XII. PART I.

happiness of his people, but alfo for the propa- CENT. gation and advancement of Christianity; and wherever his arms were fuccefsful, he pulled down the temples and images of the gods, deftroyed their altars, laid wafte their facred groves, and fubftituted in their place the Christian worfhip, which deferved to be propagated by better means than the sword, by the authority of reason, rather than by the defpotic voice of power. The ifland of Rugen, which lies in the neighbourhood of Pomerania, fubmitted to the victorious arms of Waldemar, A. D. 1168; and its fierce and savage inhabitants, who were, in reality, no more than a band of robbers and pirates, were obliged by that prince to hear the inftructions of the pi ous and learned doctors that followed his army, and to receive the Chriftian worship. This falutary work was brought to perfection by Abfalom, archbishop of Lunden, a man of a superior genius, and of a most excellent character in every respect, whofe eminent merit raised him to the fummit of power, and engaged Waldemar to place him at the head of affairs [b].

III. The Finlanders received the gofpel in the The Fin fame manner in which it had been propagated landet.

[6] Saxo-Grammaticus, Hiftor. Danic. lib. xiv. p. 239.Helmoldas, Chron. Sclavorum, lib. ii. cap. xii. p. 234. and Henr. Bangertus, ad h. 1.—Pontoppidani Annales Ecclefia Danica, tom. i. p. 404

Befides the historians here mentioned by Dr. Mofheim, we refer the curious reader to an excellent hiftory of Denmark, written in French by M. Mallet, profeffor at Copenhagen. In the first volume of this hiftory, the ingenious and learned author has given a very interesting account of the progrefs of Chriftianity in the northern parts of Europe, and a particular relation of the exploits of Abfalom, who was, at the fame time, archbishop, general, admiral, and prime minifter, and who led the victorious Danes to battle, by fea and land, without neglecting the cure of fouls, or in the leaft diminishing his pious labours in the propagation of the gospel abroad, and its maintenance and support at home.

CENT

The Livo

Bians.

of the the of Room They adface perple, who Ived by Red Samvare a temble manner by the persed mater many Moody Barles, de were afated by Leath the Saint, and reduced under the Swett rike Hirians difer about the prece time the thonet was compleet 2. be ter are all animous in ther accounts of its ecjects. The Flanders were commanded to embrace the religion of the conqueror, which the great part of them did, though with the utmilk reluctance . The founder and ruler) of this new church was Henry, archbifhop of Up, who accompanied the victorious monarch in that bloody campaign. This prelate, whofe zeal was not fufficiently tempered with the mild and gentle fpirit of the religion he taught, treated the new converts with great feverity, and was affaffinated at last in a cruel manner on account of the heavy penance he imposed upon a perfon of great authority, who had been guilty of homicide. This melancholy event procured Henry the honours of faintship and martyrdom, which were folemnly conferred upon him by pope Adrian IV. [e].

IV. The propagation of the gofpel among the Livonians was attended with much difficulty, and alfo with horrible fcenes of cruelty and bloodfhed.

[c] Moft writers, with Baronius, place this event in the year 1151. Different, however, from this is the chronology of Vastovius and Oernhielmius, the former placing it in 1150, and the latter in 1157.

[d] Oernhielmii Hiflor. Ecclef. gentis Suecorum, lib. iv. cap. iv. fect. 13-Jo. Loccenii Hiftor. Suecica, lib. iii. p. 76. ed. Francof. Erlandi Vita Erici Sandi, cap. vii.-Vaftovii Vitis Aquilonia, p. 65.

[] Vaftovii Vitis Aquilon. feu Vita Sandorum regni Sucogothici, p. 62. Eric. Benzelii Monumenta Ecclefia Sueagothica, part I. p. 33.

The

The firft miffionary, who attempted the converfion of that favage people, was Mainhard, a regular canon of St. Augustin, in the monaftery of Segeberg, who, towards the conclufion of this century [f], traveled to Livonia, with a company of merchants of Bremen, and improved this opportunity of fpreading the light of the gofpel in that barbarous region of fuperftition and darkness. The inftructions and exhortations of this zealous apostle were little attended to, and produced little or no effect upon that uncivilized nation; whereupon he addreffed himself to the Roman pontiff, Urban III. who confecrated him bishop of the Livonians, and, at the fame time, declared a holy war againft that obftinate people. This war, which was at firft carried on against the inhabitants of the province of Efthonia, was continued with still greater vigour, and rendered more general by Berthold, abbot of Lucca, who left his monaftery to fhare the labours and laurels of Mainhard, whom he accordingly fucceeded in the fee of Livonia. The new bifhop marched into that province at the head of a powerful army which he had raised in Saxony, preached the gofpel, fword in hand, and proved its truth by blows inftead of arguments. Albert, canon of Bremen, became the third bifhop of Livonia, and followed, with a barbarous enthufiafm, the fame military methods of converfion that had been practifed by his predeceffor. He entered Livonia, A.D. 1198, with a fresh body of troops drawn out of Saxony, and encamping at Riga, inftituted there, by the direction of pope Innocent III., the military or. der of the knights fword-bearers [g], who were commiffioned to dragoon the Livonians into the

[f] In the year 1186.

[8] Equeftris Ordo Militum Enfiferorum.

B 3

profeffion

CENT.

XII.

PART I.

CENT. profeffion of Christianity, and oblige them by force XII. of arms to receive the benefits of baptifm [b].

PARTI.

The Sclavonians.

New legions were fent from Germany to fecond the efforts, and add efficacy to the miffion of these booted apoftles; and they, in concert with the knights fword-bearers, fo cruelly oppreffed, flaughtered, and tormented this wretched people, that, exhausted at length, and unable longer to ftand firm against the arm of perfecution, strengthened ftill by new acceffions of power, they abandoned the ftatues of their pagan deities, and substituted in their places the images of the faints. But while they received the bleffings of the gofpel, they were deprived of all earthly comforts; for their lands and poffeffions were taken from them, with the most odious circumftances of cruelty and violence,' and the knights and bifhops divided the spoil [i].

V. None of the northern nations had a more rooted averfion to the Chriftians, and a more obftinate antipathy to their religion, than the Sclavonians, a rough and barbarous people, who inhabited the coaft of the Baltic fea. This excited the zeal of feveral neighbouring princes, and of a multitude of pious miffionaries, who united their efforts, in order to conquer the prejudices of this people, and to open their eyes upon the light of the gofpel. Henry, duke of Saxony, furnamed the Lion, diftinguished himself in a particular manner, by the ardour which he discovered in the execution of this pious defign, as well as by the wife methods he employed to render it successful,

[b] See Hear. Leonardi Schurtzfleischii Hiftoria Ordinis Enfiferorum Equitum, Wittenberg. 1701, 8vo,

[i] See the Origines Livonia, feu Chronicon vetus Livonicum, published in folio at Francfort, in the year 1740, by Jo. Daniel Gruberus, and enriched with ample and learned obfervations and notes, in which the laborious author enumerates all the writers of the Livonian history, and corrects their mistakes.

Among

Among other measures that were proper for this purpose, he restored from their ruins, and endowed richly, three bifhoprics [k] that had been ravaged and destroyed by these barbarians, namely, the bishoprics of Ratzeburg and Schwerin, and that of Oldenburg, which was afterwards tranfplanted to Lubeck. The most eminent of the Chriftian doctors, who attempted the converfion of the Sclavonians, was Vicelinus, a native of Hamelen, a man of extraordinary merit, who furpaffed almost all his contemporaries in genuine piety and folid learning, and who, after having prefided many years in the fociety of the regular canons of St. Auguftin at Falderen, was at length confecrated bishop of Oldenburg. This excellent man employed the last thirty years of his life [7] amidft numberlefs vexations, dangers and difficulties, in inftructing the Sclavonians, and exhorting them to comply with the invitations of the gospel of Chrift; and as his pious labours were directed by true wisdom, and carried on with the most indefatigable industry and zeal, fo were they attended with much fruit, even among that fierce

[] Dr. Mofheim's account of this matter is very different from that which is given by Fleury, who afferts, that it was Hartwick, archbishop of Bremen, who reftored the three ruined fees, and confecrated Vicelinus, bifhop of Oldenburg; and that as he had done this without addreffing himself to Henry, the duke feized the tithes of Vicelimus, until a reconciliation was afterwards brought about between the offended prince and the worthy bishop. See Fleury, Hift. Ecclef. liv. lxix. p. 665. 668. edit. Bruxelles. Fleury, in this and other parts of his hiftory, fhews, that he is but indifferently acquainted with the hiftory of Germany, and has not drawn from the beft fources. The authorities which Dr. Mofheim produces for his account of the affair, are the Origines Guelphica, tom. iii. p. 16. 19. 34.55. 61.63. 72. 82. with the celebrated Preface of Scheidius, fect. xiv. p. 41. Ludewig's Reliquia Manufcriptorum, tom. vi. p. 230. Jo. Ern. de Weftphalen, Monumenta inedita rerum Cimbricarum et Megapolenf. tom. ii. p. 1998.

[] That is, from the year 1124 to the year 1154, in which he died.

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XII. PART I.