KNIGHTHOOD. 



475 



right. The ensign of this order was a plain black cross 

 on a white cassock. 



In addition to these, there were, about the same time, 

 founded various other orders of the same kind, which 

 all distinguished themselves in their day by a diligent 

 use both of the sword and the breviary ; but few of 

 these succeeded in obtaining any settlements in Europe 

 after the failure of the crusading expeditions; and the 

 few remaining knights were gradually incorporated in- 

 to the orders of the Temple, or of J>t. John, or into the 

 Teutonic order. 



In Spain, however, the encroaching spirit of the Sa- 

 racens kept alive the flame of devotion, and of patriot- 

 ism ; and the same cause which produced in the Holy 

 Land the first religious orders of knighthood, gave birth 

 to a variety of similar establishments in the kingdoms 

 of Castile and Arragon. The four principal orders in 

 Spain were those of Santiago, or St. James of Gallicia ; 

 of St. Saviour in Arragon ; of Alcantara ; and of Ca- 

 latrava. During the subsistence of the Moorish king- 

 dom of Grenada, the influence possessed by these or- 

 ders was immense. . The grand-masters confronted 

 the sovereign in every thing respecting the administra- 

 tion, either of foreign or of domestic affairs. The rich 

 commanderies distributed through every province of 

 the peninsula attracted the young nobles to enter into 

 these orders ; and nothing could exceed the insolence 

 of their demeanour. Hy a dexterous piece of policy on 

 the final expulsion of the Moors, Ferdinand, having 

 his power already increased by the junction of the two 

 kingdoms of Castile and Arragon in the persons of him- 

 self and bis wife, contrived to have the grand master- 

 ship and principal commanderies united to the crown ; 

 an event which has, more than any thing else, contri- 

 buted to the subsequent political degradation of the 

 Spanish people. 



^^___ __ There is little doubt, that the establishment of orders 

 iftww wdcn of men so constituted as to be liable to all those excite- 

 ea the nuu>- menu of the imagination, which are inseparable from a 

 retired mode of life, and at the same time to have full 

 opportunity for putting all their romantic dreams into 

 execution by their military profession and pursuit", must 

 have exerted a powerful influence on the idle and high- 

 spirited nobility of the 1 2th century. These orders 

 laid bold of human nature by the strongest of all attrac- 

 tions ; and the magnificent posseiiioni which they so 

 loon obtained, are a sufficient proof how well their 

 {bonders had calculated their measures, when they 

 broached the novel idea of enhancing the ardour of chi- 

 valry by the enthusiasm of perpetual devotions, and 

 the undiverted constancy of a life of celibacy. 



On* eiy singular effect of the establishment of these 

 orders in Europe, cannot fail -to attract the notice of 

 . one who peruses the history of those times. The 

 practice of duelling increased immediately to a most 

 alarming degree. Distinguished valour was the only 

 means of acquiring the rich rewards which these orders 

 had it in their power to bestow. The young knight, 

 newly admitted into an order, had no ambition but that 

 of making himself remarkable by dome feat of arms. 

 This ambition, which easily found a proper channel of 

 displaying itself in the East, where they lived in a state 

 ef perpetual war, and amidst a succession of skirmish- 

 es, found no other vent, on their establishment among 

 the peaceful kingdoms of the West, except in personal 

 ruineaiiUii. The capricious impatience of insult, at 

 all times the characteristic of the northern nobility, was 

 now tenfold increased in each individual by the desire 



Knight, 

 hood. 



K .- '!.-. 



of personal or social distinction. The protection, too, 

 afforded to the absurd punctilios of honour, and ridicu- 

 lous ideas of satisfaction, by bodies so set apart as the r ^ 

 the religious orders, was more constant, as well as more 

 powerful, than any thing they had ever before enjoyed. 

 What had heretofore been a tolerated abuse, became now 

 a commended and a constant rule of practice. Doctors 

 and jurisconsults set about reducing to order the fanci- 

 ful rules invented by illiterate bravos, and Europe soon 

 became acquainted with a new science the science of 

 knighthood, as it was called, or scienza cavallerescha. 



The authors who were desirous of distinguishing Nature of 

 themselves by a proficiency in this new science, went the science 

 about the matter with all the coolness and precision so " f ^]" 

 necessary in juridical writings. They entered into the ' 

 most minute details concerning the nature of insults, 

 the very mention of which can excite in us nothing but 

 laughter. They examined them according to all the 

 rules of logic, and arranged every thing which concern. 

 ed them by the Aristotelic predicaments. 



The various modes of giving and returning the lie, 

 formed another most ample subject of decisions; for 

 there were affirmative lies, and negative lies ; lies uni- 

 versal, particular, conditional, absolute, positive, priva- 

 tive, certain, and doubtful.* Each of these species had 

 its subdivisions: there was one, " demente general pour 

 la prrsonae ;" a second, " pour Cinjure ;" and a third, 

 " regardant finjure et la pertonne." 



Honour was a thing very difficult to be defined ; for 

 they had to weigh exactly the cause efficient, the cause 

 formal, the material, and the final; insomuch that there 

 were twenty different modes of defining it, each sup- 

 ported by one set, and condemned by all the rest. It 

 is not to be wondered at after this, that the business of 

 duels was treated of in the most lengthy manner: it 

 was necessary to hold the balance even among no less 

 than fifty formulas of carlelt. In a thousand situations, 

 the challenge was to be accepted in many, there were 

 difficulties whether it should be accepted or refused. 

 Out of the equality or inequality of conditions and of 

 persons, arose an infinite variety of speculations and 

 specialties, t The very existence of such a science is 

 sufficient to shew to what a dangerous extreme the de- 

 rangement of the human faculties may be carried, un- 

 der the grave shelter of academic formalities ; into what 

 a total absurdity of principle, and into what a lamen- 

 table, yet ludicrous, train of actions and manners must 

 not they have fallen, who had learned to regard as ora- 

 cle* of wisdom, the hair-brained and drivelling profes- 

 sions of this chivalric science. 



As an instance of the height to which this infatuation 

 was carried, it may be mentioned, that, in the year 1 450, 

 Poizo, one of the first jurisconsults of his day, publish- 

 ed decisions touching this science, not only in Latin, 

 but in Italian also, (" ut nemo rerum Inm gravium ig- 

 noranltam timulare pottit,"} by which his fame became 

 extended throughout the whole of Europe. This sutlior 

 cited not only the maxims of the Greek and Roman wri- 

 ters as his authorities, but had the assurance to quote 

 the martyrs and the fathers as defenders and practition- 

 ers of duelling. He asserted that God himself had 

 sanctioned the duel between Cain and Abel.J He en- 

 tered into a serious disquisition as to which of the com- 

 batants ought to be held victor, in case one had lost an 

 eye, and the other a nose. He sought out different ex- 

 pedienU for saving the honour of a person who died 

 after the challenge, but before the day of contest ; but 

 the one to which he gave the preference was this, that 



8 Matt, JMb JHrus Cw& L u. c ir. 



t So Banaff, p. 81. 



foe POM*, lib. i e. 15. I . c. SI. 1 viii. c. N. 



