XVI. Four years after the Cid had departed that noble lady Doña Ximena departed also, she who had been the wife of that noble baron the Cid Ruydiez, the Campeador. At that time Don García Tellez was Abbot of the Monastery, a right noble monk, and a great hidalgo. And the Abbot and Gil Díaz sent for the daughters of the Cid and Doña Ximena to come and honour their mother at her funeral, and to inherit what she had left. Doña Sol, who was the younger, came first, because Aragón is nearer than Navarre, and also because she was a widow; for the Infante Don Sancho, her husband, had departed three years after the death of the Cid, and had left no child. King Don Ramiro soon arrived with the other dame, Queen Doña Elvira his wife, and he brought with him a great company in honour of his wife's mother, and also the Bishop of Pamplona, to do honour to her funeral; and the Infante Don Garcia Ramírez, their son, came with them, being a child of four years old. Moreover there came friends and kinsmen from all parts. And when they were all assembled they buried the body of Doña Ximena at the feet of the ivory chair on which the Cid was seated; and the Bishop of Pamplona said mass, and the Abbot Don García Tellez officiated. And they tarried there seven days, singing many masses, and doing much good for her soul's sake. And in that time the Bishop Don Hieronymo arrived, who abode with King Don Alfonso, and he came to do honour to the body of Doña Ximena; for so soon as he heard that she was departed, he set off taking long journies every day. And when the seven days were over, King Don Ramiro and Queen Doña Elvira his wife, and her sister, Doña Sol, set apart rents for the soul of Doña Ximena, and they appointed that Gil Díaz should have them for his life, and that then they should go to the Monastery for ever: and they ordained certain anniversaries for the souls of the Cid and of Doña Ximena. After this was done they divided between them what Doña Ximena had left, which was a great treasure in gold and in silver, and in costly garments; … the one half Queen Doña Elvira took, and Doña Sol the other. And when they had thus divided it, Doña Sol said that all which she had in the world should be for her nephew the Infante Don Garcia Ramirez, and with the good will of Queen Elvira his mother, she adopted him then to be her son, and she took him with her to Aragon, to the lands which had been given her in dower, and bred him up till he became a young man; and after the death of his father he was made King of Navarre, as may be seen in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Spain. And when all these things were done they departed each to his own home, and Gil Diaz remained, serving and doing honour to the bodies of his master the Cid and Doña Ximena his mistress.
XVII. Now Don Garcia Tellez the Abbot, and the trusty Gil Diaz, were wont every year to make a great festival on the day of the Cid's departure, and on that anniversary they gave food and cloathing to the poor, who came from all parts round about. And it came to pass when they made the seventh anniversary, that a great multitude assembled as they were wont to do, and many Moors and Jews came to see the strange manner of the Cid's body. And it was the custom of the Abbot Don Garcia Tellez, when they made that anniversary, to make a right noble sermon to the people: and because the multitude which had assembled was so great that the Church could not hold them, they went out into the open place before the Monastery, and he preached unto them there. And while he was preaching there remained a Jew in the Church, who stopt before the body of the Cid, looking at him to see how nobly he was there seated, having his countenance so fair and comely, and his long beard in such goodly order, and his sword Tizona in its scabbard in his left hand, and the strings of his mantle in his right, even in such manner as King Don Alfonso had left him, save only that the garments had been changed, it being now seven years since the body had remained there in that ivory chair. Now there was not a man in the Church save this Jew, for all the others were hearing the preachment which the Abbot made. And when this Jew perceived that he was alone, he began to think within himself and say. This is the body of that Ruydiez the Cid, whom they say no man in the world ever took by the beard while he lived … I will take him by the beard now, and see what he can do to me. And with that he put forth his hand to pull the beard of the Cid; … but before his hand could reach it, God, who would not suffer this thing to be done, sent his spirit into the body, and the Cid let the strings of his mantle go from his right hand, and laid hand on his sword Tizona, and drew it a full palm's length out of the scabbard. And when the Jew saw this, he fell upon his back for great fear, and began to cry out so loudly, that all they who were without the Church heard him, and the Abbot broke off his preachment and went into the Church to see what it might be. And when they came they found this Jew lying upon his back before the ivory chair, like one dead, for he had ceased to cry out, and had swooned away. And then the Abbot Don Garcia Tellez looked at the body of the Cid, and saw that his right hand was upon the hilt of the sword, and that he had drawn it out a full palm's length; and he was greatly amazed. And he called for holy water, and threw it in the face of the Jew, and with that the Jew came to himself. Then the Abbot asked him what all this had been, and he told him the whole truth; and he knelt down upon his knees before the Abbot, and besought him of his mercy that he would make a Christian of him, because of this great miracle which he had seen, and baptize him in the name of Jesus Christ, for he would live and die in his faith, holding all other to be but error. And the Abbot baptized him in the name of the Holy Trinity, and gave him to name Diego Gil. And all who were there present were greatly amazed, and they made a great outcry and great rejoicings to God for this miracle, and for the power which he had shown through the body of the Cid in this manner; for it was plain that what the Jew said was verily and indeed true, because the posture of the Cid was changed. And from that day forward Diego Gil remained in the Monastery as longed as he lived, doing service to the body of the Cid.
XVIII. After that day the body of the Cid remained in the same posture, for they never took his hand off the sword, nor changed his garments more, and thus it remained three years longer, till it had been there ten years in all. And then the nose began to change colour. And when the Abbot Don Garcia Tellez and Gil Diaz saw this, they weened that it was no longer fitting for the body to remain in that manner. And three Bishops from the neighbouring provinces met there, and with many masses and vigils, and great honour, they interred the body after this manner. They dug a vault before the altar, beside the grave of Doña Ximena, and vaulted it over with a high arch, and there they placed the body of the Cid seated as it was in the ivory chair, and in his garments, and with the sword in his hand, and they hung up his shield and his banner upon the walls.
XIX. After the body of the noble Cid Campeador had been thus honourably interred, Gil Diaz his trusty servant abode still in the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, doing service to the graves of the Cid and Doña Ximena, and making their anniversaries, and celebrating masses, and giving great alms to the poor both in food and clothing, for the good of their souls; and in this manner he lived while Don Garcia Tellez was Abbot, and two others after him, and then he died. And his deportment had alway been such in that Monastery, that all there were his friends, and lamented greatly at his death, because he had led so devout and good a life, and served so trustily at the graves of his master and mistress. And at the time of his death he gave order that they should lay his body beside the good horse Bavieca whom he had loved so well, in the grave which he had made there for himself while he was living. And Diego Gil remained in his place, doing the same service which he had done, till he departed also. And the history saith that though Gil Díaz was good, Diego Gil was even better.
XX. Eighty and six years after the death of the Cid Campeador, that is to say, in the year of the Era 1223, which is the year of the Incarnation 1185, it came to pass, that there was war between the Kings of Leon and Navarre on the one part, and the King of Castille on the other, notwithstanding this King Don Sancho of Navarre was uncle to the King of Castille, being his mother's brother. And this King Don Sancho entered into the lands of his nephew King Don Alfonso of Castille, and advanced as far as Burgos, and with his sword he struck a great stroke into the elm tree which is before the Church of St. John at Burgos, in token that he had taken possession of all that land; and he carried away with him a great booty in flocks and herds and beasts of the plough, and whatever else he could find, and with all this booty went his way toward Navarre. Now he had to pass nigh the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, where the body of the Cid Campeador lay. And at that time the Abbot of the Monastery, whose name was Don Juan, was a good man, and a hidalgo, and stricken in years; and he had been a doughty man in arms in his day. And when he saw this great booty being driven out of Castille, he was sorely grieved at the sight, and though he was now an old man, and it was long since he had got on horseback, he went to horse now, and took ten monks with him, and bade the strongest among them take down the banner of the Cid from the place where it was hung up, and he went after King Don Sancho who was carrying away the spoil. And the King when he saw him coming marvelled what banner this might be, for in those days there was no banner like unto that borne by any man in all the kingdoms of Spain; and perceiving how few they were who came with it, he halted to see what it might be. And the Abbot humbled himself before him when he came up, and said, King Don Sancho of Navarre, I am the Abbot of this Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, wherein lies the body of Cid Campeador, your great grandfather; and for that reason presuming on your bounty and favour, I am come hither with this banner, which was borne before him in his battles, to beseech you that you would leave this booty for the honour of this banner and of the body of the Cid. And when King Don Sancho heard this, he marvelled at the great courage of the man, that he should thus without fear ask of him to restore his booty. And he said unto him after awhile, Good man, I know you not: but for what you have said I will give back the booty, for which there are many reasons. For I am of the lineage of the Cid, as you say, and my father King Don Garcia being the son of Doña Elvira his daughter, this is the first reason; and the second is for the honour of his body which lies in your Monastery; and the third is in reverence to this his banner, which never was defeated. And if none of these were of any avail, yet ought I to restore it were it only for this, that if he were living there is none who could drive away the spoils of Castille, he being so near. For the love of God therefore, and of my forefather the Cid, I give it to him, and to you, who have known so well how to ask it at my hands. When the Abbot heard this he was as joyful as he could be, and would have kissed the hand of King Don Sancho, but the King would not suffer this because he was a priest of the mass. Then the King ordered the spoil to be driven to the Monastery, and went himself with it, and saw the banner hung up again in its place, and abode there three weeks, till all that booty had been restored to the persons from whom it was taken. And when this was done he offered to the Monastery two hundred pieces of gold for the soul of his forefather the Cid, and returned into his kingdom of Navarre, and did no more evil at that time in the realm of Castille. This good service the Cid Ruydiez did to Castille after his death.
XXI. Moreover when the Miramamolin brought over from Africa against King Don Alfonso, the eighth of that name, the mightiest power of the misbelievers that had ever been brought against Spain since the destruction of the Kings of the Goths, the Cid Campeador remembered his country in that great danger. For the night before the battle was fought at the Navas de Tolosa, in the dead of the night, a mighty sound was heard in the whole city of Leon, as if it were the tramp of a great army passing through. And it passed on to the Royal Monastery of St. Isidro, and there was a great knocking at the gate thereof, and they called to a priest who was keeping vigils in the Church, and told him, that the Captains of the army whom he heard were the Cid Ruydiez, and Count Ferran Gonzalez, and that they came there to call up King Don Ferrando the Great, who lay buried in that Church, that he might go with them to deliver Spain. And on the morrow that great battle of the Navas de Tolosa was fought, wherein sixty thousand of the misbelievers were slain, which was one of the greatest and noblest battles ever won over the Moors.
XXII. The body of the Cid remained in the vault wherein it had been placed as ye have heard, till the year of the Incarnation 1272, when King Don Alfonso the Wise, for the great reverence which he bore the memory of the Cid his forefather, ordered a coffin to be made for him, which was hewn out of two great stones; and in this the body of the Cid was laid, and they placed it on that side where the Epistle is read; and before it, in, a wooden coffin, they laid the body of Doña Ximena. And round about the stone coffin these verses were graven, in the Latin tongue, being, according as it is said, composed by King Don Alfonso himself.
BELLIGER, INVICTOS, FAMOSUS MARTE TRIUMPHIS, CLAUDITUR HOC TUMULO MAGNUS DIDACI RODERICUS.
And upon his tomb he ordered these verses to be graven also: