mance. Chivalry was certainly the parent of romance ; but 

 the refiuenieut and sentiments then new to the European 

 world, which the institution of chivalry introduced, must 

 have been necessarily confined to courts, and to the higher 

 orders, for a much longer period than was actually the case, 

 had not romance, in a manner, multiplied the number of 

 knights, and presented as in a mirror, to all classes of so- 

 ciety, the resemblance of what was acting in courts, and in 

 camps, heightened generally by the enthusiasm of unfettered 

 genius. The fact that it was to the old romances we are in- 

 debted for the -most perfect information which has been af- 

 forded to us on the subject of chivalry, by Mons. de Ste. 

 Palaye, v/ho acknowledges that he derived it from them, is 

 sufficient to make us view those productions in a light mu^h 

 less ridiculous than we have been accustomed to do ; in the 

 same manner as the exhibition of a lady and gentleman 

 dressed according to the costume of those times would be 

 highly interesting, notwithstanding the smile they might 

 excite. 



Theiruth and reality of the representations of the romance 



writers is also proved by a curious document preserved by 



Montfaucon,* which informs us that raany of the romances 



-of the fourteenth century owed their origin to a register which 



every knight was obliged to make of his yearly adventures, 



.and to place in some castle : nor is this proof invalidated by 



* MoDumeDS de la Mouarcbie Franj^aise. 



