Martyrs

ON THE BLESSED MARTYRS,

PETER RODRIGUEZ THE COMMANDER, MENDO VALLE, DAMIAN VAZ, ALVARUS GARCIA, STEPHEN VASQUEZ, VALERIUS DE ORA, KNIGHTS OF THE ORDER OF S. JAMES, AND GARCIA RODRIGUEZ THE MERCHANT,

AT TAVIRA IN THE ALGARVES.

From the Lusitanian Hagiology of Jorge Cardoso.

A.D. MCCXLII.

Peter Rodriguez, Commander of the Order of S. James, Martyr at Tavira in the Algarves (B.)

Mendus Valle, Knight, Martyr at Tavira in the Algarves (B.)

Damianus Vaz, Knight, Martyr at Tavira in the Algarves (B.)

Alvarus Garcia, Knight, Martyr at Tavira in the Algarves (B.)

Stephanus Vasquez, Knight, Martyr at Tavira in the Algarves (B.)

Valerius de Ora, Knight, Martyr at Tavira in the Algarves (B.)

Garcias Rodriguez the Merchant, Martyr at Tavira in the Algarves (B.)

BY THE AUTHOR D. P.

Tavira, a town of the Algarves, on the shore of the Ocean sea, four leagues distant from the mouths of the Guadiana river, six years earlier, At Tavira in the Algarves than the capital of all Baetica, Seville, was occupied by S. Ferdinand, namely in the year MCCXLII, by the empire of the same holy King was joined through the Master of the Order of S. James, Don Pelagius Correa, called by the Spanish a Joshua of the new Testament, because once insisting on routing the Moors, he himself is believed to have stopped the sun by the empire of his voice, as can be read on XXX May at ch. XI letter c of the Ferdinandian Chronicle. By a lesser miracle, but by greater expenditure of noble blood, the prior victory was won. For this preceded the glorious death of the seven Heroes I have named in the Title; by the reason which Jorge Cardoso narrates on this day, in his Lusitanian Hagiology; because the holy King's son Alfonso X, the principal church of S. Mary, yielded the Algarves to Alfonso III of Portugal, with the title of Kingdom added, as dowry for his daughter Beatrice. There are in that town, besides monasteries, two parochial churches; of which one, and that the chief, sacred to S. Mary, pertains to the jurisdiction of the Jacobean Order; and to it on the feast of S. Barnabas the Apostle the whole town flocks, because on such day it came into the power of the Christians; on 11 June he is venerated upon the altar and a most solemn procession is instituted to the altar of the same Saint, which is at the horn of the Gospel of the principal altar; where his painted image is seen, standing upon a stone coffer, in which are enclosed the bodies of the aforesaid seven Heroes, whom to be called Martyrs, and under that title to stand upon the altar to be adored, is in ancient use.

[2] Seven strong men, The deed Cardoso himself thus narrates, from whose Notes I have also taken the foregoing. When Master Don Pelagius Petri Correa, by force of arms in the Algarves had occupied some places of great moment, and it was the time for the Moors to make their harvest; they asked a four-month truce, nor did they difficultly obtain it from ours, by that incursion notably diminished and wearied, and needing supplement and rest. By the security of this temporary peace was permitted by the Master, Peter the Commander, who caught by the Moors with the five aforenamed companions, to go out from the camps to hunt, to the place which they call Antas, distant one league from Tavira. Here, as they were diverting themselves and exercising for some days, the Moors irritated by their such confidence, suddenly rushed upon the Christians, as famished wolves. To danger so unexpected and formidable seeing their own paucity, they immediately sent to indicate it and ask aid from the Master, who then had his station at Casella, five leagues thence; meanwhile for the time they hastily fortified themselves with stakes driven into the soil, the present discrimination supplying industry and swiftness to the work to be done. There happened to pass by a certain merchant Garcia Rodriguez; and recognizing the inequality of the parties, he dismissed his servants with his merchandise, and joined himself to those in peril: who, adding spirits to all by words and works, exhorted to act bravely, no less a strenuous soldier than industrious merchant.

[3] Pelagius having received the message, gathered as great a band of his as he could, and slaughtered and hastened so much to the help of the enclosed, that, although finding the gates of Tavira open he could have held the place, he yet preferred to proceed further, than to lose even so little time. Yet that diligence was all in vain: for he found them all prostrate in the place, after they had slaughtered very many of the enemies with their own hand, as the field showed full of the corpses of slain Moors. Moved by this spectacle the Master, and indignant at the treaty-breaking barbarians, leaped with his upon the victors; and not only drove them from the place, and Tavira soon being taken were gathered into one tomb, but pursued them fleeing as far as Tavira with such force, that snatching the leisure and courage of closing the gates, he burst at the same time into the town, opening way through whatever force of resisting enemies. The gate gained when no one further opposed himself, to the middle forum of the town he proceeded, having signally avenged the death of his companions.

[4] The first care then was to take care to consecrate the Mosque, the principal of the place, expiated by Christian ceremonies, they are venerated as Martyrs. to the Queen of the Angels, with an altar built for her: at whose side, which is called of the Gospel, was also constructed an altar of S. Barnabas the Apostle, because on his feast the matter had been done: and over that altar was placed a great chest of rough marble, containing the bodies of the seven aforesaid Heroes, having on the outside seven swords of the Jacobean militia sculpted, with shells dear to S. James; where by the faithful people they are honored as true Martyrs, as killed by the unbelievers in hatred of the Christian faith. Although however the day of the killing itself is not precisely noted: yet it is sufficiently probable, that on X or that very XI June they were overwhelmed by the multitude of enemies, to whom the extemporaneous fence which they had made could not afford long shelter, and therefore they leaped out into the open field, that even dying to the enemies of faith they might inflict the greatest slaughter they could. Rightly they are placed on this day, on which together with the memory of the recovered town the Deposition of the same was joined. The titled names Cardoso protests in the Notes that he transcribed from ancient Chronicles; he confesses however Antonius Brandanus, part 4 of the Lusitanian Monarchy book 14 ch. 20, to disagree in naming two: Duranus Vas, who in the Chronicles is Damianus; and Beltranus de Caja, who in them is Valerius da Ora or Oja.

[5] Cardoso proceeds further with the context, by proving their true sanctity, from their apparition, These in the next century seen to guard the town, made to the King besieging Tavira, and related by Ruiz de Pina, writing the history of Alphonso IV of Portugal, and ch. 41 speaking thus: "I have found in an ancient and well-authentic Lusitanian memory, that the King of Castile D. Alfonso (namely XI of this name) besieged Tavilla (others write Tavira); but on a certain Saturday morning surveying the place around, that he might consider on what part rather to attack it; he returned to the monastery of S. Francis, in which he had his station: and from there turning his eyes back to the town, he saw above the church of S. Mary seven men of giant stature, clothed in white, and bearing standards of S. James in their hands. At which sight astonished, the King called the Guardian of the Convent, an old and pious man, and skilled in ancient things: to whom when he had narrated what he had seen, and asked their explanation; 'Doubt nothing, my Lord,' the elder said, 'that those seven Knights you saw are those same ones, who on that day, on which good memory Don Pelagius Correa took this town and expelled the Moors, fighting bravely for the faith of Christ lost their life; moved Alfonso XI of Castile to lift the siege. and lie buried in the church, above which you saw them: and we in their presence have this confidence, that as long as they are with us, never shall this town be subjected to another lord.' Which heard, the King lifted the siege, in honor of the Martyrs, and betook himself to his kingdom."

[6] By what author this vision is referred, Nicolaus Antonii, in his Hispanic Library, on the name and elogium of Roderic or Ruysius de Pina, teaches the reader, that the aforesaid Chronicle of his is not yet published in print; and that its first part itself, until the year MCCCCLXXII, should be said rather to be that of Ferdinandus Lopez and Gomez Joannes de Zurara; after whom a certain Anonymous for some years continued the history, the rest at length until the year MDXIII the above-praised writer added. Would that to the most diligent Author of the aforesaid Library God had prolonged Life, for gathering its other part, which would have enumerated to us Spanish Writers before the year MD; for from here only the later begins, which we have. But behold, while this leaf comes to us from the press, just now beginning to be printed; there is brought from the Roman press one or another leaf of the desired book, begun to be printed there, with the most Eminent Cardinal de Aguirre taking care, into whose hand the above-praised Author's writings have come. When the whole book has been brought here, we shall perhaps know, which of the two aforesaid, and when, and whether it happened in 1337 is not yet explored by us. consigned that vision to letters; and how much more credit it merits than others, writing the deed under another King; and supposing for the Guardian of the Franciscans, whom the King consulted, an Eremite at S. Peter's, whom Cardoso rejects; he himself to be corrected since in the context indeed he said the place was besieged, in the year 1337 on day 15 September; but in the Notes, in the year 1375, by the carelessness no doubt of copyists, whose work he has used either in transcribing the work to the press, or in setting up and correcting the types: for the later year saw no King Alphonsus in Portugal, nor even in Castile. But if the earlier year is rightly noted, it had the Dominical letter E, and so the siege was begun on the II feria; and the day of the vision made to the King probably on the following Saturday, XX September.