Belmonte © Mark Wade

Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez held on their way, and came to the King, whom they found in Valladolid.

And he received them right well, and asked them for the Cid, and they kissed his hand and said, Sir, the Cid commends himself to your grace; he hath had a good affair with King Bucar of Morocco, and hath defeated him, and nine and twenty Kings came with him, in the field of Quarto, and great booty did he gain there in gold and in silver, and in horses and tents and cattle; and he hath slain many and taken many prisoners.

And in acknowledgment of you as his natural Lord, he sends you two hundred horses, and a hundred black Moors, and many rich saddles and precious swords, beseeching you to accept them at his hand, in token of the desire he hath to do service to God and to you, maintaining the faith of Jesus Christ.

And King Don Alfonso made answer and said, that he took the present of the Cid with a right good will, as of the truest and most honourable vassal that ever Lord had: and he gave order to his people to receive it, and bade Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez seat themselves at his feet.

After a while Alvar Fanez rose and said, Sir, when we departed from the Cid we left him in great honour and prosperity; but on our way we met a squire who is his nephew, by name Felez Munoz, and he hath told us the evil and the dishonour which both we and the Cid endure in the villainy which the Infantes of Carrion have committed upon his daughters.

You, Sir, know how great this villainy hath been, and how nearly it toucheth you, for the marriage was of your appointment, and I gave them by your command to the Infantes.

Pero Sanchez hath told you that the dames were dead, as he believed them to be; but we, Sir, know that they are yet alive, having been grievously hurt and wounded with bridles and spurs, and stript of their garments,...in which plight Felez Munoz found them.

Certes such a thing as this cannot please God in heaven, and ought to offend you who are Lord here in your own realm.

Now therefore we beseech you that you take justice for yourself, and give us and the Cid ours.

And let not the Cid be dishonoured in your time, for blessed be God, he hath never been dishonoured yet, but hath gone on always advancing in honour since King Don Ferrando your father knighted him in Coimbra.

To this the King made answer and said, God knoweth the trouble which I resent for this dishonour which hath been done to the Cid, and the more I hear of it the more doth it trouble me, and many reasons are there why it should; for my own sake, and for the sake of the Cid, and for the sake of his daughters; but since they are yet alive the evil is not so great, for as they have been wrongfully put to shame, not meriting such treatment, they may be rightfully avenged, as my Cortes shall determine.

Moreover it is a grief to me that my vassals the Infantes of Carrion should have erred so badly and with such cruelty; but since it hath been so I cannot but do justice.

I hold it good therefore to summon them to my Cortes, which I will assemble for this matter in Toledo, and the time assigned them shall be three months from this day; and do ye tell the Cid to come there with such of his people as he shall think good.

Glad were Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez of this reply, and they kissed his hand, and dispeeded themselves.

And the King ordered mules to be given them for the dames, with right noble saddles and trappings of gold and cloth of gold and of wool, with menever and gris.