The Early History of the Monastery of Cluny. By L.
M. Smith. (H. Milford. 16s. net.)—Miss Smith's scholarly and interesting essay is the first serious history of Cluny that has been written in English. She pointed out some years ago that the rule of Cluny was not specially ascetic and that, contrary to the common belief, the famous Hildebrand (Gregory VII.) had no connexion with Cluny. In this book she works out in detail the early history of the famous monastery, which was founded in 910, and shows how the successive abbots of Cluny asserted their independence of the lay lords and the bishops and infused a new spirit into Western monasticism. Odilo, the fifth abbot, took an active part in the peace movement which had begun in 989. The anarchy in Western Europe was felt to be intolerable. The belief that .the year 1000 would bring the end of the world hampered the peace party, as their efforts seemed useless, but after the fatal year had passed the forces of order gradually made headway. The " Treuga Dei " or " Tvtice of God," providing that no deeds of violence should be committed between Saturday evening and Monday morning, was first proposed in 1027, and through the advocacy of Odilo and other pious Churchmen it was gradually adopted. Miss Smith's account of this movement is one of the most instructive things in an able book.
Previous page
