Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. I.djvu/308

164 ACCESSION OF FERDINAND AND ISABELLA. PART from the field of action. Numbers of his troops, . " . attempting to escape across the neighbouring frontiers into their own country, were maimed or massacred by the Spanish peasants, in retaliation of the excesses wantonly committed by them in their invasion of Castile. Ferdinand, shocked at this barbarity, issued orders for the protection of their persons, and freely gave safe-conducts to such as desired to return into Portugal. He even, with a degree of humanity more honorable, as well as more rare, than military success, distributed clothes and money to several prisoners brought into Zamo- ra in a state of utter destitution, and enabled them to return in safety to their own country. ^^ The Castilian monarch remained on the field of battle till after midnight, when he returned to Zamora, being followed in the morning by the car- dinal of Spain and the admiral Henriquez, at the head of the victorious legions. Eight standards with the greater part of the baggage were taken in the engagement, and more than two thousand of the enemy slain or made prisoners. Queen i.ubciii's Isabella, on receiving tidings of the event at Tor- thanksgiving o o for^the Vic- (Jesillas, where she then was, ordered a procession 24 Faria y Sousa claims the Cat61icos, pp. 85-90. — L. Mari- honors of the victory for the Por- neo, Cosas Memorables, fol. 158. tuguese, because Prince John kept — Carbajal, Analcs, MS., ailo 76. the field till morning. Even M. La — Bernaldea, Reyes Cat61icos, Cl^de, with all his deference to the MS., cap. 23. — Ruy de Pina, Portuguese historian, cannot swal- Chron. d' el Key Alfonso V., cap. low this. Faria y Sousa, Enropa 19L — Ferdinand, in allusion to Portuguesa, torn. ii. pp. 405-410. Prince John, wrote to his wife, — Ovicdo, Quincuagenas, MS., that " if it had not been for the bat. 1, (juinc. I, dial. 8. — Salazar chicken, the old cock would have de Mendoza, Cron. del Gran Garde- been taken." Garibay, Compen- nal,lib. 1, cap.46. — Pulgar, Reyes dio, lib. 18, cap. 8.