Excerpt from The Monks of Old Chester: Four Lectures But one of the most interesting features of Old Chester is the unusually large number of Monastic establishments which existed within its walls prior to the religious upheaval of the Sixteenth Century, commonly spoken of as the Reformation. The Monasteries of Old Chester are intimately bound up with its history, and prove beyond doubt that the citizens, for well-nigh ten centuries, were not only Christian and Catholic, but that they cherished Christianity and Catholicism in their highest and best forms; that they revered the ideal teaching of Christ; that the Counsels of the Gospel as well as its Commands were enshrined in their hearts, and constantly before their eyes in the lives of the numerous Monks, Friars, and Nuns who dwelt in the various religious houses. It is of the Monks and Friars of Old Chester I wish to speak to you to-night and on the next three Sunday evenings. If you would rightly and fully understand the history of this ancient City you must know something of the men who contributed, in no small degree, to the making of that history. If you would rightly and fully understand the religious and social characteristics of your forefathers you must know something of the Black Monks, the Grey Friars, the White Friars, and the Black Friars. A history or description of Old Chester without the Monks would be somewhat like the play of Hamlet with the Prince of Denmark left out. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.