FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
19tf
man of Natun.) This was the celebrated per- son who assisted Alfred the Rreat, in the foun- dation, or re-establishment of Oxford university, •nd was the fint instructor of the English peo- ple in the sciences of geometry, astronomy, ace* In Enfield's Hittory of the Philotmhy of the Middle Agrt, book 7, speaking of Erieena, he says that he wrote a book on the Nature of TiiHgt; which Gale disturbed from its quiet repose, and published under the title of Joanni Seoti Eriytue de Dimtione Natune Libri qtiin-
Ste, <iti> daidenUi. Printed at Oxford 1681; Uo. Gale could not have known of the edition of 1496.
1497. The following anecdote, shewing the introduction of illiterate men of rank into the church through the influence of those in power, we find in Jortin's Life of Ertutmu : — " At this time he (Erasmus) refused a large pension, and larger promises, from a young illiterate English- man, who was to be made a bishop, and who wanted to have him for a preceptor. This youth seems to have been James Stuiler, son of the eail of Derby, and son-in-law to Margaret, the king's mother, and afterwards made bishop of Ely by her interest. However, it appears that the young gentleman, though ignorant, had a desire to leam something, and to qualify him- self^ in some measure, for the station in which ke was to be placed."
So fixr were the clergy, in general, from at- tempting to circulate the scriptures, or instruct the people in the knowledge of their contents, diat except such portions of them as were recited in the offices of the church, there was scarcely a Lttm Tettament in any cathedral church in England, till the time of the learned John Colet, dean of St. Paul's, in London, though the Latin was the only authorized lang^uage for the scrip- tures and service books. Instead of the Gospel of Christ, the spurious Ootpel of Nieodemu was affixed to a pillar in the nave of the church; which Erasmus says, he had himself seen with astonishment in the metropolitan church of Can- tetbury.
We give the following curious account of the G«tpel of Nicodenau from Townley's llhutra- tioni of Biblical Literature: — ^The Gospel of tfieodemut, or Acts of Pilate, above mentioned, is a work supposed to have been forged, towards the close of the third century, by Leucius Cha- linus. It treats chiefly of the Crucifixion and Retmrrection of our Lord, and of his Detcenl into Hell. It contains many trifling, foolish, and ludicrous relations, such as the standards or
- This sincnlar book wu found in the house of a gentle-
maii ia Cunnemarra! I — In the Duhtin Pennu JounuU^ vol. I, number 8, Is a sketch of the phrenoloelcaf mapped head, on a reduced soile, copied from the oriKlnaL— Johannes, b)r the boldness of his opinions, incurred the displeasure of pope Nicholas I. who wrote to Charles the Bald, in whose ooort he was residing, either to send him to Rome, or ba- nish blm the onlrersitj of Paris. Charles, beinf unwUIlng to offend the pope, advised Johannes to return to his na- tive country, which he did in the year 8t4.— In 8St be came to Entland, and obtained Uie friendahip of Alfred. His portrait, as wen as that of his patron, was formerly (and b perhaps still) preserved over the door of the refec- tory of Bnxannos* cauege, scolptuKd ia stoa*.
colours bowing to Christ, as he passed : Jesus appearing to Joseph of Arimathea, after his resur- rection, wiping his face from the dew, kissing him, and commanding him to remain in his own house for forty days; and a suppositious narra- tive of the events attending Christ's descent into hell, by Lentius and Charinus, two saints raised from the dead, at the resurrection of the Saviour. The following extracts from this impudent for- gery, will enable the reader to judge of the kind of instruction aflbrded by these substitutes for the Gospel of Christ. The relation of Christ's descent in(o hell, is introduced by Joseph of Arimathea, addressing Annas and Caiphas, who were astonished to hear that Jesus was risen from the dead; and that others were risen with him; "We all," says he, "knew the blessed Simeon, the high-pnest, who took Jesus, when an infant, into his arms, in the temple. This same Simeon had two sons of his own, and we were all present at their death and funeral. Go, therefore, and see their tombs, for these are open, and they are risen; and behold, they are in the city of Arimathea, spending dieir time together, in offices of devotion. Some, indeed, have heard the sound of their voices, [in prayer,] but they will not discoutse with any one, but they con- tinue as mute dead men. But come, let us go to them, and behave ourselves toward them with all due respect and caution. And if we can bring them to swear, perhaps they will tell us some of the mysteries of their resurrection." Annas, Caiphas, Nicodemus, and Gamaliel, pro- ceed to Arimathea, they find Charinus and Len- tius, at their devotions, and adjuring them by the law, to relate what they had seen, they trem- ble, look up to heaven, make the sign of the cross upon their tongues, and then (filing for paper, write the account of what they profess to have seen. " When we were placed with our fathers, in the depth of hell," say they, "in the blackness of darkness, on a sudden there ap- peared the colour of the sun like gold, and a substantial purple coloured light enlightening (the place.) Presently upon this, Adam, the fa- ther of all mankind, with all the patriarchs and prophets, rejoiced and said, ' That light is the author of everlasting light, who hath promised to translate us to everlasting light.' And while we were all rejoicing, our father Simeon came among us, and congratulating all the company, said, ' Glorify the Lord Jesus Christ ----.' " Afterwards there came forth one like a little hermit, and was asked by every one, ' Who art thou? ' To which he replied, ' I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness John the Baptist.' - - - - But when the first man our father Adam heard these things, that Jesus was baptized in Jordan, he called out to his son Seth, and said, ' Declare to your sons, the patriarchs and pro- phets, all those things whicn thou didst hear from Michael the archangel, when I sent thee to the gates of paradise, to entreat God that he would anoint my head when I was sick.' Then Seth said,—' I Seth, when I was praying to God at the gates of paradise, behold : the angel
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