A preaching parson, one who
regularly exhorted his people or expounded to them the Scriptures,
would have been a wonder indeed, and thus the coming of the Friars
and the revival of pulpit oratory was all the more welcome because
the people had not become wearied by the too frequent iteration of
truths which may be repeated so frequently as to lose their vital
force. A sermon was an event in those days, and a preacher with any
real gifts of oratory was looked upon as a prophet sent by God. Never
was there a time when the people needed more to be taught the very
rudiments of morality. Never had there been a time when people cared
less whether their acts and words were right or wrong, true or false.
It had almost come to this, that what a man thought would be to his
profit, that was good; what would entail upon him a loss, that was
evil.
And this brings me to another point, viz., the lawlessness and crime
in country villages six hundred years ago. But before I can speak on
that subject it is necessary that I should first try to give you some
idea of the every-day life of your forefathers. What did they eat and
drink? what did they wear? what did they do from day to day? Were
they happy? content? prosperous? or was their lot a hard and bitter
one? For according to the answer we get to questions such as these,
so shall we be the better prepared to expect the people to have been
peaceable citizens, or sullen, miserable, and dangerous ruffians,
goaded to frequent outbursts of ferocious savagedom by hunger,
oppression, hatred, and despair.
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