Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-05-06
Batohman s. Journal.
WEDNESDAY, MAY G, 1874.
For the Waterman.
Historical Views OF London--No. ..
by IONS v. srEaRNs.


the tyranny Of the supersttions sustained by
this ancient religion, the cruelty Of its rites
all indicate a state Of barbarsm more gross and
bloody than what was known in any other
European country, Literature and law rarely
find home with such people and there is a
special providence in the meagre records Of the
dark acts and events Of those pagan days.
Roman influence was doubtless against the
cruelty Of the old priesthood; the amenities
enforced on manners by commerce, doubtless
softened the asporitics Of the times but scarcely
created local literature and Development
without which there can be no great progress
in the arts and knowledge Of civilization. At
later age, monastic institutions claimed to be
the consesyatories Of knowledge but from
what has survived Of this record Of the times,
We can infer no great amount Of popular in
telligence. The monstrous legends Of miracles
wrought by priests through pretended relics Of
the cross, said to have been preserved from the
days Of the apostles, show these monkish
writers to have been the victims Of gross i'm
positions, or great frauds, designing to impose
on the popular crcdulity. But beyond the in
u'c'tons OIL s'aie o' 'sno'anoe anu Sui.is''' ,',
ton the social relations Of the people are little
shown by these writings-whose purpose was
to slorify the priesthood, rather than to i'm
prove the people.
lne carrier p'o.Vrs Vi au' 'V'.HS " q"
such as tDe eoue o' Ning Aii'ou' MS Doo"iSuay
BOOK MS DIVISIONS anu pO'''u % 0'e N,nsuou'
-sno" pe''er aPP'eei'''o" VI Tue '"'e'''song'
VI 'ue peop'e' 80 s1us"' " oe "i'''e ''s'O.s'ui'
se'ernin'u'' '"au ''o n'i'"''0"s Vi '"'
'eseuus o' 'nou'a'u p'e'enueu SAINTS % iu
.ne grown o' Jaw anu '"e ue'eiopiueu' u VI,
br'tsh constitution IN Nagna CuatVa' anu
"na' o'@''ieu W W '.i' p'O'e's u a"''.n'' u'
written Jaw, III 'u''ouS ancient s'a'u'eS' We
'nu ."e sa'''es' e',uenoe u progress 'u 'n'
So0'S' Vi'H'1a''on VI 'ue ooun"S' anu '''
0'",'HO" IN" " '''' s,''i i'''i'N s'u,u''
SUI" as AS'''e''n' pi"o'o"' "'''''n a"u o'"'is
nave SHOWN py thelr statements OF legai lhstl
tutes and principles, that law and government
recognized the people as possessed Of iaiI
share Of intelligence. And the establishment
Of the systems Of trials by jury, indicated q
social sympathy in the community that was
trusted to mitigate the severity Of judgments
emanating from special commissions and judges
subsidized as the creatures Of Royal desPotism
Yet these liberal theories Of the law wer'
greatly restricted, when illustrated and con
trasted with the political events Of the times
The sedltions, civil wars and domestic striie'
that then made up the body Of public history
show that learned and thoughtful jurists, il
their ideas and legal philosophy, were greatly
ahead Of their times. Still the laws show 4
better progress in the condition Of the peopl,
than the religious chronicles Of the middle ages
The great Offices Of the church seem to hay'
been limited to promoting national demoraliza
tion, subseryience to the Pope, crusades to th'
holy land, and cherishing such domestic his
tories as that Of Thomas A Beckett, and Of th'
pretended saints Of the past. Manhood ant
nationality were belittled, and Popes and Car
dinais "v'e s'ofihed' IL was only when thu
light ol the reformation came pouring over 'n'
land, that religion seemed TO shed hght OIL
the domestic status ana social interests o' 'u'
people oi L0uuon' Inc oouno'n@'io" VI sP'
ituai ana secular uespotishi from 'he e'e'eu''
century down 70 TINS periou' iortiileu I'seli an'
ieit ITS stlll suosisNng monument 10 'he lowe
Of London. his fortress eonstrueted or re
paired by Milliam huius' son ei " imam 'n
Oonquerori served Iof al tlese centuries as
prison ana palace "itnln l's walls royai'
defended itseii from the people, ana IN its uun
] npnns the most honest. earnest anu iuttiAlLtn
men Of the kingdom often perished-il' indeed
their destruction were not hastened py 'ne AK
anu the DOCK
nave not time 70 uescrioe 'his 'o'Iess, DO
the museum therein IN which Is preserved 10
relics oil a ieariul past Inc uophies oi 'euua
times mere certify 70 tue crueiues o' Ua'oarou
ages Inc lIaitor "ae' opening Gown
the Thames admitted those suspected OF ca
hghiened s'aiesnansh'p' ana Ympa'hles VIII
the people ana seherally retainer 'neil as PFC
determined ior death' ohahceilors aho Juuge'
ministers oil state ana military ana naval CON
manders, princes oil the blood' queens an
royal iayorites, scholars and dignitarles OF tn
church-all perished here, through the il
trigues of their enemies, or a conceived polit
cal necessity OF the throne. The regime
these dark days must have repressed the soel'
and intellectual development OF the people.
, But tn return to the light OF the reformation
. Though this triumphed after long struggles an
bitter prosecutions, 1t came to be sustalnc
under the patronage oil the throne. IL is si'
| gular, that IN that age the centre ot religion
. interest in London was at ST. PAuL's Gross, a
outdoor pulpit in st. Paul's church-yard, su
mounted by canopy and this emblem Of Chrl
tianity. This structure was erected in Il
eleventh or twelfth century, whether to impo
Z penNnce on the people, who usually stood U
during the service Tor hours, on the dan
earth and IN the open air, breathing exhal
tions from crowded graves--or to accommoda
a multitude that could not so well hear with
the walls OF the old Cathedral, does not q
: pear. 1t was, however, the most popular pr
pit in London, and the policy oil the COVER
ment was to have the most able preachers
:, tho kingdom to enunelate the predominant
hg'oni "r .i'e time oe'ns' !" 'ne MASSES o'
people ~niie iot TWO oen'u,ios' uhuer u
!, 0a'no'e ies'"e ~ was no'oa US p'"co
psnanoes imposeu " onurcn ueSp'us" On u
100 iree thinkers anu inqu'rers 10 'ne 'cnoc
ana ohurcne'-ha' tue Illumination o' such
renders might tne inOfe rchully Dc seen Dy v