcia Tellez looked at the body of the Cid, and saw that his right hand was upon the hilt of the sword, and that he had drawn it out a full palm's length; and he was greatly amazed. And he called for holy water, and threw it in the face of the Jew, and with that the Jew came to himself. Then the Abbot asked him what all this had been, and he told him the whole truth; and he knelt down upon his knees before the Abbot, and besought him of his mercy that he would make a Christian of him, because of this great miracle which he had seen, and baptize him in the name of Jesus Christ,

XI.

cup. 291.

Chr. Gen. f. 313.

of the Cid

for he would live and die in his faith, holding all other to be BOOK but error. And the Abbot baptized him in the name of the Holy Trinity, and gave him to name Diego Gil. And all who were there present were greatly amazed, and they made a great outcry and great rejoicings to God for this miracle, and for the power which he had shown through the body of the Cid in this manner; for it was plain that what the Jew said was verily and indeed true, because the posture of the Cid was changed. Chr. del Cid. And from that day forward Diego Gil remained in the Monas- 292. tery as long as he lived, doing service to the body of the Cid. XVIII. After that day the body of the Cid remained in the How the body, same posture, for they never took his hand off the sword, nor wasinterred. changed his garments more, and thus it remained three years longer, till it had been there ten years in all. And then the nose began to change colour. And when the Abbot Don Garcia Tellez and Gil Diaz saw this, they weened that it was no longer fitting for the body to remain in that manner. And three Bishops from the neighbouring provinces met there, and with many masses and vigils, and great honour, they interred the body after this manner. They dug a vault before the altar, beside the grave of Doña Ximena, and vaulted it over with a high arch, and there they placed the body of the Cid seated as it was in the ivory chair, and in his garments, and with the sword in his hand, and they hung up his shield and his banner upon the walls.

Chr.del Cid

cap. 291.

Chr. Gen.

313.

Berganza. 5. 33. § 384.

of Gil Diaz.

XIX. After the body of the noble Cid Campeador had been of the death thus honourably interred, Gil Diaz his trusty servant abode still in the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, doing service to the graves of the Cid and Doña Ximena, and making their anniversaries, and celebrating masses, and giving great alms to the poor both in food and clothing, for the good of their souls; and in this manner he lived while Don Garcia Tellez was Abbot,

BOOK and two others after him, and then he died. And his deport

XI.

Chr. Gen.

. 313.

Chr. del Cid. cap. 292.

How the King of Navarre

booty which

in honour to

the Cid.

ment had alway been such in that Monastery, that all there were his friends, and lamented greatly at his death, because he had led so devout and good a life, and served so trustily at the graves of his master and mistress. And at the time of his death he gave order that they should lay his body beside the good horse Bavieca whom he had loved so well, in the grave which he had made there for himself while he was living. And Diego Gil remained in his place, doing the same service which he had done, till he departed also. And the history saith that though Gil Diaz was good, Diego Gil was even better.

XX. Eighty and six years after the death of the Cid Camrestored the peador, that is to say, in the year of the Era 1223, which is he had taken the year of the Incarnation 1185, it came to pass, that there was war between the Kings of Leon and Navarre on the one part, and the King of Castille on the other, notwithstanding this King Don Sancho of Navarre was uncle to the King of Castille, being his mother's brother. And this King Don Sancho entered into the lands of his nephew King Don Alfonso of Castille, and advanced as far as Burgos, and with his sword he struck a great stroke into the elm tree which is before the Church of St. John at Burgos, in token that he had taken possession of all that land; and he carried away with him a great booty in flocks and herds and beasts of the plough, and whatever else he could find, and with all this booty went his toward Navarre. Now he had to pass nigh the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, where the body of the Cid Campeador lay. And at that time the Abbot of the Monastery, whose name was Don Juan, was a good man, and a hidalgo, and stricken in years; and he had been a doughty man in arms in his day. And when he saw this great booty being driven out of Castille, he was sorely grieved at the sight, and though he was now an old man, and it was

way

XI.

long since he had got on horseback, he went to horse now, and BOOK took ten monks with him, and bade the strongest among them take down the banner of the Cid from the place where it was hung up, and he went after King Don Sancho who was carrying away the spoil. And the King when he saw him coming marvelled what banner this might be, for in those days there was no banner like unto that borne by any man in all the kingdoms of Spain; and perceiving how few they were who came with it, he halted to see what it might be. And the Abbot humbled himself before him when he came up, and said, King Don Sancho of Navarre, I am the Abbot of this Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, wherein lies the body of the Cid Campeador, your great grandfather; and for that reason presuming on your bounty and favour, I am come hither with this banner, which was borne before him in his battles, to beseech you that you would leave this booty for the honour of this banner and of the body of the Cid. And when King Don Sancho heard this, he marvelled at the great courage of the man, that he should thus without fear ask of him to restore his booty. And he said unto him after awhile, Good man, I know you not: but for what you have said I will give back the booty, for which there are many reasons. For I am of the lineage of the Cid, as you say, and my father King Don Garcia being the son of Doña Elvira his daughter, this is the first reason; and the second is for the honour of his body which lies in your Monastery; and the third is in reverence to this his banner, which never was defeated. And if none of these were of any avail, yet ought I to restore it were it only for this, that if he were living there is none who could drive away the spoils of Castille, he being so near. For the love of God therefore, and of my forefather the Cid, I give it to him, and to you, who have known so well how to ask it at my hands. When the Abbot

BOOK heard this he was as joyful as he could be, and would have kisXI. sed the hand of King Don Sancho, but the King would not suffer

Chr. delCid.

cap. 293.

Chr. Gen. f.314.

How the Cid

went to the

great battle

of the Navas

de Tolosa.

this because he was a priest of the mass. Then the King ordered the spoil to be driven to the Monastery, and went himself with it, and saw the banner hung up again in its place, and abode there three weeks, till all that booty had been restored to the persons from whom it was taken. And when this was done he offered to the Monastery two hundred pieces of gold for the soul of his forefather the Cid, and returned into his kingdom of Navarre, and did no more evil at that time in the realm of Castille. This good service the Cid Ruydiez did to Castille after his death. XXI. Moreover when the Miramamolin brought over from Africa against King Don Alfonso, the eighth of that name, the mightiest power of the misbelievers that had ever been brought against Spain since the destruction of the Kings of the Goths, the Cid Campeador remembered his country in that great danger. For the night before the battle was fought at the Navas de Tolosa, in the dead of the night, a mighty sound was heard in the whole city of Leon, as if it were the tramp of a great army passing through. And it passed on to the Royal Monastery of St. Isidro, and there was a great knocking at the gate thereof, and they called to a priest who was keeping vigils in the Church, and told him, that the Captains of the army whom he heard were the Cid Ruydiez, and Count Ferran Gonzalez, and that they came there to call up King Don Ferrando the Great, who lay buried in that church, that he might go with them to deliver Spain. And on the morrow that great battle of the Navas de Tolosa was fought, wherein sixty thousand of the misbelievers were slain, which was one of the greatest and T.1 f.382. noblest battles ever won over the Moors *.

Yepes.

Chr. Gen.

de. S. Benito.

This thing, says Yepes, God permitted to be heard in Leon, that it might