of the
northern transept door in the cathedral.

Pedro Diaz seems to have been a worldly priest, "fond of the sins of the
flesh and of good eating," who fell ill in the third year of his reign.
His secretary, a pious servant of the Lord, dreamt he saw his master's
soul devoured by demons, and persuaded him to confess his sins. It was
too late, for a few days later he died; his death was, however, kept a
secret by his menials, who wished to have plenty of time to make a
generous division of his fortune. When all had been settled to their
liking, the funeral procession moved through the streets of the city,
and, to the surprise of all, the dead bishop, resurrected by St.
Francis of Assisi, at the time in Ciudad Rodrigo, opened the coffin and
stood upon the hearse. He accused his servants of their greed, and at
the same time made certain revelations concerning the life hereafter.
His experiences must have been rather pessimistic, to judge by the
bishop's later deeds, for, having been granted a respite of twenty days
upon this earth, he "fasted and made penitence," doubtless eager to
escape a second time the tortures of the other world.

Other traditions concerning the lives and doings of the noblemen who
disputed the feudal right or _senorio_ over the town, are as numerous as
in Plasencia, with which city Ciudad Rodrigo has certain historical
affinities. The story of the Virgen Coronada, who, though poor, did not
hesitate in killing a powerful and wealthy libertine nobleman whom she
was serving; the no less stirring account of Dona Maria Adan's vow that
she would give her fair daughter's hand to whomsoever venged her wrongs
on the five sons of her husband's murderer, are among the most tragic
and thrilling. There are many other traditions beside, which constitute
the past's legacy to the solitary city near the Portuguese frontier.

It was in the nineteenth century that Ciudad Rodrigo earned fame as a
brave city. The Spanish war for independence had broken out against the
French, who overran the country, and passed from Bayonne in the Gascogne
to Lisbon in Portugal. Ciudad Rodrigo lay on the shortest route for the
French army, and had to suffer two sieges, one in 1810 and the second in
1812. In the latter, Wellington was the commander of the English forces
who had come to help the Spanish chase the French out of the peninsula;
the siege of the town and the battle which ensued were long and
terrible, but at last the allie