love of classical literature, quotes several poets
and prose writers, and is almost as curious about little points of
philology as an Italian scholar of the fifteenth century. He was
continually borrowing books in order to transcribe them--a proof,
however, of their scarcity and of the low condition of general learning,
which is the chief point we have to regard.[935] But his more celebrated
correspondent, Eginhard, went beyond him. Both his Annals and the Life
of Charlemagne are very well written, in a classical spirit, unlike the
church Latin; though a few words and phrases may not be of the best age,
I should place Eginhard above Alcuin and Lupus, or, as far as I know,
any other of the Caroline period.

The tenth century has in all times borne the worst name. Baronius calls
it, in one page, _plumbeum_, _obscurum_, _infelix_ (Annales, A.D. 900).
And Cave, who dubs all his centuries by some epithet, assigns _ferreum_
to the tenth. Nevertheless, there was considerably less ignorance in
France and Germany during the latter part of this age than before the
reign of Charlemagne, or even in it; more glimmerings of acquaintance
with the Latin classics appear; and the schools, cathedral and
conventual, had acquired a more regular and uninterrupted scheme of
instruction. The degraded condition of papal Rome has led many to treat
this century rather worse than it deserves; and indeed Italy was sunk
very low in ignorance. As to the eleventh century, the upward progress
was extremely perceptible. It is commonly reckoned among the dark ages
till near its close; but these phrases are of course used comparatively,
and because the difference between that and the twelfth was more
sensible than we find in any two that are consecutive since the sixth.

The state of literature in England was by no means parallel to what we
find on the continent. Our best age was precisely the worst in France;
it was the age of the Heptarchy--that of Theodore, Bede, Aldhelm,
Caedmon, and Alcuin; to whom, if Ireland will permit us, we may desire to
add Scotus, who came a little afterwards, but whose residence in this
island at any time appears an unauthenticated tale. But we know how
Alfred speaks of the ignorance of the clergy in his own age. Nor was
this much better afterwards. Even the eleventh century, especially
before the Conquest, is a very blank period in the literary annals of
England. No one can have a conception how wretchedly scanty is the lis