[PREFACE]
The "Cid Campeador" has been for centuries the great popular hero of Spain. He takes the same place in that country as King Arthur does in England, Roland, or Rolando, in France, and William Tell in Switzerland; and, like them, his life and exploits are, to a great extent, founded on popular traditions. In English-speaking countries there is very little known respecting him, and the translator ventures to place before the public a work which is considered by Spaniards to be one of the best historical romances in their literature. It is founded on a large number of ballads and other poetical pieces, extant in Spain for centuries, and on a very old work named "The Chronicle of the Cid."
The Author writes in his Introduction: "The Cid is the most popular of the Castilian heroes, and not without reason, for in him are personified all the virtues of the citizen and of the soldier. A good son, he avenges the insults offered to his father by bravely fighting with the Count of Gormaz: a good cavalier and faithful lover, he gives his hand and heart to the daughter of the man whom he had slain in fair combat: a good monarchist, he risks the anger of King Alfonzo by compelling him to take an oath that he was not guilty of a crime which would stain the throne of Fernando the Great: a good soldier and a good vassal, he conquers, with his invincible sword, hostile realms and Moorish kings, and lays at the feet of his sovereign, who had unjustly banished him, the spoils which he had won and the countries of which he had made himself master: a good patrician, loving the glory and the preponderance of his native land, he proceeds to Rome, enters the Church of St. Peter, and seeing in the place of honour the seat of the representative of France, he breaks it in pieces, filled with indignation, and puts in its place that of the representative of Spain: and finally, a good Christian, a good husband, and a good father; before entering into the combats, when calling upon God, he also uses the names of his wife and children, over whom he had wept when parting from them,—he who, in battle, showed a heart more hard than the armour which covered it."
[CONTENTS]
| CHAP. | PAGE | |
| [I.] | WHICH TREATS OF SOME LOVE AFFAIRS WHICH COMMENCED ALMOST WHEN OTHERS END | [1] |
| [II.] | IN WHICH CERTAIN FESTIVITIES ARE DESCRIBED, WHICH ENDED WITH A BLOW ON A FACE | [10] |
| [III.] | IN WHICH THE READER WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO RODRIGO AND HIS SQUIRE BETWEEN LEON AND VIVAR | [16] |
| [IV.] | IN WHICH THE MAIDEN, IN ADDITION TO HER OWN STORY, RELATES CERTAIN MATTERS, WHICH WILL ROUSE THE ANGER OF THOSE WHO READ OF THEM | [22] |
| [V.] | HOW RODRIGO AND HIS SQUIRE WERE RECEIVED AT VIVAR | [29] |
| [VI.] | HOW FERNAN DESPAIRED OF GETTING WOMEN TO UNDERSTAND REASON, AND HOW DIEGO LAINEZ HOPED THAT HIS HONOUR WOULD BE AVENGED | [37] |
| [VII.] | HOW RODRIGO FOUGHT WITH THE COUNT OF GORMAZ | [42] |
| [VIII.] | HOW XIMENA DEMANDED JUSTICE FROM THE KING AGAINST RODRIGO DIAZ | [49] |
| [IX.] | HOW A MOORISH PRINCESS WAS CONVERTED, AND HOW A SOLITARY CEASED TO BE SUCH | [55] |
| [X.] | HOW MARTIN SET OUT TO AVENGE HIS FATHER | [60] |
| [XI.] | HOW THE DE VIVAR FAMILY RECEIVED LETTERS FROM THE KING, DON FERNANDO | [71] |
| [XII.] | THE COMBAT BETWEEN RODRIGO AND MARTIN GONZALEZ | [80] |
| [XIII.] | OF AN UNEXPECTED VISIT WHICH XIMENA RECEIVED IN HER RETREAT | [87] |
| [XIV.] | HOW RODRIGO AND XIMENA WERE MARRIED, AND HOW THE DEVIL TERRIFIED THE PEOPLE OF BURGOS | [95] |
| [XV.] | HOW RODRIGO BECAME THE POSSESSOR OF BABIECA, AND WHAT HAPPENED WHILST HE WAS RIDING HIM | [105] |
| [XVI.] | HOW RODRIGO ROUSED UP THE COUNTRY, AND DEFEATED THE MOORS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF OCA | [113] |
| [XVII.] | HOW THE ARMY OF RODRIGO MARCHED BACK TO BURGOS WITHOUT BEING WEARIED, AS THE READER MAY BE | [122] |
| [XVIII.] | HOW THE VENGADOR AND RUI-VENABLOS, ALTHOUGH ONLY BANDITS, THOUGHT AS CAVALIERS | [129] |
| [XIX.] | HOW THE SINGLE PAINT THE LIFE OF THE MARRIED | [136] |
| [XX.] | HOW THE COUNT OF CARRION GAINED NOTHING BY BULLYING | [145] |
| [XXI.] | HOW ONE MOOR REMAINED, AND FIVE WENT AWAY | [152] |
| [XXII.] | HOW THE BAND OF THE VENGADOR ATTACKED THE CASTLE OF CARRION | [161] |
| [XXIII.] | IN WHICH IT IS PROVED THAT COLD AND LOVE ARE NOT INCOMPATIBLE | [170] |
| [XXIV.] | HOW TWO WOMEN DISCUSSED THE MAKING OF THEIR FORTUNES—HOW TWO CHILDREN DIVERTED THEMSELVES—AND HOW TWO MEN PLOTTED TREASON | [178] |
| [XXV.] | WHAT HAPPENED TO RODRIGO ON THE ROAD TO COMPOSTELA | [187] |
| [XXVI.] | HOW THE VENGADOR AND RUI-VENABLOS CHANGED THEIR OPINION REGARDING BELLIDO | [198] |
| [XXVII.] | HOW TERESA AND GUILLEN BELIEVED THAT GOD HAD TOUCHED THE HEART OF DON SUERO | [206] |
| [XXVIII.] | HOW THE COUNT OF CABRA SANG A BALLAD FOR THE COUNT OF CARRION | [217] |
| [XXIX.] | HOW THE KING AND RODRIGO, HAVING SAID GOOD PRAYERS, GAVE GOOD SWORD STROKES | [226] |
| [XXX.] | HOW ONE GOOD MAN CAN MAKE A HUNDRED GOOD ALSO | [233] |
| [XXXI.] | IN WHICH THE PROVERB, "LET THE MIRACLE BE WROUGHT, EVEN THOUGH THE DEVIL DOES IT," IS JUSTIFIED | [245] |
| [XXXII.] | IN WHICH IT IS PROVED THAT HE WHO SOWS REAPS, AND IN WHICH IT IS SEEN THAT THEY WHO GIVE RECEIVE | [257] |
| [XXXIII.] | IN WHICH WE CONTINUE TO PROVE THAT THE CID WAS A CID IN EVERY WAY | [266] |
| [XXXIV.] | WHICH TREATS OF CAVALIERS FREE WITH THE HAND AND PEASANTS FREE WITH THE TONGUE | [276] |
| [XXXV.] | OF THE SORROWS WHICH THE COWARDLY DON SUERO CAUSED HIS SISTER | [283] |
| [XXXVI.] | THE KING IS DEAD—LONG LIVE THE KING | [293] |
| [XXXVII.] | HOW CERTAIN CAVALIERS WENT FOR WOOL AND CAME BACK SHORN | [302] |
| [XXXVIII.] | HOW THE PEASANT OF BARBADILLO WENT TO BURGOS, WITH OTHER THINGS WHICH THE READER WILL LEARN | [310] |
| [XXXIX.] | HOW THE CID AVENGED HIMSELF ON THE COUNT OF CABRA | [321] |
| [XL.] | HOW THE COUNT OF CARRION WOUND THE SKEIN AND HOW OTHERS UNWOUND IT | [331] |
| [XLI.] | FROM BURGOS TO VIVAR | [337] |
| [XLII.] | FROM VIVAR TO CARRION | [344] |
| [XLIII.] | HOW A GOOD CAVALIER WAS CHARGED WITH AN EVIL MESSAGE | [350] |
| [XLIV.] | THE SIEGE OF ZAMORA | [357] |
| [XLV.] | IN WHICH IT IS PROVED THAT ONE CAN FIGHT WITHOUT CONQUERING OR BEING CONQUERED | [365] |
| [XLVI.] | THE OATH IN SANTA GADEA | [372] |
| [XLVII.] | IN WHICH THIS BOOK ENDS, PROVING THAT GOD GIVES IN THIS WORLD, BOTH TO THE GOOD AND TO THE BAD, A SAMPLE OF THE CLOTH WHICH THEY SHALL WEAR IN THE OTHER WORLD | [379] |
THE CID CAMPEADOR