THE I-I EPTARC H Y.

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conceptions, made great impression on the peopie c h a iduring several ages; and has not even at present j.loll all influence in the catholic countries.

H,vo this abject superstition produced generalpeace and tranquillity, it had made some atone-ment for the ills attending it; but, besides theusual avidity of men for power and riches, fri-volous controversies in theology, were engenderedby it, which were so much the more fatal, asthey admitted not, like the others, of any finaldetermination from established pofleilion. The dis-putes, excited in Britain, were of th6 most ridi-culous kind, and entirely worthy of those ignorantand barbarous ages. There were some intricacies,observed by all the Christian churches, in adjust-ing the day of keeping Easter; which dependedon a complicated consideration of the course ofthe sun and moon : And it happened that theraistionaries, who had converted the Scots andBritons, had followed different calendar fromthat which was observed at Rome, in the agewhen Augustine converted the Saxons. Thepriests also of all the Christian churches were ace us- ,turned to shave part of their head; but the formgiven to this tonsure, was different in the formerfrom what was practised in the latter. The Scotsand Britons pleaded the antiquity of their usages:

The Romans, and their disciples, the Saxons,insisted on the universality of theirs. That Eastermust necessarily be kept by a rule, which com-prehended both the day of the. year and age ofthe moon, was agreed by all; that the tonsure

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