The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-12

/ by assimilation, and accordingly no small part
Of this bulky volume is assigned to the history
Of intellectual progress and social meioraton
OF all those civilizing factors whose energy and
pressure are mirrorcd in the expanding
vocabulary OF a nation. Succinct accounts
of legal and religious transformations. Of
changes In manners through the Introduction
OF new agencies and appliances. Of inventions
and discoveries. together with npt references to
authors and their productions. arc happily in
terwovcn with dry numerical details. For in
stance. in an interesting chapter on the seventh
century. we are not only presented with copi-
Gus extracts from Caedmons poems. and from
Eirics Saxon code Of laws. but tho author
seeks TO disclose the channels by which
Roman refinement and knowledge were nj
ready creeping back to Britain. This
hs con'rves to do by depicting tho ca
rcer Of famous Northumbrinn scholar
Biscop. the teacher and patron Of the venerable
Bcde. In early life this man mado no less than
three Journeys to Rome. bringing hack many
books on each occasion. having received from
Eg'rld. King of Northumbria. gift Of seventy
hides Of lamb. Biscop won't to France IN the
year GA and engaged mnsons to como over and
construct Il church I'm the Roman STYLE From
the same country be brought nriincors In glass
then unknown in England. that they might
glaze tho windows Of his church. coistcrs and
dining rooms. After completing this monas-
terry which became the famous Abbey Of Wcrc-
mouth B.scop made q fourth journey 90 Rome.
returning with large quantity Of manuscripts
as well as sacred pictures. with which King
El'rd was 50 pleased that he made a further
grant Of land. on which tho equally celebrated
Ahheyot Jnrrow was erected. Afterwarl the Alb
bot made still a NTH Journey to Rome. whence no
brought back not only books aud pictures. hut
also two coass all OF silk and Of superior work
manship. for which King Alfred tof Northum-
brial gave him three hides OF land 800 acrcsl.
10 was az this tims that the same Alfred gave
an estate OF 900 acres Tor a book on geography.
According to Bcdc from whom these data nro
obtained. there WAS among the manuscripts inn
ported by bis'op a copy Of Justuign's Paudects
from which the monks Il Wcremouth made throo
transcripts. one OF which found its way back -
Italy. Passing TO the status Of hushandry at
this epoch. 1t appears that the monks of Wore
mouth and Jarrow not only applied improved
methods Of tlldgc to the abbey farms but in
troducCd variety Of Southern fruits. In Ike
manner the Monastery Of Ely. In A. u. ca had
an orchard that became the admiration OF Eng
land. or Wilfrid. Bishop OF York, wa are told
that when driven from his see he went among
the paelus Of Sussex. who were starving for
wantoi food amid waters teomng with Ash. The
preate. who had visited Rome in his young
days taught them tho Use of nets, and aston
ished them ~ the capture OF three hundred NJ
ono haul The same Bishop gained roplte for
architectural taste hy founding and adjoining
tile Cathedral " York. tho English in that
century and for some tmn aftrrwari. huiiding
their houses % cmy. held together by a wool.n
framework. BY these glmpscs %; social and
domestic lie, the author succeeds On ruiivcnlng
Lis work. and az the same time marks tho
sources from which tho early English id.0m
drew rs small percentage OF Gr@,o-Latn
words.
Elsewhere the author quotes \ catalogue ~ the
library collected 10y Archbishop E-bou about
the middle of the eighth century. Among the
Greek iA.hers We noto Clement Chsysostom.
Basil. and Nnanosius; among the Latin. j.
rome Augustine Ambrose. AMI Lactan,us.
light Latin poets are enumerated. amon- Thorn
Lucan Status and Nirsil. Bontiu-. OF course,
was there and also number q ernmmarians.
historians. and scientists. At this late writing
materials We're so searce In Ln-.1n. THAI large
estates were often conveyed hy hauling tart
ana stone before witnessed without any writ
ten agreement. Indeed. only oAs hundred AMI
slNly-nlne years hal elapsed from ihe formation
OF the Anglo-SaNon alphabet. We observe that
L.,b'rts library contained m maiHcma'I' s and
1t is said that the first COPS OF Euclid reached
England IN $50. unl"r kiAs Athei-.ane. In
connection with the Saxon chronicle. much Of
which is referred to the eighth century Doctor
Neese discusses the manuscript epic OF
B'owo.i. which iroi. Conybrro mai1 conicmpo-
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