[13] This is the opinion of John von Müller and of Southey, the latter of whom says, in the Preface to his Chronicle, (p. xi.,) “The poem is to be considered as metrical history, not as metrical romance.” But Huber, in the excellent Vorwort to his Geschichte, (p. xxvi.,) shows this to be a mistake; and in the introduction to his edition of the Chronicle, (Marburg, 1844, 8vo, p. xlii.,) shows further, that the poem was certainly not taken from the old Latin Life, which is the proper foundation for what is historical in our account of the Cid.
[14] Mariana is much troubled about the history of the Cid, and decides nothing (Historia, Lib. X. c. 4);—Sandoval controverts much, and entirely denies the story of the Counts of Carrion (Reyes de Castilla, Pamplona, 1615, fol., f. 54);—and Ferreras (Synopsis Histórica, Madrid, 1775, 4to, Tom. V. pp. 196-198) endeavours to settle what is true and what is fabulous, and agrees with Sandoval about the marriage of the daughters of the Cid with the Counts. Southey (Chronicle, pp. 310-312) argues both sides, and shows his desire to believe the story, but does not absolutely succeed in doing so.
[15] The poem was originally published by Sanchez, in the first volume of his valuable “Poesías Castellanas Anteriores al Siglo XV.” (Madrid, 1779-90, 4 tom., 8vo; reprinted by Ochoa, Paris, 1842, 8vo.) It contains three thousand seven hundred and forty-four lines, and, if the deficiencies in the manuscript were supplied, Sanchez thinks the whole would come up to about four thousand lines. But he saw a copy made in 1596, which, though not entirely faithful, showed that the older manuscript had the same deficiencies then that it has now. Of course, there is little chance that they will ever be supplied.
[16] I would instance the following lines on the famine in Valencia during its Siege by the Cid:—
Mal se aquexan los de Valencia · que non sabent ques’ far;
De ninguna part que sea · no les viene pan;
Nin da consejo padre à fijo, · nin fijo à padre:
Nin amigo à amigo nos · pueden consolar.
Mala cuenta es, Señores, · aver mengua de pan,
Fijos e mugieres verlo · morir de fambre.