5 o6 C H I V 
felves in its provinces, the change which took place on 
their circumflances was remarkable; and, by a natural 
influence, it could not but produce an equally remark¬ 
able change on the habits, cuftoms, and manners. The 
great outlines might ftill remain ; but they could not 
now fail to be filled up in a different manner. Here, 
however, the records of hiftory are peculiarly imperfect. 
We have no Caei'ar or Tacitus to l'upply fails or direit 
our reafonings; the Gothic nations had not yet learned 
to read and W'rite ; and the Romans were fo depreffed 
under the fenfe of their own miferies, as to be negligent 
of the changes which happened around them. But, as loon 
as the light of hiftory begins again to dawn, we find that' 
the leading features of the barbarian charaiter were not 
effaced, but only modified in a particular manner, in con¬ 
sequence of their mixing among a more polifhed people, 
becoming acquainted with the luxuries of life, and ac¬ 
quiring extenfive power and property. Thofe who fought 
on horfeback now began to be diftinguifhed with pecu¬ 
liar honours. The manners of the warrior too were be¬ 
come more cultivated, and his Spirit more humane. Lei- 
fure and opulence, with the influence of a polifhed peo¬ 
ple, even though in a ftate of flavery, taught thofe bar¬ 
barians to afpirs after more refined pleafures and more 
fplendid amufements than thofe which they had been be¬ 
fore Satisfied with. The influence of Christianity too, 
"Vvhich, though grofsly corrupted, was ltill favourable to 
the foetal happinefs of mankind, concurred to polifh their 
manners and exalt their chara&er. Hence, in the end of 
the tenth and in the beginning of the eleventh century, 
we fee knighthood, with that romantic gallantry, piety, 
and humanity, by which it was principally diftinguifhed, 
make its appearance. 
: The paflion for arms among the Germanic Rates, was 
now carried to extremity. It was amidft fcenes of death 
and peril that the young were educated : it was by va¬ 
lour and feats of prowel’s that the ambitious fignalized 
t'h’eir manhood. All the honours they knew were allot¬ 
ted to the brave. The fword opened the path to glory. 
It was in the field that the ingenious and,the noble flat¬ 
tered molt their pride, and acquired an afcendancy. The 
Strength of their bodies, and the vigour of their coun- 
feis, furrounded them with warriors, and lifted them to 
command. But, among thefe nations, when the indi¬ 
vidual felt the call of valour, and wifhed to try his Strength 
againft an enemy, he could not of his own authority take 
the lance and the javelin. The admiflion of their youth 
to the privilege of bearing arms was a matter of too much 
importance to be left to chance or their own choice. A 
form was invented by which they were advanced to that 
honour. The council of the diftrifit, or of the canton to 
which the candidate belonged, was affembled. His age 
and his qualifications were enquired into ; and, if he was 
deemed worthy of being admitted to the privileges of a 
Soldier, his father, or one of his kindred, adorned him 
with a Shield and the lance. In confequence of this f'o- 
lemnity, he prepared to diftinguifh liimfelf; his mind 
opened to the cares of the public ; and the domeftic con¬ 
cerns, or the offices of the family from which he had 
fprung, were no longer the objefts of his attention. To 
this ceremony, fo fimple and fo interesting, the inftitu- 
tion of knighthood is indebted for its rife. 
Knighthood, however, as a fyftem, known under the 
denomination of chivalry, is to be dated only from the 
eleventh century. All Europe being reduced to a ftate 
of anarchy and confufion on the decline of the lioufe of 
Charlemagne, every proprietor of a manor or lordfhip 
became a petty fovereign ; the manfion-houfe was forti¬ 
fied by a moat, defended by a guard, and called a caftle. 
The governor had a party of feven or eight hundred men 
at Iris command; and with thefe he ufed frequently to 
make excurfions, which commonly ended in a battle with 
the lord of fome petty Rate of the fame kind, whofe caf¬ 
tle was then pillaged, and the women and treafures borne 
©ff by the conqueror. During this ftate of univerfal hof- 
% 
A L R Y. 
tility, there was no friendly communications between the 
provinces, nor any high roads from one part of the king¬ 
dom to another : the wealthy traders, who then travelled 
from place to place with their merchandize and their fa¬ 
milies, were in perpetual danger; the lord of almoft every 
caftle extorted Something from them on the road ; and at 
laft, fome one more rapacious than the reft, feized upon 
the whole of the cargo, and bore off the women for his 
own ufe. Thus caftles became the warehoufes of all kinds 
of rich merchandize, and the prifons of the diftreffed fe¬ 
males whole fathers or lovers had been plundered or (lain, 
and who, being therefore Seldom difpofed to take the 
thief or murderer into favour, were in continual danger 
of a rape. But, as fome are diftinguifhed by virtue even 
in the moft general defection, it happened that many 
lords infenfibly affociated to reprefs thofe Tallies of vio¬ 
lence and rapine, to fecure property, and protect the la¬ 
dies. Among thefe were many lords of great fiefs ; and 
the affociation was at length ftrengtliened by a folemn vow, 
and received the fanflion of a religious ceremony. As 
the firft knights were men of the higheft rank, and the 
largeft poffeffions, fuch having moft to lofe, and the leaf! 
temptation to Ileal, the fraternity was regarded with a 
kind of reverence, even by thofe againft whom it was 
formed. Admiflion into the order was deemed the higheft 
honour; many extraordinary qualifications were required 
in a candidate, and many new ceremonies were added at 
his creation. After having failed from fun-rife, con- 
felled himfelf, and received the Sacrament, he was drefied 
in a white tunic, and placed by himfelf at a fide-table, 
where he was neither to fpeak, to fmile, nor to eat; while 
the knights and ladies, who were to perform the principal 
parts of the ceremony, were eating, drinking, and making 
merry, at the great table. At night his armour was con¬ 
veyed to the church where the ceremony was performed; 
and here having watched it till the morning, he advanced 
with his l'word, hanging about his neck, and received the 
benediction of the prielt. He then kneeled down before 
the lady or patronefs who was to put on his armour, 
who, being aflifted by perfons of the firft rank, buckled 
on his fpurs, put an helmet on his head, and accoutred 
him with a coat of mail, a cuirafs, bracelets, cuifles, and 
guantlets. Being thus armed cap-a-pee, the knight who 
dubbed him (truck him three times over the fhoulder 
with the flat-fide of his fword, in the name of God, St. 
Michael, and St. George. He was then obliged'to watch 
all night in his armour, with his fword girded, and his 
lance in his hand. From this time the knight devoted 
himfelf to the redrefs of thofe wrongs which “ patient 
merit of the unworthy takes;” to fecure merchants from 
the rapacious cruelty of banditti, and women from r.tT 
vifhers, to whole power they were, by the particular con¬ 
fufion of the times, continually expofed. 
From this view of the origin of chivalry, it will be eafy 
to account for the caftie, the moat, and the bridge, which 
are found in romances; and as to the dwarf, he was a 
conitant appendage to the rank and fortune of thofe 
times, and no caftle therefore could be without him. The 
dwarf and the buffoon were then introduced to kill time, 
as the card-table is at prefent. It will alfo be able to 
account for the multitude of captive ladies whom the 
knights, upon feizing a caftle, fet at liberty ; and for the 
prodigious quantities of ufelefs gold and filver vefl’els, 
rich fluffs, and other merchandize, with which many 
apartments in thefe caftles are faid to have been filled. 
The principal lords who entered into the confraternity 
of knights, ufed to fend their fons to each other to be 
educated, far from their parents, in the rnyfteries of chi val- 
ry. Thefe youths, before they arrived at the age of twen¬ 
ty-one, were called bachelors, or bas chevaliers, inferior 
knights, and at that age were qualified to receive the or¬ 
der. Thus honourable was the origin of an inftitution, 
commonly considered as the refult of caprice and the 
fource of extravagance; but which, on the contrary, rofe 
naturally from the ftate of i'ociety in thofe times, and 
