He invited the best scholars from Italy and England to his court,—Peter of Pisa, PaulWarnefrid, Paulinus of Aquileia, Theodulph of Orleans, Alcuin of York.^831 They formed a sort of
royal academy of sciences and arts, and held literary symposiacs. Each member bore a nom de
plume borrowed from the Bible or classic lore: the king presided as "David" or "Solomon"; Alcuin,
a great admirer of Horace and Virgil, was "Flaccus" Angilbert (his son-in-law) was "Homerus";
Einhard (his biographer), "Bezaleel," after the skilful artificer of the Tabernacle (Ex. 31:2); Wizo,
"Candidus"; Arno, "Aquila"; Fredegisus, "Nathanael"; Richbod, "Macarius," etc. Even ladies were
not excluded: the emperor’s sister, Gisela, under the name "Lucia"; his learned cousin, Gundrad,
as "Eulalia;" his daughter, Rotrude, as "Columba." He called Alcuin, whom he first met in Italy
(781), his own "beloved teacher," and he was himself his most docile pupil. He had an insatiable
thirst for knowledge, and put all sorts of questions to him in his letters, even on the most difficult
problems of theology. He learned in the years of his manhood the art of writing, the Latin grammar,
a little Greek (that he might compare the Latin Testament with the original), and acquired some
knowledge of rhetoric, dialectics, mathematics and astronomy. He delighted in reading the poets
and historians of ancient Rome, and Augustin’s "City of God." He longed for a dozen Jeromes and
Augustins, but Alcuin told him to be content since the Creator of heaven and earth had been pleased
to give to the world only two such giants. He had some share in the composition of the Libri Carolini,
which raised an enlightened protest against the superstition of image-worship. Poems are also
attributed to him or to his inspiration. He ordered Paul Warnefrid (Paulus Diaconus) to prepare a
collection of the best homilies of the Latin fathers for the use of the churches, and published it with
a preface in which he admonished the clergy to a diligent study of the Scriptures. Several Synods
held during his reign (813) at Rheims, Tours, Chalons, Mainz, ordered the clergy to keep a
Homiliarium and to translate the Latin sermons clearly into rusticam Romanam linguam aut
Theotiscam, so that all might understand them.
Charles aimed at the higher education not only of the clergy, but also of the higher nobility,
and state officials. His sons and daughters were well informed. He issued a circular letter to all the
bishops and abbots of his empire (787), urging them to establish schools in connection with cathedrals
and convents. At a later period he rose even to the grand but premature scheme of popular education,
and required in a capitulary (802) that every parent should send his sons to school that they might
learn to read. Theodulph of Orleans (who died 821) directed the priests of his diocese to hold school
in every town and village,^832 to receive the pupils with kindness, and not to ask pay, but to receive
only voluntary gifts.
The emperor founded the Court or Palace School (Schola Palatina) for higher education
and placed it under the direction of Alcuin.^833 It was an imitation of the Paedagogium ingenuorum
of the Roman emperors. It followed him in his changing residence to Aix-la-Chapelle, Worms,
Frankfurt, Mainz, Regensburg, Ingelheim, Paris. It was not the beginning of the Paris University,
which is of much later date, but the chief nursery of educated clergymen, noblemen and statesmen
of that age. It embraced in its course of study all the branches of secular and sacred learning.^834 It
became the model of similar schools, old and new, at Tours, Lyons, Orleans, Rheims, Chartres,
(^831) "Toutes les provinces de l’occident," says Ozanam, "concoururernt au grand ouvrage des écoles carlovinggiennes."
(^832) "per villas et vicos."
(^833) A similar school had existed before under the Merovingians, but did not accomplish much.
(^834) Comp. Oebeke, De academia Caroli M. Aachen, 1847. Philips,Karl der Gr. im Kreise der Gelehrten. Wien, 1856.