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432 Anecdotes of Public Schools and Literary Establishments. [Dec. » 
The rest of Europe, was inhabited by 
ignorant people, known to us hardly by 
name. The Gauls, the Germans, the 
Britons, were called barbarians; their 
druids and bards were at the same time 
priests, poets, and astronomers; they 
taught m woods like the Pythagoreans, 
but without their community of life, or 
mystery of science, which were adopted 
by those philosophers as the fundamental 
laws of their school. 
Marseilles, in the 164th year of Rome, 
was inhabited by a Grecian colony. This 
city became famous in a very short time. 
The youth of the Gauls and of Italy 
crowded to her schools, which possessed 
a high reputation under the Romans, and 
maintained it after the fall of the em- 
pire. The same was the case with Ly- 
ons, Bordeaux, Autun, Narbonne, Tou- 
louse, down to the fifth century, which 
was the epoch during which Eusebius 
professed philosophy at Lyons; Victor, 
the arts of oratory and poetry in Burgun- 
dy; Securius Meltor, that of eloquence 
in Auvergne. 
The irruption of the northern nations 
proved the destruction of letters. The 
history of these times presents us only 
‘a series of unheard-of cruelties, and unex- 
ampled acts of perfidy. Clotaire If. gave 
the French the enjoyment of a few peace- 
able moments; he had some taste for 
learning. His son, Dayobert, in spite of 
his debaucheries, paid more attention to 
it than any of his predecessors; but his 
efforts were useless, and superstition got 
the mastery of his genius. 
_ Germany, which had been the cradle 
of these ignorant invaders ofthe Reman 
empire, was not in a state of greater ad- 
vancement;. her bards and druids were 
less instructed than those of Gaul. Even 
the Saxons, who passed for the most po- 
lite of her tribes, had no establishments 
for public instruction. 
Spain, whilst part of the Roman em- 
pire, had profited by the illumination 
of the capital of the universe. We can- 
not tell whether there were or not any 
schools in Spain during the time of the 
Visigoths; but it is certain that in the 
filth and sixth ages there were institu- 
tions of that nature, institutions which 
owed their origin there to the spirit of 
Christianity. 
Among the Arab conquerors of Spain 
learning was sedulously cultivated. They 
established an historical academy at Xa- 
tiva, and other academies furmed for the 
accommodation of learned and ingenious 
men who met together to communicate 
knowledge, and devise the means of cul- 
tivating the sciences with most effect, 
In their numerous colleges, schools, and 
universities, grammar, law, theology, 
in short, all the sciences, and even tlie 
fine arts, had their professors. ‘The most 
celebrated among them were those of 
Murcia, Granada, and Malaga. Small 
towns, and even villages, had their col- 
leges, many of which were fouaded by 
Hakem, the protector of sciences, and 
father of the academy at Cordova. 
We now arrive at the age of Charle- 
magne, who has been styled a new 
star, equally brilliant for military and po- 
litical taletits, and a taste for litera- 
ture. All the princes and sovereigns of 
the time were penetrated with respect 
for so extraordinary an hero, The bi- 
shops (who, by theirspiritual power, had 
acquired some ascendency over the civil 
government), when met at the council of 
Frankfort, were astonished to see among 
them a king adorned with all the lustre of 
majesty come to judge them as their su- 
preme arbiter; and they willingly sub- 
mitted to this great man. The idea which 
he conceived of opening public schools in 
his own palace, 1s truly great. I have 
said, that to him is owing the establish- 
ment of an academy; to him also is ow. 
ing the reformation of the art of writing, 
to which he gave a more agreeable form, 
and which marks an epoch in diplomatic 
history. The emperor, and his sister’ 
Ada (an abbess in Germany), caused 
many copies of the Gospel to be written 
in letters of gold. . 
It has been pretended by some his- 
torians that classical books were un- 
known in France at the time of Char- 
lemagne. The celebrated letter of 
the emperor to Paul Warnefrid, if 
it were genuine, might be a proof to 
the contrary; for Charles says (or is 
made to say) in this letter, that in Greek 
he could rival Homer, and in Latin Vir~ 
gil, &c. But what ought to surprise us 
the more in this letter is, that we observe 
there that this very Warnefrid taught the 
Greek and Hebrew languages. Another 
kind of literature peculiar to Charlemagne 
is that of enigmas; it was, in fact, the 
court-jargon of the day. : 
The following curious, specimen of 
verses is attributed to Charlemagne, and 
is said to have been prefixed by him toa 
copy of the Gospels, which he sent ta 
Pope Adrian. 
Hadriano summo pape pariterque beato, 
Rex Carolus salve mando valeque Pater. . 
Przsul apostolice munus hoc sume éathedre ; 
- Viles sunt visu, slemna sed intus habeat.. 
For 
