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that shalt thou accomplish to thy heart's desire, whether it be in battle or aught else, so that thy honour shall go on increasing from day to day,' &c. &c.

But this miracle of the leper is,it seems, no uncommon occurrence in the lives of saints. It was after the conquest of Coimbra, (the most important of Ferdinand's exploits against the Moors), that Ruy Diaz received the honour of knighthood, which, in that early age of chivalry, was still an object of rare and difficult acquisition; and about that time the deputies from the five kings whom he had conquered first saluted him with the title of Cid (Lord), which Ferdinand decreed he should from thenceforth bear, as a mark of espe cial distinction from all his other nobles.

The death of Ferdinand(A. 1065), was an event most disas trous to the repose of the christian states in Spain; since,agreeably to the pernicious practice then prevalent in many paris of Europe,he on his death-bed divided his dominions among his three sons, reserving out of that distribution, certain smaller territories also for the subsistence of his daughters. The kingdom of Castile, and with it the important services of the Cid, fell to Don Sancho as his allotment. Now the kings of Spain, were of the blood of the Goths, which was a fierce blood, for it had many times come to pass among the Gothic kings, that brother had slain brother upon this quarrel; and from this blood was Don Sancho descended.' Accordingly, no sooner had he successfully repelled an invasion of the king of Arragon (in which the Cid had perform, ed such important services, that he was in consequence elevated to the highest rank in the army, and thenceforth sti. led the Campeador,'* than he discovered a pretext for in vading the dominions of his brother Garcia, king of Gallicia. Of course we shall not pretend to give a summary of the transactions of the war that ensued; but perhaps we shall hardly find a more favourable specimen of the spirit with which Mr. Southey has performed his task than in the account of the final battle of Santarem. With regard to the principal actors whose names occur in the following extract, it will be sufficient to state that Count Garcia Ardoñez was a Castilian nobleman of the highest rank in the service of King Sancho; Alvar Fañez Minaye, the hero of the day, was through life the favourite friend and companion of

Because, says the text, when the host was in the field, it was his office to choose the place for encampments;' other writers, however, give a different ety mology of the term,

the Cid, and next to him in renown; Rodrigo Frojaz was a nobleman of Galicia, and had received very ill treatment from his sovereign Don Garcia, to whom nevertheless he continued to devote his honour and his life.

"Count Don Garcia came in the front of king Don Sancho's army, and in the one wing, was the Count de Monzon, and Count Don Nuño de Lora ; and the Count Don Fruela, of Asturias,in the other; and the king was in the rear, with Don Diego de Osma, who carried his banner; and in this manner were they arrayed on the one side, and on the other, being ready for the onset. And king Don Garcia bravely encouraged his men, saying, vassals and friends, ye see the great wrong which the king my brother doth unto me, taking from me my kingdom; I beseech ye, help me now to defend it, for ye well know that all which I had therein I divided among ye, keeping ye for a season like this. And they answered, great benefits have we received at your hands, and we will serve you to the utmost of our power. Now when the two hosts were ready to join battle, Alvar Fañez came to King Don Sancho, and said to him, Sir, I have played away my horse and arms, I beseech you give me others for this battle, and I will be a right good one for you this day; if I do not for you the service of six knights, hold me for a traitor. And the Count Don Garcia, who heard this, said to the king, give him, sir, what he asketh, and the king ordered, that horse and arms should be given him. So the armies joined battle bravely on both sides,and it was a sharp onset; many were the heavy blows which were given on both sides, and many were the horses that were slain in that encounter, and many the men. Now my Cid had not yet come up into the field.

'Now Don Rodrigo Frojaz, and his brother, and the knights who 'were with them, had resolved to make straight for the banner of the king of Castille. And they broke through the ranks of the Castillians, and made their way into the middle of the enemy's host, doing marvellous feats of arms. Then was the fight at the hottest, for they did their best to win the banner, and the others to defend it; the remembrance of what they had formerly done, and the hope of gaining more honours, heartened them, and with the Castillians there was their king, giving them brave example as well as brave words. The press of the battle was here; here died Gonzalo de Sies a right valiant Portuguese on the part of Don Garcia, but on Don Sancho's part the Count Don Nuño was sorely wounded, and thrown from his horse; and Count Don Garcia Ordont 2, was made prisoner, and the banner of king Don Sancho was beaten down, and the king himself also. The first who encountered him was Don Gomes Echiguis, he from whom the old Sousas of Portugal derived their descent; he was the first who set his lance against King Don Sancho, and the other one was Don Moninho Hermigis, and Don Rodrigo made way through the press and laid hands on him and took him. But in the struggle his old wounds burst open,and hav

ing received many new ones he lost much blood, and perceiving that his strength was failing, he sent to call the King Don Garcia, with all speed. And as the king came, the Count Don Pedro Frojaz,met him, and said, an honourable gift, sir, hath my brother Don Rodri go to give you, but you lose him in gaining it. And tears fell from the eyes of the king, and he made answer, and said, it may indeed be that Don Rodrigo may lose his life in serving me, but the good name which he had gained, and the honour which he leayeth to his descen dants, death cannot take away; saying this, he came to the place where Don Rodrigo was, and Don Rodrigo gave into his hands, the king Don Sancho his brother, and asked him three times if he was discharged of his prisoner; and when the king had answered, yes, Don Rodrigo said, for me, sir, the joy which I have in your victory is enough; give the rewards to these poor Portuguese, who with so good a will have put their lives upon a hazard to serve you, and in all things follow their counsel, and you will not err therein, Hav ang said this, he kissed the king's hand, and lying upon his shield, for he felt his breath fail him, with his helmet for a pillow, he kissed the crass of his sword in remembrance of that on which the incarnate Son of God had died for him, and rendered up his soul into the hands of his creator. This was the death of one of the most worthy knights of the world, Dou Rodrigo Frojaz. In all the conquests which king Don Fernando had made from the Moors of Portugal, great part had he borne, insomuch, that that king was wont to say, that other princes might have more dominions than he, but two such knights as his two Rodrigos, meaning my Cid and this good knight, there was none but himself who had for vassals.

Then king Don Garcia, being desirous to be in the pursuit himself, delivered his brother into the hands of six knights, that they should guard him, which he ought not to have done. And when he was gone, king Don Sancho said unto the knights, let me go, and I will depart out of your country and never enter it again and I will reward ye well, as long as ye live: but they answered him,that for no reward would they commit such disloyalty, but would guard him well, not offering him any injury, till they had delivered him to his brother, the king Dou Garcia. While they were parleying, Alvar Fañez Minaya came up, he to whom the king had given horse and arms before the battle; and he seeing the king held prisoner, cried out with a loud voice, let loose my lord the king, and he spurred his horse and made at them, and before his lance was broken he overthrew two of them, and so bestirred himself that he put the' others to Right; and he took the horses of the two whom he had smote down, and gave one to the king and mounted the other him, self, for his own was hurt in the rescue; and they went together to a little rising ground where there was yet a small body of the knights of their party, and Alvar Fañez cried out to them aloud, ye sce here the king our lord,who is free; now then remember the good name of the Castilians, and let us not lose it this day. And about fourhundred knights gathered about him. And while they stood there

they saw the Cid Ruydiez coming up with three hundred knights, for he had not been in the battle, and they knew his green pennou. And when king Don Sancho beheld it his heart rejoiced,and he said, now let us descend into the plain, for he of good ortune cometh; and he suid, be of good heart, for it is the will of God that I should recover my kingdom, for I have escaped from captivity, and seen the 1 death of Don Rodrigo Frojaz who took me,and Ruydiez, the fortus hate one cometh. And the king went down to him and welcomed him right joyfully, saying, in happy time you are come, my fortunate Cid, never vassal succoured his lord in such season as you now succour me, for the king my brother, had overcome me. And the Cid answered, sir, be sure that you shall recover the day, or I will die; for wheresoever you go, either you shall be victorious, or I will meet my death.

By this time king Don Garcia returned from the pursuit, singing as he came full joyfully, for he thought that the king his brother was a prisoner, and his great power overthrown. But there came one and told him that Don Sancho was rescued, and in the field again, ready to give him battle a second time. Bravely was that second battle fought on both sides; and if it had not been for the great prowess of the Cid, the end would not have been as it was and in the end, the Galegos and Portuguese were discomfited, and the king Don Garcia taken in his turn. And in that battle, the two brethren of Don Rodrigo Frojaz, Don Pedro, and Don Vermui, were slain, and the two sons of Don Pedro, so that five of that family died that day. And the king Don Sancho p put his brother in better ward than his brother three hours before had put him, for he put him in chains, and sent him to the strong castle of Luna.'(P, 44.)

The remainder of the history of Don Sancho presents almost as good a lesson for ambition as the life of Charles the twelfth of Sweden. After the conquest of Galicia, he turn ed his arms against his second brother, Alonzo king of Leon, whom he compelled to seek refuge with Alimaymon the Moorish king of Toledo. But, ill satisfied with all his acquisitions, as long as any thing remained to be acquired, he lastly embarked his honour on the pitiful enterprise of wresting from his sister, Donna Uracca, the single town of Zamora, which had been assigned as her portion by the last will of King Ferdinand their father. Before this place he perished, in the year 1073, in the 8th of his reign, by the hand of an obscure assassin named Vellido Dolfos.

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During the whole of these transactions, we hear little of my Cid' except indeed on a certain occasion, in which be rescued the king from the most imminent danger by opposing himself singly to thirteen armed assailants, of whom he slew eleven. This anecdote will probably be ranked in the same class with the miracle of the leper. Butthe infrequency of the

Cid's appearance is accounted for in a way very honourable to himself,since it is apparent that he disapproved altogether of the ambitious designs of his sovereign. He was with the army, however, on the occasion of Sancho's assassination, and pursued the murderer, who nevertheless reached Zamora in safety, because the Cid, in his too great haste to overtake him, had forgot to buckle on his spurs, on which occasion he uttered a portentous anathema; cursed be the knight who ever gets on horseback without his spurs!'

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Of the residence of Don Alonso, at the court of Alimay mon, some very interesting particulars are related, illustra tive of the rude hospitality of the times, and the magnifi cence of a Moorish court. The story of his pretended sleep in order to overhear the dialogue between Alimaymon and his favourites respecting the defensibility of Toledo, has been copied into every Spanish history, and is certainly by no means, improbable in itself, but it presents, together with the further circumstance of Alonso's equivocal oath, (by which, in swearing perpetual amity to Alimaymon and his sons, he reserved the right of disturbing his grandson, when, and as often as he should feel inclined,) a very curious example of the total want of a sense of common honesty, so frequently observable in the transactions of the dark ages, especially where a misbeliever is party to the contract. Another instance of the same sort occurs in the conduct of the Cid himself, who, when in banishment, being reduced to great distress, takes up money of two Jews of Burgos,on the security of two trunks, full of imagined treasure but of real sand. This is a trick worthy of Gil Blas, or of that more ac complished swindler, Don Raphael himself; and it requires a tolerably intimate acquaintance with the true character of the ages of chivalry,not to start with surprise at finding such an action ascribed to the most honourable knight in Christendom.

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The death of Don Sancho did not put an immediate stop to the calamities of the people of Zamora: and the third book of the history opens with a very particular account(well worthy of notice for the insight which it affords into some of the customs of the age, of the impeachment' of the town for harbouring the murderer,and of the combat undertaken on the occasion, by Diego Ordoñez, the challenger, singly against five of Donna Urraca's champions. Nor is what follows at all less interesting with respect to the oath of purgation, which Don Alonso was obliged to take previous to the admission of his claims on the succession to the crown, for the purpose of clearing himself from suspicions. which appear to have been strongly entertained of his being

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