1 806. ] of Lcaiyiittg and Science in tht Middle Ages. 



433 



Ceft wherewith to maiuiain and increafe 

 it ; while the Iblu pol'illUDii ot" the learn- 

 ing and fcience ot" tlie times, t'onned the 

 belt bulwark uf the liierarchical lyltem. 



Aliiduoutly, tiierelorc, did the clergy 

 debar the laity iVom all the bell fources 

 ©f knowledge. The few clear notions 

 they had hct'ore obtnuied, became more 

 oblcure and confuied, and at IcuLTth vvcie 

 entirely loll. Contullon iii (taces, dil'a- 

 greeiricnt between their orders, uud irre- 

 gularities iu their coniiKution and execu- 

 tive department, grew greater and great- 

 er, and m mutters jtrelii^ion a worfe than 

 Egyptian darknels overlhadowcd the un- 

 derllandings of the laity of every degree. 

 Among the clergy theiufelves remained a 

 partial light, but its riiys were lb fcatter- 

 ed pvcr u multitude of worldly concerns, 

 that the fpirit of inquiry in reliiiion foon 

 died away, and the linall mcafure of in- 

 formation they had acquired, for want of 

 new accellions, continually decrcafed, 

 till at laft yniverfal ignorance and bar- 

 barilin overwhelmed both clergy and 

 people. 



Under the proteftion of this mental 

 darknefs was it that the order which the 

 itate had received into its bofom, to be, 

 under its inipettion, an intbuttor of its 

 fubjetits in morals, in fpiritual and tem- 

 poral aftairs, ercttcd their ariltocratical 

 fonn of government, and reigned with 

 tyrannic fway among princes and nobles, 

 f.ill- one of their order, mure enterpriling 

 than the veil, llarted up an independent 

 ecclehaltical prince, and in the wellern, 

 northern, and fouthern parts of (Jhriiien- 

 dom, employed the labours of his former 

 brethren to extend his delpotilin. 



Long already had the plan been laid 

 for this new ulurpatiun. The Decretals 

 of the falfe Ilidore had long taught, uiat 

 all powers, both fjiiritaal and temporal, 

 were fubjett to the apoli:olical autliority 

 flf Rome. I'iiis newly-erected l'o\ereigii 

 boi-e the palloral llatf in the name of 

 God, and with it aflumcd the right of di- 

 recting kings, of littiug in judgment on 

 their actions, and punilhuii: their dilobe- 

 dience at pleafure, by dethroning, or 

 fubjecting then» to the ftnalhoma of the 

 Church. With this they protected the 

 wealth, the liberties, thi' privileges, and 

 the innnunities of the church, regulated 

 ■the tpifcopal order, punilhcd the difobe- 

 dicnt, and, in more dcfjicraie cafes, cu- 

 pelled them from tiieir fees, but guarded 

 the worthy and obedient as the a[)plc of 

 their eye, and piuticiid rheui from vio- 

 lence. Thus did the itoniilii Fontills al- 

 ready iii the iiiittii century; ulcvaic ihtiu* 



felves above all kings and princes, and 

 on the wrecks of the ghollly ariilocracy 

 tyund an ecclehafiical and temporal dcl- 

 potifm. 



The mod Important materials for the 

 new Ibucture were furnilhed by the able 

 baud of the falfe Lidoi'e, who did not 

 however bruig it to perfection ; that per-» 

 haps required another hand : an a<;tive 

 aiid danng one loon prcfented .tlclf to 

 the work, and behold the fubllantial pait 

 of the monllrojs cololl'us of papal power 

 complete with all its terrors ! 



Gregory VII. lirll compelled the Weft- 

 em World to acknowledge an ecccleli- 

 aftical monarchy, Ihuidiug alone, inde- 

 pendent of ail lay authority. Jxomc he 

 fixed on for its feat and capital, and tiie 

 chair of the Romilh bilhop for its tiirone, 

 the wealth of the Chriltian church for 

 its poffeflions, the biQiops for its vailaJs, 

 the kings and princes of liic Wcltera 

 World, together with their people, for 

 its fubjeCts, aad the countlefs holl of 

 monks and clergy f »r its flanding-army : 

 — a monltrous delign, to the complete ex- 

 ecution of which neithjr the power nor 

 duration of one reign was equal, however 

 relUefs and enterpnhng, though on every 

 fide patient tools had olfered thcmfelves 

 to the work. At this time the enlighten- 

 ed mind extols the boldnefs and temeritj 

 of the undertakers ; for, notwithltanding 

 the mental darknefs and univerfal torpi- 

 tude which prevailed, againll deci.ive op- 

 polition was it commenced, and in fpite 

 of that oppolition carried into etfeci. It 

 coft the Roman fee a llruggle of 150 

 years before it was completed ; and if 

 the proud dcligu was not accomphlhed 

 in all its gigantic aims, yet went it far 

 enough for the deftructiou of all order, 

 and fixing on the neck of the whole 

 Weftern World the iron yoke of fervi- 

 tude. 



This new empire of the world, which 

 now fixed its head-quarters at Rome for 

 the fecond time, w as in a particular man- 

 ner the vv(^rk (jf four daruig men, GregOi- 

 ry VII., Adrian IV., Alexander III., and 

 Innocent III., (from 1074 till 1J76.) It 

 attained its greatell height under Inno- 

 cent III., (from 1198 to I'JIG,; and 

 maintained for eighty years (from 1216 

 to 1290,) the elevation to which he had 

 railed it. j\s BDuiface VIII. was at- 

 ttinpting a Hill farther extenfion of its 

 power, the fprings which had kept this 

 inonllrous Itate-machine iu motion fud- 

 denly gave way, and one jiart after uo- 

 other fell to ruin and decay* 



Gregory Vil., while, ivid»r the nam« 



of 



