Seville. He wrote to the Queen to this effect, who accordingly repaired
there two or three days before he arrived. Never had the court of that
monarch been more magnificent, the lords endeavoured to eclipse each
other in splendour, and no expence was spared to make a brilliant
figure. Don Alonso, who was one of the richest amongst them, and whose
absence had only served to increase his love, spared nothing to make his
equipage and train worthy of the _Champion of the beautiful Moor_, which
title he had given himself, and upon which he much prided himself at
Court, and the knot of ribbon he had received from that lady was
elegantly attached to his breast.
All this, however, signified little with Daraxa, who treated him with
the same indifference as the other lords who had professed themselves
her lovers, among whom were Don Roderigo de Padilla, Don Juan d’Alsenna,
and Don Diego de Castro. The only advantage that Don Alonso had over his
rivals was, that he was permitted to visit and converse with his
mistress more frequently than the others; for which he was indebted to
the Queen’s kindness, who, ardently wishing to make the fair Moor a
Christian, that she might marry and retain her at Court, had fixed upon
him as the most advantageous match for her.
The Queen tried every means to prevail upon her to change her religion.
One day she said to her: “My dear Daraxa, I have a great curiosity and
wish to see you dressed in a Spanish habit; as I think that dress will
become your beauty better than your own, and as I will make you a
present of one I have myself worn, I am sure you will try it on to
oblige me.” The Queen hoped by this means to influence her mind by
degrees. Daraxa, who was well pleased with the dress of the Spanish
women, and rejoiced at being able to please her Majesty, willingly
consented to afford her that satisfaction. When she first made her
appearance in her new dress, the King and the whole Court were
delighted, and she completely eclipsed the numerous beauties that had
hitherto charmed them. What jealousies and infidelities did she not
cause! For, in proportion as she pleased the men, she became the envy of
the women, who of course discovered more imperfections than charms in
her.
Although she was not unconscious of the envy that she occasioned, she
was rather vexed at it than conceited, and even became careless in her
dress. The Queen sometimes quarrelled with her on this subject, and sent
her daily new ornaments to prevail upon her to take more pains with her
person; but she dressed herself once or twice with these, and thought of
them no more. Every one was surprised to observe that she was plunged in
a profound melancholy, which nothing could dispel. She sought to be
alone, and was often surprised in tears, the report of which much
affected the Queen, who, however, considered that she was only unhappy
at being so far from her relations, and that her sadness would soon be
at an end.
The King, wishing to contribute towards diverting his illustrious
prisoner, as well as the numerous officers who had served under him so
ably in the late campaign, proposed a solemn bull-fight, and the sports
of canes, in some places called carousals: the day fixed on for these
amusements was proclaimed, that such cavaliers as chose might prepare
for them.
It is now time that I should inform you of the cause of the melancholy
of the beautiful Moor; she was enamoured of a young nobleman of Granada,
who was descended, as she herself was, from Moorish kings, and whose
valour had been proved on several occasions; he was possessed of the
most amiable personal qualities; in short, he was one of the most
accomplished cavaliers at the Court of Granada. His name was Ozmin. They
had been attached to each other from their infancy, and their fathers,
who were most intimate friends, had resolved to preserve their amity
indissoluble by marriage. On the eve of these nuptials, when Ozmin, who
was at Granada, was expected at Baza to celebrate them, Ferdinand
suddenly besieged this place with so much secresy and precaution, that
there was not the slightest suspicion of it at the Court of king
Mahomet.
Upon hearing this news, so important to the Moors, Ozmin, incited by
love and glory, undertook to enter Baza, where he was expected, at the
head of two hundred men, who, for the most part, consisted of such of
his friends and dependants as were willing to follow his fortune, and
serve their king. They met with two parties in less than three hours,
and defeated them; but a third party, consisting of six hundred men,
fell upon them within half a league of the town, calling to them to
surrender, if they expected quarter. Ozmin, not alarmed at the
inequality of numbers, formed his men into a squadron, placing his
wounded in the centre; then rushing on the enemy in as vigorous a manner
as if he had not met with the two former detachments, he kept the
victory doubtful during two hours; already more than half on the side of
the Christians were disabled, and the rest so disordered as to be almost
ready for flight, when a reinforcement of two hundred men came in very
a-propos to their relief. This completely turned the scale, and Ozmin,
wounded in three several parts, thought now of nothing but to save the
rest of his men by retreating: which he did in so good order, and with
such fortunate stands, that the Christians soon thought fit to give over
their pursuit of them. He got back to Granada with a hundred and ten
men, of whom twelve only were not wounded.
This skirmish was accounted one of the most valiant exploits that had
been ever known, and the name of Ozmin became famous among the Christian
troops. Having got home he was obliged to confine himself to his bed.
King Mahomet, his kinsman, delighted by the glory that he had acquired
by so brilliant an action, was not content with bestowing his praise
upon him, but did him the honour of a visit, as a proof of the high
sense he entertained of his valour; but what completed his joy, was a
letter he received from his dear Daraxa, wherein she desired him to pay
more regard to his wounds than to the honour they obtained him; that she
valued the lover in him more than the hero; and concluded by exhorting
him to take more care of himself for the future. With this letter she
sent him a large handkerchief, embroidered after the Moorish manner, of
her own work, which was the more gratifying to her lover, as it was the
first present she had hitherto made him.
The brave Ozmin was extremely impatient to be cured of his wounds, in
order to make a second attempt to get into Baza, for he could no longer
exist without the company of his future wife. The Governor of the place
having notice of his design, found means to caution him against making a
second attempt by force of arms, the passes being too well guarded to
afford any hopes of success; he advised him to dress himself in a
Spanish habit, and set out on a particular night, which they would agree
on between them, so as to arrive the next morning at break of day near
to Baza, which he might thence enter, under shelter of a sally that
should be made expressly for that purpose. The Governor sent him these
letters, and received his answers to them, by a faithful servant of
Ozmin’s, whose name was Orviedo, who having been fourteen years a
prisoner among the Christians, knew their manners and spoke their
language so well, that he might well have passed for a Spaniard; in
addition to this, he was a sharp and cunning fellow, and was well
acquainted with the roads.
As soon as Ozmin was sufficiently recovered to put this project in
execution, he set out for Granada on the night appointed, followed by
Orviedo only, both disguised in Spanish dresses; though they were well
mounted, they were obliged to take so many out-of-the-way roads to avoid
the Christian parties, and guarded passes, that day had already appeared
before they arrived within a league of Baza. As they advanced, they
observed clouds of dust, and soon perceived the Christian troops so much
in motion on all sides, that they felt well assured there would be a
very decisive action that day; it was, in fact, the very day on which
Don Alonso carried off the beautiful Moor. Our two travellers entered
into a wood, where they came to a stand, fearing lest they should
precipitate themselves into some inextricable difficulty; and Orviedo,
as a warrior used to find expedients suitable to such conjunctures,
said to his master: “My Lord, if you will take my advice, you will
remain here in concealment, while I go forward alone and on foot to
reconnoitre the motions of the Christians, and use every art to get into
the town and acquaint the Governor where you are staying: if I do not
rejoin you in two hours, you may take it for granted I have got into the
town, and that every thing shall be prepared to receive you.”
Ozmin approved of this advice, and Orviedo, having tied his horse to a
tree, walked on towards Baza: his master, in spite of the violent
feelings which agitated him, waited patiently for above two hours; after
which, considering that it was time to advance towards the town, and
that according to what Orviedo had said, he should meet with people
ready to second his intentions, he pushed on by the shortest road, until
he arrived within a quarter of a league of the town; when on a sudden
he discovered a troop of Moors riding up to him at full speed; he
thought that this was the sally made in his favor, but he was quickly
and not very agreeably undeceived. As they took him for a Christian,
from his Andalusian habit, they fired upon him, and would undoubtedly
have killed him, if by good luck the officer at their head, to whom he
called, had not recognized his voice. If this troop was surprised at the
sight of him, he was not less astonished when he understood that the
whole Christian army commanded by Ferdinand in person, had fallen upon
two or three thousand men who had sallied from the town; that after a
violent action in which most of the Moors had perished, the enemy,
pursuing the rest to the suburbs, had entered it pell-mell with them,
and had taken possession of it; in short, that he must not flatter
himself with the idea of entering the town; to attempt it being certain
death or captivity. Ozmin, afflicted beyond measure at this
intelligence, and still more so at the necessity of thinking of saving
himself with the rest, formed a body of these fugitives of about three
hundred men, and returned with them to Granada, more mortified than the
first time at the ill success of his enterprise.
This sad news much alarmed king Mahomet, who, thinking, justly, that the
garrison of Baza must be much weakened after such an action, despaired
of being able to relieve the place, which appeared to him on the point
of being taken; and what made him more uneasy was, that after losing
this town, there would be no other able to endure a siege but Granada,
the capitol of his kingdom, and his last refuge. All the Moorish Court,
after its King’s example, was filled with grief.
As for Ozmin, his grief is not to be described; but soon after his
return to Granada, having learned that the Christians, who had entered
the suburbs of Baza with the Moors, had been obliged to abandon the
town, he felt somewhat re-animated, and resolved to try his fate a third
time. But just as he was ready to set out, Orviedo, his faithful squire,
arrived from that city, charged with a packet from the Governor for the
King, and a letter for Ozmin, in which he was made acquainted with the
misfortune which had befallen his Daraxa.
The perusal of this sad intelligence acted like a thunderbolt on the
amorous Ozmin; at first he stood for some time motionless; and when he
had at length recovered his senses, it was only to abandon himself to
the most violent agonies of mind, accompanied by sobbings and
convulsions. When this paroxysm had subsided, he was in such a
condition, that he had not even power left for lamentation; a fever
seized him, his strength failed him, and his death was hourly expected;
but Love, that great and learned doctor, especially in disorders
occasioned by himself, suddenly called him to life, by inspiring a
project calculated to console him, and easy to be put in execution; from
that moment he began visibly to recover; he regained his strength, and
was soon restored to perfect health.
Baza had been surrendered; it was well known that the Catholic King held
his court at Seville, and that it was his intention to pass the winter
there with the Queen. Ozmin not doubting that Daraxa was highly in favor
with that Princess, resolved to repair to that city with Orviedo, both
disguised as Andalusian gentlemen; for besides that they both spoke the
Castilian language so well that it would be difficult to discover that
they were Moors, he felt persuaded that they should not attract the
least notice in a town which must needs be in the greatest confusion. He
communicated his new project to Orviedo, whose natural disposition was
enterprising, and who never threw difficulties in the way; and the
master and squire accordingly set out one night from Granada, in the
most private manner, mounted upon horses not inferior in their paces and
speed to the most famous coursers of the Paladins, with a considerable
quantity of jewels, and several purses of gold, which they did not
forget to provide themselves with.
They expected to meet with some awkward rencontre in passing through the
places where the Christian troops were posted, and they were not
deceived in their expectation. The next day, within a league of Loxa,
they unluckily fell in with the Grand Provost of the army, with his
horsemen, who were in pursuit of deserters; he examined our two
travellers, who though they had not indeed much appearance of such as he
was in search of, yet as they seemed too well mounted for persons who
were plainly dressed, he stopped them, and inquired whence they came,
and whither they were going. Orviedo replied that they were of the
Marquis of Astorgas’ division, and that important business called them
to Seville. Upon this the Provost required to see their furlough; and as
they were not able to produce this, he determined to conduct them back
to the post from whence they said they came. By way of substitute for
this furlough, however, Ozmin drew from one of his fingers a very fine
diamond ring, which he presented to the Provost, who was so charmed with
the present, that he not only made a thousand apologies for having
stopped them on their journey, but insisted upon accompanying them to
Loxa, to shew that he understood good manners, and had a grateful heart.
They arrived at Seville without meeting with any other adventure; and
took up their lodgings in the suburbs beyond the river Guadalquiver;
which, although the most remote and obscure part of the town, was at
that time so thronged with persons of all qualities, and their
equipages, that they were fortunate in obtaining any accommodation at
all, which was not to be wondered at, it being only a few days before
the combat of bulls, when every one was busied in the magnificent
preparations that were making for these diversions. Our Moors had only
to listen to the conversation of the servants of the numerous noblemen,
with whom their inn was filled, as well as all the rest in the town, to
be perfectly well informed of whatever was going on at the court.
By these means, Ozmin learned more than he wished to know; they informed
him, among other things, that Don Alonso styled himself the Knight of
the beautiful Moor; that Daraxa had several other lovers, but that Don
Alonso had the advantage over all his rivals; and that if that lady
embraced Christianity, as was expected, it was confidently reported that
he would marry her. To complete his torments, the lively description
they gave of this cavalier was sufficient to agonize so nice and
passionate a lover as the wretched Ozmin; and had it not been for
Orviedo, he must certainly have relapsed into those ravings which had
before brought him so near the grave. This faithful squire recovered him
by degrees, by representing to him that he wronged Daraxa by such
alarms, who loved him too well to be faithless towards him: that, as for
the rest, it was not surprising that so lovely a person should have
inspired many with love, in a court celebrated for gallantry. Orviedo
completely succeeded in calming the agitation of his master’s mind, by
reminding him, that the approaching diversions would furnish a good
opportunity for himself to judge of the merit of his rivals, as well as
how Daraxa conducted herself towards them; and that he could take his
future measures accordingly. Ozmin yielded to his reasonings, and
determined to observe Daraxa attentively; at the same time, to shew her
the difference between his rivals and himself, and to signalize himself
by his strength and dexterity in the presence of the whole of the
Catholic Court, he resolved to enter the lists at the combat of bulls.
He enjoined Orviedo to prepare every thing that would be necessary for
that exercise, invented by the Moors, and at which Ozmin was universally
acknowledged to be the most expert in their nation.
The day of the solemnity at last arrived; never had so much magnificence
been seen; every thing was in order early in the morning; rich ornaments
and fine tapestries lined the streets through which Ferdinand and
Isabella were to pass with their court, in their way to the great square
appropriated to the diversions. Here was assembled a complete crowd of
people of every description seated on benches fixed round about as in an
amphitheatre; and on all sides were to be seen an infinite number of
ladies and gentlemen most superbly dressed, crowding the windows and
balconies, so that even the spectators formed a gratifying sight.
About three o’clock in the afternoon, the King and Queen took their
places in their balcony; in another, at the side of this, sat the
beautiful Moor, accompanied by many ladies and several old lords, who,
being no longer vigorous in these sports, found themselves obliged to
resign the honour of the combats to the younger noblemen. The sports
began, as usual, by the combat of bulls; they turned loose one at first,
who not being one of the most savage, was quickly brought to the ground.
Our two Moors were already at the place; they kept on the outside of
the square, among many other persons on horseback, to see how the
Christians managed these diversions. It need not be asked whether Ozmin
looked about impatiently for his mistress, whom he soon distinguished;
but how great his surprise, and what fatal presages did he form, when he
perceived that she was dressed in a Spanish habit; nevertheless, though
he could but see her from afar off, he could not avoid remarking a
certain sadness in her countenance; in fact, she felt so little interest
in these diversions, that an express desire of the Queen had been
necessary to oblige her to dress herself suitably to the occasion, and
notwithstanding which, she had taken but little pains to adorn herself;
with her elbow leaning on the balcony, and her head reclining on her
hand, her eye wandered on all sides with indifference, or rather her
mind was so abstracted from the sights before her, that she saw nothing
at all.
Although this melancholy appearance admitted of different
interpretations, Ozmin, through some remains of hope, explained it in
his own favor; and felt a secret pleasure on that account, of which
refined lovers only are susceptible. While he was thus occupied in
observing Daraxa with attention, the shouts of the spectators at seeing
the second bull turned out, much stronger and more vicious than the
first, obliged him, at length, to withdraw his attention, which had been
so long fixed on her balcony. He looked round the square, and observed
that the bull gave full employment to the cavaliers that opposed him;
but as he did not wish to shew what he could perform until after the
death of this second bull, it much surprised the spectators that were
round about them, that though Orviedo and he were superbly equipped,
they appeared to have no intention of venturing within the square: “for
what possible reason,” said they aloud one to another, “are these two
champions standing here without the lists? Are they only come here to
see the sports? Dare they not enter? Are they afraid of the bull’s
horns? Do they carry a lance only to lend it to some cavalier more
worthy to do honour to himself with it?”
These railleries, so usual among the common people, who spare nobody on
such occasions, were heard by Ozmin and Orviedo with contempt; all they
attended to was the issue of the combat of the bull which was then in
the square. This high-spirited animal had already disabled two of the
combatants, and having become more enraged by two slight wounds from Don
Alonso, he avenged himself on his horse, which he laid dead on the spot;
but just at that moment, Don Rodrigo de Padilla, one of the strongest of
all the combatants, struck the bull with such force, that another blow
was not necessary to dispatch him.
A third bull was on the point of being loosed, when Ozmin, who perceived
it, made sign to Orviedo to walk up to the bars of the lists, and
desire admission; and their appearance was of too much consequence for
this to be refused them. No sooner had they got within the lists, than
every eye was turned upon them; a silent admiration prevailed throughout
the place for a considerable time; every one seemed to take great
pleasure in considering the splendour of their arms, the tastefulness of
their equipage, and, above all, their noble appearance on horseback.
Ozmin, especially, attracted the observation of the assembly by his
graceful and fashionable deportment. Both their faces were covered with
blue crape, to shew that they did not wish to be known. The squire
carried his master’s lance in a different manner from the Spaniards; and
Ozmin wore round his left arm the embroidered handkerchief that Daraxa
had given him, which was a gallantry quite different from the custom in
Spain; from which it was concluded, that if they were not foreigners
they at least wished to be thought so; but that they were Moors was not
even suspected. Ferdinand was one of the first who had his eyes upon
them, and he pointed them out to the Queen, who was not less pleased
with their appearance. All the cavaliers, within the barrier, made way
for them to pass, and conceived, of the master in particular, the most
advantageous opinion.
Daraxa was the only one present who had taken no notice of these new
champions, and, most probably, would not have seen them at all, if the
old Don Lewis, Marquis de Padilla, father of Don Rodrigo, after having
rallied her upon her pensive and melancholy humour, had not obliged her
at last to turn her head that way. At first sight of these two
cavaliers, she felt a slight emotion, which she could not account for;
their foreign air excited her curiosity so as to induce her to ask Don
Lewis who they were. “I know not, Madam,” replied he, “nor is the King
himself able to learn.” In the mean time Ozmin approached the balcony
where she was; she fixed her eyes upon the handkerchief that he wore
upon his arm, and the palpitation of her heart at the moment inspired
her with a thousand thoughts. She could not, however, yet believe that
it could be the same handkerchief she had sent her lover when he was
wounded, nor that it was that dear lover himself who now stood before
her eyes; but as he stopped opposite to her balcony, and she had full
leisure to observe him with attention, her heart at length assured her
that _it could be no other_.