Her shining darts that cleft the air, and never swerved a jot.
A hundred sisters black as night rode onward in her train;
They fought that day a gallant fight, but died upon the plain.

Amazed stood Bucar and his kings, to see the Christian throng; Arrayed in shining robes, they seemed full seventy thousand strong.

But there was one of stately mien, that towered above the rest;
His charger white as driven snow, a red cross on his breast,
A banner white was in his hand, his falchion gleamed like fire;
And as he rode the Moormen down, he smote them in his ire.
A panic seized the Pagan ranks, to fight they had no mind;
King Bucar fled with all his kings, and left the field behind.
With hurry-scurry to their ships they every man did flee;
The Christians smote them hip and thigh, and chased them to the

sea.

Ten thousand 'mid the waters sank, and many more were slain;
The rest embarked, and hoisted sail, and left the coast of Spain.

King Bucar found a safe retreat; there died full twenty kings; The Cid's men captured all their tents, their gold and precious things.

The poorest men grew wealthy then, the rich were richer still;
With merry hearts they took the road, and journeyed to Castile.
Within Cardena's cloister, and in San Pedro's fane,

They laid the body of the Cid, who gave renown to Spain.

THE CHRONICLE OF THE CID.

HOW THE CID MADE THE COWARD A HERO.

WHEN the Cid first began to lay siege to the city of Valencia, Martin Pelaez came unto him; he was a knight, a native of Santillana in Asturias, a hidalgo, great of body and strong of limb, a well-made man and of goodly semblance, but withal a right coward at heart, which he had shown in many places when he was among feats of arms. And the Cid was sorry when he came unto him, though he would not let him perceive this; for he knew he was not fit to be of his company. Howbeit he thought that since he was come he would make him brave whether he would or not. And when the Cid began to war upon the town, and sent parties against it twice and thrice a day, for the Cid was always upon the alert, there was fighting and tourneying every day.

One day it fell out that the Cid and his kinsmen and friends and vassals were engaged in a great encounter, and this Martin

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Pelaez was well armed; and when he saw that the Moors and Christians were at it, he fled and betook himself to his lodging, and there hid himself till the Cid returned to dinner. And the Cid saw what Martin Pelaez did, and when he had conquered the Moors he returned to his lodging to dinner. Now it was the custom of the Cid to eat at a high table, seated on his bench, at the head. And Don Alvar Fañez, and Pero Bermudez, and other precious knights, ate in another part, at high tables, full honorably, and none other knights whatsoever dared take their seats with them, unless they were such as deserved to be there; and the others who were not so approved in arms ate upon estrados, at tables with cushions. This was the order in the house of the Cid, and every one knew the place where he was to sit at meat, and every one strove all he could to gain the honor of sitting to eat at the table of Don Alvar Fañez and his companions, by strenuously behaving himself in all feats of arms; and thus the honour of the Cid was advanced. This Martin Pelaez, thinking that none had seen his baseness, washed his hands in turn with the other knights, and would have taken his place among them. And the Cid went unto him, and took him by the hand and said, You are not such a one as deserves to sit with these, for they are worth more than you or than I; but I will have you with me: and he seated him with himself at table. And he, for lack of understanding, thought that the Cid did this to honor him above all the others.

On the morrow the Cid and his company rode toward Valencia, and the Moors came out to the tourney; and Martin Pelaez went out well armed, and was among the foremost who charged the Moors, and when he was in among them he turned the reins, and went back to his lodging; and the Cid took heed to all that he did, and saw that though he had done badly he had done better than the first day. And when the Cid had driven the Moors into the town, he returned to his lodging, and as he sat down to meat he took this Martin Pelaez by the hand, and seated him with himself, and bade him eat with him in the same dish, for he had deserved more that day than he had the first. And the knight gave heed to that saying and was abashed; howbeit he did as the Cid commanded him: and after he had dined he went to his lodging and began to think upon what the Cid had said unto him, and perceived that he had seen all the baseness which he had done; and then he understood that for this cause he would not let him sit at board with the other knights who were precious

in arms, but had seated him with himself, more to affront him than to do him honor, for there were other knights there better than he, and he did not show them that honor. Then resolved he in his heart to do better than he had done heretofore.

Another day the Cid and his company and Martin Pelaez rode toward Valencia, and the Moors came out to the tourney full resolutely, and Martin Pelaez was among the first, and charged them right boldly; and he smote down and slew presently a good knight, and he lost there all the bad fear which he had had, and was that day one of the best knights there: and as long as the tourney lasted there he remained, smiting and slaying and overthrowing the Moors, till they were driven within the gates, in I such manner that the Moors marvelled at him, and asked where that devil came from, for they had never seen him before. And the Cid was in a place where he could see all that was going on, and he gave good heed to him, and had great pleasure in beholding him, to see how well he had forgotten the great fear which he was wont to have. And when the Moors were shut up within the town, the Cid and all his people returned to their lodging, and Martin Pelaez, full leisurely and quietly, went to his lodging also, like a good knight. And when it was the hour of eating the Cid waited for Martin Pelaez, and when he came, and they had washed, the Cid took him by the hand and said, My friend, you are not such a one as deserves to sit with me from henceforth, but sit you here with Don Alvar Fañez, and with these other good knights, for the good feats which you have done this day have made you a companion for them; and from that day forward he was placed in the company of the good. And the history said that from that day forward this knight Martin Pelaez was a right good one, and a right valiant, and a right precious, in all places where he chanced among feats of arms, and he lived alway with the Cid, and served him right well and truly.

And the history saith, that after the Cid had won the city of Valencia, on the day when they conquered and discomfited the King of Seville, this Martin Pelaez was so good a one, that setting aside the body of the Cid himself, there was no such good knight there, nor one who bore such part, as well in the battle as in the pursuit. And so great was the mortality which he made among the Moors that day, that when he returned from the business the sleeves of his mail were clotted with blood, up to the elbow; insomuch that for what he did that day his name is written in this history, that it may never die. And when the Cid saw him come

in that guise, he did him great honor, such as he never had done to any knight before that day, and from thenceforward gave him a place in all his actions and in all his secrets, and he was his great friend. In this knight Martin Pelaez was fulfilled the example which saith, that he who betaketh himself to a good tree hath good shade, and he who serves a good lord winneth good guerdon; for by reason of the good service which he did the Cid, he came to such good state that he was spoken of as ye have heard; for the Cid knew how to make a good knight, as a good groom knows how to make a good horse.

CHRONICLE OF DON JAYME OF ARAGON.

BEFORE the Castilian dialect had secured literary supremacy in the Spanish language, the Catalan was its chief rival. One of the chief prose works in this dialect is the Chronicle of James I., of Aragon, surnamed the Conqueror, written by himself. Its quaint diction and naïve exhibition of the manners and customs of his time make it still interesting. The following passage gives a clear view of his father, who is called, in the Catalan dialect, En Pere, corresponding to Don Pedro in Castilian.

After my birth, En Simon de Montfort, who had the land of Carcassone and Badarres and of Toulouse, which the king of France had conquered, desired to have friendship with my father, and asked for me, that he might bring me up at his court. My father trusted so much in Montfort and his friendship, that he delivered me to him to bring up. And, while I was in his power, the people of those countries came to my father and told him that he might well become lord of those countries, if he would only occupy them. The King, En Pere, my father, was liberal and compassionate, and for the pity that he had of the deputies, said that he would take possession. But they deceived him with fair words; for if, on the one hand, they gave him promises, on the other they were deficient in deeds. And I afterwards heard it said by En Guillen de Cervera and others who were with my father, that the deputies said to him, "My lord, here are our castles and our towns; take possession of them, and put your officers in them." But when my father was about to take possession of the land they said, "My lord, will you turn our wives out of our houses? We and they will be yours; we will do your will." But they did nothing that they had promised him. And

they showed him their wives and their daughters and their kinswomen, the fairest they could find. But when they found that he was a woman's man, they took away his good thoughts, and turned them to what they wished. However, it would take me too long a time to relate these matters, and I will pass on to more important affairs.

En Simon de Montfort was at Murel with from eight hundred to a thousand horsemen, and my father came on him there. There were with him from Aragon Don Miguel de Luzia and others of his household, and I recollect hearing some of them say that, with the exception of Don Gomes and some who were killed in the battle, all the rest abandoned him and fled. I also recollect hearing that Don Nuno Sanxes and En Guillen de Montcade were not in the battle; they sent a message to the king that he should wait for them; but the king would not wait, and fought the battle with those few that were with him.

The night of the day that the battle was fought the king had passed in debauchery, so that, as I afterwards heard, his own seneschal, called Gill (who afterwards became Knight Hospitaller), and many other witnesses, say the king was so exhausted by the preceding debauch that he could not stand up at Mass, when it came to the Gospel, but kept his seat all the while it was read. And before the battle En Simon de Montfort wished to put himself in his power and do his will. He wanted to come to terms with him, but my father would not accept of them. And when Count Simon and those within Murel saw that, they confessed and received the body of Jesus Christ, and said, "We will rather die in the field than here, shut up in this town." And thereon they came out to fight in a body. On my father's side the men did not know how to range for the battle, nor how to move together; every baron fought by himself, and against the order of war. Thus through bad order, through our sins, and through the Murelians fighting desperately since they found no mercy at my father's hands, the battle was lost. There died my father, for such has ever been the fate of my race, to conquer or die in battle.

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