240 hints on chivalry. Aug. ^t^ 



their neighbouring clans, on the honour of the sex, 

 •when by chance of v?ar they fell into their hands. 

 Violation of chastity, being the most attrocious 

 crime they had to charge on theif enemies, they 

 Xvould pride themselves in the glory of being its 

 protectors. 



^tb. It only remains to account for that character 

 of religion, which was so deeply imprefsed on the 

 minds of all knights, and was efsential to their in- 

 stitution. Two reasons may be afsigned for this, 

 jj/, The superstition of the times in which chivalry 

 arose; which was so great, that no institution could 

 have found credit in the world, that was not inter- 

 "woven with religion. id, the condition of the 

 christian world, which had been harrafsed by long 

 >wars, and had just received a breathing time from 

 the ravages of the Saracens. The revnembrance of 

 what they had suffered from these grand enemies of 

 the faith, made it natural and even necefsary to en- 

 gage a new military order on the side of religion. And 

 indeed this principle, a zeal /of the faith, acted 

 warmly upon the profefsors of chivalry, and entered 

 deeply into their idea of the military character. 



Thus we seem to have a fair account of that pro- 

 wefs, generosity, gallantry, and religion, which were 

 the peculiar and vaunted characteristics of the ptf- 

 Ter ages of chivalry *. 



To be continued. 



* Dr Kurd's letters on cliivalry and roncance. 



