Riba de Santiuse © Mark Wade

And Pero Bermudez rose and said to Count Garcia, Foul mouth, in which God hath put no truth, thou hast dared let thy tongue loose to speak of the Cid's beard.

His is a praiseworthy beard, and an honourable one, and one that is greatly feared, and that never hath been dishonoured, nor overcome! and if you please you may remember when he fought against you in Cabra, hundred to hundred, he threw you from your horse, and took thee by the beard, and made thee and thy knights prisoners, and carried thee prisoner away across a pack-saddle; and his knights pulled thy beard for thee, and I who stand here had a good handful of it: how then shall a beard that hath been pulled speak against one that hath always been honourable! If you deny this, I will fight upon this quarrel before the King our Lord.

Then Count Suero Gonzalez rose in great haste and said, Nephews, go you away and leave these rascally companions: if they are for fighting, we will give them their fill of that, if our Lord the King should think good so to command; that shall not fail for us, though they are not our peers.

Then Don Alvar Fanez Minaya arose and said, Hold thy peace, Count Suero Gonzalez! you have been to breakfast before you said your prayers, and your words are more like a drunkard's than one who is in his senses.

Your kinsmen like those of the Cid!...if it were not out of reverence to my Lord and King, I would teach you never to talk again in this way.

And then the King saw that these words were going on to worse, and moreover that they were nothing to the business; and he commanded them to be silent, and said, I will determine this business of the defiance with the Alcaldes, as shall be found right; and I will not have these disputes carried on before me, lest you should raise another uproar in my presence.