hopes and fears, they were ready to lay down their lives in the performance of this duty, sure by that sacrifice of obtaining crowns in heaven, and altars upon earth, as their reward. Vol. I. p. 51. Mr. Southey remarks, that one consequence of the union of all Christendom under one spiritual head was, that the intellectual intercommunion of nations, was far greater at that time than it is now; and that probably more English, in proportion to the population of the country, went into Italy, for the purposes of devotion, than have ever since been led thither by curiosity and fashion, and the desire of improvement. Indeed, considering the imperfect state of nautical science in those ages, and the dangers and difficulties of land travelling, one is surprised to find how frequently and with how little demur journeys were undertaken to Rome by vast numbers both of the clergy and laity. The following account of the first establishment of a regular church government in this country is just and clear. "The church government established in this island by Augustine and his fellowlabourers was that episcopal form which had prevailed among the Britons, and which was derived from the Apostles in uninterrupted descent. The dioceses were originally of the same extent as the respective kingdoms of the Heptarchy; the clergy resided with the Bishop, and itinerated through the diocese, preaching at a cross in the open air. There was no public provision for erecting churches and endowing them; these things might in those ages safely be left to individual munificence and piety. Cathedrals and monasteries were built, and lands settled upon them, by royal founders and benefactors: and their estates were augmented by private grants, often given as an atonement for crimes, but unquestionably far more often from the pure impulse of devotion. Beside these endowments, tithes, the institution of which was regarded not as merely political and temporary, but as of moral and perpetual obligation, were paid by those who became Christians, the converts taking upon themselves, with the other obligations of their new religion, this pay ment, which was universal throughout Christendom. The full predial tithe was intended; the smaller ones were at first voluntary oblations, and the whole was received into a common fund, for the repairing the church, relieving the poor, fourfold purpose of supporting the clergy, and entertaining the pilgrim and the stranger. The distribution was left to the Bishop and his assistants. Such was the practice of the Anglo-Saxon, as it seems to have been of the British Church." Vol. I. p. 79. "The cathedral was at first the only, and long continued to be the Mother Church, so called because there it was that believers received their second birth in baptism, the rights of baptism and burial appertaining to the Cathedral alone. The first subordinate houses of worship were Chapels, or Oratories, as humble as the means of the founder, erected by the iti nerant Clergy, in situations where the numbers and piety of the people, and their distance from the Cathedral, made it desirable that they should be provided with a place for assembling, in a climate where field-worship could not be performed during the greater part of the year. Parochial churches were subsequently founded by those who desired the benefit of a resident priest for their vassals and themselves; and thus the limits of the estate became those of the parish. These churches were at first regarded as chapels of ease to the Cathedral, and the officiating minister as being the bishop's curate, was appointed by him, and removable at his pleasure; this dependence was gradually loosened, till at length the priest was held to possess a legal right in his benefice; and Theodore, to encourage the building of churches, vested the patronage of them in the founder and his heirs. The tithes of the parish were then naturally appropriated to its own Church. A certain portion of glebe was added, enough to supply the incumbent with those necessaries of life which were not to be purchased in those times, and could not conveniently be received from his parishioners in kind, but not enough to engage him in the business of agriculture; his pursuits, it was justly deemed, ought to be of a higher nature, and his time more worthily employed for himself and others. Without the allotment of a house and glebe, no church could be legally consecrated.The endowment of a full tenth was liberal, but not too large; the greater part of the country was then in forest and waste land, and the quantity of produce no where more than was consumed in the immediate vicinity, for agriculture was no where pursued in the spirit of trade. The parochial priest kept a register of his poor parishioners, which he called over at the church-door from time to time, and distributed relief to them according to his means and their individual necessities. But in that stage of society the poor were not numerous, except after some visitation of war, in which the minister suffered with his flock; while villanage and domestic slavery existed, pauperism, except from the consequences of hostile inroads, must have been almost unknown. The cost of hospitality was far greater than that of relieving the poor. The manse, like the monastery, was placed beside the highway, or on the edge of some wide common, for the convenience of the pilgrim and the stran ger. "The ecclesiastical government was modelled in many respects upon the established forms of civil policy; and, as among the Anglo-Saxons, the tithing-men exercised a salutary superintendence over every ten friborgs, so, in the Church, Deans, who were called Urban, or Rural, according as their jurisdiction lay in the city or country, were appointed to superintend a certain number of parishes. At first they were elected by the clergy of the district, subject to the bishop's approval: the bishops subsequently assumed the power of appointing and removing them, and sometimes delegated to them an episcopal jurisdiction, in which case they were denominated Chorepiscopi, or Rural Bishops. They held monthly chapters, corresponding to the courts-baron, and quarterly ones which were more fully attended. The clergy of the deanery were bound to attend, and present all irregularities committed in their respective parishes, as also to answer any complaints which might be brought against themselves. At these chapters, all business which now belongs to the Ecclesiastical Courts was originally transacted, personal suits were adjusted, and wholesome discipline enforced, by suspending the offending clergy from their functions, the laymen from the sacraments. But as society became more complicated, and the hierarchy more ambitious, these ancient and most useful courts were discountenanced, and finally disused." Vol. I. p. 82. The history of St. Dunstan is touched with a masterly hand; we will not spoil it by an abridgment, It ought to be perused by all who have read Dr. Lingard's account of that ambitious and artful miraclemonger; we suspect that it is partly in consequence of the attempt which has been made to gloss over the most revolting features of monachism, as exhibited in the history of Dunstan, that Mr. Southey has drawn so vivid and striking a portrait: but take his own account "The life of Dunstan is thus given at length, because a more complete exemplar of the monkish character, in its worst form, could not be found: because there is scarcely any other miraculous biography in which the machinery is so apparent; and because it rests upon such testimony, that the Romanists can neither by any subtlety rid themselves of the facts, nor escape from the inevitable inference. The most atrocious parts, are matter of authentic history; others, which, though less notorious, authenticate themselves by their consistency, are related by a contemporary monk, who declares that he had witnessed much of what he records, and heard the rest from the disciples of the Saint. The miracles at his death are not described by this author, because the manuscript from which his work was printed was imperfect, and broke off at that point: they are found in a writer of the next century, who was Precentor of the church at Canterbury, and enjoyed the friendship and confidence of Lanfranc, the first Norman Archbishop. Whether, therefore, those miracles were actually performed by the monks, or only averred by them as having been wrought, either in their own sight, or in that of their predecessors there is the same fraudulent purpose, the same audacity of imposture; and they remain irrefragable proofs of that system of deceit which the Romish Church carried on every where till the time of the reformation, and still pursues wherever it retains its temporal power or its influence. Vol. I. p. 112. We are however compelled to state, that Mr. Southey has taken for granted the truth of some particulars which Dr. Lingard has rendered at least very doubtful. But enough will still remain unquestioned, to justify his inferences. The state of the English Church at the Conquest, the ignorance of the clergy, and the abominable profligacy and profaneness of the layfee, are powerfully described in the 7th chapter. The attempted deprivation of Wulstan, Bishop of Ro chester, and the appeal of the aged prelate, form a very interesting scene. The primacies of Lanfranc and Anselm are next noticed: but upon the history and character of Thomas à Becket, Mr. Southey la vishes all his powers of description. The whole of the 8th chapter is truly admirable. The powerful instrumentality of the Primate, Stephen Langton, in extorting from John the great charter of our liberties is thus noticed; “In the ensuing reign, he was permit ted to return and resume his functions; and then acting again in concert with the Barons, and directing their measures, he assisted them in obtaining from Henry III. a confirmation of that charter, which is to be considered as his work. When we call to mind the character of the old Barons, their propensity to abuse an undue power, and the little regard which they manifested to their country in their transactions with France, it can hardly be doubted, but that those provisions in the Great Charter which related to the general good, and had their foundation in the principles of general justice, were dictated by him. No man, therefore, is entitled to a higher place in English history, for having contributed to the liberties of England, than Stephen Langton. It is no disparagement to him, that he was devoted to the Church of Rome, more than was consistent with the interests of his country; for while, under a sense of professional and religions duty, he was ready to suffer any thing in submission to its authority, he resolutely refused to act in obedience to its orders, when he believed them to be unjust, affording thus the surest proof of integrity, and bequeathing to his successors the most beneficial of all examples. Vol. I. p. 281. Chapter 10 comprises a masterly view of the Papal system: in which its real advantages, and the evils which flowed from its abuse, are well and clearly related. "With all its errors, its corruptions, and its crimes," as Mr. Southey remarks, "it was, morally and intellectually, the conservative power of Christendom. Politically, too, it was the saviour of Europe; for, in all human probability, the west, like the east, must have been overrun by Mahommedanism, and sunk iu irremediable degradation, through the pernicious institutions which have every where accompanied it, if, in that great crisis of the world, the Roman Church had not roused the nations to an united and prodigious effort, commensurate with the danger. "In the frightful state of society which prevailed during the dark ages, the Church every where exerted a controlling and remedial influence." Vol. I. p. 284. "Wherever an hierarchal government, like that of the Lamas, or the Dairis of Japan, has existed, it would probably be found, could its history be traced, to have been thus called for by the general interest. Such a government Hildebrand would have founded. Christendom, if his plans had been accomplished, would have become a federal body, the Kings and Princes of which should have bound themselves to obey the Vicar of Christ, not only as their spiritual, but their temporal lord; and their disputes, instead of being decided by the sword, were to have been referred to a Council of Prelates annually assembled at Rome. Unhappily, the personal character of this extraordinary man counteracted the pacific part of his schemes; and he became the firebrand of Europe, instead of the peace-maker. If, indeed, the Papal chair could always have been occupied by such and the ranks of the hierarchy throughout men as S. Carlo Borromeo, or Fenelon, all Christian kingdoms always have been filled, as they ought to have been, by subjects chosen for their wisdom and piety, such a scheme would have produced as much benefit to the world as has ever been imagined in Utopian romance, and more than it has ever yet enjoyed under any of its revolutions. But to suppose this possible, is to pre-suppose the prevalence of Christian principles to an extent which would render any such government unnecessary,....for the kingdom of Heaven on earth." would then be commenced Vol. I. p. 287. The origin of hagiolatry and relicworship is pointed out in a pleasing and even an affecting manuer, p. 289, and its abuses illustrated by examples which would be wholly incredible, were they not so well authenticated. The worship of the Virgin in particular is well described. It is astonishing, that with such facts as Mr. Southey has collected, nay, even with such proofs as are produced by Dr. Hickes in his Speculum beatæ Virginis, the papists of this day should deny, that the worship of the Virgin has ever formed a part of the religious service of their Church. The following passage well deserves to be extracted. "One of the earliest corruptions grew out of the reverence which was paid to the memory of departed saints. Hence there arose a train of error and fraud which ended in the grossest creature-worship, Yet, in its origin, this was natural and salutary. He, whose heart is not excited upon the spot which a martyr has sanctified by his sufferings, or at the grave of one who has largely benefited mankind, must be more inferior to the multitude in his moral, than he can possibly be raised above them in his intellectual, nature. In other cases, the sentiment is acknowledged, and even affected when it is not felt; wherefore, then, should we hesitate at avowing it where a religions feeling is concerned? Could the Holy Land be swept clean of its mummeries and superstitions, the thoughts and emotions to be experienced there would be worth a pil grimage. But it is the condition of humanity, that the best things are those which should most easily be abused. The prayer which was preferred with increased fervency at a martyr's grave, was at length addressed to the martyr himself; virtue was imputed to the remains of his body, the rags of his apparel, even to the instru ments of his suffering; relics were required as an essential part of the Church furniture; it was decreed that no Church should be erected unless some treasures of this kind were deposited within the altar, and so secured there, that they could not be taken out without destroying it: it was made a part of the service to pray through the merits of the saint whose relics were there deposited, and the Priest, when he came to this passage, was enjoined to kiss the altar. "There is, unquestionably, a natural tendency in the human mind toward this form of superstition. It prevailed among the Greeks and Romans, though in a less degree it is found among the Eastern nations; and the Mahommedans, though they condemned and despised it at first, gradually fell into it themselves. : But no where has it been carried to so great a length as in the Roman Church. The Clergy, presuming upon the boundless credulity of mankind, profited by it in those ages with the utmost hardihood of fraud, and with a success at which they themselves must sometimes have been astonished. For it is not more certain that these relics in most cases were fictitions, than that in many instances cures, which both to priest and patient must have appeared plainly miraculous, were wrought by faith in them. Sometimes, also, accident accredited this kind of superstition. If a corpse were found which, owing to the nature of the soil wherein it was laid, or to any other natural cause, had not un dergone decomposition, but retained in some degree the semblance of life, this was supposed to be an indication of sanctity, confirming, by the incorruption of the saint, the important and consolatory truth of the resurrection of the body. In these cases no deceit is to be suspected. Perhaps, too, the opinion that the relics of the holy dead were distinguished by a peculiar fragrance, may have arisen from embalmed bodies: at first, it might bonestly have obtained among the Clergy; but when they saw how willingly it was received by the people, whenever a new mine of relics was opened, care was taken that the odour of sanctity should not be wanting." Vol. I. p. 289. The following remarks upon the most monstrous error of the Roman Church are too just to be omitted. "If the boundless credulity of mankind be a mournful subject for consideration, as in truth it is, it is yet more mournful to ob. serve the profligate wickedness with which that credulity has been abused. The Church of Rome appears to have delighted in insulting as well as in abusing it, and to have pleased itself with discovering how far it was possible to subdue and degrade the human intellect, as an eastern despot measures his own greatness. by the servile prostration of his subjects. If farther proof than has already appeared were needful, it would be found in the prodigious doctrine of Transubstantiation. This astonishing doctrine arose from taking figurative words in a literal sense; and the Romanists do not shrink from the direct inference, that if their interpretation be just, Christ took his own body in his own hands, and offered it to his disciples. But all minor difficulties may easily be overlooked, when the flagrant absurdity of the doctrine itself is regarded. For, according to the Church of Rome, when the words of consecration have been pronounced, the bread becomes that same actual body of flesh and blood, in which our Lord and Saviour suffered upon the Cross; remaining bread to the sight, touch, and taste, yet ceasing to be so... and into how many parts soever the bread may be broken, the whole entire body is contained in every part. "Of all the corruptions of Christianity, there was none which the Popes so long besitated to sanction as this. When the question was brought before Hildebrand, be not only inclined to the opinion of Be. renger, by whom it was opposed, but pretended to consult the Virgin Mary, and then declared that she had pronounced against it. Nevertheless, it prevailed, and was finally declared by Innocent III., at the fourth Lateran Council, to be a tenet necessary to salvation. Strange as it may appear, the doctrine had become popular, ... with the people, for its very extravagance,... with the Clergy, because they grounded upon it their loftiest pretensions. For if there were in the sacrament this actual and entire sole presence, which they denoted by the term of transubstantiation, it followed that divine worship was something more than a service of prayer and thanksgiving; an actual sacrifice was performed in it, wherein they affirmed the Saviour was again offered up, in the same body which had suffered on the Cross, by their hands. The Priest, when he performed this stupendous function of his ministry, had before his eyes, and held in his hands, the Maker of Heaven and Earth; and the inference which they deduced from so blasphemons an assumption was, that the Clergy were not to be subject to any secular authority, seeing that they could create God their Creator! Let it not be supposed that the statement is in the slightest part exaggerated, it is delivered faithfully in their own words." Vol. I. p. 314. We shall continue our extracts from this work in the next Number. In the mean time, while we sincerely thank Mr. Southey for the pleasure .and instruction which he has afforded us, we cannot but regret the omission of all dates. The absence of authorities may perhaps be defended, considering the object which the author has in view. But dates are indispensable: and we hope that in the next edition they will be introduced into the running title. There are a few inaccuracies of style, arising from haste; such as "inscrutable points," "logical subtleties of psychological research," "sacrificed the feelings of wife, parent, or child," &c. ;-and several errors of REMEMBRANCER, No. 64. 66 the press; e. g. "Lollardy" for Lollardry," laws for the suppression of immortality.” p. 465. A Letter to a Clergyman on the peculiar Tenets of the present Day. By R. Bransby Cooper, Esq. M.P. 8vo. pp. 96. Rivingtons. A pamphlet by a member of the House of Commons, in which the most interesting clerical topics are discussed, the clergy vindicated with earnestness and skill, and the whole question between orthodoxy and evangelicalism sifted and rightly settled; is a work upon the appearance of which we have some right to conMr. Cooper gratulate our readers. appears much more intimately acquaiuted with the controversies of the day, than laymen generally are, and his remarks upon them are written in the very best spirit. We shall not follow him regularly through the whole of his letter, but content ourselves with extracting the passages which strike us as more peculiarly deserving of notice. "In the first sense, the term conversion applies directly (as I have observed) to the total change produced in the minds of men by the preaching of the Gospel, when as the Apostle to the Gentiles declares he was sent, (by the command of Christ himself) to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ.' It applies also to those who tread in the same footsteps at the present time; and who preach to idolaters and heathens the word of heavenly truth. But in this sense it surely does not apply with the same propriety to a Christian country, and a Christian congregation; though it may be allowed that there are some, in all large assemblies of hearers, who require to be brought to a knowledge of the truth. It is obvious that even in the Apostles' times, after Christianity had been long established, all who were addressed by them as faithful disciples, were not converts; that is, they had not undergone a total change at any particular time. Many had been baptized in infancy, and had been I i |