THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROMANCE OF THE MIDDLE AGES The value of romantic literature, which has been, so far as the Middle Ages are concerned, unjustly depreciated, does not depend upon beauty of words or beauty of fact.

To-day the immense debt of modern literature to the literature of the Middle Ages is better understood; and we are generally beginning to recognize what we owe to the imagination of the Middle Ages, in spite of the ignorance, the superstition and the cruelty of that time.

If the evils of the Middle Ages had really been universal, those ages could not have imparted to us lessons of beauty and lessons of nobility having nothing to do with literary form in themselves, yet profoundly affecting modern poetry of the highest class.

No; there was very much of moral goodness as well as of moral badness in the Middle Ages; and what was good happened to be very good indeed.

Commonly it used to be said (though I do not think any good critic would say it now) that the fervid faith of the time made the moral beauty.