LEGENDS
OF THE
CONQUEST OF SPAIN.
BY
THE AUTHOR OF “THE SKETCH-BOOK.”
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
MDCCCXXXVI.
PREFACE.
Few events in history have been so signal and striking in their main
circumstances, and so overwhelming and enduring in their consequences, as
that of the conquest of Spain by the Saracens; yet there are few where
the motives, characters, and actions of the agents have been enveloped
in more doubt and contradiction. As in the memorable story of the Fall
of Troy, we have to make out, as well as we can, the veritable details
through the mists of poetic fiction; yet poetry has so combined itself
with, and lent its magic colouring to, every fact, that to strip it
away, would be to reduce the story to a meagre skeleton, and rob it of
all its charms. The storm of Moslem invasion that swept so suddenly over
the peninsula, silenced for a time the faint voice of the Muse, and drove
the sons of learning from their cells. The pen was thrown aside to grasp
the sword and spear; and men were too much taken up with battling against
the evils which beset them on every side, to find time or inclination to
record them.
When the nation had recovered in some degree from the effects of this
astounding blow, or rather, had become accustomed to the tremendous
reverse which it produced, and sage men sought to inquire and write the
particulars, it was too late to ascertain them in their exact verity.
The gloom and melancholy that had overshadowed the land, had given birth
to a thousand superstitious fancies; the woes and terrors of the past
were clothed with supernatural miracles and portents, and the actors in
the fearful drama had already assumed the dubious characteristics of
romance. Or if a writer from among the conquerors undertook to touch
upon the theme, it was embellished with all the wild extravagances of an
oriental imagination; which afterwards stole into the graver works of the
monkish historians.
Hence the earliest chronicles which treat of the downfall of Spain are
apt to be tinctured with those saintly miracles which savour of the pious
labours of the cloister, or those fanciful fictions that betray their
Arabian authors. Yet, from these apocryphal sources, the most legitimate
and accredited Spanish histories have taken their rise, as pure rivers
may be traced up to the fens and mantled pools of a morass. It is
true, the authors, with cautious discrimination, have discarded those
particulars too startling for belief, and have culled only such as, from
their probability and congruity, might be safely recorded as historical
facts; yet scarce one of these but has been connected in the original
with some romantic fiction, and, even in its divorced state, bears traces
of its former alliance.
To discard, however, every thing wild and marvellous in this portion of
Spanish history, is to discard some of its most beautiful, instructive,
and national features; it is to judge of Spain by the standard of
probability suited to tamer and more prosaic countries. Spain is
virtually a land of poetry and romance, where every-day life partakes
of adventure, and where the least agitation or excitement carries every
thing up into extravagant enterprise and daring exploit. The Spaniards,
in all ages, have been of swelling and braggart spirit, soaring in
thought, pompous in word, and valiant, though vainglorious, in deed.
Their heroic aims have transcended the cooler conceptions of their
neighbours, and their reckless daring has borne them on to achievements
which prudent enterprise could never have accomplished. Since the time,
too, of the conquest and occupation of their country by the Arabs, a
strong infusion of oriental magnificence has entered into the national
character, and rendered the Spaniard distinct from every other nation of
Europe.
In the following pages, therefore, the author has ventured to dip more
deeply into the enchanted fountains of old Spanish chronicle, than has
usually been done by those who, in modern times, have treated of the
eventful period of the conquest; but, in so doing, he trusts he will
illustrate more fully the character of the people and the times. He has
thought proper to throw these records into the form of legends, not
claiming for them the authenticity of sober history, yet giving nothing
that has not historical foundation. All the facts herein contained,
however extravagant some of them may be deemed, will be found in the
works of sage and reverend chroniclers of yore, growing side by side with
long acknowledged truths, and might be supported by learned and imposing
references in the margin.
CONTENTS.
Page
LEGEND OF DON RODERICK.
CHAPTER I.
Of the ancient Inhabitants of Spain.—Of the Misrule of Witiza
the Wicked 1
CHAPTER II.
The Rise of Don Roderick.—His Government 11
CHAPTER III.
Of the Loves of Roderick and the Princess Elyata 18
CHAPTER IV.
Of Count Julian 27
CHAPTER V.
The Story of Florinda 31
CHAPTER VI.
Don Roderick receives an extraordinary Embassy 44
CHAPTER VII.
Story of the marvellous and portentous Tower 50
CHAPTER VIII.
Count Julian.—His Fortunes in Africa.—He hears of the Dishonour
of his Child.—His Conduct thereupon 66
CHAPTER IX.
Secret Visit of Count Julian to the Arab Camp.—First Expedition
of Taric el Tuerto 78
CHAPTER X.
Letter of Muza to the Caliph.—Second Expedition of Taric el Tuerto 85
CHAPTER XI.
Measures of Don Roderick on hearing of the Invasion.—Expedition
of Ataulpho.—Vision of Taric 94
CHAPTER XII.
Battle of Calpe.—Fate of Ataulpho 102
CHAPTER XIII.
Terror of the Country.—Roderick rouses himself to Arms 112
CHAPTER XIV.
March of the Gothic Army.—Encampment on the Banks of the
Guadalete.—Mysterious Predictions of a Palmer.—Conduct
of Pelistes thereupon 121
CHAPTER XV.
Skirmishing of the Armies.—Pelistes and his Son.—Pelistes and
the Bishop 129
CHAPTER XVI.
Traitorous Message of Count Julian 136
CHAPTER XVII.
Last Day of the Battle 141
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Field of Battle after the Defeat.—The Fate of Roderick 150
ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE FOREGOING LEGEND.
The Tomb of Roderick 158
The Cave of Hercules 160
LEGEND OF THE SUBJUGATION OF SPAIN.
CHAPTER I.
Consternation of Spain.—Conduct of the Conquerors.—Missives
between Taric and Muza 173
CHAPTER II.
Capture of Granada.—Subjugation of the Alpuxarra Mountains 181
CHAPTER III.
Expedition of Magued against Cordova.—Defence of the Patriot
Pelistes 192
CHAPTER IV.
Defence of the Convent of St. George by Pelistes 198
CHAPTER V.
Meeting between the Patriot Pelistes and the Traitor Julian 207
CHAPTER VI.
How Taric el Tuerto captured the City of Toledo through the Aid
of the Jews, and how he found the famous Talismanic Table of
Solomon 213
CHAPTER VII.
Muza ben Nozier.—His Entrance into Spain, and Capture of Carmona 223
CHAPTER VIII.
Muza marches against the City of Seville 230
CHAPTER IX.
Muza besieges the City of Merida 233
CHAPTER X.
Expedition of Abdalasis against Seville and the “Land of Tadmir” 245
CHAPTER XI.
Muza arrives at Toledo.—Interview between him and Taric 259
CHAPTER XII.
Muza prosecutes the Scheme of Conquest.—Siege of
Saragossa.—Complete Subjugation of Spain 266
CHAPTER XIII.
Feud between the Arab Generals.—They are summoned to appear
before the Caliph at Damascus.—Reception of Taric 273
CHAPTER XIV.
Muza arrives at Damascus.—His Interview with the Caliph—The
Table of Solomon.—A rigorous Sentence 282
CHAPTER XV.
Conduct of Abdalasis as Emir of Spain 289
CHAPTER XVI.
Loves of Abdalasis and Exilona 296
CHAPTER XVII.
Fate of Abdalasis and Exilona.—Death of Muza 303
LEGEND OF COUNT JULIAN AND HIS FAMILY 313
Note to the preceding Legend 339
THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK.
THE LEGEND OF DON RODERICK.[1]
CHAPTER I.
OF THE ANCIENT INHABITANTS OF SPAIN.—OF THE MISRULE OF WITIZA THE WICKED.
Spain, or Iberia, as it was called in ancient days, has been a country
harassed from the earliest times by the invader. The Celts, the Greeks,
the Phœnicians, the Carthaginians, by turns, or simultaneously,
infringed its territories; drove the native Iberians from their rightful
homes, and established colonies and founded cities in the land. It
subsequently fell into the all-grasping power of Rome, remaining for some
time a subjugated province; and when that gigantic empire crumbled into
pieces, the Suevi, the Alani, and the Vandals, those barbarians of the
north, overran and ravaged this devoted country, and portioned out the
soil among them.
Their sway was not of long duration. In the fifth century the Goths, who
were then the allies of Rome, undertook the reconquest of Iberia, and
succeeded, after a desperate struggle of three years’ duration. They
drove before them the barbarous hordes, their predecessors; intermarried
and incorporated themselves with the original inhabitants; and founded
a powerful and splendid empire, comprising the Iberian peninsula, the
ancient Narbonnaise, afterwards called Gallia Gotica, or Gothic Gaul, and
a part of the African coast called Tingitania. A new nation was, in a
manner, produced by this mixture of the Goths and Iberians. Sprung from a
union of warrior races, reared and nurtured amidst the din of arms, the
Gothic Spaniards, if they may so be termed, were a warlike, unquiet, yet
high-minded and heroic people. Their simple and abstemious habits, their
contempt for toil and suffering, and their love of daring enterprise,
fitted them for a soldier’s life. So addicted were they to war that, when
they had no external foes to contend with, they fought with one another;
and, when engaged in battle, says an old chronicler, the very thunders
and lightnings of heaven could not separate them.[2]
For two centuries and a half the Gothic power remained unshaken, and
the sceptre was wielded by twenty-five successive kings. The crown was
elective, in a council of palatines, composed of the bishops and nobles:
who, while they swore allegiance to the newly-made sovereign, bound
him by a reciprocal oath to be faithful to his trust. Their choice was
made from among the people, subject only to one condition, that the king
should be of pure Gothic blood. But though the crown was elective in
principle, it gradually became hereditary from usage, and the power of
the sovereign grew to be almost absolute. The king was commander-in-chief
of the armies; the whole patronage of the kingdom was in his hands; he
summoned and dissolved the national councils; he made and revoked laws
according to his pleasure; and, having ecclesiastical supremacy, he
exercised a sway even over the consciences of his subjects.
The Goths, at the time of their inroad, were stout adherents to the
Arian doctrines; but after a time they embraced the Catholic faith,
which was maintained by the native Spaniards free from many of the gross
superstitions of the church at Rome; and this unity of faith contributed
more than any thing else to blend and harmonise the two races into one.
The bishops and other clergy were exemplary in their lives, and aided
to promote the influence of the laws and maintain the authority of the
state. The fruits of regular and secure government were manifest in the
advancement of agriculture, commerce, and the peaceful arts, and in the
increase of wealth, luxury, and refinement; but there was a gradual
decline of the simple, hardy, and warlike habits that had distinguished
the nation in its semi-barbarous days.
Such was the state of Spain when, in the year of Redemption 701, Witiza
was elected to the Gothic throne. The beginning of his reign gave promise
of happy days to Spain. He redressed grievances, moderated the tributes
of his subjects, and conducted himself with mingled mildness and energy
in the administration of the laws. In a little while, however, he threw
off the mask, and showed himself in his true nature, cruel and luxurious.
Two of his relatives, sons of a preceding king, awakened his jealousy
for the security of his throne. One of them, named Favila, duke of
Cantabria, he put to death, and would have inflicted the same fate upon
his son Pelayo, but that the youth was beyond his reach, being preserved
by Providence for the future salvation of Spain. The other object of his
suspicion was Theodofredo, who lived retired from court. The violence of
Witiza reached him even in his retirement. His eyes were put out, and
he was immured within a castle at Cordova. Roderick, the youthful son
of Theodofredo, escaped to Italy, where he received protection from the
Romans.
Witiza, now considering himself secure upon the throne, gave the reins
to his licentious passions; and soon, by his tyranny and sensuality,
acquired the appellation of Witiza the Wicked. Despising the old Gothic
continence, and yielding to the example of the sect of Mahomet, which
suited his lascivious temperament, he indulged in a plurality of wives
and concubines, encouraging his subjects to do the same. Nay, he even
sought to gain the sanction of the church to his excesses; promulgating
a law by which the clergy were released from their vows of celibacy, and
permitted to marry and to entertain paramours.
The sovereign pontiff Constantine threatened to depose and excommunicate
him, unless he abrogated this licentious law; but Witiza set him at
defiance, threatening, like his Gothic predecessor Alaric, to assail
the eternal city with his troops, and make spoil of her accumulated
treasures.[3] “We will adorn our damsels,” said he, “with the jewels of
Rome, and replenish our coffers from the mint of St. Peter.”
Some of the clergy opposed themselves to the innovating spirit of the
monarch, and endeavoured, from the pulpits, to rally the people to
the pure doctrines of their faith; but they were deposed from their
sacred office, and banished as seditious mischief-makers. The church of
Toledo continued refractory; the archbishop Sindaredo, it is true, was
disposed to accommodate himself to the corruptions of the times, but the
prebendaries battled intrepidly against the new laws of the monarch, and
stood manfully in defence of their vows of chastity. “Since the church
of Toledo will not yield itself to our will,” said Witiza, “it shall
have two husbands.” So saying, he appointed his own brother Oppas, at
that time Archbishop of Seville, to take a seat with Sindaredo in the
episcopal chair of Toledo, and made him Primate of Spain. He was a priest
after his own heart, and seconded him in all his profligate abuses.
It was in vain the denunciations of the church were fulminated from the
chair of St. Peter; Witiza threw off all allegiance to the Roman pontiff,
threatening with pain of death those who should obey the papal mandates.
“We will suffer no foreign ecclesiastic with triple crown,” said he, “to
domineer over our dominions.”
The Jews had been banished from the country during the preceding
reign, but Witiza permitted them to return, and even bestowed upon
their synagogues privileges of which he had despoiled the churches. The
children of Israel, ever since the time when they borrowed the jewels of
gold and the jewels of silver from their neighbours, on preparing for
their memorable flight out of Egypt, have been curious dealers in gold
and silver and precious stones: on this occasion, therefore, they were
enabled, it is said, to repay the monarch for his protection by bags of
money, and caskets of sparkling gems, the rich product of their oriental
commerce.
The kingdom at this time enjoyed external peace, but there were symptoms
of internal discontent. Witiza took the alarm; he remembered the ancient
turbulence of the nation, and its proneness to internal feuds. Issuing
secret orders, therefore, in all directions, he dismantled most of the
cities, and demolished the castles and fortresses that might serve as
rallying points for the factious. He disarmed the people also, and
converted the weapons of war into the implements of peace. It seemed, in
fact, as if the millennium were dawning upon the land; for the sword was
beaten into a ploughshare, and the spear into a pruning hook.
While thus the ancient martial fire of the nation was extinguished, its
morals likewise were corrupted. The altars were abandoned, the churches
closed, wide disorder and sensuality prevailed throughout the land; so
that, according to the old chroniclers, within the compass of a few short
years, “Witiza the Wicked taught all Spain to sin.”