HERE BEGINNETH THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLE OF THE CID.. II. How King Don Sancho was wroth I. The history relates how after the death of King Don Fer- BOOK rando, the three Kings his sons reigned each in his kingdom, according to the division made by their father, who had divided that which should all by right have descended to the King Don Sancho. Now the Kings of Spain were of the blood of the Goths, which was a fierce blood, for it had many times come at the parkingdoms.. tition of the The Chronica General refers here to the Archbishop Rodrigo, whose words are these: Sed licet ipse regnum filiis divisisset, et partem suam unicuique assignasset, quia omnis potestas impatiens est consortis, et quia Reges Hispania a feroci Gotthorum sanguine contraxerunt, ne majores aliquem velint parem, nec minores superiorem, sæpius inter Gotthos regalia funera fraterno`sanguine maduerunt. Rex itaque Sancius, Castella et Navarra finibus non contentus, inhumanitatis Gotthica successor et hæres, et sanguinem fratrum sitire, et ad eorum regnam cœpit cupidus anhelare, &c. L. 6. C. 15.. The Archbishop himself seems to have had before him the observation which the Monk of Silos makes on the same occasion. Porro Hispanici Reges tantæ F II. BOOK to pass among the Gothic Kings, that brother had slain brother upon this quarrel; from this blood was King Don Sancho descended, and he thought that it would be a reproach unto him if he did not join together the three kingdoms under his own dominion, for he was not pleased with what his father had given him, holding that the whole ought to have been his. And he went through the land setting it in order, and what thing soever Chr. del Cid. Chr. Gen. cap. 32. 33. his people asked at his hand that did he grant them freely, to the end that he might win their hearts. ff. 205. How the Castille. II. Now when King Don Sancho of Navarre saw that there was a new King in Castille, he thought to recover the lands and Aragon came against of Bureva and of Old Castille as far as Laredo, which had been lost when the King his father was defeated and slain at Atapuerca in the mountains of Oca. And now seeing that the kingdom of Ferrando was divided, he asked help of his uncle Don Ramiro, King of Aragon; and the men of Aragon and of Navarre entered Castille together. But King Don Sancho gathered together his host, and put the Cid at their head; and such account did he give of his enemies, that he of Navarre was glad to enjoy Rioja in peace, and lay no farther claim to what his father had lost. Now the King of Castille was wroth against the King of Aragon, that he should thus have joined against him without cause; and in despite of him he marched against the Moors of Zaragoza, and laying waste their country with fire and sword, he came before their city, and gave orders to assault it, and began to set up his engines. When the King of Zara ferocitatis dicuntur fore, quod quum ex eorum stirpe quilibet Regulus adultâ ætate jam arma primo sumpserit, sive in fratres, seu in parentes, si superstites fuerint, ut jus regale solus obtineat, pro viribus contendere parat. Chronicon Monachi Siliensis, C. 2. § 10. II. goza saw the great will which the King had to do evil unto him, BOOK and that there was none to help him, he thought it best to come to his mercy, paying tribute, or serving him, or in any manner whatsoever. And he sent interpreters to King Don Sancho saying, that he would give him much gold and silver, and many gifts, and be his vassal, and pay him tribute yearly. The King received them right honourably, and when he had heard their bidding he answered resolutely, being of a great heart, All this which the King of Zaragoza sends to say unto me is well, but he hath another thing in his heart. He sends to bid me break up the siege and depart from his land, and as soon as I should have departed, he would make friends unto himself among Christians and among Moors, and fail me in all which he covenants. Nevertheless I will do this thing which your King requires of me; but if in the end he lie, I will come back upon him and destroy him, trusting in God that he cannot defend himself against me. And when the interpreters heard this they were greatly dismayed, and they returned and told their King all that he had said. And the Moors seeing that they could not help themselves, made such terms with him as it pleased him to grant, and gave him hostages that they might not be able to prove false. And they gave him gold and silver and precious stones in abundance, so that with great riches and full honour- f. 206. ably did he and all his men depart from the siege. Chr.del Cid. cap. 33. Chr. Gen. Sandoval. ff. 21. this How King was defeated the held Aragon. Don Sancho III. Greatly was the King of Aragon displeased at which King Don Sancho had done, thinking that it to his great injury and abasement, for Zaragoza he to be within his conquest. And he came out with all his power to cut off the King's return, and took possession of the way, and said unto him that he should not pass till he had made amends for the great dishonour which he had wrought him, in coming into his conquest and against his King of II.. BOOK vassals: the amends which he required was, that he should yield unto him all the spoil, and all which the King of Zaragoza had given him, else should he not pass without battle. When King Don Sancho heard this, being a man of great heart, he made answer, that he was the head of the kingdoms of Castille and Leon, and all the conquests in Spain were his, for the Kings of Aragon had no conquests appertaining unto them, being by right his tributaries, and bound to appear at his Cortes. Wherefore he counselled him to waive this demand, and let him pass in peace. But the King of Aragon drew up his host for battle, and the onset was made, and heavy blows were dealt on both sides, and many horses were left without a master. And while the battle was yet upon the chance, King Don Sancho riding right bravely through the battle, began to call out Castille! Castille! and charged the main body so fiercely that by fine force he broke them; and when they were thus broken, the Castillians began cruelly to slay them, so that King Don Sancho had pity thereof, and called out unto his people not to kill them, for they were Christians. Then King Don Ramiro being discomfited, retired to a mountain, and King Don Sancho beset the mountain round about, and made a covenant with him that he should depart, and that the King of Zaragoza should remain tributary to Castille; and but for this covenant the King of Aragon would then have been slain, or made prisoner. This was the battle whereof the Black Book of Santiago speaketh, saying, that in A.D.1065. this year, on the day of the Conversion of St. Paul, was the greatslaughter of the Christians in Porca. In all these wars did my Cid demean himself after his wonted manner; and because of the great feats which he performed the King loved him well, and made him his Alferez; so that in the whole army he was second only to the King. And because when the host was in the field Chr. del Cid. сар. 34. Chr. Gen. f. 206. Sandoval, f. 22. it was his office to chuse the place for encampment, therefore BOOK was my Cid called the Campeador 2. ginning of tween the IV. While King Don Sancho was busied in these wars, of the beKing Don Garcia of Galicia took by force from Doña Urraca the strife be his sister a great part of the lands which the King their father brethren. had given her. And when she heard this she began to lament aloud, saying, Ah King Don Ferrando, in an evil hour didst thou divide thy kingdom, for thereby will all the 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 word is variously latinized Campiator, Campidator, and Campiductor. Berganza, by way of explaining it, gives an account of the origin and form of judicial combats, and supposes that the title was given to Rodrigo either because he was appointed judge of the field on such occasions, or King's Champion. Sandoval's, which I have followed, is the more probable explanation. |