The Antibarbarian, Treatise · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Of England and Germany, and and how the Romiſh ſervice and the Latine tongue were thither brought in.
IT will not be amiſſe to ſay ſomewhat alſo of England, which in times paſt was called Brittaine. aEtenim circiter non gentos ab hinc annos conſtat plebem in nonnullis regionibus p…eces ſuas publicas ignota lingue recitaſte, id quod in Anglia noſtra fuiſſe factitatum, manifeſtum faciam.Harding in the firſt Section of his treatiſe Of prayers in a ſtrange tongue, ſaith about nine hundred yeares ſince publike prayers have begun in ſome Countreys to bee ſaid in a tongue not underſtood, eſpecially in England. This Doctor very much verſed in Antiquity findeth not the uſe of the Latine tongue in England to bee more ancient ſince the terme of nine hundred yeares: and hee hath in this ſpoken according to the truth.
We muſt then know that England received the Chriſtian religion, before there were any Churches erected amongſt the Gaules or old French. Nicephorus in his ſecond booke, Chap. 40. ſaith, that Simon Zelotes the Apoſtle brought the doctrine of the Goſpell unto the Weſterne Sea, and unto the Iſles of Brittaine. Gildas an Engliſh Author who lived in the ſixt age, and Polidore Virgil in his ſecond booke of his Hiſtorie ſay, that Ioſeph of Arimathea there firſt preached the Goſpell Balaeus in his firſt Centurie, alleadgeth many other witneſſes, Tertullian bBritannorum in acceſſa loca Chriſto vero ſubdita.who writ at the end of the ſecond age in 7. Chap. of his booke againſt the Iewes, ſaith, that the inacceſſible places of the Brittaines are ſubject to the true Christ. cforeign, &c. foreign.And Theodoret in his 9. booke of the meanes to cure the indiſpoſition of the Greekes. Our fiſhers and toule-gatherers and our currier (ſo qualifieth he the Apoſtles) have brought to all men the Evangelicall Lawes, and have perſwaded not onelyonly the Romanes, and thoſe which are tributaries to them, but even the Scithians, Indians, &c. and thoſe of Brittaine to receive the lawes of him that was crucified.
SomedWeſt-monaſterienſis & Galfridus. Authors affirme, that in the yeare 185. Lucius King of Brittaine ſent to Pope Eleutherius, praying to bee inſtructed by him in the Chriſtian religion, and that he aboliſhed Paganiſme out of all Brittaine, ſo that there was not left ſo much as one infidell. Which is a a ſtorie invented in favour of the Pope. For theſe Hiſtorians place in this Iſle peaceable Brittaine Kings raigning in the South-part of the Iſle, which was ſubject to the Romanes, and which had no other King but the Emperor of Rome. The eſtate of this Iſle under the Romanes, may be ſeene in Cornelius Tacitus in the life of Iulius Agricola, and in Xiphilinus an Epitomiſer of Dion, in the life of Nero, and of Severus Emperours. At this time the Chriſtians of South-Brittaine ſuffered perſecution under the Romanes, that were Pagans. And as for the Northerly part, which at this day is called Scotland, and the Countrey of Northumberland it was Heatheniſh, and was ſo a long time after Eleutherius. eHieron. Oceano. Scotorum & Aſotorum ritu, ac de republica Platonis, promiſcuas uxores ac communes liberos habeant.Saint Hierome in his Epiſtle to Oceanus ſpeaketh of the Scots, as having in his time their wives common 200. yeares after Elutherius. AndfIdem lib. 2. in lovinianum, Cum ipſe adoleſcentulus in Gallia viderim Scottos gentem Britannam humanis veſcicarnibus, & cum per ſylvas porcorum greges & armentorum pecudum que reperiam, paſtorum nates & foeminarum papillas ſolere abſcindere, & has ſolas ciborum delicias arbitrari. Scottorum natio vxores proprias non habet, &c. in 2. lib. againſt Iovinian, he ſayeth, he had ſeene the Scotch eating mans fleſh. And Galfride in his 2. Chapter of his third booke of his Hiſtorie ſpeaketh of them as of Pagans. Furthermore the Chriſtians of this Iſle celebrated Eaſter preciſely the fourteenth of the monethmonth of March, contrarie to the rules of the church of Rome, which they would not have done, had they beene brought to Chriſtianitie by the Church of Rome.
This Iſle ſo continued under the government of the Romane Pagans untill the time of Diocleſian in the yere 286. The Senate of Rome ſent thither Cauraſius to oppoſe the courſes of the barbarous, but he enleagu'd himſelfe with the Iſlanders, and thence drove out the Romanes, and made himſelfe King, and after that time, one while the Romanes prevailing, another while the Iſlanders, that Iſſe was but weakely held by the Romane Empire.
In the yeare of our Lord, 307. Constantine Sonne of Constantius and of Helene, a Chriſtian woman governed that Iſland. Being Pagan, he tooke the title of Romane Emperour, and paſſed thorow the Gaules, and from thence into Italie, and made himſelfe abſolute Emperour. Then becomming Chriſtian, he granted peace to the Churches of Brittaine.
In the yeare 383. Maximus a Chriſtian and Orthodox Prince govern'd Brittaine: for as then all that part of the Iſle which was ſubject to the Romanes was Chriſtian. This Maximus invaded with a maine armie the Gaules, and conquered them, and tooke the title of Romane Emperour againſt Gratian, Sonne to Theodoſius.
In the yeare of our Lord, 434. The Romane Empire being fallen into the Weſt, and rent by the Goths, Franks, Vandals, and Bourgagnions, the Romanes abandoned the Iſle of Brittaine. Which moved the Iſlanders to conferre the kingdome upon Constantine, the brother of the King of Brittaine Armorique, who was iſſued of their nation, a Chriſtian and vertuous man.
In the yeare 446. according to Weſtmonaſterienſis, calculation. The Pelagian hereſie reinforcing it ſelfe in the Iſland of Brittaine, the Biſhops of the Countrey aſſembled in a Synod, writ into France to Germanicus Biſhop of Auxerre and to Lewis Biſhop of Troyes in Champagne, men renowned for their learning and piety, and prayed them to come to them, to aſſiſt them with their aide and counſell, which they did, and with ſucceſſe, God bleſſing their travell. This Hiſtorian ſaith not that the Pope ſent them, as ſome doe fable, but that they came at the requeſt of the Iſlanders.
In the yeare of our Lord, 449. three ſhips of the Angloſaxons came from the Eaſt Friſes, landed in the Iſle of Brittaine, and tooke the ſame beaten way of thoſe others which ſome foure yeares before arived there in great multitude. This nation was high-Dutch, and Paganiſh, ſerving Saturne, Iupiter, and Mercurie, who having ſet foot in the Iſle could not be driven out a gaine, and at length made it ſelfe miſtreſſe of the Eaſt and South-part of the Iſle, and there eſtabliſht Paganiſme, dividing the Countrey into many pettie kingdomes, and called the Countrey England. But beſides the Chriſtians living under the Dominion of the Pagan Saxons, all the Occidentall part, to wit Cornwall, and the Countrey in times paſt called Cambria, and now Wales, was Chriſtian. The Scotch had already receaved Chriſtianitie: in ſuch ſort that the Iſle was halfe Chriſtian.
In the yeare 596. Pope Gregorie judged the time fit to improve the authoritie of his Sea: for the Chriſtians of England not being fit to give inſtruction to the pettie Pagan kings, by reaſon of their continuall warrs, and thoſe pettie kings being ſavage, and eaſie to bee perſwaded: and the Chriſtians of that Iſland living under other lawes, and other ceremonies then thoſe of the Church of Rome, he ſent Auguſtine, Monke of Saint Bennet (for as then in the Weſt, there was but that ſole order of Monkes) into England, a man fit and induſtrious to travell and to take paines for two things. The one to reduce the Chriſtians of the Iſle unto the forme, and to the ſervice of the Church of Rome, and to induce them to acknowledge his Sea. The other to endevour to draw ſome of thoſe pettie Pagan kings to the Chriſtian Religion.
This Austin came to England with a traine of fortie perſons, and preſented himſelfe to one of the pettie kings named Ethelbert King of Kent, who rereceived him with honour. A while after inſinuating into the Queenes fauour and good liking, he perſwaded her to embraſe the Chriſtian faith. The Queene a while after drew in her husband, who was followed by a multitude of Pagans. Of this King the above named Auguſtine obtained permiſſion to communicate with the Chriſtians of the North-part of England, whom he exhorted to ioyne themſelves with him, becauſe (as faith Weſtmonaſterienſis) Sanctum Paſcha & alia perplura vnitati Eccleſiae concontraria faciebant. They did keepe the holy Eaſter, and many other things in a contrarie manner to the vnitie of the Church. Theſe Chriſtians before they would communicate with him, conſulted a certaine perſon of the Iſle, who lived a ſolitarie life, eſteemed a prudent man, and of holy life, and they asked him whether at Auguſtines perſwaſion they ſhould part with their ancient cuſtomes. To whom this good man anſwered, if he bee a man of God, follow him, but (ſaid they) how ſhall we diſcerne whether hee bee a a man of God or no? he anſwered them, You ſhall know him by his humilitie, and if he induce you by his example to beare the Croſſe of Chriſt. So they made their appearance in the Synod aſſigned, where Auguſtine received them with contempt, and vouchſafed not ſo much as to riſe up from of his ſeat when they entred. This was the cauſe, that they likewiſe contemned him and contradicted whatſoever be propounded, accuſing him of pride: and although Gregorie had ſent him the Pallium, The robe.and had ſtiled him Arch-biſhop, nevertheleſſe they declared unto him, that they acknowledged not his authoritie, nor would obey him in any thing. Wherewith Auguſtine being netled, threatned them that the Anglo-Saxons ſhould revenge it upon them, and hee lyed not. So Aethelfrid King of Northumberland, although hee were a Pagan, favouring this Auguſtine, in hatred of theſe Chriſtians his enemies, fell upon them, and made a great ſlaughter of them. They had in a Towne called Bangor a great Monaſtery, wherein there were ſome twelve hundred Monkes, who were all poore artiſans getting their living by their trade: of whom this Pagan King made a maſſacre and a ſacrifice unto Auguſtine, but as for the Saxon Chriſtians converted by Auguſtine from Paganiſme, they received the Romane ſervice, ſuch as Auguſtine pleaſed to give them, and ſubjected themſelves to Auguſtine ſent by the Biſhop of Rome, about the yeare 600. of our Lord. Which is the time which Harding pointeth out unto us, ſaying, that at the leaſt nine hundred, or a thouſand yeares ſince ſervice was done in England in a tongue not underſtood, acknowledging that it was this Auguſtine, who together with the Romane ſervice thither brought in the romane language, which ever after that time forward continued in England in their publike ſervice, unto the time of the reformation: every age from that time on-ward patched on ſome peece in religion. In ſuch ſort, that had Auguſtine lived againe ſeven or eight hundred yeares after his death, he ſhould have found in England, and at Rome too quite another religion then that which he preached. This that we have recited concerning this Auguſtine, and of his entrie, and of his carriage and behaviour in England is extant in Bede in his ſecond chap. of the ſecond booke of the Hiſtorie of the Angloſaxons. In Geffrey of Monmouth, in his 4. chap. of his eight booke of the Hiſtorie of the two Brittaines, and in the flower of the Hiſtories of Matthew of Westminſter.
Bede in the 4. book of his Hiſtorie ſaith that in the yeare of our Lord 668. one ſurnamed, Stephen taught the people of Northumberland to follow the Romiſh ſinging in publike ſervice As then the Romiſh ſervice was not yet received in France, nor in Spaine. This ſelfe-ſame Auguſtine paſſing thorow France, and there obſerving the ſervice different from the Romiſh Liturgie, asked advice of Gregorie his Maſter how he ſhould carry himſelfe in that diverſitie. Gregorie anſwered him that he ſhould follow that which he found good, and ſhould accommodate himſelfe unto, and comply with the Churches wherein hee was. This is extant in the Interrogatories of the ſaid Auguſtine added to the end of the workes of Gregorie the firſt.
As for Germany, Chriſtianitie came in thither very late. Radbod King of the Friſons in the yeare 700. of our Lord, was a Pagan: and Franconia began to receive the Goſpell. And the Saxons againſt whom Charlemagne made ſo great warres in the yeare 775. and following, were Pagans, and were ranged to Chriſtianitie by the ſword, as were alſo the Friſons.
Suibert in the yeare 704. and following, very much advanced Chriſtianitie along the Rhine, and in the Countrey of Brandenbourge. But it appeares not to us by Hiſtories in what tongue hee eſtabliſhed the ſervice.
In the yeare 719. Winofrid, ſurnamed Boniface, preached the Goſpell to the Germane Pagans, ſent by Gregory II. Pope, a great defendor of images. This Boniface being wholy given to the advancing of the Papal Sea, I doubt not but that hee gave to the Germanes newly converted from Paganiſme, the ſervice in the Romane forme, and tongue.