In spite of her own origin, she disliked Jews, and rarely neglected a chance to maltreat them.  She was not in the least a prude.  To her, sin was simply humanity, and she seemed often on the point of defending her arbitrary acts of mercy, by frankly telling the Trinity that if the Creator meant to punish man, He should not have made him.  The people, who always in their hearts protested against bearing the responsibility for the Creator’s arbitrary creations, delighted to see her upset the law, and reverse the rulings of the Trinity.  They idolized her for being strong, physically and in will, so that she feared nothing, and was as helpful to the knight in the melee of battle as to the young mother in child-bed.  The only character in which they seemed slow to recognize Mary was that of bourgeoise.  The bourgeoisie courted her favour at great expense, but she seemed to be at home on the farm, rather than in the shop.  She had very rudimentary knowledge, indeed, of the principles of political economy as we understand them, and her views on the subject of money-lending or banking were so feminine as to rouse in that powerful class a vindictive enmity which helped to overthrow her throne.  On the other hand, she showed a marked weakness for chivalry, and one of her prettiest and most twelfth-century miracles is that of the knight who heard mass while Mary took his place in the lists.  It is much too charming to lose (Bartsch, 1895, p. 311):—­

Un chevalier courtois et sages,
 Hardis et de grant vasselages,
 Nus mieudres en chevalerie,
 Moult amoit la vierge Marie. 
 Pour son barnage demener
 Et son franc cors d’armes pener,
 Aloit a son tournoiement
 Garnis de son contentement. 
 Au dieu plaisir ainsi avint
 Que quant le jour du tournoi vint
 Il se hastoit de chevauchier,
 Bien vousist estre en champ premier. 
 D’une eglise qui pres estoit
 Oi les sains que l’on sonnoit
 Pour la sainte messe chanter. 
 Le chevalier sans arrester
 S’en est ale droit a l’eglise
 Pour escouter le dieu servise. 
 L’en chantoit tantost hautement
 Une messe devotement
 De la sainte Vierge Marie;
 Puis a on autre comencie. 
 Le chevalier vien l’escouta,
 De bon cuer la dame pria,
 Et quant la messe fut finee
 La tierce fu recomenciee
 Tantost en ce meisme lieu. 
 “Sire, pour la sainte char dieu!”
 Ce li a dit son escuier,
 “L’heure passe de tournoier,
 Et vous que demourez ici? 
 Venez vous en, je vous en pri! 
 Volez vous devenir hermite
 Ou papelart ou ypocrite? 
 Alons en a nostre mestier!”

A knight both courteous and wise
 And brave and bold in enterprise. 
 No better knight was ever seen,
 Greatly loved the Virgin Queen. 
 Once, to contest the tourney’s prize
 And keep his strength in exercise,
 He rode out to the listed field
 Armed at all points with lance and shield;
 But it pleased God that when the day