The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Treatise · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Of England and Germany, and how the Roman Service and the Latin tongue were received in thoſe Countries.
LEt us paſs into England, in old time called Britain. Harding in the firſt Section of his Treatiſe of Prayers in a ſtrange tongue ſaith, that(a)Etenim circiter nongentos abhinc annos conſtat plebem in nonnullis regionibus preces ſuas publicas ignola lingua recitaſſe, id quod in Anglia noſtra fuiſſe factitatum faciam manifeſtum. about nine hundred years agoe publick Prayers began to be made in ſome Countries in a language not underſtood; And that the ſaid cuſtom began then in England. That Doctor well read in Antiquity finds not the uſe of the Latin tongue in England more ancient then nine hundred years ſince, wherein he ſaith true.
We muſt know that England received the Chriſtian Religion before any Churches were ſet up in Gaules. Nicephorus in the ſecond book ch. 40. ſaith that Simon Zelotes the Apoſtle carried the Doctrine of the Goſpel into the Weſt Sea, and to the Britanick Iſlands. Gildas an Engliſh Author who lived in the ſixth Age, and Polydorus Virgilius in the ſecond book of his Hiſtory, ſay, that Joſeph of Arimathea was the firſt that preached the Goſpel in Britain. Baleus in his firſt Century alledgeth many other witneſſes. Tertullian who writ about the end of the ſecond Age, in the ſeventh ch. of the book againſt the Jews, ſaith, that(b)Britannorum inacceſſa loca Chriſto vero ſubdita. the inacceſſible places of the Brittons were ſubjected unto the true Chriſt. And Theodoret in the ninth book of the means of curing the indiſpoſition of the Grecians; (c)foreign.Our Fiſhermen and Publicans and our Tanner (ſo he calls the Apoſtles) have brought unto all men the Evangelical Laws, and have perſwaded not only the Romans and thoſe that are tributary to them, but alſo the Scythians, the Indians, &c. and the Britans, to receive the Laws of him that was crucified. (d)Weſtmonaſterienſis & Galfridus.Some Authors ſay that in the year 185. Lucius King of Britain ſent to Pope Eleutherius, beſeeching him that he might be inſtructed by him in the Chriſtian Religion, and that he aboliſht Paganiſme in all Britaine, ſo that there remained not one Infidel; A ſtory invented in the Popes favour, but manifeſtly falſe; for theſe Hiſtorians create Britain Kings peaceably reigning in the South of the Iſland, which was ſubject to the Romans, and had no other King but the Roman Emperour. The ſtate of this Iſland under the Romans may be ſeen in Cornelius Tacitus in the life of Julius Agricola, and in Xiphilinus the Epitomizer of Dion, in the lives of the Emperours Nero and Severus. In that time the Chriſtians living in the South of Britain, ſuffered perſecution under the Romans who were Pagans. And for the North of the Iſland now called Scotland, and the Country of Northumberland, it was Pagan, and ſo was long after the time of Eleutherius.
(e)Hieron. Oceano, Scotorum & Aſotorum ritu ac de rep. Platonis promiſcuas uxores ac communes liberos habeant.Hierome in his Epiſtle to Oceanus ſpeaks of the Scots as of a People that had women common in his time, which was above 200. years after Eleutherius. (f)Idem lib. 2. in Jovi…ianum, Cum ipſe adoleſcentulus in Gallia viderim Scotos gentem Britannam humanis veſci carnibus, et cum per ſylvas porcorum greges et armentorum pecudumque reperiant, paſtorum nates et feminarum papillas ſolere abſcindere, et has ſolas ciborum delicias arbitrari. Scotorum natio uxores proprias non habet.In his ſecond book againſt Jovinian he ſaith, that he had ſeen Scots eating mans fleſh. And Galfridus in the ſecond ch. of the third book of his Hiſtory ſpeaks of them as of Pagans.
Beſides, the Chriſtians of Britain celebrated the Paſſeover upon the fouteenth day of the Moon of March preciſely, contrary to the conſtitutions of the Roman Church. Which they would not have done, had they been brought to Chriſtian Religion by the Roman Church.
Britain remained under the domination of the Romans Pagans till the year of Chriſt 286. in Diocletians time, when the Roman Senate ſent Caranſius to repreſs the incurſions of barbarous Nations. But Caranſius made a league with the Britans, expelled the Romans, and made himſelf King. And from that time, ſometimes the Romans prevailing, ſometimes the Natives, the Iſland was but weakly poſſeſſed by the Roman Empire.
In the year of Chriſt 307. Conſtantin, ſon of Conſtantius and Helena a Chriſtian woman, was Governour of the Iſland for the Romans. Being Pagan, he took the title of Roman Emperour, paſt into Gaules, thence into Italy, and made himſelf an abſolute Emperour. Then turning Chriſtian, he gave peace and proſperity to the Churches of Britain.
In the year 383. Maximus a Chriſtian and Orthodox Prince governed Britain; for then all that part of the Iſland which was ſubject to the Romans was Chriſtian. This Maximus invaded Gaules with an Army and conquered it, and took the title of Roman Emperour againſt Gratian ſon of Theodoſius.
In the year of Chriſt 434. the Empire being fallen in the Weſt, and torn by the Goths, Franks, Vandals, and Burgundians, the Romans forſook the Iſle of Britain. Which moved the natives to defer the Kingdom to Conſtantin brother to the King of Armorick Britain, as one deſcended from their Nation, and a Chriſtian vertuous man.
In the year 446. according to the calculation of Weſtmonaſterienſis, the Pelagian Hereſie ſpreading in the Iſle of Britain, the Biſhops of the Land being aſſembled in a Synod, ſent into France, and writ to German Biſhop of Auxerre, and to Lupus Biſhop of Troyes in Champagne, men famous for their doctrine, and beſought them to come and aſſiſt them with their help and counſel, which they did, and with ſucceſs, God pouring a bleſſing upon their holy endeavour. This Hiſtorian ſaith not that the Pope ſent them, as ſome untruly affirm, but that they came upon the requeſt of the Britans.
In the year of Chriſt 449. three Ships of Angloſaxons came from Eaſt Friſeland into the Iſle of Britain and made way for others that came four years after in great number. They were a Dutch and Pagan Nation, ſerving Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury. Being once landed, they could never be expelled out of the Land, and ſubdued the South and the Eaſt of the Iſland, and planted Paganiſm in it, dividing the Country into many little Kingdoms. But beſides the Chriſtians that lived under the dominion of the Saxons, all the Weſt part of the Iſland, that is Cornwall, and Cambria now called Wales, was Chriſtian. Scotland had already received the Chriſtian Religion, ſo that the Iſland was half Chriſtian.
In the yeare 596. Pope Gregory the I. judged the conjuncture of Engliſh affairs to be a fit time for him to raiſe the authority of his See. For the Chriſtians of England being not fit to give inſtruction to the Pagan Engliſh Kings by reaſon of their continual warrs; and thoſe petty Kings being brutiſh and eaſie to be led, and the Chriſtians of the Iſland living under other Laws and other ceremonies then the Roman Church, he ſent Auſtin a Monk of St. Benedict (the only order of Monks that was then in the Weſt) into England, an induſtrous politick man, to work two ends. The one to reduce the Chriſtians of the Iſland to the form and ſervice of the Roman Church, and induce them to acknowledge his See. The other, to draw if he could ſome of thoſe Pagan Kings to the Chriſtian Religion.
This Auſtin came into England with an attendance of forty perſons, and preſented himſelf to one of thoſe Kings called Ethelbert King of Kent, who received him honourably. Shortly after having inſinuated himſelf into the Queens favour, he perſwaded her to imbrace the Chriſtian Faith. The Queen perſwaded her husband to the ſame. And he was followed by a multitude of Pagans. From this King Auſtin got leave to have communication with the Chriſtians of the Weſt part of England, whom he exhorted to joyn with him, becauſe (ſaith Weſtmonaſterienſis) ſanctum Paſcha et alia perplura unitati Eccleſiae contraria faciebant. They did the Paſſeover and many other things in a way contrary to the unity of the Church. Theſe Chriſtians before they communed with him, conſulted a man famous for his wiſdom and holineſs, one that led a ſolitary life; and asked him, whether at the ſwaſion of Auſtin they ſhould leave their antient cuſtoms. The good man anſwered them, If he be a man of God, follow him. But (ſaid they) how ſhall we diſcern whether he be a man of God? He anſwered them again, You ſhall know it by his humility, and if he induceth you by his example to bear the Croſs of Chriſt. They then having met with Auſtin in a Synod appointed for that meeting, Auſtin received them with contempt, and would not ſo much as riſe from his ſeat when they came in. They alſo repayed his contempt with contempt, and contradicted all that he propounded, taxing him of pride. And although Gregory had ſent him the Pallium, and had named him Archbiſhop, yet(g)Nihil horam facturos, neque illum pro Epiſcopo habituros eſſe respondebant. Baron. An. 604. Sect. 58. Beda ait Scotos & Britannos & Hibernos ne quidem cibum capere voluiſſe cum Laurentio Auguſtini ſucceſſore. Bede Hiſt. Angl. l. 2. c. 4. they declared unto him that they did not acknowledge his authority, and would not obey him in any thing. At which Auſtin incenſed, threatened them that the Angloſaxons would avenge him; And he made his word good; for Ethelfrid King of Northumberland, though a Pagan, took his quarrel, and whether out of goodwill to Auſtin, or out of hatred to Chriſtians, he made of them a great ſlaughter. They had at Bangor a great Monaſtery of about twelve hundred Monks, all poor Tradeſmen, getting their living by their labour; Of them this Pagan▪ King made a Maſſacre and a Sacrifice unto Auſtin.
But as for the Saxon Chriſtians converted by Auſtin from Paganiſm, they received the Roman Service ſuch as Auſtin would give them, and ſubjected themſelves unto Auſtin, ſent by the Biſhop of Rome about the year 600. of Chriſt; Which is the time that Harding marketh unto us, ſaying, that ſince 900. or a thouſand years the Service was celebrated in England in a language not underſtood, acknowledging that it was this Auſtin who with the Roman Service brought alſo the Roman tongue, which ſince that time remained in the publick Service of England till the time of the Reformation. Every age ſince that time hath added ſome piece to the Religion, ſo that if this Auſtin had riſen from the dead ſeven or eight hundred years after his death, he ſhould have found in England and at Rome quite another religion then that he had preacht. That which we have ſaid of this Auſtin and his entry into England and his behaviour, is found in Beda, in the ſecond chap. of the ſecond book of the Hiſtory of the Angloſaxons, in Galfridus Monumetenſis, in the fourth chap. of the eighth book of the Hiſtory of the two Britains. And in the flower of Hiſtories of Matthew of Weſtminſter.
Beda in the fourth book of his Hiſtory ſaith, that in the year of Chriſt 668. one Steven by Sirname, taught the people of Northumberland to follow the Roman ſinging in the publick Service. In that time the Roman Service was not yet received in France nor in Spain. The ſame Auſtin paſſing through France and finding there the Service different from the Roman Liturgy, asked counſel of his Maſter Gregory how he ſhould behave himſelf in that diverſity; Gregory anſwered him, that he ſhould follow that which he thought beſt, and ſhould comply with the Churches where he ſhould happen to be. This is found in the ſaid Auſtin's Interrogations added in the end of Gregorie's Works.
As for Germany, Chriſtianity came very late to it. In the year 700. Radbod King of the Friſons was a Pagan, and Franconia did then but begin to receive the Goſpel. And the Saxons againſt whom Charlemagne made ſo many wars, in the year 775. and the following years, were Pagans, and were beaten to Chriſtianity by the ſword, as alſo the Friſons.
Suibert in the years 704, 705. and the following years, did very much advance Chriſtianity about the Rhine and in the Country of Brandenburg; But it appears by no Hiſtory in what tongue he eſtabliſhed the Service.
In the year 719. Winefrid an Angloſaxon Sirnamed Boniface, began to preach the Goſpel to the Germans Pagans, being ſent by Pope Gregory the II. the great Patron of Images. This Winefrid being altogether wedded to the advancement of the Papal See, I make no doubt but that he gave to the Germans newly converted from Paganiſme, the Service in the Roman both form and tongue.