XLV. CHAP. has preserved the vocal and inftrumental music of the theatre, and the rough voices of the Barbarians attempted to imitate the melody of the Roman school". Experience had fhewn him the efficacy of thefe folemn and pompous rites, to footh the distress, to confirm the faith, to mitigate the fiercenefs, and to difpel the dark enthusiasm of the vulgar, and he readily forgave their tendency to promote the reign of priesthood and fuperftition. The bishops of Italy and the adjacent islands acknowledged the Roman pontiff as their special metropolitan. Even the existence, the union, or the tranflation of epifcopal feats, was decided by his abfolute difcretion: and his fuccefsful inroads into the provinces of Greece, of Spain, and of Gaul, might countenance the more lofty pretenfions of fucceeding popes. He interpofed to prevent the abuses of popular elections; his jealous care maintained the purity of faith and discipline, and the apoftolic fhepherd affiduously watched over the faith and discipline of the fubordinate paftors. Under his reign, the Arians of Italy and Spain chant was confined to four modes, while the more perfect harmony of -the Gregorian comprised the eight modes or fifteen chords of the ancient mufic. He obferves (p. 332.) that the connoiffeurs admire the preface and many paffages of the Gregorian office. 71 John the deacon (in Vit. Greg. 1. ii. c. 7 expreffes the early contempt of the Italians for tramontane finging. Alpina scilicet corpora vocum fuarum tonitruis altifone perftrepentia, fufceptæ modulationis dulcedinem proprie non refultant: quia bibuli gutturis barbara feritas dum inflexionibus et repercuffionibus mitem nititur edere cantilenam, naturali quodam fragore quafi plauftra per gradus confuse fonantia rigidas voces jactat, &c. In the time of Charlemagne, the Franks, though with fome reluctance, admitted the justice of the reproach. Muratori, Differt. xxv. ཝོ were XLV were reconciled to the catholic church, and the CHAP. conqueft of Britain reflects lefs glory on the name of Cæfar, than on that of Gregory the First. Inftead of fix legions, forty monks were embarked for that diftant island, and the pontiff lamented the auftere duties which forbade him to partake the perils of their spiritual warfare. In lefs than two years he could announce to the archishop of Alexandria, that they had baptized the king of Kent with ten thousand of his Anglo-Saxons, and that the Roman miffionaries, like thofe of the primitive church, were armed only with spiritual and fupernatural powers. The credulity or the prudence of Gregory was always difpofed to confirm the truths of religion by the evidence of ghofts, miracles, and refurrections"; and pofterity has paid to his memory the fame tribute, which he freely granted to the virtue of his own or the preceding generation. The celeftial honours have been liberally bestowed by the authority of the popes, but Gregory is the last of their own order whom they have prefumed to infcribe in the calendar of faints. Their temporal power infenfibly arofe from the calamities of the times and the Roman bishops, who have deluged Europe and Afia with blood, were compelled to reign as the minifters of charity and peace. I. The church of Rome, as it has 72 A French critic (Petrus Guffanvillus, Opera, tom. ii. p. 105112.) has vindicated the right of Gregory to the entire nonfenfe of the Dialogues. Dupin (tom. v. p. 138.) does not think that any one will vouch for the truth of all these miracles; I should like to know how many of them he believed himself. and temvernment; poral go. XLV. CHAP. been formerly obferved, was endowed with ample poffeffions in Italy, Sicily, and the more diftant provinces; and her agents, who were commonly fubdeacons, had acquired a civil, and even criminal, jurisdiction over their tenants and hufhis eftates, bandmen. The fucceffor of St. Peter adminiftered his patrimony with the temper of a vigilant and moderate landlord "3; and the epiftles of Gregory are filled with falutary inftructions to abftain from doubtful or vexatious law-fuits; to preferve the integrity of weights and measures; to grant every reasonable delay, and to reduce the capitation of the flaves of the glebe, who purchased the right of marriage by the payment of an arbitrary fine 74. The rent or the produce of thefe eftates was tranfported to the mouth of the Tyber, at the risk and expence of the pope; in the use of wealth he acted like a faithful fteward of the church and the poor, and liberally applied to their wants, the inexhauftible refources of abftinence and order. The voluminous account of his receipt and difburfe ments was kept above three hundred years in the Lateran, as the model of Christian œconomy. 73 Baronius is unwilling to expatiate on the care of the patrimonies, left he fhould betray that they confifted not of kingdoms but farms. The French writers, the Benedictine editors (tom. iv. 1. iii. p. 272, &c ), and Fleury (tom. viii. p. 29, &c.), are not afraid of entering into these humble, though useful details; and the humanity of Fleury dwells on the focial virtues of Gregory. 74 I much fufpect that this pecuniary fine on the marriages of villains produced the famous, and often fabulous, right, de cuiffage, de marquette, &c. With the confent of her husband, an handfome bride might commute the payment in the arms of a young landJord, and the mutual favour might afford a precedent of local rather than legal tyranny. On XLV. ہنیا On the four great feftivals, he divided their quar- CHAP. terly allowance to the clergy, to his domeftics, to the monafteries, the churches, the places of bu- and arins, rial, the alms-houses, and the hofpitals of Rome, and the rest of the diocefe. On the first day of every month, he diftributed to the poor, according to the season, their stated portion of corn, wine, cheese, vegetables, oil, fish, fresh provisions, cloths, and money; and his treasurers were continually fummoned to fatisfy, in his name, the extraordinary demands of indigence and merit. The inftant diftrefs of the fick and helplefs, of ftrangers and pilgrims, was relieved by the bounty of each day, and of every hour; nor would the pontiff indulge himfelf in a frugal repaft, till he had fent the difhes from his own table to fome objects deferving of his compaffion. The mifery of the times had reduced the nobles and matrons of Rome to accept, without a blush, the benevolence of the church: three thoufand virgins received their food and raiment from the hand of their benefactor; and many bishops of Italy escaped from the barbarians to the hofpitable threshold of the Vatican. Gregory might justly be ftyled the Father of his Country; and fuch was the extreme fenfibility of his confcience, that, for the death of a beggar who had perished in the streets, he interdicted himself during feveral days from the exercife of facerdotal functions. II. The misfortunes of Rome involved the apoftolical paftor in the bufinefs of peace and war; and it might be doubtful to himself, whether piety or ambition prompted CHAP. him to fupply the place of his abfent fovereign, XLV. Gregory awakened the emperor from a long flumber, expofed the guilt or incapacity of the exarch and his inferior minifters, complained that the veterans were withdrawn from Rome for the defence of Spoleto, encouraged the Italians to guard their cities and altars; and condescended, in the crifis of danger, to name the tribunes, and to direct the operations of the provincial troops. But the martial fpirit of the pope was checked by the fcruples of humanity and religion; the impofition of tribute, though it was employed in the Italian war, he freely condemned as odious and oppreffive; whilst he protected against the imperial edicts, the pious cowardice of the foldiers who deferted a military for a monaftic life. If we may credit his own declarations, it would have been easy for Gregory to exterminate the Lombards by their domeftic factions, without leaving a king, a duke, or a count, to fave that unfortunate nation from the vengeance of their foes. As a Chriftian bishop, he preferred the falutary offices of peace; his mediation appeafed the tumult of arms; but he was too confcious of the arts of the Greeks, and the paffions of the Lombards, to engage his facred promise for the obfervance of the truce. Difappointed in the hope of a general and lafting treaty, he prefumed to fave his country without the confent of the emperor or the exarch. The fword of the enemy was fufpended over Rome; it was averted by the mild eloquence and feafonable gifts of the pontiff, who commanded the respect of heretics and Barbarians. The |