Chronicle of the Cid

by Unknown

VI. When the honourable 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 from 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 honourable among them withdrew, and went to Abdalla Adiz, and said unto him, Areed us thy reed 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 we all in killing your Lord the King: for albeit, at that time ye felt the burden of the Christians, yet it was 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. When the good men heard what he said, they 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 fulfil 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.

VII. When this was done, the Cid said unto the good men, Now that ye have fulfilled my bidding, I hold it good to show favour 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 behoveth 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 well 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. This Alhagi was he who made the lamentation for Valencia, as ye have heard; and when the Cid was peaceably established in Valencia, he was converted, and the Cid made him a Christian. 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 æra 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 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 lie and ail Ins people rejoiced.

VIII. On the morrow the Cid sent Abeniaf to Juballa, and they gave him great tortures till he was at the point of death; and they kept him there two days, and then brought him to Valencia to the Garden of the Cid, and the Cid gave order that he should write with his own hand an account of all that he had. And he did this, and wrote down the carkanets, and rings, and costly garments, and rich apparel which he had, and also many other precious household things, and the debts which were due unto him. This the Cid did that he might see if all was there which Abeniaf had taken when he slew the King his Master; and the writing was read before the Cid. And the Cid sent for certain Moors who were good and honourable men, and made Abeniaf be brought before him, and demanded of him if he had nothing more than what was there written down; and he answered that he had not; and he bade him swear this before the Moors, and Abeniaf swore accordingly. Then the Cid sent privily to make search in all the houses of the friends of Abeniaf, swearing unto them, that if they had anything of his and denied it, and it should afterwards be discovered, he would put them to death, and moreover take from them all that they had. And they when they heard this, partly in the fear of the Cid, and partly that they might find favour with him, brought each of them great riches, saying, Sir, Abeniaf gave us this in keeping, that if it might be saved, he might share it with us. And he gave order to search and dig in the houses of Abeniaf, and they found great treasure there in gold and in silver, and in pearls, and in precious stones, all which a servant discovered unto them. And when the Cid saw it all before him it pleased him much, and he called for the Moors before whom Abeniaf had taken the oath, and he took his seat upon the estrado full nobly, and there in the presence of Christians and Moors he ordered Abeniaf and all the other prisoners to be brought forth. And he bade that Alfaqui whom he had made Cadi, and the other good men, judge by what death he who had slain his Lord deserved to die, according to their law, and who moreover was perjured, for he had sworn that he possessed nothing more than what he had set down in writing: and the Cadi and the other Moors said that according to their law, he and his accomplices should be stoned: This, they said, we find in our law, but you will do as you think good. Nevertheless we ask mercy of you for his son, who is but a child; may it please you to set him free, for he hath no fault in what his father hath done. And the Cid answered, that for the love of them he pardoned the child, but that he should depart from the city, for he would not have the son of a traitor dwell therein. And he commanded them that they should stone Abeniaf and all them who had taken counsel with him for the death of the King, according as they had given sentence. Then the honourable Moors rose and kissed his feet and his hands for the mercy which he had shown to the son of Abeniaf; and they took out Abeniaf to stone him, and other twenty and two with him. And the Cid bade them come again to him on the morrow, and he would appoint what should be the manner of his dwelling among them.

IX. That night the Cid spake with Alvar Fañez and with Pero Bermudez, and all them who were of his council, and they resolved in what manner they would live among the Moors. And on the morrow the honourable Moors of Valencia assembled together in the Alcazar as they had been commanded to do, and the Cid took his seat upon the estrado, and all the honourable men round about him, and he spake unto them after this manner: Good men of the Aljama of Valencia, ye know how I served and defended King Yahia your Lord, and ye also, until his death. And I had great sorrow for him, and strove to revenge him, as ye know, and endured great hardships in winning Valencia.

And since God hath thought it good that I should be Lord thereof, I will have it for myself, and for those who have helpen me to win it, saving the sovereignty of King Don Alfonso of Castille, my Lord, whom God preserve for his service long and happy years. Ye are all now in my power, to do with ye whatever I will, both with your persons and your riches, and your wives and your children; but I will not do thus. And I hold it good that the honourable men among ye who have alway been loyal, remain in the city in their dwellings and with all their family; and that none among ye keep more than one beast, which shall be a mule, and that ye do not use arms, neither have them in your possession, except when it is needful and I shall give command. And all the rest of the people shall go out of the town and dwell in the suburb of Alcudia, where I was wont to be. Ye shall have two Mosques, one in the city and one in the suburb; and ye shall have your Alfaquis and follow your own law; and ye shall have your Cadis, and your Guazil, as I have appointed; and ye shall have your inheritances, and pay me the tenth of the fruits thereof as your service; and the power of justice shall be mine, and I will order such money to be coined as I shall think good. Do ye therefore who are minded to abide with me in the land, abide: and let those who are not, go, in God's name, and good luck with them, but they shall take only their own persons, and I will give command to see them escorted in safety. When the Moors of Valencia heard this they were full sorrowful; howbeit it was now a time when they could do no otherwise than as he commanded. And incontinently they began to go out of the city with their wives and children, all except those whom the Cid had commanded to abide there; and as the Moors went out the Christians who dwelt in Alcudia entered in. And the history saith, that so great was the multitude which departed, that they were two whole days in going out. Great was the joy of the Cid and his people that day, and from thenceforward he was called My Cid the Campeador, Lord of Valencia.

X. Now was it bruited abroad throughout all lands, how the Cid Ruydiez had won the noble city of Valencia. And when Ali Abenaxa the Adelantado of the Almoravides knew it, he sent his son-in-law the King of Seville to besiege him in Valencia, and gave him thirty thousand men at arms. And this King came in great haste to Valencia, and besieged the Cid therein. And the Cid made ready with all his people, and went out to fight him. And the battle was nigh unto Valencia, beside the garden which is called the Garden of Villa Nueva; and it was a good battle, and at length he of the good fortune conquered; and the pursuit continued as far as Xativa; even so far did the Christians pursue them, smiting and slaying. And at the passage of the Xucar there might you have seen confusion, and there the Moors without liking it drank plenty of water. They say that fifteen thousand Moors died in the river; and the King of Seville fled with three great blows. This day did Martin Pelaez the Asturian approve himself a right good one: there was no knight so good that day in arms as he, nor who bore away such honour. And when the pursuit was ended the Cid returned to the field of battle, and ordered the spoils of the field and of the tents to be collected. Be it known that this was a profitable day's work. Every foot soldier shared a hundred marks of silver that day. And the Cid returned full honourably to Valencia. Great was the joy of the Christians in the Cid Ruydiez, he who was born in a good hour. His beard was grown, and continued to grow a great length. My Cid said of his chin, For the love of King Don Alfonso, who hath banished me from his land, no scissars shall come upon it, nor shall a hair be cut away, and Moors and Christians shall talk of it.

XI. That night the Cid took counsel with Alvar Fañez, who departed not from his side, and with the other honourable men who were of his council, concerning what should be done: for now that his people were all rich, he feared least they should return into their own country, for my Cid saw that if they might go they would. And Minaya advised him that he should cause proclamation to be made through the city, that no man should depart without permission of the Cid, and if any one went who had not dispeeded himself and kist his hand, if he were overtaken he should lose all that he had, and moreover be fixed upon a stake. And that they might be the more certain, he said unto Minaya that he would take account of all the people who were with him, both horsemen and foot, and Pero Bermudez and Martin Antolinez made the roll; and there were found a thousand knights of lineage, and five hundred and fifty other horsemen, and of foot soldiers four thousand, besides boys and others; thus many were the people of my Cid, he of Bivar. And his heart rejoiced, and he smiled and said, Thanks be to God, Minaya, and to Holy Mary Mother!…we had a smaller company when we left the house of Bivar!

XII. At this time there came a crowned one from the parts of the East, that is to say, one who was shaven and shorn; his name was the Bishop Don Hieronymo, a full learned man and a wise, and one who was mighty both on horseback and a-foot: and he came enquiring for the Cid, wishing that he might see himself with the Moors in the field, for if he could once have his fill of smiting and slaying them, Christians should never lament him. And when the Cid knew this it pleased him in his heart, and he took horse and went to visit him, and rejoiced greatly that he was come; and he resolved to make Valencia a bishopric and give it to this good Christian. And they took counsel, and it was that on the morrow the Bishop and his clergy should turn the Mosques into Churches, wherein they might sing masses, and sacrifice the body of Jesus Christ. And rents were appointed for the table of the Bishop and for his Canons, and for all the clergy in the city of Valencia. And nine parish Churches were made. And the greatest was called St. Pedro's, and another was called St. Mary of the Virtues. This was near the Alcazar, and there the Cid went oftenest to hear service. After this manner the Cid ordered his city that it should be a Bishopric, for the honour of the Catholic faith. God! how joyful was all Christendom that there was a Lord Bishop in the land of Valencia!

XIII. Now the Cid bethought him of Doña Ximena his wife, and of his daughters Doña Elvira and Doña Sol, whom he had left in the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña; and he called for Alvar Fañez and Martin Antolinez of Burgos, and spake with them, and besought them that they would go to Castille, to King Don Alfonso his Lord, and take him a present from the riches which God had given them; and the present should be a hundred horses, saddled and bridled; and that they would kiss the King's hand for him, and beseech him to send him his wife Doña Ximena, and his daughters, and that they would tell the King all the mercy which God had shown him, and how he was at his service with Valencia and with all that he had. Moreover he bade them take a thousand marks of silver to the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, and give them to the Abbot, and thirty marks, of gold for his wife and daughters, that they might prepare themselves and come in honourable guise. And he ordered three hundred marks of gold to be given them, and three hundred marks of silver, to redeem the chests full of sand which he had pledged in Burgos to the Jews; and he bade them ask Rachel and Vidas to forgive him the deceit of the sand, for he had done it because of his great need: and he said, You, Martin Antolinez, were aiding and abetting herein, but praised be the name of the Lord for ever, he hath let me quit myself truly; tell them that they shall have more profit than they asked. And he bade them each take with him his whole company, that they might be better advised and accompanied, and that Doña Ximena might come with the greater honour: and the company was this: two hundred knights who were of Don Alvar Fañez, and fifty of Martin Antolinez: and he ordered money to be given them for their disbursement, and for all things needful, in abundance.