Spanish parliament.
Rodrigo was yet but a youth, and the Count was a mighty man in arms, one who gave his voice first in the Cortes, and was held to be the best in the war, and so powerful that he had a thousand friends among the mountains.
When King Don Sancho heard this, being a man of great heart, he made answer, that he was the head of the kingdoms of Castille and Leon, and all the conquests in Spain were his, for the Kings of Aragon had no conquests appertaining unto them, being by right his tributaries, and bound to appear at his Cortes.
And the Infanta Dona Urraca, who was a right prudent lady and a wise, sent letters throughout the land, that a Cortes should assemble and receive him for their Lord.
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.
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.
And he stroked his beard and said, Thanks be to Christ, the Lord of this world, by this beard which no one hath ever cut, the Infantes of Carrion shall not triumph in this! And he began to take comfort, hearing how King Don Alfonso had appointed the Cortes.
And he took Pero Bermudez by the hand and led him to Dona Ximena, who wept greatly at seeing him, and said, Ah, Pero Bermudez, what tidings bringest thou of my daughters? And he comforted her and said, Weep not, Lady, for I left them alive and well at Molina, and Alvar Fanez with them; by God's blessing you shall have good vengeance for them! Then the Cid seated himself near his wife, and Pero Bermudez took his seat before them, and told them all that he had done, and how the King had summoned them to the Cortes at Toledo.
I thank my Lord King Don Alfonso for the answer which he gave you, and for appointing the Cortes, and in such guise will I appear there as shall gall them who wish ill to me.
My Cid the Campeador made ready to appear at the Cortes in Toledo, and he left the Bishop Don Hieronymo, and Martin Pelaez the Asturian, to command in Valencia, and five hundred knights with them, all hidalgos.
All these went well clad in right good garments, and with good horses, to serve the Cid both in Cortes and in the war.
King Don Alfonso made no delay, but sent out his letters through Leon and Santiago, to the Portugueze and the Galicians, and they of Carrion, and the Castillians, that he would hold a Cortes in Toledo at the end of seven weeks, and that they who did not appear should no longer be accounted his vassals.
And they took counsel with their kin and prayed the King that he would hold them excused from that Cortes; and the King made answer, that nothing but God should excuse them from it, for the Campeador was coming to demand justice against them, and he, quoth the King, who will not appear, shall quit my kingdoms.
When you hold your Cortes let it be in those Palaces of Galiana, for there is better room there than in the Alcazar.
When the King entered the city, he bade his seneschal, Benito Perez, make ready the Palaces of Galiana for the next day, when the Cortes should begin; and he fitted the great Palace after this manner.
And in the highest place he placed the royal chair in which the King should sit; it was a right noble chair and a rich, which he had won in Toledo, and which had belonged to the Kings thereof; and round about it right noble estrados were placed for the Counts and honourable men who were come to the Cortes.
On the morrow, after the King had heard mass, he went into the Palace of Galiana, where the Cortes was to assemble, and the Infantes of Carrion and the other Counts and Ricos-omes with him, save the Cid who was not yet come; and when they who did not love the Cid beheld his ivory seat, they began to make mock of it.
Now the Cid had performed his vigil in the Church of St. Servans, matins and primes were said, and mass performed; and then he made ready to go to the Cortes, and with him went Alvar Fanez Minaya, whom he called his right arm, and Pero Bermudez, and Muno Gustios, and Martin Antolinez that doughty Burgalese, and Alvar Alvarez, and Alvar Salvadorez, and Martin Munoz, and Felez Munoz the Cid's nephew, and Malanda who was a learned man, and Galin Garciez the good one of Aragon: these and others made ready to go with him, being a hundred of the best of his company.
And he bade Alvar Fanez and Pero Bermudez assemble their companions, and when he saw them he said, If the Infantes of Carrion should seek a quarrel, where I have a hundred such as these I may be well without fear! And he said, Let us mount now and go to the Cortes.
Then called he for his horse, and bestrode it, and rode to the Cortes.
All who were in the Cortes sate looking at my Cid and at his long beard which he had bound with a cord; but the Infantes of Carrion could not look upon him for shame.
Then King Don Alfonso rose and said, Hear me, as God shall help you! Since I have been King I have held only two Cortes, one in Burgos, and one in Carrion.
And I give order, and forbid any one to speak without my command, or to utter aught insolent against the Cid; and I swear by St. Isidro, that whosoever shall disturb the Cortes shall lose my love and be banished from the kingdom.
When this was done the King bade the Cid make his demand; and the Cid rose and said, Sir, there is no reason for making long speeches here, which would detain the Cortes.
And Count Don Garcia said they would talk concerning it; and the Infantes of Carrion talked apart with those who were on their side, and they thought that they were well off; for that the Cid would demand nothing more of them, but would leave the Cortes when he had recovered the swords.
The King drew the swords, and the whole Court shone with their brightness: their hilts were of solid gold; all the good men of the Cortes marvelled at them.
Then Alvar Fanez rose and kissed the hand of the Cid, and said, I beseech you give Colada into my keeping while this Cortes shall last, that I may defend you therewith: and the Cid gave it him and said, Take it, it hath changed its master for the better.
Then the Cid laid hand upon his beard as he was wont to do, and the Infantes of Carrion and they who were of their side thought that he meant to disturb the Cortes, and they were greatly afraid; but he sate still like a man of good understanding, for he was not one who did things lightly.
And the Alcaldes having taken counsel gave judgment, that seeing the Infantes acknowledged the Cid had given them this treasure with his daughters, and they had abandoned them, they must needs make restitution in the Cortes of the King thereright: and the King confirmed this sentence, and the Cid rose and kissed the King's hand.
After this payment had been made the Cortes assembled again, and the King and all the honourable men being each in his place, the Cid rose from his ivory seat, and said, Sir, praise be to God and your favour, I have recovered my swords, and my treasure; now then I pray you let this other demand be heard which I have to make against the Infantes.
Praise be to God and to your grace, such a one am I, and such favour hath God shown me, from the day when I first had horse and arms, until now, that not only the Infantes of Carrion, but saving yourself, Sir, there is not a King in Christendom who might not think himself honoured in marrying with either of my daughters,...how much more then these traitors!...I beseech you give me justice upon them for the evil and dishonour which they have done me! And if you and your Cortes will not right me, through the mercy of God and my own good cause, I will take it myself, for the offence which they have committed against God d and To the faith, and the faith, and the truth which they promised and vowed to their wives.
But seeing ye are here in my presence, it is not fitting that you demand this in any other manner than through my Cortes; do you therefore accuse them, and let them acquit themselves if they can before my Alcaldes, who will pass sentence according to what is right.
Then was the whole Cortes in an uproar by reason of that blow, and many swords were drawn, and on one side the cry was Cabra and Granon, and on the other side it was Valencia and Bivar; but the strife was in such sort that the Counts in short time voided the Palace.
Greatly were they troubled at this reply, and greatly did they fear those good swords, and repent that they had taken them to the Cortes of Toledo.
And the King went to the place where the Infantes were arming, and said unto them, If ye feared these swords ye should have said so in the Cortes of Toledo, for that was the place, and not this;...there is now nothing to be done but to defend yourselves stoutly, as ye have need against those with whom ye have to do.
While yet that messenger of the Soldan of Persia abode in Valencia, tidings came to the Cid that the Infantes of Aragon and Navarre were coming to celebrate their marriage with his daughters, according as it had been appointed at the Cortes of Toledo.
And he sent for the ivory chair which had been carried to the Cortes of Toledo, and gave order that it should be placed on the right of the altar of St. Peter; and he laid a cloth of gold upon it, and upon that placed a cushion covered with a right noble tartari, and he ordered a graven tabernacle to be made over the chair, richly wrought with azure and gold, having thereon the blazonry of the Kings of Castille and Leon, and the King of Navarre, and the Infante of Aragon, and of the Cid Ruydiez the Campeador.