abroad for air and exercise. A foreigner ftumbling accidentally on a knot of them, about forty in number, attended with black eunuchs, was in the twinkling of an eye feized by a brisk girl, with the rest at her heels: fhe accofted him with loofe amorous expreffions, attempting at the fame time to expose his nakedness. Neither threats nor intreaties availed him against fuch vigorous affailants; nor could the vehemence of their curiofity be moderated, by reprefenting the fhame of a behaviour fo grossly immodest. An old Janizary, standing at a little distance, was amazed : his Mahometan bafhfulness would not fuffer him to lay hands upon women; but with a Stentorian voice he roared to the black eunuchs, that they were guardians of proftitutés, not of modeft women; urging them to free the man from fuch harpies. — All in vain (a).

Very different are female manners in temperate climes, where polygamy is pròhibited, and women are treated as rational beings. These manners however depend

(a) Obfervations on the religion, laws, &c. of the Turks.

VOL. II.

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in fome measure on the nature of the government. As many hands are at once employ'd in the different branches of republican government, and a still greater number by rotation; the males, who have little time to spare from public business, feel nothing of that languor and weariness which to the idle make the most frivolous amufements welcome. Married women live retired at home, managing family-affairs, as their hufbands do thofe of the ftate whence it is, that fimplicity of manners is more the tone of a republic, than of any other government. Such were the manners of the female fex during the flourishing periods of the Greek and Roman commonwealths; and fuch are their manners in Switzerland and in Holland.

There will be occafion afterward, to difplay an important revolution in manners, refulting from chivalry (a). One branch of it must be handled at prefent, that which concerns the intercourfe between the fexes. The Crufades were what first gave a turn to the fierce manners of our ancestors. The combatants, fighting more for glory than for revenge or interest, be(a) Book 2. fketch 6.

came

The

came eminent for magnanimity and heroism. After fo active a life abroad, they could not bear idleness at home, efpecially when there was fuch demand for their prowess. Europe had never been worfe governed than at that period: diffenfion and difcord were univerfal; and every chieftain bore deadly feud against his neighbours. Revenge was the ruling paffion, which was licentiously indulged, without the leaft regard to justice. heroes who had fignaliz'd themselves abroad, endeavoured to acquire fame at home: they entered into bonds of chivalry, for redreffing wrongs and protecting widows and orphans. An object fo noble and humane, tempered courage with mildness, and magnanimity with courtesy. The protection given to widows and orphans improved benevolence; and female beauty, which makes the deepest impreffion on the benevolent, came to be the capital object of protection. Each knight took under his peculiar care, the beauty that inflamed him the moft; and each knight was disposed to elevate the goddess of his heart above all rival beauties. In his heated imagination, fhe was perfection without

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without frailty, a paragon of nature. Emulation for the fame of a beloved object, has no bounds, because there is nothing selfish in it: fhe is exalted into a fort of divinity the lover defcends to be a humble votary. And mark, that devotion to a visible deity, always flames the higheft. This connection, which reverses the order of nature by elevating women far above men, produced an artificial fort of gallantry, that was carried to extravagance the language of devotion became that of love, and all was bombast and unnatural. Chastity however was a gainer by this mode of love: it became neceffarily the ruling principle, to be preferved in purity without fpot or blemish; poffeffion diffolves the charm; for after furrendering all to a lover, a female cannot hope to maintain her angelic character a moment. Duke John de Bourbonnois, anno 1414, caufed it to be proclaimed, that he intended an expedition to England with fixteen knights, in order to combat the like number of English knights, for glorifying the beautiful angel he worshipped. Instances of this kind without number, ftand upon record. René, ftyled King of

Sicily and Ferufalem, obferves in writing upon tournaments, that they are highly useful in furnishing opportunities to young knights and efquires to difplay their prowefs before their mistreffes. He adds, "that every ceremony regarding tourna

ments, is contrived to honour the la"dies. It belongs to them to inspect the

arms of the combatants, and to diftri"bute the rewards. A knight or efquire "who defames any of them, is beat and "bruised till the injured lady condefcend

to intercede for him." Remove a female out of her proper fphere, and it is easy to convert her into a male. James IV. of Scotland, in all tournaments, profeffed himself knight to Anne Queen of France. She fummoned him to prove himself her true and valorous champion, by taking the field in her defence against Henry VIII. of England. And according to the romantic gallantry of that age, the Queen's fummons was thought to have been James's chief motive for declaring war against his brother-in-law. The famous Gafton de Foix, general of the French at the battle of Ravenna, rode from rank to rank, calling by name several officers and even private

men,