Owning
himself, in the phrases he had repeated from childhood, a miserable
sinner, a vile clot of animated dust, at heart he felt himself one
with all the beautiful and joyous things that the sun illumined.
With pleasure and sympathy he looked upon an ancient statue of god
or hero; only a sense of duty turned his eyes upon the images of
Christian art.
And this natural tendency was encouraged by his education, which,
like that of all well-born Romans, even in the sixth century after
Christ, had savoured much more of paganism than of Christianity.
Like his ancestors, before the age of Constantine, he had been
taught grammar and rhetoric; grammar which was supposed to include
all sciences, meaning practically a comment on a few classical
texts, and rhetoric presumed a preparation for the life of the
Forum, having become an art of declamation which had no reference to
realities. Attempts had been made--the last, only a few years ago,
by Cassiodorus--to establish Christian schools in Rome, but
without success, so profoundly were the ancient intellectual habits
rooted in this degenerate people.
Pages:
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263