CHI 



CHL 



hermits (a species of Eastern monks, 

 much reverenced in the Holy Land) 

 from rapine arid outrage. In the mean 

 time the courts of the feudal sovereigns 

 became magnificent and polite ; and as 

 the military constitution still subsisted, 

 military merit was to be upheld ; but 

 destitute of its former objects, it natural- 

 ly softened into fictitious images and 

 courtly exercises of war, in "jousts" and 

 'tournaments;" where the honour of 

 the ladies supplied the place of zeal 

 for the holy sepulchre ; and thus the 

 courtesy of elegant love, but of a wild 

 and fanatic species, as being engrafted 

 on spiritual enthusiasm, came to mix it- 

 self with the other characters of the 

 knigrhts-errant. 



Chivalry, whatever might be the era of 

 its origin, declined in England during the 

 inglorious reigns of King John and Henry 

 III ; but revived under Edward I. This 

 prince was one of the most accomplish- 

 ed knights of the age in which he flour- 

 ished, and both delighted and excelled in 

 feats of chivalry. As a proof of this, it 

 will be sufficient to allege, that when he 

 was on his return from the Holy Land, 

 after his father's death, and knew that 

 his presence was ardently desired in Eng- 

 land, he accepted an invitation to a tour- 

 nament at Chalons in Burgundy, where he 

 displayed his skill and valour to great ad- 

 vantage, and gained a complete victory. 

 Edward III. was no less fond of chivalry, 

 and encouraged it both by his example 

 and munificence. Having formed the de- 

 sign of asserting his claim to the crown 

 ot France, he laboured to inspire his own 

 subjects with a bold enterprising spirit, 

 and to entice as many valiant foreigners 

 as possible into his service. 



"This singular institution, says Dr. 

 Robertson, in which valour, gallantry, and 

 religion, were so strangely blended, was' 

 wonderfully adapted to the taste and ge- 

 nius of martial nobles ; and its effects 

 were soon visible in their manners. War 

 was carried on with less ferocity, when 

 humanity came to be deemed the orna- 

 ment of knighthood no less than courage. 

 More gentle and polished manners were 

 introduced, when courtesy was recom- 

 mended as the most amiable of knightly 

 virtues. Violence and oppression de- 

 creased, when it was reckoned meritori- 

 ous to check and to punish them. A scru- 

 pulous adherence to truth, with the most 

 religious attention to fulfil every engage- 

 ment, became the distinguishing charac- 

 teristic of a gentleman, because chivalry 

 was regarded as the school of honour, and 



inculcated the most delicate sensibility 

 with respect to that point. The admira- 

 tion of these qualities, together with the 

 high distinctions and prerogatives confer- 

 red on knighthood in every part of Eu- 

 rope, inspired persons of noble birth, on 

 some occasions, withu species of military 

 fanaticism, and led them to extravagant 

 enterprises. But they imprinted deeply 

 on their minds the principles of generosi- 

 ty and honour. These were strengthen- 

 ed by every thing that can afreet the 

 senses or touch the heart. The wild ex- 

 ploits of those romantic knights, who sal- 

 lied forth in quest of adventures, are well 

 known, and have been treated with pro- 

 per ridicule. The political and perma- 

 nent efforts of the spirit of chivalry have 

 been less observed. Perhaps, the humani- 

 ty which accompanies all the operations 

 of war, the refinements of gallantry, and 

 the point of honour, the three chief 

 cir umstances which distinguish modern 

 from ancient manners, may be ascribed 

 in a great measure to this whimsical in- 

 stitution, seemingly of little benefit to 

 mankind. The sentiments which chival- 

 ry inspired had a wonderful influence 

 on manners and conduct, during the 

 twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fif- 

 teenth centuries. They were so deeply 

 rooted, that they continued to operate 

 after the vigour and reputation of the 

 institution itself began to decline." In a 

 word, chivalry, which is now an object 

 of ridicule, was, at the period to which 

 we have above refered, a matter of the 

 greatest moment, and had no little influ- 

 ence on the manners of mankind, and 

 the fate of nations. 



A respectable writer has traced, with 

 ingenuity and much learning, a strong 

 resemblance between the manners of the 

 age of chivalry and those of the heroic 

 ages delineated by Homer. See Letters 

 on Chivalry, &c. 



CHLORA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Octandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Natural order of Rotaceae. Gentianae, Jus- 

 sieu. Essential character: calyx eight- 

 leaved ; corolla one-petalled, eight cleft; 

 capsule one-celled, two-valved, many- 

 seeded. Stigma four-cleft. There are 

 four species. 



CHLORANTHUS, in botany, a genus 

 of the Tetrandria Monogynia class and 

 order. Natural order of Aggregate. Es- 

 sential character : calyx none ; corolla a 

 petal, three-lobed by the side of the germ; 

 anthers growing to the petal ; drupe one- 

 seeded. There is but one species. 



CHLORIS, in botany, a genus of the 



