according to his deeds." In Rev. xx. 12, we read, "And they were judged, small and great, according to their works." In John v. 29, "All that are in the graves shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” In the parable of the talents the word of approval was, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord;" and the word of condemnation was, "Thou wicked and slothful servant;" and they cast him "into outer dark

ness."

Thus we see that all are tried by the test of works. Creeds and doctrines are vain as a means of safety. The all-essential thing is, what has been done; and Paul, notwithstanding his strong plea for faith, did not undervalue works; for he tells the Romans, ii. 7, that eternal life comes by patient continuance in well doing. He writes to Titus, ii. 14, "Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works." Here, good works are the peculiar mark that is to distinguish the Christian. What, then, should be the object of emulation among Christians? Not whether this or that article of belief is orthodox, but who shall most abound in good works.

ARTICLE XX.

Charles the Bold.

History of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. By JoHN FOSTER KIRK. 2 vols., 8vo. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. 1864.

THERE are epochs and characters in the history of the world which rise so boldly from the ordinary level of events and persons that we turn to them instinctively as marking the upheaval of new ranges upon the great continent of human life, traversing it in belts of influence and energy which con

tinually widen as the ages advance, until every slope is covered with verdure, and every summit beams with light. Such an epoch does the close of the 15th, and the opening of the 16th century present, which was emphatically "an era of great changes, of great men, and of great deeds." Mr. Buckle, in his "History of Civilization in England," dates the startingpoint of modern civilization in the 10th and 11th centuries, "when the human reason, that divine spark which even the most corrupt society is unable to extinguish, began to display its power, and disperse the mists by which it was surrounded."" But this was the day-star which preceded the dawn: the sun itself did not then rise. The period he indicates is medieval, marked by the prevalence of feudalism and chivalry. The modern epoch did not commence until four centuries later, when Europe had risen to a higher level, and the liberties of the people had greatly increased.

The distinguishing trait of the 15th century is the struggle for power, which became universal. The feudal civilization was in the last stages of decay. In every realm, in every family, there were bitter feuds and dark tragedies. Children conspired against their parents; nobles conspired against their sovereigns. The highest ambition of men of all ranks was to accumulate power; passions the most lawless were freely indulged; and the restraints of honor, of gallantry, and generosity, were all overthrown in the eager desire to press forward the ends of a selfish aggrandizement, regardless of the peace or the happiness of others. All over Europe the fierce struggle raged, giving rise in England to the war of the roses, and in France to the rivalry between Louis the Eleventh and Charles the Bold. The history of this rivalry is sketched in part in the two noble volumes from the pen of Mr. Kirk, which we propose to notice in the following pages.

It must not be supposed that at the period under review the feudal system had lost entirely its foothold in Europe. In some places, on the contrary, it still flourished in all its original splendor and pomp. Especially was this true of Burgundy,

1 Vol. i. p. 440, Appleton's edition.

in France, where, under Philip the Good, the father of Charles the Bold, the court of that prince "shone with a magnificence unequalled by that of any sovereign in Christendom." "Wher ever," says Mr. Kirk, "he fixed his residence, at Brussels, at Dijon, or at Paris, his apartments were furnished and adorned with the costliest productions of Flemish industry and art.. His palace was a scene of perpetual festivities, of sumptuous. banquets, and gorgeous pageantries that remind us of the early barbaric pomp of Eastern despots. of Eastern despots. His library consisted of the rarest manuscripts, and the earliest specimens of printed! books, splendidly bound and illuminated, the nucleus of a collection which, enriched by successive additions, is now one of the most important in the world. He had accumulated treasure to an almost incredible amount, in gold, silver, and precious stones, comprising images, crucifixes, reliquaries,. plate of every description, gems of the largest size and purest water, and heaps of glittering coin. His household-afterward adopted as a model by the Spanish sovereigns, the wealthiest, and most powerful monarchs of the sixteenth century — embraced a multitude of officers arranged under four great divisions, and constituting a hierarchy the grades of which ascended from the menial duties of the kitchen to the highest dignities. of the state."2

It was in this court, and surrounded by this splendor, that Charles the Bold was born, on the 10th of November, 1433. Of illustrious origin, claiming descent from the sovereigns of England as well as of Portugal, and from the "premier peer of France, he inherited the qualities essential to greatness;. and endowed by nature with a constitution of extraordinary vigor, he was eminently fitted for the stirring age upon which his prowess was to be signally displayed. On the day of his. baptism he was invested with the order of the Golden Fleece,, and with the title of the Count of Charolais; before he had reached his second year, he was removed to the Netherlands,. accompanied by his mother, where, at the fit time, he "was. placed under the care of a nobleman distinguished for the in

2 Vol. i. pp 87, 88

tegrity and decorum of his life, to be trained in the habits and accomplishments that were thought to befit an illustrious station;" at eighteen, he took his degree, not at college, although he had acquired a much larger share of the learning of the age than was commonly possessed by persons of noble birth, but in the popular branch of horsemanship, and the use of the lance, by jousting in public with Jacques de Lalain, the consummate master of martial exercises; at nineteen, he distinguished himself in the battle of Gavre, by cutting his way through a body of Flemings, and relieving his father from imminent peril; and at twenty-one, he was married to Isabella of Bourbon, having previously been betrothed to a daughter of Charles the Seventh, who died before the nuptials could be celebrated.

His habits were frugal for one who had been reared in the luxuries of a court. "He ate sparingly, and of the simplest food, and seldom tasted wine unless diluted with a much larger proportion of water." "His pleasure," says old Chastellain, "was not in luxury and self-indulgence, but in labor and endurance." And his training was calculated to develop these qualities. "He excelled in manly sports, in archery and in throwing the bar. He was seldom absent when the chase was proclaimed in the forest of Soignies, and delighted especially in the dangerous pastime of hunting the wild boar. But on the coast of Holland, which he often visited, he found still stronger attractions in the pursuit in which so large a number of the inhabitants were engaged; frequenting the ocean even in the stormiest weather, and making himself practically acquainted with the art of seamanship in its minutest details."

His manners befitted the station he filled. "Pomp and state he regarded as essential qualities of a princely life; but he had little relish for the gayeties and excesses of his father's court. He shared, however, in its more refined tastes, and took part in its more graceful recreations. He was a good dancer, and was reputed to be the most skilful chess-player of his time. For music he had a strong partiality, cultivating the

3 Vol. i. p. 127.

science, so far as it could be said to exist, and composing motets, chansons, and other fashionable strains." 4

In personal appearance, he was rather below the common height, yet possessed of a well-knit and powerful frame. "His face was round, his complexion a transparent olive, tinted with a ruddy glow. A wavy mass of thick black hair overhung his forehead, and flowed around his neck. In walking, his looks were habitually directed towards the ground; but his eyes were angelically clear,' their glances equally penetrating and expressive, and in moments of excitement terrible. 'I never heard him,' says Philippe de Commines, 'complain of weariness, and never saw in him a sign of fear.'"

The character of Charles has been painted by some in colors laid on with a too careless hand. He was not, as Scott has represented him in his "Quentin Durward," a compound of beastliness, vulgarity, and buffoonery; nor was he a crafty dissembler like Louis the Eleventh, delighting in hypocrisy,. and affecting sanctimony. Brave even to rashness, rushing upon danger because he loved it, and revelling in scenes of the wildest daring; to these qualities of physical courage were joined a scrupulous regard for justice and honor, frankness in avowing and boldness in defending his settled convictions, and a general freedom from the vices of the age, which were noticeable traits in one of his rank. True, he was "fiery and inflexible;" "proud, impatient, and melancholy;"" implacable in his enmities," and "subject to gusts of passion. that settled into a sullen fixedness of purpose by which flattery and counsel were alike repelled." But this sternness and severity were chiefly displayed when others attempted to thwart his plans. When the current of life flowed pleasantly and smoothly, he was the courtly knight, approachable by all, even the meanest of his vassals, and careful to avoid giving wilful offence. He scorned duplicity, and would cleave his way at a single stroke through the mailed visage of subterfuge, strip off its mask, and expose its nakedness with a merciless hand; but where men came to him in honesty of pur5 Ibid. pp. 128, 129.

4 Vol. i. p. 129.