concerning the Religion of the Armenians, which is CENT. x. not altogether contemptible. Some place in this century Olympiodorus and Ecumenius, who distinguished themselves by those compilations which were known by the name of Catena, or Chains, and of which we have had occasion to speak more than once in the course of this history. But it is by no means certain, that these two writers belong to the tenth century, and they are placed there only by conjecture. It is much more probable, that the learned Suidas, author of the celebrated Greek Lexicon, lived in the period now before us. Among the Arabians, no author acquired a higher reputation than Eutychius, bishop of Alexandria, whose Annals, with several other productions of his learned pen, are still extant1. ters. XIII. The most eminent of the Latin writers of Latin writhis century was Gerbert, or Sylvester II., who has already been mentioned with the applause due to his singular merit. The other writers of this age were not very eminent in any respect. Odo, who laid the foundations of the celebrated Order of Clugni, left several productions in which the grossest superstition reigns, and in which it is difficult to perceive the smallest marks of true genius or solid judgement TM. m The learned reader will form a different opinion of Ratheir, bishop of Verona, whose works, yet extant, afford evident proofs of sagacity and judgement, and breathe throughout an ardent love of virtue ". Atto, bishop of Vercelli, composed a treatise, de pressuris Ecclesiasticis, i. e. concerning the Sufferings and Grievances of the Church, which shews in * For an account of Ecumenius, see Montfaucon's Biblioth. Coisliniana, p. 274. 1 See Jo. Albert. Fabricii Bibliographia Antiquaria, p. 179.— as also Eusebii Renaudoti Historia Patriarch. Alexandr. p. 347. m Histoire Literaire de la France, tom. vi. p. 229. CENT. X. their true colors the spirit and complexion of the times". Dunstan, the famous abbot of Glastonbury, and afterwards archbishop of Canterbury, composed in favor of the monks a book de Concordia Regularum, i. e. concerning the Harmony of the Monastic Rules". Elfric, archbishop of Canterbury, acquired a considerable reputation, among the Anglo-Saxons established in Britain, by various productions 9. Burchard, bishop of Worms, is highly esteemed among the canonists on account of his celebrated Decreta, divided into twenty books, though a part of the merit of this collection of canons may be considered as due to Olbert, with whose assistance it was composed '. Odilo, archbishop of Lyons, was the author of some insipid discourses, and other productions, whose mediocrity has almost sunk them in a total oblivion. As to the historical writers and annalists who lived in this century, their works and abilities have been already considered in their proper place. P See the ample account that is given of this eminent prelate in Collier's Ecclesiastical History of England, vol. i. cent. x. p. 181, 183, &c. We have a Grammar and a Dictionary composed by this learned prelate; as also an Anglo-Saxon translation of the first Looks of the Holy Scripture, a History of the Church, and 180 termons. See Fleury, Hist. Eccl. livre lviii. See the Chronicon Wormatiense in Ludwig's Reliquiæ Manuscriptorum, tom. ii. p. 43.-Histoire Liter. de la France, tom. vii. p. 295. Odilo was abbot of Clugni, and not archbishop of Lyons; for he obstinately refused the latter station, notwithstanding the urgent entreaties employed both by pontiffs and emperors to engage him to accept it. See Fleury, Hist. Eccl. livre lix, CHAPTER III. Concerning the Doctrine of the Christian Church during this I. THE state of religion in this century was such CENT. X. as might be expected in times of prevailing ignorance The state of and corruption. The most important doctrines of religion. Christianity were disfigured and perverted in the most wretched manner; and such as had preserved, in unskilful hands, their primitive purity, were nevertheless obscured with a multitude of vain opinions and idle fancies, so that their intrinsic excellence and lustre were little attended to. This will appear evident to those who look with the smallest degree of attention into the writers of this age. Both Greeks and Latins placed the essence and life of religion in the worship of images and departed saints; in seeking with zeal, and preserving with a devout care and veneration, the sacred relics of holy men and women, and in accumulating riches upon the priests and monks, whose opulence increased with the progress of superstition. Scarcely did any Christian dare to approach the throne of God, without rendering first the saints and images propitious by a solemn round of expiatory rites and lustrations. The ardor with which relics were sought almost surpasses credibility; it had seised all ranks and orders among the people, and had become a sort of fanaticism and phrensy; and, if the monks are to be believed, the Supreme Being interposed, in a special and extraordinary manner, to discover, to doting old women and bareheaded friars, the places where the bones or carcases of the saints lay dispersed or interred. The fears of purgatory, of that fire which was to destroy the remaining impurities of departed souls, were now carried to the greatest height, and far exceeded the terrifying apprehensions of infernal torments; for they GENT. x. hoped to avoid the latter easily, by dying enriched with the prayers of the clergy, or covered with the merits and mediation of the saints, while from the pains of purgatory they thought there was no exemption. The clergy, therefore, finding these superstitious terrors admirably adapted to increase their authority and to promote their interest, used every method to augment them; and by the most pathetic discourses, accompanied with monstrous fables and fictitious miracles, they labored to establish the doctrine of purgatory, and also to make it appear that they had a mighty influence in that formidable region. The disputes II. The contests concerning predestination and concerning grace, as also concerning the eucharist, that had agitated the church in the preceding century, were in the Lord's this happily reduced to silence. This was the result tion and Supper. of the mutual toleration that was practised by the contending parties, who, as we learn from writers of undoubted credit, left it to each other's free choice to retain, or to change their former opinions. Besides, the ignorance and stupidity of this degenerate age were ill suited to such deep inquiries as these contests demanded; nor was there any great degree of curiosity among an illiterate multitude to know the opinions of the ancient doctors concerning these and other knotty points of theology. Thus it happened, that the followers of Augustin and Pelagius flourished equally in this century; and that, if there were many who maintained the corporal presence of the body and blood of Christ in the holy sacrament, there were still more who either came to no fixed determination upon this point, or declared it publicly as their opinion, that the divine Saviour was really absent from the eucharistical sacrament, and was received only by a certain inward impulse of faith, in a manner wholly spiritual. This mutual toleration, as it is easy to t It is certain, that the Latin theologians of this century differed much in their sentiments about the manner in which the body and blood of Christ were present in the eucharist; this is conclude from what has been already observed, must CENT. x. not be attributed either to the wisdom or virtue of an age, which was almost totally destitute of both. The truth of the matter is, that the divines of this century wanted both the capacity and the inclination to attack or defend any doctrine, whose refutation or defence required the smallest portion of learning or logic. a multitude III. That the whole Christian world was covered, Superstition at this time, with a thick and gloomy veil of supersti- nourished by tion, is evident from a prodigious number of testimo- of vain and nies and examples, which it is needless to mention, idle opinions. This horrible cloud, which hid almost every ray of truth from the eyes of the multitude, furnished the priests and monks with many opportunities of propagating absurd and ridiculous opinions, which contributed not a little to confirm their credit. Among these opinions, which so frequently dishonored the Latin church, and produced from time to time such violent agitations, none occasioned such a general panic, or such dreadful impressions of terror or dismay, as a notion that now prevailed of the immediate approach of the day of judgement. This notion, which took its rise from a remarkable passage in the Revelations of St. John ", and had been entertained granted by such of the Roman catholic writers as have been ingenuous enough to sacrifice the spirit of party to the love of truth. That the doctrine of transubstantiation, as it is commonly called, was unknown to the English in this century, has been abundantly proved from the public homilies, by Rapin de Thoyras, in his History of England, vol. i. It is, however, to be confessed, on the other hand, that this absurd doctrine was already adopted by several French and German divines. For a more judicious account of the opinions of the Anglo-Saxon church concerning the eucharist, see Collier's Ecclesiastical History of Great Britain, vol. i. cent. x. The passage here referred to, is in the twentieth chapter of the Book of Revelations, at the 2d, 3d, and 4th verses: "And " he took hold of the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil "and Satan, and bound him a thousand years;—and cast him "into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon "him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the "thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be |