state of hostility. A dispute about boundaries, the right of hunting, or pursuing beasts of chase, would frequently beget a quarrel, in which whole families, with all their dependents, immediately became parties; and an hereditary thirst of vengeance descended from father to son.

Many of the old songs and ballads are histories of the private wars of contending families: such as the Battle of Otterburn, the well-known ballad of Chevy Chase, and many others in Dr. Percy's Collection; and were these wanting, a curious History of the Gwedir family, published by the learned and ingenious Mr. Barrington, would sufficiently demonstrate the dreadful enmity that prevailed in those savage times among the great men of this kingdom.

Under the ancient constitution, the generality of women lived in a state of bondage; and how nearly that state approaches to bondage, in which a woman is denied the liberty of choosing the man she likes for a husband, every one is able to perceive. Most of the laws made to preserve the persons of our countrywomen from violence, were the effects of modern refinement, and originated in that courtesy attendant upon the knightly exercise of arms, which, as it materially contributed to attemper the natural ferocity of the people, and reflect a lustre on the female character, cannot be entirely unconnected with a

work of this description, though perhaps it may be considered as a justifiable digression.

Whether CHIVALRY was the consequence of those frequent expeditions for the recovery of the Holy Land, known by the name of Crusades, or crusading, the offspring of chivalry, is a matter of contro versy but whichever be the fact, it is certain that they mutually depended on each other.

The military religious orders were instituted for the sole purpose of guarding the holy sepulchre, and protecting the persons of pilgrims to Jerusalem from violence. During the continuance of the Holy War, as it was sacrilegiously called, and for some centuries after, persons of all ranks flocked in incredible numbers from all parts of Europe, on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; and supposing these vast troops to include, as in fact they did, the sons and daughters of the principal families, it may be truly said, that the flower of Christendom were at the mercy, not only of the enemies of their faith, but of pirates and land robbers. Injuries offered to the persons of beautiful and distressed dainsels in these disastrous expeditions, by calling forth the resentment of their brave countrymen and fellow-christians, induced young men to engage in their defence, and to ride forth well mounted, and in complete armour, in search of adventures. To what excessive lengths

some were hurried by these calls of humanity, we may in some measure learn from that immense profusion of fabulous compositions, the romances of the eleventh and succeeding centuries, which, though abounding with incredible relations, had their foundation in the manners of the times in which they were written.*

*The ancient romances abound with minute descriptions of the shields, devices, and impresses of the combatants at tilts and tournaments; and throughout Europe families are still distinguished by their "Coats of Arms." We can trace back this custom to the time of the Crusades. Sir William Dugdale gavo Mr. Siderfin, a barrister of the Inner Temple, in the reign of Charles the Second, the following account of the origin of coat armour. "When Richard the First, with a great num"ber of his subjects, made a voyage to Jerusalem, in "order to recover it from the Turks, the commanders "in that expedition distinguished themselves by certain "devices depicted on their shields, but this invention "not being found sufficient to answer the end, they "made use of silk coats, with their devices or arms painted on the back and breast, which silk coats were 66 worn over the armour; and from these came the coat, " which the heralds now wear, and thence the term "Coat of Arms; and from this time, nothing in

Particular instances of that peculiar species of disinterested bravery which chivalry inspired, are not now to be expected, and we have no other evidence than the testimony of the sage writers of romance to induce a belief that giants were the owners of castles, that dwarfs were their porters, or that they kept beautiful damsels imprisoned in their dungeons. Nevertheless, it is indisputable, that the exercise of arms had a tendency to excite that beneficial kind of emulation which was productive of the best consequences; for it gave rise to that quality which we call courtesy, and is but a particular modification of humanity: it inspired sentiments of honour and generosity, and taught the candidates for the favour of ladies, to recommend themselves by those indispensable virtues of chivalry, courage and constancy.

Milton has, in a few words, admirably described those warlike offsprings of chivalry, tilts, and tournaments, in the following lines:

"terposing to prevent it, arms became hereditary, de"scending to all the sons, in the nature of gavel-kind."

Whence, by the way, it appears, that strictly speaking, women are not entitled to the distinction of coat armour; inspired, however, by the gallant courtesy of chivalry, it is the practice of heralds to blazon arms for unmarried ladies in a lozenge.

"Where throngs of knights and barons bold,
"In weeds of peace high triumphs hold,
"With store of ladies, whose bright eyes
"Rain influence, and judge the prize

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Of wit, or arms, while both contend

"To win her grace, whom all commend."

L'Allegro.

From the institution of these and similar exercises, and from the sentiments which they are calculated to inspire, we may date the introduction of women on the theatre of social life, and the assigning to them those parts which nature has enabled them to perform, with unrivalled elegance and propriety.

From this period, our lovely countrywomen are to be considered as parties in the innocent amusements of life, present at public festivities, joining and excelling in the elegant and fascinating recreations of dancing and music.