Chapter I: Preface

The "Cid Campeador" has been for centuries the great popular hero of Spain. He takes the same place in that country as King Arthur does in England, Roland, or Rolando, in France, and William Tell in Switzerland; and, like them, his life and exploits are, to a great extent, founded on popular traditions. In English-speaking countries there is very little known respecting him, and the translator ventures to place before the public a work which is considered by Spaniards to be one of the best historical romances in their literature. It is founded on a large number of ballads and other poetical pieces, extant in Spain for centuries, and on a very old work named "The Chronicle of the Cid."

The Author writes in his Introduction: "The Cid is the most popular of the Castilian heroes, and not without reason, for in him are personified all the virtues of the citizen and of the soldier. A good son, he avenges the insults offered to his father by bravely fighting with the Count of Gormaz: a good cavalier and faithful lover, he gives his hand and heart to the daughter of the man whom he had slain in fair combat: a good monarchist, he risks the anger of King Alfonzo by compelling him to take an oath that he was not guilty of a crime which would stain the throne of Fernando the Great: a good soldier and a good vassal, he conquers, with his invincible sword, hostile realms and Moorish kings, and lays at the feet of his sovereign, who had unjustly banished him, the spoils which he had won and the countries of which he had made himself master: a good patrician, loving the glory and the preponderance of his native land, he proceeds to Rome, enters the Church of St. Peter, and seeing in the place of honour the seat of the representative of France, he breaks it in pieces, filled with indignation, and puts in its place that of the representative of Spain: and finally, a good Christian, a good husband, and a good father; before entering into the combats, when calling upon God, he also uses the names of his wife and children, over whom he had wept when parting from them,--he who, in battle, showed a heart more hard than the armour which covered it."

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

I. WHICH TREATS OF SOME LOVE AFFAIRS WHICH COMMENCED
ALMOST WHEN OTHERS END . . . 1

II. IN WHICH CERTAIN FESTIVITIES ARE DESCRIBED, WHICH
ENDED WITH A BLOW ON A FACE . . 10

III. IN WHICH THE READER WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENED
TO RODRIGO AND HIS SQUIRE BETWEEN LEON AND
VIVAR. . . . . 16

IV. IN WHICH THE MAIDEN, IN ADDITION TO HER OWN
STORY, RELATES CERTAIN MATTERS, WHICH WILL
ROUSE THE ANGER OF THOSE WHO READ OF THEM . 22

V. HOW RODRIGO AND HIS SQUIRE WERE RECEIVED AT
VIVAR. . . . . 29

VI. HOW FERNAN DESPAIRED OF GETTING WOMEN TO
UNDERSTAND REASON, AND HOW DIEGO LAINEZ
HOPED THAT HIS HONOUR WOULD BE AVENGED . 37

VII. HOW RODRIGO FOUGHT WITH THE COUNT OF GORMAZ . 42

VIII. HOW XIMENA DEMANDED JUSTICE FROM THE KING
AGAINST RODRIGO DIAZ . . . 49

IX. HOW A MOORISH PRINCESS WAS CONVERTED, AND HOW
A SOLITARY CEASED TO BE SUCH . . 55

X. HOW MARTIN SET OUT TO AVENGE HIS FATHER . 60

XI. HOW THE DE VIVAR FAMILY RECEIVED LETTERS FROM
THE KING, DON FERNANDO . . . 71

XII. THE COMBAT BETWEEN RODRIGO AND MARTIN GONZALEZ . 80

XIII. OF AN UNEXPECTED VISIT WHICH XIMENA RECEIVED IN
HER RETREAT . . . . 87

XIV. HOW RODRIGO AND XIMENA WERE MARRIED, AND HOW
THE DEVIL TERRIFIED THE PEOPLE OF BURGOS . 95

XV. HOW RODRIGO BECAME THE POSSESSOR OF BABIECA,
AND WHAT HAPPENED WHILST HE WAS RIDING HIM . 105

XVI. HOW RODRIGO ROUSED UP THE COUNTRY, AND DEFEATED
THE MOORS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF OCA . . 113

XVII. HOW THE ARMY OF RODRIGO MARCHED BACK TO BURGOS
WITHOUT BEING WEARIED, AS THE READER MAY BE . 122

XVIII. HOW THE VENGADOR AND RUI-VENABLOS, ALTHOUGH
ONLY BANDITS, THOUGHT AS CAVALIERS . . 129

XIX. HOW THE SINGLE PAINT THE LIFE OF THE MARRIED . 136

XX. HOW THE COUNT OF CARRION GAINED NOTHING BY
BULLYING . . . . 145

XXI. HOW ONE MOOR REMAINED, AND FIVE WENT AWAY . 152

XXII. HOW THE BAND OF THE VENGADOR ATTACKED THE
CASTLE OF CARRION . . . 161

XXIII. IN WHICH IT IS PROVED THAT COLD AND LOVE
ARE NOT INCOMPATIBLE . . . 170

XXIV. HOW TWO WOMEN DISCUSSED THE MAKING OF THEIR
FORTUNES--HOW TWO CHILDREN DIVERTED
THEMSELVES--AND HOW TWO MEN PLOTTED TREASON . 178

XXV. WHAT HAPPENED TO RODRIGO ON THE ROAD TO
COMPOSTELA . . . . 187

XXVI. HOW THE VENGADOR AND RUI-VENABLOS CHANGED
THEIR OPINION REGARDING BELLIDO . . 198

XXVII. HOW TERESA AND GUILLEN BELIEVED THAT GOD HAD
TOUCHED THE HEART OF DON SUERO . . 206

XXVIII. HOW THE COUNT OF CABRA SANG A BALLAD FOR THE
COUNT OF CARRION . . . 217

XXIX. HOW THE KING AND RODRIGO, HAVING SAID GOOD
PRAYERS, GAVE GOOD SWORD STROKES . . 226

XXX. HOW ONE GOOD MAN CAN MAKE A HUNDRED GOOD ALSO . 233

XXXI. IN WHICH THE PROVERB, "LET THE MIRACLE BE
WROUGHT, EVEN THOUGH THE DEVIL DOES IT,"
IS JUSTIFIED . . . . 245

XXXII. IN WHICH IT IS PROVED THAT HE WHO SOWS REAPS,
AND IN WHICH IT IS SEEN THAT THEY WHO GIVE
RECEIVE . . . . 257

XXXIII. IN WHICH WE CONTINUE TO PROVE THAT THE CID
WAS A CID IN EVERY WAY . . . 266

XXXIV. WHICH TREATS OF CAVALIERS FREE WITH THE HAND
AND PEASANTS FREE WITH THE TONGUE . . 276

XXXV. OF THE SORROWS WHICH THE COWARDLY DON SUERO
CAUSED HIS SISTER . . . 283

XXXVI. THE KING IS DEAD--LONG LIVE THE KING . . 293

XXXVII. HOW CERTAIN CAVALIERS WENT FOR WOOL AND CAME
BACK SHORN . . . . 302

XXXVIII. HOW THE PEASANT OF BARBADILLO WENT TO BURGOS,
WITH OTHER THINGS WHICH THE READER WILL
LEARN. . . . . 310

XXXIX. HOW THE CID AVENGED HIMSELF ON THE COUNT OF
CABRA. . . . . 321

XL. HOW THE COUNT OF CARRION WOUND THE SKEIN AND
HOW OTHERS UNWOUND IT . . . 331

XLI. FROM BURGOS TO VIVAR . . . 337

XLII. FROM VIVAR TO CARRION . . . 344

XLIII. HOW A GOOD CAVALIER WAS CHARGED WITH AN EVIL
MESSAGE . . . . 350

XLIV. THE SIEGE OF ZAMORA. . . . 357

XLV. IN WHICH IT IS PROVED THAT ONE CAN FIGHT WITHOUT
CONQUERING OR BEING CONQUERED . . 365

XLVI. THE OATH IN SANTA GADEA . . . 372

XLVII. IN WHICH THIS BOOK ENDS, PROVING THAT GOD
GIVES IN THIS WORLD, BOTH TO THE GOOD AND
TO THE BAD, A SAMPLE OF THE CLOTH WHICH
THEY SHALL WEAR IN THE OTHER WORLD . . 379

THE CID CAMPEADOR