beasts, carrying provisions to the host of the Cid; and as he passed
near the town the Moors sallied out in great numbers against him; but
he, though he had few with him, defended the convoy right well, and
did great hurt to the Moors, slaying many of them, and drove them into
the town. This Martin Pelaez who is here spoken of, did the Cid make
a right good knight, of a coward, as ye shall hear. When the Cid first
began to lay seige to the city of Valencia, this Martin Pelaez came
unto him; he was a knight, a native of Santillana in Asturias, a
hidalgo, great of body and strong of limb, a well-made man and of
goodly semblance, but withal a right coward at heart, which he had
shown in many places when he was among feats of arms. And the Cid
was sorry when he came unto him, though he would not let him perceive
this; for he knew he was not fit to be of his company. Howbeit he
thought that since he was come, he would make him brave, whether he
would or not.
When the Cid began to war upon the town, and sent parties against it
twice and thrice a day, for the Cid was alway upon the alert, there
was fighting and tourneying every day. One day it fell out that the
Cid and his kinsmen and friends and vassals were engaged in a great
encounter, and this Martin Pelaez was well armed; and when he saw that
the Moors and Christians were at it, he fled and betook himself to his
lodging, and there hid himself till the Cid returned to dinner. And
the Cid saw what Martin Pelaez did, and when he had conquered the
Moors he returned to his lodging to dinner. Now it was the custom of
the Cid to eat at a high table, seated on his bench, at the head. And
Don Alvar Fañez, and Pero Bermudez, and other precious knights, ate in
another part, at high tables, full honorably, and none other knights
whatsoever dared take their seats with them, unless they were such as
deserved to be there; and the others who were not so approved in arms
ate upon _estrados_, at tables with cushions. This was the order in
the house of the Cid, and every one knew the place where he was to
sit at meat, and every one strove all he could to gain the honor
of sitting at the table of Don Alvar Fañez and his companions, by
strenuously behaving himself in all feats of arms; and thus the honor
of the Cid was advanced.
Martin Pelaez, thinking none had seen his badness, washed his hands
in turn with the other knights, and would have taken his place among
them. And the Cid went unto him, and took him by the hand and said,
"You are not such a one as deserves to sit with these, for they are
worth more than you or than me; but I will have you with me:" and he
seated him with himself at table. And he, for lack of understanding,
thought that the Cid did this to honor him above all the others. On
the morrow the Cid and his company rode towards Valencia, and the
Moors came out to the tourney; and Martin Pelaez went out well armed,
and was among the foremost who charged the Moors, and when he was in
among them he turned the reins, and went back to his lodging; and
the Cid took heed to all that he did, and saw that though he had done
badly he had done better than the first day. And when the Cid had
driven the Moors into the town he returned to his lodging, and as he
sat down to meat he took this Martin Pelaez by the hand, and seated
him with himself, and bade him eat with him in the same dish, for he
had deserved more that day than he had the first. And the knight
gave heed to that saying, and was abashed; howbeit he did as the Cid
commanded him: and after he had dined he went to his lodging and began
to think upon what the Cid had said unto him, and perceived that he
had seen all the baseness which he had done; and then he understood
that for this cause he would not let him sit at board with the other
knights who were precious in arms, but had seated him with himself,
more to affront him than to do him honor, for there were other knights
there better than he, and he did not show them that honor. Then
resolved he in his heart to do better than he had done heretofore.
Another day it happened that the Cid and his company, along with
Martin Pelaez, rode toward Valencia, and the Moors came out to the
tourney full resolutely, and Martin Pelaez was among the first, and
charged them right boldly; and he smote down and slew presently a good
knight, and he lost there all the bad fear which he had had, and was
that day one of the best knights there: and as long as the tourney
lasted there he remained, smiting and slaying and overthrowing the
Moors, till they were driven within the gates, in such manner that the
Moors marveled at him, and asked where that devil came from, for they
had never seen him before. And the Cid was in a place where he could
see all that was going on, and he gave good heed to him, and had great
pleasure in beholding him, to see how well he had forgotten the great
fear which he was wont to have. And when the Moors were shut up within
the town, the Cid and all his people returned to their lodging, and
Martin Pelaez full leisurely and quietly went to his lodging also,
like a good knight. And when it was the hour of eating, the Cid waited
for Martin Pelaez; and when he came, and they had washed, the Cid
took him by the hand and said, "My friend, you are not such a one as
deserves to sit with me from henceforth; but sit you here with Don
Alvar Fañez, and with these other good knights, for the good feats
which you have done this day have made you a companion for them;" and
from that day forward he was placed in the company of the good.
The history saith that from that day forward this knight Martin Pelaez
was a right good one, and a right valiant, and a right precious, in
all places where he chanced among feats of arms, and he lived alway
with the Cid, and served him right well and truly. And the history
saith, that after the Cid had won the city of Valencia, on the day
when they conquered and discomfited the King of Seville, this Martin
Pelaez was so good a one, that setting aside the body of the Cid
himself, there was no such good knight there, nor one who bore such
part, as well in the battle as in the pursuit. And so great was
the mortality which he made among the Moors that day, that when he
returned from the business the sleeves of his mail were clotted with
blood, up to the elbow; insomuch that for what he did that day his
name is written in this history, that it may never die. And when the
Cid saw him come in that guise, he did him great honor, such as he
never had done to any knight before that day, and from thenceforward
gave him a place in all his actions and in all his secrets, and he
was his great friend. In this knight Martin Pelaez was fulfilled the
example which saith, that he who betaketh himself to a good tree, hath
good shade, and he who serves a good lord winneth good guerdon; for by
reason of the good service which he did the Cid, he came to such good
state that he was spoken of as ye have heard: for the Cid knew how to
make a good knight, as a good groom knows how to make a good horse.
IV
HOW THE CID RULED VALENCIA
On the following day after the Christians had taken possession of the
town, the Cid entered it with a great company, and he ascended the
highest tower of the wall and beheld all the city; and the Moors came
unto him, and kissed his hand, saying he was welcome. And the Cid did
great honor unto them. And then he gave order that all the windows of
the towers which looked in upon the town should be closed up, that the
Christians might not see what the Moors did in their houses; and the
Moors thanked him for this greatly. And he commanded and requested the
Christians that they should show great honor to the Moors, and respect
them, and greet them when they met: and the Moors thanked the Cid
greatly for the honor which the Christians did them, saying that they
had never seen so good a man, nor one so honorable, nor one who had
his people under such obedience.
Now Abeniaf thought to have the love of the Cid; and calling to mind
the wrath with which he had formerly been received, because he had
not taken a gift with him, he took now great riches which he had taken
from those who sold bread for so great a price during the siege of
Valencia, and this he carried to the Cid as a present. Among those
who had sold it were some men from the islands of Majorca, and he
took from them all that they had. This the Cid knew, and he would not
accept his gifts. And the Cid caused proclamation to be made in the
town and throughout the whole district thereof, that the honorable men
and knights and castellans should assemble together in the garden of
Villa Nueva, where the Cid at that time sojourned. And when they were
all assembled, he went out unto them, to a place which was made ready
with carpets and with mats, and he made them take their seats before
him full honorable, and began to speak unto them, saying: "I am a
man who have never possessed a kingdom, neither I nor any man of my
lineage. But the day when I first beheld this city I was well pleased
therewith, and coveted it that I might be its lord; and I besought the
Lord our God that he would give it me. See now what his power is, for
the day when I sat down before Juballa I had no more than four loaves
of bread, and now by God's mercy I have won Valencia.
"If I administer right and justice here, God will let me enjoy it; if
I do evil, and demean myself proudly and wrongfully, I know that he
will take it away. Now then, let every one go to his own lands, and
possess them even as he was wont to have and to hold them. He who
shall find his field, or his vineyard, or his garden, desert, let him
incontinently enter thereon; and he who shall find his husbanded, let
him pay him that hath cultivated it the cost of his labor, and of
the seed which he hath sown therein, and remain with his heritage,
according to the law of the Moors. Moreover, I have given order that
they who collect my dues take from you no more than the tenth, because
so it is appointed by the custom of the Moors, and it is what ye
have been wont to pay. And I have resolved in my heart to hear your
complaints two days in the week, on the Monday and the Thursday; but
if causes should arise which require haste, come to me when ye will
and I will give judgment, for I do not retire with women to sing and
to drink, as your lords have done, so that ye could obtain no justice,
but will myself see to these things, and watch over ye as friend
over his friend, and kinsman over his kinsman. And I will be cadi and
guazil, and when dispute happens among ye I will decide it." When
he had said these things, they all replied that they prayed God
to preserve him through long and happy years; and four of the most
honorable among them arose and kissed his hands, and the Cid bade them
take their seats again.
Then the Cid spake unto them and said: "It is told me that Abeniaf
hath done much evil, and committed great wrong toward some of ye, in
that he hath taken great riches from ye to present them to me, saying,
that this he did because ye sold food for a great price during the
siege. But I will accept no such gift; for if I were minded to have
your riches, I could take them, and need not ask them neither from
him, nor from any other; but thing so unseemly as to take that which
is his from any one, without just cause, I will not do. They who have
gotten wealth thus, God hath given it them; let them go to Abeniaf,
and take back what he hath forced from them, for I will order him to
restore the whole." Then he said, "Ye see the riches which I took from
the messengers who went to Murcia; it is mine by right, for I took it
in war because they brake the covenant which they had made, and would
have deceived me: nevertheless I will restore it to the uttermost
centesimo, that nothing thereof shall be lost. And ye shall do homage
to me that ye will not withdraw yourselves, but will abide here, and
do my bidding in all things, and never depart from the covenant which
ye make with me; for I love ye, and am grieved to think of the great
evil and misery which ye endured from the great famine, and of the
mortality which there was. And if ye had done that before which ye
have done now, ye would not have been brought to these sufferings
and have bought the _cafiz_ of wheat at a thousand _maravedis_; but I
trust in God to bring it to one _maravedi_. Be ye now secure in your
lands, and till your fields, and rear cattle; for I have given order
to my men that they offer ye no wrong, neither enter into the town to
buy nor to sell; but that they carry on all their dealings in Alcudia,
and this I do that ye may receive no displeasure. Moreover I command
them not to take any captive into the town, but if this should be
done, lay ye hands on the captive and set him free, without fear, and
if any one should resist, kill him and fear not. I myself will not
enter your city nor dwell therein, but I will build me a place beside
the bridge of Alcantara, where I may go and disport myself at times,
and repair when it is needful." When he had said these things he bade
them go their way.
Well pleased were the Moors when they departed from him, and they
marveled at the greatness of his promises, and they set their hearts
at rest, and put away the fear which they had had, thinking all their
troubles were over; for in all the promises which the Cid had made
unto them, they believed that he spake truth; but he said these things
only to quiet them, and to make them come to what he wished, even as
came to pass. And when he had done, he sent his Almoxarife, Abdalla
Adiz, to the custom-house, and made him appoint men to collect the
rents of the town for him, which was done accordingly. And when the
Cid had given order concerning his own affairs at his pleasure, the
Moors would fain have entered again into possession of their heritages
as he told them; but they found it all otherwise, for of all the
fields which the Christians had husbanded, they would not yield up
one; albeit they let them enter upon such as were left waste: some
said that the Cid had given them the lands that year, instead of their
pay, and other some that they rented them and had paid rent for the
year.
The Moors waited till Thursday, when the Cid was to hear complaints,
as he had said unto them. When Thursday came all the honorable men
went to the garden, but the Cid sent to say unto them that he could
not come out that day, because of other causes which he had to
determine; and he desired that they would go their way for that time,
and come again on the Monday: this was to show his mastery. And when
it was Monday they assembled again in the garden, and the Cid came
out to them, and took his seat upon the _estrado_, and the Moors
made their complaint. And when he had heard them he began to make
similitudes, and offer reasons which were not like those which he had
spoken the first day; for he said to them, "I ask of ye, whether it is
well that I should be left without men? or if I were without them, I
should be like unto one who hath lost his right arm, or to a bird that
hath no wings, or to one who should do battle and hath neither
spear nor sword. The first thing which I have to look to is to the
well-being of my people, that they may live in wealth and honor, so
that they may be able to serve me, and defend my honor: for since it
has pleased God to give me the city of Valencia, I will not that there
be any other lord here than me. Therefore I say unto you and command
you, if you would be well with me, and would that I should show favor
unto you, that ye see how to deliver that traitor Abeniaf into my
hands. Ye all know the great treason which he committed upon King
Yahia, his lord and yours, how he slew him, and the misery which he
brought upon you in the siege; and since it is not fitting that a
traitor who hath slain his lord should live among you, and that his
treason should be confounded with your loyalty, see to the obeyment of
my command."
When the honorable Moors heard this, they were dismayed; verily
they knew that he spake truth touching the death of the King, but it
troubled them that he departed form the promise which he had made; and
they made answer that they would take counsel concerning what he had
said, and then reply. Then five of the best and most honorable among
them withdrew, and went to Abdalla Adiz, and said unto him, "Give us
thy counsel now the best and truest that thou canst, for thou art of
our law, and oughtest to do this: and the reason why we ask counsel of
thee is this. The Cid promised us many things, and now behold he says
nothing to us of what he said before, but moveth other new reasons, at
which great dismay hath seized us. And because thou better knowest his
ways, tell us now what is his pleasure, for albeit we might wish to
do otherwise, this is not a time wherein anything but what he shall
command can be done." When the Almoxarife heard this he made answer,
"Good men, it is easy to understand what he would have, and to do what
should be done. We all know the great treason which Abeniaf committed
against ye all in killing your lord the King; for albeit at that time
ye felt the burden of the Christians, yet was it nothing so great as
after he had killed him, neither did ye suffer such misery. And since
God hath brought him who was the cause to this state, see now by all
means how ye may deliver him into the hands of the Cid; and fear
not, neither take thought for the rest; for though the Cid may do his
pleasure in some things, better is it to have him for lord than this
traitor who hath brought so much evil upon ye. Moreover the things
of this world soon pass away, and my heart tells me that we shall ere
long come out of the bondage of the Cid, and of the Christians; for
the Cid is well-nigh at the full of his days, and we who remain alive
after his death shall then be masters of our city."
The good men thanked him much, and held themselves to be well advised,
and said that they would do willingly what he bade them; and they
returned forthwith to the Cid, and said unto him that they would
fulfill his commandment. Incontinently did the good men dispeed
themselves of the Cid, and they went into the city, and gathered
together a great posse of armed men, and went to the place where
Abeniaf dwelt; and they assaulted the house and brake the doors, and
entered in and laid hands on him, and his son, and all his company,
and carried them before the Cid. And the Cid ordered Abeniaf to be
cast into prison, and all those who had taken counsel with him for the
death of King Yahia.
When this was done, the Cid said unto the good men, "Now that ye have
fulfilled my bidding, I hold it good to show favor unto you in that
which ye yourselves shall understand to be fitting for me to grant.
Say therefore what ye would have, and I will do that which I think
behooveth me: but in this manner, that my dwelling-place be within the
city of Valencia, in the Alcazar, and that my Christian men have all
the fortresses in the city." And when the good men heard this, they
were greatly troubled; howbeit they dissembled the sorrow which they
resented, and said unto him, "Sir Cid, order it as you think good,
and we consent thereto." Then said he unto them that he would observe
towards them all the uses and customs of their law, and that he would
have the power, and be lord of all; and they should till their fields
and feed their flocks and herds, and give him his tenth, and he would
take no more.
When the Moors heard this they were pleased; and since they were to
remain in the town, and in their houses and their inheritances, and
with their uses and customs, and that their mosques were to be left
them, they held themselves not to be badly off. Then they asked the
Cid to let their guazil be the same as he had first appointed, and
that he would give them for their cadi the Alfaqui Alhagi, and let
him appoint whom he would to assist him in distributing justice to the
Moors; and thus he himself would be relieved of the wearisomeness of
hearing them, save only when any great occasion might befall. And the
Cid granted this which they required, and they kissed his hand,
and returned into the town. Nine months did the Cid hold Valencia
besieged, and at the end of that time it fell into his power, and he
obtained possession of the walls, as ye have heard. And one month
he was practising with the Moors that he might keep them quiet,
till Abeniaf was delivered into his hands; and thus ten months were
fulfilled, and they were fulfilled on Thursday, the last day of June,
in the year of the era one thousand one hundred and thirty and one,
which was in the year one thousand ninety and three of the incarnation
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when the Cid had finished all his
dealings with the Moors, on this day he took horse with all his
company in good array, his banner being carried before him, and his
arms behind; and in this guise, with great rejoicings he entered the
city of Valencia. And he alighted at the Alcazar, and gave order to
lodge all his men round about it; and he bade them plant his banner
upon the highest tower of the Alcazar. Glad was the Campeador, and
all they who were with him, when they saw his banner planted in
that place. And from that day forth was the Cid possessed of all the
castles and fortresses which were in the kingdom of Valencia, and
established in what God had given him, and he and all his people
rejoiced.
V
THE CID'S LAST VICTORY
Three days after the Cid had died King Bucar came into the port of
Valencia, and landed with all his power, which was so great that there
is not a man in the world who could give account of the Moors whom he
brought. And there came with him thirty and six kings, and one
Moorish queen, who was a negress, and she brought with her two hundred
horsewomen, all negresses like herself, all having their hair shorn
save a tuft on the top, and this was in token that they came as if
upon a pilgrimage, and to obtain the remission of their sins; and
they were all armed in coats of mail and with Turkish bows. King Bucar
ordered his tents to be pitched round about Valencia, and Abenalfarax,
who wrote this history in Arabic, saith that there were full fifteen
thousand tents; and he bade that Moorish negress with her archers
to take their station near the city. And on the morrow they began to
attack the city, and they fought against it three days strenuously;
and the Moors received great loss, for they came blindly up to the
walls and were slain there. And the Christians defended themselves
right well; and every time that they went upon the walls, they sounded
trumpets and tambours, and made great rejoicings, as the Cid had
commanded. This continued for eight days or nine, till the companions
of the Cid had made ready everything for their departure, as he had
commanded. And King Bucar and his people thought that the Cid dared
not come out against them; and they were the more encouraged, and
began to think of making bastiles and engines wherewith to combat the
city, for certes they weened that the Cid Ruydiez dared not come out
against them, seeing that he tarried so long.
All this while the company of the Cid were preparing all things to go
into Castile, as he had commanded before his death; and his trusty Gil
Diaz did nothing else but labor at this. And the body of the Cid was
thus prepared: first it was embalmed and anointed, and the virtue of
the balsam and myrrh was such that the flesh remained firm and fair,
having its natural color, and his countenance as it was wont to be,
and the eyes open, and his long beard in order, so that there was not
a man who would have thought him dead if he had seen him and not known
it. And on the second day after he had departed, Gil Diaz placed the
body upon a right noble saddle, and this saddle with the body upon
it he put upon a frame; and he dressed the body in a _gambax_ of fine
sendal, next the skin. And he took two boards and fitted them to the
body, one to the breast and the other to the shoulders; these were so
hollowed out and fitted that they met at the sides and under the arms,
and the hind one came up to the pole, and the other up to the beard.
These boards were fastened into the saddle, so that the body could not
move.