Legends of Charlemagne | Page 8

France, which had been
prostrated by the disorders of preceding times. He recompensed these
learned men liberally, and kept some of them near himself, honoring
them with his friendship. Of these the most celebrated is Alcuin, an
Englishman, whose writings still remain, and prove him to have been
both a learned and a wise man. With the assistance of Alcuin, and
others like him, he founded an academy or royal school, which should
have the direction of the studies of all the schools of the kingdom.
Charlemagne himself was a member of this academy on equal terms

with the rest. He attended its meetings, and fulfilled all the duties of an
academician. Each member took the name of some famous man of
antiquity. Alcuin called himself Horace, another took the name of
Augustin, a third of Pindar. Charlemagne, who knew the Psalms by
heart, and who had an ambition to be, according to his conception, A
KING AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART, received from his brother
academicians the name of David.
Of the respect entertained for him by foreign nations an interesting
proof is afforded in the embassy sent to him by the Caliph of the
Arabians, the celebrated Haroun al Raschid, a prince in character and
conduct not unlike to Charlemagne. The ambassadors brought with
them, besides other rich presents, a clock, the first that was seen in
Europe, which excited universal admiration. It had the form of a
twelve-sided edifice with twelve doors. These doors formed niches, in
each of which was a little statue representing one of the hours. At the
striking of the hour the doors, one for each stroke, was seen to open,
and from the doors to issue as many of the little statues, which,
following one another, marched gravely round the tower. The motion
of the clock was caused by water, and the striking was effected by balls
of brass equal to the number of the hours, which fell upon a cymbal of
the same metal, the number falling being determined by the discharge
of the water, which, as it sunk in the vessel, allowed their escape.
Charlemagne was succeeded by his son Louis, a well-intentioned but
feeble prince, in whose reign the fabric reared by Charles began rapidly
to crumble. Louis was followed successively by two Charleses,
incapable princes, whose weak and often tyrannical conduct is no doubt
the source of incidents of that character ascribed in the romances to
Charlemagne.
The lawless and disobedient deportment of Charles's paladins,
instances of which are so frequent in the romantic legends, was also a
trait of the declining empire, but not of that of Charlemagne.
THE PEERS, OR PALADINS
The twelve most illustrious knights of Charlemagne were called Peers,

for the equality that reigned among them; while the name of Paladins,
also conferred on them, implies that they were inmates of the palace
and companions of the king. Their names are always given alike by the
romancers, yet we may enumerate the most distinguished of them as
follows: Orlando or Roland (the former the Italian, the latter the French
form of the name), favorite nephew of Charlemagne; Rinaldo of
Montalban, cousin of Orlando; Namo, Duke of Bavaria; Salomon, king
of Brittany; Turpin, the Archbishop; Astolpho, of England; Ogier, the
Dane; Malagigi, the Enchanter; and Florismart, the friend of Orlando.
There were others who are sometimes named as paladins, and the
number cannot be strictly limited to twelve. Charlemagne himself must
be counted one, and Ganelon, or Gano, of Mayence, the treacherous
enemy of all the rest, was rated high on the list by his deluded
sovereign, who was completely the victim of his arts.
We shall introduce more particularly to our readers a few of the
principal peers, leaving the others to make their own introduction as
they appear in the course of our narrative. We begin with Orlando.
ORLANDO
Milon, or Milone, a knight of great family, and distantly related to
Charlemagne, having secretly married Bertha, the Emperor's sister, was
banished from France, and excommunicated by the Pope. After a long
and miserable wandering on foot as mendicants Milon and his wife
arrived at Sutri, in Italy, where they took refuge in a cave, and in that
cave Orlando was born. There his mother continued, deriving a scanty
support from the compassion of the neighboring peasants; while Milon,
in quest of honor and fortune, went into foreign lands. Orlando grew up
among the children of the peasantry, surpassing them all in strength and
manly graces. Among his companions in age, though in station far
more elevated, was Oliver, son of the governor of the town. Between
the two boys a feud arose that led to a fight, in which Orlando thrashed
his rival; but this did not prevent a friendship springing up between the
two, which