108 THE NEW EEA 



entirely lost. Latin literature — much less valuable — 

 was little read. Only a rare scholar here and there 

 in centuries troubled to preserve fragments of the 

 older culture. People scarcely knew that the world 

 had several times been highly civilized. 



This was, of course, mainly the effect of the down- 

 rush of the German barbarians over Southern Europe. 

 Franks, Goths, Angles, Saxons, Vandals, Lombards, 

 etc., poured in succession over the old civilization, as 

 far as Carthage, and trod it out. The southerners 

 were pygmies in face of the tall, blue-eyed warriors 

 of the north. Whether, if the Church had been more 

 wise and less selfish, it could have re-adjusted the 

 world and restored the Koman system of education, 

 it is no use speculating now. Here and there (in 

 North Italy, for instance) the barbarians showed that 

 under wise guidance they could take quickly to 

 civilization. But there was little wisdom anywhere. 

 Ninety-nine per cent, of Europe became illiterate, 

 sordid, semi-barbarous. 



So the evolution of civilization had to begin over 

 again. The German chiefs became kings. Their 

 " men " became nobles, and enslaved the masses of 

 the older Europeans under the new name of "serfs." 

 For centuries Europe was a vast primitive agricultural 

 population, with few artisans and less artists, and with 

 a very drunken castle or court here and there. The 

 development slowly proceeded on plain lines. These 

 deep-drinking, hot-blooded "nobles" and kings, with 

 their filthy manners and barbarous oaths (swearing 

 by the belly and sex-organs of God, and so on) and 

 wild license, wanted gold cups and minstrels and fine 

 garments and weapons. Art and commerce revived. 

 Craftsmen and merchants increased. The craftsmen 



