came eminent for magnanimity and heroifm. After fo active a life abroad, they could not bear idleness at home, especially when there was fuch a demand for their prowess. Europe had never been worse 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 juftice. The heroes who had fignalized 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 difpofed to elevate the goddess of his heart above all rival beauties. In his heated imagination, he was perfection 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 bombaft and unnatural. Chastity, however, was a gainer by this mode of love: it became neceffarily the ruling principle, to be preserved 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 preclaimed, 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. Inftances of this kind, without number, ftand upon record. René, ftyled King of Sicily Sicily and Ferufalem, obferves, in writing upon tournaments, that they are highly useful in furnishing opportunities to young knights and efquires to display their prowefs before their miftreffes. He adds, " that every ceremony regarding tournaments "is contrived to honour the ladies. It belongs to them to inspect the arms "of the combatants, and to distribute "the rewards. A knight or efquire who "defames any one of them, is beat and "bruised till the injured lady condescend CC to intercede for him." Remove a female out of her proper fphere, and it is eafy 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 feveral officers, and even private men, De men, recommending to them their country and their honour; adding, "that he "would fee what they would perform for "love of their miftreffes." During the civil wars in France, when love and gallantry were carried to a high pitch, Monfieur de Chatillon, ready to engage in a battle, tied round his arm a garter of Mademoiselle de Guerchi his miftrefs. Liques and d'Etrees were both fuitors to Mademoiselle de Fouquerolles for marriage. De Liques prevailed, and the marriage-day was fixed. But that very day, he was taken prifoner by his rival in a battle anno 1525. The lady wrote a letter to d'Etrees, demanding her husband; and d'Etrees inftantly fent him to her without even demanding a ransom *. In peaceable times, the fovereign power having acquired more authority, the ne We are indebted to Brantom for what follows. In the time of Francis I. of France, a young woman, having a talkative lover, ordered him to be dumb. His obedience for two long years made all the world believe that he was funk in melancholy. One day, in a numerous assembly, the young woman, who was not knwon to be his miftrefs, undertook to cure him, and did it with a fingle word, Speak. ceffity ceffity of private protection ceased. But the accustomed fpirit of gallantry did not ceafe. It could not, however, fubfift forever against nature and common sense: it fubfided by degrees into mutual affability and politeness, fuch as ought always to obtain between the fexes. But observe, that, after a moft intimate connection, matters could not fall back to the former decency and referve. The intimate connection remained; and a more fubftantial gallantry took place, not always innocent. This change of manners was first visible in monarchy. Monarchy employs but a few hands; and those who are not occupied in public affairs, find leisure for gallantry and for defires that are easily gratified. Women of rank, on the other hand, laid open to corruption by opulence and fuperficial education, are more ambitious to captivate the eye than the judgment ; and are fonder of lovers than of friends. Where a man and a woman thus prepared meet together, they foon grow particular : the man is idle, the woman frank; and both equally addicted to pleasure. Unlawful commerce between the fexes becoming thus common, high gallantry vanishes of course : |