made this conjecture probable-the event next day proved her experience in affairs of gallantry, whilst the loves of Antharis and Theudelinda were celebrated by the bards, and sanctified at the altar. About this period 'twas that Livigild, a leader of great note in Celtiberia, no longer to be called fo foon, but Spain; seized with religious phrenzy, put his own fon to death for being an Athanafian, not an Arian; to which opinion he was ftrongly biaffed, as having been newly converted to our faith from paganism, he had received it in that mode, examining no other; but hating, as he faid, a confubftantialist. Suffering himself afterwards however, to be inftructed in those tenets, for which his matchless fon had fuffered martyrdom, repentance foon returned in tides of pious grief; and Livigild, made king and profelyte, embraced our purer principles with warmth, and for the zeal he showed in propagating them, obtained the title of Catholicus—style of the Spanish monarchs to this day, in honour of a man who forgave many taxes to the ftate, reduced his civil lift to bare fimplicity, and by immenfe donations to the church, joined with an unremitting care towards the poor, endeavoured through a long life of severe penitence, to perform that difficult task of quieting his conscience for the mad murder of an innocent, and praife-worthy child. There are who fay, that having killed Hermenichis, the father abdicated his command immediately, and Reccaredus, brother to the martyred prince, performed thefe meritorious actions, and was the first catholic King of Spain, while Livigild buried his affliction in a monastery; but these were days of darkness, and Retrospection must forgive the gloom. Latin ceafed almost to be understood at Rome, once feat and even throne of claffick elegance; but quick returning to its former character of an afylum rather than metropolis, all who were perfecuted in other realms for their adherence to the true faith, according to the orthodox opinions concerning the controverted myfteries of trinity and incar nation, nation, reforted thither; and from the Prince's neglect of this once fovereign city, joined with its nearness to the Exarch's court, and immense distance from imperial presence, all care on't dropt insensibly upon the popes, who must at length be cleared from any appearance of fettled or original intention, to feize on or exert their temporal power for any other purpose than that truly blameless and pious one, of comforting fo fad a refidence of wretchedness, and in fome measure of maintaining a neceffary police for the fecurity of its few inhabitants. John of Caftile, who finished two half-built churches begun by his predeceffor, reigned thirteen years, I think, if reign it may be called; and Benedict, contemporary to the thirty Dukes, who fubfcribed to finish their own tyranny, died of a broken heart from fecing the miferies of his native land Qui miferanda videt veteris vestigia Roma, Among the various herefies infesting the five or fix first ages of our church, one fect I think retained the doctrine of Pythagoras, and fancied they believed in a metempfychofis: fuch furely muft have thought the foul of the first Antonine transmigrated into the facred perfon of Gregory the Great, for confolation of the Chriftian world, and for the honour too of human nature. His unaffected refufal of earthly Dignites his serious resistance against sitting in the papal chair, manifested a pure and humble heart; his homilies, his fermons of moral and religious instruction, to a befotted people; the sweet familiar letters that are ftill extant, betray his inward feelings, and evince a fincerity of unfeigned virtue, almost without an equal. While his extenfive liberality and redemption of captives, continually made by the Lombard princes, particularly Agilulphus, merit the acknowledgment of all mankind. His kind remembrance too of our poor island, remote in every fenfe from happiness in this world; and filled by pagan follies, barbarous VOL. I. Ꮓ practices practices that obftructed the foundation of true faith, and perfecuted its profeffors who vainly promifed us felicity to come; ought furely to engage all Englishmen to look on his life with peculiar pleasure: nor" did he limit his cares to the procuring neceffary comforts for a fuffering world. He watched over the fine arts, paid money he could ill fpare for drawings, to keep that fickening science from complete extinc-tion; and previously compofing airs well fuited to devotion, is faid to. have pricked down with his own hand the antiphonarium centonem,. by which the finging in the Roman church is, I believe, regulated to this very hour. Whether he invented the lengthened notation or not may be difputed; his uncommon talents, and verfatility of genius have been proved. When he had once fixed in his mind that titles heaped on popes were antichriftian, we wonder not that 'twas by his comwithout mand that he was called Servus Servorum Dei-fuch he was, hyperbole or exaggeration. His temperate life, marked by the love of God, and love of man, was spent in service of all Christian creatures. Yet did he take and tranfmit to his fucceffors the triple crown as bifhop of Rome, primate of Italy, and apoftle of the Weft, called from that day the three legations, and unabolished till A. D. 1800, and haughtily condemned the patriarch of Conftantinople for reviving the difpute about precedence, and for calling himself (impertinently enough we own) the univerfal bishop: fo like Saint Peter in whofe chair he fate. He rather than not go before Would forfeit heaven at the door. We must however recollect, that his opponent who occupied the refidentiary and oriental fee, difputed for the poft (as did Saint Gregory), not for the individual. He was a mortified and almost an emaciated fkeleton, called Jean le Jeuneur par eminence, having never touched meat or wine fince his ordination; fcarce ever milk and eggs: fo virtuous and fincere were thefe good pontiffs. That in their day prayers for the dead fhould be first introduced is strange, and contradictory; because because at the fame time other dead were now implored to beftow their prayers upon the living, who little reflected that "it had coft "more to redeem their fouls, fo that they must let that alone for ever." These inftitutions afterwards degenerated into a commerce gainful to the church, although avarice tainted not the mind of this great Pope, who honest in his folicitude for departed excellence, was praying for the future happiness of Trajan, at an altar fhewn to this day at Rome, whence people tell how a strange voice proceeded, and in a præternatural tone warned him to ceafe his unavailing fuit, affuring him the object of his care was safe, and in the hands of his Creator. What he decreed, that images fhould neither be torn away nor worshipped, but held in decent veneration, fhould have been written down in letters of gold our commentators fay that was a command which could not have been obeyed; for fet up images once in your churches, they will be worshipped whether popes and councils will or not. In remote times perhaps it might be fo; but I faw Nôtre Dame, at Dresden, loaded with devotional figures, paintings, and other ornaments, and no one dreamed of paying them adoration. The Lutherans know better; had Gregory's fucceffors however, resembled him, Luther's reformation would have been fuperfluous, and Calvin never would have been heard of. With his pontificate we close this chapter, which has brought out to Retrospection's eye the first 600 years after our Lord's afcenfion; and fhown how those wild rushing inundations from the north, ran as they subsided into a vast variety of fissures great and fmall; formed by the fury of their first onfet, and broke the uniformity of civil life, as did the deluge 2500 years before, crack the fmooth furface of our natural world, and loofen the feparating parts from each other. Manners followed the general alteration, and states grew independent of their common lord. CHA P. II. FROM GOOD ST. GREGORY TO THE BIRTH OF CHARLES FRO ROM that great character whofe Christian virtues relieve at length our retrospective eye, fatigued by following the fierce barbarians through indiscriminated scenes of blood and flaughter: our English ancestors derived their hopes of happiness in the next world, and of profperity in this. The Saxons admitted no juries in criminal cases; still lefs in matters of property; nor was there any action fo horrible that it could not be maintained by the fword, or compenfated by the purse. Gifts were omnipotent, and made commutation eafy to the rich for every offence. Gwilt fatisfied all demands; whence the word guilty, as I have heard, in our Old Bailey pleadings. But Pope Gregory, who had before his elevation pitied the poor children fet up for fale at Rome, of whom, enquiring whence they came, he said, non Angli fed angeli; not Angles,. but angels would these boys and girls be called had they but baptism and education; remember'd the pretty flaves he had observed at market, and sent over Augustine, a monk, with some affistant miffionaries to England. To difpute whether or not we had at that time a church independent of papal authority, is a mere jeft; the bishop of Caerlon upon Ufke was, under God, our fpiritual overfeer, fays Spelman; but he was fo, I trust, because the island being forgotten and neglected, no other person thought of feeing over them. Gregory the Great never defired rule fave for the purpose of exercising beneficence. A shepherd founded Rome at first; a fhepherd and pastor now faved it from final ruin; and Gibbon owns what Howell had afferted, that in the |