WRITING AUTHORITY IN LATE MEDIEVAL ... - Cornell University

eading—while still sympathetic to the feelings which they evoke—to the real events which
happened in history despite their placement in a particular narrative.
9. Truth without Stories: The Objectivity of Stylized Narration
Ayala does not insert the fictional speculum to explain history but tailors the whole of his
historical narrative around this one exemplum. According to Ayala’s Prologue, it is through an
exemplary moment—through its assured repetition in posterity—by which individual testimony
and experience acquires truth. This is more obvious when Ayala interferes in a non-exemplary
manner at another point in the chronological timeline, in the final battle between Pedro and
Enrique in Montiel.
This more ideological intervention, a revelation of a prophecy written once again by the
wise Moor Benaharin in a letter, has a specific temporality in the flow of historical time that
conjoins its tropic and idealized presentation as if it were a real part of history:
318 Ibid. 191.
Estando el rey don Pedro en Seuilla, aparejandosse para partir dende por yr a acorrer a Toledo, vn
moro que dizian Benaharin, que era grand sabidor, e filosopho, e priuado del rey de Granada; del
qual deximos suso que le auia enbiado otra carta, quando el rey don Pedro torno de Vayona, e
vençio la batalla de Najara; e asi agora este mesmo moro, desque sopo que partio el rey don Pedro
de Seuilla para acorrer a Toledo, e penso que auia de pelear, enbiole otra carta, de la qual el tenor
es este…Pedisteme que por industria del mi saber, con grannd diligençia e acuçia de grannd
estudio, otrossi por manera de grannd seso que en mi fallauas en tus negoçios, que te fiziesse saber
en qual manera podras palapar por verdadero saber vn dicho de profeçia, el qual dizes que fue
fallado entre los libroes e profeçias que dizes que fizo Merlin, del qual las sus palabras, por los
terminos que lo yo reçibi son estas que siguen.
While the King Don Pedro was in Seville, making ready to leave from there to help Toledo, a
Moor who they called Benaharin, who was a great wise man, and philosopher, and private of the
king of Granada; of which we said had sent another letter, when the king Don Pedro turned to
Vayona, and when he won the battle of Najera; and now this same Moor, since he knew that the
king left from Seville to help Toledo, and he thought that the king would fight, he sent him
another letter, of which the subject matter contained is the following…You asked me that for the
work of my knowledge, with great diligence and acuity of great study and zeal, or otherwise
because of the great wisdom that you have found in me, in your works, that I should let you know
in what form you could test the truthful knowing of a saying of a prophecy, which you say was
found amidst the books and prophecies that you say Merlin made, which his words, by the terms
that I received them, are the following. 318
196