ANNUAL 
house were remarkable for con- 
quests of this kind :—probably they 
were very handsome. The Moza- 
rabic liturgy, however, subsisted 
in six parishes in Tolado as late as 
the fifteenth century, but is now 
restrained to the single chapel of 
St. Eustatia, in the cathedral, where 
Cardinal Ximenes, unwilling that 
his church should lose all remem- 
brance of its ancient forms, made 
a foundation of thirteen priests and 
three clerks, who officiate every 
Morning according to the Moza- 
rabic manner. One proof of many 
of the nullity of that uniformity 
which the church of Rome hath 
cominitted so many crimes to pro- 
cure, but which no mortal power 
can effect. 
Very little can be said in favour 
of the morals of the Mozarabs. 
The government was not in their 
hands, and the natural consequences 
followed. Bigots and enthusiasis 
raved against heresy in harmless 
books, which nobody took the trou- 
‘ble to read. The Moors wisely 
allowed this liberty, or licentious- 
ness of the pen, well knowing that 
much venom discharged itself this 
way without any damage to men 
of sense, and with some advantage 
tothe revenue. The case of Eli- 
pand, Archbishop of Toledo, in the 
Jatter end of the eighth century, 
proves that the Mozarabs, having 
no lord over conscience, thought 
and wrote freely on religious sub- 
jects. The jesuit Mariana, in his 
History of Spain, laments this: but 
others rejoice that a bishop might 
write against opinions received in 
his own community ; that an abbot 
named Beatus, and a youth named 
Etherius might write against him; 
and that no damage was done to 
society by the dispute. The re- 
376 
REGISTER, 1792. 
flections of the learned James Bas- 
nage are very judicious. ‘ This af- 
fair, says he, may serve to inform 
princes and prelates, that it is not 
an easy matter to eradicate error ; 
indeed, divines yield to the autho- 
rity of priuces, and are affected 
with the fear of punishment: but 
they continue-to think as before, 
and do not readily renounce fa- 
vourite opinions. This history is an 
example; several learned men wrote 
against Felix and Elipand; the Em- 
peror took the side against them ; 
{wo popes anathematized them ; 
the councils, which were held 
against them, often compelled Felix, 
who lived under the dominion of 
the Emperor, to abjure his opinion; 
his abjurations were feigned, for he 
abjured them at his death. On the 
contrary, Elipand, although he lived 
among Saracens, implacable ene- 
mies of the whole Christian faith, 
continued to his death in despising 
the authority of the Emperor, the 
Pope, and the councils, and a de- 
legation of bishops sent to him out 
of France, as well as the influence 
of Alcuin, who at that time en- 
joyed mines of wealth, had a re- 
tinne of twenty thousand slaves, 
and a sort of omnipotence in the 
empire. Vane sine viribus ire.” 
There were among the Moza- 
rabs many men of liberal senti- 
ments. Eulogius, who pretended 
to disprove what was objected against 
the conduct of his saints and mar- 
tyrs, hath put down the arguments 
of his opponents, who were both 
gentry and clergy, and the texts 
urged by them in support of what 
they affirmed. His answers are fu- 
tile, and their arguments prove that 
his opponents understeod religion 
mueh beiter than he. The monks 
and their gentry, however, had a 
, great 
