io8 THE HISTORY AND ART 



profeflion of chivalry, which flourillied fo much in 

 paft ages, flied a luftre, and conferred importance and 

 dignity upon them. At laft, however, they were 

 found to be produAive of bad effedts, and the occafions 

 of feveral fatal misfortunes ; as in the inftance of 

 the death of Henry 11. king of France, and of the 

 T'ik exhibited at Chalons; which, from the numbers 

 killed on both fides, was called the little War of Cha- 

 lons. Thefe, and other inconveniencies and difafters, 

 which were confequences of thefe dangerous paftimes, 

 gave the Popes occafion to forbid them ; and the 

 princes of Europe by degrees difcontinued them, re- 

 fleding, as well they might, that thefe feats of fkill 

 and courage, were degenerated into mere fliews of pa- 

 rade and oflentation ; that the combatants performed 

 too little, if they were in earneft, as well as too much, 

 if fport and amufement only were intended ; as well 

 as that from the fpirit of Chivalry, which had fpread its 

 delufions over all Chriftendom, thefe contells were carried 

 to a blameable and ridiculous excefs y holding their 

 exiftence folely in the rough manners of brave, but 

 unenlightened ages, and the abfurd laws and notions 

 of knight-errantry, which foon proved too weak to 

 ftand againft the force of good fenfe, efpecially when 

 armed with ihofe irrefiftible weapons, fatire and ridi- 

 cule. Every body knows with what force and efficacy 

 Cervantes wielded them in his famous hiftory of Don 

 ^ixote, which is thought to have given thefe romantic 

 inftitutions the wound of which they died -, nor did 



the. 



