The National Register. — London, England, 1816-06-02 00:00:00

I t lt i No. 434.—V0t. IX. kiinbap Antit4rmcntl. ANCIENT PULPIT ELOQUENCE. No. I. REIGN OF EDWARD 111. IT is an inquiry of nu 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, w the relincuent Ond perfection which are now so much a•lmiro3 in the best English Orators. Our ancestors were 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 more especially towards the cu•utnencement of those furious contentions which ter minated in the expulsion of Popery and the establish ment of the Protestant worship in these realms. About this period, and particularly durin g the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, the discourses from the pulpit began to display many brilliant scintillations of genius, great dis crimination of character, and much acuteness of reason ing ; and their language, though now antiquated, is often interesting, sometimes sublime. To mention the names of Cranmer, Latimer, Hooper, and Rid ley, with those of others, who sealed by their blood their sincerity for the Protestant Faith, is to demand applause for an union of ardour and of natural talent which have seldom been surpassed. Almost the earliest specimens of British eloquence that we arc acquainted with are found in a manwcript written on vellum, and in the old English character in use about the reign of Edward the Third. It is en titled, " THE MIRROUR OF SERMONS FOR TIIE WHOLE vEsH, i ' and is contained amongst the I - larleian 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 out. the year. • The language, when divested of the peculiar orthography of the day, for in oral delivery this peculiarity could not be observable, is much more pure and easy of comprehension 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 posssess no inconsiderubk 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 shew•ing the stile of translation of the Scriptures at that period. ON THE HEALING OF Tlll LEPER, AND THE CEN. TURION's SERVANT. Matt. viii. r. 1-13. ORIGTIZAL. TXPLANATION. " And when he had de.cended " And when he had dmeended of the mountain. many companies from the mountain, many cum. followed him. And see a mesel panies followed him. And behold came and adored him and said. a leper came and adored hint, arid Lord if thou wilt thou may make said. Lord if thou wilt thou ewe wkcic. And Jesus spread out niayest make me whole. And his hand and touched Mineral said, Jason spread out his hand and 1 will, be thou whole. And anon timehed him and 'del, I will, be his mesdrie is made whole. And thou whole. And immediately Jesus said to him kook that thou his leprosy is made whole. And may this thing to no nm. Ae Jesus said to him. see that thou shew thee to the ; , riest aral tell this thing to no man. Hat o:tv the gift that !khans command- go. chew thyself to the priest, and ed, in witness to them. And when oder the gilt that Moses coin:rand hij i.ed entered to Capentauns, a ed, in witness to them. And when Centurion appniched to him, they haul entered into Capernaum, praiand him and said : Lord, my a Centurion approached hin,, nmy child lieth in the house paralytic ing him and saying I Lord, my and evil tormented. And .I.:sas child Beth in the house par:4i :tic mid to him. I Audi aline and I and evil tormented. And Jegits shall heal him. And Centurion said to him, I will come and will answered him mid said. Lord I heal him. And the Centurion ant nought worthy that thou enter answered him and said, lont, under mine house. Ac say only am not worthy that thou enter in word, and my child shalt lien under mine house. Rut say only tautly. For ich am a mat under in word, and my child shall be post that have knights smiler nay : whole. For I am a man under and I say to this go, and he goeth, authority. that have servants =- and to another time. Rad he coin- der me : and I say to this go. and eth : and to my arrant do this. he goeth. and to another come. and he it ,:ooh. And Jea:s. when and he cometh and to my heirs! edit, was awimelnal, and rant da this, and he diwth it. And add to them that followed For Jesus. when he heard this, was pooth I say to you, I :se found astonished, and said to Clem that nought wi tnichel faith in Israel. follow : Forvonth. I say to on I And I say to you, that many shall hie: not found so mush faith in come frien the east and from the Israel. And 1 say you. that many west, and shall 1. gen with Aim- shall come from the east and teen Lain. Isaac. anti Jacob, in the the wise, and shall lie down with Linginm of heavens: and the Abraham, Isaac, and in sons of the kinAorn shall be the Idrodom of heaven: and the cast la the ferzeat darkness, there suns of the kaoliata shall be cast nail Utt iOttr. cur wing, Consititution anti SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 1816. shall be weeping and gnaisting of into the farthest darkness, there teeth. And Jesus said to Cen- shall be weeping and gnashing of turion Go, and as thou trowest. teeth. Aud Jesus said to the Cen be it done to thee. And the child turion Go, and, as thou believest. is made whole in that nine." he it done to thee. And tits child i• loatlewhole at that time. Now heareth, lonlinges. the un- Now hear. illasiers, the undoing doing of this le.ion, so that God of this lesson, as that God forgive forgive us our trespass as willing- us our trespass as willingly as he liche as he made clean the niesel. made clean the leper, and healed and healed the child of Centurion. the child of the Centurion. Token Token it is. full great unto all that it is. full great unto all that be ben sinnand in the world, that sinners M the world, that the God God of heaven would ('omen adown of heaven would come down into into this world, for to make us this world, to make us whole of whole of all evils. For the hill all evila. For the bill betokeneth betokeneth the heaven forsooth. the heaven. Jesus cause down Jesus came clown from the hill from the lull 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 many wonders. slany and many wonders. Michel folk folk then followed him, that never then followed him, that never to before then knew him. For if he then then knew him. For Gif he had not mine into our kind, never ne had nought comer into our would he have been known, nor kind, never should he have been worshipped of so many. Never known ne worshipped of so many. theless the himself he came not, Naforthan for himselven ne come but for to amend our trestuess. he nought ac for to &menden our Though what need hath he 01 us, trespass. Though what Mister that be wretches and sinners? He, hath he to us, that lien wretches to whom all v irtues of heaven and sinners lie, to whom all serve; angels. archangels, all are virtues of heaven screen ; angels, at his commandment ; Heaven archangels, all is at his comand- and earth, sea and wind ! What ment ; Heaven and earth, sea and need hath he then of us that be wind! What mister bath he then wretches and sinners? Fur his to us that ben wretches and sill- own need lie came not; but to nem ? For his need ne come he draw us from death to life ; to nought; hot to draw us from lead us with him to heaven. He death to life; for to lead us with took upon himself our deadly him to heaven. He took our kind in order to heal us of all our deadly kind fur to !Icahn us of all trespass. Ile became man with our trespass. lie becamen man his good will : this is betokened with his good will: this is be- by the leper that he healed through tokened by the mescl that lie heal- his virtue. For mrselrie be ed through his virtue. For leprosy tokencth sin that holdeth us all betokeneth sin that holdeth us all in its possession: for as leprosy in his beindoune: for as meselrie maketh the flesh knotty and wrin inaketh the flesh knotty and runke- Wel, it. in the sanie manner, con ley it right so confoundeth sin and founded, sin and the soul. Leprosy tile soul. i‘leselrie jorrdeth the affordeth the likeness of the body, likeness of the body, and sin ford- and sin atfordeth the likeness of as the likeness of the soul. Ac the soul. And lie that knowedi he that wot him mesel, that is, he himself to be in sin; unto God he that woe him in sin; unto God he must cry, with good heart, and must cry, with good heart and say: say; "If thou wilt thou mayest se (;if thou wilt, thou may li al heal me." look well to the cur ette." Looketh well to the caring lag of the leper; that only he of •ho mesel; that onlichehe asked asked the win of Christ; only in the will of Christ; Onliche in God, God, will he set his hope and all will he seam his hope and all his his health. That is south fur Da health. That is moth, for David it yid saith it "all that he will he said' " all that he will lie cloth in cloth in heaven and in earth;" and heaven and in earth ;" and there- therefore said the leperfirst, " Lord fore said the mean first, " I .ord if thou wilt thou mayst make me gif thou wilt thou may make me whale." God said he would: for, whole." And God said lie would : understand ye well, that stedfast for, wit ye well, that steelfast be- belief may do what it sill without lief may don what it will withouten doubt. doubt. Christ would touch the mese]. ('heist would touch the leper, and by that he teacheth us that we and by that he teacheth us that we tie 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 the leper. What then ben of us, that Hen them and have shall be done to us, that flee from dedeine for to look upon them. any of our fellow Christians, and Naforthan our flesh he is thorough disdain to look upon them. Ne kind, and our brother thorough vertbeless of our flesh they are belief. (:if we despise our brother; through kind, and our brethren how may we say that we love our through belief. If we despise our flesh? Forsooth hij that have their brother; how may we say that we brother in despite ne may nought love our flesh? Forsooth they come to God. Ac who that seeth that despise their brother may not the meld]. of his soul he owe to come to God. And he who veeth thoubten him, that he ne be nought the leper, of his own soul he ought nr.siel thorough sin: and gif he be, to doubt whether he himself be not he owe to cry mercy to God. Of a. leper through sin: and if he be this misel he owe to take ensam- he ought to cry mercy to God. Of ple of (od's might, that is so this leper he ought to take exam !Maul, that he thorough will and ple of God's might, which is so touching. may healeu the bodies great, that he. through will and and saven the souls. touching, may heal the bodies and I • tave the souls. Ac now, understand what this And, now understand what this Painim said rigainward, whim .1e- Pagan said afterward, when Jesus tuts said that he would come for to said that he would corn. for to heal heal his servant. " Lord" he his servant. " Lord." he stud, raid " lam nought worthy that " I nun not worthy that thou come " thou come into mine house." " into mine house." When a When that a Painim said welt a Pagan said such a word, I;:aat wordt what owe then a Christian outr . In then a Christian man to say, tom to say, when that Gad should when God should take his abode uke his buoy aithhim. Greatliche with hint. Greatly he ou3ht to he might to bethinken him titian reflect noon his tans and make and make hint clean. vilth weep- himself clean. with weeping, with tug, with fisting: and in lowness, fasting; and in lowlinms, and in and in :111 other gmd deeds. all other good death, although he Though alway he De have done have committed no great evil yet none toil, yet he owe to doubten ought he to doubt lamself, and to hint, and for to judgen himselven iudgc himself unworthy to receive for unworthy to receive him that him that keepeth both heaven and kerpcth both heaven and earth, eailh, and all that are in the world. and all tint ben in the world. Anxiois he ought to be to cleanse Busy lam ought to inn for to make that which shall harbour sue' a clean that eding that shall hat- Lord, that giveth life and death. bout such a Lord., that giveth life For. understanti ye well he who and death. For that, wit ye well recciveei his body here in form of he who worldliche reetiveth his bread. from this day he shall I,ro to body hers in form of bread, from the life that era: shall last. And this day he shall go to the life that thee that take it faultily, in any ever shall lasten. And ltij that deAly aim or in datermitang to taken it folielich in any dearlliehe commit sin, they take it to thou sin, in wil! .010.1 in hit own damnation. token it to eatit efirdainpition. PRICE 9.4 d. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, ?don osv, MAY 27. CORONER'S BILL. This Bill went through the Committee and was reported with amendments. Among the clauses, as the Bill row stanc.. are the following :—Coronets to be allowed 10s. per day. for their attendance at Quarter Sessions:—also, 3d. per mile (u tra velling expeuces. pLAcr..; AND PENSIONS. Earl Guosvrtvoir felt Inmsell almost overvrhelmed in the contemplation of this important question; and the more anxiety did he feel fur the adoption of verities reforms iii the Civil Establishments of the country. Considering the grueral distress of the country, and that uo steps had yet been taken to net up to the sentiments of economy expressed in the Re. gent's speech, he felt that it was a matter of imperious nereA ,ity to retrench in every department. The Finance Committee of the other Home had suggested many economical refoi ins; 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 iu their measures of general retrenchment. He then read a list of summits: places, the abolition. regulation, or consolidation of which he would propose 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 service. The Earl of LItEItP3OL said, that, if properly understood, there could be but one opinion on the question. But he could not agree to mislead the public mind on subjects which, upon inquiry, they might not mid practicable for the public service. It was not improbable, that a bill on this subject might be soon brought np from the other House; and he trusted the House would suspend its jedgment until the period when he should lie able to explain the views of Government on this question. Oil the subject of Sinecure Places, he held them still to be vested rights in the parties. He coutooded, that there was no country in the world where the public business was diseharg,ed more economically than its this. lie concluded by moving the. previous question. The filarynis of LANSDOWNE supported the motion; con tending, that it was neemary to regulate sinecures, though It might not be expedient to abolish the same. The East of lisesiovißV opposed the motion, and supported the previous question. The Marquis of its CKINGIrrkm supported it. Lord Cvl.rttnnee was ofopieion, that die suhject should be open to parliamentary inquiry. Earl GRosvENOR replied ; and the House divided—For the previous question, 62 —Agaiust it, 24—Majurity,3b..—Adjouro. ed at Ten o'Clock. TVESDAY, MAY 28. SILVER CURRENCY. The Earl of Ltv ERP1)01 presented a Message from his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, which was in substauce as fel luws:— " G. P. R. " The Prince Regent; acting in the name and on the behalf of his Majesty, has taken into consideration the defective state and inadequate amount of the silver currency ; and, iu order tot entedy the inconvenience, has given directions for a new and extensive silver coinage. His Royal Highness relies on the support of the House iu the prosecution of such measures as may he necessary to carry such obji et into execution." The message, on the motion of Lord Lis FR POOL, was order ed to be taken under consideration on Thursday next. Lord Hom.aso 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 LIVERPOOL said, it was not. An Act of Parlia ment would be required to remedy that important matter.— Adjourned to TUILII slay. THURSDAY, MAY 30. The Soap and Militia Bills were read a third time, and passed. Lord GRENVILLE gave notice of a motion for nest session, with a view to compel the registcry of Slaves in the Wl St In dies; where the state of slavery was still permitted, under the sanction of British law, to continue. Lord ilataittisr stated, that it was the intention of Govern ment to recommend, in the must earnest manner, to thk: Colo. Mal Legislators, the adoption of some measure or tithee cal culated to answer the purposes of the Slave Itogistery B.U. Ou the order Mr taking into eunsideraimis the Prince Regent's Nles,age on the subject of a new coinage of silver, The Earl of Lis snout)]. rose : and having first entered into a long explanation on the subject of the coinage, anti skewed the necessity of adopting some measure to remedy the detects of the present currency, his Lordship developed the plan agreed on by Government. He stated that there is to he coinage of shillings and sixpences to the amount of two and a half millions, of the same standard as to fineness as now : but there will be 66 shilling. coined out of a rand troy whereas there were formerly but 62. Iwo teaser)s were a-aligned for this: first, to prevent the new coin f being scut out oldie country. ; and second. to enable the Gwertmictit to pay the expeuces of the coinage. Gald is to reinain the standard of value in the conntry. The new silver, by -ne of the machines invented by Itouiton, of 11,riningliam, will be ready in six or seven months. The shillings and sixpences in circulation are to be called in—the old shillings, such as are a legal tender, are to be received by tale, aud a new shilling re turned ter an old one. With respect to those that are not the legal coin, they are to be taken by weight only. The gold coin is to remain in the saute state as at ' , resent The Hank tokens are to continue in circulation till a new substitute is pro, ided iu the new coin. The Earl of Liverpool further sra:ed, that the amount of Rank tokens in circulation was 2,1 04),. I Le quantity of standard silver in these W. 14 Mir t h l es s th a n the 91.0;,0ne , 1 new coinage. They circulated at 6a. Sd. or OF. 941, an ounce; whereas an ounce of silver in the new cm irige would lee lunaufactufed into ;)s. tid. Mir will Le no Latin of ' '2! II or)IN 4ct) i wri. .. , . r itiv < ~ ,-• ) "P..---x-cl' 1 ) I.` • - I 1 .1 1 • I • 1 f' s 1.