[Sidenote:  800-911.]

The civil law then consisted of the Theodosian code, the Salic, Ripuarian, Allemannic, Bavarian, Burgundian, and other codes; and of the formularies of Angesise and Marculfus.  To these Charlemagne added his own capitularies.  The whole collection, in opposition to the canon or ecclesiastical law, received the appellation of Lex Mundana, or worldly law.  The canon law consisted of the code of canons which Charlemagne brought with him from Rome in 784; a code of the canons of the church of France; the canons inserted in the collection of Angelram, bishop of Metz; the apostolic canons, published by St. Martin, bishop of Braga; the capitularies of Theodulfus, of Orleans; and the penitential canons, published in the Spicilegium of d’Acheri.[001] To the study, both of the canon and civil law, schools were appropriated by Charlemagne:  few, except persons intended for the ecclesiastical state, frequented them.  Rabanus Maurus,[002] abbot of Fulda, and afterwards archbishop of Mentz, has left an interesting account of the studies of this period; it shews that all were referred to theology, and only considered to be useful so far as they could be made serviceable to sacred learning.  Such a plan of study could conduce but little to the advancement of general literature or science.  Still, it was productive of good, and led to improvement.

[Sidenote:  I.2.  State of Literature in the time of Charlemagne.]

It is observable that both antient and modern civilizers of nations, have called music to their aid; among these we may mention Charlemagne.  In his residence at Rome, he was delighted with the Gregorian chant.  After his return to Germany, he endeavoured to introduce it, both into his French and German dominions.  The former had a chant of their own; they called it an improvement, but other nations considered it a corruption of the Gregorian.  Greatly against the wish of Charlemagne, his Gallic subjects persisted in their attachment to their national music; the merit of it was gravely debated before the Emperor; they vehemently urged the superiority of their own strains.  “Tell me,” said the Emperor, “which is purer, the fountain or the rivulet?” They answered, “the former.”  “Return ye, then,” (said the Emperor) “to St. Gregory:  he is the fountain, the rivulets are evidently corrupted.”  The Emperor was obeyed, and the Gregorian chant was taught, both in France and Germany, by Italian choristers.  The Italian writers of the times describe the difficulties which they experienced in forming the rough and almost untuneable voices of their French and German pupils to the softness of the Gregorian song.  They appear to have succeeded better with the Germans than the French.  By these, their lessons were so soon and so completely forgotten, after the decease of Charlemagne, that Lewis the Debonnaire, his son, was obliged to request Pope Gregory IV. to send him from Rome, a new supply of singers to instruct the people.