Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/326

302 302 ITALIAN WARS. II. PART and Monte Frio. At the last place, he headed the scaling party, and was the first to mount the walls in the face of the enemy. He wellnigh closed his career in a midnight skirmish before Granada, which occurred a short time before the end of the war. In the heat of the struggle his horse was slain ; and Gonsalvo, unable to extricate himself from the morass in which he was entangled, would have perished, but for a faithful servant of the family, who mounted him on his own horse, briefly commending to his master the care of his wife and children. Gonsalvo escaped, but his brave fol- lower paid for his loyalty with his life. At the conclusion of the war, he was selected, together with Ferdinand's secretary Zafra, in consequence of his plausible address, and his familiarity with the Arabic, to conduct the negotiation with the Moor- ish government. He was secretly introduced for this purpose by night into Granada, and finally suc- ceeded in arranging the terms of capitulation with the unfortunate Abdallah, as has been already stated. In consideration of his various services, the Spanish sovereigns granted him a pension, and a large landed estate in the conquered territory.^ After the war, Gonsalvo remained with the court, 9 Peter Martyr, Opus Epist., "Gonsalve deCordoue," where the cpist. 90. — Giovio, Vila Magni young- warrior is made to play a Gonsalvi, lib. 1, pp. 211, 212. — part he is by no means entitled to, Condc, Dominacion de los Arabes, as hero of the Granadine war. torn. iii. cap. 42. — Quintaua, Es- Graver writers, who cannot law- pariules Cfclebres, tom. i. pp. 207 fully plead the privilege of ro- _'2l. — Pulgar, Sumario, p. 193. mancuig, have committed the same Fh)rian has given circulation to error. See, among others, Varillas, a popular error liy his romance of Politique de Ferdinand, p. 3.