, 1874-08-22
FAMILIAR TALK.


noranco, superstition. AND aen-bnrbsrlnm OF tho
paople At tho timo Of ita origin. During tho
frat two OF throe centuries nftof tho Norman
conquest learning was co''tinsa almost oxolu-
sivoly 10 tue fnonastof'oa anu 20 'ho h'8hef OF
dors OF tho clorg5' 1ho ma]o1''S OF Tue upper
ariHtocraoy could not 10 naoh aa toAu or "f'1o
their nanioa' "hon Eieano, o' Ae? u.talne DO
eamo tno conaof. Q. noniJ 4'.' :" 4ioA' ~ "os
.mentiohea noa0s.uhy anvus ~ nps naay Hoeoln-
plsanmonss 'aa' suo "s' as1a wv w t'au aho ~
write. 1ne lsneuabo " 'ao ~ ooats "au tuo
Baxop. All prosoworka wo1e writton
in Latin. whilo poetry was compos-
- t., Nor,nsn.Eronch' TIN ar4 NJ nr,nt,nc
W !" ,,I1..., ~, a11,,s,,. ~. t.; ,,.a''
usoript, and copios wore multiplied BY tho ]abor'-
otls procoas OF tranacriblnB with tho ron. soma
n, theso. for tho uao OF tho roysl and The noble,
- .,.a-..,,. .,nrosv.a ,,,,,, vn,,rn, ho,,3 n
.,a,t W.. sssreanraa ~tt ,s,rs,a ,na ola.na w,th
gold. othors were 40 rnro and praefonB TINT
they were secured by chains to the convantual
1ibraHes which they enriched,
nj. ..n ao,,,,u !, ,r,ulo,c. ~.r, ,orr.ctod
-, 1ue ~" s. tss.s. ~" ~. ~ s',ss
With tho mohaasonee were saoehs oy tho MONKS,
aud patronized solely by candidates for tho
priesthood and by tho SONS Of tic wealthy
rohi1fv. yonno mon who wara ambitions of
ta..nin" .. attor ,ocotvns II. scan,s ina.n,cI,on
Afforded in tic EngIfsh conyents, vtBtted
Conetantinople, Padua, Rome, or Paris,
In embrace the supurior advantages Tor
oa,cotton ot,orca IN thono citles, Fv.n tha
eaucasou ono.oa ~ .nosu ''us '. 'on .n
untvcreiaos we're considered but ss portals
through which students paeBod to tho better
schools on Tho Continent. Oxford, which Ia
aaid IN Avn ham fonndcd hv Alfrcd Tim Great.
~. .1,s. - ~s1....- -. h,t-.. ~. ,..,.,
.Au w eones's " ~, sao .ou
teonth century, prior 70 WHICH, titno the sfuaehts
who gathered there to attend lectures lodged
with tho tounspooplc. Tho University OF Cam-
bridge vas begun III lilo by Golfrid, Abbot Of
Croy!and, who Bont Gtaolbert, . Professor In
Divinity and three other monks, to establish q
school In barn hroa for tho purpose. Up to
1857, when the tirBt coltcge-ttat Of Poterlam-
private lodgings. Tho clsssics wero not taught
in either Of these universities until tho ltteenth
contury. Tho educnton which they impaired
| consisted OF little moro than a trimming III che
sqhstss . ssoot e osS osso7 fsd @ ,tF''e'' Of s'0
At the beginning, Of tho thirteenth century the
luxury, 40 ahamolosaiy disaoluto and corrupt,
that to correct tlle reproach which they brought
| upon tho Church, now ordora OF religion wero
| inatitntcd under VOWS Of poverty, and of unro-
| mitting zoAl to tho duties OF preaching, toach-
,ug, aud prayer. These ordera Of mendlcant
frlars bore tho respective names Of The Francis-
friars, tho Carme'itos Or wh,te-friass and the
Allgusttues or Auatin-fciars. BY steady devo-
ton to the literature Of tho ago, tleso friara
soon becamo Tho moBs profound SCHOLARS and
the principal " toasnefs ~ England ga II ddnoy we,o
scripts. and their ftiarles "oto eml-
nent Heninaries, to which students resort
Cd throughoMt tho K1agdo,n, Their exam
! plo had tho eheot of hhmn'annR she nonxs 70
maintenance Of more and botter schoola; but
tho frhrs continued to maintain thesr supremacy
in learning, Although In tho conrsoof time. with
iucroase Of wealth aud power, their morals But-
Meanwhile, the inferior clergy continued
grossly ignorant. About tho year l5oo, Pope
Donifaco VIII. ordered the iucuuabents OF bena.
! ilceB to quit their curoH for certain tlme and
study ae the UNIVERSITIES. n, IN lay. Neotos u
Bishop on being prescnted With Merton l'r'ory,
| in Surrey, thAt,on account Of hls tllitoracy, ho
would study Latin for tue two following years:
and, at tue end OF tho hrst year, WOULD submit
| to M examination In grammar, aud. If found
detcient ut the end Of tho aecond year,
would rcsign hls benehce, In tho
statutes Of New College, at Oxtord, IN 1876. one
OF the ten Chhplains IL ordered to learn grammar
and be ablo to write, that no may 9e quRlaea to
assist tho TteasureEs OF tho Society in tran~
scribug thefr Latiu evidences. In ~ tho same year,
tho l}enedlctlno Monastery Of WtnohoBter was
ordered By tho Presiding Bishop: to provide a
Latin proscptor 70 sssen t tha prie;ssa who pes
ing anything of the language they imperaeot!y
rec1te1. YhcBo low examples serve TO tl1uatrhto
tho prevailing Ignorance. While tho clergy wern
comparativol, uncduoased, and the arlstocracy
were iliterase, tho popu!aco sero altogether be-
nigllted. or literature aud soionco there was no
opportunity tor them to gain particle Of ksoSl
odso. la religioa and theology, what little
instruction they received "as sol from the
priesthood, whoBo general dissoluteneBs md
iucapacity ltnva already been limited.
ThiB sketch Of tho intellectual condition Of
the people, though brief anu imperfect, Will Aelp
to M Intelligent idea OF tue circumstances under
wll.ch tho modern drama took lts rlBo III tue
Church. aud was, during ts infancy, controlled
by the roligloua ortera md tho clergy Ecclosl-
nstics were not ouly tho spiritual gu1dos, but the
tenchora and tho mentors, OF tho laity. II wat
to provide for tho latter, IN snaisoment tina!
should auperscdo the bloody tournament and
: benr-1ght. aud tho coarse exhibition OF the
jester, tumblcr, and lnorrico-dancer. that the
sacred drama was conceived. This form OF d.
verson combined tho entertainment OF tho bpec'
tacle with instruction ~ Biblo'hlstoty aaa III Tug
stories OF tho BaintH. It was we'll ADAPTED to at
tract aud to impreas people who bad no accosf
to books who were unable to reads aud whost
one sole source Of light Was tito Church.. >,
. Az has hceu related ia pIavioua article, tht
a .~sS,or n1f