Spanish Castle © Mark Wade

And the Cid made war afresh upon the city as cruelly as he could, and the price of bread was now three times as great as it had been at the beginning; the load of wheat was worth a hundred maravedis of silver, and the pound of flesh was a maravedi.

And the Cid drew nigh unto the walls, so as to fight hand to hand with the townsmen.

And Abeniaf waxed proud and despised the people, and when any went to make complaint before him, and ask justice at his hands, he dishonoured them, and they were evil entreated by him.

And he was like a King, retired apart, and trobadors and gleemen and masters disported before him which could do the best, and he took his pleasure.

And they of the town were in great misery, from the Christians who warred upon them from without, and the famine whereof they died within.

Moreover Abeniaf oppressed them greatly, and he took himself all the goods of those who died, and he made all persons equal, the good and the bad, and took from all all that he could; and those who gave him nothing he ordered to be tormented with stripes, and cast into rigorous prisons, till he could get something from them.

And he had no respect neither for kinsman nor friend.

There was but one measure for all, and men cared nothing now for their possessions, so that the sellers were many and the buyers none.

And with all these miseries the price of food became exceeding great, for the cafiz of wheat was priced at ninety maravedis, and that of barley at eighty, and that of panic at eighty and five, and that of all pulse at sixty, and the arroba of figs seven, and of honey twenty, and of cheese eighteen, and of carobs sixteen, and of onions twelve, and the measure of oil twenty: flesh there was none, neither of beast nor of anything else; but if a beast died, the pound was worth three maravedis.

And they were so weak with hunger that the Christians came to the wars and threw stones in with the hand, and there was none who had strength to drive them back.