A. 633. The fourth Council of Toledo made feventy five Canons; of which the firft is a profeffion of faith concerning the Trinity and the Incarnation; in which it is exprefsly faid that the holy Ghoft proceedeth from. the Father and the Son.

This Council, fays Fleury, is the first in which the Bishops take upon themselves a fhare in the adminiftration of the Civil Government.

Rotharis, king of the Lombards, was remarkable for valour, and for the love of justice. He was an Arian, and almost all the cities in his dominions had two Bishops, the one an Arian, the other a Confubftantialift; which fhews the moderation of Rotharis.

This Prince drew up in writing the Laws of the Lombards, feventy seven years after their entrance into Italy'.

k. viii. 368, 369.

1 Fleury, viii. 360. 402.

A. 638.

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A. 638. "Clovis II. is the first of the French Kings, who hath been charged with Infanity. The Monk of St. Denis, author of this fable, afcribes his diftemper to an imprudent devotion which made him carry off a bone from the arm of St. Denis; inftigante Diabolo, fays the Continuator of Aimoin. At that inftant thick darknefs was fpread over the Church; the King loft his fenfes, and to recover the health of his mind, he gave certain lands to the Church of the Saint; he even fent back the Relique, which he enclosed in a golden Reliquary, covered with precious ftones. Thefe donations foftened the Saint in fome degree, and the Prince had lucid intervals, but never recovered completely, and died two years afterwards.

To unriddle this marvellous ftory, it may fuffice to learn from Aimoin that in a dreadful famine with which France was vifited, this religious Prince fold the covering of the thrine of St. Denis,

2

which

which was of gold. And though, by his order, the price for which it was fold was remitted to the Abbot of St. Denis, to be diftributed to the poor, yet the Monks of that House never forgave this Prince an act of charity which he exercised at their expence, and which might be a bad precedent.

At this time, says Du Tillet, there was in France a very fore famine, for the relief of which Clovis took away the gold and filver with which Dagobert had fumptuou fly decorated the Church of St. Denis, and by an act of humanity distributed it amongst the poor. He also took the treasure which was there, and the fhrines and coffers and breaking an arm of St. Denis, he carried that away alfo; for which deed it is faid, that by a divine judgment he went mad, and continued fo the rest of his life.

Certainly, as my author goes on, if he did these things for the relief of the poor and helpless, he did wifely, and

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like

like a good man; though they put a ftory about, that he loft his fenfes; fearing left Princes afterwards fhould follow his example, when they wanted the riches of the Church, to affift the poor, or to affift themselves.

It is indeed highly probable that the Monks, almoft the only Hiftorians of those days, and to whom miracles coft nothing, in times of ignorance, thought it expedient to terrify the fucceffors of Clovis, by the report of fo dreadful a punishment. In like manner the French Ecclefiaftics treated the memory of Charles Martel, &c. m"

Vertot fhews that the later Kings of France, of the first race, were unjustly reprefented as ideots, fluggards, and lunatics, by Monks, Bigots, Partywriters, and Political Knaves, who flattered the Powers then in being".

A. 644. From a Letter of Sigebert, King of Auftrafia, it appears, that the

m Vertot.

Mem. de l'Acad. vi. 516.

Princes

Princes in those times took all poffible care that no Councils fhould be held in their dominiions without their per

miffion".

A. 648. Theodorus the Pope condemned and deposed Paul the Patriarch of Conftantinople. He alfo anathematized Pyrrhus, a Monothelete; and calling for the chalice, he dipped a pen in the confecrated wine, and with it fubfcribed to his condemnation. This was a new trick of profane piety, which was afterwards imitated by others.

P

The Council of Conftantinople condemned and depofed Photius with the fame ceremony. Nicetas fays; Subfcribunt autem damnationi Photii chirographo non fimplici atramento, fed, horrendum dictu, ut ab his qui id norunt accepi, ipfo videlicet Salvatoris fanguine calamum tingentes.

Carolus Calvus 4 made a treaty of peace with Bernard, Count of Barce