ughters now to higher rank and greater honor wed:
Sought by Navarre and Aragon for queens his daughters twain;
And monarchs of his blood to-day upon the thrones of Spain.

Five years now elapsed during which the Cid lived happy, honored by
all and visited by embassies even from distant Persia. But the Cid was
now old and felt his end near, for St. Peter visited him one night and
warned him that, although he would die in thirty days, he would
triumph over the Moors even after life had departed.

This assurance was most comforting, for hosts of Moors had suddenly
crossed the seas and were about to besiege Valencia. Trusting in St.
Peter's warning, the Cid made all his preparations for death, and,
knowing his followers would never be able to hold the city after he
was gone, bade them keep his demise secret, embalm his body, bind it
firmly on his steed Bavieca, and boldly cut their way out of the city
with him in their van.

Just as had been predicted, the Cid died on the thirtieth day after
his vision, and, his corpse having been embalmed as he directed, his
followers prepared to leave Valencia. To the amazement of the Moors,
the gates of the city they were besieging were suddenly flung open
wide, and out sallied the Christians with the Cid in their midst. The
mere sight of this heroic leader caused such a panic, that the little
troop of six hundred Christian knights safely conveyed their dead
chief and his family through the enemy's serried ranks to Castile.
Other detachments led by the bishop and Gil Diaz then drove these
Moors back to Africa after securing immense spoil.

Seeing Valencia abandoned, the Moors whom the Cid had established
without the city returned to take possession of their former houses,
on one of which they discovered an inscription stating that the Cid
Campeador was dead and would no longer dispute possession of the city.

Meantime the funeral procession had gone on to the Monastery of St.
Pedro de Cardena, where the Cid was buried, as he requested, and where
his marvellously preserved body sat in his ivory throne ten years,
before it was placed in its present tomb.

For two years and a half the steed Bavieca was reverently tended by
the Cid's followers, none of whom, however, ever presumed to bestride
him. As for Ximena, having mounted guard over her husband's remains
four years, she finally died, leaving grandchildren to rule over
Navarre and Aragon.

And so his honor in the land grows