XX. Eighty and six years after the death of the Cid Campeador, that is to say, in the year of the Era 1223, which is the year of the Incarnation 1185, it came to pass, that there was war between the Kings of Leon and Navarre on the one part, and the King of Castille on the other, notwithstanding this King Don Sancho of Navarre was uncle to the King of Castille, being his mother’s brother. And this King Don Sancho entered into the lands of his nephew King Don Alfonso of Castille, and advanced as far as Burgos, and with his sword he struck a great stroke into the elm tree which is before the Church of St. John at Burgos, in token that he had taken possession of all that land; and he carried away with him a great booty in flocks and herds and beasts of the plough, and whatever else he could find, and with all this booty went his way toward Navarre. Now he had to pass nigh the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, where the body of the Cid Campeador lay. And at that time the Abbot of the Monastery, whose name was Don Juan, was a good man, and a hidalgo, and stricken in years; and he had been a doughty man in arms in his day. And when he saw this great booty being driven out of Castille, he was sorely grieved at the sight, and though he was now an old man, and it was long since he had got on horseback, he went to horse now, and took ten monks with him, and bade the strongest among them take down the banner of the Cid from the place where it was hung up, and he went after King Don Sancho who was carrying away the spoil. And the King when he saw him coming marvelled what banner this might be, for in those days there was no banner like unto that borne by any man in all the kingdoms of Spain; and perceiving how few they were who came with it, he halted to see what it might be. And the Abbot humbled himself before him when he came up, and said, King Don Sancho of Navarre, I am the Abbot of this Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, wherein lies the body of Cid Campeador, your great grandfather; and for that reason presuming on your bounty and favour, I am come hither with this banner, which was borne before him in his battles, to beseech you that you would leave this booty for the honour of this banner and of the body of the Cid. And when King Don Sancho heard this, he marvelled at the great courage of the man, that he should thus without fear ask of him to restore his booty. And he said unto him after awhile, Good man, I know you not: but for what you have said I will give back the booty, for which there are many reasons. For I am of the lineage of the Cid, as you say, and my father King Don Garcia being the son of Doña Elvira his daughter, this is the first reason; and the second is for the honour of his body which lies in your Monastery; and the third is in reverence to this his banner, which never was defeated. And if none of these were of any avail, yet ought I to restore it were it only for this, that if he were living there is none who could drive away the spoils of Castille, he being so near. For the love of God therefore, and of my forefather the Cid, I give it to him, and to you, who have known so well how to ask it at my hands. When the Abbot heard this he was as joyful as he could be, and would have kissed the hand of King Don Sancho, but the King would not suffer this because he was a priest of the mass. Then the King ordered the spoil to be driven to the Monastery, and went himself with it, and saw the banner hung up again in its place, and abode there three weeks, till all that booty had been restored to the persons from whom it was taken. And when this was done he offered to the Monastery two hundred pieces of gold for the soul of his forefather the Cid, and returned into his kingdom of Navarre, and did no more evil at that time in the realm of Castille. This good service the Cid Ruydiez did to Castille after his death.
XXI. Moreover when the Miramamolin brought over from Africa against King Don Alfonso, the eighth of that name, the mightiest power of the misbelievers that had ever been brought against Spain since the destruction of the Kings of the Goths, the Cid Campeador remembered his country in that great danger. For the night before the battle was fought at the Navas de Tolosa, in the dead of the night, a mighty sound was heard in the whole city of Leon, as if it were the tramp of a great army passing through. And it passed on to the Royal Monastery of St. Isidro, and there was a great knocking at the gate thereof, and they called to a priest who was keeping vigils in the Church, and told him, that the Captains of the army whom he heard were the Cid Ruydiez, and Count Ferran Gonzalez, and that they came there to call up King Don Ferrando the Great, who lay buried in that Church, that he might go with them to deliver Spain. And on the morrow that great battle of the Navas de Tolosa was fought, wherein sixty thousand of the misbelievers were slain, which was one of the greatest and noblest battles ever won over the Moors.
XXII. The body of the Cid remained in the vault wherein it had been placed as ye have heard, till the year of the Incarnation 1272, when King Don Alfonso the Wise, for the great reverence which he bore the memory of the Cid his forefather, ordered a coffin to be made for him, which was hewn out of two great stones; and in this the body of the Cid was laid, and they placed it on that side where the Epistle is read; and before it, in, a wooden coffin, they laid the body of Doña Ximena. And round about the stone coffin these verses were graven, in the Latin tongue, being, according as it is said, composed by King Don Alfonso himself.
BELLIGER, INVICTOS, FAMOSUS MARTE TRIUMPHIS, CLAUDITUR HOC TUMULO MAGNUS DIDACI RODERICUS.
And upon his tomb he ordered these verses to be graven also:
QUANTUM ROMA POTENS BELLICIS EXTOLLITUR ACTIS, VIVAX ARTHURUS FIT GLORIA QUANTUM BRITANNIS, NOBILIS E CAROLO QUANTUM GAUDET FRANCIA MAGNO, TANTUM IBERIA DURIS CID INVICTOS CLARET.
And upon the walls it was thus written. I who lie here interred am the
Cid Ruydiez, who conquered King Bucar with six and thirty Kings of the
Moors; and of those six and thirty, twenty and two died in the field.
Before Valencia I conquered them, on horseback, after I was dead, being
the seventy and second battle which I won. I am he who won the swords
Colada and Tizona. God be praised, Amen.
XXIII. The body of the Cid remained here till the year of the Incarnation 1447, when the Abbot Don Pedro del Burgo ordered the old Church to be pulled down that a new one might be built in its place. And then as all the sepulchres were removed, that of the Cid was removed also, and they placed it in front of the Sacristy, upon four stone lions. And in the year 1540 God put it in the heart of the Abbot and Prior, Monks and Convent of the Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña, for the glory of God, and the honour of St. Peter and St. Paul, and of the Cid and other good knights who lay buried there, and for the devotion of the people, to beautify the great Chapel of the said Monastery with a rich choir and stalls, and new altars, and goodly steps to lead up to them. And as they were doing this they found that the tomb of the blessed Cid, if they left it where it was, which was in front of the door of the Sacristy, before the steps of the altar, it would neither be seemly for the service of the altar, because it was in the way thereof, nor for his dignity, by reason that they might stumble against it; … moreover it was fallen somewhat to decay, and set badly upon the stone lions which supported it; and there were other knights placed above him. Whereupon the Abbot, Prior, Monks, and Convent, resolved that they would translate his body, and remove the other tombs to places convenient for them, holding that it was not meet that those who neither in their exploits nor in holiness had equalled him in life, should have precedency of him after death. And they were of accord that the day of this translation should not be made public, knowing how great the number would be of knights and other persons who would be desirous of being at this festival, for which cause they doubted least some misadventure would betide of tumults and deaths, or scandals, such as are wont to happen on such occasions; they were therefore minded to do this thing without giving knowledge thereof to any but those who were in the Monastery, who were of many nations and conditions, and who were enow to bear testimony when it was done; for there was no lack there, besides the religious, of knights, squires, hidalgos, labourers, and folk of the city and the district round about, and Biscayans and mountaineers, and men of Burgundy and of France.
XXIV. So on Thursday, the eighth day of Epiphany, being the thirteenth day of January in the year of our Lord 1541, and at the hour of complines, the Abbot and Convent being assembled, together with serving-men and artificers who were called for this purpose, they made that night wooden biers that the tomb might be moved more easily and reverently, and with less danger. And on the morrow, which was Friday, the fourteenth day of the said month and year, the Convent having said primes, and the mass of Our Lady, according to custom, and the Abbot, Fray Lope de Frias, who was a native of Velorado, having confessed and said mass, the doors of the Church being open, and the altar richly drest, and the bells ringing as they are wont to do upon great festivals, at eight in the morning there assembled in the Church all the brethren of the Monastery, nineteen in number, the other fifteen being absent each in his avocation; and there were present with them Sancho de Ocaña, Merino and Chief Justice of the Monastery; Juan de Rosales, Pedro de Ruseras, and Juan Ruyz, squires of the house; master Ochoa de Artiaga, a mason, with his men; Andres de Carnica, and Domingo de Artiago, master Pablo and master Borgoñon, stone-cutters, with their men; and master Juan, a smith, with his; and all the other workmen and serving-men and traders who were in the house. And the Abbot being clad in rich vestments, and the ministers and acolites with him, with cross, candles, and torches burning, went all in procession to Our Lady’s altar, where the sacrament was at that time kept, because of the repairs which were going on in the great Chapel; and all kneeling on their knees, and having recited the Pater-noster and the Ave-maria, the Abbot gave a sign, and the Precentor of the Convent began in plain descant the antiphony Salvator Mundi. And when the whole Convent had sung this, the Abbot said the verse Ostende nobis, and the verse Post partum virgo, and the prayer Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui es omnium dubitantium certitudo, and the prayer Deus qui salutis oeternoe, demanding the grace and favour of the Lord. When this was done they returned in procession to the great Chapel, before the tomb of the blessed Cid, and then the choir began the anthem Mirabilis Deus, saying it to the organ. And while this was singing in great accord, the workmen stood ready with their instruments in hand, to lift off the upper stone of the coffin, because it was well nigh impossible to remove the whole together, and also because the Abbot, Prior, and Convent, had resolved to see that holy body and relicks, by reason of the devotion which they bore to the blessed Cid, and that they might bear testimony in what manner he lay in that tomb, wherein he had been deposited to many years ago, as behoved them for the honour of the Cid and the authority of the Monastery.
XXV. When the anthem was finished, the Abbot said the verse Exuliabunt saneti in gloria, and the prayer Deus qui es tuorum gloria servorum. And when all had said Amen, the Abbot himself, with a little bar of iron, began first to move the lid of the stone coffin; and then the workmen and others easily lifted it off upon the bier, and thus the tomb was laid open; and there appeared within it a coffin of wood fastened-down with gilt nails, the hair of the coffin being entirely gone, and great part of the wood decayed also. Within this coffin was the holy body, now well nigh consumed, nothing but the bones remaining entire. On some of the bones the flesh was still remaining, not discoloured, but with a rosy colour, and the bones, were of the same rosy colour, and the flesh also which had fallen from them. The body was wrapt in a sendal wrought after the Moorish fashion, with sword and spear by its side, as tokens of knighthood. As soon as the coffin was opened there issued forth a good odour, and comforting fragrance. It appeared that no part of the body was wanting: but this was not narrowly examined, by reason of the reverence which they bore it. After all this had been seen well and leisurely by all those who were present, the Abbot and his ministers passed a clean sheet under the coffin, and collecting into it all the bones and holy dust, covered it with another sheet, and took it out, and laid it upon the high altar, with candles and torches on each side; and in this manner it remained there all day, till it was time to deposit it in the tomb. And all this while the choristers sung to the organ, and the organ responded. And when the body was laid upon the altar, the Abbot said the verse Mirabilis Deus, and the prayer Magnifuet te Domine sanctorum tuorum beaia solemnitas. And when this was done he went and disrobed himself of his sacred vestments. And the workmen went and removed the stone lions, and placed them in the place where they were to be, and the tomb upon them. And the Convent went to perform divine service, which was celebrated that day at all the hours with a full choir. And at the hour accustomed, after this was done, the Abbot and the Convent invited all who were there present to be their guests, giving a right solemn feast to all; and the chief persons dined with the Convent in the Refectory. And that same day in the evening, after vespers, when it was about four o’clock, the workmen had removed the stone lions, and placed the tomb upon them, and laid the lid of the tomb hard by, and made all ready to fasten it down, so soon as the holy body should be laid in it. And at that time, the bells ringing again, and all being again assembled, the Abbot having put on again his vestments, which were of white brocade, and his ministers with him, went to the altar whereon they had laid the holy body, which had been right nobly guarded and accompanied. And the singers singing the while, he and his ministers took it and laid it with great reverence in the tomb, all seeing it when it was laid there, wrapt up and covered with the sheets. And in the presence of all, the workmen put on the lid and fastened it down. Then the Abbot began the Te Deum laudamus, and the singers continuing it, they went in procession to Our Lady’s Chapel, where the most holy sacrament then was, as ye have heard. And the Abbot said the verse Benedicamus Patrem et Filium cum Sancto Spiritu, and the prayer Deus ad quem digne laudandum, and they all returned thanksgiving to the Lord. And the Abbot and the ministers went into the Sacristy, and took off their sacred vestments; and then he returned and again invited all who were there to a collation in the Refectory, which had been prepared by the servants of the Monastery. And when this was over they separated, each going with great content to his several occupation, praising God.
XXVI. It was a thing of great consolation that there was not a person in that Monastery, who did not all that day feel great joy and delight in his soul. And there befell a thing of which many took notice, and which ought not to be passed over in silence, and it was this. There was a great want of rain in the land of Rioja and Bureva, and the district of Cardeña also was in want of water, though not in such great need, for it was long since any rain had fallen; and it pleased God that on the aforesaid Thursday, the eve of the translation, at the very hour when the Abbot and his people began to prepare the bier, and make all things ready for opening and removing the tomb, a soft and gentle rain began, such a rain that to those who were out of doors it was nothing troublesome, and to the country greatly profitable, and pleasant unto all; and it lasted all that night, and all the day following, till the holy business of the translation was accomplished, and then it ceased. Now it was found that this rain had fallen at the same time and in the same manner, both in the country below Burgos, and also in Bureva, albeit that it rarely hath happened for rain to fall at one time in both provinces, because they are wont to have rain with different winds. It seemeth therefore that this blessed knight, who while he lived protected and defended that country with his person and his arms, beholding the service which was done him, and how he was remembered, favoured it at that time in heaven with his holy intercession, by sending that thing whereof it had then most need, which was water from heaven, in order that it might be made manifest that he never ceased to show favour to those who trusted in him, and to that Monastery of St. Pedro de Cardeña. And an account of this translation, and of all this which befell, was drawn up by the Abbot Fray Lope de Frías, and signed by all the brethren of the Monastery, and all the chief persons there present.
XXVII. Now albeit this translation of the body of the blessed Cid had been made with such honour and reverence, there were many who murmured against it; and Don Pedro Fernandez de Velasco, Duke of Frias, who was then Constable of Cas
tille. and the Municipality of Burgos, sent advice thereof to the Emperor Charles V. who was at that time in Flanders, beseeching him to give order that the tomb of the Cid might be translated back to its former place, and that of Doña Ximena also, which had been removed into the Cloisters of the Monastery. Hereupon the Emperor dispatched letters to his Governor, Cardinal Juan, bidding him see that the petition of the Constable and of the City of Burgos was fulfilled, and the Cardinal in obedience thereunto dispatched the provision here following.
The King.
Venerable Abbot, Monks and Convent of St. Pedro de Cardeña, know ye that we have ordered to be given, and do hereby give our edict unto you, to the following tenor. The Council, Justice, and Regidores, Knights, Esquires, Artificers and Good Men of the City of Burgos, have made a memorial to us the King, showing, that we well know the fame, nobleness, and exploits of the Cid, which are notorious to all, from whose valour there redoundeth honour to all Spain, and especially to that city whereof he was a native, and where he had his origin and birth place; and that one of the principal things which they who pass through that city, both natives of these kingdoms, and strangers also, desire to see, is his tomb and the place wherein he and his ancestors are interred, for his greatness and the antiquity thereof; and that it is now some thirty or forty days since ye, not having respect to this, neither bearing in mind that the Cid is our progenitor, nor the possessions which he left to your house, nor the authority that it is to the said Monastery that he should there have been interred, have removed and taken away his tomb from the middle of the great Chapel, where it had stood for more than four hundred years, and placed it near a staircase, in a place unseemly, and unlike that where it was placed heretofore, both in authority and honour. Moreover ye have removed with him the tomb of Doña Ximena his wife, and placed it in the Cloisters of the said Monastery, full differently from where it was. The which that city, as well because it toucheth us as for her honour, doth greatly resent; and albeit that as soon as it was known the Corregidor and three of the Regidores thereof went there to prevail with ye that ye should restore the said bodies to the place where they were wont to be, ye would not be persuaded; whereof the said city holdeth itself greatly aggrieved: and moreover it is a thing of bad example for Monasteries and Religioners, who, seeing how lightly the tomb of so famous a person hath been removed, may venture to remove and change any monuments and memorials, whereby great evil would accrue to our kingdoms. And the said City supplicateth and beseeching us of our grace, that we would be pleased to give command that ye should restore the bodies of the Cid and of his wife to the same place and form as heretofore. And the Cid having been so signal a person, and one from whom the Royal Crown of Castille hath received such great and notable services, we marvel that ye should have made this alteration in their tombs, and we command you if it be so that their bodies or their tombs have been indeed removed, as soon as ye receive this, to restore them to the same place, and in the same form and manner as they were before; and in case they have not yet been removed, that ye do not move nor touch them, neither now nor at anytime to come. And having first complied with this order, if ye have any cause or reason for making this removal, ye are to send us an account thereof, and also how ye have restored the said bodies and tombs to their former place within forty days, to the end that we may give order to have this matter inspected, and provide as shall be most convenient. Done in Madrid, the 8th day of the Month of July, in the year 1541. Johannes Cardinalis, by command of his Majesty. Governor in his name.
Complete Poetical Works of Robert Southey Page 274