The History of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V; With a View of the Progress of Society in Europe, from the Subversion of the Roman Empire, to the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century Volume 1 (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: describe these, they relate, however, such signal Sect. acts of humanity and generosity in the conduct Saladin, as well as some other leaders of the Mahometans, as give us a very high idea of their manners. It was not possible for the Crusaders to travel through so many countries, and to behold their various customs and institutions, without acquiiy ing information and improvement. Their views enlarged 5 their prejudices wore off; new ideas crowded into their .minds; and they must have been sensible on many occasions, of the rusticity of their own manners, when compared with those of a more polished people. These impressions were not so slight as to be effaced upon their return to their native countries. A close intercourse subsisted between the East and West during two centuries; new armies were continually marching from Europe to Asia, while former adventurers returned home and imported many of the customs to which they had been familiarized by a long residence abroad. Accordingly, we discover, soon after the commencement of the Crusades, greater splendour in the courts of princes, greater pomp in public ceremonies, a more refined taste in pleasure and amusements, together with a more romantic spirit of enterprise spreading gradually over Europe; and to these wild expeditions, the effect of super- ' stition or folly, we owe the first gleams of light which tended to dispel barbarism and ignorance. BUT these beneficial consequences of the Cru-Thei sades took place slowly; their influence upon state of property, and consequently of power, inPcrty- Sect, the different kingdoms of Europe, was more itnme- v diate as well as discernible. The nobles who assumed the cross, and bound themselves to march to the Holy Land, soon perceived that great sums were necessary towards def...