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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16632	Almansor the learned and victorious king that conquered Spaine. His life and death published by Robert Ashley, out of the librarie of the Uniuersitie of Oxford.; Verdadera historia del rey Don Rodrigo. Part 2. English. Selections	Luna, Miguel de, 16th/17th cent.; Ashley, Robert, 1565-1641.	1627 (1627)	STC 354; ESTC S100094	34,400	96

Alcaydes of his men of Warre yet when he intended to winne and conquer any kingdome or Prouince by land he delighted exceedingly to bee present in person with his Armie For hee said that the vigour of his spirit alone and the onely imagining of his Alcaydes Captaynes and Souldiers that hee was personally present and that he aduentured his life as well as they was sufficient to ouercome many Enemies and made them with redoubled courage to doe their endeauour In this manner hee wonne thirteene set Battailes in the field and tooke fiue Kings of the Gentiles without being defeated in any of them or his Armie routed and euen with a few Souldiers in regard of those that came against him he performed great Exploits The most notable was that when hee had ouercome one of the Kings of the Gentiles in the Country of Deuque called Abni Raquib and an Armie of seuentie thousand foote and foure thousand horse which King escaped by flight and met with a Sonne in Law of his named Abenyusael Salami who came to succour him whereupon receiuing new courage hee turned againe to see whether hee could recouer what hee had lost and bee reuenged of his enemy And albeit hee came against him with fresh Souldiers that were not wearied which were no fewer then forty thousand foot and two thousand horse and the Armie of the King Almansor was now wearied and enfeebled many hauing beene hurt and slaine in the former battaile and he being much perplexed yet seeing he could not now retire but with great losse and disaduantage nor without some imputation of cowardise he resolued to abide his enemies encounter anew and to re-enforce his Armie he went euery where himselfe putting them in order and encouraging of them saying alowde after this manner Good Souldiers and valiant Warriours let vs dye with Honour like Conquerors and victorious as wee are at this present and let vs not flye dishonourably for J will bee the first that shall set vpon the enemie and bee yee not afraid since Abilgualit Almansor is with you whom the Souereigne God hath neuer yet suffered to be euercome no more shall be at that time With these words hee began the Battaile without farther speech and he fought valiantly himselfe in his Royall person killed many and tooke the King Abni Raquib and his Sonne in Law dyed fighting in that Battaile brauely And when they had taken the spoyle of his Campe all his Souldiers said that the highest God had made Abilgualit victorious and that with great reason he might be called Almansor And from that day forward they named him Almansor Abenforoh whereas before he was called Abilgualit Iacob Abninacer albeit in all these Chapters which I haue written of his life I haue alwayes named him Almansor that I might not alter his name which was best knowne and he might well be so called because he was neuer ouercome in any battaile nor any of his Generals in any warres or battailes which they fought or made by his direction eyther by Sea or by Land which are all registred in the Booke which is written of his life and warres of his time and of his great Exploits and those of his Alcaydes and Gouernours of his Armies with which I intend not to cloy the Readers But will only rehearse the number of them which were seuentie and three Battailes or foughten Fields by Land and thirteene fights by Sea Touching the diuiding of the Spoyles which his Souldiers had when the Battailes were ended he commanded all to be gathered and laid together in such sort that none durst take any thing without his leaue And the distributiō of them was made according to his Statutes and Ordinances for the wars which was that euery Souldier which was slaine in the Warre should haue his part and portion as farre forth as they that were liuing and such parts and portions were accordingly deliuered to the companions and friends of the dead who vndertooke the deliuering of them to the Children Wiues and Heires of them to whom they belonged For he said it was not iust nor reasonable that hee who dyed fighting should lose his part seeing they that were his had losse enough in losing of him without losing the goods which were gotten with the price of his life When hee had made this distribution he vsed to giue audience to any that was grieued therewith giuing order briefly and summarily in what manner hee should be righted in such sort that they were all satisfied and well contented And this was the chiefe cause that when hee intended any warre he was so sought to and serued by his followers who were readie to hazard their liues for him without feare This King Iacob Alnansor as hee was very louing to the Learned and friendly to the valiant and vertuous so was hee as aduerse an enemy to Lyers Pratlers and Gamesters and abhorred and loathed the Loytering Vnthrifts and Idlers for he said that all sueh persons were vnprofitable to the Common-weales like the Droues in the Bee-hiues that are no wayes helpfull to the Bees neyther in gathering nor preseruing the Honie or the Waxe but only to fill vp the roomes in their houses and to eate and consume what they had prouided for their sustenance and these hee vsed to chasten according to their desert He would neuer be idle so much as a moment but was euer busied in good and vertuous Exercises He caused also a Law to be made that what person soeuer hee were that had no Office Trade or course of life wherein to employ his time should be held infamous and of no reputation of what estate or degree soeuer hee were which was the cause that in imitation of him all his Subiects shunned idlenesse and bestowed their time in vertuous Exercises by meanes whereof they escaped many vices and diseases and liued without want except it were here and there one as it is in all Kingdomes CHAP. X. How the resigned his Royall Scepter to his eldest Sonne and of his retirednesse which he chose and of a Letter written to his Sonne of Admonitions for his good Gouernment whereunto hee was bound THe King Abilgualit Iacob Almansor seeing him selfe waxen old and wearie of his Gouernment and considering that his Sonne Abilgualis Abninace was of sufficient age wit and abilitie to rule and gouerne resigned vnto him his Royall Scepter his Crowne and Kingdomes with the consent of his wisest Counsellours and the Alcaydes that were Gouernours retyring himselfe to a solitarie life in that Country house in the Mountaynes of Albasatim and Alhillan which hath beene before mentioned where on the top of a high Rocke neere adioyning hee had caused to be built a sumptuous Mezquita or Temple with a Colledge or Monasterie wherein might liue an Heremite or Abbot with fortie Disciples or Monkes appointing to bee chiefe Gouernour therein a man of much Learning named Mahomet el Gazeli In this man hee had such confidence that hee consulted with him concerning

his Masters who had the charge and gouernment of him For he was at this age so skilfull in the seuen Liberall Sciences that they who were the most learned in them spake of them in his presence With much feare and bashfulnesse for at euery other word he corrected the Imperfections which proceeded out of their Ignorance And at the eighteenth yeare of his age he wrote the three bookes of Mathematickes and Astrologie which are so renowmed at this day amongst the Arabians Hee wrote also the abridgement of Histories the great Art of Algebra and the booke of the exercise of the militarie Art and that which hee entitled The Mirrour of Princes At the one and twentieth yeare of his age he wrote the three Bookes of Philosophie vpon the Texts of Aristotle in forme of a Comment Notwithstanding that which was most to be admired was that at the fiue and twentieth yeare of his age he spake eleuen Languages reading and writing them as perfectly as the very Naturals themselues The King Abilgualit his father being himselfe a wise man yet vndertooke no enterprise without his counsell and aduice because hee found that in so doing his affaires euer succeeded according to his hearts desire This valorous Prince hauing liued after this manner a certaine season and hauing ordayned a Iurgo di canas and other disports called vnto them the great Alcaydes who were Gouernors of his Kingdomes one of which at his comming presented to the King Abilgualit his father an Alfange which is a Sword or Cimiter of inestimable value for the handle was of the finest Emerald the pommell of a stone called a Balais Tabeli the scabberd and chape hilt of fine gold wrought with the hammer with sundry sorts of precious stones enchaced H●ia and the blade most excellently damasked Some of the Alcaydes hauing seene and handled it from hand to hand they all concluded in saying that were it but halfe a hands bredth longer it would then be the best weapon in the world whereat the King Abilgualit was much distasted because hee had taken a great liking thereof and therfore caused the Prince Jacob Almansor to be called that hee might see it and giue his iudgement thereon admonishing the Alcaydes that none should aduertise him of the fault they found who being come to his presence he commanded that the Alfange should be showne him who was so wel pleased with the sight of it that he presently spake these words This Weapon is worth a Citie The King his father replyed that hee should looke well theron and consider what fault there was to be found therein but hee said hee found none the thing being as well framed and wrought as he could desire Then his father the King Abilgualit acquainted him how the Alcaydes did say that the Blade was too short Whereat the Prince taking the Alfange in his hand said with a smiling countenance these words To the hardie and couragious caualiers no weapon no weapon is too short and then stepping with his right foot one step forwards with the Alfange in his hand prosecuting his reason hee said because with one pace forward it will bee made as long as one would desire This his speech was so pleasing to his father Abilgualit that he presently cast his armes about his neck and embraced him saying Certainly my Sonne thou mayest well seeke out other Kingdoms to conquer for those which I shall leaue thee are too few for that wisdome and valour which the Soueraigne God hath giuen thee and girding the Alfange about him hee said that it could not belong to any but to him since hee found no fault with it This being thus ended the Prince went downe with all the Alcaydes that were present to play at the Canes and at other deuices in such sort that all admired his dexterity in deuising guiding such delightfull disports The next day with many gracious fauours he dispatched those Alcaydes Which done hee said it were not reasonable to shew himselfe gracious only to the Alcaydes of his Kingdomes and to leaue his poore Subiects comfortlesse and vnrewarded With which resolution he commanded all the poore about his Court to bee called that they might also bee partakers of his bounty and when they were come hee placed himselfe at the Gate of his Treasurie and as they passed by him hee gaue to euery one of them a handfull of gold coyne vntold which hauing done he vnderstood after by his tellers that hee had that day distributed two and twentie Arrobas Arrobas and thirteene pounds of gold This being reported to his father Abilgualit hee was reprehended by him as being too free and aduised him to stay his hand lest otherwise he might becom poore saying that a King without his Treasure is like a dead man among the liuing But the Prince answered that he might rather be said to be dead that is close fisted towards his followers because hee could not expect any comfort of them in his necessitie and in the day of his distresse and that hee was not borne but to doe good in imitation of his Creator who vsed so much clemencie towards his creatures whose second cause or Instrument hee esteemed himselfe here on earth and that none might iustly reprehend him in that behalfe seeing hee considered that nothing was more certaine then death and that he could carrie nothing out of this life but 〈◊〉 poore shrowd or Winding sheet Mortaia and those good or euill deeds which he had done in this life to giue accompt of them to that high most omnipotent God as to a iust Iudge at the day of that fearefull finall Iudgement These reasons were so agrecable to his father Abilgualit that considering well the great worth of the Prince he or dayned eft-soones in his life and Kingdomes such order and course as the next Chapter declares CHAP. II. How the King Abilgualit resigned his Kingdom to his Sonne Iacob Almansor and retired to a solitarie life THe King Abilgualit perceiuing the great valour of his Sonne the Prince Iacob Almansor and that he himselfe was old being aboue seuentie yeares of Age he resolued to resigne his Kingdome into his hands and to retire to his rest and resigned the same accordingly with the agreement and consent of the great Alcaydes of his Kingdome in such sort that the Prince Iacob Almansor was crowned and sworne for King the tenth day of the Moone of Moharram three and thirtie yeeres of the Higera being then fully complete Aune Chr. 654. Ian. which Coronation was confirmed the third day of the Moone of Rabeh being the second of that yeare Hauing began his Raigne and Gouernment he tooke also a new habit in his conditions kind and manner of Liuing which because they are worth the remembring I will not forbeare to rehearse at large in this briefe Treatise For contrary to that gallantry and brauerie which he vsed whiles he was Prince hee clothed himselfe in the plainest sort