An Allusion to "The Church Militant" in Howell's An Institution of General History

An Allusion to "The Church Militant" in Howell's An Institution ot General History by John T. Shawcross In his long survey of early history William Howell, 1638?1683 , quotes a passage from George Herbert's "The Church Militant," which has not previously been pointed out. Howell was an important historian of the latter part of the seventeenth century, when modern historiography was beginning to develop, although little known today. One of his important works is Medulla historiae anglicanae (1679). The history in which the quotation from "The Church Mutant" appears is An Institution of General History, From the beginning of the World to the Monarchy of Constantino the Great (London: Printed for Henry Herringman, 1661). It was reprinted in 1662, with a second edition in four volumes in 1680-85; another edition is dated 1685. The title page of the 1662 issue reads: An Institution of General History Being a Compleat body thereof, From the beginning of the World till the Monarchy of Constantino the Great. Copies of all these editions will be found in the British Library, and in this country in the Huntington Library, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Huntington Library, and the Library of Bowdoin College, respectively. The quotation from Herbert is given at the very end of the history. Book IV, Chapter Vl, p. 881, sig. 5v, as a coda to the inauguration of the altered religion ushered in with the Council of Nicaea. The lines quoted are "Religion now flourish'd . . . Who may with thee compare?" (II. 47-100). Howell has used one of the later editions of Herbert, since line 54 reads not "Christ-Crosse" but "Christs Crosse," found in editions between 1641-1809 except for 1674 (cf. Hutchinson, The Works of George Herbert, p. 191). The source of the quotation is indicated in the margin: "Mr. George Her- 1 bert his Church / Militant." University of Kentucky 49 ...