The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1823-06-20
FoF the .4lea.oudrin Herald.

For the .4ierondria Herald.
e 10 the present situation of Spain, 1t is
generally expected, that such resistance
will be msdeo as will compel the French
TO leave that delightful country. The
true CastilisD can never so far forget the
noble blood which flows in hi. veins, and
the chivalrous deeds Of his forefathers, as
ever TO, permit invaders TO keep pos
session Of their country The. Spanish
nation has had the reputation Of being
the hest soldiers that the world ever pro-
duced, and five look back to the reign
of Cuarles V. we will find that that repu.
falien wasnot undeseryedly bestowed.
In looking over an old work, entitled |
''Ihe History of the Revolutions in |
Spain" our attention was particularly at. |
Srscted by the conduct of the Castilians, |
in the year of our Lord 1929. The
MoorS, who, for many years, had kept
possession ofthe Balearic Isles, drove all
the Christians away, and murdered, and
brutality mutilated all those who were
made their prisoners. In this year an
expedition was fitted out from Barcelona,
under the command of Don Jayne, king
Of Aragon,to endeavour to arrest those
islands from the Moorish yoke. After
some very bloody battles, (the success q.
bout equal the king resolved on besieg.
ing the capital Of the Moorish king Of
Mayorca. On coming before the CAPT
tol, the most bloody and unheard of acts
OF butcheries, were performed by the
troops on both sides, the Castilians
throwing the heads OF the prisoners, out
OF an engine into the city. At last the
day arrived on which the general assault
vas to be made; and, conscious of their
inferiority in assaulting regular forti.
fed city, and the king Don Jayne swore,
that the troops should never be drawn
off until the standard royal of Arragon
was planted in the middle of the city:
"fhis resolution produced such an. eff.
feet Upon the minds of the whole army,
thai, with enc common accord, they So
JENNY swore, upon the holy gospel,
6rst, To cause every captains colours to
mount the breach; secondly, That none
should turn their backs, how great So
ever the danger they were in might be
thirdly, That whosoever happened to be
killed, they should let him lie where ne
fell, without offering to carry him off, let
the person be count, or of what quail
~ seever fourthly, That whoever was
wounded should not be suffered to retire
10 his tent; filthy, That none should of
fer 10 stop OF weep if he saw any Of his
relations orin,irHates killed, but that he
should doaIl'bat in him lay to revenge
his death ;-sixthy. That II any one turn.
Cd shack 10 fee, he should be stuck
by those who were near hia, and even
Kl!ied as an enemy 10 the King and his
country seventhly, That when they had
entered the city, none should offer 10 re-
tiFe 80 any resting place till the town was
emirey surrendered. 1t is even affirm
Cd Cha; the king himself would have been
tae FIRST To swear to the observance OF
these seven articles, but that he was hin
darsd by his mobiles who represented to
hlU Stat II " as no way becoming his royal
d unity to bind himself uader any such
engagement.
EWhen the whole array had tax en- this
oath, they began TO make more furious
battery upon the. place, than ever they
had done before insomuch that after
several Iencpupters the success whereof
was. for a considerable while dubious,
the besiegers forced the walls, and peDe-
Grated into the middle Of the city. The
truth is, the Moors were as,onished at
this ta;al stroke: but, resolutey deter
mined.to die like valiant soldiers, the.
recalled all their courage, and by their
horrible outc-ies they inspired the minds
-of sti' the inhabitants with so ardent de-
sire 10 defend their liberties to the; last
gasp, that the very women and children,
from the tops of the houses, cast down
stones, FIRE, and what else came TO hand
upon the Christians in the streets, BY
which they did them considerable dam.
sge. They fought for long time With
an obstinacy which caused horror in the
q. souls OF the beholders. On one side was
to- be seen the king Of Aragon, sword in
hand, at the head of his troops, doing ac-
lions Of heroic va!our, Of which history
produces few examples, On the oppo-
site side was beheld the king OF Mayorca,
at the head Of his, crying out with The
greatest Yehemency, rodo, rodo, which
signifies, stand firm, stand firm. But al
last fortune, which, I'LL then, had some
times lavoured one side, ard sometimes
the other, declared, all on sudden, for
the Christians all submitted to Don
Jayne, on the thirty first OF December,
1929; and by this glorious conquest that
.monarch united to the crown Of Arsgon
that OF MayoYca with all ito deDenden-