The Eighteen Christian Centuries - free ebook by James White

THE Eighteen Christian Centuries.

BY THE REV. JAMES WHITE, AUTHOR OF A “HISTORY OF FRANCE.” With a Copious Index. FROM THE SECOND EDINBURGH EDITION. NEW YORK: D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 549 &amp; 551 BROADWAY. 1878....

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NOTE BY THE AMERICAN PUBLISHERS.

This valuable work, which has been received with much favour in Great Britain, is reprinted without abridgment from the second Edinburgh edition. The lists of names of remarkable persons in the present issue have been somewhat enlarged, and additional dates appended, thereby increasing the value of the book....

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FIRST CENTURY.

Authors. Livy , Ovid , Tibullus , Strabo , Columella , Quintus Curtius , Seneca , Lucan , Petronius , Silius Italicus , Pliny the Elder , Martial , Quinctilian , Tacitus . Christian Fathers and Writers. Barnabas , Clement of Rome , Hermas , Ignatius , Polycarp . THE EIGHTEEN CHRISTIAN CENTURIES. Authors. Livy , Ovid , Tibullus , Strabo , Columella , Quintus Curtius , Seneca , Lucan , Petronius , Silius Italicus , Pliny the Elder , Martial , Quinctilian , Tacitus . Christian Fathers and Writers.

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THE FIRST CENTURY.

THE BAD EMPERORS. Nobody disputes the usefulness of History. Many prefer it, even for interest and amusement, to the best novels and romances. But the extent of time over which it has stretched its range is appalling to the most laborious of readers. And as History is growing every day, and every nation is engaged in the manufacture of memorable events, it is pitiable to contemplate the fate of the historic student a hundred years hence. He is not allowed to cut off at one end, in proportion as

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SECOND CENTURY.

Authors. Pliny the Younger , Plutarch , Suetonius , Juvenal , Arrian , Ælian , Ptolemy , (Geographer,) Appian , Epictetus , Pausanias , Galen , (Physician,) Athenæus , Tertullian , Justin Martyr , Tatian , Irenæus , Athenagoras , Theophilus of Antioch , Clement Of Alexandria , Marcion , (Heretic.) Authors. Pliny the Younger , Plutarch , Suetonius , Juvenal , Arrian , Ælian , Ptolemy , (Geographer,) Appian , Epictetus , Pausanias , Galen , (Physician,) Athenæus , Tertullian , Justin Martyr , Tati

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THE SECOND CENTURY.

THE GOOD EMPERORS. In looking at the second century, we see a total difference in the expression, though the main features continue unchanged. There is still the central power at Rome, the same dependence everywhere else; but the central power is beneficent and wise. As if tired of the hereditary rule of succession which had ended in such a monster as Domitian, the world took refuge in a new system of appointing its chiefs, and perhaps thought it a recommendation of each successive emperor that

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THIRD CENTURY.

Authors. Clement of Alexandria , Dion Cassius , Origen , Cyprian , Plotinus , Longinus , Hippolitus Portuensis , Julius Africanus Celsus , Origen . Authors. Clement of Alexandria , Dion Cassius , Origen , Cyprian , Plotinus , Longinus , Hippolitus Portuensis , Julius Africanus Celsus , Origen ....

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THE THIRD CENTURY.

ANARCHY AND CONFUSION — GROWTH OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. We are now in the twelfth year of the Third Century. Septimius Severus has died at York, and Caracalla is let loose like a famished tiger upon Rome. He invites his brother Geta to meet him to settle some family feud in the apartment of their mother, and stabs him in her arms. The rest of his reign is worthy of this beginning, and it would be fatiguing and perplexing to the memory to record his other acts. Fortunately it is not required; nor

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FOURTH CENTURY.

Authors. Donatus , Eutropius , St. Athanasius , Ausonius , Claudian , Arnobius , (303,) Lactantius , (306,) Eusebius , (315,) Arius , (316,) Gregory Nazianzen , (320-389,) Basil the Great , Bishop Of Cesarea, (330-379,) Ambrose , (340-397,) Augustine (353-429,) Theodoret , (386-457,) Martin , Bishop of Tours. Authors. Donatus , Eutropius , St. Athanasius , Ausonius , Claudian , Arnobius , (303,) Lactantius , (306,) Eusebius , (315,) Arius , (316,) Gregory Nazianzen , (320-389,) Basil the Great ,

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THE FOURTH CENTURY.

THE REMOVAL TO CONSTANTINOPLE — ESTABLISHMENT OF CHRISTIANITY — APOSTASY OF JULIAN — SETTLEMENT OF THE GOTHS. As the memory of the old liberties of Rome died out, a nearer approach was made to the ostentatious despotisms of the East. Aurelian, in 270, was the first emperor who encircled his head with a diadem; and Diocletian, in 284, formed his court on the model of the most gorgeous royalties of Asia. On admission into his presence, the Roman Senator, formerly the equal of the ruler, prostrated

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FIFTH CENTURY.

Authors. Chrysostom , Jerome , Augustine , Pelagius , (405,) Sidonius Apollinaris , Patricius , Macrobius , Vicentius of Lerins , (died 450,) Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria , (412-444.) Authors. Chrysostom , Jerome , Augustine , Pelagius , (405,) Sidonius Apollinaris , Patricius , Macrobius , Vicentius of Lerins , (died 450,) Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria , (412-444.)...

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THE FIFTH CENTURY.

END OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE — FORMATION OF MODERN STATES — GROWTH OF ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY. We find the same actors on the stage when the curtain rises again, but circumstances have greatly changed. After his escape from Stilicho, Alaric had been “lifted on the shield,” the wild and picturesque way in which the warlike Goths nominated their kings, and henceforth was considered the monarch of a separate and independent people, no longer the mere leader of a band of predatory barbarians. In this ne

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SIXTH CENTURY.

Authors. Boethius , Procopius , Gildas , Gregory of Tours , Columba , (520-597,) Priscian , Columbanus , Benedict , Evagrius , ( Scholasticus ,) Fulgentius , Gregory the Great . Authors. Boethius , Procopius , Gildas , Gregory of Tours , Columba , (520-597,) Priscian , Columbanus , Benedict , Evagrius , ( Scholasticus ,) Fulgentius , Gregory the Great ....

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THE SIXTH CENTURY.

BELISARIUS AND NARSES IN ITALY — SETTLEMENT OF THE LOMBARDS — LAWS OF JUSTINIAN — BIRTH OF MOHAMMED. Theodoric , though not laying claim to universal empire in right of his possession of Rome and Italy, exercised a sort of supremacy over his contemporaries by his wisdom and power. He also strengthened his position by family alliances. His wife was sister of Klodwig or Clovis, King of the Franks. He married his own sister to Hunric, King of the Vandals, his niece to the Thuringian king. One of hi

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SEVENTH CENTURY.

Authors. Nennius , (620,) Bede , (674-735,) Aldhelm , Adamnanus . Authors. Nennius , (620,) Bede , (674-735,) Aldhelm , Adamnanus ....

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THE SEVENTH CENTURY.

POWER OF ROME SUPPORTED BY THE MONKS — CONQUESTS OF THE MOHAMMEDANS. This , then, is the century during which Mohammedanism and Christianity were marshalling their forces—unknown, indeed, to each other, but preparing, according to their respective powers, for the period when they were to be brought face to face. We shall go eastward, and follow the triumphant march of the warriors of the Crescent from Arabia to the shores of Africa; but first we shall cast a desponding eye on the condition and p

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EIGHTH CENTURY.

Authors. Alcuin , (735-804,) Bede , (674-735,) Egbert , Clemens , Dungal , Acca , John Damascanus . Authors. Alcuin , (735-804,) Bede , (674-735,) Egbert , Clemens , Dungal , Acca , John Damascanus ....

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THE EIGHTH CENTURY.

TEMPORAL POWER OF THE POPES — THE EMPIRE OF CHARLEMAGNE. This is indeed a great century, which has Pepin of Heristhal at its commencement and Charlemagne at its end. In this period we shall see the course of the dissolution of manners and government arrested throughout the greater part of Europe, and a new form given to its ruling powers. We must remember that up to this time the progress of what we now call civilization was very slow; or we may perhaps almost say that the extent of civilized te

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NINTH CENTURY.

Authors. John Scotus , ( Erigena ,) Hincmar , Heric , (preceded Des Cartes in philosophical investigation,) Macarius . Authors. John Scotus , ( Erigena ,) Hincmar , Heric , (preceded Des Cartes in philosophical investigation,) Macarius ....

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THE NINTH CENTURY.

DISMEMBERMENT OF CHARLEMAGNE’S EMPIRE — DANISH INVASION OF ENGLAND — WEAKNESS OF FRANCE — REIGN OF ALFRED. The first year of this century found Charlemagne with the crown of the old Empire upon his head, and the most distant parts of the world filled with his reputation. As in the case of the first Napoleon, we find his antechambers crowded with the fallen rulers of the conquered territories, and even with sovereigns of neighbouring countries. Among others, two of our Anglo-Saxon princes found t

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TENTH CENTURY.

Authors. Suidas , (Lexicographer), Gerbert , Odo , Dunstan . Authors. Suidas , (Lexicographer), Gerbert , Odo , Dunstan ....

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THE TENTH CENTURY.

DARKNESS AND DESPAIR. The tenth century is always to be remembered as the darkest and most debased of all the periods of modern history. It was the midnight of the human mind, far out of reach of the faint evening twilight left by Roman culture, and further still from the morning brightness of the new and higher civilization. If we try to catch any hope of the future, we must turn from the oppressed and enervated populations of France and Italy to the wild wanderers from the North. By following

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ELEVENTH CENTURY.

Authors. Anselm , (1003-1079,) Abelard , (1079-1142,) Berengarius , Roscelin , Lanfranc , Theophylact , (1077.) Authors. Anselm , (1003-1079,) Abelard , (1079-1142,) Berengarius , Roscelin , Lanfranc , Theophylact , (1077.)...

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THE ELEVENTH CENTURY.

THE COMMENCEMENT OF IMPROVEMENT — GREGORY THE SEVENTH — FIRST CRUSADE. And now came the dreaded or hoped-for year. The awful Thousand had at last commenced, and men held their breath to watch what would be the result of its arrival. “And he laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years

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TWELFTH CENTURY.

Authors. Bernard , (1091-1153,) Becket , (1119-1170,) Eustathius , Theodorus , Balsamon , Peter Lombard , William of Malmesbury , (1096-1143.) Authors. Bernard , (1091-1153,) Becket , (1119-1170,) Eustathius , Theodorus , Balsamon , Peter Lombard , William of Malmesbury , (1096-1143.)...

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THE TWELFTH CENTURY.

ELEVATION OF LEARNING — POWER OF THE CHURCH — THOMAS À-BECKETT. The effect of the first Crusade had been so prodigious that Europe was forced to pause to recover from its exhaustion. More than half a million had left their homes in 1095; ten thousand are supposed to have returned; three hundred were left with Godfrey in the Christian city of Jerusalem; and what had become of all the rest? Their bones were whitening all the roads that led to the Holy Land; small parties of them must have settled

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THIRTEENTH CENTURY.

Authors. Roger Bacon , Matthew Paris , Alexander Hales , (Irrefragable Doctor,) Thomas Aquinas , (the Angelic Doctor.) Authors. Roger Bacon , Matthew Paris , Alexander Hales , (Irrefragable Doctor,) Thomas Aquinas , (the Angelic Doctor.)...

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THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY.

FIRST CRUSADE AGAINST HERETICS — THE ALBIGENSES — MAGNA CHARTA — EDWARD I. The progress and enlightenment of Europe proceed from this period at a constantly-increasing rate. The rise of commercial cities, the weakening of the feudal aristocracy, the introduction of the learning of the Saracenic schools, and the growth of universities for the cultivation of science and language, contributed greatly to the result. Another cause used to be assigned for this satisfactory advance, in the discovery wh

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FOURTEENTH CENTURY.

Louis IV. , (of Bavaria). Frederick III. , (of Austria,) died 1330. Authors. Dante , Petrarch , Boccaccio , Chaucer , Froissart , John Duns Scotus , Bradwardine , William Occam , Wickliff . Authors. Dante , Petrarch , Boccaccio , Chaucer , Froissart , John Duns Scotus , Bradwardine , William Occam , Wickliff ....

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THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY.

ABOLITION OF THE ORDER OF THE TEMPLARS — RISE OF MODERN LITERATURES — SCHISM OF THE CHURCH. In the year 1300 a jubilee was celebrated at Rome, when remission of sins and other spiritual indulgences were offered to all visitors by the liberal hand of Pope Boniface the Eighth. And for the thirty days of the solemn ceremonial, the crowds who poured in from all parts of Europe, and pursued their way from church to church and kissed with reverential lips the relics of the saints and martyrs, gave an

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FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

Eminent Men. John Huss , (1370-1415,) Ximines Eminent Men. John Huss , (1370-1415,) Ximines...

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THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

DECLINE OF FEUDALISM — AGINCOURT — JOAN OF ARC — THE PRINTING-PRESS — DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. The whole period from the twelfth to the fifteenth century has generally been considered so unvarying in its details, one century so like another, that it has been thought sufficient to class them all under the general name of the Middle Ages. Old Monteil, indeed, the author of “The French People of Various Conditions,” declines to individualize any age during that lengthened epoch, for “feudalism,” he sa

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SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

Distinguished Men. Leonardo Da Vinci , Michael Angelo , Raffaelle , Correggio , Titian , (Painters,) Sir Philip Sydney , Raleigh , Spenser , Shakspeare , (1564-1616,) Ariosto , Tasso , Lope de Vega , Calderon , Cervantes , Scaliger , (1484-1558,) Copernicus , (1473-1543,) Knox , (1505-1572,) Calvin , (1509-1564,) Beza , (1519-1605,) Bellarmine , (1542-1621,) Tycho Brahe , (1546-1601.) Distinguished Men. Leonardo Da Vinci , Michael Angelo , Raffaelle , Correggio , Titian , (Painters,) Sir Philip

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THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

THE REFORMATION — THE JESUITS — POLICY OF ELIZABETH In the last two years of the preceding century the course of maritime discovery had been accelerated by fresh success. To balance the glories of Columbus in the West, the “regions of the rising sun” had been explored by Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese. This great navigator sailed back into the harbour of Lisbon on the 16th of September, 1499, with the astonishing news that he had doubled the Cape of Storms, which had so alarmed Bartholomew Diaz, an

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SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

Distinguished Men. Bacon , Milton , Locke , Corneille , Racine , Molière , Kepler , (1571-1630,) Boyle , (1627-1691,) Bossuet , (1627-1704,) Newton , (1642-1727,) Burnet , (1643-1715,) Bayle , (1647-1706,) Condé , Turenne , (1611-1675,) Marlborough , (1650-1722.) Distinguished Men. Bacon , Milton , Locke , Corneille , Racine , Molière , Kepler , (1571-1630,) Boyle , (1627-1691,) Bossuet , (1627-1704,) Newton , (1642-1727,) Burnet , (1643-1715,) Bayle , (1647-1706,) Condé , Turenne , (1611-1675,)

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THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

ENGLISH REBELLION AND REVOLUTION — DESPOTISM OF LOUIS THE FOURTEENTH. We are apt to suppose that progress and innovation are so peculiarly the features of these latter times that it is only in them that a man of more than ordinary length of life has witnessed any remarkable change. We meet with men still alive who were acquainted with Franklin and Voltaire, who have been presented at the court of Louis the Sixteenth and have visited President Pierce at the White House. But the period we have now

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EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

Distinguished Men. Addison , Steele , Swift , Pope , Robertson , Hume , Gibbon , Voltaire , Rousseau , Lesage , Marmontel , Montesquieu , Franklin , (1706-1790,) Johnson , (1709-1784,) Goldsmith , (1728-1774,) Wolfe , (1726-1759,) Washington , (1732-1799.) Distinguished Men. Addison , Steele , Swift , Pope , Robertson , Hume , Gibbon , Voltaire , Rousseau , Lesage , Marmontel , Montesquieu , Franklin , (1706-1790,) Johnson , (1709-1784,) Goldsmith , (1728-1774,) Wolfe , (1726-1759,) Washington ,

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THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

INDIA — AMERICA — FRANCE. The characteristic feature of this period is constant change on the greatest scale. Hitherto changes have occurred in the internal government of nations: the monarchic or popular feeling has found its expression in the alternate elevation of the Kingly or Parliamentary power. But in this most momentous of the centuries, nations themselves come into being or disappear. Russia and Prussia for the first time play conspicuous parts in the great drama of human affairs. Franc

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