IN CHURCH HISTORY. 85 



Roman empire was in its strength, its powerful 

 arms were so spread out over all its dominions 

 that it was one vast government, although made 

 up of many tribes of "men. When the empire fell, 

 it fell to pieces, to many pieces indeed ; and its 

 territory became ruled over by numerous kings 

 and princes. Never again were the broken pieces 

 cemented together, but the subdividing process 

 seemed to go on almost indefinitely. Not that all 

 rulers were princes, in one sense of the word, but 

 in every country there were numerous rulers, who 

 held sway each over a small extent of territory. 

 They were called barons, or feudal lords. Each 

 petty prince built his castle, and around it flocked 

 the peasants and others for employment and 

 protection. Sometimes one of these small rulers 

 became powerful enough to control a number of 

 others of his class, and now and then one rose to 

 great supremacy. 



Charlemagne did much to restore a semblance 

 of the old empire, but never again was so vast an 

 empire as Rome once was to be established. 

 During the prevalence of feudalism, the common 

 people sometimes suffered, and sometimes were 

 benefitted. Their condition was usually deplora- 

 bly ignorant and degraded, except as they clustered 

 in large towns and cities, whose rising commercial 

 importance gave facilities for education and com- 

 fort. In the numerous wars between rival princes, 



