life, amusements and education
in strict accordance with it. The castles of the great lords and
knights were "academies of honour" for the children of their dependents
and less wealthy neighbors; the court yards became the scene of martial
exercises, and the presence of noble women within the walls afforded an
opportunity for the cultivation of gentle manners, and for the growth
of that feeling of reverence for the fair sex which was to form so
important an element in the boys' later life. The "gentle damoiseau,"
confided at the age of seven or eight to the care of a knight whose
reputation for prowess and courtesy ensured a good example, learned
modesty and obedience in the performance of menial services, then
considered honorable; in the court-yard of the castle he was
instructed in horsemanship, and in the use of the lance, the bow, and
the sword. In the dangers and hardships of the chase the principal
occupation in time of peace,--he was inured to fatigue, hunger, and
pain; he learned to sound the horn at the different stages of the hunt,
to dress the game when killed, and to carve it on the table.[9] He
waited upon the ladies in their apartments as upon superior beings,
whose service, even the most menial, was an honor. While yet a
damoiseau, and before he had attained the rank of squire, the youth was
expected to choose one girl who should receive his special admiration
and service, in whose name his future knightly deeds should be
performed, who should be his inspiration in battle, the reward of his
valor, and the object of his gallantry. In the loves of Amadis and
Oriana, so famous in romance, we have a simple and charming description
of the first budding of the chivalric sentiment. "Oriana was about ten
years old, the fairest creature that ever was seen; wherefore she was
called the one 'without a peer.' * * * The Child of the Sea (Amadis)
was now twelve years old, but in stature and size he seemed fifteen,
and he served the queen; but now that Oriana was there, the queen gave
her the Child of the Sea, that he should serve her, and Oriana said
that 'it pleased her'; and that word which she said the child kept in
his heart, so that he never lost it from his memory, and in all his
life he was never weary of serving her, and his heart was surrendered
to her; and this love lasted as long as they lasted, for as well as he
loved her did she also love him. But the Child of the Sea, who knew
nothing of her love, thought