104 THE ART AND HISTORY 



roufels, "Tilts, and Tournaments, in mofl nations of tlie 

 modern world. 



The origin of Tournaments is no where exacSlIy afcer- 

 tained, feveral nations pretending to have been the firll 

 introducers of them. The word itfelf is fuppofed by 

 fome writers to be derived from the French verb 

 tourner, to turn, becaufe the performers rode in rings 

 and circles, and were obliged to make many Turnings 

 with their horfes, as the laws of the game required. 

 Others pretend, tbat it comes from the modern Latin 

 word Torneamentum, which is derived from Trojamentunt, 

 which is formed from Troja, the Game cf Troy. One 

 would be apt, however, to think ex vi termini, that al- 

 though the fport itfelf untiueflionably owes its rife to 

 the Trojan game, yet, that its name is of French ex- 

 tracftion, aad not only given with great propriety, but 

 feems to be a tacit argument of its fuperior antiquity 

 among that people, whofe hiflorians aflert, that it was 

 firft known in France. Nithard reports, that at the 

 interview of Charles the Bald, king of France, who 

 fucceeded to the throne, in the year 840, and his bro- 

 ther Lewis of Germany, at Strafburgh, the gentlemen 

 of the retinue of either prince fought on horfeback, to 

 difplay their courage and fkill. Ducange fays, that 

 thefe fports were fo peculiar to the French, that they 

 were called CcTvfliBus Ga//;V/, or French Combats. TheGer- 

 n»ans alfo began to practife them about the year 1036, 

 and the Greeks acknowledge that they learned them 

 of the Franks, as their authors alledge. John Cantacu- 

 5 %enus 



