The Christian Sultana 



dark dungeons underground, where he kept many of 

 his oppressed subjects in great torture and anguish. He 

 had many wives and an immense miscellaneous seraglio. 

 One of his favourite slaves was a captive Christian lady, 

 the daughter of a knight in Burgos, and affianced to a 

 caballero muy principal of Valencia. 



On her journey thither, she had been taken. From her 

 virtues and prudence she soon acquired a considerable 

 influence over Faseq ; so much so that his principal astro- 

 loger and ambassador at the court of the powers of dark- 

 ness grew jealous of her, and began to entertain serious 

 fears that she might convert the wicked old man, in his 

 dotage, to become a Christian. What the astrologer cared 

 for more than this, was the danger that her son Cuenc el 

 Salahyn might be named successor to the sultanic divan. 



Cuenc was the favourite son of the old king, and it was 

 strongly suspected that his mother (called Abiadah by the 

 Moors, though her real name was Blanca) had made him a 

 Christian already. Indeed, it is now ascertained that she 

 prayed daily during her pregnancy to the blessed Virgin 

 that no pagan might be born of her. 



Cuenc was in every respect the reverse of his father, but 

 the old man was proud of him, for he was the best horse- 

 man in the realm, and could throw a spear more than three 

 hundred varas (so says the historian, whose statement, how- 

 ever, I can scarcely credit) ; besides which, he was so gentle 

 and amiable, by the peculiar favour of the Virgin, that 

 those who saw him could not help loving him. 



The chief astrologer, dreading the ascendancy of the 

 young prince, caused an afrtto to appear to the king in a 

 bloody dream, holding a sword in one hand and a golden 

 bowl of clotted blood in the other. He thus addressed the 

 terrified old pecador in awful accents : — 



