m 



painting, sculpture and enamelling, and to music and po- 

 etry. Most of the persons, who excelled in those ages, iii 

 the ^716 arts, oi' became famous, by their writings, in his- 

 tory and poetry, were religious. It is the peculiar charac- 

 teristic of the Roman Catholic religion, and some other 

 sects of Christianity, that they addi-ess themselves much 

 to the senses. The authors or improvers of these religious 

 forms, were fully aware of the influence and force, which 

 the senses possess over the hearts and characters of men. 

 The buildings, which they constructed for public worship, 

 were highly venerable. Their stained and painted win- 

 dows, their massy pillar?, the extensive aisles, the magnifi- 

 cence of the fabric, its concave roof, the splendid choir, 

 were all calculated to inspire the mind with religious so- 

 lemnity. To this were added the carvings, the painted 

 images, and other decorations, the accompaniments of mu- 

 sic, the vmiform garb of the priests and nuns, their decent 

 gestures, their slow and pompous processions, the solemn 

 chaunt of the sublime anthem, the splendor of the altar, 

 the brilliancy of the tapers,, the smoke and fragrance of 

 the incense. There Avas, in these early ages, an extreme 

 scarcity of books; so that, in those times, seven hundred 

 volumes were esteemed a foundation for a national library. 

 The library of monasteries, however, in a great degree, sup- 

 plied the disadvantage arising from the small collections 

 of individuals; and many of the monks Avere constantly 



employed,. 



' ' i 



* Godwin's Life of Chaucer. 



