Over his head appeared the sacred cross ; but he prayed
heaven to show it to his army instead, that they might be
' inspired with the hope of victory. Filled with joy at the
token, the Portuguese defeated the Moors, and on the
bloody battle-field Alfonso was proclaimed King of Portugal,
and from that day placed on his hitherto unadorned buckler
five azure shields, arranged as a cross. He continued the
wars with the Moors until, wounded and taken prisoner at
Badajoz, he resigned the throne to his son, Don Sancho,
who in turn won many victories. Alfonso II., Sancho
II., Alfonso III., and Alfonso the Brave succeeded him.
At the court of the latter was a beautiful maiden, Inez de
Castro, whom Alfonso's son Don Pedro had married
secretly. The courtiers, fearful lest Pedro should show
favor to the Castilians because Inez was the daughter of a
Castilian, told the king of his son's amour. In the absence
of Pedro, Inez was led before the king, bringing with her
her children, to help her to plead for mercy. But the king
was merciless, his counsellors, brutal, and at his signal they
stabbed her. Pedro never recovered from the shock given
him by the fate of his beautiful wife, and after his succession
to the throne, as a partial atonement for her suffering, he
had her body taken from the grave and crowned Queen of
Portugal.
" The weak Fernando, who took his wife Eleanora from
her lawful husband, succeeded Pedro, and their daughter



326 NATIONAL EPICS.
