Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 5.djvu/787

Rh Cicognara was patronized by Francis I. of Austria, and pub- j lisked (1815-1820), under the auspices of that sovereign, his Fabbriche piu cospicue di Venezia, two superb folios, containing some 150 plates. Charged by the Venetians with the presentation of their gifts to the Empress Caroline at Vienna, Cicognara added to the offering an illustrated catalogue of the objects it comprised ; this book, Omaggio delle Provincie Venete alia Maestti, di Carolina Augusta, printed for private circulation at the author s own expense, has since become of great value to the bibliophilist. Re duced to poverty by these splendid editorial speculations, Cicognara contrived to alienate the imperial favour by his political opinions. He left Venice for Rome ; his library was sent to market; and in 1821 he published at Pisa a catalogue raisonne, rich in bibliographical lore, of this fine collection, the result of thirty years of loving labour, which in 1824 was purchased en bloc by Pope Leo XII., and added to the Vatican library. The other works of Cicognara are the Mernorie Storiche de Litterati ed Artisti Ferraresi, 1811 ; the Vite de piu insigni Pittori e Scultori Ferraresi, MS.; the Memorie spettanti alia Storia delta C&lcografia, 1831; and a large number of dissertations on painting, sculpture, engraving, and other kindred subjects. (See Papoli, in No. 1 1 of the Exile, a print written and pub lished by Italian refugees). Cicognara s reputation is principally founded on his Storia della Scultura. This is a valuable book, but it is disfigured and weakened by the enthusiasm that led the author to sacrifice almost all the lights of modern sculpture to the reputation of his friend Canova, to whom the seventh part of the book is devoted. His work as president of the Academy at Venice was also excellent ; to him are attri buted the increase in number of the professors, the improve- mentin the courses of study, the institution of prizes, and the foundation of a gallery for the reception of Venetian pictures.  CID,,, the favourite hero of Spain, and the most prominent figure in her litera ture, has a name so obscured by myth and fable as scarcely to belong to history. So extravagant are the deeds as cribed to him, and so marvellous the attributes with which he has been clothed by the fond idolatry of his country men, that by some he has been classed with the Amadises and the Orlandos whose exploits he emulated. The Jesuit Masdeu stoutly denies that he had any real existence, and this heresy has not wanted followers even in Spain. The truth of the matter, however, has been expressed by Cer vantes, through the mouth of the Canon in Don Quixote: &quot; There is no doubt there was such a man as the Cid, but much doubt whether he achieved what is attributed to him.&quot; The recent researches of Professor Dozy, of Ley- den, have amply confirmed this opinion. There is a Cid of history and a Cid of romance, differing very materially in character, but each filling a large space in the annals of his country, and exerting a singular influence in the de velopment of the national genius. The Cid of history, though falling short of the poetical ideal which the patriotism of his countrymen has for 700 years cherished, is still the foremost man of the heroical period of Spain the greatest warrior produced out of the long struggle between Christian and Moslem, and the per fect type of the Spanish Goth of the 12th century. Rod- rigo Diaz, called de Bivar, from the place of his birth, better known by the title given him by the Arabs as the Cid (El Seid, the lord), and El Campeador, the champion par excellence, was of a noble family, one of whose members in a former generation had been elected judge of Castile. The date of his birth cannot be fixed with any certainty, but it was probably between 1030 and 1040. As Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar he is first mentioned in a charter of Fernando I. of the year 1064. The legends which speak of the Cid as accompanying this monarch in his expeditions to France and Italy must be rejected as purely apocryphal. Fer nando, a great and wise prince under whom the tide of Moslem conquest was first effectually stemmed, on his deathbed, in 1065, divided his territories among his five children. Castile was left to his eldest son Sancho, Leon to Alphonso, Galicia to Garcia, Zamora and Toro to his two daughters Urraca and Elvira. The extinction of the Western Caliphate and the dispersion of the once noble heritage of the Ommiades into numerous petty independent states, had taken place some thirty years previously, so that Castilian and Moslem were once again upon equal terms, the country being almost equally divided between them. On both sides was civil war, urged as fiercely as that against the common enemy, in which the parties sought allies indiscriminately among Christians and Ma hometans. No condition of affairs could be more favour- ble to the genius of the Cid. He rose to great distinc- ation in the war between Sancho of Castile and Saucho of Navarre, in which he won his name of Campeador, by slaying the enemy s champion in single combat. In the quarrel between Sancho and his brother Alphonso, Rodrigo Diaz espoused the cause of the former, and it was he who suggested the perfidious stratagem by which Sancho eventually obtained the victory and possession of Leon. Sancho having been slain in 1072, while engaged in the siege of Zamora, Alphonso was taken from his prison and raised to the vacant throne. One of the most striking of the passages in the Cid s legendary history is that wherein he is represented as forcing the new king to swear that he had no part in his brother s death ; but there was cause enough without this for Alphonso s animosity against the man who had helped to despoil him of his patrimony. For a time the Cid, already renowned throughout Spain for his prowess in war, was even advanced by the king s favour and entrusted with high commissions of state. In 1074 the Cid was wedded to Ximena, daughter of the count of Oviedo, and granddaughter, by the mother s side, of Alphonso V. The original deed of the marriage-contract is still extant. Some time afterwards the Cid was sent on an em bassy to collect tribute from Motamid, the king of Seville, whom he found engaged in a war with Abdallah, the king of Granada. On Abdallah s side were many Castilian knights, among them Count Garcia Ordonez, a prince of the blood, whom the Cid endeavoured vainly to persuade of the disloyalty of opposing their master s ally. In the battle which ensued under the walls of Seville, Abdallah and his auxiliaries were routed with great slaughter, the Cid returning to Burgos with many prisoners and a rich booty. There fresh proofs of his prowess only served to kindle against him the rancour of his enemies and the jealousy of the king. Garcia Ordonez accused him to Al phonso of keeping back part of the tribute received from Seville, and the king took advantage of the Cid s absence on a raid against the Moors to banish him from Castile. Henceforth Rodrigo Diaz began to live that heroic-pica resque life which has made him famous, sometimes fighting under the Christian banner, sometimes under Moorish, but always for his own hand. At the head of a band of 300 free lances he offered his services first to the count of Barcelona ; then, failing him, to Moctadir, the Arab king of Saragossa, of the race of the Beni Houd. Under Moctadir, and his successors Moutamin and Mostain, the Cid remained for nearly eight years, fighting their battles against Mahometan and Christian, when not engaged upon his own, and being admitted almost to a share of their royal authority. He made more than one attempt to be reconciled with Alphonso, but his overtures being re jected, he turned his arms against the enemies of the Bcni Houd, extending their dominions at the expense of the- 