Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-04-12
THE ANGLo-sAxoN CHURCH.

History and antiquities Of the .4nglo- Saxon
Church. containing an account Of its Origin
Government, Doctrines Worship, and Revenues
and Clerical and Monasfic Institutions. BIZ
John Lingard, DID,; IN 2 coils.
This is an augmented edition Of work long since publish
ed by Dr. LNsAan, and scarcely well known deserved
to be- but ii is completely recast and contains large
portion Of fresh matter ths may be considered virtually
new book
Although its collateral and subsidiary inquiries siluly
adjusted so as interfere with unity Of treatment still the
Church filed 50 vast space in the poty Of the AngoSax
that the necessities of his subject have drawn the writer
far upon historical and statistical ground and thereby procured
for his readers the benefit Of Of interesting and curious
information the social life and Of ancestors
conveyed in mode Of pesenment both learned and popular
Indeed, if asked from what one could obtain
the greatest insight into the national mind and Of thought
Of the Christian AngloSaxons, should have no hesitation
referring the inquirer these pages Asa narrator Of facts
and expounder differences Immediately to be drawn
from them, there is writer Of the present day who exces
the gen accurate and eloquent historian of England Many
Of the notes Of the present volumes disputed questions of
literature chronology, philosophy, beautiful examples
Of the application Of the analytic faculty. combining exscess
Of reasoning with depth Of research and pointed neaness and
force of statement As to the controversial matters which
occupy nconsdeabe portion of them, Dr. ngard is
than able to hold his own, and may dispense with any praise
of ours WISH rather than hope for safe delyence
those who have the misfortune to be his antagonists
In the present bent Of the public mind an ardent and la
borous study Of the spirit and institutions Of the past the Eng
sh reader longer requires be melted explore the be-
gnnings Of religion, learning, and knowledge among his
foefathers, any than Of their political INSTITUTIONS But
though progress has been already made in the inquiry
much remains to be made for still apt think too
conempuousy of the AngoSaxons. Examining
" the immense learning and varied acquisitions of Bede and
Acuin the heroic genius Of Alfred the pous zeal and
psng energy Of Dunstan and Bonace by whom the Gospel
was made known to Germany and Holland with the effects
which these produced the general standard Of culture among
their countymen better enabled estimate the ruin
that worked in England by the Norman Conquest That
great revolution inflicted terrible though not remedahe
blow the progress Of national civilization and rebarbaized
England for two centuries and half to come STILL any view
Of national character derived from the AngoSax who
wrote subsequently to their conversions must necessarily be
Incomplete The basis Of that chacte nay Of many ofthe
institutions under which Englishmen living be
sought in the iacunabua GENTS AngEca Itehad already
been laid when the wild worshppe Of Odn poured into Bri
from the forests Of North Germany the islands of the Bal
tic and the coasts of the Scandinavian continent To under
stand this part Of the subject thoroughly we must call in the
testimony Of scandinavian writer's and study in their pages
the moral nature Of the Mortimer. For this the English
reader might be said to have materials before the late
ation OF old Sresons Norwegian Chronicles by Mr. LANG
not the least Of PIE many merits Of the splendid history Of
Geer (of which, we observe, translation about being
pubished that supplies coPous illustrations of this highly
important branch If ths Subject.
Dr. Lngards work supplies etectua corrective to the
false IDEAS of the Anglo church and clergy which MANY
are apt to imbbe from the pages Of Hume It will not do
now to represent them Of ignorant and anat
cal bgos selfish hypocrites With such examples Of sub
lime pety and selfdevoon st. Alphage Bede and Will
hrord, cannot question the purity Of their faith Those
were not ages Of craft hypocrisy but Of event zeal and
rude sincerity.
But to enter any heightened excursion into the subjects
which occupy Dr. Lngars pages would be obviously out Of
place. We must content ourselves with earnestly recommend
ing their study readers and shall proceed to give
them the means of forming judgment to the STYLE
We point out to the particular consideration s as Ahops
Of London and Exeter and e defenders Of church rates. this
account Of the origin and true destination of 1.-THE No one
can Dr. Lingard his Catholic authorities Of robbie
ry of the poor
Tithe, while it only matter Of counsel was hooked
upon as an aims entrusted Ia distribution to the good faith of
the clergy e change by which converted into com
pusory payment, did not alter Its destination 1t was still
considered the aims Of the faithful and could be legtmatey
employed in only in the maintenance of Divine
SERVICE and in works Of Christian charity The first council
by which enjoned Obligation ordered it to be de-
voted to the OF the poor the of capyes
succeeding councils to the Of the church and Of h poor
to which was added that where e church was amply
dows Vie pear should be entitled to twohird Of the 1.-THE
where NOT to one-half The doctrine of the Anglo
Saxon church substantially the same as that of the
churches the continent and single national document
relative to the subject has down which the right
OF the considerable portion of the 1.-THE not distinctly
recognised In the compilation which goes under the name
OF Archbishop Egbert, meet with the following canon
Let the masspests themselves receive the tribes from the
people, and keep written let Of the names Of all who have
gEe anu dyae, IN presence Of men tearing God the tthe
according to the authority Of the and choose the first
portion for the adornment of the church. and let them ds
butte humby and merculy with their own hands the second
portion for the benefit of poor and wayng men and then
may they reanhe third portion tor themselves To the same
effect is enoned in passed during the reign Of Ed
gar that priests dispense the peoples aims 90 as 20 rlease
God and accusom them to aims and right IS That one
portion 20 set apa the clergy the second for the need Of
he church, and the third for the need Of the poor Nor et
be supposed that this distribution was commanded by ecce
astcal authority only in 1913 it confirmed by the e
ysatue And respecting the the king and his vitan have
'hosen and decrce right that onehd part Of the 1.-THE
20 to the reparaton of the church, and second part to the
servants Of God 1.-THE Minister'S and the third to Gods poor
md to needy ones in thaldom II has, indeed, been rr-
ended that this division concerned the larger onastc
'shments only but the CONTRARY Is evident from following
essaee in the charge o bishop Wushd which was delivered
the parish priests Of his diocese and regarded the thes Of
heir churches The holy fathers have appointed that men
ay their 1.-THE unto Gods church and let the maspes 90
and divide it into three part for the repair Of the
huc and another for the poor, and the third for Gods ser
ants who have the of the church." G
The following passage shows that the ucness c The Anglo
axons by excluded pomp and magnifcence.
nd erenrcsa ais, the beneficial nfence of cls,;.aI