watch over ye as friend
over his friend, and kinsman over his kinsman. And I will be cadi and
guazil, and when dispute happens among ye I will decide it." When
he had said these things, they all replied that they prayed God
to preserve him through long and happy years; and four of the most
honorable among them arose and kissed his hands, and the Cid bade them
take their seats again.

Then the Cid spake unto them and said: "It is told me that Abeniaf
hath done much evil, and committed great wrong toward some of ye, in
that he hath taken great riches from ye to present them to me, saying,
that this he did because ye sold food for a great price during the
siege. But I will accept no such gift; for if I were minded to have
your riches, I could take them, and need not ask them neither from
him, nor from any other; but thing so unseemly as to take that which
is his from any one, without just cause, I will not do. They who have
gotten wealth thus, God hath given it them; let them go to Abeniaf,
and take back what he hath forced from them, for I will order him to
restore the whole." Then he said, "Ye see the riches which I took from
the messengers who went to Murcia; it is mine by right, for I took it
in war because they brake the covenant which they had made, and would
have deceived me: nevertheless I will restore it to the uttermost
centesimo, that nothing thereof shall be lost. And ye shall do homage
to me that ye will not withdraw yourselves, but will abide here, and
do my bidding in all things, and never depart from the covenant which
ye make with me; for I love ye, and am grieved to think of the great
evil and misery which ye endured from the great famine, and of the
mortality which there was. And if ye had done that before which ye
have done now, ye would not have been brought to these sufferings
and have bought the _cafiz_ of wheat at a thousand _maravedis_; but I
trust in God to bring it to one _maravedi_. Be ye now secure in your
lands, and till your fields, and rear cattle; for I have given order
to my men that they offer ye no wrong, neither enter into the town to
buy nor to sell; but that they carry on all their dealings in Alcudia,
and this I do that ye may receive no displeasure. Moreover I command
them not to take any captive into the town, but if this should be
done, lay ye hands on the captive and set him free, without fear, and
if any one should resist, kill him and fear not. I myself will not
enter your cit