1796. ] 
der Wefpafian, Jerufalem was fill main- 
taining, againft Koman tyranny, a noble 
bat unequal firnggle for its religious 
and civil liberties. 
How foon any Jews fettled in Great 
Britain, is unknown: but from the 
{pread of Chriftianicy among the Britons 
previoufly to its eftabliihment lie: 
Conflantine, it is redfonable to infer, tha 
there had long een fome fynag: gues # 
here to Lue as firs of propasation Tor 
the new faith. The inroads of the 
Saxons wd Danes obliterated much “of 
the impertect conyertzon of the natis 
inhabitants. At this period, the He 
with finguler liberalicy, patronized the 
civilization of thefe barbarous heathens, 
by endowing Chriftian mon: afteries. - Tn 
a charter of Witglag, king cr Mer clay 
made to the monks of Croyland, we find 
confirmed to them not only fuch lands 
as had at any time becn eet to the 
monaftery by the kings of Mercia, but 
alfo all’ their poffetiions rever) 
ther they were. originally beftor wed on 
them by Chriftians or Jews. On 
—— a 
wha wh at 
terras & tenemenuta, poffe/siones S coe 
ob 
peculia, ee reves Merciorum & corum 
proceres, Ver ali “Adeles Chriftiant, vel Ju- 
‘dal, aidtis monachis dederunt: Nea rly a 
hundred years earlier, the Jews mui 
Have beea numerous in England, fince 
the 146th paragraph of the be ee 
Excerptions, publithed by Egbright, 
Archbithop. of York, in 740, “farbids : any 
Chriftians to.be prefent at the Jewihh 
featts. 
Indeed, during the feudal ages, the 
Jews feem to have been the moft os 
lent, polified, and literate pet rtion of the 
ape 
ae were the only bankers, or 
the vulgar termed them wfurei F 
1 
Fi, OL tne 

ce They conduéted what there ex- 
ifted of foreign trade, and often vificed 
the civilized “fouth of europe. We 
wrought moft of the gold and filver orna- 
ments for altars. William Rufes S; who 
* From the preface to Leland’s Col e€tions, 
it appeats, that Mr. Richard Wailer believed 
the Jews to have been fettled in England during 
the fupremacy of the Romans, ‘the ground 
of his conjeéiure being this: * Above ieven- 
fy years ago, there was found at -London, in 
Mark-lane, a Roman brick, having on one 
fide a bas-relief, reprefenting Sampion driy- 
‘Ing the foxes into a field of corn, which brick 
was the key of an arched vault. diicovered at 
the feme time full of burnt cans and from 
the elegancy of the fculpture, and other criteria, 
it was inferred, that this brick cculd be no 
work of latter ages, and if of Romans, of 
Poman iw, from | its fubject,” 
Eifiory of ews in England. 
13 
(as Tovey fays) “‘ was no better than 
an infide’,” not only permitted, but ea- 
couraged them to enter into felemn con- 
with his bifhops concerning the 
e faiths as by the face of 
Saint Luke, that, if the ‘Jews got the 
better im ‘the difpute, he would tim 
Jew oe Accordingly, in his titre, 
there was a public meeting of the chief 
leaders on a 
fides in London, whe 
the Jews oppofed the Chrifians with ip 
muon vigour, that the bichtps and clergy 
were not without forme folicitude how 
the cuspid rieht terminate. No 
other clafs of mea was at that period 
enlightened exqugh to cope with the 
prictthocd. :Some’ young, Jews were fo 
aa : 

nielves 
mp even to vai thet 
upon their infidelity. “he fon cf cne 
NT Ras. 
hich i 
of Wallinetord, to laugh at the 
: int Etidefwice,, would 
neers, and thea 
end he had miraculouliy made them 
cra fe again: at other times he would 
halt like a cripple, hen ina oN 
minutes kip and dar bout, biddin 
the crowd obferve how fuddenly he ia 
cured himfelt.. | 
Henry Ii, im’ the 24th ycar of his 
gh, granted a burial-place to the 
Jews on the outfide of every etty whe 
they dwelt: proof they were cee 
and refpected. In this i Fei2, one jcfhua, 
a Jew, furnifhed the rebels in Ireland 
with great fums of money. And one 
Sanéto, of Bury Saint Bd mund’s, tock ja 
ei 

pledge certain veliels appointed for the 
fervice of the altar. Others were grown 
fo prefumptuous as even to {coil at, and 
ridicule, the highelt- dignitaries of the 
church, We may in } part owe to them 
the {pirit which diated the Confttru- 
vonsvof Clarendon: “In 7188, the 
liament at Northampton propofed to 
affefs the Jews at fixty thouiand pounds, 
and the Chrifti ians at feventy thoutand, 
toward a projected war. Vhe Jews 
muff have been very rich, or the parlia- 
ment very tyrannical. ; 
Under Richard 1, the prejudices of 
the populace were let loofe againft the 
Jews. A crufade had been refolved on. 
The declamations cf the clergy in favour 
of this holy war ftirred up the mtole- 
rance of the vulgar. ‘Im london, a 
riotous populace brcke epen and _plun- 
dered the houfes of the Jews. Three 
perfons only were punvied, who b 
miftake had injured «he houles of Chrif- 
tians. In fix months, the flame became 
general, The moft formidable. explo- 
fion hep ppene ed at Stamford-Izir, which 
had © 
>> 
At- 
