Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A50877
|
The state of church-affairs in this island of Great Britain under the government of the Romans and British kings
|
Milton, Christopher, Sir, 1615-1693.
|
1687
(1687)
|
Wing M2085; ESTC R9446
|
221,305
|
184
|
the ground This Church from the days of King Lucius was design'd for a Burying place of our Kings as at this day and after it was Re-edify'd by St. Edward the Confessor A second Metropolitan Church was about this time erected in the City of York esteem'd in that Age the prime City and Church of Britain The third Metropolitan Church was then also built at Landaff or Caerleon upon Vsk in which City now ruin'd were three Noble Churches one bearing the Title of the Holy Martyr Julius Beautifi'd with a Monastery of Virgins Consecrated to God. A second founded by the Name of his Companion St. Aaron And a third famous for being the Metropolitan See of all Cambria although Dubritius is mention'd in History to be the first Arch-bishop of the Welsh Britains concerning the Church of Landaff and the Superiority of it something may be gather'd out of the Protestation of Vrbanus before Calixtus the second in the Councel of Rhemes However sure it is that after the coming of St. Augustine the Monk the Bishop of Landaff hath always been subject to the See of Canterbury This King Lucius built another Church also at Dover in Honour of our Blessed Saviour and his Glorious Mother and some other Churches elsewhere As this King shew'd himself Munificent in Building of Churches so also was he Liberal in his Endowments and Priviledges bestow'd upon them by transferring the Possessions of Idol-Temples to Christian Churches and further Enriching them with more Lands and greater Immunities so that some Malefactors might have refuge within their Precincts which benefit of Sanctuary hath been continu'd and increas'd by most succeeding Princes neither were the Revenues belonging to Pagan Temples inconsiderable for that Religion was very costly for it is certain that the Pagan Flamens in London Sacrific'd yearly 40000. Cows 100000. Sheep innumerable sorts of all Fowl besides 30000. Savage Beasts as Staggs and other Beasts of the Forrest Besides all this King Lucius in the 6th year after his Conversion Founded a Church and Monastery at Winchester which he plentifully Endow'd it is said to be a Church of vast Dimensions and Adorn'd with an Episcopal Palace the Possessions of it extended 12. Miles round about the City This Church was Dedicated to the Honour of our Saviour by Fugatius and Damianus and Devotus a Monk by them Constituted the first Abbot from this time until the time of Dioclesian the Monks here quietly serv'd God after the Rule and Order prescrib'd by St. Mark the Evangelist and first Bishop of Alexandria which Rule is thus describ'd by Cassianus saying These Monks did not content themselves to retain the order of living practis'd by the Primitive Christians whereof we read in the Acts of the Apostles That they had all things in common accounted nothing their own sold their Possessions and laid the price at the Apostles feet to be divided amongst such as had need But these Monks aspir'd to practices more sublime for retiring them to the most secret places they led a Life of unparallel'd Abstinence and Austerity in Reading of Holy Scripture day and night in fervent Prayer and continual Labour of their Hands without regard of Food or Sustenance save only that every second or third day they would receive some slender Sustenance for necessity not for the satisfaction of their Apetite and not then until after Sun-set The Light they spent in Labour or Holy Exercises Darkness suffic'd for the care of their Bodies Under the Persecution of Dioclesian this Holy Fraternity was dissipated but not long after again restor'd and their Church Consecrated by Constantius Bishop of Winchester in the year of Grace 309. taking a new Name from St. Amphibolus who with St. Alban was Crown'd with Martyrdom and by this Name Gildas calls it in his relation of the Sons of Mordred Murder'd by Constantine in this place It suffer'd a second Eclipse when the Infidel Saxons laid waste all Holy places in this Island Howbeit no sooner did the Saxons embrace the Faith of Christ but they repair'd this Church and Monastery after call'd de Hida and restor'd it to greater Splendor and Magnificence then it had before in which Splendor and Beauty it continu'd fortify'd by Charters of Kings and Bulls of Popes untill all Religious Houses were swallow'd up by the sury and Avarice of Henry the VIII So as St. Edward the Confessor in his Charter to the Monastery of Westminster prov'd a Prophet who declar'd The same Charter should continue in force so long as the love of Christianity should remain in this Nation Our Devout and Wise King Lucius did not only endow Churches and Monasteries for the present Worship of God but provided Seminaries of Learning and Piety for the future increase thereof the most Famous of which was the School and Monastery of Bangor in North-Wales It is said to be the first Colledge of Christian Philosophers but is in some Authors mistaken for another of that Name in Vlster from whence proceeded the famous Bishop St. Malachias whose Life is elegantly written by St. Bernard However this famous Monastery it seems prosper'd so well for a long time that at the coming of St. Augustine into England more than 2000. Monks were found in it This King was not only careful to plant and settle the Christian Faith within his own Kingdom but as many Antient and Credible Records testifie personally sow'd the Seeds of Christianity in Germany and other Forreign parts and as some say there ended his days as his Virgin Sister and Martyr also did Fugatius or Phaganus and Damianus being inform'd of St. Joseph and his Companion 's retirement to Glastonbury and their deaths there visited the place which they found reduc'd to little better then a Covert of Wild-Beasts so little encouragement or countenance had the Christian Faith receiv'd yet by Divine conduct they discover'd an Antient Church built by St. Joseph and his Companions and Consecrated as afore-said by God himself they also found the Holy-Cross with several Writings and other Tokens declaring the place to have been formerly an Habitation of Christians and receptable of those prime Disciples They therefore added another Oratory built of Stone Dedicated to the Honour of St. Peter and St. Paul and on the Top of the Tor or Mountain rais'd a Chappel to the Honour of St. Michael the Arch-Angel And lastly to continue the Service of God which had been interrupted they establish'd a succession of 12 Devout persons in memory of St. Joseph and the first 12. which Succession continu'd till the coming of St. Patrick the Apostle of Ireland unto this place These two Holy men made this place their Retirement for the space of nine years and there dy'd and were bury'd as is believ'd about the year of our Lord 199. After the Death of Lucius which happen'd in the 7th year of Severus none of the British Race were permitted to reign but Legats from the Emperour commanding the Roman Army In the time of Commodus
back he was receiv'd with more then ordinary respect but presently after dy'd full of Days and Sanctity and was bury'd by Leontius in Aquitain Now though the Inhabitants of Aleth were depriv'd of the Sacred Relicks of their prime Prelate whom they had treated so injuriously yet the name of Blessed Maclovius remains never to be blotted out adorning and defending that City to this day with his Coelestial Benefits and Glorious Perfection Howbeit the Episcopal See does not now remain at Aleth but is remov'd to an Island two Miles distant from thence Antiently call'd Aaron where a City new built is in memory of their Holy Prelate and Patron call'd St. Malo and Vrbs Macloviensis It is said that St. Mahutus with his seven Disciples in Devotion visited Rome where he redeem'd many Infidel Captives and having instructed them in the true Faith Baptiz'd them Saint Brendan his Spiritual Father and Instructor though no Britain by Birth is not to be deny'd some place in this History He came out of Ireland to visit the Holy man St. Gildas Albanius in Britain He was also Superiour in the Monastery of Lancarvan where he Baptiz'd St. Maclovius and returning into Ireland where he was made an Abbot there dy'd Happily in the year of Grace 571. The death of this Blessed man is said to be reveal'd to St. Columba who declar'd That he saw the Heavens on a suddain open'd and a Choire of Angels descending to meet St. Brendan 's Soul by whose incomparable Splendour the whole World was that night Enlightn'd St. Brendan thus call'd to Heaven enjoy'd on Earth also an Eternal Monument of his Name and Sanctity For in the Isle of Orkney a Town and Church were built and call'd from his Name the reason was because his Sacred Body was thither translated In this Age flourish'd a Holy British Abbot call'd St. Doc of whom is written That when St. Canic of whom the Province of Kilkenny took its Name was grown to an Age of capable knowledge being desirous of instruction he pass'd over into Britain to a Religious man call'd Doc and under him studied diligently and was taught both Learning and Piety This St. Doc was one of the three Holy Britains from whom the Irish learn'd the form and Rites of Celebrating Mass The other two were St. David and St. Gildas After the death of King Arthur Constantine according to his designation succeeded him in the Government of Britain He was the Son of Cador Duke of Cornwall and Kinsman to the King His sufficiency to discharge that employment for the Benefit of his Country was enough approv'd by the choice of his glorious Predecessor But Almighty God having fix'd a period to the British Monarchy permitted many Factions to arise and many Pretendants to the Principality the opposing of whom hindred Constantine from advancing the common profit and safety of the Kingdom Moreover Ambition and Revenge had such a Power over him that they invited him to commit Crimes which hast'ned the ruine of his Country Hence it is that Gildas calls him the Tyrant of Danmonia Tyrant in regard of his Cruelty and Tyrant of that Province because at that time several others had invaded each one their several Principalities and for the maintaining of their unjust Usurpations fill'd the whole Nation with all manner of Impieties which gave occasion to the same Gildas to publish a Passionate Invective against the Vices of the whole British Nation which had universally depriv'd the Inhabitants of all states and conditions an exceeding few excepted who forseeing the unavoidable destruction of the Nation withdrew themselves from publick Affairs and in solitude deplor'd the sins of others by great Pennances and Austerities procuring Indulgence to their own Souls In former times saith Gildas our Kings publick Officers private Persons Bishops and other Ecclesiasticks every one kept their Order and perform'd the Duties belonging to them But when they were dead there succeeded a Generation utterly ignorant of the former Virtues among whom all the Rules of Truth and Justice were so shaken and subverted that no footsteps nor so much as the least Monument of those Virtues appear'd in any of the said Orders Constantine at his first Ascension into his Throne bound himself by a Solemn Oath to govern Justly and to use his utmost endeavours to defend his Subjects from Injuries and Oppressions and the Commonwealth from the violence of its Enemies And yet the year following we find him charg'd with Perjury and the violation of his Faith by his Barbarous Cruelty and Sacrilegious Prophanation of Gods House For the two Sons of Mordred rising up in Arms against him to revenge their Fathers death joyn'd in Confederacy with the Saxons and fought many Battles with him but at last being compell'd to fly Constantine pursu'd them and one of them he slew before the Altar of St. Amphibalus his Church in Winchester the other who had hid himself in a Convent of Monks he Condemned to a Cruel death in London For this Sacrilegious Inhumanity Gildas in his too free stile calls Constantine The Tyrannical Whelp of the Lioness of Danmonia an infringer of the dreadful Sacrament of an Oath by which he bound himself before God and all his Saints to abstain from all Injustice and Treachery to his Subjects notwithstanding which in the very bosom both of their Carnal Mother and Spiritual Mother the Church near the most Holy Altar he had torn the Bowels of two Royal Youths though cover'd with the Vestments of a Holy Abbot whilst they stretch'd forth their Hands not armed with Swords to resist but to implore help from God and his Altar and yet he most Barbarously shed their Blood which with a Purple dye stain'd the seat of the Ecclesiastical Sacrifice and the Sacred Palls which cover'd it To this Invective the same Author adjoyns most pressing Exhortations to Constantine That he would do suitable Pennance for these horrible Crimes that if possible he might avoid the dark inextricable Torrents of Eternal fire in which otherwise he must for ever be roll'd and roasted By these Expressions it should seem these two Sons of Mordred were not so much to be blam'd for their rising all Circumstances consider'd Probable it is that these or such like Exhortations wrought a good effect upon Constantine for though some write that he was slain by Conan who succeeded in the Kingdom yet others tell another Story viz. That after a short reign having been depriv'd of his Wife and Children be grew weary of his Kingdom and privily stealing from his Friends went into Ireland and there for the love of Christ labour'd unknown like a poor Servant in a Mill but afterward by perswasion of a Monk to whom he discover'd his condition he was induc'd to shave his Head and Consecrate himself to a Religious Life in a Monastery where he is said to live with such Piety and Devotion that he became a pattern of all Virtues to the rest of the Monks That at last