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.