they expected, and with good reason, that those savage minds would be softened and rendered humane, by the influences of christianity. Therefore they proffered matrimonial connexion with their kings and chieftains, assistance against their enemies, the possession of valuable lands, and other temporal advantages, if they would only renounce the religions of their ancestors, which were altogether military, and calculated to foster ferocious feelings: and those kings and chieftains, influenced by these offers and advantages, listened themselves to christian instruction, and endeavoured to bring their subjects to do the same.

PART II.

THE INTERNAL HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.

CHAPTER I.

THE STATE OF LITERATURE AND SCIENCE.

§ 1. State of learning among the Greeks.-§ 2. Few good writers among them. -§ 3. State of learning among the Saracens.-§ 4, 5. The Western nations. —§ 6. The state of philosophy.—§ 7. Sylvester a restorer of learning.—§ 8. Arabian learning.

§ 1. It is universally admitted that the ignorance of this century was extreme, and that learning was entirely neglected. Nor is this greatly to be wondered at, considering what wars and distressing calamities agitated both the East and the West, and to what a base set of beings the guardianship of truth and virtue was intrusted. Leo the Wise, who ruled the Greek empire at the beginning of the century, both cultivated learning himself, and excited others to do so'. His son, Constantine

1 See Jo. Alb. Fabricius, Biblioth. Græc. lib. v. pt. ii. cap. v. p. 363. [Leo VI. reigned from A. D. 886 to 911. The learned Photius had been his instructor. His learning procured him the titles of the Wise, and the Philosopher. He completed the begun revision of the imperial laws by his father, and published the result in sixty books, entitled Βασιλικά, οι Βασιλικαὶ διατάξεις. It is a Greek translation of Justinian's Corpus Juris Civilis, with extracts from the commentaries of the Greek Jurists, the laws of subsequent emperors, and

the decisions of ecclesiastical councils, &c. But much of the originals is omitted, or changed, or enlarged. C. D. Fabrotti published a Latin translation of forty-one books, and an abstract of the remaining books, Paris, 1647, seven vols. fol. This emperor's book on the art of war, compiled from earlier writers, was published by Meursius, Greek and Latin, Leyden, 1612. 4to. His letter to the Saracen Omar, in favour of christianity, exists in Chaldaic; from which there is a Latin translation in the Biblioth. Patr. Lug

And though some excellent men have questioned this fact, it is too firmly established, to be wholly disproved'. Schools existed indeed, in most countries of Europe, either in the monasteries, or in the cities which were the residence of bishops; and there likewise shone forth, in one place and another, especially at the close of the century, some distinguished geniuses, who attempted to soar above the vulgar. But these can easily be all counted up; and the smallness of their number evinces the infelicity of the times. In the schools, nothing was taught but the seven liberal arts, as they were called; and the teachers were monks, who estimated the value of learning and science, solely by their use in matters of religion.

§ 5. The best among the monks who were disposed to

tainly is remarkable, that, in the eleventh century, Rome first formally committed herself, in the condemnation of Berenger, to the doctrine of transubstantiation, and in the person of Gregory VII. made some of those assertions of papal supremacy, which eventually made so much noise. The doctrine of transubstantiation is, undoubtedly, the main pillar of Romish peculiarities; and it rests upon that alleged infallibility of which the papal see is either the depository or the centre. Ed.]

5 Godfr. Wm. Leibnitz, Præf. ad Codicem Juris Naturæ et gentium Diplomat., maintains, that this tenth century was not so dark as the following centuries, and, particularly, not so dark as the twelfth and thirteenth. But he certainly is extravagant, and labours in vain. More deserving of a hearing are, Jo. Mabillon, Acta Sanctor. Ord. Bened. Sæcul. v. Præf. p. ii. &c.—the authors of the Literary History of France, vol. vi. p. 18, &c. Jac. le Beuf, Diss. de Statu Litterar. in Francia, a Carolo M. ad Regem Robert.; and some others; who, while they admit that the ignorance of this age was great, contend that its barbarism was not altogether so great as it is commonly supposed. In the proofs which they allege, there is considerable deficiency; but still we may admit, that all science was not entirely extinct in Europe; and that there was a number

of persons who were wise above the mass of people; but that the number was a very moderate one, nay, really small, may be gathered from the monuments of the age.-[The opinion of Leibnitz was embraced by Dr. Semler. (Continuation of Baumgarten's Kirchengesch. vol. iv. p. 453, &c. ; and Histor. Eccles. Selecta Capita, tom. ii. p. 526, &c.) His arguments seem not easily answered. The tenth century afforded more writers, in whom sound reasoning was combined with some learning, than the twelfth and thirteenth. It had greater and better princes; and in the years and the countries in which the Normans and Huns spread no general desolation, there were more numerous episcopal and monastic schools, in which the young received some instruction, though rude and meagre. The most noted episcopal schools were, those of Mayence, Treves, Cologne, Magdeburg, Würtzburg, Paris, Tours, Rheims, Metz, Toul, and Verdun; and among the monastic schools were those of Fleury, Clugni, Laubes, Gortz, Corbey, Fulda, St. Emmeran, Epternach, St. Gall, &c.-Every teacher, and nearly every cloister, procured a stock of the classical writers.-The Greek language was not wholly unknown; although the individuals were becoming more and more rare who could understand the ancients in the originals. Schl.]

employ a portion of heir leisure of

a pilluj themselves a writing nais na matore di mare exce For instance, 409). Laittomus Viteria' Fuenta of Capua. Butherius. Fumern. Stima

Porphyrogenitus, was still more solicitous to revive literature and the arts. For it appears that he supported learned men of various descriptions, at great expense: he carefully collected the writings of the earlier ages; he was himself an author, and he prompted others to write; he wished to have all that was most valuable in the works of the ancients to be selected, and arranged under appropriate heads; and he re-animated, as it were, the study of philosophy which was extinct. Few of the Greeks, however, copied after these noble examples; nor was there any among the subsequent emperors who was equally friendly to literature and to the cultivation of the mind. Indeed, it is supposed, that Constantine Porphyrogenitus himself, though the Greeks pronounce him the restorer of all branches of learning, undesignedly injured the cause of learning by his excessive zeal to advance it. For, having caused extracts and abridgments to be compiled by learned men, from the writers of preceding ages, in order to elucidate the various branches of knowledge and render them serviceable to the world, the slothful Greeks now contenting themselves with these abridgments

dun.

tom. xvii.-Baronius (Annal. A. D. 911. § 3,) gives account of thirtythree religious Discourses of this emperor; and Gretser has published nine more, Ingolst. 1600. 4to. They were chiefly designed for the feast days; and are of little value. See M. Schroeckh, Kirchengesch. vol. xxi. p. 127, &c. Tr.]

2 Fabricius, 1. c. cap. v. p. 486. [Constantine Porphyrogenitus reigned from A.D. 911 to 959. The historical, political, and moral compendiums, which he caused to be made out from the earlier writers, were arranged under fifty-three heads or titles; and were intended to embrace all that was most valuable on those subjects. Only two of the fifty-three are now to be found; namely, the twenty-seventh, relating to the diplomatic intercourse of the Romans with foreign nations; (published, partly Antwerp, 1582. 4to. and partly Augsburg, 1603. 4to. ;) and the fiftieth, respecting virtue and vice; of which a part was published by Valesius, Paris, 1634. 4to. The titles of some of the others are known; e. g. on the proclamations of kings; on

heroic deeds; on festivals; on public addresses; on manners; on ecclesiastical persons and things; on epistles ; on the chase; on war; on the establishment of colonies; on strange occurrences; &c. Among the emperor's own compositions were, a biography of his grandfather, Basil; two books on the military stations and garrisons of the empire; instructions to his son, respecting the state and the foreign relations of the empire, and the course it would be wise for him to pursue; narrative respecting the image of Christ found at Edessa; on naval and military tactics; on the mode of warfare by different nations; and some compilations on farriery, agriculture, breeding cattle, physic, &c., together with a large work, entitled the Ceremonial of the Court of Constantinople, describing minutely all the etiquette there practised. It was published by Reiske, Lips. 1751-54. 2 vols. fol.See Schroeckh, Kirchengesch. vol. xxi. p. 129, &c. Tr.]

3 This is expressly asserted by Jo. Zonaras, Annal. tom. iii. p. 155. ed. Paris.