"El enjaeza el caballo
Be las cabezas de fama,"
says one of the old Moorish ballads. A garland of Christian heads seems to have been deemed no unsuitable present from a Moslem knight to his lady love. Thus one of the Zegries triumphantly asks,
"¿Que Cristianos habeis muerto,
O escalado que murallas?
¿O que cabezas famosas
Aveis presentado a damas?"
This sort of trophy was also borne by the Christian cavaliers. Examples of this may be found even as late as the siege of Granada. See, among others, the ballad beginning
"A vista de los dos Reyes."
[39] The Arabic historian alludes to the vulgar report of the old king's assassination by his brother, but leaves us in the dark in regard to his own opinion of its credibility. "Algunos dicen que le procuro la muerte su hermano el Rey Zagal; pero Dios lo sabe, que es el unico eterno e inmutable."—Conde, Domination de los Arabes, tom. in. cap. 38.
[40] Conde, Dominacion de los Arabes, tom. iii. cap. 38.—Cardonne, Hist. d'Afrique et d'Espagne, pp. 291, 292.—Mariana, Hist. de España, lib. 25, cap. 9.—Marmol, Rebelion de Moriscos, lib. 1, cap. 12.
"Muy revuelta anda Granada en armas y fuego ardiendo, y los ciudadanos de ella duras muertes padeciendo;
Por tres reyes que hay esquivos, cada uno pretendiendo el mando, cetro y corona de Granada y su gobierno," etc.
See this old romance, mixing up fact and fiction, with more of the former than usual, in Hyta, Guerras de Granada, tom. i. p. 292.