BOOK
X.

take the scholar of another. He was to learn sedulously his own handicraft, and not put another to shame for his ignorance, but to teach him better. The high-born were not to despise the less-born, nor any to be unrighteous or covetous dealers. He was to baptize whenever required, and to abolish all heathendom and witchcraft. They were to take care of their churches, and apply exclusively to their sacred duties; and not to indulge in idle speech, or idle deeds, or excessive drinking; nor to let dogs come within their church inclosure, nor more swine than a man might govern.

“ They were to celebrate mass only in churches, and on the
altar, unless in cases of extreme sickness. They were to have
at mass their corporalis garment, and the subucula under their
alba ; and all their officiating garments were to be woven. Each
was to have a good and right book. No one was to celebrate
mass, unless fasting, and unless he had one to make responses ;
nor more than three times a day ; nor unless he had, for the
Eucharist, pure bread, wine, and water. The cup was to be of
something molten, not of wood. No woman was to come near the
altar during mass.
The bell was to be

rung
at the
proper

time. “ They were to preach every Sunday to the people, and always to give good examples. They were ordered to teach youth with care, and to draw them to some craft. They were to distribute alms, and urge the people to give them, and to sing the psalms during the distribution, and to exhort the poor to intercede for the donors. They were forbidden to swear, and were to avoid ordeals. They were to recommend confession, penitence, and compensation; to administer the sacrament to the sick, and to anoint him if he desired it; and the priest was always to keep oil ready for this purpose and for baptism. He was neither to hunt, or hawk, or dice; but to play with his book as became his condition." 16

Elfric's

We have another review of their duties transstatement mitted to us in the exhortations of Elfric. of their duties.

“ Priests ! you ought to be well provided with books and apparel as suits your condition. The mass priest should at least have his missal, his singing book, his reading book, his psalter, his hand book, his penitential, and his numeral one.

He ought to have his officiating garments, and to sing from sun-rise,

III.

with the nine intervals and nine readings. His sacramental CHAP. cup should be of gold or silver, glass or tin, and not of earth, at least not of wood. The altar should be always clean, well clothed, and not defiled with dirt. There should be no mass without wine.

“ Take care that you be better and wiser in your spiritual craft than worldly men are in theirs, that you may be fit teachers of true wisdom. The priest should preach rightly the true belief; read fit discourses; visit the sick; and baptize infants, and give the unction when desired. No one should be a covetous trader, nor a plunderer, nor drunk often in wine-houses, nor be proud or boastful, nor wear ostentatious girdles, nor be adorned with gold, but to do honour to himself by his good morals.

“ They should not be litigious, nor quarrelsome, nor seditious, but should pacify the contending; nor carry arms, nor go to any fight, though some say that priests should carry weapons when necessity requires ; yet the servant of God ought not to go to any war or military exercise. Neither a wife nor a battle becomes them, if they will rightly obey God and keep his laws as becomes their state." 17 The Anglo-Saxon clergy sometimes made very An Anglo

Saxon serearnest addresses to the people. Some specimens mon. of one of these, about nine hundred years old, will show the tone and feeling they displayed.

“ Dearest men! I intreat, and would humbly teach you that you should grieve now for your sins, because in the future life our tears will tell for nought. Hear the Lord now, who invites and will grant us forgiveness. Here he is very gentle with us; there he will be severe.

Here his mild-heartedness is over us ; there will be an eternal judgment. Here is transient joy; there will be perpetual sorrow.

“ Study, my beloved, those things which are about to come to you.

Humble yourselves here, that you be not abased hereafter. Ah! dearest men ! who is so hard of heart that he cannot weep at the punishments that may succeed, and dread their occurrence ? What is better to us in this world than to be penitent for our transgressions, and to redeem them by almsgiving ? This world and all within it pass away, and then with

17 Wilk. Leg. 169–171.

BOOK
X.

our soul alone we must satisfy the Almighty God. The father cannot then help the son, nor the child the parent, but each will be judged according to his own deeds.

“O man ! what are you doing? Be not like the dumb cattle. () think and remember how great a separation the Deity bas placed between us and them. He sends to us an understanding soul, but they have none. Watch, then, O man! Pray and intreat while thou may. Remember that for thee the Lord descended from the high heaven to the most lowly state, that he might raise thee to that exalted life. Gold and silver cannot aid us from those grim and cruel torments, from those flames that will never be extinguished, and from those serpents that never die. There they are whetting their bloody teeth, to wound and tear our bodies without mercy, when the great trumpet shall sound, and the dreadful voice exclaim, "Arise, and behold the mighty and the terrible King! You that have been stedfast and are chosen, arise ! Lo! your heavenly Master Now you shall see him whom you

loved before you became dust. Come, and partake a glory which no eye has seen, and no ear has heard of. But, you wicked and impious, arise you, and fall abandoned into that deep and infernal pit, where misery for ever must be your happiness and honour.'

“()! how miserable and joyless will those become who neg. lected the divine commandments, to hear this fearful sentence! Always should these things be before our eyes Where are the kings that once triumphed, and all the mighty of the earth? Where are their treasures ? Where is their splendid apparel? Oh, for how short a life are they now brought to an endless death! For what a transient glory have they earned a lasting sorrow! How paltry the profit for which they have brought these wretched torments! How momentary was the laughter that has been changed to these bitter and burning

comes.

tears !” 18

The teacher enforced these ideas by introducing a legendary tale, which displays some strength of imagination.

“ A holy man had once a spiritual vision. He saw a soul on the point of being driven out of a body, but she dared not leave it, because she saw an execrable fiend standing before

СНАР.

III.

6

her. • What are you doing?' cried the Devil.

Why do you not come out ? Do you hope that Michael the archangel will come with his company of angels, and carry you soon away?' Then another devil answered, and said, “ You need not fear that. I know his works, and, day and night, was always with him.'

« The wretched soul, seeing this, began to shriek and cry. • Wo! wol wretched me, why was I ever created ? Why, did I ever enter this foul and polluted body ?' She looked at her body, and exclaimed, Miserable corpse ! it was thou that didst seize the wealth of the stranger, and wast ever heaping up treasure. It was thou that wouldest deck thyself with costly raiment. When thou wast all scarlet, I was all black; when thou wast merry, I was sad; when thou didst laugh, I wept. O wretched thou, what art thou now but a loathsome mass, the food of worms! Thou mayest rest a considerable time on the earth, but I shall go groaning and miserable to hell.'

“ The Devil then exclaimed, · Pierce his eye, because with his eye-sight he was active in all injustice. Pierce his mouth, because with that he eat and drank and talked, as he lusted. Pierce his heart, because neither pity, religion, nor the love of God was ever in it.'

“ While the soul was suffering these things, a great splendour shone before her, and she asked what the brightness meant. The Devil told her it came from the celestial regions. • And you shall go through those dwellings most bright and fair, but must not stay there. You shall hear the angelic choirs, and see the radiance of all the holy ; but there you cannot dwell.' Again the wretched soul exclaimed, “Wo to me, that I ever saw the light of the human world !”” 19

The address thus concludes :

“ My dearest men! Let us then remember that the life we now live is short, sinful, frail, falling, wretched, and deceitful to all that love it. We live in trouble, and we die in sorrow; and when it ends, they also who would not repent and give alms must go to torment, and there suffer an immeasurable punishment for their misdeeds. There the afflicted soul will hang over hot flames, and be beaten and bound, and thrown down into the blackest place, especially they who will show no mercy now. But let us turn ourselves to a better state, and earn an eternal

19 Wilk. Leg. p. 175.

BOOK kingdom with Christ and his saints, for ever and ever, world X.

without end. Amen." 20 Their ideas The future world is thus painted in another of of heaven. the Anglo-Saxon homilies :-

“ Let us reflect on the happiness we may lose. Let us resolve to earn that brightest of all places, and that most beautiful felicity with angels and high-angels, and with all the sainted ones in the rapture of heaven's kingdom. There it will last for ever.

There is eternal life. There is the King of all kings, and the Ruler of all rulers, and the Creator of all creatures. There is peace without sorrow, light without darkness, and joy without an end. There will be the beginning of everlasting happiness; the beauty and delight of all that is holy; youth without age; the inexhaustible glory of the spirit in the highest splendour ; peace and comfort ; health unvarying; a most blissful throne ; the most lovely fruits, and the most exalted

power.” 21

22

Paraplırase of the Lord's Prayer and Creed.

They have left us several paraphrases and translations of the Pater-noster”), and the Creed 23 ; some in poetry and some in prose, as if it had been

, a favourite exercise of their devotional leisure. There are others of the Doxology.24

WRITTEN specimens of the questions and answers at their scrift and andetnes, or confession, have also survived to us, some of which are interesting to read.25

Their confessions.

20 Ibid. p. 176.

21 Mss. Cant. Wan. p. 117. A shorter description occurs in another. “ There will be our eternal recompence between angels and high-angels for ever in heaven's kingdom. There love will never err, nor enmity disturb. There the sacred societies will always dwell in beauty and glory and pleasure. There will be mirth and majesty, and everlasting bliss with the Deity himself.” MSS. Cant. Wanl. p. 140.

22 Of the Lord's Prayer, see the Saxon paraphrases from MSS. in Wanley, p. 48. 147. 267. Translations of it are in Ib. p. 51. 81. 160. 197. 202. 221. There are several homilies upon it.

23 Of the Creed, see the poetical paraphrase in Wanley, p. 48. and various translations, p. 81. 202. 221., &c.

24 Wan. MSS. p. 145. 48. 51.

25 See various confessions at length from a MS. in Wanley, p. 50. 145.; and several others.