If Chivalry be confidered only as a fimple cere mony, by which the noble youths who were deftined for war received their firft arms, the custom was known among the ancient Germans, and was eftablifhed in France in the reign of Charlemagne, at the commencement of the ninth century. That emperor fent to Aquitain for his fon Louis, and prefented him with a fword, and all the equipage of a warrior. William of Malmesbury mentions that about the fame time, king Alfred prefented his grandfon Athelftan with a fword, and a rich belt with a crimson robe, as the enfigns of knighthood. But if we look upon chivalry as a dignity, which gave the first military rank, and which was conferred by a particular kind of inveftiture, attended with appropriate ceremonies, and ratified by a folemn oath, it would be difficult to trace it to a more remote period than the eleventh century.

France claims the honour of giving this inftitution its fpecific character at the time when that kingdom was recovering from the diforders, which followed the extinction of the fecond race of its monarchs. The royal authority began again to be refpected, laws were enacted, corporations were founded, and the numerous fiefs held by the great barons under the crown, were governed with greater regularity. In this ftate of affairs, the fovereigns and great barons were defirous of ftrengthening the feudal ties by adding to the ceremony of doing homage, that of giving arms to their young vaffals, previous to their firft military

expeditions. It is highly probable, that by conferring the fame diftinction upon other perfons, who did not hold any lands under them, but who offered their fervices from motives of esteem, or the defire of military renown, the fovereigns and great barons availed themfelves of this expedient to fecure the co-operation of new warriors, who were ready to follow their standard upon all occafions, when they could only rely upon their own dependants to ferve them in certain diftricts for a limited time. They received with joy these brave volunteers, who, by increafing their forces, gave additional ftrength. to their government; and as every knight could create other knights, the fovereign exercifed his privilege without exciting jealoufy. Every gentleman, who was defigned for the profeffion of arms, was trained by a long preparatory courfe of difcipline and fervice in fome noble family, and was during his youth the companion of fome warrior of renown. The ceremonies which attended his knighthood were folemn and impreffive. They combined the rites of religion with the forms of feudal duty; and refembled the mode of admitting a profelyte into the church by baptifm, as well as that of a vaffal doing homage for a fief. The candidate for this diftinction, accompanied by his fponfors and his prieft, paffed the night previous to his initiation in watching his arms, and in prayer. The next morning he repaired to the bath, the water of which was intended to ferve as an emblem of the purity of his profeffion. He then walked to the nearest church,

clothed

clothed in white garments, and prefented his fword to the minifter officiating at the altar, who returned it to him with his bleffing. After taking the accuftomed oaths to his fovereign, or feudal chief, he was invested by the attendant knights and ladies with certain parts of his armour. He was first prefented with gilt fpurs, a coat of mail, and gauntlets; and laftly he was begirt with a fword. The fovereign then, rifing from the throne, conferred upon him, whilft kneeling, the honour of knighthood, by giving him three strokes with the flat part of a drawn fword upon his fhoulders or neck. He then faluted the young warrior, and pronounced thefe words: "In the name of God, of St. Michael, and St. George, I make thee a knight: be brave, bold, and loyal." His horfe and the remaining part of his armour were afterwards prefented to him, and the ceremony was concluded with a coftly banquet.

Important and numerous were the privileges attached to this profeffion of arms, and its duties were at once arduous and indispensable. To protect the ladies was an effential part of them. Incapable of taking arms, they would frequently in fuch uncivilized times have feen their lands become a prey to fome tyrannical neighbour, or have had

"Efquires were not allowed to wear any gold in their drefs, although knights were from hence, as well as from wearing gilt Spurs, diftinguished by the name of Equites Aurati."

Lord Lyttelton, Hen. II. v. 2. p. 236..

their reputation blafted by the breath of calumny, if some knight had not come forward in their defence. To the fuccour of the diftreffed, the protection of orphans, the deliverance of captives, and the chaftifement of oppreffors, he likewife dedicated his fword and his life. If he failed in a fcrupulous attention to these duties, he was looked upon as deferting the moft folemn obligations, and was degraded with public marks of difgrace. If he performed them, he was regarded as an honour to his profeffion, and his renown was spread over every part of Europe.

In the character of a true knight during the golden age of chivalry, we behold an affemblage of virtues, which command our efteem and admiration, and confer honour upon human nature. His deportment was noble, and his manners condefcending and gracious to all. His promife was inviolable and facred; his love of arms was foftened by the refinements of courtefy, the fair offspring of that noble fociety, which he enjoyed in the caftles of the great. His profeffions of attachment and fervice were invariably fincere; he was as ambitious to render his name illuftrious by affability, probity, and generofity, as by the number of his expeditions, trophies, and victories. By fuch conduct were thofe fignalized knights, whom their contemporaries regarded as the fairest ornaments of chivalry, and whofe renown has been tranfinitted through all fucceeding ages. Such

were

were Edward the black prince, the Chevalier Bayard, and Sir Philip Sidney.

Edward the Black Prince, fo called from the colour of his armour, was the eldest fon of king Edward the III. the great conqueror of France. At the age of feventeen, he commanded the firft line of the English army, at the memorable battle of Crecy. When the fight raged with the greatest heat, the Earl of Warwick folicited the king to fend fuccours to his fon. "Tell my fon, said he, that I referve the honour of the day for him. I am confident that he will fhew himfelf worthy of the honour of knighthood, which I fo lately conferred upon him. He will be able, without my affiftance, to repel the enemy." The event juftified this expectation; the victory of the English was complete, and the king, on his return to the camp, flew into the arms of the prince, and exclaimed, "My brave fon, perfevere in your honourable courfe; you are my fon, for valiantly have you acquitted yourself to-day; you have fhown yourself worthy of empire."

At the battle of Poitiers, fought ten years after, the Black Prince commanded the fmall army of the English, and obtained a decifive victory over the great multitudes of the French and their allies. John, king of France, was taken prifoner; and the behaviour he experienced, fhowed the admirable heroifin of the conqueror. Edward was 27 years

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