to the unprejudiced judgment of men more learned, and more virtuous, than any to be found at Rome, against the fcandalous oppreffions of that venal city. That which Arnulphus conceived fo judicioufly, in an age the most unfavourable to reformation, Luther in Germany, and Cranmer in England, afterward effected. It is not, however, to be fuppofed, that even thofe magnanimous ftruggles for Chriftian light and liberty were in vain. The Spirit of God was evidently ftill with the recent churches of Germany and the north ; and France itself was by no means deftitute of men, who feared God, and ferved him in the Gofpel of his Son.

There is an ultimate point of depreffion in morals, below which the common fenfe of mankind and the interefts of fociety will not permit the fcandalous profligacy of governours, whether fecular or ecclefiaftic, to defcend. The Church of Rome had funk to this point in the prefent century. Not only moral virtue itself, but even the appearance of it, was loft in the metropolis: and the Church, now trampled on by the moft worthlefs prelates, and immerfed in profaneness, sensuality, and lewdnefs, called for the healing aid of the civil magiftrate. Otho I. emperor of Germany, came to Rome: and, by the united powers of the civil and the military fword, reduced that capital into fome degree of order and decorum. He put an end to the irregular and infamous cuftoms of intruding into the popedom, and confirmed to himself and his fucceffours the right of chufing the fupreme pontiff in future. The confequence was, that a greater degree of moral decoruin began to prevail in the papacy, though matter of fact evinces but too plainly, that religious principle was still as much wanting as ever. The effect of

Otho's

Otho's regulations was, that the popes exchanged the vices of the rake and the debauchee, for those of the ambitious politician and the hypocrite; and gradually recovered, by a prudent conduct, the domineering afcendancy, which had been loft by vicious exceffes. But this did not begin to take place till the latter end of the eleventh century. If a very moderate degree of Chriftian knowledge had obtained, during Otho's time, in the Christian world, the farce of St. Peter's dominion at Rome by his fucceffours, would have been at an end. But there arofe no Claudius of Turin in this century. The little fpecimen of the eloquence of Arnulphus, which has been mentioned, was the only effort I can find, which was made to ftem the torrent of Roman tyranny. The whole western world, with Otho at its head, an emperor of upright intentions, and of shining endowments, agreed to reverence that See as fupreme, which had laboured, as it were, by the most infamous practices, to degrade itself, and to convince mankind, that it could not poffibly be of divine appointment. The popes were rebuked, condemned, and punished; but the popedom was reverenced as much as ever. God had put in the hearts of princes to fulfil his will ; and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled *. The Roman prelates, convinced of the neceffity of more caution and decorum in the ufe of their power, recovered by political artifice what they had loft, and became, in the iffue, more terrible and more pernicious in the exercise of their than ever. The neglect of fo favourable an opportunity for emancipating the Church from religious flavery, is the higheft proof of the extreme ignorance

power

CHAP. I. ignorance of these times, and deferved to be noticed.

This was an age of great political regulations. The choice of the German emperor was reftricted to certain electors, with whom it continues to the prefent time. The empire had, indeed, been entirely feparated from the French monarchy, in the latter end of the foregoing century. But, in this, the great Otho more firmly fixed the imperial crown, in the name and nation of Germany. He himself was fprung from the dukes of Saxony; and deferved much of all Europe for his memorable victory over the Turks, by which the fame reftraint was laid on their inroads into Germany, as had been laid in France on the inroads of the Saracens into that kingdom, by the victorious arms of Charles Martel, the grandfather of Charlemagne. The Turks were a fierce and valiant nation, who inhabited the coaft of the Cafpian fea, and who were let loose on mankind as a juft providential fcourge, on account of the contempt of divine truth, and the overflowing torrent of iniquity, which had pervaded Chriftendom. They gradually fuperfeded the Saracens, and feized their power and empire; but no great alteration took place in the civil fituation of the eaft or the weft on that account. For the Turks univerfally embraced Mahometanifm, the religion of the vanquished; and with that the hatred of the Saracens to the Chriftian name; nor have they to this day acquired either politeness or fcience to fuch a degree, as might mitigate their ferocity.

In all this difaftrous period, I find scarce any prince, except Otho, actuated with a fpirit of religious zeal: indeed, his two fucceffours of the fame name, inherited fome portion of his talents and virtues. The efforts of Otho, to purify the

Church,

Church, to promote learning, to erect bishoprics, to endow churches, and to propagate the Gofpel among the barbarous nations, were highly laudable. And fo fteady and fincere were his exertions of this nature, and fo amiable was his private life, that I cannot but hope that he was himself a real Chriftian. His emprefs, Adelaide, was no lefs remarkable for her zeal and liberality. But I scarce need to say, that the reigning ignorance, fuperftition, and wickednefs defeated, or abused their well-meant defigns; thofe alone excepted, which regarded the propagation of the Gospel among the pagans.

In the weft the Normans, in the east the Turks, committed the most dreadful outrages on the Church. In our own island I find nothing, in all this period, but ignorance, fuperftition, and the ravages of northern barbarians. The ftate of France was not much different: the latter kings of the house of Charlemagne were dwindled into cyphers; and, towards the clofe of the century, the third race of French kings began in the perfon of Hugh Capet. This prince was himself by no means fo renowned as Clovis and Charlemagne, the heads of the firft and fecond race; but his pofterity remained on the throne for a much longer feries of years than that of the two former, though the name of Capet was almoft forgotten in the world. It has, however, been rendered familiar to our ears of late, by a feries of tranfactions, which have iffued in the ruin of that houfe, and in the exhibition of fcenes, which have equally outraged every principle of religion, honour, and humanity.

CHA P. II.

THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN THIS

CENTURY.

TH

HE Hungarians had received fome ideas of Christianity in the time of Charlemagne. But, on his decease, they relapsed into the idolatries of their fathers, and the Chriftian name was almoft extinguished among them. Nor is it probable, that they had ever been much inftructed in the real Gospel of Chrift. But toward the middle of this century, two Hungarian chiefs, whofe governments lay on the banks of the Danube, made profeffion of Chriftianity; and were baptized at Conftantinople. These two leaders were called Bologudes and Gylas. The former foon apoftatized: the latter perfevered; received instruction from Hierotheus, a bifhop, who had accompanied him from Conftantinople; and encouraged the labours of the fame bifhop among his fubjects. The effects proved falutary to the Hungarian nation: Sarolta, the daughter of Gylas, was given in marriage to Geyfa, the chief prince of Hungary. She prevailed on her husband to receive Christianity, and the Gofpel was once more introduced into a country through the zealous piety of a woman. Geyfa, however, ftill retained much inclination to the idolatry of his fathers, though his converfations with Chriftian captives and miffionaries made a ftrong impreffion on his mind: but he was prevented from apoftatizing, by the zeal and authority of Adalbert, archbishop of Prague, who vifited Hungary toward the conclufion of this century.

Whether