A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

TO THE READER.

THE greatest Part of the Historians, who have deli∣ver'd their Opinions concerning the Character of the Tenth Century, have represented it as an Age of Darkness, Ignorance and Obscurity, accompany'd with Notorious Disorders and Irregularities. The Authour of a Treatise, call'd, The Perpetuity of the Faith, has underta∣ken to Vindicate it from these Censures, and to make it appear on the contrary, That it is one of the most Happy Ages of the Church, and that it's Disorders being only such as were common to * 1.1 the Preceding, it has some very remarkable Advantages: But a third Writer, who would seem to keep the middle Way be∣tween both these Extremes, appears (in my Opinion) to have come nearer to the Mark. For if on the one side, the Au∣thour of the Perpetuity has well observ'd, That there were Holy Men, and some clear-sighted Persons in that Century; it can∣not be deny'd on the other side, That Ignorance, Vices and Ir∣regularities were not generally very predominant. The incon∣siderable Number of Authours, who wrote; the few Works they left; the Rudeness and Barbarism of their Stile; the Mat∣ters contain'd in their Dissertations; and the Complaints that even those Writers themselves make, of the Disorders which prevail'd in their Time; are evident Proofs, That the Censures pass'd upon that Century, are not without sufficient Ground: And if a due Comparison be made, between the Writers, the Works, the Subjects treated of, the Constitutions of Councils, the Church-Discipline, and the Manners of the Christians of the same Age, with those of the preceding; it cannot but be rea∣dily acknowledg'd, That it is in many Respects inferiour to them.

'Tis true indeed, that there were Irregularities in all the Ages of the Church, but that they were Commensurate to those which were so common in the Tenth Century; or that they were spread abroad so far, or become so general, is an Assertion, which cannot be maintain'd with any manner of probability: For who can avouch with assurance, That that Age had as great a share in Learning and Eloquence; was as fruitful in Illustrious Per∣sonages and Ecclesiastical Writers; or wa•• as productive of Ex∣cellent Works and Regular Constitutions, as the preceding Cen∣turies? Who would adventure to compare the Popes John IX, X, XII, and XIII. and the other Bishops of Rome, who liv'd in the Tenth Century, I will not say, to S. Leo, or S. Gregory; but even to those Popes, who were less eminent in former Times? Or who would attempt to set up Ratherius, Atto, Flodoard, Luitprand, Metaphrastes, and other Ecclesiastical Writers, whose Number is very small, not to say in opposition to S. Athanasius, S. Basil, S. Ambrose, S. Augustin, Eusebius and Theodoret; but even to the more Common Authours of the preceding Ages? Upon the whole, it ought to be certainly determin'd, That 'tis not without good Reason, that that Century, in comparison of the fore-going, and even of those that follow it, has been ge∣nerally stil'd, The Age of Darkness, Ignorance and •…•…curity. How∣ever it must be acknowledg'd, That 'twas not altogether Dark, and that it brought forth some Lights, which penetrated the Darkness, and dispers'd part of the Obscurity. The most Inge∣nious M. Du Pin follow'd these Luminaries, and took them for his Guides, in writing the Ecclesiastical History of the Age in which they flourish'd, and in giving an Impartial Account of the Matters treated of by them; which he has done with that Clear∣ness, Generosity and Integrity, which is so inseparable from the Character of this Great Man.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Lesser Perpet. Part 3. p. 36••.