miracle which he had seen, and baptize him in the name of Jesus Christ,
for he would live and die in his faith, holding all other to be but
error. And the Abbot baptized him in the name of the Holy Trinity, and
gave him to name Diego Gil. And all who were there present were greatly
amazed, and they made a great outcry and great rejoicings to God for
this miracle, and for the power which he had shown through the body of
the Cid in this manner; for it was plain that what the Jew said was
verily and indeed true, because the posture of the Cid was changed. And
from that day forward Diego Gil remained in the Monastery as longed as
he lived, doing service to the body of the Cid.
XVIII. After that day the body of the Cid remained in the same posture,
for they never took his hand off the sword, nor changed his garments
more, and thus it remained three years longer, till it had been there
ten years in all. And then the nose began to change colour. And when
the Abbot Don Garcia Tellez and Gil Diaz saw this, they weened that it
was no longer fitting for the body to remain in that manner. And three
Bishops from the neighbouring provinces met there, and with many masses
and vigils, and great honour, they interred the body after this manner.
They dug a vault before the altar, beside the grave of Doña Ximena, and
vaulted it over with a high arch, and there they placed the body of the
Cid seated as it was in the ivory chair, and in his garments, and with
the sword in his hand, and they hung up his shield and his banner upon
the walls.
XIX. After the body of the noble Cid Campeador had been thus honourably
interred, Gil Diaz his trusty servant abode still in the Monastery of
St. Pedro de Cardeña, doing service to the graves of the Cid and Doña
Ximena, and making their anniversaries, and celebrating masses, and
giving great alms to the poor both in food and clothing, for the good
of their souls; and in this manner he lived while Don Garcia Tellez was
Abbot, and two others after him, and then he died. And his deportment
had alway been such in that Monastery, that all there were his friends,
and lamented greatly at his death, because he had led so devout and
good a life, and served so trustily at the graves of his master and
mistress. And at the time of his death he gave order that they should
lay his body beside the good horse Bavieca whom he had loved so well,
in the grave which he had made there for himself while he was living.
And Diego Gil remained in his place, doing the same service which he
had done, till he departed also. And the history saith that though Gil
Díaz was good, Diego Gil was even better.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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