The History of Religion in England (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: -CHAPTER III. THE CHURCH UNDER THE NORMAN KINGS. 1042-1189. ui Chwrclt on. the Eoe of ilw Conqmst, 1042-1066. The .religious revival of which S. Dunstan is the foremost exponent was short-lived . The eleventh century is marked by a steadily increasing interest: in ecclesiastical affairs, and a .Steadily decreasing vitality in religion. Cnut visited Rome and founded a hospital there for;the English in 1027. Pilgrimages -to the Holy Land became frequent. Leofric of Mercia built and endowed monasteries in the midland counties, of which Coventry and Wenlock are the best known. xElfric, Archbishop of ork, was celebrated for his learning. Edward the Confessor earned the glory of toeing the last .saint who has hallowed the English throne, yet eveai his sainttiness is not unmixed witk poverty of character. His eaurt had become so indifferent to religion, that it is mentioned as a mark of his great devotion, that he did not talk .during the celebration of Mass. Aldred, the 'best of his Bishops, was the worst of;pluralists. Simony, the invariable sign of a decaying morality, was rife and went unpunished. Ecclesiastical councils ceased to meet. Edward, half Norman in blood and wholly Norman ia sympathy, tried to check the growing decay by a largeinfusion of Norman clergy. He appointed a Norman, named Robert of Jumieges, to be Archbishop of Canterbury (1051). Never did experiment fail so signally. Stubborn English prejudice rose quick and hot against the foreigner. Refined Norman culture misunderstood and despised the dull Englishman. The Norman clergy, feeling their position insecure, looked upon the English Church as their legitimate prey, and fastened on it like vultures on a carcase. Things were ripe for a great change and the Norman Conquest came none too soon. Tlie Norman Conque...