Defence of Criminals 



the serenade, secret amour, etc. — both of which 

 forms of Chivalry and Minstrelsy contain in 

 themselves something new and not quite familiar 

 to antiquity. 



Finally in modern times the monogamic union 

 has risen to pre-eminence — the splendid ideal of 

 an equal and life-long attachment between man 

 and wife, fruitful of children in this life, and 

 hopeful of continuance beyond — and has become 

 the great theme of romantic literature, and the 

 climax of a thousand novels and poems. Yet 

 it is just here and to-day, when this ideal after 

 centuries of struggle has established itself, and 

 among the nations that are in the van of civilisa- 

 tion — that we find the doctrine of perfect liberty 

 in the marriage relationship being most success- 

 fully preached, and that the communalisation of 

 social life in the future seems likely to weaken 

 the family bond and to relax the obligation of 

 the marriage tie. 



If the Greek age, splendid rs it was in itself 

 and in its fruits of human progress, did not hold 

 marriage very high, it was partly because the ideal 

 passion of that period, and one which more than 

 all else inspired it, was that of comradeship, or 

 male friendship carried over into the region of 

 love. The two figures of Harmodius and Aristo- 

 giton stand at the entrance of Greek history as 

 the type of this passion, bearing its fruit (as Plato 

 throughout maintains is its nature) in united self- 

 devotion to the country's good The heroic 

 Theban legion, the *' sacred band," into which 



149 



