rush out upon them, the Abbot exclaims to the youths, "N'avez vous à nul homme fait tort, pour Dieu, si vous sentez qu'ayez fait ou detenu aucune chose que pas ne soit vostre, mettez vous devant, et allez faire raison et vous offrir de l'amender." "Sire," said Huon of Bordeaux, "je ne sçay homme vivant au monde à qui moy ny mon frere aye fait aucun desplaisir, ne qui de nous soyons hais:" and when Gerard is wounded, the author observes he was not mortally: car nostre Seigneur garentit le jeune enfant :" and at a subsequent period, when Huon was going to meet his enemies at Mayence, he dismissed all his noble attendants, saying, "Je ne veux mener avec moy personne que Dieu et ma bonne épée, ne vous ebahissez de rien, car celui qui toujours m'a aidé, ne me laissera point."

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In the romance of Amadis de Gaul, there is a passage of much beauty, that may serve to illustrate the real spirit and manners of the age. His son, Esplandian, who has nearly conquered Matroco, the infidel, in single combat, refrains his arm, and calls upon him to become a Christian: "Le Dieu qui m'éclaire te poursuit par ma main: ce n'est point à moi que je te conjure de te rendre, c'est au Dieu vivant, qui te trouve digne d'etre au nombre de ses enfans." Matraco falls upon his knees: "Dieu des Chrétiens," he cries, " tu triomphes! O grand Dieu que je reconnois prends pitié de moi!" With these words he throws away his sword, and leaning on his left hand, he draws the figure of the cross with his right upon the sand, and prostrates himself in adoration. At this convincing mark of the Divine grace, Esplandian falls upon his knees, and, presenting his sword to Matroco, with the handle towards him, "Ah! digne chevalier," he cries, recevez cette épée comme un gage de la victoire que vous remportez sur vous meme.'

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Robert, Duke of Normandy, father of William the Con queror, was renowned for his piety and liberality. One day he was assisting at mass in a monastery; the Sacristan, after receiving his offering, went through the church, and at length came to a strange knight, who happened to be present, and who replied that he had not wherewithal to offer. The duke perceiving it, immediately sent a squire with the sum of 100 livres to present to the knight,

who instantly gave the whole in offering. Mass being over, the monk, astonished at the greatness of the sum, went to the knight, and asked him whether he was aware of the sum which he had given: he replied that he was, and that it was given to him for that purpose. The duke, admiring the nobleness of this strange knight, ordered him to be presented with a similar sum for himself. The brave knight, Raymon Muntaner, thus describes James, King of Arragon: "He was the handsomest, wisest, and most generous and just prince of his age, beloved by all the world, by his subjects, and by strangers; and as long as the world lasts, he shall be styled the Good King James of Arragon. He loved and feared God above all things; and he who loves God, loves his neighbour also, and is just, true, and merciful: he was also an excellent warrior. I was witness of his virtues, and I can bear testimony to them *" Mark the piety of the gentle Prince James I. of Scotland, related with such simplicity by himself:

"And forth withal my pen in hand I took,

And made a +, and thus began my book †."

Char

Of the Mareschal de Boucicaut, we read, "Il prend grand plaisir de visiter les sainctes places et les bons preudes hommes qui servent Dieu. Il aime moult cherement toutes gens dont il est informé qu'ils meinent bonne et saincte vie et volontiers les visite et hante." lemagne, like a father of a family, declares, in his Capitu→ laries, "that he wishes all his people who are engaged in business and commerce to be admonished, that they should not consult more worldly lucre than eternal life; for he who thinks more about earthly things than the salvation of his soul, greatly errs from the way of truth." Speaking of the death of Louis King of France, son of Philip, the Chronique de St. Denis says, "Jesu Crist en ayt l'ame car bon Crestien etoit et avoit toujours este de grant sainctete et de grant purete tant comme il fut en vie." Tasso was the model of a perfect knight, of grave and stately manners, lofty stature, excelling in all chivalrous exercises, of heroic valour, and of the most perfect grace. There was something in his whole person, and especially in his countenance, so noble and attractive, that even if a Chronique de Muntaner, chap. vii. †The Quair of James I.

stranger had not been apprised of his extraordinary mérit, he would have felt respect. But the qualities of his soul greatly surpassed his personal advantages. All historians agree in praise of his sincere piety, of the purity of his life and manners, of his sweetness of temper, his temper ance, his candour, his veracity, his inviolable fidelity to his word, his total exemption from every bad passion, from every spirit of vengeance and malignity, of his attachment to his friends. "His high spirit," says Ginguenè, "which made him look with horror upon every thing that resembled baseness, might have the air of pride; he evinced that he knew how to estimate himself, and to assume his proper place; born a gentleman, in an age when this title bore with it all its privileges, and a knight in heart, as well as by birth, he rendered all due honour to princes, but he considered himself the equal of all others, whatever favour they might enjoy."

Of less poetic mould, but of equal devotion and heroic virtue, was Ferdinand the Great, the conqueror of the Moors. He used to retire often to the celebrated convent of Sahagun, to occupy himself about the care of his soul. Like Charlemagne, he used to assist in the choir, even at midnight, and used to chaunt the Psalms with the monks. He used to eat in the refectory, and would never permit any thing to be prepared for himself besides what was given to the society. When he perceived his death approaching, he caused himself to be carried into the principal church of Leon, and there, covered with the penitential sackcloth, with ashes on his head, and prostrate on the earth, after addressing his final prayer to God, he rendered both his crown and his life to Him from whom he had received both. St. Ferdinand was son to Alphonso King of Leon, and of Berangera of Castile, elder sister of Blanche, mother of St. Louis. By his second wife, Jane of Ponthieu, he had a daughter, Eleonora, who, on the death of her mother, became heiress of the countries of Ponthieu and Montreuil, and by marrying Edward I. of England, united them to that crown. No necessity could ever induce this religious king to impose any heavy tax upon his subjects. During his wars with the Moors, when he was advised to adopt a plan of raising an extraordinary supply, he rejected the proposal with indignation, saying,

"God would not fail to supply him by other ways, and that he feared more the curse of one poor woman than the whole army of the Moors."

St. Elzear was of the ancient and illustrious family of Sabran in Provence. His father, Hermengand de Sabran, was created Count of Arian, in the kingdom of Naples. His mother was Lauduna of Albes, a family no less dise tinguished for its nobility. The count was born in 1295, at Ansois, his father's castle, in the diocese of Apt; and he was affianced in childhood to Delphina of Glandeves, daughter to the Lord of Pui-Michel. The following are among the regulations which were established in his family at this castle, where they resided. "Every one in my house shall daily hear mass. If God be well served, nothing will be wanting. Let no one swear, or curse, or blaspheme, under pain of being severely chastised, and afterwards shamefully dismissed from my service. Can L hope that God will pour forth his heavenly blessings on my house, if it is filled with such miscreants, who devote themselves to the devil? I will have no playing at dice, or any games of hazard. There are a thousand innocent diversions, though time passes away soon enough without being idly thrown away. Yet I desire not my castle to be a cloister, nor my people hermits. Let them be merry, and sometimes let them divert themselves, but never at the expense of conscience, or with danger of offending God. I will not have my coffers filled by emptying those of others, or by squeezing the blood out of the veins, and the marrow out of the bones of the poor. Such bloodsucking wicked servants to enrich their masters damn both masters and themselves. Do you imagine that a mas ter who giveth five shillings in alms, wipeth away the theft of his servants who have torn out the entrails of the poor, whose cries for vengeance mount to heaven?" St. Elzear would feign to be hunting the stag while he was in quest of poor people: he would mount his horse with his falconers, with his hawk on his fist, and his servants with the dogs, and presently he would slip aside into the forest, and seek the miserable hut to assist the poor. Though a great saint, he was not the less a chivalrous prince. He bore away the prize before the court of Naples; he conquered at many tournaments; he was a

valiant commander, and he gained great victories in Italy. When he was dying, he repeated the words of holy Scripture. "Now, God grant I may not serve as a stumbling block to the youth of this city, since God will make this day a theatre of my constancy. I will not bely the law of my master; I will not dishonour the school in which I was bred and brought up. My soul shall fly out of this body wholly innocent, discharged of infidelity, into the bosom of my ancestors, and the honour of my life shall be conveyed into the ashes of my tomb *." When the priest came to the words, "Per sanctam crucem et passionem tuam libera nos, Domine," he interrupted them, and said aloud, "Hæc est spes mea, in hac volo mori." It is of such men that Augustin says, "We ought not to say that they die in peace, but that they lived in peace, and died in joy t" Guillaume de Lalain, beginning to instruct his son, says, "De toute votre force et puissance mettez peine d'accomplir les commandemens de Dieu." So well did he understand what Caussin says in his Holy Court, "We have not two Saviours, two models, one crowned with roses for the nobility, another with thorns for the vulgar." The last words of William the Conqueror, as given at length by Orderic Vitalis, are very memorable, shewing, that amidst all the horrors of war, he had never forgotten, though he may not have practised, what he had been taught by religion as the duties of a king. "Although human ambition rejoices in such triumph," said the dying king, "I am, nevertheless, seized with an unquiet terror, when I think, that in all these actions, cruelty marched with boldness." At length, after a long agony, on Thursday, the 9th of September, as the sun rose in golden splendor, William awoke, and presently he heard the great bell of the metropolitan church. He asked why it was tolled? "Seigneur," replied his servants, “it tolls for prime at the church of our Lady St. Mary." Then the king raised his eyes to heaven, and lifting up his hands on high, he said, "I recommend myself to holy Mary, mother of God, that by her holy prayers she may reconcile me to her dear and beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ." With these words he expired. Has any one'

Maccab. ii. 6. Serm. 9. in Ep. Joan Orderic Vital, lib. vii.