The corrupt

superstition

this century,

appear even in

stance of the foolish venera

tion that was

paid to the saints and

their relics.

III. The ignorance and corruption that dishonoured the Christian church in this century, were great beignorance and yond measure; and were there no other examples that reigned in of their enormity upon record, than the single instance of that stupid veneration that was paid to the bones and carcasses of departed saints; this would be sufficient to convince us of the deplorable progress of superstition. This idolatrous devotion was now considered as the most sacred and momentous branch of religion, nor did any dare to entertain the smallest hopes of finding the Deity propitious, before they had assured themselves of the protection and intercession of some one or other of the saintly order. Hence it was that every church, and indeed every private Christian, had their particular patron among the saints, from an apprehension that their spiritual interests would be but indifferently managed by those, who were already employed about the souls of others; for they judged, in this respect, of the saints as they did of mortals, whose capacity is too limited to comprehend a vast variety of objects. This notion rendered it necessary to multiply prodigiously the number of the saints, and to create daily new patrons for the deluded people; and this was done with the utmost zeal. The priests and monks set their invention at work, and peopled at discretion the invisible world with imaginary protectors. They dispelled the thick darkness which covered the pretended spiritual exploits of many holy men; and they invented both names and histories of saints that never existed, that they might not be at a loss to furnish the credulous and wretched multitude with objects proper to perpetuate their superstition and to nourish their confidence. Many chose their own guides, and committed their spiritual interests either to phantoms of their own creation, or to distracted fanatics, whom they esteemed as saints, for no other reason than their having lived like madmen.

canonized.

IV. The ecclesiastical councils found it necessary at The saints length to set limits to the licentious superstition of those ignorant wretches, who, with a view to have still more friends at court, for such were their gross notions of things, were daily adding new saints to the list of their

g [See Dr. Middleton's Letter from Rome, passim. in which we find the names of St. Baccho, St. Viar, St. Amphibolus, Euodia, &c.]

celestial mediators. They accordingly declared, by a solemn decree, that no departed Christian should be considered as a member of the saintly order before the bishop in a provincial council, and in presence of the people, had pronounced him worthy of that distinguished honour." This remedy, feeble and illusory as it was, contributed in some measure to restrain the fanatical temerity of the saintmakers; but, in its consequences, it was the occasion of a new accession of power to the Roman pontiff. Even so early as this century many were of opinion, that it was proper and expedient, though not absolutely necessary, that the decisions of bishops and councils should be confirmed by the consent and authority of the Roman pontiff, whom they considered as the supreme and universal bishop; and this will not appear surprising to any who reflect upon the enormous strides which the bishops of Rome made toward unbounded dominion in this barbarous and superstitious age, whose corruption and darkness were peculiarly favourable to their ambitious pretensions. It is true we have no example of any person solemnly sainted by the bishop of Rome alone, before the tenth century, when Uldaric, bishop of Augsburg, received this dignity in a formal manner from John XV. It is however certain, that before that time, the Roman pontiffs were consulted in matters of that nature, and their judgment respected in the choice of those that were to be honoured with saintship ;* and it was by such steps as these, that the church of Rome engrossed to itself the creation of these tutelary divinities, which at length was distinguished by the title of canoniza

tion.

Lives of the saints.

v. This preposterous multiplication of saints was a new source of abuses and frauds. It was thought necessary to write the lives of these celestial patrons, in order to procure for them the veneration and confidence of a deluded multitude; and here lying wonders were in

h Mabillon, Act. Sanctor. Ord. Benedicti, Sæc. v. Præf. p. 44. Launoy, De Lazari, Magdalena, et Martha in Provinciam appulsu, cap. i. § 12, p. 342, tom. ii. part i. opp. Frane. Pagi Breviarium Pontif. Romanor. tom. ii. p. 259, tom. iii. p. 30.

i See Dan. Papebrochius, De solennium canonizationum initiis et progress. in Propylao Actor. SS. mens. Maii, p. 171; and the other authors who have written upon this subject, of which there is an ample list in the Bibliographia Antiquar. of Fabricius, cap. vii. § 25, p. 270.

k See the candid and impartial account that is given of this matter, by the late pope, Benedict XIV. in his laborious work, De servorum Dei beatificatione et beatorum canonizatione, lib. i. cap. vii. p. 50, tom. i. opp. edit. Roman. It were to be wished, that historians of the church of Rome would learn to imitate the prudence, moderation, and equity of that illustrious pontiff.

vented, and all the resources of forgery and fable exhausted to celebrate exploits which had never been performed, and to perpetuate the memory of holy persons who had never existed. We have yet extant a prodigious quantity of these trifling legends, the greatest part of which were undoubtedly forged after the time of Charlemagne by the monastic writers, who had both the inclination and leisure to edify the church by these pious frauds. The same impostors who peopled the celestial regions with fictitious saints, employed also their fruitful inventions in embellishing with false miracles, and various other impertinent forgeries, the history of those who had been really martyrs or confessors in the cause of Christ; these fictions however did not pass with impunity, but were severely censured by some of the most eminent writers of the times in which they were imposed upon the credulity of the public.' Various were the motives that engaged different persons to propagate or countenance these impostures. Some were excited to this by the seductions of a false devotion, which reigned in this perverse and ignorant age, and made them imagine that departed saints were highly delighted with the applauses and veneration of mortals, and never failed to crown with peculiar marks of their favour and protection such as were zealous in honouring their memories and in celebrating their exploits. The prospect of gain, and the ambitious desire of being reverenced by the multitude, engaged others to multiply the number, and to maintain the credit of the legends, or saintly registers. For the churches that were dedicated to the saints were perpetually crowded with supplicants, who flocked to them with rich presents, in order to obtain succour under the afflictions they suffered, or deliverance from the dangers which they had reason to apprehend. And it was esteemed also a high honour to be the more immediate ministers of these tutelary mediators, who, as it is likewise proper to observe, were esteemed and frequented in proportion to their antiquity, and to the number and importance of the pretended miracles that had

1 See Servatus Lupus's Vita Maximini, p. 275, 276, and the candid and learned observations upon this subject that are to be found in various places of the works of the celebrated Launoy; e. g. in his Dispunctio Epistolæ Petri de Marca, de tempore quo in Gallia Christi fides recepta, cap. xiv. p. 110, in his Dissertationes de primis Christianæ relig. in Gallia initiis, Diss. ii. p. 142, 144, 145, 147, 168, 169, 181. De Lazari, Mag. dal. et Martha in Galliam appulsu, p. 340. Du Duobus Dionysiis, p. 527, 529, 530, tom. ii. part i. opp. See also Martene Thesaraus Anecdotor, tom. i. p. 151. Histoire Literaire de la France, tom. iv. p. 273.

rendered their lives illustrious. This latter circumstance offered a strong temptation to such as were employed by the various churches in writing the lives of their tutelar saints, to supply by invention the defects of truth, and to embellish their legions with fictitious prodigies; nay, they were not only tempted to this imposture, but were even obliged to make use of it in order to swell the fame of their respective patrons."

m

their relics

vi. But even all this was insufficient to satisfy the demands of superstition, nourished by the strata- A passionate gems of a corrupt and designing priesthood, and fondness for fomented by the zeal of the more ignorant and prevails. stupid sons of the church. It was not enough to reverence departed saints, and to confide in their intercession and succours; it was not enough to clothe them with an imaginary power of healing diseases, working miracles, and delivering from all sorts of calamities and dangers; their bones, their clothes, the apparel and furniture they had pos sessed during their lives, the very ground which they had touched, or in which their putrefied carcasses were laid, were treated with a stupid veneration, and supposed to retain the marvellous virtue of healing all disorders both of body and mind, and of defending such as possessed them against all the assaults and devices of Satan. The consequence of this wretched notion was, that every one was eager to provide himself with these salutary remedies, for which purpose great numbers undertook fatiguing and perilous voyages, and subjected themselves to all sorts of hardships; while others made use of this delusion to accumulate their riches, and to impose upon the miserable multitude by the most impious and shocking inventions. As the demand for relics was prodigious and universal, the clergy employed all their dexterity to satisfy these demands, and were far from being nice in the methods they used for that end. The bodies of the saints were sought by fasting and prayer, instituted by the priest in order to obtain a divine answer, and an infallible direction, and this pretended direction never failed to accomplish their desires; the holy carcass was always found, and that always in consequence, as they impiously gave out, of the suggestion and inspiration of God

m Of all the lives of the saints written in this century, none are more liable to suspicion than those drawn up by the Britons and Normans. See Mabillon Præf. ad Sac. i. Benedictin, sub init.

himself. Each discovery of this kind was attended with excessive demonstrations of joy, and animated the zeal of these devout seekers to enrich the church still more and more with this new kind of treasure. Many travelled with this view into the eastern provinces, and frequented the places which Christ and his disciples had honoured with their presence, that with the bones and other sacred remains of the first heralds of the gospel, they might comfort dejected minds, calm trembling consciences, save sinking states, and defend their inhabitants from all sorts of calamities. Nor did these pious travellers return home empty; the craft, dexterity, and knavery of the Greeks, found a rich prey in the stupid credulity of the Latin relic hunters, and made a profitable commerce of this new devotion. The latter paid considerable sums for legs and arms, skulls and jaw bones, several of which were pagan, and some not human, and other things that were supposed to have belonged to the primitive worthies of the Christian church; and thus the Latin churches came to the possession of those celebrated relics of St. Mark, St. James, St. Bartholomew, Cyprian, Pantaleon, and others, which they show at this day with so much ostentation. But there were many, who, unable to procure for themselves these spiritual treasures by voyages and prayers, had recourse to violence and theft for all sorts of means, and all sorts of attempts in a cause of this nature were considered, when successful, as pious and acceptable to the Supreme Being."

t;

VII. The study of the Holy Scriptures languished much among the Greeks in this century. Photius, who The exposi- composed a book of Questions, relating to various glected among passages of Scripture, An exposition of the Epistles of St. Paul, and other productions of the same nature, was one of the few that employed their talents in

tion of the Scriptures ne

the Greeks.

n See Muratori Antic. Ital. medii ævi, tom. v. p. 6, who gives examples of the truth of this assertion.

o This work which is entitled Amphilochia, from its having been addressed to Amphilochius, bishop of Cyzicum, consists of three hundred and eight questions, and answers to them; a sixth part of which, at least, are to be found in the Epistles of Photius, published at London in 1651, by bishop Montague. The most of these questions relate to different texts of the Old and New Testaments; but these are interspersed with others of a philosophical and literary kind. This work is still extant in MSS. in the Vatican, Barberinian, and Bavarian libraries.

p Such as a catena, a chain of commentaries on the book of Psalms, compiled from the writings of Athanasius, Basil, Chrysostom, &c. and a commentary upon the Prophets, both of which are yet extant in MSS. the former in the Bibliotheca Segueriana, or Coistiniana, and the latter in the Vatican library.