The National Register. — London, England, 1816-06-03 00:00:00

v No. 494.—V0L. IX. 4VCIENT PULPIT ELOQUENCE. No. 1. —.....- REIGN OF EDWARD II?. IT is an inquiry of no common interest to ascertain the several gradations by which English Literature has attained its present cultivated state: and, in particular, to observe the progressive amelioration and settlement of our language, from the rude stile of the middle ages, to the refinement and perfection which arc now so much admirod in the best English Orators. Our ancestors ware not devoid of learning ; and many of the British divines, even at a very early period, had much native eloquence. This first began to be conspicuous during the fourteenth century, and mare especially towards the commencement of those furious contentions which ter minated. in the existilsion of Popery and the establish ment of the Protestant worship in these realms. About this period, and particularly during the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, the discourses from the pulpit began to display many brilliant scintillations of genius, great dis et of character, and much acuteness of reason ing ; and their language, though now antiquated, is often interesting, sometimes sublime, To mcntion the names of Cranmer, Latimer, Hooper, and Rid ley, with those of others, who scaled by their blood their sincerity for the Protestant Faith, is to demand applause a- an union of ardour and of natural talent which hare seldom been surpassed. Almost the earliest specimens of British eloquence that we are acquainted with are found in a manuscript written on vellum, and in the old English character in use about the reign of Edward the Third. It is en- TIIE MIRROUR Or SERMONS VCR THE WHOLE YEAR," and is contained amongst the Ilarleitm MSS. in the British Museum. These sermons commence with the first Sunday in Advent, are adapted in explanation of the Epistle or Gospel of every successive Sunday throughout the year. The language. when divested of . the peculiar ortimgrnphy of the day, tbr in oral delivery this peculiarity csmid not he observable, is touch more pure and easy of coiarehensim than that of most wri tings of the same period. The stile is indeed unequal, and in several of the sermons are inserted the most in credible legends and stories ; but when due allowance is made for the unenlightened age in which they were written, they must, in many particulars, be allowed to possess no inconsiderable share of merit. The following are extracts merely corrected in ortho graphy, and without any alteration of the peculiar words that are used. The first passage is inserted for the pur pose of spewing the stile of translation of the Scriptures at that period. ON TIIE HEALING OF THE LErni. AND TIIE CEN TURION'S SERVANT. Matt. viii. r. 1-13. nnIcTNAL. EXTLAWATTOY. " And when he had descended " And when he had descended of the mountain, many companies from the mountain, ninny com followed him. And see a mesa panics followed him. And behold came and adored him and said. a leper came and adored him, and Lord if thou wilt thou may make mid. Lord if thou wilt thou roe whole. And Jesus spread out mutest make me whole. And his hand and touched him and said, J.-sus spread out his hand and I will, be thou whole. And anon witched him and said. 1 will. he his meselrie Unlade whole- And thou whole. And intmetliately Jesus said to him look that thou his leprosy is made whole. And may this thing to no man. Ac Jesus said to him. see that thou go. .hew thee to the pri e st and tell this thing to no man. But othT the gift that Moses command- go, chew thyself to the priest. and ed, in witness to them. And when olibr the gift that Moses command hit had etitered to Capernaum, a ed, in witness to them. And when Centurion appmched to him, they ha I entered into Cap ernaum. veinal him and Lord, my &Centurion approached him, pray shi7d lieth in the house paralytic ing him and saying : Lord, my and evil totmented. And .terns child lieth, in the house pantlytic said to him. 1 shall come and 1 and evil tonncntd. And Jesus shall heal hint. And Centurion I , alll to him, 1 will come and will answered hint and s.dd, I.ord I heal him. And the Centurion am nought worthy that thou enter answered him and said, Lord. 1 under mine house. Ac say only am not worthy that thou enter in word, and my elikl shall ben under mine &nue. But say only wlade. For leh am a rash under in word, and my child shall be port that have knights mulct met whole. For 1 am a man under and 1 ray to this go, and he rah, authority. th;.t have servants =- bad to another come, and lie nom- der nit : and I say to this go. and ash ; and to my servant e.o this, he gaeth, and to another come, and he it loth. And Jews, when and he cometh r and to my set he heard was awondital, and rant do ti is, and lw doeth it. And said to them that fullowed ; For- Jeans, when he heard this, was aeodt I say to you, I ne found Gianni:lnd, and said to them that nought so 'Melia fait!: in Israel. follow : Futsooth, I say to you I And I say to you, that many ahall hate not fotmil so notch fault in come from the coat and from the Is:ael. And I sty you. that many west, and shall liggen with Abra. shall come from th , east and front hut.., Itaar. and Jacob, in the th..: west. end shall lip dos u with kingdom of heavens: and the Ablaham, Isaac, and .hvaib, in sons of the kingdom shall be the kimolom of hefty, II: and the nott ip the ferrast dusjczebt, t4e.re wn of the kinstletn 114. be cast alio nail itittr+ lO_ u ftnQ, eon4titutiott attb MONDAY, JUNE 3, 18th. shall be weeping and gnaisting of into the farthest darkness, there teeth. And said to Cen- shall be weeping and gmashing of turion Go. and as thou nowt-wt. teeth. And Jesus saki to the Cen be it done to thee. And the child turion Go, and, as thou believest. is matte whole in that time." be it done to thee. And the child is mad. whale at that time. Now Ttersteth, lordinges, the un- Now hear, fasters, the undoing doing of this lesson, no that God of thh: lesson, so that God forgive forgive us our trespass as %Alia*. us our trespass as willingly as he lithe as he made clean the mesa, made cleat, the leper, and healed and healed the dal of Centurion. the child of the Centurion. Token Token it is, full great unto all that it is. full great unto all that 1w hen sinnand in the world, that sinners in the world, that the God God of heaven would comen *clown of heaven would come down into into this world, fix to make us this world, to make us whole of whole of all evils. For the hill all evils. For the lull betokened: betokeneth the heaven St:soot:I. the heaven. Jesus came down Jesus wine adown front the hiil frora the hill for to heal us, when for to healen us, when he would he would take our kind, and did take our kind, and did virtuous virtuous and malty wonders. Many and many wonders. Michel folk folk then foranstal him, that never then followed him, that never to before then knew him. For if be fort then knew him. For Gif lie had not COIDt into our kind, never tic had nought coven into caw would he have been known , nor kind, never should he have been worshipped of so many. Never known tie wors tipped of so many. theless for himscif he came not, Nafurthan for hiniselven ne come but for to amend our trespass. he nought ae for to amender our Though what need hath he of us. trespass. Though what Mists/ that he wretchesand sinners? He. Kati, lie to us, that ben wtetch.a to whom all virtues of heaven and sinners ? He, to whom all serve ; angels, archangels, all are virtues of heaven screen ; attiolk, at his commandment ; Heaven archangels, all is at his unwind- and earth, sea and wind! What meat ; Ileaven and earth, sea and neap hath he then of us that be wind ! What mister hath he then wretches and sinners ? For his to us that ben wretches and aid own need he came not ; but to tiers ? For his nerd tie come he draw us from death to life ; to nought ; but to draw us from lead us with hint to heaven. lie death to life; for to lead us with took upon himself our deadly hint to heaven. Ile took due kind in order to heal us of all our deadly kind for to heulen us of all trespass. He became man with our trespass. Ile beeamen man his good will: this is betokened with his good will : this is he- by the leper that he healed through tokened by the navel that he heal- his virtue. I 'or mesehie br ed through his virtue. For leprosy tokeneth sin that holdeth us all betokened) sin that holdeth us all in its_ possession : for as leprosy in his beindoune: for as meselrie maketh the flesh knotty and wrin maketh die flesh knotty and runke. kled, it, in the sante manner, con. ley it right so confoundeth sin and founded' sin and the soul. Leprosy th e soul. m ese leie c ar d e d : the attinleth the likeness of the body, likeness of the body, and situ ford- and sin afthrdeth the likeness of eth the liketkas of the soul. Ac the soul. And lie that knoweth he that wot hint mesah that is. he , self to be in sin; unto God lie that wot him in sin; auto God ho most cry, with good heart, and must cry. wit'a good heart and say; say; "It thou wilt thou wayest Gif thou wilt, thou may h, al heal Inc." Look well to the tau me." Looked' well to the entire' ing of the leper; that only he of the mewl; that onliche he asked asked the will of Christ; only in the will of Christ; Onliche in God. God, will he set his hope and all will he setten his hope and all his his health. That is south for De limit:l. That is Booth. for David it vid smith it " all that he will he salth " all that he will he cloth in cloth in heaven and in earth;" and heaven and in earth;" and there- therefore said the leperfirst "Lord tore said the mese ! Prat, " Lord if tiwu wilt thou mayst 'nuke she (cif thou wilt thou may make me whole." God said he would: ter, whole." And God said he would: understand ye well, that stedthst tilt, wit ye well, that steadfast be- belief may do what it will without lief may don what it will withouten doubt. donbt. Christ would touch the mese!, Christ would touch the tepee., and by that he teaeLeth us that we and by that he teethed' us that we ne shall despise no man, when he should despise no man, when he that was lord over all thing would that was Lord over all things touch the mewl. What shall it would touch die leper. Wha: then ben of us, that lien them and have shall be done to us, that the: train dedeine ti,r to look upon them. any of our fellow Christians, and Nnforthan our &nil he is thorough disdain to look upon them. ble kind, and our brother thorough vertheless of our flesh they sue belief. Gif we despise our lowlier; through kind, and our brethren how may we say that we love oar through belief. If we despise our flesh? Forsooth hij that have their brother; how may we any that we brother in despite nc may nought love our flesh? Forsooth they come to God. Ac who that seeth that despise their brother may not the metal, of his soul he owe to come to GA. And he who win doubten him, that he tie be nought the leper. of his own soul he ought mewl thorough sin: and gif he be to doubt whether he himself be not he owe to cry ivy to God. Of a leper through sin: and If he be this mesel he owe ta take enaam- he ought to cry mercy to God. Of pale of God's might, that is as till, leper he ought to take exams 'niche), that he thorough will and pie of Goirs might, which is so witching, mey hoiden the boillsi great. that he, through will and and, saven the souls. touching. may heal the bodies and save the souls. Ae now. understand what this And, now understand what thin Painim said againward, when Je- Pagan said afterward, when SUN said that lie would come for so raid that he would come for to heal heal his servant. " Lour he his servant. .... Lord." he said, said " I ant nought worthy that " lam rut worthy that thou come " thou come into mine liCuse." into mine have." When a When that n Patnim said such a Pagan said such a word, what word. what awe then e Chrisurn ought then a Christian man tosay, man to say s when that ;cid should when God should rake his abode take his inne vrithltim. Greatliehe with hint. Greatly he ought to he aught to bethinken hint alio% reelect upon his sins and make and make him clean. with steep- lainself dean. with weepiug, with with fasting; and in lowness. fasting; and in lowlimas. and in and in all other good • dolls: all other good decd.., althud4h he Though alway he ne have done have committed no peat eta yet cone evil. y.l he owe to doubt. ti ought he to doubt hintsnli, and to him, and for to judgen ltio,s:lven judge himself unworthy to receive for unworthy to receive hint that him that keeptah hods heaver and keeptth he.....en and earth, earth. nod all that are in the world. and all that hen iu the world. Anxious he ought to be to chaotic Busy him ought to hen for to make th,.t which shell harbour burl! a clean that thing, that eltsß hat. Lord, that giv...th and death. boor sixth a land. that eiveth Ilk • Far. undersnind y. well he who and death. hi; that. wa ye wril received. his Nal} here in form of he who *ark:lithe retaveth his breed, from thil. day he shall go to hotly here in tom' of bread. from the life that eve: shall last. And this day he shall go to the liiethat they that take it taultily, in any ever shall Wien. And hij that . deadly sin. or in determinin •to taken it teh , Leh in are deattlicho minim: sin. they take it to g. in. oth.. in will to do sin: 114 own sliprosation. taken it io tl.eir vu tlanitsuon, PRICK 9 id. • IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, Mow Y, MAY 47. CORONER'S BILL. This Bill went Birouh the Committee and was reported with. amendments. Among the clauses, as the Bill now stands, are the following :—Coroners to be allowed 40s. per day, for their attendance at Quarter Sessions :—alsu, Is. ad. per wile fur tee-. veiling expellees. PLACES AND PENSIONS. Eint Gnosverion felt himself ;stiffest overwhehned in the contemplation of this important question; and the more anxiety did he feel for the adoption of various reforms in the Civil Establishments of the.conntry. Considering the general distress oldie country, and that no steps had yet been taken to act lip to the sentiments of economy expressed in the Re gent's speech, lie felt that it WAS a matter of imperions neces sity to retrench in every department. The Finance Committee of the other House had suggested many economical reforms; and it was not their fault if those reforms had not been effect ed. They would have done more. had their Lordships sup ported them in their measures of general retrenchment. He then read a list of sinecure places, the abolition, regulation, or consolidation of which lie would Limner! to be referred to a Committee. He moved a Resolution, That inquiry should be made. as to what Offices in the State might be abolished with out detriment to the public sets ice. The Earl of LI v cep lot said, that, if properly understood. there cote* he but one opinion on the question. Bat 1w could not agree to mislead the public mind on subjects vs Inch, upon huoity, they might not End practicable for the public service. It was not improbable, that a bill on this subject might be soon brosglit op from the ether House; and he trusted the House would suspend Its judgment until the period when he should, be able to explain the views of Government on this question. Ott the subject of Sinecure Maces, he held them still to be vested rights in the parties. lie contended, that there was no country in the world where the public bueitiess was discharged more economically Riau in this. lit concluded by moving the previous question. The Marquis of Ls asnowe e supported the motion ; con tending, that it rias necessary to regulate , i'acemes, though it might not be expedient to abolish the same. Tim Earl of lit V ROVI . III opposed the motion, said supported the previous question. 'Fbe Marquis of BteKlNcuaM supported it. Lord CarenoulsE was oropiaiuti, that the subject should be open to parliamentary inquiry. Earl Gnoss emit: replied; and the House divided—For the previous question, b2—Against it, .211—Majority,3d.—At:joutn. ed ut Ten o'Clock. Tuein.tv, MAY 2S. SILVER CURRENCY. The Earl of LAVER SPOOL presented a Message from Lis Royal Highness the Prince Regent, which tsss iu 3U61/11C0 as fol. lows: " G. P. R. " The Prince Regent. acting in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty, has taken auto consideration the detective state and inadequate amount of the silver currency; and,in order to remedy the inconvenience, has given directions for a new and extensive silver coinage. His Royal Highness relies un the support of the I louse in the prosecution of such measurea k as may he necessary to carry such object into execution." The un ssage,ini the motion of Lord Liv ER POOL, was order ed to be taken under consideration on 'Thursday next. Lord llou.san asked if it was the intention of the Noble Earl to move for a Committee to inquire into the present state of the coinage. The Earl of Ltv sit pont. said, it was not. An net of Puha ' ment would be reqiiired to remedy that important wattei.— ,tiljourned to Thursday. - - THURSDAY, MAY 30. The Soap and Militia Bills were read a third time, and passed. Lord GRENVILLE gave notice of it minion for next lession, with a view to compel the registery of Slaves in the West la dies; where the state of slavery was still permitted, under the sanction of British lax, to continue. Lord Barite Rae stated, that it Wilt the intention oftiovern. meta to recommend, in the most earnest manner, to the Colo. itial Legislators, the adoption of some measure or uther cal. ciliated to answer the ;imposes of the Slave itegistery Oa the order fol . taking into consideration the Pi ince Regent's Mes..age on the subject of a new coinage of silver, The Earl of Lll Enigma. rose ; and having first entered into a lima explanation on the subject of the coinage, and phew eil die necessity of adopting some measure to i emedy the dei ects of the present currency, his Lordship developed the plait •rcreed till by Government. lic stated that there is to be a coinage of shiliiiigs and sixpences to the amount of too auel a half millions, of the same standard as to fineness as Rcirrter three will be 1(6 shillings coined out et' a poistoi trey weight, whereas there weir formerly but n;:. 7•ao red,ens sere assigned for this: first, to pieveut the sew coin fruit being sent tint of the coniury ; anti st remit to enable lie Lkeyei to pay the expenses of the emiage. Gold i. le re:',4114 the ettudard of came Ile the conutry. The ricw s etirt , uy one of the machines inserted by Boo;ton, of flirtni"chani, at4l be ready in six or seven months. The shining% ard sixpences in eireulatimi are to be culled 014 stick as I:re a legal tender, are t• 1 be received by tae, and a pew shilling re. united eor an old one. With tc•pert to tiaasc e:iat are not the legal coin. they are to Se taken b. verikht only. The gold cola is to remain in the ,i1t111: state as .it prest HL Ihe Batik tokens are to tsolltlllllt . iu I:llCUlAittoti ii it i.ets 111.ir.t . .57.te is proviJed in the new coin. The Earl of I. eve' p o ol 1, 1 ,11,, r tea ,,,) , that the ant, ,,, of Bank tokens in eireitia to was t,7 (l. rha try or shtilthatt senrr in these was muck Tess (Lao the new They circulate el at tit. bd. or Cs. 9d. to mow,. ; whereas all more of silver in the new emtia_e would he Ithlinarctuced it bar. 941. There will he no isauc of , • 1 N? • • ‘). • ".2 •