brought against him. To this Alfonso, whether innocent or guilty, not
unnaturally demurred; but the powerful warrior was firm, and the king at
last yielded. When the appointed day arrived, Alfonso made his
appearance, surrounded by his courtiers, all obsequiously vying in
praise of his glory and virtue, and contemptuous denunciations of his
daring accuser. Rodrigo stood alone and gazed on the king sternly. Some
of the nobles endeavored to dissuade him from holding this attitude of
opposition, and to induce him to forego the demand which he had made;
but he put them aside and repeated his challenge. Alfonso dared not
refuse to accept, and accordingly recited aloud the form of oath
prescribed on such occasions, affirming, in the presence of his maker
and the saints of heaven, that he was guiltless of the death of his
brother. He had no sooner concluded than all eyes were turned upon the
Cid, who, in deep, solemn tones, and with the most impressive
earnestness of manner, imprecated on the head of his king every curse
that heaven or hell could inflict, if, in taking that oath, he had
committed perjury. The awed assembly then broke up. Rodrigo, from that
hour, was hated by the king and shunned by the court.

Yet, aware of the Cid's value, Alfonso seems to have concealed his
resentment for some time, and even endeavored to win the affection of
his great subject by allying him in marriage with one of the royal
family. Rodrigo's wife was now dead, and he consented to marry the
princess proposed to him, whose name was also Ximena. The marriage took
place in 1074. It had not the effect, however, of uniting the king and
the Cid. After having achieved a brilliant success over the Arabs of
Granada, who were at war with two other Moslem states in alliance with
Castile, and having signalized his humanity by releasing all his
prisoners, the great Campeador was disgraced and banished by his
ungrateful master. At the court of the Emir of Saragossa the exile found
a ready welcome, and was appointed to a high post in the government of
the kingdom. He did not bear arms against his own sovereign, but headed
the Arabs in several battles with the Christians of Aragon and other
states. The invasion of a Moorish host in Spain, under the eminent
Caliph Jusef Ben Taxfin, chief of the Almoravides and conqueror of
Morocco; the rapid subjugation of the independent Emirs, and the defeat
of Alfonso's army at the battle of Zalaka, in 1087, recalled the