weakness he could not hold himself upon his horse, but fell from his
horse upon the ground; and Rodrigo alighted and went to him and slew
him; and when he had slain him he asked the judges if there was any
thing more to be done for the right of Calahorra: and they made answer
that there was not. Then came the King Don Ferrando to him, and
alighted by him, and helped to disarm him, and embraced him much; and
when he was disarmed he went with him from the field, he and all the
Castillians greatly rejoicing; but as great as was the pleasure of King
Don Ferrando and his people, so great was the sorrow of King Don Ramiro
of Aragon and of his. And he ordered them to take up Don Martin
Gonzalez, and they carried the body into his own lands, and he went
with it, and Calahorra remained in the power of King Don Ferrando.
XI. But when the Counts of Castille saw how Rodrigo increased day by
day in honour, they took counsel together that they should plot with
the Moors, and fix a day of battle with them on the day of the Holy
Cross in May, and that they should invite Rodrigo to this battle, and
contrive with the Moors that they should slay him; by which means they
should be revenged upon him, and remain masters of Castille, which now
because of him they could not be. This counsel they sent to communicate
to the Moors and to the Moorish Kings who were Rodrigo's vassals, being
those whom he had made prisoners and set at liberty. But they, when
they saw this counsel and the falsehood which was devised, took the
letters of the Counts, and sent them to Rodrigo their Lord, and sent to
tell him all the secret of the treason. And Rodrigo thanked them
greatly for their good faith, and took the letters and carried to the
King, and showed him all the enmity of the Counts, and especially of
the Count Don Garcia, who was afterwards called of Cabra. When the King
saw this as it was, he was astonished at their great falsehood, and he
issued his letters in which he ordered them to leave his dominions;
then he went to Santiago on a pilgrimage, and ordered Rodrigo to cast
these Counts out of the land; and Rodrigo did as the King commanded
him. Then Doña Elvira his kinswoman, the wife of the Count Don Garcia,
came and fell on her knees before him; but Rodrigo took her by the hand
and raised her up, and would not hear her till she was arisen. And when
he had raised her up she said. I beseech you, cousin, since you have
banished me and my husband, that you would give us a letter to some
King who is one of your vassals, enjoining him to befriend us, and give
us something for your sake whereon we may live. So he gave her a letter
to the King of Cordova, who received her and her husband well for the
love of Rodrigo, and gave Cabra to him, that he and his people might
dwell therein. This Count was afterwards so ungrateful to the King of
Cordova that he made war upon him from Cabra which the King had given
him, till Rodrigo came and took it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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