, 1874-11-01
COURTS OF LOVE.
pistory Of the Causes Which
Produced Them.
uhan and at What Time They
Flourished.
rh. Thirty-oue RuEes Which Go'"
erned Them.
eoecia1 Cases Considered.

.,o e<sten,s Of mans invention whicl
" ~ ...oa ~. for .ny length OF time. that O
h.'1 r.,~v ;s one Of the most pleasing and yet N
eu' eu,-shensible. springirg into existence at
oon'aeth Sa.n tha civilized world ~as wrapped il
tne "ns8 ;o,chylty, and intellectual darkness
snosaus n;1 ia wrapped in mystery even it
its osts~ sn1endor II ia rendered indiHtinct b:
noonuA' - time and romance, and It.
tue nAAo like the dissolying of
dea'n w w. ,bia .ir,-sradua1, inappreciable
eoao 4I. dsys it circled the civilized world
IN ''s p1 - hefo1o its mandates. and sought Il
=. e Considered its supporters. 1es It's Jaws "er'
1...r enforced by imprisonment nor lts punt!
1.,;sd nv br c7oelty. No 1awiees Sheriff un1eellng
,]a-srnted ~ sa its DEGREES; no physical force CON
:.;'sd ohed;euce to its behests; yet it was al
Fe1s F-tu, ,s though warriors stood ready to en-
ts.,s ,nbm;ssion, and conquered by the nowe1
~ .r,,c oc,nion. It was the recoll from lnjus
~. oopression, and lccniiousneAs.
nr rome poetieal spirits
IT'S ORIGIN
,c.,,;ed back to the age Of the equestrian
ID, of the Romans; others, less ambitious
.+,ntrted it to the Gauls aud Franks. who
tnmeht its principles with them in their de-
-..tst;on Of Southern Europe The Normans
,~ s,rna are said 10 have first taught as we'll at
o..,t;ced the lofty aud generous maxlms od
.,Ir.lrr. And CharlemaEne by others is said,
,-,b 7nore Of truth, to have realized the first
;a.,, ~ :, knight. But we fail to lind in au-
.1s1+r records any mention of the first ex-
;.,anea .osn of knights or knighthooo, an
~ h;rth ran only be placed by conjecture some
TINS in tue tenth century. But, the more We
seek 70 ascertain 2ny thing with precision con-
oeruipg the inception or growth Of chEalrF' me
more do We perceive that it was poeticsI ln'lt5
o-q,n. The tales winch we're circulated III tie
sfiIde 4ces, especially the marvellous Inventions
.,rrerninr GharIenague and Arthur, nudoubt-
eily stimulated the spirit Of chivalry long before
tucA dignity Was invented or established.
pnt afteI it's first use, it's progress
sesns to have been rapid, for IN the
le1fer cart Of the eleventh century, a. tae
tine Of the first cr11sades, 1t was 10 tne 1uu Vlg
or Of youth. From that time to the commence
neut Of the fourteenth century chlyal1y WAS
aonnshing. but the civil ~ars Of the Roses IN
Tceiard. the institution Of regular system OF
pas1aro on the Continent, and the organization
Of disciplined armies, weakened lts power, and
destrured that spirit Of individual vslor and hon
Or which vas one Of its lending cha1acteHssics.
But ere it died, Bayard - sans pe.tT Ct Sans re-
o-cche" embodied III his lite all the virtues OF
;hr dsal knight, and since its extinction Tasso
md Spenser, have crystallized them IN verse
THE FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES OF cHIy41KF
we're morality. bravery, and fde1ity-the eleya-
ton Of omen its best and nobtest result For
his lady the knight endured the sererest pr7va-
tons, performed the most arduoua labors. At
ler Command he trayersed foreign lands. fought
she most unequal battles, removed himself even
hnre efc arH rpfrrnp1
tiues only to ind his love the bride of another
1t her request be renounced home, friends,
eren hts faith to do her will MES his only am
ttou; to attain her lore the sole pursuit Of
bis life.
But where should warrior seek the mead
Due to high worth for daring deed,
Except from love and fame!
Necessarily therefore his "fancy lightly turn
ed to thoughts Of love" Questions or casuistry
ia nloye-zaatters occupied days Of study and argu-
nsat and Ia belle passion MAS elevated to
The highest rink, its modes and development
Eb}ected to the closest scrutiay. For this pur-
pose It Eas necessary to establish an authority
vaoss dec1ees would be accepted as final, aud
a7s were instituted those tribunals. called the
COURTS OF LOVE
The origin Of these courts is wrapped In a
darkness AZ 1npenetrable as that Of the com
nencemeut Of chlyalry oven their existenc5
h2= beer doubted No writer gives any particu-
lN attention to the exposition Of their character,
Ead their HISTORY is to be learned only from the
scattering allusions in contemporaueous hiBto-
Eins But the numerous COMPOSITIONS OF the
troubadou1s and trouyeres furnish abundant
proof Fositiye Of the existence Of such tribu-
n4ls in the south OF Fraoce, aud 1t is in fact 10
these poets ttas such courts probably owe their
origin. Bat, although the exact time Of their
rse csnnot be told, It Is known of q certainty
lust they we're in dourshlng condition in the
twelfth century.
TIE TRouRApoURs
s2rang up N the tenth or eleventh century,
seemingly spontaneously. In most great epochs
o1 Intellectual activity, the age preceding them
eHea In some way forewarplng OF what We may
expect But in tbs tenth century the civilized
world lsy IN the deepest darkness. Italy aud
france we're each struggling to form language
Vut OF tue dlscordant elements OF the Latin aud
oa1oar1an languages Spain was immobile and
epsscaless unuer The thrall Of Arabian power,
Enoea though the cham OF thralldom might
Iase ;a oeea' Germany WAS, perhaps. just re-
|aGag IN the possession Of the Niebeiungen
lex, and England had just been united under
4e genus Of an Alfred With such 3 dark hoti-
- toa, Tue honance language was born, and rapid
EefeE INTO prominence.
q t1e commencement Of the twelfth century,
" y. me ume Of the frat crusaues, tie Romance
ts sss9e vas employed in poetry, romances, and
;aaa9ns; 49, and dsermons too, we're preached and
~. ~ pao4shed 2a therein Rhyme Was borrowed
Nun. sa. ne Lasin, or possibly the Arabic, gram
..a xAs established. and this constant and varied
:. :" tue new tongue gave 1t a dexiblilty which
~ ~ - .ospted it to poetry and the expression
49, VIC so1tef emotions. From that time until
tss.a. s tne Close OF the thirteenth century.
esss ~sutaoou1s we're Is numerous a. butterflies in
ssuuet, H.. and their influence became so great
t.ra3sa ee!ss ~ aug Kings joined their ranks. They