was disputed and resisted, and the surrounding princes exercised their authority independent of the ghostly dominion of the Roman pontiff, yet the foundation of his antichristian greatness was so firmly laid, that, at future periods, princes, kings, and emperors, submitted to his orders, expressing the most servile subjection to his authority, and performing the most degrading acts of humiliation at his command.

Theodoric (a Roman emperor) put to death the illustrious Christian philosophers, Boethius and Symmachus, his father-in-law, on a false accusation of attempting to re-establish the liberties of Rome. He also killed John, bishop of Rome, and committed other cruel and unjust actions.

He died in 526, after a reign of thirty-five years. It is said, that seeing the head of a large fish served at his table, he fancied he beheld the head of Symmachus, and it is supposed the agitation of his conscience hastened his death.

Justinian erected at Constantinople the church of St. Sophia, which passes for one of the wonders of the world. This edifice, which was commenced Anno Domini 537, is now converted into a Turkish mosque.

In 596, Pope Gregory, surnamed the Great, sent into Great Britian some monks, the chief of whom was named Augustine, for the purpose of preaching the Christian religion.

SEVENTH CENTURY.

THIS century is distinguished by the rise of Mahometanism. Mahomet, the founder of this religion, was a native of Mecca, in Arabia, a man who wanted neither abilities nor address to insinuate his dogmas, which he did partly by force and partly by persuasion. The unhappy divisions which at this period prevailed among the Christians, contributed greatly to the advancement of his religion.

The tenets of this deceiver are contained in the Koran, which is a confused mixture of some of the truths of Judaism and Christianity, with a variety of absurd fables.

His religion began in the year 622, which is called the first of the Hegira or flight of Mahomet, when he was driven from Mecca by his fellow citizens. Mahomet died Anno Domini 631.

In the year 690, Willibrod, an English monk, preached the gospel in the Netherlands.

EIGHTH CENTURY.

WHILST the grand Impostor of the East, with incredible celerity, traversed the earth, and incalculable myriads of the human race, either compelled by the terror of his arms, or allured by the hope of sensual gratifications, acknowledged him as the prophet of God; Christianity, which had been planted by apostolic hands, languished in a state of melancholy decay; and although the eighth century of the Christian era had commenced, several parts of Europe yet remained in a state of pagan darkness.

The Saracens, followers of Mahomet, availed themselves of the distractions which prevailed in the east, ravaged the provinces of Asia and Africa, and heaped upon the Christian the heaviest calamities. Crossing the Mediterranean, they entered Spain, became victorious, overthrew its empire, obtained a considerable extent of territory, and made that country, and part of France, groan under their oppressive yoke.

In this century, the worship of images, the remains of paganism, was established in almost every part of the eastern empire. This abuse the emperor Leo endeavoured to prevent, by causing them to be taken out of the churches from the year 726, and by prohibiting the use of them in 730 by a solemn edict. This drew upon him the hatred of the ignorant and superstitious ecclesiastics, and occasioned the loss of all that the em

pire possessed in Italy. Gregory II., Pope of Rome, undertook the defence of the images, and in a council of bishops, dependent on him, condemned the edict of the emperor. By virtue of this seditious communication, he caused Rome and the rest of Italy to revolt, having forbidden the people thenceforth to acknowledge the emperor of Rome, or to pay him any tribute.

In the year 744, the emperor Constantine assembled at Constantinople a council of three hundred and thirtyeight bishops, in which the worship of images was declared contrary to the word of God, and absolutely forbidden throughout the empire. It would now have ceased, had it not been for the obstinacy of the monks, who, supported by certain bishops, and the ignorant populace, continued it in secret, and thus kept up one of the first sources of corruption in the church.

The emperor Charlemagne, one of the greatest princes of the western empire, subdued the Saxons in 785, and obliged Witekind, their prince, to embrace the Christian religion.

The same emperor, having in 794 entirely subdued the Frisi, stipulated that they should embrace Christianity; in which case he permitted them to preserve the title of a free people, and exempted them from paying any tribute. From that time the gospel was generally received among them.

The empress Irene, who was a very superstitious and wicked woman, in the year 787 assembled at Nice a council of two hundred and eighty very ignorant bishops. Here the worship of images was established, which the council held at Constantinople, under Constantine, had condemned; and those who refused adoration to the images, were declared heretics, and anathematized.

In the year 794, the emperor Charlemagne assembled another council at Frankfort, where that held by Irene, and the worship of images, were condemned.

NINTH CENTURY.

THE emperor Charlemagne died the 28th of January, 814, at the age of 71, in the 47th year of his reign and the 14th of his empire. In this century, a furious contest arose between the patriarchs of Constantinople and the pontiffs of Rome, which produced a rupture between the Greek and Latin churches, and terminated in their final separation.

The isle of Great Britain in this century produced the truly great Alfred, during whose reign learning was in a great measure advanced, which was before so reduced, that among the clergy there was not a man to be found in the kingdom of Wessex, who understood the Latin service. Christianity, which had been languishing to a state of the most extreme wretchedness, experienced the fostering care of the worthy Alfred, and its dying embers soon began to revive.

TENTH CENTURY.

In this century, Otho the Great, emperor of Germany, extended the Christian religion throughout the empire, and founded the bishopricks of Brandenburg, Havelburg, Meisen, Zeitz, and Magdeburg. But the doctrine and manners of its professors were so corrupt, that, on account of the prevailing ignorance and depravity, historians have given the tenth the appellation of the iron century.

The Russians, till this period, were pagans, but were, about the year 924, converted to Christianity by the Greeks of Constantinople. Alba, their duchess, and Woldomir, her son, were baptized. Micislaus, king of Poland, was also converted in the year 965; and Stephen, the first Christian king of Hungary, was baptized in 969.

ELEVENTH CENTURY.

THE bishops of Rome, availing themselves of the negligence of the emperors, and of the people's ignorance, now began to erect themselves into primates and sovereigns of all christendom. Having ruled despotic in the spiritual, they presumed to extend their authority over the temporal affairs of emperors and kings.

At this time, the see of Rome was occupied by Gregory VII., who, in the year 1074, prohibited the marriage of priests; and although at first he found difficulties in establishing this decree, in the end he prevailed, and his successor finished what he begun.

From the seventh century, the city of Jerusalem had been subject to the Mahometans; but Pope Urban II. having caused a crusade against them to be preached in all the kingdoms of christendom, raised an army of two hundred and sixty thousand men in France, Germany, and other countries. In the year 1096, this army, led on by Peter the Hermit, went into Palestine, where they did not arrive till the year 1099. The Christians took Jerusalem that year, and having erected it into a kingdom, proclaimed Godfrey de Bouillon first king of Jerusalem and Palestine.

Godfrey was not, however, crowned, owing to his refusal of that honor. "God forbid," said he, "that I should appear crowned with gold in a place where Jesus Christ, my master, wore a crown of thorns."

TWELFTH CENTURY.

THE Christians retained possession of Jerusalem eighty-five years, at the end of which it was retaken by Saladin.

Frederic Barbarossa, one of the greatest princes of Germany, after having been engaged in a long war with the popes, was finally forced to enter into an irksome treaty, one of the conditions of which was, that he should engage in the crusade.