This Mr Fitzmaurice Kelly dismisses in a word, although it seems to me to merit some attention. De Vargas distinguished himself greatly at the siege of Seville in the year 1248. One day, while riding by the banks of the river, accompanied only by a single companion, he was attacked by a party of seven mounted Moors. His comrade rode off, but Pérez, closing his visor, and setting his lance in rest, faced the paynim warriors. They, seeing who awaited them, made all speed back to their own lines. As he made his way back to camp Pérez noticed that he had dropped his scarf, and immediately returned to seek for it. But although he rode far into the danger zone ere he found it, the Moors still avoided him, and he returned to the Spanish camp in safety. The ballad makes Pérez recover the scarf from the Moors, who had found it and "looped it on a spear." "Stand, stand, ye thieves and robbers, lay down my lady'spledge!" He cried; and ever as he cried they felt his faulchion's edge. That day when the Lord of Vargas came to the camp alone, The scarf, his lady's largess, around his breast was thrown; Bare was his head, his sword was red, and, from his pommel strung, Seven turbans green, sore hack'd, I ween, before Don Garci hung. This last verse shows how strongly Lockhart was indebted to Scott for the spirit and style of his compositions. [52] Pedro the Cruel We come now to those ballads which recount the vivid but sanguinary history of Don Pedro the Cruel. Many attempts have been made to prove that Pedro was by no means such an inhuman monster as the balladeers would have us believe. But probability seems to be on the side of the singers rather than on that of the modern historians, who have done their best to remove the stain of his ferocious acts from Pedro's abhorred name. His first act of atrocity was that celebrated in the ballad entitled "The Master of St Iago," which refers to his illegitimate brother. On the death of that nobleman, his father, well aware of Pedro's vindictive temperament, fled to the city of Coimbra, in Portugal. But, believing Pedro's asseverations that he had no intention of offering him violence, he accepted his invitation to the Court of Seville, where a gallant tournament was about to be held. No sooner had he arrived, however, than he was secretly put to death (1358), it is believed at the instance of the notorious Maria de Padilla, Pedro's mistress. "Stand off, stand off, thou traitor strong," 'twas thus he said to me. "Thy time on earth shall not be long--what brings thee to my knee? My lady craves a New Year's gift, and I will keep my word; Thy head, methinks, may serve the shift--Good yeoman, draw thy sword."