The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-22


Spains traditions of chtvalry. nobility
and exploit are derived chiefly from the
chronicles concerning the popular Iberian
hero. lei Cid, or El Campeador. whose
fame is preserved In legend, song and lore.
The Cid is a sort Of medieval Achilles.
and the quasi epic in which his deeds are
recounted may be compared with the Had
in so far as both have basis in history,
and both stand together as unrlvaled OK
amples OF the eXuberance of poetic
fancy that Is prone to defy and worship
its own manufactures. Spain has regard
for her hero that Is as wildly extravagant
as the charactAr of her people Would lead
one to expect The Cid and his apothesis
by the spanish have no parallel
OF the Cid pronounced "TheethO Hen
ry Edward Watts writes thus: THE Cid
of romance, the Cid of a thousand bat
ties, the Cid as apotheosized in literature.
the CID invoked by good Spaniards in
every national crisis. whose name Is a
perpetual ana evcr-present inspiration to
Spanish patriotism, is a very different
character to the historical Rodrigo Diaz
the freebooter, the rebel the consorter
with the infdels and the enemies of Spain.
He Is the Perfect One, the Born-in-a- Hap
py-Iiour My CID, the invincible, the
magnanimous, the all-poworful lie is the
triotic duty, the flower OF all Christian
grace. He is the Roland and Bayard in
one" The epic in which the virtue and
glories of the Rodrigo are embalmed Is
entitled the Poem of the Cid" and Is
more of a fragment than complete and
unified literary structure. II has all the
freshness Of barbarty, all the simplicity
of unbounded faith, all the extravaganza
of uncultured Imagination; an magma
ton in which the real and ideal are we'd
ded and become as one. If this be not fer
tile soil for god making. such soil Is to be
found nowhere. We study the poem and
are carried away with the beauty, the
vigor the substantially of the dream
but we classify it properly and give IL a
place with the other products of savage
times. poem of the Cid written to-day
could find neither publisher nor reader
SO much for the epic of Spain. The
American of to-day viii probably be more
interested IN the historical Diaz who was
deifed. The flesh out of which this idol
grew was Rodrigo Diaz of Bivar The
name Cid comes from the Arabic "Ea
Seyyd," the lord. He came into proms-
hence as a warrior I'm the army of Fer
nando l. This was probably about the
year 1925. Fernando accomplished a cheek
OF the Moslem conquest, and Spain was
equally divided between the Spanish ana
the Arabs, and in the fierce civil wars
which followed Diaz found ample field for
the exploitation of his military genius.
Toward the end of the eleventh century
the Cid was welded to q royal bride.
Ximena the daughter of the Count Oviedo.
She was the granddaughter of King AL
fonso V, and this fact I'm the story OF the
Cid is verified by historians who have the
original marriage contract as evidence
About this time Rodrigo fought in the
war between Motamid King OF Seville,
and the King of Granada, Abdalah. Alb
AnIp bod I'D 4
great Garcia Ordonez. This prince of the
blood was seen by Rodrigo, who begged
him to recant his disloyal agreement and
return to his lawful master But Ordo-
n@z refused and the battle was fought
without the walls of Seville. The Cid
routed his enemies and brought back
great store of treasure and many prison
ers. Ordonez treacherous 10 the last, per-
suaded Alfonso that Rodrigo had stolen
the tribute from Seville, and the Cid was
banished. Then began the exploits which
have furnished the theme OF the grand
national poem of Espana. The Cid was
found fighting the Moors now and now
the Spaniards Crescent or cross were
alike TO him, providing he was always
in blood and always robbing some one OF
treasurc--in which he proved himself n
genuine Spaniard. He led his army against
Valencia, a city that had aroused the Gu
pidty of the Moor and Christian II fell
before the va army OF GVVV men aIter
withstanding a siege of nine months. The
slaughter which followed the surrender
the terms of which were every one ruth
lessly violated by the Cid-was truly
Spanish. No Moslem soldier could have
equaled 1t. For four years he ruled, Il
would appear with much justice, but was
at last beaten by Almoravides, and died
in At of anger and grief. When II Is
said that Rodrigo was a savage fighter all
is said that cam be said In his praise He
was a barbarian compared with the Sara
Gems he conquered and who conquered him.
1t would seem ihe Spanish poet could have
selected a better hero FOR his quasi epic.
1t is the Cid of the poets Imagination that
lives and that inspires the Weyisrs, the
Polaviejas and the Camaras of to-day, and
they are all poor relations Of the original.