The San Francisco call., 1895-11-17

brought them in touch with the outer
world. l fancy that Cresten of Troyes or
Walter Map felt the pulse of his audience
as keenly as Thackeray or Browning or.
Hall Caine, and wrote to please the taste
of his age. And so there grew up a vast
body of poetry and romance, the latter
partly in verse and partly in prose-mostly
written in French, the literary language of
that day-and many of these romances
have come down to us.
Some of them told of the love and ad-
venture of their own time. Others revived
the history of old Greece and brought out.
Achilles and Hector and Troilus and Alex
ander the Great, fighting and iousting and
making love like worthy knights on true
medieval principles. Charlemagne was
the subject of another cycle of romances.
He was far enough away in time to be
wrapped in the mists of myth and legend
and they clothed him with the exploits of
his great ancestor, Charles Martel,
When Roland brave and Olivere
And every paladin and peer
On Roncesvaes died.
But most popular and widespread of all
was the romance of Arthur and the KNIGHTS
of the Round Table. Story after story
gathered around the central figure OF
Arthur till the legend seemed to fill the
aspirations of the time and its unbounded
popularity gave 1t currency such.
unless it be the Iliad of Homer.
II spread over all Europe, from Scotland to
Italy and Spain. 1t was translated into all the
languages of Western Europe. 1t was retold in
endless variety, and formed the staple of ro-
nance for nearly 400 years, till the coming Of
the Renaissance gave new subjects OF thought
and formed new standards OF taste: Then after
temporary eclipse it was revived again, and
with undying interest it has been repeated In
new forms even in our own day.
What was the secret of the charm that gave
it such hold upon the men and women of the
middle ages? l am not speaking of Malory's
"Morte Darthur,' but of that cycle of early
romance from which he compiled his immortal
book They were written from 1I5O to 1925,
during the period of the second and third CRU
sades, when the impulse of chivalry was at ils
highest, and they were saturated with Its
spirit. Together they formed the epic Of chiv-
airy. "
Arthur, Launcelot and Tristram filed the re-
quirements of knightly virtues-fearless in
battle. merciful to the vanquished, devoted in
friendship, tender and true in love, always
ready to peril their lives for suffering woman,
they formed the models for chivalric example.
The loves of Launcelot and Guinevere, of
Tristram and Isolde-to us they seem guilty
passions-but Mallory, pious as he was, has no
word of blame for them. 1t was enough for
him that these lovers were devoted and true.
The standards of medieval morality not only
justified but exalted them. "While she lived"
says Mallory of Guinevere, in his quaint way,
"while she lived, she was true lover and
therefore she had good end"
The quest of the Grail added religious sig
nificance to the whole story and rounded out
the prevailing motives OF the day-war, love
and religion-illing the measure Of noble pur-
pose according to the spirit OF the times.
To these claims were added the sympathy
excited by the romantic fate of Arthur him.
self, his unequal struggle with the fate that
finally crushed him; it was the familiar story
OF man fighting against destiny.
Arthur became King of England at the age
OF 10. mere boy in years. He found his
country ravaged by anarchy and civil war.
With Merlin's aid he subdued the rebels and
drove out the Saxon invaders, restoring the
Christian faitn, which had been trampled un-
der foot by his pagan enemies, and bringing
peace and prosperity to the country.
He established at London the most magnif-
cent court in Western Europe, drew around
him the most famous heroes of Christendom,
and founded the order of the Round Table as
bulwark to his throne.
Borne forward on the food tide of success he
brought under his rule all the British isles;
crossed the ocean and conquered the pagans of
Norway and Denmark, subdued Gaul and Ger
many, oyerthrew the armies sent against him
by the Roman authorities followed them
across the Alps into the Holy City itself, where
he was crowned Emperor by the Pope.
During this wonderful career he performed
feats of prodigious personal valor. Single
handed he encountered and slew monstrous
giant, releasing from captivity a number Of
noble ladies, and afterward decided campaign
by duel on an island in the Seine with the
Roman general, whom he slew after q desper-
ate fight.
Leaving Rome he returned to England, the
Emperor of Western Europe, the most con.
spicuous figure in Christendom, the idol of his
countrymen.
Then came the episode of the Holy Grail
This was the sacred cup from which our Savior
drank at the last supper. Joseph OF Arima.
thea brought it to England, where 1t remained
in his family, dispensing miraculous blessings
on the land till, in the increase of wickedness,
1t disappeared from among men.
Soon after Arthur's return it began to b