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.

The Capitularies, or Sanctions of Lewis the Godly.

LEwis the Godly following his Father's Pious Example, made several Laws, and Wrote some * 1.1 Letters about Ecclesiastical Matters.

In the First year of his Empire he pass'd an Edict in Favour of the Spaniards who fled into France from the Persecution of the Saracens. Another Edict made in his Third year, on the same Subject, is extant.

In the year 816, he Confirmed the Constitutions that were made at the Council of Aix la Chapelle, and gave Orders, that they should be follow'd by Letters to Magnus, Arch-bishop of Sens; to Frotarius, Arch-bishop of Bourdeaux; to Arnoldus, Arch-bishop of Salsburgh, and to other Metropolitans. In the same year he also made Twenty nine Capitularies on the Disci∣pline of the Church. In the first he takes care to secure to the Church those Revenues that belong to it. In the Second, he leaves to the Clergy and the People the Liberty of choo∣sing their own Bishops. In the Third he confirms the Rules of Prebendaries. In the Fourth he orders, that a good use be made of the Oblations given at Church. In the Fifth he leaves to the Monks the power of chusing their own Abbots. In the Sixth, he forbids the confer∣ring Holy Orders on Slaves. In the Seventh, he enjoyns the Clergy not to receive such Ob∣lations, as might cause the Children, or Relations of those that make them, to be depriv'd of their Inheritance. In the Eighth, the Priests are forbidden to give the Tonsure to any Person, with a Design to get a part of his Estate. In the Ninth the Laity are charg'd not to turn the Priests out of their Churches, or Install any there without the Bishop's consent. In the Tenth, he or∣ders, that every Church have a piece of Ground belonging to it, and that no Priests apply their Revenues but to the Service of the Church. In the Eleventh, that every Church have its Priest: That the New Villages, where New Churches shall be built, pay Tythes to those Churches. The Thirteenth forbids to Pawn the Holy Vessels, unless it be for the Redemption of Captives. The Sixteenth is against the Simoniacal Exactions, that were practis'd by some Bishops of Italy. The Seventeenth renews the Canon which forbids Priests to dwell with Women. In the Eighteenth, 'tis ordered, that the Bishop shall send the Chrism to such Rectors of Parishes as are remote, by one of those in their Neighbourhood; but that all those who dwell but a League, or a League and a half out of Town, shall come to fetch it as usually. In the Nineteenth, the Bishops are exhorted not to be a charge to the People, when they go either to Preach, or to Confirm. In the Twentieth 'tis decreed, that none presume to make young Maids, Nuns; or Boys, Monks, i. e. without the consent of their Relations. The One and twentieth obliges Wi∣dows not to take the Veil, till Thirty days after their Husbands decease. The Three following Canons are concerning Ravishers. The Five and twentieth renews Gelafius's Canon, against those that either debauched any of the Virgins who had been Consecrated to God, or ran away with them. In the Six and twentieth 'tis enjoyn'd, that no Maid shall receive the Veil before she be Five and twenty years of Age, according to the Canons of Africa. The Seven and twenti∣eth forbids the Tryal by the Cross. In the Eight and twentieth the Bishops are charg'd to In∣struct the people of their Diocess. The last forbids Marriages between Relations, and the sha∣ring of Churches between Co-heirs, and promises to take care to prevent this and many other things.

In the year 817, this Emperour published some Constitutions for the Monks; which Orders were drawn up at Aix la Chapelle by Benedict of Aniane.

Some mention an Edict of Confirmation made by Lewis the Godly, which, they say, he con∣firmed in favour of Pope Paschal II. the pretended Donations made by his Father to the Ro∣man Church; but that Piece plainly appears to be supposititious, and does not deserve the least credit.

The Capitularies of the year 819, are almost all of them Civil Laws. Some of them, ne∣vertheless, relate to the Church; particularly in the last Capitulary, published by Baluzius, page 619.

In the year 821, he Wrote a Letter to the Monks of Aniane, to exhort them to follow the Rules that had been established in their Monastery by their Abbot Bennet. He promises them his protection on the account of the Love he had for him, and confirms their Abbey in a Free Tenure, and the liberty they had of chusing their Abbot.

In the year 822, at the Request of the Bishops Conven'd at Thionville, he made some Laws, by which he enjoyned very severe punishments for those, who calumniate, revile, misuse, or put to death any Clergy-man.

In the same year he made a Capitulary in favour of the Nuns of S. Crosse at Poictiers.

In the year 824, he caused some Instructions to be composed for Jeremiah, Arch-bishop of Sens, and Jonas, Bishop of Orleans, his Deputies at Rome, in the Affair of Images, according to the prescription of the Council of Paris; and he Wrote a Letter to Pope Eugenius the Second on that Subject.

In the year 826, there was an Assembly at Inghilheim, where some Laws were publish'd a∣gainst those that should offer any violence to persons consecrated to God.

In the year 828, he appointed Four Councils, viz. at Mentz, Paris, Lions, and Tholouse; com∣manded a Solemn Fast, and sent Deputies to these Councils, to whom he gave some Instructions; and, on this occasion, he Wrote two Letters, which were address'd to the People.

In the year 829, he caus'd the Decrees of these Four Councils to be examin'd in an Assem∣bly held at Wormes, and extracted some Capitularies out of them.

In the year 832, he made an Edict, to confirm the Re-establishment of the Monastick Rule in the Abbey of St. Denys, which Monastery was originally made up of Benedictine Monks. The Monks had taken the Habit and way of living of Canons, except some of them, who had re∣tir'd within a House that belong'd to the Abbey, by the Advice of Benedict and Arnoldus, who, being come to Reform that Abbey, had not been able to effect it; and had advis'd those who had a mind to follow S. Bennet's Rule, to withdraw from the rest. After this, Hilduin having demanded, that the Rule should be re-establish'd in that Abbey, a Council held at Paris deputed Aldricus, Arch-bishop of Sens, and Ebbon, Arch-bishop of Rheims, to doe it. Now when these were come to the Abbey, they found three sorts of Religious Men there; some of them said, They never profess'd a Monastick Life, and that they desir'd still to live like Canons; Some o∣thers confessing, they had profess'd a Monastick Life, were sorry that they had left it, took again the Habit of Monks, and led a life conformable to its Rules; and a third sort had al∣ways lived like Monks in a separate House. These two Arch-bishops settled again the Mona∣stick Order in the Abbey of St. Denys. But, afterwards, many of those who had resum'd the Monastick Habit and Way of Living, repented the doing it, protested against it, and present∣ed their Petition to the Emperour against Hilduin, and against Aldricus and Ebbon; but, it be∣ing rejected, they resolv'd to return to their Duty, and made three Charters, by which they bound themselves to follow S. Bennet's Rule; one of which was presented to Lewis the Godly, who confirmed it by the Edict of which we are now Treating.

In the year 834, he made the City of Hamburgh an Arch-bishoprick, as soon as Anscharius should be ordained Bishop of it; and he assign'd him all the People in the North of the Elb••, by his Declaration of the 15th of March in the same year.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Capitu∣laries of Lewis the Godly.