Knights of the spirit; warriors in the cause Of justice absolute 'twixt man and man.

In these lines Gilder casts an idealized figure—implicitly reformers, moral leaders, or principled citizens—as a kind of chivalric order. “Knights of the spirit” shifts knighthood from hereditary rank and physical combat to inner discipline and ethical courage. The “cause / Of justice absolute ’twixt man and man” suggests an uncompromising standard of fairness in human relations, not merely legal justice but moral equity across social boundaries. The elevated diction (“knights,” “warriors,” “absolute”) frames civic virtue as strenuous, even militant, implying that justice requires active struggle and steadfastness rather than passive goodwill.