Chapter 1

"How Agrican with all his northern powers
Besieged Albracca, as romances tell;
The city of Galaphron, from thence to win
The fairest of her sex, Angelica,
His daughter, loved of many prowest knights,
Both paynim, and the peers of Charlemain."
Paradise Regained. CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION. THOSE who have investigated the origin of the romantic fables
relating to Charlemagne and his peers are of opinion that the deeds of
Charles Martel, and perhaps of other Charleses, have been blended in
popular tradition with those properly belonging to Charlemagne. It was
indeed a most momentous era; and if our readers will have patience,
before entering on the perusal of the fabulous annals which we are
about to lay before them, to take a rapid survey of the real history
of the times, they will find it hardly less romantic than the tales of
the poets.
In the century beginning from the year 600, the countries
bordering upon the native land of our Saviour, to the east and
south, had not yet received his religion. Arabia was the seat of an
idolatrous religion resembling that of the ancient Persians, who
worshipped the sun, moon, and stars. In Mecca, in the year 571,
Mahomet was born, and here, at the age of forty, he proclaimed himself
the prophet of God, in dignity as superior to Christ as Christ had
been to Moses. Having obtained by slow degrees a considerable number
of disciples, he resorted to arms to diffuse his religion. The
energy and zeal of his followers, aided by the weakness of the
neighboring nations, enabled him and his successors to spread the sway
of Arabia and the religion of Mahomet over the countries to the east
as far as the Indus, northward over Persia and Asia Minor, westward
over Egypt and the southern shores of the Mediterranean, and thence
over the principal portion of Spain. All this was done within one
hundred years from the Hegira, or flight of Mahomet from Mecca to
Medina, which happened in the year 622, and is the era from which
Mahometans reckon time, as we do from the birth of Christ.
From Spain the way was open for the Saracens (so the followers of
Mahomet were called) into France, the conquest of which, if
achieved, would have been followed very probably by that of all the
rest of Europe, and would have resulted in the banishment of
Christianity from the earth. For Christianity was not at that day
universally professed, even by those nations which we now regard as
foremost in civilization. Great part of Germany, Britain, Denmark, and
Russia were still pagan or barbarous.
At that time there ruled in France, though without the title of
king, the first of those illustrious Charleses of whom we have spoken,
Charles Martel, the grandfather of Charlemagne. The Saracens of