Page:History of Greece Vol I.djvu/508

 476 HISTORY OF GREECE. is possible, though not certain, that the name of Arthur may b historical also. But the Charlemagne of history, ani the Charle- magne of romance, have little except the name in common nor could we ever determine, except by independent evidence (which in this case we happen to possess), whether Charlemagne was a real or a fictitious person. 1 That illustrious name, as well as the more problematical Arthur, is taken up by the romancers, not with a view to celebrate realities previously verified, but for the purpose of setting forth or amplifying an ideal of their own, in such manner as both to rouse the feelings and captivate the faith of their hearers. To inquire which of the personages of the Carlovingian epic were real and which were fictitious, to examine whether the expedition ascribed to Charlemagne against Jerusalem had ever taken place or not, to separate truth from exaggeration in the exploits of the Knights of the Round Table, these were prob- gloire de leurs ancetres qu'ils vculent celebrer, et ils ont droit alors a deman- der qu'on les ecoute avec respect." The Chronicle of Turpin was inserted, even so late as the year 1566, in the collection printed by Scardius at Frankfort of early German historians (Ginguene, Histoire Litte'raire d'Jtalie, vol. iv. part ii. ch. 3. p. 157). To the same point that these romances were listened to as real stories see Sir Walter Scott's Preface to Sir Tristram, p. Ixvii. The authors of the Legends of the Saints are not less explicit in their assertions that every- thing which they recount is true and well-attested (Ampere, c. 14. p. 358). 1 The series of articles by M. Fauriel, published in the Revue des Deux Mondes, vol. xiii. are full of instruction respecting the origin, tenor, and influence of the Romances of Chivalry. Though the name of Charlemagne appears, the romancers are really unable to distinguish him from Charles Martel or from Charles the Bald (pp. 537-539}. They ascribe to him an expedition to the Holy Land, in which he conquered Jerusalem from the Saracens, obtained possession of the relics of the passion of Christ, the crown of thorns, etc. These precious relics he carried to Rome, from whence they were taken to Spain by a Saracen emir, named Balan, at the head of an army. The expedition of Charlemagne against the Saracens in Spain was undertaken for the purpose of recovering the relics : " Cea divers romans peuvent etre regardes comme la suite, comme le developpe ment, dc la fiction de la conquete de Je'rusalem par Charlemagne." Respecting the Romance of Rinaldo of Montanban ("describing the strng gles of a feudal lord against the emperor} M. Fauriel observes, " II n'y a je crois, aucun fonclement historique : c'est scion toute apparence, la pure ex pression poe'tique du fait ge'ne'ral, ' etc. (p. 542. ^