No. 4.] MONKS IN AGRICULTURE. 19 



their own, or else by covin and fraud, or by violent op- 

 pression put beside by it, or by wrongs and injuries so 

 wearied that they sell all," and goes on to denounce the 

 noblemen and gentlemen, yea, and certain abbots that lease 

 no grounds for tillage; that enclose all into pasture, and 

 throw down houses ; that pluck down towns and leave noth- 

 ing standing, but only the church to be made a sheephouse. 



In a word, then, the monks were the scientific farmers of 

 the day. They had access to all the knowledge of the an- 

 cients, and the constant intercourse with their brethren in 

 other countries kept them acquainted with methods of agri- 

 culture and products other than their own, and when their 

 great religious houses were suppressed, agriculture, of which 

 they had been the pioneers, came for a time to a standstill. 



There were four great periods in which these disciples of 

 civilization were steadily pushing their way into the dark- 

 ness of an unres>;enerate world ; and in like manner there 

 were four great periods in which, in one way or another, 

 vast estates were added to their jurisdiction and came under 

 their kindly influence. The first, covering the first five 

 centuries of the Christian era, may not inappropriately be 

 termed that of the Apostles and early fathers. And I can- 

 not help quoting here the vivid w T ords of Hillis, descriptive 

 of that era: "With matchless enthusiasm these young 

 knights of the new chivalry leaped into the arena. Begin- 

 ning at Jerusalem they scattered in every direction, march- 

 ing forth like columns of light. When twenty years had 

 passed Matthew was two thousand miles to the south-west. 

 At the same time Jude was two thousand miles to the north- 

 east. James the Less journeyed cast into Judea. Paul 

 journeyed to the west. When two-score years had passed 

 all the disciples save one had achieved a violent death and 

 blazed out paths in the dark, tangled forests. And when 

 the torch fell from the hands of these heroes, their disciples 

 snatched up the light and rushed on to new victories. JSow 

 that long time has passed, history has summarized the influ- 

 ence of these missionaries. If we ask who destroyed the 

 great social evils of Rome, Lecky answers, <• The Christian 

 missionaries.' Asked when the rude tribes of the northern 



