,,apologia ,,pro ,,vita ,,sua  ,by ,john
 ,henry 7,cardinal7 ,newman  ,london3   
,published by ,j4 ,m4 ,dent  ,sons ,ltd4
 ,and in ,new ,york by ,e4,p4 ,dutton   
,co4     ,introduction   ,no            
autobiography in the ,english language  
has been more read2 to the nineteenth   
century it bears a relation not less    
characteristic than ,boswell's          
',johnson' to the eighteenth4  ,rev4    
,wm4 ,barry1 ,d4,d4  ,newman was already
 a recognised spiritual leader of over  
thirty year's standing1 but not yet a   
,cardinal1 when in #ahfd he wrote the   
,apologia4 ,he was ,london born1 and he 
had1 as many ,londoners have had1 a     
foreign strain in him4 ,his father came 
of ,dutch stock2 his mother was a       
,fourdrinier1 daughter of an old ,french
 ,huguenot family settled in this       
country4 ,the date of his birth1 #bast  
of ,february #ahja1 relates him to many 
famous contemporaries1 from ,heine to   
,renan1 from ,carlyle to ,pusey4 ,sent  
to school at ,ealing--an imaginative    

seven-year-old schoolboy1 he was        
described even then as being fond of    
books and seriously minded4 ,it is      
certain he was deeply read in the       
,english ,bible1 thanks to his mother's 
care1 before he began ,latin and ,greek4
 ,another lifelong influence--as we may 
be prepared to find by a signal         
reference in the following              
autobiography1 was ,sir ,walter ,scott2 
and in a later page he speaks of reading
 in bed ,waverley and ,guy ,mannering   
when they first came out--in the early  
summer mornings1 and of his delight in  
hearing ,the ,lay of the ,last ,minstrel
 read aloud4 ,like ,ruskin1 another     
nineteenth-century master of ,english   
prose1 he was finely affected by these  
two powerful inductors4 ,they worked    
alike upon his piety and his imagination
 which was its true servant1 and they   
helped to foster his seemingly          
instinctive style and his feeling for   
the ,english tongue4  ,in #ahaf he went 
to ,oxford--to ,trinity ,college--and   

two years later gained a scholarship    
there4 ,his father's idea was that he   
should read for the bar1 and he kept a  
few terms at ,lincoln's ,inn2 but in the
 end ,oxford1 which had1 about the year 
of his birth1 experienced a rebirth of  
ideas1 thanks to the widening impulse of
 the ,french ,revolution1 held him1 and 
,oriel ,college--the centre of the      
,noetics1 as old ,oxford called the     
,liberal set in contempt--made him a    
fellow4 ,his association there with     
,pusey and ,keble is a matter of        
history2 and the ,oxford ,movement1 in  
which the three worked together1 was the
 direct result1 according to ,dean      
,church1 of their searchings of heart   
and communing for seven years1 from     
#ahbf to #ahcc4 ,a word might be said of
 ,whately too1 whose ,logic ,newman     
helped to beat into final form in these 
,oxford experiences4 ,not since the days
 of ,colet and ,erasmus had the         
,university experienced such a shaking  
of the branches4 ,however1 there is no  

need to do more than allude to these    
intimately dealt with in the ,apologia  
itself4  ,there1 indeed1 the stages of  
,newman's pilgrimage are related with a 
grace and sincerity of style that have  
hardly been equalled in ,english or in  
any northern tongue4 ,it ranges from the
 simplest facts to the most complicated 
polemical issues and is always easily in
 accord with its changing theme4 ,so    
much so1 that the critics themselves    
have not known whether to admire more   
the spiritual logic or the literary art 
of the writer and self-confessor4 ,we   
may take1 as two instances of ,newman's 
power1 the delightful account in ,part  
,,iii4 of his childhood and the first   
growth of his religious belief2 and the 
remarkable opening to ,part ,,iv41 where
 he uses the figure of the death-bed    
with that finer reality which is born of
 the creative communion of thought and  
word in a poet's brain4 ,something of   
this power was felt1 it is clear1 in his
 sermons at ,oxford4 ,dr4 ,barry        

describes the effect that ,newman made  
at the time of his parting with the     
,anglican ,church3 ,every sermon was an 
experience2 made memorable by that still
 figure1 and clear1 low1 penetrating    
voice1 and the mental hush that fell    
upon his audience while he meditated1   
alone with the ,alone1 in words of awful
 austerity4 ,his discourses were poems1 
but transcripts too from the soul1      
reasonings in a heavenly dialectic4444  
,about his controversy with ,charles    
,kingsley1 the immediate cause of his   
,apologia1 what new thing need be said8 
,it is clear that ,kingsley1 who was the
 type of a class of mind then common    
enough in his ,church1 impulsive1       
prejudiced1 not logical1 gave himself   
away both by the mode and by the burden 
of his unfortunate attack4 ,but we need 
not complain of it to-day1 since it     
called out one of the noblest pieces of 
spiritual history the world possesses3  
one indeed which has the unique merit of
 making only the truth that is intrinsic

 and devout seem in the end to matter4  
,midway in the forties1 as the ,apologia
 tells us1 twenty years that is before  
it was written1 ,newman left ,oxford and
 the ,anglican ,church for the ,church  
in which he died4 ,later portraits make 
us realise him best in his robes as a   
,cardinal1 as he may be seen in the     
,national ,portrait ,gallery1 or in the 
striking picture by ,millais 7now in the
 ,duke of ,norfolk's collection74 ,there
 is one delightful earlier portrait too1
 which shows him with a peculiarly      
radiant face1 full of charm and serene  
expectancy2 and with it we may associate
 these lines of his--sincere expression 
of one who was in all his earthly and   
heavenly pilgrimage a truth-seeker1     
heart and soul3     ,when ,i would      
search the truths that in me burn1      
,and mould them into rule and argument1 
,a hundred reasoners cried1--',hast thou
 to learn      ,those dreams are        
scatter'd now1 those fires are spent8'  
,and1 did ,i mount to simpler thoughts1 

and try    ,some theme of peace1 'twas  
still the same reply4     ,perplex'd1 ,i
 hoped my heart was pure of guile1      
,but judged me weak in wit1 to disagree2
    ,but now1 ,i see that men are mad   
awhile1      ',tis the old              
history--,truth without a home1         
,despised and slain1 then rising from   
the tomb4  ,the following is a list of  
the chief works of ,cardinal ,newman3-- 
,the ,arians of the ,fourth ,century1   
#ahcc2 #bi ,tracts to ,tracts for the   
,times1 #ahcd-ahda2 ,lyra ,apostolica1  
#ahcd2 ,elucidations of ,dr4 ,hampden's 
,theological ,statements1 #ahcf2        
,parochial ,sermons1 #f vols41          
#ahcg-ahdb2 ,a ,letter to the ,rev4 ,g4 
,faussett on ,certain ,points of ,faith 
and ,practice1 #ahch2 ,lectures on      
,justification1 #ahch2 ,sermons on      
,subjects of the ,day1 #ahdb2 ,plain    
,sermons1 #ahdc2 ,sermons before the    
,university of ,oxford1 #ahdc2 ,the     
,cistercian ,saints of ,england1 #ahdd2 
,an ,essay on the ,development of       

,christian ,doctrine1 #ahde2 ,loss and  
,gain1 #ahdh2 ,discourse addressed to   
,mixed ,congregations1 #ahdi2 ,lectures 
on ,certain ,difficulties ,felt by      
,anglicans in ,catholic ,teaching1      
#ahej2 ,lectures on the ,present        
,position of ,catholics in ,england1    
#ahea2 ,the ,idea of a ,university1     
#aheb2 ,callista1 #ahef2 ,mr4 ,kingsley 
and ,dr4 ,newman1 #ahfd2 ,apologia pro  
,vita ,sua1 #ahfd2 ,the ,dream of       
,gerontius1 #ahfe2 ,letter to the ,rev4 
,e4 ,b4 ,pusey on his ,eirenicon1 #ahff2
 ,verses on ,various ,occasions1 #ahfh2 
,an ,essay in ,aid of a ,grammar of     
,assent1 #ahgj2 ,letter addressed to    
,his ,grace the ,duke of ,norfolk on    
,occasion of ,mr4 ,gladstone's          
,expostulation1 #ahge2 ,meditations and 
,devotions1 #ahic4  ,biographies4--,by  
,w4 ,meynell1 #ahij2 by ,dr4 ,wm ,barry1
 #ahij2 by ,r4 ,h4 ,hutton1 #ahia2      
,letters and ,correspondence of ,j4 ,h4 
,newman1 during his life in the ,english
 ,church 7with a brief autobiography71  

edited by ,miss ,anne ,mozley1 #ahia2   
,anglican ,career of ,cardinal ,newman1 
by ,rd4 ,e4 ,a4 ,abbott1 #ahib2 as a    
,musician1 by ,e4 ,bellasis1 #ahib2 by  
,a4 ,r4 ,waller and ,g4 ,h4 ,s4 ,burrow1
 #aija2 an ,appreciation1 by ,dr4 ,a4   
,whyte1 #aija2 ,addresses to ,cardinal  
,newman1 with his ,replies1 edited by   
,rev4 ,w4 ,p4 ,neville1 #aije2 by ,w4   
,ward 7in ,ten ,personal ,studies71     
#aijh2 ,newman's ,theology1 by ,charles 
,sarolea1 #aijh2 ,the ,authoritative    
,biography1 by ,wilfrid ,p4 ,ward 7based
 on ,cardinal ,newman's private journals
 and correspondence71 #aiab4            
,,contents    ,,part                    
,,page     ,i4 ,mr4 ,kingsley's ,method 
of ,disputation                         
#a    ,,ii4 ,true ,mode of ,meeting ,mr4
 ,kingsley                          #ae 
,,iii4 ,history of ,my ,religious       
,opinions up to #ahcc                #bi
    ,,iv4 ,history of ,my ,religious    
,opinions from #ahcc to #ahci           
#eg     ,v4 ,history of ,my ,religious  

,opinions from #ahci to #ahda           
#aja    ,,vi4 ,history of ,my ,religious
 ,opinions from #ahda to #ahde          
#adg   ,,vii4 ,general ,answer to ,mr4  
,kingsley                               
#bae        ,,appendix3 ,answer in      
,detail to ,mr4 ,kingsley's ,accusations
  #bec     ,,apologia ,,pro ,,vita ,,sua
  ,part ,i  ,mr4 ,kingsley's ,method of 
,disputation   ,i cannot be sorry to    
have forced ,mr4 ,kingsley to bring out 
in fulness his charges against me4 ,it  
is far better that he should discharge  
his thoughts upon me in my lifetime1    
than after ,i am dead4 ,under the       
circumstances ,i am happy in having the 
opportunity of reading the worst that   
can be said of me by a writer who has   
taken pains with his work and is well   
satisfied with it4 ,i account it a gain 
to be surveyed from without by one who  
hates the principles which are nearest  
to my heart1 has no personal knowledge  
of me to set right his misconceptions of
 my doctrine1 and who has some motive or

 other to be as severe with me as he can
 possibly be4  ,and first of all1 ,i beg
 to compliment him on the motto in his  
title-page2 it is felicitous4 ,a motto  
should contain1 as in a nutshell1 the   
contents1 or the character1 or the      
drift1 or the animus of the writing to  
which it is prefixed4 ,the words which  
he has taken from me are so apposite as 
to be almost prophetical4 ,there cannot 
be a better illustration than he thereby
 affords of the aphorism which ,i       
intended them to convey4 ,i said that it
 is not more than an hyperbolical       
expression to say that in certain cases 
a lie is the nearest approach to truth4 
,mr4 ,kingsley's pamphlet is            
emphatically one of such cases as are   
contemplated in that proposition4 ,i    
really believe1 that his view of me is  
about as near an approach to the truth  
about my writings and doings1 as he is  
capable of taking4 ,he has done his     
worst towards me2 but he has also done  
his best4 ,so far well2 but1 while ,i   

impute to him no malice1 ,i unfeignedly 
think1 on the other hand1 that1 in his  
invective against me1 he as faithfully  
fulfils the other half of the           
proposition also4  ,this is not a mere  
sharp retort upon ,mr4 ,kingsley1 as    
will be seen1 when ,i come to consider  
directly the subject to which the words 
of his motto relate4 ,i have enlarged on
 that subject in various passages of my 
publications2 ,i have said that minds in
 different states and circumstances     
cannot understand one another1 and that 
in all cases they must be instructed    
according to their capacity1 and1 if not
 taught step by step1 they learn only so
 much the less2 that children do not    
apprehend the thoughts of grown people1 
nor savages the instincts of            
civilization1 nor blind men the         
perceptions of sight1 nor pagans the    
doctrines of ,christianity1 nor men the 
experiences of ,angels4 ,in the same    
way1 there are people of matter-of-fact1
 prosaic minds1 who cannot take in the  

fancies of poets2 and others of shallow1
 inaccurate minds1 who cannot take in   
the ideas of philosophical inquirers4   
,in a lecture of mine ,i have           
illustrated this phenomenon by the      
supposed instance of a foreigner1 who1  
after reading a commentary on the       
principles of ,english ,law1 does not   
get nearer to a real apprehension of    
them than to be led to accuse           
,englishmen of considering that the     
queen is impeccable and infallible1 and 
that the ,parliament is omnipotent4 ,mr4
 ,kingsley has read me from beginning to
 end in the fashion in which the        
hypothetical ,russian read ,blackstone2 
not1 ,i repeat1 from malice1 but because
 of his intellectual build4 ,he appears 
to be so constituted as to have no      
notion of what goes on in minds very    
different from his own1 and moreover to 
be stone-blind to his ignorance4 ,a     
modest man or a philosopher would have  
scrupled to treat with scorn and        
scoffing1 as ,mr4 ,kingsley does in my  

own instance1 principles and            
convictions1 even if he did not         
acquiesce in them himself1 which had    
been held so widely and for so long--the
 beliefs and devotions and customs which
 have been the religious life of        
millions upon millions of ,christians   
for nearly twenty centuries--for this in
 fact is the task on which he is        
spending his pains4 ,had he been a man  
of large or cautious mind1 he would not 
have taken it for granted that          
cultivation must lead every one to see  
things precisely as he sees them        
himself4 ,but the narrow-minded are the 
more prejudiced by very reason of their 
narrowness4 ,the apostle bids us in     
malice be children1 but in understanding
 be men4 ,i am glad to recognise in ,mr4
 ,kingsley an illustration of the first 
half of this precept2 but ,i should not 
be honest1 if ,i ascribed to him any    
sort of fulfilment of the second4  ,i   
wish ,i could speak as favourably either
 of his drift or of his method of       

arguing1 as ,i can of his convictions4  
,as to his drift1 ,i think its ultimate 
point is an attack upon the ,catholic   
,religion4 ,it is ,i indeed1 whom he is 
immediately insulting--still1 he views  
me only as a representative1 and on the 
whole a fair one1 of a class or caste of
 men1 to whom1 conscious as ,i am of my 
own integrity1 ,i ascribe an excellence 
superior to mine4 ,he desires to impress
 upon the public mind the conviction    
that ,i am a crafty1 scheming man1      
simply untrustworthy2 that1 in becoming 
a ,catholic1 ,i have just found my right
 place2 that ,i do but justify and am   
properly interpreted by the common      
,english notion of ,roman casuists and  
confessors2 that ,i was secretly a      
,catholic when ,i was openly professing 
to be a clergyman of the ,established   
,church2 that so far from bringing1 by  
means of my conversion1 when at length  
it openly took place1 any strength to   
the ,catholic cause1 ,i am really a     
burden to it--an additional evidence of 

the fact1 that to be a pure1 german1    
genuine ,catholic1 a man must be either 
a knave or a fool4   ,these last words  
bring me to ,mr4 ,kingsley's method of  
disputation1 which ,i must criticise    
with much severity2--in his drift he    
does but follow the ordinary beat of    
controversy1 but in his mode of arguing 
he is actually dishonest4  ,he says that
 ,i am either a knave or a fool1 and 7as
 we shall see by and by7 he is not quite
 sure which1 probably both4 ,he tells   
his readers that on one occasion he said
 that he had fears ,i should end in one 
or other of two misfortunes4 ,he would  
either1 he continues1 destroy his own   
sense of honesty1 i4e4 conscious        
truthfulness--and become a dishonest    
person2 or he would destroy his common  
sense1 i4e4 unconscious truthfulness1   
and become the slave and puppet         
seemingly of his own logic1 really of   
his own fancy4444 ,i thought for years  
past that he had become the former2 ,i  
now see that he has become the latter4  

7p4 #bj74 ,again1 ,when ,i read these   
outrages upon common sense1 what wonder 
if ,i said to myself1 ',this man cannot 
believe what he is saying8' 7p4 #bf74   
,such has been ,mr4 ,kingsley's state of
 mind till lately1 but now he considers 
that ,i am possessed with a spirit of   
almost boundless silliness1 of simple   
credulity1 the child of scepticism1 of  
absurdity 7p4 #da71 of a self-deception 
which has become a sort of frantic      
honesty 7p4 #bf74 ,and as to his        
fundamental reason for this change1 he  
tells us1 he really does not know what  
it is 7p4 #dd74 ,however1 let the reason
 be what it will1 its upshot is         
intelligible enough4 ,he is enabled at  
once1 by this professed change of       
judgment about me1 to put forward one of
 these alternatives1 yet to keep the    
other in reserve2--and this he actually 
does4 ,he need not commit himself to a  
definite accusation against me1 such as 
requires definite proof and admits of   
definite refutation2 for he has two     

strings to his bow2--when he is thrown  
off his balance on the one leg1 he can  
recover himself by the use of the other4
 ,if ,i demonstrate that ,i am not a    
knave1 he may exclaim1 ,oh1 but you are 
a fool6 and when ,i demonstrate that ,i 
am not a fool1 he may turn round and    
retort1 ,well1 then1 you are a knave4 ,i
 have no objection to reply to his      
arguments in behalf of either           
alternative1 but ,i should have been    
better pleased to have been allowed to  
take them one at a time4  ,but ,i have  
not yet done full justice to the method 
of disputation1 which ,mr4 ,kingsley    
thinks it right to adopt4 ,observe this 
first3--,he means by a man who is silly 
not a man who is to be pitied1 but a man
 who is to be abhorred4 ,he means a man 
who is not simply weak and incapable1   
but a moral leper2 a man who1 if not a  
knave1 has everything bad about him     
except knavery2 nay1 rather1 has        
together with every other worst vice1 a 
spice of knavery to boot4 ,his simpleton

 is one who has become such1 in judgment
 for his having once been a knave4 ,his 
simpleton is not a born fool1 but a     
self-made idiot1 one who has drugged and
 abused himself into a shameless        
depravity2 one1 who1 without any        
misgiving or remorse1 is guilty of      
drivelling superstition1 of reckless    
violation of sacred things1 of fanatical
 excesses1 of passionate inanities1 of  
unmanly audacious tyranny over the weak1
 meriting the wrath of fathers and      
brothers4 ,this is that milder judgment1
 which he seems to pride himself upon as
 so much charity2 and1 as he expresses  
it1 he does not know why4 ,this is what 
he really meant in his letter to me of  
,january #ad1 when he withdrew his      
charge of my being dishonest4 ,he said1 
,the tone of your letters1 even more    
than their language1 makes me feel1 to  
my very deep pleasure1--what8 that you  
have gambled away your reason1 that you 
are an intellectual sot1 that you are a 
fool in a frenzy4 ,and in his pamphlet1 

he gives us this explanation why he did 
not say this to my face1 viz4 that he   
had been told that ,i was in weak       
health1 and was averse to controversy1  
7pp4 #f and #h74 ,he felt some regret   
for having disturbed me4  ,but ,i pass  
on from these multiform imputations1 and
 confine myself to this one             
consideration1 viz4 that he has made any
 fresh imputation upon me at all4 ,he   
gave up the charge of knavery2 well and 
good3 but where was the logical         
necessity of his bringing another8 ,i am
 sitting at home without a thought of   
,mr4 ,kingsley2 he wantonly breaks in   
upon me with the charge that ,i had     
informed the world that ,truth for its  
own sake need not and on the whole ought
 not to be a virtue with the ,roman     
clergy4 ,when challenged on the point he
 cannot bring a fragment of evidence in 
proof of his assertion1 and he is       
convicted of false witness by the voice 
of the world4 ,well1 ,i should have     
thought that he had now nothing whatever

 more to do4 ,vain man6 he seems to make
 answer1 what simplicity in you to think
 so6 ,if you have not broken one        
commandment1 let us see whether we      
cannot convict you of the breach of     
another4 ,if you are not a swindler or  
forger1 you are guilty of arson or      
burglary4 ,by hook or by crook you shall
 not escape4 ,are you to suffer or ,i8  
,what does it matter to you who are     
going off the stage1 to receive a slight
 additional daub upon a character so    
deeply stained already8 ,but think of   
me1 the immaculate lover of ,truth1 so  
observant 7as ,i have told you p4 #h7 of
 'hault courage and strict honour1'--and
 7aside7--'and not as this publican'--do
 you think ,i can let you go scot free  
instead of myself8 ,no2 noblesse oblige4
 ,go to the shades1 old man1 and boast  
that ,achilles sent you thither4  ,but  
,i have not even yet done with ,mr4     
,kingsley's method of disputation4      
,observe secondly3--when a man is said  
to be a knave or a fool1 it is commonly 

meant that he is either the one or the  
other2 and that1--either in the sense   
that the hypothesis of his being a fool 
is too absurd to be entertained2 or1    
again1 as a sort of contemptuous        
acquittal of one1 who after all has not 
wit enough to be wicked4 ,but this is   
not at all what ,mr4 ,kingsley proposes 
to himself in the antithesis which he   
suggests to his readers4 ,though he     
speaks of me as an utter dotard and     
fanatic1 yet all along1 from the        
beginning of his pamphlet to the end1 he
 insinuates1 he proves from my writings1
 and at length in his last pages he     
openly pronounces1 that after all he was
 right at first1 in thinking me a       
conscious liar and deceiver4  ,now ,i   
wish to dwell on this point4 ,it cannot 
be doubted1 ,i say1 that1 in spite of   
his professing to consider me as a      
dotard and driveller1 on the ground of  
his having given up the notion of my    
being a knave1 yet it is the very staple
 of his pamphlet that a knave after all 

,i must be4 ,by insinuation1 or by      
implication1 or by question1 or by      
irony1 or by sneer1 or by parable1 he   
enforces again and again a conclusion   
which he does not categorically         
enunciate4  ,for instance 7#a7 ,p4 #ad4 
,i know that men used to suspect ,dr4   
,newman1 ,i have been inclined to do so 
myself1 of writing a whole sermon 444   
for the sake of one single passing hint1
 one phrase1 one epithet1 one little    
barbed arrow which 444 he delivered     
unheeded1 as with his finger tip1 to the
 very heart of an initiated hearer1     
never to be withdrawn again4  7#b7 ,p4  
#ae4 ,how was ,i to know that the       
preacher1 who had the reputation of     
being the most acute man of his         
generation1 and of having a specially   
intimate acquaintance with the          
weaknesses of the human heart1 was      
utterly blind to the broad meaning and  
the plain practical result of a sermon  
like this1 delivered before fanatic and 
hot-headed young men1 who hung upon his 

every word8 ,that he did not foresee    
that they would think that they obeyed  
him1 by becoming affected1 artificial1  
sly1 shifty1 ready for concealments and 
equivocations8  7#c7 ,p4 #ag4 ,no one   
would have suspected him to be a        
dishonest man1 if he had not perversely 
chosen to assume a style which 7as he   
himself confesses7 the world always     
associates with dishonesty4  7#d7 ,pp4  
#bi1 #cj4 ,if he will indulge in subtle 
paradoxes1 in rhetorical exaggerations2 
if1 whenever he touches on the question 
of truth and honesty1 he will take a    
perverse pleasure in saying something   
shocking to plain ,english notions1 he  
must take the consequences of his own   
eccentricities4  7#e7 ,p4 #cd4 ,at which
 most of my readers will be inclined to 
cry3 ',let ,dr4 ,newman alone1 after    
that4444 ,he had a human reason once1 no
 doubt3 but he has gambled it away4' 444
 ,true3 so true1 etc4  7#f7 ,p4 #cd4 ,he
 continues3 ,i should never have written
 these pages1 save because it was my    

duty to show the world1 if not ,dr4     
,newman1 how the mistake 767 of his not 
caring for truth arose4  7#g7 ,p4 #cg4  
,and this is the man1 who when accused  
of countenancing falsehood1 puts on     
first a tone of plaintive 767 and       
startled innocence1 and then one of smug
 self-satisfaction--as who should ask1  
',what have ,i said8 ,what have ,i done8
 ,why am ,i on my trial8'  7#h7 ,p4 #dj4
 ,what ,dr4 ,newman teaches is clear at 
last1 and ,i see now how deeply ,i have 
wronged him4 ,so far from thinking truth
 for its own sake to be no virtue1 he   
considers it a virtue so lofty as to be 
unattainable by man4  7#i7 ,p4 #dc4     
,there is no use in wasting words on    
this 'economical' statement of ,dr4     
,newman's4 ,i shall only say that there 
are people in the world whom it is very 
difficult to help4 ,as soon as they are 
got out of one scrape1 they walk        
straight into another4  7#aj7 ,p4 #dc4  
,dr4 ,newman has shown 'wisdom' enough  
of that serpentine type which is his    

professed ideal4444 ,yes1 ,dr4 ,newman  
is a very economical person4  7#aa7 ,p4 
#dd4 ,dr4 ,newman tries1 by cunning     
sleight-of-hand logic1 to prove that ,i 
did not believe the accusation when ,i  
made it4  7#ab7 ,p4 #de4 ,these are hard
 words4 ,if ,dr4 ,newman shall complain 
of them1 ,i can only remind him of the  
fate which befel the stork caught among 
the cranes1 even though the stork had   
not done all he could to make himself   
like a crane1 as ,dr4 ,newman has1 by   
'economising' on the very title-page of 
his pamphlet4  ,these last words bring  
us to another and far worse instance of 
these slanderous assaults upon me1 but  
its place is in a subsequent page4  ,now
 it may be asked of me1 ,well1 why      
should not ,mr4 ,kingsley take a course 
such as this8 ,it was his original      
assertion that ,dr4 ,newman was a       
professed liar1 and a patron of lies2 he
 spoke somewhat at random1 granted2 but 
now he has got up his references and he 
is proving1 not perhaps the very thing  

which he said at first1 but something   
very like it1 and to say the least quite
 as bad4 ,he is now only aiming to      
justify morally his original assertion2 
why is he not at liberty to do so8  ,why
 should he not now insinuate that ,i am 
a liar and a knave6 he had of course a  
perfect right to make such a charge1 if 
he chose2 he might have said1 ,i was    
virtually right1 and here is the proof  
of it1 but this he has not done1 but on 
the contrary has professed that he no   
longer draws from my works1 as he did   
before1 the inference of my dishonesty4 
,he says distinctly1 p4 #bf1 ,when ,i   
read these outrages upon common sense1  
what wonder if ,i said to myself1 ',this
 man cannot believe what he is saying8' 
,i believe ,i was wrong4 ,and in p4 #ca1
 ,i said1 ,this man has no real care for
 truth4 ,truth for its own sake is no   
virtue in his eyes1 and he teaches that 
it need not be4 ,i do not say that now4 
,and in p4 #da1 ,i do not call this     
conscious dishonesty2 the man who wrote 

that sermon was already past the        
possibility of such a sin4  ,why should 
he not6 because it is on the ground of  
my not being a knave that he calls me a 
fool2 adding to the words just quoted1  
,my readers have fallen perhaps into the
 prevailing superstition that cleverness
 is synonymous with wisdom4 ,they cannot
 believe that 7as is too certain7 great 
literary and even barristerial ability  
may co-exist with almost boundless      
silliness4  ,why should he not6 because 
he has taken credit to himself for that 
high feeling of honour which refuses to 
withdraw a concession which once has    
been made2 though 7wonderful to say671  
at the very time that he is recording   
this magnanimous resolution1 he lets it 
out of the bag that his relinquishment  
of it is only a profession and a        
pretence2 for he says1 p4 #h3 ,i have   
accepted ,dr4 ,newman's denial that the 
,sermon means what ,i thought it did2   
and heaven forbid 7oh67 that ,i should  
withdraw my word once given1 at whatever

 disadvantage to myself4 ,disadvantage6 
but nothing can be advantageous to him  
which is untrue2 therefore in           
proclaiming that the concession of my   
honesty is a disadvantage to him1 he    
thereby implies unequivocally that there
 is some probability still1 that ,i am  
dishonest4 ,he goes on1 ,i am informed  
by those from whose judgment on such    
points there is no appeal1 that 'en     
hault courage1' and strict honour1 ,i am
 also precluded1 by the terms of my     
explanation1 from using any other of    
,dr4 ,newman's past writings to prove my
 assertion4 ,and then1 ,i have declared 
,dr4 ,newman to have been an honest man 
up to the #ast of ,february1 #ahfd2 it  
was1 as ,i shall show1 only ,dr4        
,newman's fault that ,i ever thought him
 to be anything else4 ,it depends       
entirely on ,dr4 ,newman whether he     
shall sustain the reputation which he   
has so recently acquired1 7by diploma of
 course from ,mr4 ,kingsley47 ,if ,i    
give him thereby a fresh advantage in   

this argument1 he is most welcome to it4
 ,he needs1 it seems to me1 as many     
advantages as possible4  ,what a        
princely mind6 ,how loyal to his rash   
promise1 how delicate towards the       
subject of it1 how conscientious in his 
interpretation of it6 ,i have no thought
 of irreverence towards a ,scripture    
,saint1 who was actuated by a very      
different spirit from ,mr4 ,kingsley's1 
but somehow since ,i read his pamphlet  
words have been running in my head1     
which ,i find in the ,douay version     
thus2 ,thou hast also with thee ,semei  
the son of ,gera1 who cursed me with a  
grievous curse when ,i went to the camp1
 but ,i swore to him1 saying1 ,i will   
not kill thee with the sword4 ,do not   
thou hold him guiltless4 ,but thou art a
 wise man and knowest what to do with   
him1 and thou shalt bring down his grey 
hairs with blood to hell4  ,now ,i ask1 
,why could not ,mr4 ,kingsley be open8  
,if he intended still to arraign me on  
the charge of lying1 why could he not   

say so as a man8 ,why must he insinuate1
 question1 imply1 and use sneering and  
irony1 as if longing to touch a         
forbidden fruit1 which still he was     
afraid would burn his fingers1 if he did
 so8 ,why must he palter in a double    
sense1 and blow hot and cold in one     
breath8 ,he first said he considered me 
a patron of lying2 well1 he changed his 
opinion2 and as to the logical ground of
 this change1 he said that1 if any one  
asked him what it was1 he could only    
answer that he really did not know4 ,why
 could not he change back again1 and say
 he did not know why8 ,he had quite a   
right to do so2 and then his conduct    
would have been so far straightforward  
and unexceptionable4 ,but no2--in the   
very act of professing to believe in my 
sincerity1 he takes care to show the    
world that it is a profession and       
nothing more4 ,that very proceeding     
which at p4 #ae he lays to my charge    
7whereas ,i detest it71 of avowing one  
thing and thinking another1 that        

proceeding he here exemplifies himself2 
and yet1 while indulging in practices as
 offensive as this1 he ventures to speak
 of his sensitive admiration of hault   
courage and strict honour6 ,i forgive   
you1 ,sir ,knight1 says the heroine in  
the ,romance1 ,i forgive you as a       
,christian4 ,that means1 said ,wamba1   
that she does not forgive him at all4   
,mr4 ,kingsley's word of honour is about
 as valuable as in the jester's opinion 
was the ,christian charity of ,rowena4  
,but here we are brought to a further   
specimen of ,mr4 ,kingsley's method of  
disputation1 and having duly exhibited  
it1 ,i shall have done with him4  ,it is
 his last1 and he has intentionally     
reserved it for his last4 ,let it be    
recollected that he professed to absolve
 me from his original charge of         
dishonesty up to ,february #a4 ,and     
further1 he implies that1 at the time   
when he was writing1 ,i had not yet     
involved myself in any fresh acts       
suggestive of that sin4 ,he says that ,i

 have had a great escape of conviction1 
that he hopes ,i shall take warning1 and
 act more cautiously4 ,it depends       
entirely1 he says1 on ,dr4 ,newman1     
whether he shall sustain the reputation 
which he has so recently acquired 7p4   
#h74 ,thus1 in ,mr4 ,kingsley's         
judgment1 ,i was then1 when he wrote    
these words1 still innocent of          
dishonesty1 for a man cannot sustain    
what he actually has not got2 only he   
could not be sure of my future4 ,could  
not be sure6 ,why at this very time he  
had already noted down valid proofs1 as 
he thought them1 that ,i had already    
forfeited the character which he        
contemptuously accorded to me4 ,he had  
cautiously said up to ,february #ast1 in
 order to reserve the title-page and    
last three pages of my pamphlet1 which  
were not published till ,february #abth1
 and out of these four pages1 which he  
had not whitewashed1 he had already     
forged charges against me of dishonesty 
at the very time that he implied that as

 yet there was nothing against me4 ,when
 he gave me that plenary condonation1 as
 it seemed to be1 he had already done   
his best that ,i should never enjoy it4 
,he knew well at p4 #h1 what he meant to
 say at pp4 #dd and #de4 ,at best indeed
 ,i was only out upon ticket of leave2  
but that ticket was a pretence2 he had  
made it forfeit when he gave it4 ,but he
 did not say so at once1 first1 because 
between p4 #h and p4 #dd he meant to    
talk a great deal about my idiotcy and  
my frenzy1 which would have been simply 
out of place1 had he proved me too soon 
to be a knave again2 and next1 because  
he meant to exhaust all those           
insinuations about my knavery in the    
past1 which strict honour did not permit
 him to countenance1 in order thereby to
 give colour and force to his direct    
charges of knavery in the present1 which
 strict honour did permit him to        
handsel4 ,so in the fifth act he gave a 
start1 and found to his horror that1 in 
my miserable four pages1 ,i had         

committed the enormity of an economy1   
which in matter of fact he had got by   
heart before he began the play4 ,nay1 he
 suddenly found two1 three1 and 7for    
what he knew7 as many as four profligate
 economies in that title-page and those 
,reflections1 and he uses the language  
of distress and perplexity at this      
appalling discovery4  ,now why this coup
 de theatre8 ,the reason soon breaks on 
us4 ,up to ,february #a1 he could not   
categorically arraign me for lying1 and 
therefore could not involve me 7as was  
so necessary for his case71 in the      
popular abhorrence which is felt for the
 casuists of ,rome3 but1 as soon as ever
 he could openly and directly pronounce 
7saving his hault courage and strict    
honour7 that ,i am guilty of three or   
four new economies1 then at once ,i am  
made to bear1 not only my own sins1 but 
the sins of other people also1 and1     
though ,i have been condoned the knavery
 of my antecedents1 ,i am guilty of the 
knavery of a whole priesthood instead4  

,so the hour of doom for ,semei is come1
 and the wise man knows what to do with 
him2--he is down upon me with the odious
 names of ,st4 ,alfonso da ,liguori1 and
 ,scavini and ,neyraguet1 and the       
,romish moralists1 and their compeers   
and pupils1 and ,i am at once merged and
 whirled away in the gulph of notorious 
quibblers1 and hypocrites1 and rogues4  
,but we have not even yet got at the    
real object of the stroke1 thus reserved
 for his finale4 ,i really feel sad for 
what ,i am obliged now to say4 ,i am in 
warfare with him1 but ,i wish him no    
ill2--it is very difficult to get up    
resentment towards persons whom one has 
never seen4 ,it is easy enough to be    
irritated with friends or foes1         
vis-a-vis2 but1 though ,i am writing    
with all my heart against what he has   
said of me1 ,i am not conscious of      
personal unkindness towards himself4 ,i 
think it necessary to write as ,i am    
writing1 for my own sake1 and for the   
sake of the ,catholic priesthood2 but ,i

 wish to impute nothing worse to        
,kingsley than that he has been         
furiously carried away by his feelings4 
,but what shall ,i say of the upshot of 
all this talk of my economies and       
equivocations and the like8 ,what is the
 precise work which it is directed to   
effect8 ,i am at war with him2 but there
 is such a thing as legitimate warfare3 
war has its laws2 there are things which
 may fairly be done1 and things which   
may not be done4 ,i say it with shame   
and with stern sorrow2--he has attempted
 a great transgression2 he has attempted
 7as ,i may call it7 to poison the      
wells4 ,i will quote him and explain    
what ,i mean4  ,dr4 ,newman tries1 by   
cunning sleight-of-hand logic1 to prove 
that ,i did not believe the accusation  
when ,i made it4 ,therein he is         
mistaken4 ,i did believe it1 and ,i     
believed also his indignant denial4 ,but
 when he goes on to ask with sneers1 why
 ,i should believe his denial1 if ,i did
 not consider him trustworthy in the    

first instance8 ,i can only answer1 ,i  
really do not know4 ,there is a great   
deal to be said for that view1 now that 
,dr4 ,newman has become 7one must needs 
suppose7 suddenly and since the #ast of 
,february1 #ahfd1 a convert to the      
economic views of ,st4 ,alfonso da      
,liguori and his compeers4 ,i am        
henceforth in doubt and fear1 as much as
 any honest man can be1 concerning every
 word ,dr4 ,newman may write4 ,how can  
,i tell that ,i shall not be the dupe of
 some cunning equivocation1 of one of   
the three kinds laid down as permissible
 by the blessed ,alfonso da ,liguori and
 his pupils1 even when confirmed by an  
oath1 because 'then we do not deceive   
our neighbour1 but allow him to deceive 
himself8' 444 ,it is admissible1        
therefore1 to use words and sentences   
which have a double signification1 and  
leave the hapless hearer to take which  
of them he may choose4 ,what proof have 
,i1 then1 that by 'mean it8 ,i never    
said it6' ,dr4 ,newman does not signify1

 ,i did not say it1 but ,i did mean     
it8--,pp4 #dd1 #de4  ,now these         
insinuations and questions shall be     
answered in their proper places2 here ,i
 will but say that ,i scorn and detest  
lying1 and quibbling1 and double-tongued
 practice1 and slyness1 and cunning1 and
 smoothness1 and cant1 and pretence1    
quite as much as any ,protestants hate  
them2 and ,i pray to be kept from the   
snare of them4 ,but all this is just now
 by the bye2 my present subject is ,mr4 
,kingsley2 what ,i insist upon here1 now
 that ,i am bringing this portion of my 
discussion to a close1 is this unmanly  
attempt of his1 in his concluding pages1
 to cut the ground from under my        
feet2--to poison by anticipation the    
public mind against me1 ,john ,henry    
,newman1 and to infuse into the         
imaginations of my readers1 suspicion   
and mistrust of everything that ,i may  
say in reply to him4 ,this ,i call      
poisoning the wells4  ,i am henceforth  
in doubt and fear1 he says1 as much as  

any honest man can be1 concerning every 
word ,dr4 ,newman may write4 ,how can ,i
 tell that ,i shall not be the dupe of  
some cunning equivocation8 444 ,what    
proof have ,i1 that by 'mean it8 ,i     
never said it6' ,dr4 ,newman does not   
signify1 ',i did not say it1 but ,i did 
mean it'8  ,well1 ,i can only say1 that1
 if his taunt is to take effect1 ,i am  
but wasting my time in saying a word in 
answer to his foul calumnies2 and this  
is precisely what he knows and intends  
to be its fruit4 ,i can hardly get      
myself to protest against a method of   
controversy so base and cruel1 lest in  
doing so1 ,i should be violating my     
self-respect and self-possession2 but   
most base and most cruel it is4 ,we all 
know how our imagination runs away with 
us1 how suddenly and at what a          
pace2--the saying1 ,caesar's wife should
 not be suspected1 is an instance of    
what ,i mean4 ,the habitual prejudice1  
the humour of the moment1 is the        
turning-point which leads us to read a  

defence in a good sense or a bad4 ,we   
interpret it by our antecedent          
impressions4 ,the very same sentiments1 
according as our jealousy is or is not  
awake1 or our aversion stimulated1 are  
tokens of truth or of dissimulation and 
pretence4 ,there is a story of a sane   
person being by mistake shut up in the  
wards of a lunatic asylum1 and that1    
when he pleaded his cause to some       
strangers visiting the establishment1   
the only remark he elicited in answer   
was1 ,how naturally he talks6 you would 
think he was in his senses4             
,controversies should be decided by the 
reason2 is it legitimate warfare to     
appeal to the misgivings of the public  
mind and to its dislikings8 ,anyhow1 if 
,mr4 ,kingsley is able thus to practise 
upon my readers1 the more ,i succeed1   
the less will be my success4 ,if ,i am  
natural1 he will tell them1 ,ars est    
celare artem2 if ,i am convincing1 he   
will suggest that ,i am an able         
logician2 if ,i show warmth1 ,i am      

acting the indignant innocent2 if ,i am 
calm1 ,i am thereby detected as a smooth
 hypocrite2 if ,i clear up difficulties1
 ,i am too plausible and perfect to be  
true4 ,the more triumphant are my       
statements1 the more certain will be my 
defeat4  ,so will it be if ,mr4         
,kingsley succeeds in his manoeuvre2 but
 ,i do not for an instant believe that  
he will4 ,whatever judgment my readers  
may eventually form of me from these    
pages1 ,i am confident that they will   
believe me in what ,i shall say in the  
course of them4 ,i have no misgiving it 
all1 that they will be ungenerous or    
harsh with a man who has been so long   
before the eyes of the world2 who has so
 many to speak of him from personal     
knowledge2 whose natural impulse it has 
ever been to speak out2 who has ever    
spoken too much rather than too little2 
who would have saved himself many a     
scrape1 if he had been wise enough to   
hold his tongue2 who has ever been fair 
to the doctrines and arguments of his   

opponents2 who has never slurred over   
facts and reasonings which told against 
himself2 who has never given his name or
 authority to proofs which he thought   
unsound1 or to testimony which he did   
not think at least plausible2 who has   
never shrunk from confessing a fault    
when he felt that he had committed one2 
who has ever consulted for others more  
than for himself2 who has given up much 
that he loved and prized and could have 
retained1 but that he loved honesty     
better than name1 and truth better than 
dear friends4   ,and now ,i am in a     
train of thought higher and more serene 
than any which slanders can disturb4    
,away with you1 ,mr4 ,kingsley1 and fly 
into space4 ,your name shall occur again
 as little as ,i can help1 in the course
 of these pages4 ,i shall henceforth    
occupy myself not with you1 but with    
your charges4     ,part ,,ii  ,true     
,mode of ,meeting ,mr4 ,kingsley   ,what
 shall be the special imputation1       
against which ,i shall throw myself in  

these pages1 out of the thousand and one
 which my accuser directs upon me8 ,i   
mean to confine myself to one1 for there
 is only one about which ,i much        
care--the charge of untruthfulness4 ,he 
may cast upon me as many other          
imputations as he pleases1 and they may 
stick on me1 as long as they can1 in the
 course of nature4 ,they will fall to   
the ground in their season4  ,and indeed
 ,i think the same of the charge of     
untruthfulness1 and ,i select it from   
the rest1 not because it is more        
formidable1 but because it is more      
serious4 ,like the rest1 it may         
disfigure me for a time1 but it will not
 stain3 ,archbishop ,whately used to    
say1 ,throw dirt enough1 and some will  
stick2 well1 will stick1 but not stain4 
,i think he used to mean stain1 and ,i  
do not agree with him4 ,some dirt sticks
 longer than other dirt2 but no dirt is 
immortal4 ,according to the old saying1 
,praevalebit ,veritas4 ,there are       
virtues indeed1 which the world is not  

fitted to judge about or to uphold1 such
 as faith1 hope1 and charity3 but it can
 judge about truthfulness2 it can judge 
about the natural virtues1 and          
truthfulness is one of them4 ,natural   
virtues may also become supernatural2   
truthfulness is such2 but that does not 
withdraw it from the jurisdiction of    
mankind at large4 ,it may be more       
difficult in this or that particular    
case for men to take cognizance of it1  
as it may be difficult for the ,court of
 ,queen's ,bench at ,westminster to try 
a case fairly which took place in       
,hindoostan2 but that is a question of  
capacity1 not of right4 ,mankind has the
 right to judge of truthfulness in the  
case of a ,catholic1 as in the case of a
 ,protestant1 of an ,italian1 or of a   
,chinese4 ,i have never doubted1 that in
 my hour1 in ,god's hour1 my avenger    
will appear1 and the world will acquit  
me of untruthfulness1 even though it be 
not while ,i live4  ,still more         
confident am ,i of such eventual        

acquittal1 seeing that my judges are my 
own countrymen4 ,i think1 indeed1       
,englishmen the most suspicious and     
touchy of mankind2 ,i think them        
unreasonable and unjust in their seasons
 of excitement2 but ,i had rather be an 
,englishman 7as in fact ,i am7 than     
belong to any other race under heaven4  
,they are as generous1 as they are hasty
 and burly2 and their repentance for    
their injustice is greater than their   
sin4  ,for twenty years and more ,i have
 borne an imputation1 of which ,i am at 
least as sensitive1 who am the object of
 it1 as they can be1 who are only the   
judges4 ,i have not set myself to remove
 it1 first1 because ,i never have had an
 opening to speak1 and1 next1 because ,i
 never saw in them the disposition to   
hear4 ,i have wished to appeal from     
,philip drunk to ,philip sober4 ,when   
shall ,i pronounce him to be himself    
again8 ,if ,i may judge from the tone of
 the public press1 which represents the 
public voice1 ,i have great reason to   

take heart at this time4 ,i have been   
treated by contemporary critics in this 
controversy with great fairness and     
gentleness1 and ,i am grateful to them  
for it4 ,however1 the decision of the   
time and mode of my defence has been    
taken out of my hands2 and ,i am        
thankful that it has been so4 ,i am     
bound now as a duty to myself1 to the   
,catholic cause1 to the ,catholic       
priesthood1 to give account of myself   
without any delay1 when ,i am so rudely 
and circumstantially charged with       
untruthfulness4 ,i accept the challenge2
 ,i shall do my best to meet it1 and ,i 
shall be content when ,i have done so4  
,i confine myself then1 in these pages1 
to the charge of untruthfulness2 and ,i 
hereby cart away1 as so much rubbish1   
the impertinences1 with which the       
pamphlet of ,accusation swarms4 ,i shall
 not think it necessary here to examine1
 whether ,i am worked into a pitch of   
confusion1 or have carried              
self-deception to perfection1 or am     

anxious to show my credulity1 or am in a
 morbid state of mind1 or hunger for    
nonsense as my food1 or indulge in      
subtle paradoxes and rhetorical         
exaggerations1 or have eccentricities or
 teach in a style utterly beyond my     
accuser's comprehension1 or create in   
him blank astonishment1 or exalt the    
magical powers of my ,church1 or have   
unconsciously committed myself to a     
statement which strikes at the root of  
all morality1 or look down on the       
,protestant gentry as without hope of   
heaven1 or had better be sent to the    
furthest ,catholic mission among the    
savages of the ,south seas1 than to     
teach in an ,irish ,catholic            
,university1 or have gambled away my    
reason1 or adopt sophistries1 or have   
published sophisms piled upon sophisms1 
or have in my sermons culminating       
wonders1 or have a seemingly sceptical  
method1 or have barristerial ability and
 almost boundless silliness1 or make    
great mistakes1 or am a subtle          

dialectician1 or perhaps have lost my   
temper1 or misquote ,scripture1 or am   
antiscriptural1 or border very closely  
on the ,pelagian heresy4--,pp4 #e1 #g1  
#bf1 #bi-cd1 #cg1 #ch1 #da1 #dc1 #dd1   
#dh4  ,these all are impertinences2 and 
the list is so long that ,i am almost   
sorry to have given them room which     
might be better used4 ,however1 there   
they are1 or at least a portion of them2
 and having noticed them thus much1 ,i  
shall notice them no more4   ,coming    
then to the subject1 which is to furnish
 the staple of my publication1 the      
question of my truthfulness1 ,i first   
direct attention to the passage which   
the ,act of ,accusation contains at p4  
#h and p4 #db4 ,i shall give my reason  
presently1 why ,i begin with it4  ,my   
accuser is speaking of my sermon on     
,wisdom and ,innocence1 and he says1 ,it
 must be remembered always that it is   
not a ,protestant1 but a ,romish        
sermon4--,p4 #h4  ,then at p4 #db he    
continues1 ,dr4 ,newman does not apply  

to it that epithet4 ,he called it in his
 letter to me of the #gth of ,january   
7published by him7 a ',protestant' one4 
,i remarked that1 but considered it a   
mere slip of the pen4 ,besides1 ,i have 
now nothing to say to that letter4 ,it  
is to his ',reflections1' in p4 #cb1    
which are open ground to me1 that ,i    
refer4 ,in them he deliberately repeats 
the epithet ',protestant3' only he1 in  
an utterly imaginary conversation1 puts 
it into my mouth1 'which you preached   
when a ,protestant4' ,i call the man who
 preached that ,sermon a ,protestant8 ,i
 should have sooner called him a        
,buddhist4 ,at that very time he was    
teaching his disciples to scorn and     
repudiate that name of ,protestant1     
under which1 for some reason or other1  
he now finds it convenient to take      
shelter4 ,if he forgets1 the world does 
not1 the famous article in the ,british 
,critic 7the then organ of his party71  
of three years before1 ,july #ahda1     
which1 after denouncing the name of     

,protestant1 declared the object of the 
party to be none other than the         
'unprotestantising' the ,english        
,church4  ,in this passage my accuser   
asserts or implies1 #a1 that the sermon1
 on which he originally grounded his    
slander against me in the ,january ,no4 
of the magazine1 was really and in      
matter of fact a ,romish ,sermon2 #b1   
that ,i ought in my pamphlet to have    
acknowledged this fact2 #c1 that ,i     
didn't4 #d1 ,that ,i actually called it 
instead a ,protestant ,sermon4 #e1 ,that
 at the time when ,i published it1      
twenty years ago1 ,i should have denied 
that it was a ,protestant sermon4 #f1   
,by consequence1 ,i should in that      
denial have avowed that it was a ,romish
 ,sermon2 #g1 and therefore1 not only1  
when ,i was in the ,established ,church1
 was ,i guilty of the dishonesty of     
preaching what at the time ,i knew to be
 a ,romish ,sermon1 but now too1 in     
#ahfd1 ,i have committed the additional 
dishonesty of calling it a ,protestant  

sermon4 ,if my accuser does not mean    
this1 ,i submit to such reparation as ,i
 owe him for my mistake1 but ,i cannot  
make out that he means anything else4   
,here are two main points to be         
considered2 #a1 ,i in #ahfd have called 
it a ,protestant ,sermon4 #b1 ,he in    
#ahdd and now has styled it a ,popish   
,sermon4 ,let me take these two points  
separately4  #a4 ,certainly1 when ,i was
 in the ,english ,church1 ,i did disown 
the word ,protestant1 and that1 even at 
an earlier date than my accuser names2  
but just let us see whether this fact is
 anything at all to the purpose of his  
accusation4 ,last ,january #gth ,i spoke
 to this effect3 ,how can you prove that
 ,father ,newman informs us of a certain
 thing about the ,roman ,clergy1 by     
referring to a ,protestant sermon of the
 ,vicar of ,st4 ,mary's8 ,my accuser    
answers me thus3 ,there's a quibble6    
why1 ,protestant is not the word which  
you would have used when at ,st4        
,mary's1 and yet you use it now6 ,very  

true2 ,i do2 but what on earth does this
 matter to my argument8 how does this   
word ,protestant1 which ,i used1 tend in
 any degree to make my argument a       
quibble8 ,what word should ,i have used 
twenty years ago instead of ,protestant8
 ,roman or ,romish8 by no manner of     
means4  ,my accuser indeed says that it 
must always be remembered that it is not
 a ,protestant but a ,romish sermon4 ,he
 implies1 and1 ,i suppose1 he thinks1   
that not to be a ,protestant is to be a 
,roman2 he may say so1 if he pleases1   
but so did not say that large body who  
have been called by the name of         
,tractarians1 as all the world knows4   
,the movement proceeded on the very     
basis of denying that position which my 
accuser takes for granted that ,i       
allowed4 ,it ever said1 and it says now1
 that there is something between        
,protestant and ,romish2 that there is a
 ,via ,media which is neither the one   
nor the other4 ,had ,i been asked twenty
 years ago1 what the doctrine of the    

,established ,church was1 ,i should have
 answered1 ,neither ,romish nor         
,protestant1 but ',anglican' or         
',anglo-catholic4' ,i should never have 
granted that the sermon was ,romish2 ,i 
should have denied1 and that with an    
internal denial1 quite as much as ,i do 
now1 that it was a ,roman or ,romish    
sermon4 ,well then1 substitute the word 
,anglican or ,anglo-catholic for        
,protestant in my question1 and see if  
the argument is a bit the worse for     
it--thus3 ,how can you prove that       
,father ,newman informs us a certain    
thing about the ,roman ,clergy1 by      
referring to an ,anglican or            
,anglo-catholic ,sermon of the ,vicar of
 ,st4 ,mary's8 ,the cogency of the      
argument remains just where it was4     
,what have ,i gained in the argument1   
what has he lost1 by my having said1 not
 an ,anglican ,sermon1 but a ,protestant
 ,sermon8 ,what dust then is he throwing
 into our eyes6  ,for instance3 in #ahdd
 ,i lived at ,littlemore2 two or three  

miles distant from ,oxford2 and         
,littlemore lies in three1 perhaps in   
four1 distinct parishes1 so that of     
particular houses it is difficult to    
say1 whether they are in ,st4 ,mary's1  
,oxford1 or in ,cowley1 or in ,iffley1  
or in ,sandford1 the line of demarcation
 running even through them4 ,now1       
supposing ,i were to say in #ahfd1 that 
twenty years ago ,i did not live in     
,oxford1 because ,i lived out at        
,littlemore1 in the parish of ,cowley2  
and if upon this there were letters of  
mine produced dated ,littlemore1 #ahdd1 
in one of which ,i said that ,i lived1  
not in ,cowley1 but at ,littlemore1 in  
,st4 ,mary's parish1 how would that     
prove that ,i contradicted myself1 and  
that therefore after all ,i must be     
supposed to have been living in ,oxford 
in #ahdd8 ,the utmost that would be     
proved by the discrepancy1 such as it   
was1 would be1 that there was some      
confusion either in me1 or in the state 
of the fact as to the limits of the     

parishes4 ,there would be no confusion  
about the place or spot of my residence4
 ,i should be saying in #ahfd1 ,i did   
not live in ,oxford twenty years ago1   
because ,i lived at ,littlemore in the  
,parish of ,cowley4 ,i should have been 
saying in #ahdd1 ,i do not live in      
,oxford1 because ,i live in ,st4        
,mary's1 ,littlemore4 ,in either case ,i
 should be saying that my habitat in    
#ahdd was not ,oxford1 but ,littlemore2 
and ,i should be giving the same reason 
for it4 ,i should be proving an alibi4  
,i should be naming the same place for  
the alibi2 but twenty years ago ,i      
should have spoken of it as ,st4        
,mary's1 ,littlemore1 and to-day ,i     
should have spoken of it as ,littlemore 
in the ,parish of ,cowley4  ,and so as  
to my ,sermon2 in ,january1 #ahfd1 ,i   
called it a ,protestant sermon1 and not 
a ,roman2 but in #ahdd ,i should1 if    
asked1 have called it an ,anglican      
sermon1 and not a ,roman4 ,in both cases
 ,i should have denied that it was      

,roman1 and that on the ground of its   
being something else2 though ,i should  
have called that something else1 then by
 one name1 now by another4 ,the doctrine
 of the ,via ,media is a fact1 whatever 
name we give to it2 ,i1 as a ,roman     
,priest1 find it more natural and usual 
to call it ,protestant3 ,i1 as all      
,oxford ,vicar1 thought it more exact to
 call it ,anglican2 but1 whatever ,i    
then called it1 and whatever ,i now call
 it1 ,i mean one and the same object by 
my name1 and therefore not another      
object--viz4 not the ,roman ,church4    
,the argument1 ,i repeat1 is sound1     
whether the ,via ,media and the ,vicar  
of ,st4 ,mary's be called ,anglican or  
,protestant4  ,this is a specimen of    
what my accuser means by my economies2  
nay1 it is actually one of those special
 two1 three1 or four1 committed after   
,february #a1 which he thinks sufficient
 to connect me with the shifty casuists 
and the double-dealing moralists1 as he 
considers them1 of the ,catholic        

,church4 ,what a ,much ado about        
nothing6  #b4 ,but1 whether or not he   
can prove that ,i in #ahfd have         
committed any logical fault in calling  
my ,sermon on ,wisdom and ,innocence a  
,protestant ,sermon1 he is and has been 
all along1 most firm in the belief      
himself that a ,romish sermon it is2 and
 this is the point on which ,i wish     
specially to insist4 ,it is for this    
cause that ,i made the above extract    
from his pamphlet1 not merely in order  
to answer him1 though1 when ,i had made 
it1 ,i could not pass by the attack on  
me which it contains4 ,i shall notice   
his charges one by one by and by2 but ,i
 have made this extract here in order to
 insist and to dwell on this            
phenomenon--viz4 that he does consider  
it an undeniable fact1 that the sermon  
is ,romish1--meaning by ,romish not     
savouring of ,romish doctrine merely1   
but the work of a real ,romanist1 of a  
conscious ,romanist4 ,this belief it is 
which leads him to be so severe on me1  

for now calling it ,protestant4 ,he     
thinks that1 whether ,i have committed  
any logical self-contradiction or not1  
,i am very well aware that1 when ,i     
wrote it1 ,i ought to have been         
elsewhere1 that ,i was a conscious      
,romanist1 teaching ,romanism2--or if he
 does not believe this himself1 he      
wishes others to think so1 which comes  
to the same thing2 certainly ,i prefer  
to consider that he thinks so himself1  
but1 if he likes the other hypothesis   
better1 he is welcome to it4  ,he       
believes then so firmly that the sermon 
was a ,romish ,sermon1 that he pointedly
 takes it for granted1 before he has    
adduced a syllable of proof of the      
matter of fact4 ,he starts by saying    
that it is a fact to be remembered4 ,it 
must be remembered always1 he says1 that
 it is not a ,protestant1 but a ,romish 
,sermon1 7p4 #h74 ,its ,romish parentage
 is a great truth for the memory1 not a 
thesis for inquiry4 ,merely to refer his
 readers to the sermon is1 he considers1

 to secure them on his side4 ,hence it  
is that1 in his letter of ,january #ah1 
he said to me1 ,it seems to me1 that1 by
 referring publicly to the ,sermon on   
which my allegations are founded1 ,i    
have given every one an opportunity of  
judging of their injustice1 that is1 an 
opportunity of seeing that they are     
transparently just4 ,the notion of there
 being a ,via ,media1 held all along by 
a large party in the ,anglican ,church1 
and now at least not less than at any   
former time1 is too subtle for his      
intellect4 ,accordingly1 he thinks it   
was an allowable figure of speech--not  
more1 ,i suppose1 than an               
hyperbole--when referring to a sermon of
 the ,vicar of ,st4 ,mary's in the      
magazine1 to say that it was the writing
 of a ,roman priest2 and as to serious  
arguments to prove the point1 why1 they 
may indeed be necessary1 as a matter of 
form1 in an act of accusation1 such as  
his pamphlet1 but they are superfluous  
to the good sense of any one who will   

only just look into the matter himself4 
,now1 with respect to the so-called     
arguments which he ventures to put      
forward in proof that the sermon is     
,romish1 ,i shall answer them1 together 
with all his other arguments1 in the    
latter portion of this reply2 here ,i do
 but draw the attention of the reader1  
as ,i have said already1 to the         
phenomenon itself1 which he exhibits1 of
 an unclouded confidence that the sermon
 is the writing of a virtual member of  
the ,roman communion1 and ,i do so      
because it has made a great impression  
on my own mind1 and has suggested to me 
the course that ,i shall pursue in my   
answer to him4  ,i say1 he takes it for 
granted that the ,sermon is the writing 
of a virtual or actual1 of a conscious  
,roman ,catholic2 and is impatient at   
the very notion of having to prove it4  
,father ,newman and the ,vicar of ,st4  
,mary's are one and the same3 there has 
been no change of mind in him2 what he  
believed then he believes now1 and what 

he believes now he believed then4 ,to   
dispute this is frivolous2 to           
distinguish between his past self and   
his present is subtlety1 and to ask for 
proof of their identity is seeking      
opportunity to be sophistical4 ,this    
writer really thinks that he acts a     
straightforward honest part1 when he    
says ,a ,catholic ,priest informs us in 
his ,sermon on ,wisdom and ,innocence   
preached at ,st4 ,mary's1 and he thinks 
that ,i am the shuffler and quibbler    
when ,i forbid him to do so4 ,so        
singular a phenomenon in a man of       
undoubted ability has struck me         
forcibly1 and ,i shall pursue the train 
of thought which it opens4  ,it is not  
he alone who entertains1 and has        
entertained1 such an opinion of me and  
my writings4 ,it is the impression of   
large classes of men2 the impression    
twenty years ago and the impression now4
 ,there has been a general feeling that 
,i was for years where ,i had no right  
to be2 that ,i was a ,romanist in       

,protestant livery and service2 that ,i 
was doing the work of a hostile church  
in the bosom of the ,english            
,establishment1 and knew it1 or ought to
 have known it4 ,there was no need of   
arguing about particular passages in my 
writings1 when the fact was so patent1  
as men thought it to be4  ,first it was 
certain1 and ,i could not myself deny   
it1 that ,i scouted the name            
,protestant4 ,it was certain again1 that
 many of the doctrines which ,i         
professed were popularly and generally  
known as badges of the ,roman ,church1  
as distinguished from the faith of the  
,reformation4 ,next1 how could ,i have  
come by them8 ,evidently1 ,i had certain
 friends and advisers who did not       
appear2 there was some underground      
communication between ,stonyhurst or    
,oscott and my rooms at ,oriel4 ,beyond 
a doubt1 ,i was advocating certain      
doctrines1 not by accident1 but on an   
understanding with ecclesiastics of the 
old religion4 ,then men went further1   

and said that ,i had actually been      
received into that religion1 and withal 
had leave given me to profess myself a  
,protestant still4 ,others went even    
further1 and gave it out to the world1  
as a matter of fact1 of which they      
themselves had the proof in their hands1
 that ,i was actually a ,jesuit4 ,and   
when the opinions which ,i advocated    
spread1 and younger men went further    
than ,i1 the feeling against me waxed   
stronger and took a wider range4  ,and  
now indignation arose at the knavery of 
a conspiracy such as this3--and it      
became of course all the greater1 in    
consequence of its being the received   
belief of the public at large1 that     
craft and intrigue1 such as they fancied
 they beheld with their own eyes1 were  
the very instruments to which the       
,catholic ,church has in these last     
centuries been indebted for her         
maintenance and extension4  ,there was  
another circumstance still1 which       
increased the irritation and aversion   

felt by the large classes1 of whom ,i   
have been speaking1 as regards the      
preachers of doctrines1 so new to them  
and so unpalatable2 and that was1 that  
they developed them in so measured a    
way4 ,if they were inspired by ,roman   
theologians 7and this was taken for     
granted71 why did they not speak out at 
once8 ,why did they keep the world in   
such suspense and anxiety as to what was
 coming next1 and what was to be the    
upshot of the whole8 ,why this          
reticence1 and half-speaking1 and       
apparent indecision8 ,it was plain that 
the plan of operations had been         
carefully mapped out from the first1 and
 that these men were cautiously         
advancing towards its accomplishment1 as
 far as was safe at the moment2 that    
their aim and their hope was to carry   
off a large body with them of the young 
and the ignorant2 that they meant       
gradually to leaven the minds of the    
rising generation1 and to open the gate 
of that city1 of which they were the    

sworn defenders1 to the enemy who lay in
 ambush outside of it4 ,and when in     
spite of the many protestations of the  
party to the contrary1 there was at     
length an actual movement among their   
disciples1 and one went over to ,rome1  
and then another1 the worst             
anticipations and the worst judgments   
which had been formed of them received  
their justification4 ,and1 lastly1 when 
men first had said of me1 ,you will see1
 he will go1 he is only biding his time1
 he is waiting the word of command from 
,rome1 and1 when after all1 after my    
arguments and denunciations of former   
years1 at length ,i did leave the       
,anglican ,church for the ,roman1 then  
they said to each other1 ,it is just as 
we said3 ,i told you so4  ,this was the 
state of mind of masses of men twenty   
years ago1 who took no more than an     
external and common-sense view of what  
was going on4 ,and partly the tradition1
 partly the effect of that feeling1     
remains to the present time4 ,certainly 

,i consider that1 in my own case1 it is 
the great obstacle in the way of my     
being favourably heard1 as at present1  
when ,i have to make my defence4 ,not   
only am ,i now a member of a most       
un-,english communion1 whose great aim  
is considered to be the extinction of   
,protestantism and the ,protestant      
,church1 and whose means of attack are  
popularly supposed to be unscrupulous   
cunning and deceit1 but besides1 how    
came ,i originally to have any relations
 with the ,church of ,rome at all8 did  
,i1 or my opinions1 drop from the sky8  
how came ,i1 in ,oxford1 in gremio      
,universitatis1 to present myself to the
 eyes of men in that full-blown         
investiture of ,popery8 ,how could ,i   
dare1 how could ,i have the conscience1 
with warnings1 with prophecies1 with    
accusations against me1 to persevere in 
a path which steadily advanced towards1 
which ended in1 the religion of ,rome8  
,and how am ,i now to be trusted1 when  
long ago ,i was trusted1 and was found  

wanting8  ,it is this which is the      
strength of the case of my accuser      
against me2--not his arguments in       
themselves1 which ,i shall easily       
crumble into dust1 but the bias of the  
court4 ,it is the state of the          
atmosphere2 it is the vibration all     
around which will more or less echo his 
assertion of my dishonesty2 it is that  
prepossession against me1 which takes it
 for granted that1 when my reasoning is 
convincing it is only ingenious1 and    
that when my statements are             
unanswerable1 there is always something 
put out of sight or hidden in my sleeve2
 it is that plausible1 but cruel        
conclusion to which men are so apt to   
jump1 that when much is imputed1        
something must be true1 and that it is  
more likely that one should be to blame1
 than that many should be mistaken in   
blaming him2--these are the real foes   
which ,i have to fight1 and the         
auxiliaries to whom my accuser makes his
 court4  ,well1 ,i must break through   

this barrier of prejudice against me1 if
 ,i can2 and ,i think ,i shall be able  
to do so4 ,when first ,i read the       
pamphlet of ,accusation1 ,i almost      
despaired of meeting effectively such a 
heap of misrepresentation and such a    
vehemence of animosity4 ,what was the   
good of answering first one point1 and  
then another1 and going through the     
whole circle of its abuse2 when my      
answer to the first point would be      
forgotten1 as soon as ,i got to the     
second8 ,what was the use of bringing   
out half a hundred separate principles  
or views for the refutation of the      
separate counts in the indictment1 when 
rejoinders of this sort would but       
confuse and torment the reader by their 
number and their diversity8 ,what hope  
was there of condensing into a pamphlet 
of a readable length1 matter which ought
 freely to expand itself into half a    
dozen volumes8 ,what means was there1   
except the expenditure of interminable  
pages1 to set right even one of that    

series of single passing hints1 to use  
my assailant's own language1 which1 as  
with his finger tip1 he had delivered   
against me8  ,all those separate charges
 of his had their force in being        
illustrations of one and the same great 
imputation4 ,he had a positive idea to  
illuminate his whole matter1 and to     
stamp it with a form1 and to quicken it 
with an interpretation4 ,he called me a 
liar--a simple1 a broad1 an             
intelligible1 to the ,english public a  
plausible arraignment2 but for me1 to   
answer in detail charge one by reason   
one1 and charge two by reason two1 and  
charge three by reason three1 and so to 
proceed through the whole string both of
 accusations and replies1 each of which 
was to be independent of the rest1 this 
would be certainly labour lost as       
regards any effective result4 ,what ,i  
needed was a corresponding antagonist   
unity in my defence1 and where was that 
to be found8 ,we see1 in the case of    
commentators on the prophecies of       

,scripture1 an exemplification of the   
principle on which ,i am insisting2 viz4
 how much more powerful even a false    
interpretation of the sacred text is    
than none at all2--how a certain key to 
the visions of the ,apocalypse1 for     
instance1 may cling to the mind--7,i    
have found it so in my own case7--mainly
 because they are positive and          
objective1 in spite of the fullest      
demonstration that they really have no  
claim upon our belief4 ,the reader says1
 ,what else can the prophecy mean8 just 
as my accuser asks1 ,what1 then1 does   
,dr4 ,newman mean8 444 ,i reflected1 and
 ,i saw a way out of my perplexity4     
,yes1 ,i said to myself1 his very       
question is about my meaning2 ,what does
 ,dr4 ,newman mean8 ,it pointed in the  
very same direction as that into which  
my musings had turned me already4 ,he   
asks what ,i mean2 not about my words1  
not about my arguments1 not about my    
actions1 as his ultimate point1 but     
about that living intelligence1 by which

 ,i write1 and argue1 and act4 ,he asks 
about my mind and its beliefs and its   
sentiments2 and he shall be             
answered2--not for his own sake1 but for
 mine1 for the sake of the religion     
which ,i profess1 and of the priesthood 
in which ,i am unworthily included1 and 
of my friends and of my foes1 and of    
that general public which consists of   
neither one nor the other1 but of       
well-wishers1 lovers of fair play1      
sceptical cross-questioners1 interested 
inquirers1 curious lookers-on1 and      
simple strangers1 unconcerned yet not   
careless about the issue4  ,my          
perplexity did not last half an hour4 ,i
 recognised what ,i had to do1 though ,i
 shrank from both the task and the      
exposure which it would entail4 ,i must1
 ,i said1 give the true key to my whole 
life2 ,i must show what ,i am that it   
may be seen what ,i am not1 and that the
 phantom may be extinguished which      
gibbers instead of me4 ,i wish to be    
known as a living man1 and not as a     

scarecrow which is dressed up in my     
clothes4 ,false ideas may be refuted    
indeed by argument1 but by true ideas   
alone are they expelled4 ,i will        
vanquish1 not my accuser1 but my judges4
 ,i will indeed answer his charges and  
criticisms on me one by one1 lest any   
one should say that they are            
unanswerable1 but such a work shall not 
be the scope nor the substance of my    
reply4 ,i will draw out1 as far as may  
be1 the history of my mind2 ,i will     
state the point at which ,i began1 in   
what external suggestion or accident    
each opinion had its rise1 how far and  
how they were developed from within1 how
 they grew1 were modified1 were         
combined1 were in collision with each   
other1 and were changed2 again how ,i   
conducted myself towards them1 and how1 
and how far1 and for how long a time1 ,i
 thought ,i could hold them consistently
 with the ecclesiastical engagements    
which ,i had made and with the position 
which ,i filled4 ,i must show--what is  

the very truth--that the doctrines which
 ,i held1 and have held for so many     
years1 have been taught me 7speaking    
humanly7 partly by the suggestions of   
,protestant friends1 partly by the      
teaching of books1 and partly by the    
action of my own mind3 and thus ,i shall
 account for that phenomenon which to so
 many seems so wonderful1 that ,i should
 have left my kindred and my father's   
house for a ,church from which once ,i  
turned away with dread2--so wonderful to
 them6 as if forsooth a religion which  
has flourished through so many ages1    
among so many nations1 amid such        
varieties of social life1 in such       
contrary classes and conditions of men1 
and after so many revolutions1 political
 and civil1 could not subdue the reason 
and overcome the heart1 without the aid 
of fraud and the sophistries of the     
schools4   ,what ,i had proposed to     
myself in the course of half an hour1 ,i
 determined on at the end of ten days4  
,however1 ,i have many difficulties in  

fulfilling my design4 ,how am ,i to say 
all that has to be said in a reasonable 
compass8 ,and then as to the materials  
of my narrative2 ,i have no             
autobiographical notes to consult1 no   
written explanations of particular      
treatises or of tracts which at the time
 gave offence1 hardly any minutes of    
definite transactions or conversations1 
and few contemporary memoranda1 ,i fear1
 of the feelings or motives under which 
from time to time ,i acted4 ,i have an  
abundance of letters from friends with  
some copies or drafts of my answers to  
them1 but they are for the most part    
unsorted1 and1 till this process has    
taken place1 they are even too numerous 
and various to be available at a moment 
for my purpose4 ,then1 as to the volumes
 which ,i have published1 they would in 
many ways serve me1 were ,i well up in  
them2 but though ,i took great pains in 
their composition1 ,i have thought      
little about them1 when they were at    
length out of my hands1 and1 for the    

most part1 the last time ,i read them   
has been when ,i revised their proof    
sheets4  ,under these circumstances my  
sketch will of course be incomplete4 ,i 
now for the first time contemplate my   
course as a whole2 it is a first essay1 
but it will contain1 ,i trust1 no       
serious or substantial mistake1 and so  
far will answer the purpose for which ,i
 write it4 ,i purpose to set nothing    
down in it as certain1 for which ,i have
 not a clear memory1 or some written    
memorial1 or the corroboration of some  
friend4 ,there are witnesses enough up  
and down the country to verify1 or      
correct1 or complete it2 and letters    
moreover of my own in abundance1 unless 
they have been destroyed4  ,moreover1 ,i
 mean to be simply personal and         
historical3 ,i am not expounding        
,catholic doctrine1 ,i am doing no more 
than explaining myself1 and my opinions 
and actions4 ,i wish1 as far as ,i am   
able1 simply to state facts1 whether    
they are ultimately determined to be for

 me or against me4 ,of course there will
 be room enough for contrariety of      
judgment among my readers1 as to the    
necessity1 or appositeness1 or value1 or
 good taste1 or religious prudence of   
the details which ,i shall introduce4 ,i
 may be accused of laying stress on     
little things1 of being beside the mark1
 of going into impertinent or ridiculous
 details1 of sounding my own praise1 of 
giving scandal2 but this is a case above
 all others1 in which ,i am bound to    
follow my own lights and to speak out my
 own heart4 ,it is not at all pleasant  
for me to be egotistical2 nor to be     
criticised for being so4 ,it is not     
pleasant to reveal to high and low1     
young and old1 what has gone on within  
me from my early years4 ,it is not      
pleasant to be giving to every shallow  
or flippant disputant the advantage over
 me of knowing my most private thoughts1
 ,i might even say the intercourse      
between myself and my ,maker4 ,but ,i do
 not like to be called to my face a liar

 and a knave3 nor should ,i be doing my 
duty to my faith or to my name1 if ,i   
were to suffer it4 ,i know ,i have done 
nothing to deserve such an insult2 and  
if ,i prove this1 as ,i hope to do1 ,i  
must not care for such incidental       
annoyances as are involved in the       
process4     ,part ,,iii  ,history of   
,my ,religious ,opinions   ,it may      
easily be conceived how great a trial it
 is to me to write the following history
 of myself2 but ,i must not shrink from 
the task4 ,the words1 ,secretum meum    
mihi1 keep ringing in my ears2 but as   
men draw towards their end1 they care   
less for disclosures4 ,nor is it the    
least part of my trial1 to anticipate   
that my friends may1 upon first reading 
what ,i have written1 consider much in  
it irrelevant to my purpose2 yet ,i     
cannot help thinking that1 viewed as a  
whole1 it will effect what ,i wish it to
 do4   ,i was brought up from a child to
 take great delight in reading the      
,bible2 but ,i had no formed religious  

convictions till ,i was fifteen4 ,of    
course ,i had perfect knowledge of my   
,catechism4  ,after ,i was grown up1 ,i 
put on paper such recollections as ,i   
had of my thoughts and feelings on      
religious subjects1 at the time that ,i 
was a child and a boy4 ,out of these ,i 
select two1 which are at once the most  
definite among them1 and also have a    
bearing on my later convictions4  ,in   
the paper to which ,i have referred1    
written either in the long vacation of  
#ahbj1 or in ,october1 #ahbc1 the       
following notices of my school days were
 sufficiently prominent in my memory for
 me to consider them worth              
recording3--,i used to wish the ,arabian
 ,tales were true3 my imagination ran on
 unknown influences1 on magical powers1 
and talismans 444 ,i thought life might 
be a dream1 or ,i an ,angel1 and all    
this world a deception1 my fellow-angels
 by a playful device concealing         
themselves from me1 and deceiving me    
with the semblance of a material world4 

,again1 ,reading in the ,spring of #ahaf
 a sentence from ,dr4 ,watts's          
',remnants of ,time1' entitled 'the     
,saints unknown to the world1' to the   
effect1 that 'there is nothing in their 
figure or countenance to distinguish    
them1' etc4 etc41 ,i supposed he spoke  
of ,angels who lived in the world1 as it
 were disguised4  ,the other remark is  
this3 ,i was very superstitious1 and for
 some time previous to my conversion    
when ,i was fifteen used constantly to  
cross myself on going into the dark4    
,of course ,i must have got this        
practice from some external source or   
other2 but ,i can make no sort of       
conjecture whence2 and certainly no one 
had ever spoken to me on the subject of 
the ,catholic religion1 which ,i only   
knew by name4 ,the ,french master was an
 emigre priest1 but he was simply made a
 butt1 as ,french masters too commonly  
were in that day1 and spoke ,english    
very imperfectly4 ,there was a ,catholic
 family in the village1 old maiden      

ladies we used to think2 but ,i knew    
nothing but their name4 ,i have of late 
years heard that there were one or two  
,catholic boys in the school2 but either
 we were carefully kept from knowing    
this1 or the knowledge of it made simply
 no impression on our minds4 ,my brother
 will bear witness how free the school  
was from ,catholic ideas4  ,i had once  
been into ,warwick ,street ,chapel1 with
 my father1 who1 ,i believe1 wanted to  
hear some piece of music2 all that ,i   
bore away from it was the recollection  
of a pulpit and a preacher and a boy    
swinging a censer4  ,when ,i was at     
,littlemore1 ,i was looking over old    
copy-books of my school days1 and ,i    
found among them my first ,latin        
verse-book2 and in the first page of it1
 there was a device which almost took my
 breath away with surprise4 ,i have the 
book before me now1 and have just been  
showing it to others4 ,i have written in
 the first page1 in my school-boy hand1 
,john ,h4 ,newman1 ,february #aath1     

#ahaa1 ,verse ,book2 then follow my     
first verses4 ,between ,verse and ,book 
,i have drawn the figure of a solid     
cross upright1 and next to it is1 what  
may indeed be meant for a necklace1 but 
what ,i cannot make out to be anything  
else than a set of beads suspended1 with
 a little cross attached4 ,at this time 
,i was not quite ten years old4 ,i      
suppose ,i got the idea from some       
romance1 ,mrs4 ,radcliffe's or ,miss    
,porter's2 or from some religious       
picture2 but the strange thing is1 how1 
among the thousand objects which meet a 
boy's eyes1 these in particular should  
so have fixed themselves in my mind1    
that ,i made them thus practically my   
own4 ,i am certain there was nothing in 
the churches ,i attended1 or the prayer 
books ,i read1 to suggest them4 ,it must
 be recollected that churches and prayer
 books were not decorated in those days 
as ,i believe they are now4  ,when ,i   
was fourteen1 ,i read ,paine's tracts   
against the ,old ,testament1 and found  

pleasure in thinking of the objections  
which were contained in them4 ,also1 ,i 
read some of ,hume's essays2 and perhaps
 that on ,miracles4 ,so at least ,i gave
 my father to understand2 but perhaps it
 was a brag4 ,also1 ,i recollect copying
 out some ,french verses1 perhaps       
,voltaire's1 against the immortality of 
the soul1 and saying to myself something
 like ,how dreadful1 but how plausible6 
,when ,i was fifteen 7in the autumn of  
#ahaf7 a great change of thought took   
place in me4 ,i fell under the          
influences of a definite creed1 and     
received into my intellect impressions  
of dogma1 which1 through ,god's mercy1  
have never been effaced or obscured4    
,above and beyond the conversations and 
sermons of the excellent man1 long dead1
 who was the human means of this        
beginning of divine faith in me1 was the
 effect of the books which he put into  
my hands1 all of the school of ,calvin4 
,one of the first books ,i read was a   
work of ,romaine's2 ,i neither recollect

 the title nor the contents1 except one 
doctrine1 which of course ,i do not     
include among those which ,i believe to 
have come from a divine source1 viz4 the
 doctrine of final perseverance4 ,i     
received it at once1 and believed that  
the inward conversion of which ,i was   
conscious 7and of which ,i still am more
 certain than that ,i have hands and    
feet7 would last into the next life1 and
 that ,i was elected to eternal glory4  
,i have no consciousness that this      
belief had any tendency whatever to lead
 me to be careless about pleasing ,god4 
,i retained it till the age of          
twenty-one1 when it gradually faded     
away2 but ,i believe that it had some   
influence on my opinions1 in the        
direction of those childish imaginations
 which ,i have already mentioned1 viz4  
in isolating me from the objects which  
surrounded me1 in confirming me in my   
mistrust of the reality of material     
phenomena1 and making me rest in the    
thought of two and two only supreme and 

luminously self-evident beings1 myself  
and my ,creator2--for while ,i          
considered myself predestined to        
salvation1 ,i thought others simply     
passed over1 not predestined to eternal 
death4 ,i only thought of the mercy to  
myself4  ,the detestable doctrine last  
mentioned is simply denied and abjured1 
unless my memory strangely deceives me1 
by the writer who made a deeper         
impression on my mind than any other1   
and to whom 7humanly speaking7 ,i almost
 owe my soul--,thomas ,scott of ,aston  
,sandford4 ,i so admired and delighted  
in his writings1 that1 when ,i was an   
undergraduate1 ,i thought of making a   
visit to his parsonage1 in order to see 
a man whom ,i so deeply revered4 ,i     
hardly think ,i could have given up the 
idea of this expedition1 even after ,i  
had taken my degree2 for the news of his
 death in #ahba came upon me as a       
disappointment as well as a sorrow4 ,i  
hung upon the lips of ,daniel ,wilson1  
afterwards ,bishop of ,calcutta1 as in  

two sermons at ,st4 ,john's ,chapel he  
gave the history of ,scott's life and   
death4 ,i had been possessed of his     
essays from a boy2 his commentary ,i    
bought when ,i was an undergraduate4    
,what1 ,i suppose1 will strike any      
reader of ,scott's history and writings1
 is his bold unworldliness and vigorous 
independence of mind4 ,he followed truth
 wherever it led him1 beginning with    
,unitarianism1 and ending in a zealous  
faith in the ,holy ,trinity4 ,it was he 
who first planted deep in my mind that  
fundamental truth of religion4 ,with the
 assistance of ,scott's essays1 and the 
admirable work of ,jones of ,nayland1 ,i
 made a collection of ,scripture texts  
in proof of the doctrine1 with remarks  
7,i think7 of my own upon them1 before  
,i was sixteen2 and a few months later  
,i drew up a series of texts in support 
of each verse of the ,athanasian ,creed4
 ,these papers ,i have still4  ,besides 
his unworldliness1 what ,i also admired 
in ,scott was his resolute opposition to

 ,antinomianism1 and the minutely       
practical character of his writings4    
,they show him to be a true ,englishman1
 and ,i deeply felt his influence2 and  
for years ,i used almost as proverbs    
what ,i considered to be the scope and  
issue of his doctrine1 ,holiness before 
peace1 and ,growth is the only evidence 
of life4  ,calvinists make a sharp      
separation between the elect and the    
world2 there is much in this that is    
parallel or cognate to the ,catholic    
doctrine2 but they go on to say1 as ,i  
understand them1 very differently from  
,catholicism1--that the converted and   
the unconverted can be discriminated by 
man1 that the justified are conscious of
 their state of justification1 and that 
the regenerate cannot fall away4        
,catholics on the other hand shade and  
soften the awful antagonism between good
 and evil1 which is one of their dogmas1
 by holding that there are different    
degrees of justification1 that there is 
a great difference in point of gravity  

between sin and sin1 that there is the  
possibility and the danger of falling   
away1 and that there is no certain      
knowledge given to any one that he is   
simply in a state of grace1 and much    
less that he is to persevere to the     
end3--of the ,calvinistic tenets the    
only one which took root in my mind was 
the fact of heaven and hell1 divine     
favour and divine wrath1 of the         
justified and the unjustified4 ,the     
notion that the regenerate and the      
justified were one and the same1 and    
that the regenerate1 as such1 had the   
gift of perseverance1 remained with me  
not many years1 as ,i have said already4
  ,this main ,catholic doctrine of the  
warfare between the city of ,god and the
 powers of darkness was also deeply     
impressed upon my mind by a work of a   
very opposite character1 ,law's ,serious
 ,call4  ,from this time ,i have given a
 full inward assent and belief to the   
doctrine of eternal punishment1 as      
delivered by our ,lord ,himself1 in as  

true a sense as ,i hold that of eternal 
happiness2 though ,i have tried in      
various ways to make that truth less    
terrible to the reason4  ,now ,i come to
 two other works1 which produced a deep 
impression on me in the same autumn of  
#ahaf1 when ,i was fifteen years old1   
each contrary to each1 and planting in  
me the seeds of an intellectual         
inconsistency which disabled me for a   
long course of years4 ,i read ,joseph   
,milner's ,church ,history1 and was     
nothing short of enamoured of the long  
extracts from ,st4 ,augustine and the   
other ,fathers which ,i found there4 ,i 
read them as being the religion of the  
primitive ,christians3 but              
simultaneously with ,milner ,i read     
,newton on the ,prophecies1 and in      
consequence became most firmly convinced
 that the ,pope was the ,antichrist     
predicted by ,daniel1 ,st4 ,paul1 and   
,st4 ,john4 ,my imagination was stained 
by the effects of this doctrine up to   
the year #ahdc2 it had been obliterated 

from my reason and judgment at an       
earlier date2 but the thought remained  
upon me as a sort of false conscience4  
,hence came that conflict of mind1 which
 so many have felt besides              
myself2--leading some men to make a     
compromise between two ideas1 so        
inconsistent with each other--driving   
others to beat out the one idea or the  
other from their minds--and ending in my
 own case1 after many years of          
intellectual unrest1 in the gradual     
decay and extinction of one of them--,i 
do not say in its violent death1 for why
 should ,i not have murdered it sooner1 
if ,i murdered it at all8  ,i am obliged
 to mention1 though ,i do it with great 
reluctance1 another deep imagination1   
which at this time1 the autumn of #ahaf1
 took possession of me--there can be no 
mistake about the fact2--viz4 that it   
was the will of ,god that ,i should lead
 a single life4 ,this anticipation1     
which has held its ground almost        
continuously ever since--with the break 

of a month now and a month then1 up to  
#ahbi1 and1 after that date1 without any
 break at all--was more or less         
connected1 in my mind1 with the notion  
that my calling in life would require   
such a sacrifice as celibacy involved2  
as1 for instance1 missionary work among 
the heathen1 to which ,i had a great    
drawing for some years4 ,it also        
strengthened my feeling of separation   
from the visible world1 of which ,i have
 spoken above4   ,in #ahbb ,i came under
 very different influences from those to
 which ,i had hitherto been subjected4  
,at that time1 ,mr4 ,whately1 as he was 
then1 afterwards ,archbishop of ,dublin1
 for the few months he remained in      
,oxford1 which he was leaving for good1 
showed great kindness to me4 ,he renewed
 it in #ahbe1 when he became ,principal 
of ,alban ,hall1 making me his          
vice-principal and tutor4 ,of ,dr4      
,whately ,i will speak presently1 for   
from #ahbb to #ahbe ,i saw most of the  
present ,provost of ,oriel1 ,dr4        

,hawkins1 at that time ,vicar of ,st4   
,mary's2 and1 when ,i took orders in    
#ahbd and had a curacy at ,oxford1 then1
 during the long vacations1 ,i was      
especially thrown into his company4 ,i  
can say with a full heart that ,i love  
him1 and have never ceased to love him2 
and ,i thus preface what otherwise might
 sound rude1 that in the course of the  
many years in which we were together    
afterwards1 he provoked me very much    
from time to time1 though ,i am         
perfectly certain that ,i have provoked 
him a great deal more4 ,moreover1 in me 
such provocation was unbecoming1 both   
because he was the head of my college1  
and because in the first years that ,i  
knew him1 he had been in many ways of   
great service to my mind4  ,he was the  
first who taught me to weigh my words1  
and to be cautious in my statements4 ,he
 led me to that mode of limiting and    
clearing my sense in discussion and in  
controversy1 and of distinguishing      
between cognate ideas1 and of obviating 

mistakes by anticipation1 which to my   
surprise has been since considered1 even
 in quarters friendly to me1 to savour  
of the polemics of ,rome4 ,he is a man  
of most exact mind himself1 and he used 
to snub me severely1 on reading1 as he  
was kind enough to do1 the first sermons
 that ,i wrote1 and other compositions  
which ,i was engaged upon4  ,then as to 
doctrine1 he was the means of great     
additions to my belief4 ,as ,i have     
noticed elsewhere1 he gave me the       
,treatise on ,apostolical ,preaching1 by
 ,sumner1 afterwards ,archbishop of     
,canterbury1 from which ,i learned to   
give up my remaining ,calvinism1 and to 
receive the doctrine of ,baptismal      
,regeneration4 ,in many other ways too  
he was of use to me1 on subjects        
semi-religious and semi-scholastic4  ,it
 was ,dr4 ,hawkins too who taught me to 
anticipate that1 before many years were 
over there would be an attack made upon 
the books and the canon of ,scripture4  
,i was brought to the same belief by the

 conversation of ,mr4 ,blanco ,white1   
who also led me to have freer views on  
the subject of inspiration than were    
usual in the ,church of ,england at the 
time4  ,there is one other principle1   
which ,i gained from ,dr4 ,hawkins1 more
 directly bearing upon ,catholicism1    
than any that ,i have mentioned2 and    
that is the doctrine of ,tradition4     
,when ,i was an undergraduate1 ,i heard 
him preach in the ,university pulpit his
 celebrated sermon on the subject1 and  
recollect how long it appeared to me1   
though he was at that time a very       
striking preacher2 but1 when ,i read it 
and studied it as his gift1 it made a   
most serious impression upon me4 ,he    
does not go one step1 ,i think1 beyond  
the high ,anglican doctrine1 nay he does
 not reach it2 but he does his work     
thoroughly1 and his view was original   
with him1 and his subject was a novel   
one at the time4 ,he lays down a        
proposition1 self-evident as soon as    
stated1 to those who have at all        

examined the structure of ,scripture1   
viz4 that the sacred text was never     
intended to teach doctrine1 but only to 
prove it1 and that1 if we would learn   
doctrine1 we must have recourse to the  
formularies of the ,church2 for instance
 to the ,catechism1 and to the ,creeds4 
,he considers1 that1 after learning from
 them the doctrines of ,christianity1   
the inquirer must verify them by        
,scripture4 ,this view1 most true in its
 outline1 most fruitful in its          
consequences1 opened upon me a large    
field of thought4 ,dr4 ,whately held it 
too4 ,one of its effects was to strike  
at the root of the principle on which   
the ,bible ,society was set up4 ,i      
belonged to its ,oxford ,association2 it
 became a matter of time when ,i should 
withdraw my name from its               
subscription-list1 though ,i did not do 
so at once4  ,it is with pleasure that  
,i pay here a tribute to the memory of  
the ,rev4 ,william ,james1 then ,fellow 
of ,oriel2 who1 about the year #ahbc1   

taught me the doctrine of ,apostolical  
,succession1 in the course of a walk1 ,i
 think1 round ,christ ,church meadow3 ,i
 recollect being somewhat impatient on  
the subject at the time4  ,it was at    
about this date1 ,i suppose1 that ,i    
read ,bishop ,butler's ,analogy2 the    
study of which has been to so many1 as  
it was to me1 an era in their religious 
opinions4 ,its inculcation of a visible 
,church1 the oracle of truth and a      
pattern of sanctity1 of the duties of   
external religion1 and of the historical
 character of revelation1 are           
characteristics of this great work which
 strike the reader at once2 for myself1 
if ,i may attempt to determine what ,i  
most gained from it1 it lay in two      
points1 which ,i shall have an          
opportunity of dwelling on in the       
sequel2 they are the underlying         
principles of a great portion of my     
teaching4 ,first1 the very idea of an   
analogy between the separate works of   
,god leads to the conclusion that the   

system which is of less importance is   
economically or sacramentally connected 
with the more momentous system1 and of  
this conclusion the theory1 to which ,i 
was inclined as a boy1 viz4 the         
unreality of material phenomena1 is an  
ultimate resolution4 ,at this time ,i   
did not make the distinction between    
matter itself and its phenomena1 which  
is so necessary and so obvious in       
discussing the subject4 ,secondly1      
,butler's doctrine that probability is  
the guide of life1 led me1 at least     
under the teaching to which a few years 
later ,i was introduced1 to the question
 of the logical cogency of faith1 on    
which ,i have written so much4 ,thus to 
,butler ,i trace those two principles of
 my teaching1 which have led to a charge
 against me both of fancifulness and of 
scepticism4  ,and now as to ,dr4        
,whately4 ,i owe him a great deal4 ,he  
was a man of generous and warm heart4   
,he was particularly loyal to his       
friends1 and to use the common phrase1  

all his geese were swans4 ,while ,i was 
still awkward and timid in #ahbb1 he    
took me by the hand1 and acted the part 
to me of a gentle and encouraging       
instructor4 ,he1 emphatically1 opened my
 mind1 and taught me to think and to use
 my reason4 ,after being first noticed  
by him in #ahbb1 ,i became very intimate
 with him in #ahbe1 when ,i was his     
,vice-,principal at ,alban ,hall4 ,i    
gave up that office in #ahbf1 when ,i   
became tutor of my ,college1 and his    
hold upon me gradually relaxed4 ,he had 
done his work towards me or nearly so1  
when he had taught me to see with my own
 eyes and to walk with my own feet4 ,not
 that ,i had not a good deal to learn   
from others still1 but ,i influenced    
them as well as they me1 and co-operated
 rather than merely concurred with them4
 ,as to ,dr4 ,whately1 his mind was too 
different from mine for us to remain    
long on one line4 ,i recollect how      
dissatisfied he was with an article of  
mine in the ,london ,review1 which      

,blanco ,white1 good-humouredly1 only   
called platonic4 ,when ,i was diverging 
from him 7which he did not like71 ,i    
thought of dedicating my first book to  
him1 in words to the effect that he had 
not only taught me to think1 but to     
think for myself4 ,he left ,oxford in   
#ahca2 after that1 as far as ,i can     
recollect1 ,i never saw him but         
twice--when he visited the ,university2 
once in the street1 once in a room4     
,from the time that he left1 ,i have    
always felt a real affection for what ,i
 must call his memory2 for thenceforward
 he made himself dead to me4 ,my reason 
told me that it was impossible that we  
could have got on together longer2 yet  
,i loved him too much to bid him        
farewell without pain4 ,after a few     
years had passed1 ,i began to believe   
that his influence on me in a higher    
respect than intellectual advance 7,i   
will not say through his fault7 had not 
been satisfactory4 ,i believe that he   
has inserted sharp things in his later  

works about me4 ,they have never come in
 my way1 and ,i have not thought it     
necessary to seek out what would pain me
 so much in the reading4  ,what he did  
for me in point of religious opinion1   
was first to teach me the existence of  
the ,church1 as a substantive body or   
corporation2 next to fix in me those    
anti-,erastian views of ,church polity1 
which were one of the most prominent    
features of the ,tractarian movement4   
,on this point1 and1 as far as ,i know1 
on this point alone1 he and ,hurrell    
,froude intimately sympathised1 though  
,froude's development of opinion here   
was of a later date4 ,in the year #ahbf1
 in the course of a walk he said much to
 me about a work then just published1   
called ,letters on the ,church by an    
,episcopalian4 ,he said that it would   
make my blood boil4 ,it was certainly a 
most powerful composition4 ,one of our  
common friends told me1 that1 after     
reading it1 he could not keep still1 but
 went on walking up and down his room4  

,it was ascribed at once to ,whately2 ,i
 gave eager expression to the contrary  
opinion2 but ,i found the belief of     
,oxford in the affirmative to be too    
strong for me2 rightly or wrongly ,i    
yielded to the general voice2 and ,i    
have never heard1 then or since1 of any 
disclaimer of authorship on the part of 
,dr4 ,whately4  ,the main positions of  
this able essay are these2 first that   
,church and ,state should be independent
 of each other3--he speaks of the duty  
of protesting against the profanation of
 ,christ's kingdom1 by that double      
usurpation1 the interference of the     
,church in temporals1 of the ,state in  
spirituals1 7p4 #aia72 and1 secondly1   
that the ,church may justly and by right
 retain its property1 though separated  
from the ,state4 ,the clergy1 he says p4
 #acc1 though they ought not to be the  
hired servants of the ,civil            
,magistrate1 may justly retain their    
revenues2 and the ,state1 though it has 
no right of interference in spiritual   

concerns1 not only is justly entitled to
 support from the ministers of religion1
 and from all other ,christians1 but    
would1 under the system ,i am           
recommending1 obtain it much more       
effectually4 ,the author of this work1  
whoever he may be1 argues out both these
 points with great force and ingenuity1 
and with a thorough-going vehemence1    
which perhaps we may refer to the       
circumstance1 that he wrote1 not in     
propria persona1 but in the professed   
character of a ,scotch ,episcopalian4   
,his work had a gradual1 but a deep     
effect on my mind4  ,i am not aware of  
any other religious opinion which ,i owe
 to ,dr4 ,whately4 ,for his special     
theological tenets ,i had no sympathy4  
,in the next year1 #ahbg1 he told me he 
considered that ,i was ,arianising4 ,the
 case was this3 though at that time ,i  
had not read ,bishop ,bull's ,defensio  
nor the ,fathers1 ,i was just then very 
strong for that ante-,nicene view of the
 ,trinitarian doctrine1 which some      

writers1 both ,catholic and             
non-,catholic1 have accused of wearing a
 sort of ,arian exterior4 ,this is the  
meaning of a passage in ,froude's       
,remains1 in which he seems to accuse me
 of speaking against the ,athanasian    
,creed4 ,i had contrasted the two       
aspects of the ,trinitarian doctrine1   
which are respectively presented by the 
,athanasian ,creed and the ,nicene4 ,my 
criticisms were to the effect that some 
of the verses of the former ,creed were 
unnecessarily scientific4 ,this is a    
specimen of a certain disdain for       
antiquity which had been growing on me  
now for several years4 ,it showed itself
 in some flippant language against the  
,fathers in the ,encyclopaedia          
,metropolitana1 about whom ,i knew      
little at the time1 except what ,i had  
learnt as a boy from ,joseph ,milner4   
,in writing on the ,scripture ,miracles 
in #ahbe-f1 ,i had read ,middleton on   
the ,miracles of the early ,church1 and 
had imbibed a portion of his spirit4    

,the truth is1 ,i was beginning to      
prefer intellectual excellence to moral2
 ,i was drifting in the direction of    
liberalism4 ,i was rudely awakened from 
my dream at the end of #ahbg by two     
great blows--illness and bereavement4   
,in the beginning of #ahbi1 came the    
formal break between ,dr4 ,whately and  
me2 ,mr4 ,peel's attempted re-election  
was the occasion of it4 ,i think in     
#ahbh or #ahbg ,i had voted in the      
minority1 when the petition to          
,parliament against the ,catholic claims
 was brought into ,convocation4 ,i did  
so mainly on the views suggested to me  
by the theory of the ,letters of an     
,episcopalian4 ,also ,i disliked the    
bigoted two bottle orthodox1 as they    
were invidiously called4 ,i took part   
against ,mr4 ,peel1 on a simple         
academical1 not at all an ecclesiastical
 or a political ground2 and this ,i     
professed at the time4 ,i considered    
that ,mr4 ,peel had taken the           
,university by surprise1 that he had no 

right to call upon us to turn round on a
 sudden1 and to expose ourselves to the 
imputation of time-serving1 and that a  
great ,university ought not to be       
bullied even by a great ,duke of        
,wellington4 ,also by this time ,i was  
under the influence of ,keble and       
,froude2 who1 in addition to the reasons
 ,i have given1 disliked the ,duke's    
change of policy as dictated by         
liberalism4  ,whately was considerably  
annoyed at me1 and he took a humourous  
revenge1 of which he had given me due   
notice beforehand4 ,as head of a house1 
he had duties of hospitality to men of  
all parties2 he asked a set of the least
 intellectual men in ,oxford to dinner1 
and men most fond of port2 he made me   
one of the party2 placed me between     
,provost this and ,principal that1 and  
then asked me if ,i was proud of my     
friends4 ,however1 he had a serious     
meaning in his act2 he saw1 more clearly
 than ,i could do1 that ,i was          
separating from his own friends for good

 and all4  ,dr4 ,whately attributed my  
leaving his clientela to a wish on my   
part to be the head of a party myself4  
,i do not think that it was deserved4   
,my habitual feeling then and since has 
been1 that it was not ,i who sought     
friends1 but friends who sought me4     
,never man had kinder or more indulgent 
friends than ,i have had1 but ,i        
expressed my own feeling as to the mode 
in which ,i gained them1 in this very   
year #ahbi1 in the course of a copy of  
verses4 ,speaking of my blessings1 ,i   
said1 ,blessings of friends1 which to my
 door1 unasked1 unhoped1 have come4     
,they have come1 they have gone2 they   
came to my great joy1 they went to my   
great grief4 ,he who gave1 took away4   
,dr4 ,whately's impression about me1    
however1 admits of this explanation3--  
,during the first years of my residence 
at ,oriel1 though proud of my college1  
,i was not at home there4 ,i was very   
much alone1 and ,i used often to take my
 daily walk by myself4 ,i recollect once

 meeting ,dr4 ,copleston1 then provost1 
with one of the fellows4 ,he turned     
round1 and with the kind courteousness  
which sat so well on him1 made me a bow 
and said1 ,nunquam minus solus1 quam cum
 solus4 ,at that time indeed 7from      
#ahbc7 ,i had the intimacy of my dear   
and true friend ,dr4 ,pusey1 and could  
not fail to admire and revere a soul so 
devoted to the cause of religion1 so    
full of good works1 so faithful in his  
affections2 but he left residence when  
,i was getting to know him well4 ,as to 
,dr4 ,whately himself1 he was too much  
my superior to allow of my being at my  
ease with him2 and to no one in ,oxford 
at this time did ,i open my heart fully 
and familiarly4 ,but things changed in  
#ahbf4 ,at that time ,i became one of   
the tutors of my college1 and this gave 
me position2 besides1 ,i had written one
 or two essays which had been well      
received4 ,i began to be known4 ,i      
preached my first ,university ,sermon4  
,next year ,i was one of the ,public    

,examiners for the ,b4,a4 degree4 ,it   
was to me like the feeling of spring    
weather after winter2 and1 if ,i may so 
speak1 ,i came out of my shell2 ,i      
remained out of it till #ahda4  ,the two
 persons who knew me best at that time  
are still alive1 beneficed clergymen1 no
 longer my friends4 ,they could tell    
better than any one else what ,i was in 
those years4 ,from this time my tongue  
was1 as it were1 loosened1 and ,i spoke 
spontaneously and without effort4 ,a    
shrewd man1 who knew me at this time1   
said1 ,here is a man who1 when he is    
silent1 will never begin to speak2 and  
when he once begins to speak1 will never
 stop4 ,it was at this time that ,i     
began to have influence1 which steadily 
increased for a course of years4 ,i     
gained upon my pupils1 and was in       
particular intimate and affectionate    
with two of our probationer fellows1    
,robert ,i4 ,wilberforce 7afterwards    
archdeacon7 and ,richard ,hurrell       
,froude4 ,whately then1 an acute man1   

perhaps saw around me the signs of an   
incipient party of which ,i was not     
conscious myself4 ,and thus we discern  
the first elements of that movement     
afterwards called ,tractarian4  ,the    
true and primary author of it1 however1 
as is usual with great motive-powers1   
was out of sight4 ,having carried off as
 a mere boy the highest honours of the  
,university1 he had turned from the     
admiration which haunted his steps1 and 
sought for a better and holier          
satisfaction in pastoral work in the    
country4 ,need ,i say that ,i am        
speaking of ,john ,keble8 ,the first    
time that ,i was in a room with him was 
on occasion of my election to a         
fellowship at ,oriel1 when ,i was sent  
for into the ,tower1 to shake hands with
 the provost and fellows4 ,how is that  
hour fixed in my memory after the       
changes of forty-two years1 forty-two   
this very day on which ,i write6 ,i have
 lately had a letter in my hands1 which 
,i sent at the time to my great friend1 

,john ,bowden1 with whom ,i passed      
almost exclusively my ,undergraduate    
years4 ,i had to hasten to the tower1 ,i
 say to him1 to receive the             
congratulations of all the fellows4 ,i  
bore it till ,keble took my hand1 and   
then felt so abashed and unworthy of the
 honour done me1 that ,i seemed desirous
 of quite sinking into the ground4 ,his 
had been the first name which ,i had    
heard spoken of1 with reverence rather  
than admiration1 when ,i came up to     
,oxford4 ,when one day ,i was walking in
 ,high ,street with my dear earliest    
friend just mentioned1 with what        
eagerness did he cry out1 ,there's      
,keble6 and with what awe did ,i look at
 him6 ,then at another time ,i heard a  
master of arts of my college give an    
account how he had just then had        
occasion to introduce himself on some   
business to ,keble1 and how gentle1     
courteous1 and unaffected ,keble had    
been1 so as almost to put him out of    
countenance4 ,then too it was reported1 

truly or falsely1 how a rising man of   
brilliant reputation1 the present ,dean 
of ,st4 ,paul's1 ,dr4 ,milman1 admired  
and loved him1 adding1 that somehow he  
was unlike any one else4 ,however1 at   
the time when ,i was elected ,fellow of 
,oriel he was not in residence1 and he  
was shy of me for years in consequence  
of the marks which ,i bore upon me of   
the evangelical and liberal schools4 ,at
 least so ,i have ever thought4 ,hurrell
 ,froude brought us together about      
#ahbh3 it is one of the sayings         
preserved in his ,remains1--,do you know
 the story of the murderer who had done 
one good thing in his life8 ,well2 if ,i
 was ever asked what good deed ,i had   
ever done1 ,i should say that ,i had    
brought ,keble and ,newman to understand
 each other4  ,the ,christian ,year made
 its appearance in #ahbg4 ,it is not    
necessary1 and scarcely becoming1 to    
praise a book which has already become  
one of the classics of the language4    
,when the general tone of religious     

literature was so nerveless and         
impotent1 as it was at that time1 ,keble
 struck an original note and woke up in 
the hearts of thousands a new music1 the
 music of a school1 long unknown in     
,england4 ,nor can ,i pretend to        
analyse1 in my own instance1 the effect 
of religious teaching so deep1 so pure1 
so beautiful4 ,i have never till now    
tried to do so2 yet ,i think ,i am not  
wrong in saying1 that the two main      
intellectual truths which it brought    
home to me1 were the same two1 which ,i 
had learned from ,butler1 though recast 
in the creative mind of my new master4  
,the first of these was what may be     
called1 in a large sense of the word1   
the sacramental system2 that is1 the    
doctrine that material phenomena are    
both the types and the instruments of   
real things unseen1--a doctrine1 which  
embraces1 not only what ,anglicans1 as  
well as ,catholics1 believe about       
sacraments properly so called2 but also 
the article of the ,communion of ,saints

 in its fulness2 and likewise the       
mysteries of the faith4 ,the connection 
of this philosophy of religion with what
 is sometimes called ,berkeleyism has   
been mentioned above2 ,i knew little of 
,berkeley at this time except by name2  
nor have ,i ever studied him4  ,on the  
second intellectual principle which ,i  
gained from ,mr4 ,keble1 ,i could say a 
great deal2 if this were the place for  
it4 ,it runs through very much that ,i  
have written1 and has gained for me many
 hard names4 ,butler teaches us that    
probability is the guide of life4 ,the  
danger of this doctrine1 in the case of 
many minds1 is1 its tendency to destroy 
in them absolute certainty1 leading them
 to consider every conclusion as        
doubtful1 and resolving truth into an   
opinion1 which it is safe to obey or to 
profess1 but not possible to embrace    
with full internal assent4 ,if this were
 to be allowed1 then the celebrated     
saying1 ,o ,god1 if there be a ,god1    
save my soul1 if ,i have a soul6 would  

be the highest measure of devotion3--but
 who can really pray to a being1 about  
whose existence he is seriously in      
doubt8  ,i considered that ,mr4 ,keble  
met this difficulty by ascribing the    
firmness of assent which we give to     
religious doctrine1 not to the          
probabilities which introduced it1 but  
to the living power of faith and love   
which accepted it4 ,in matters of       
religion1 he seemed to say1 it is not   
merely probability which makes us       
intellectually certain1 but probability 
as it is put to account by faith and    
love4 ,it is faith and love which give  
to probability a force which it has not 
in itself4 ,faith and love are directed 
towards an object2 in the vision of that
 object they live2 it is that object1   
received in faith and love1 which       
renders it reasonable to take           
probability as sufficient for internal  
conviction4 ,thus the argument about    
probability1 in the matter of religion1 
became an argument from personality1    

which in fact is one form of the        
argument from authority4  ,in           
illustration1 ,mr4 ,keble used to quote 
the words of the psalm3 ,i will guide   
thee with mine eye4 ,be ye not like to  
horse and mule1 which have no           
understanding2 whose mouths must be held
 with bit and bridle1 lest they fall    
upon thee4 ,this is the very difference1
 he used to say1 between slaves1 and    
friends or children4 ,friends do not ask
 for literal commands2 but1 from their  
knowledge of the speaker1 they          
understand his half-words1 and from love
 of him they anticipate his wishes4     
,hence it is1 that in his poem for ,st4 
,bartholomew's ,day1 he speaks of the   
,eye of ,god's word2 and in the note    
quotes ,mr4 ,miller1 of ,worcester      
,college1 who remarks1 in his ,bampton  
,lectures1 on the special power of      
,scripture1 as having this eye1 like    
that of a portrait1 uniformly fixed upon
 us1 turn where we will4 ,the view thus 
suggested by ,mr4 ,keble1 is brought    

forward in one of the earliest of the   
,tracts for the ,times4 ,in ,no4 #h ,i  
say1 ,the ,gospel is a ,law of ,liberty4
 ,we are treated as sons1 not as        
servants2 not subjected to a code of    
formal commandments1 but addressed as   
those who love ,god1 and wish to please 
,him4  ,i did not at all dispute this   
view of the matter1 for ,i made use of  
it myself2 but ,i was dissatisfied1     
because it did not go to the root of the
 difficulty4 ,it was beautiful and      
religious1 but it did not even profess  
to be logical2 and accordingly ,i tried 
to complete it by considerations of my  
own1 which are implied in my ,university
 sermons1 ,essay on ,ecclesiastical     
,miracles1 and ,essay on ,development of
 ,doctrine4 ,my argument is in outline  
as follows3 that that absolute certitude
 which we were able to possess1 whether 
as to the truths of natural theology1 or
 as to the fact of a revelation1 was the
 result of an assemblage of concurring  
and converging probabilities1 and that1 

both according to the constitution of   
the human mind and the will of its      
,maker2 that certitude was a habit of   
mind1 that certainty was a quality of   
propositions2 that probabilities which  
did not reach to logical certainty1     
might create a mental certitude2 that   
the certitude thus created might equal  
in measure and strength the certitude   
which was created by the strictest      
scientific demonstration2 and that to   
have such certitude might in given cases
 and to given individuals be a plain    
duty1 though not to others in other     
circumstances3--  ,moreover1 that as    
there were probabilities which sufficed 
to create certitude1 so there were other
 probabilities which were legitimately  
adapted to create opinion2 that it might
 be quite as much a matter of duty in   
given cases and to given persons to have
 about a fact an opinion of a definite  
strength and consistency1 as in the case
 of greater or of more numerous         
probabilities it was a duty to have a   

certitude2 that accordingly we were     
bound to be more or less sure1 on a sort
 of 7as it were7 graduated scale of     
assent1 viz4 according as the           
probabilities attaching to a professed  
fact were brought home to us1 and1 as   
the case might be1 to entertain about it
 a pious belief1 or a pious opinion1 or 
a religious conjecture1 or at least1 a  
tolerance of such belief1 or opinion1 or
 conjecture in others2 that on the other
 hand1 as it was a duty to have a       
belief1 of more or less strong texture1 
in given cases1 so in other cases it was
 a duty not to believe1 not to opine1   
not to conjecture1 not even to tolerate 
the notion that a professed fact was    
true1 inasmuch as it would be credulity 
or superstition1 or some other moral    
fault1 to do so4 ,this was the region of
 private judgment in religion2 that is1 
of a private judgment1 not formed       
arbitrarily and according to one's fancy
 or liking1 but conscientiously1 and    
under a sense of duty4  ,considerations 

such as these throw a new light on the  
subject of ,miracles1 and they seem to  
have led me to re-consider the view     
which ,i took of them in my ,essay in   
#ahbe-f4 ,i do not know what was the    
date of this change in me1 nor of the   
train of ideas on which it was founded4 
,that there had been already great      
miracles1 as those of ,scripture1 as the
 ,resurrection1 was a fact establishing 
the principle that the laws of nature   
had sometimes been suspended by their   
,divine ,author2 and since what had     
happened once might happen again1 a     
certain probability1 at least no kind of
 improbability1 was attached to the     
idea1 taken in itself1 of miraculous    
intervention in later times1 and        
miraculous accounts were to be regarded 
in connection with the verisimilitude1  
scope1 instrument1 character1 testimony1
 and circumstances1 with which they     
presented themselves to us2 and1        
according to the final result of those  
various considerations1 it was our duty 

to be sure1 or to believe1 or to opine1 
or to surmise1 or to tolerate1 or to    
reject1 or to denounce4 ,the main       
difference between my essay on ,miracles
 in #ahbf and my essay in #ahdb is this3
 that in #ahbf ,i considered that       
miracles were sharply divided into two  
classes1 those which were to be         
received1 and those which were to be    
rejected2 whereas in #ahdb ,i saw that  
they were to be regarded according to   
their greater or less probability1 which
 was in some cases sufficient to create 
certitude about them1 in other cases    
only belief or opinion4  ,moreover1 the 
argument from analogy1 on which this    
view of the question was founded1       
suggested to me something besides1 in   
recommendation of the ecclesiastical    
miracles4 ,it fastened itself upon the  
theory of church history which ,i had   
learned as a boy from ,joseph ,milner4  
,it is ,milner's doctrine1 that upon the
 visible ,church come down from above1  
from time to time1 large and temporary  

,effusions of divine grace4 ,this is the
 leading idea of his work4 ,he begins by
 speaking of the ,day of ,pentecost1 as 
marking the first of those ,effusions of
 the ,spirit of ,god1 which from age to 
age have visited the earth since the    
coming of ,christ 7vol4 i4 p4 #c74 ,in a
 note he adds that in the term          
',effusion' there is not here included  
the idea of the miraculous or           
extraordinary operations of the ,spirit 
of ,god2 but still it was natural for   
me1 admitting ,milner's general theory1 
and applying to it the principle of     
analogy1 not to stop short at his abrupt
 ipse dixit1 but boldly to pass forward 
to the conclusion1 on other grounds     
plausible1 that1 as miracles accompanied
 the first effusion of grace1 so they   
might accompany the later4 ,it is surely
 a natural and on the whole1 a true     
anticipation 7though of course there are
 exceptions in particular cases71 that  
gifts and graces go together2 now1      
according to the ancient ,catholic      

doctrine1 the gift of miracles was      
viewed as the attendant and shadow of   
transcendent sanctity3 and moreover1 as 
such sanctity was not of every day's    
occurrence1 nay further1 as one period  
of ,church history differed widely from 
another1 and1 as ,joseph ,milner would  
say1 there have been generations or     
centuries of degeneracy or disorder1 and
 times of revival1 and as one region    
might be in the mid-day of religious    
fervour1 and another in twilight or     
gloom1 there was no force in the popular
 argument1 that1 because we did not see 
miracles with our own eyes1 miracles had
 not happened in former times1 or were  
not now at this very time taking place  
in distant places3--but ,i must not     
dwell longer on a subject1 to which in a
 few words it is impossible to do       
justice4   ,hurrell ,froude was a pupil 
of ,keble's1 formed by him1 and in turn 
reacting upon him4 ,i knew him first in 
#ahbf1 and was in the closest and most  
affectionate friendship with him from   

about #ahbi till his death in #ahcf4 ,he
 was a man of the highest gifts--so     
truly many-sided1 that it would be      
presumptuous in me to attempt to        
describe him1 except under those        
aspects1 in which he came before me4    
,nor have ,i here to speak of the       
gentleness and tenderness of nature1 the
 playfulness1 the free elastic force and
 graceful versatility of mind1 and the  
patient winning considerateness in      
discussion1 which endeared him to those 
to whom he opened his heart2 for ,i am  
all along engaged upon matters of belief
 and opinion1 and am introducing others 
into my narrative1 not for their own    
sake1 or because ,i love and have loved 
them1 so much as because1 and so far as1
 they have influenced my theological    
views4 ,in this respect then1 ,i speak  
of ,hurrell ,froude--in his intellectual
 aspect--as a man of high genius1       
brimful and overflowing with ideas and  
views1 in him original1 which were too  
many and strong even for his bodily     

strength1 and which crowded and jostled 
against each other in their effort after
 distinct shape and expression4 ,and he 
had an intellect as critical and logical
 as it was speculative and bold4 ,dying 
prematurely1 as he did1 and in the      
conflict and transition-state of        
opinion1 his religious views never      
reached their ultimate conclusion1 by   
the very reason of their multitude and  
their depth4 ,his opinions arrested and 
influenced me1 even when they did not   
gain my assent4 ,he professed openly his
 admiration of the ,church of ,rome1 and
 his hatred of the reformers4 ,he       
delighted in the notion of an           
hierarchical system1 or sacerdotal power
 and of full ecclesiastical liberty4 ,he
 felt scorn of the maxim1 ,the ,bible   
and the ,bible only is the religion of  
,protestants2 and he gloried in         
accepting ,tradition as a main          
instrument of religious teaching4 ,he   
had a high severe idea of the intrinsic 
excellence of virginity2 and he         

considered the ,blessed ,virgin its     
great pattern4 ,he delighted in thinking
 of the saints2 he had a keen           
appreciation of the idea of sanctity1   
its possibility and its heights2 and he 
was more than inclined to believe a     
large amount of miraculous interference 
as occurring in the early and middle    
ages4 ,he embraced the principle of     
penance and mortification4 ,he had a    
deep devotion to the ,real ,presence1 in
 which he had a firm faith4 ,he was     
powerfully drawn to the medieval church1
 but not to the primitive4  ,he had a   
keen insight into abstract truth2 but he
 was an ,englishman to the backbone in  
his severe adherence to the real and the
 concrete4 ,he had a most classical     
taste1 and a genius for philosophy and  
art2 and he was fond of historical      
inquiry1 and the politics of religion4  
,he had no turn for theology as such4   
,he had no appreciation of the writings 
of the ,fathers1 of the detail or       
development of doctrine1 of the definite

 traditions of the ,church viewed in    
their matter1 of the teaching of the    
ecumenical councils1 or of the          
controversies out of which they arose4  
,he took an eager1 courageous view of   
things on the whole4 ,i should say that 
his power of entering into the minds of 
others did not equal his other gifts2 he
 could not believe1 for instance1 that  
,i really held the ,roman ,church to be 
,antichristian4 ,on many points he would
 not believe but that ,i agreed with    
him1 when ,i did not4 ,he seemed not to 
understand my difficulties4 ,his were of
 a different kind1 the contrariety      
between theory and fact4 ,he was a high 
,tory of the cavalier stamp1 and was    
disgusted with the ,toryism of the      
opponents of the ,reform ,bill4 ,he was 
smitten with the love of the theocratic 
church2 he went abroad and was shocked  
by the degeneracy which he thought he   
saw in the ,catholics of ,italy4  ,it is
 difficult to enumerate the precise     
additions to my theological creed which 

,i derived from a friend to whom ,i owe 
so much4 ,he made me look with          
admiration towards the ,church of ,rome1
 and in the same degree to dislike the  
,reformation4 ,he fixed deep in me the  
idea of devotion to the ,blessed        
,virgin1 and he led me gradually to     
believe in the ,real ,presence4   ,there
 is one remaining source of my opinions 
to be mentioned1 and that far from the  
least important4 ,in proportion as ,i   
moved out of the shadow of liberalism   
which had hung over my course1 my early 
devotion towards the fathers returned2  
and in the long vacation of #ahbh ,i set
 about to read them chronologically1    
beginning with ,st4 ,ignatius and ,st4  
,justin4 ,about #ahcj a proposal was    
made to me by ,mr4 ,hugh ,rose1 who with
 ,mr4 ,lyall 7afterwards ,dean of       
,canterbury7 was providing writers for a
 theological library1 to furnish them   
with a history of the principal         
councils4 ,i accepted it1 and at once   
set to work on the ,council of ,nicaea4 

,it was launching myself on an ocean    
with currents innumerable2 and ,i was   
drifted back first to the ante-,nicene  
history1 and then to the ,church of     
,alexandria4 ,the work at last appeared 
under the title of ,the ,arians of the  
,fourth ,century2 and of its #dbb pages1
 the first #aag consisted of            
introductory matter1 and the ,council of
 ,nicaea did not appear till the #bedth1
 and then occupied at most twenty pages4
  ,i do not know when ,i first learnt to
 consider that antiquity was the true   
exponent of the doctrines of            
,christianity and the basis of the      
,church of ,england2 but ,i take it for 
granted that ,bishop ,bull1 whose works 
at this time ,i read1 was my chief      
introduction to this principle4 ,the    
course of reading which ,i pursued in   
the composition of my work was directly 
adapted to develop it in my mind4 ,what 
principally attracted me in the         
ante-,nicene period was the great       
,church of ,alexandria1 the historical  

centre of teaching in those times4 ,of  
,rome for some centuries comparatively  
little is known4 ,the battle of         
,arianism was first fought in           
,alexandria2 ,athanasius1 the champion  
of the truth1 was ,bishop of            
,alexandria2 and in his writings he     
refers to the great religious names of  
an earlier date1 to ,origen1 ,dionysius1
 and others who were the glory of its   
see1 or of its school4 ,the broad       
philosophy of ,clement and ,origen      
carried me away2 the philosophy1 not the
 theological doctrine2 and ,i have drawn
 out some features of it in my volume1  
with the zeal and freshness1 but with   
the partiality of a neophyte4 ,some     
portions of their teaching1 magnificent 
in themselves1 came like music to my    
inward ear1 as if the response to ideas1
 which1 with little external to         
encourage them1 ,i had cherished so     
long4 ,these were based on the mystical 
or sacramental principle1 and spoke of  
the various economies or dispensations  

of the eternal4 ,i understood them to   
mean that the exterior world1 physical  
and historical1 was but the outward     
manifestation of realities greater than 
itself4 ,nature was a parable3#a        
,scripture was an allegory3 pagan       
literature1 philosophy1 and mythology1  
properly understood1 were but a         
preparation for the ,gospel4 ,the ,greek
 poets and sages were in a certain sense
 prophets2 for thoughts beyond their    
thought to those high bards were given4 
,there had been a divine dispensation   
granted to the ,jews2 there had been in 
some sense a dispensation carried on in 
favour of the ,gentiles4 ,he who had    
taken the seed of ,jacob for ,his elect 
people1 had not therefore cast the rest 
of mankind out of ,his sight4 ,in the   
fulness of time both ,judaism and       
,paganism had come to nought2 the       
outward framework1 which concealed yet  
suggested the living truth1 had never   
been intended to last1 and it was       
dissolving under the beams of the sun of

 justice behind it and through it4 ,the 
process of change had been slow2 it had 
been done not rashly1 but by rule and   
measure1 at sundry times and in divers  
manners1 first one disclosure and then  
another1 till the whole was brought into
 full manifestation4 ,and thus room was 
made for the anticipation of further and
 deeper disclosures1 of truths still    
under the veil of the letter1 and in    
their season to be revealed4 ,the       
visible world still remains without its 
divine interpretation2 ,holy ,church in 
her sacraments and her hierarchical     
appointments1 will remain even to the   
end of the world1 only a symbol of those
 heavenly facts which fill eternity4    
,her mysteries are but the expressions  
in human language of truths to which the
 human mind is unequal4 ,it is evident  
how much there was in all this in       
correspondence with the thoughts which  
had attracted me when ,i was young1 and 
with the doctrine which ,i have already 
connected with the ,analogy and the     

,christian ,year4  ,i suppose it was to 
the ,alexandrian school and to the early
 church that ,i owe in particular what  
,i definitely held about the angels4 ,i 
viewed them1 not only as the ministers  
employed by the ,creator in the ,jewish 
and ,christian dispensations1 as we find
 on the face of ,scripture1 but as      
carrying on1 as ,scripture also implies1
 the economy of the visible world4 ,i   
considered them as the real causes of   
motion1 light1 and life1 and of those   
elementary principles of the physical   
universe1 which1 when offered in their  
developments to our senses1 suggest to  
us the notion of cause and effect1 and  
of what are called the laws of nature4  
,i have drawn out this doctrine in my   
sermon for ,michaelmas day1 written not 
later than #ahcd4 ,i say of the angels1 
,every breath of air and ray of light   
and heat1 every beautiful prospect1 is1 
as it were1 the skirts of their         
garments1 the waving of the robes of    
those whose faces see ,god4 ,again1 ,i  

ask what would be the thoughts of a man 
who1 when examining a flower1 or a herb1
 or a pebble1 or a ray of light1 which  
he treats as something so beneath him in
 the scale of existence1 suddenly       
discovered that he was in the presence  
of some powerful being who was hidden   
behind the visible things he was        
inspecting1 who1 though concealing his  
wise hand1 was giving them their beauty1
 grace1 and perfection1 as being ,god's 
instrument for the purpose1 nay1 whose  
robe and ornaments those objects were1  
which he was so eager to analyse8 and ,i
 therefore remark that we may say with  
grateful and simple hearts with the     
,three ,holy ,children1 ',o all ye works
 of the ,lord1 etc41 etc41 bless ye the 
,lord1 praise ,him1 and magnify ,him for
 ever4'  ,also1 besides the hosts of    
evil spirits1 ,i considered there was a 
middle race1 greek3 daimonia1 neither in
 heaven1 nor in hell2 partially fallen1 
capricious1 wayward2 noble or crafty1   
benevolent or malicious1 as the case    

might be4 ,they gave a sort of          
inspiration or intelligence to races1   
nations1 and classes of men4 ,hence the 
action of bodies politic and            
associations1 which is so different     
often from that of the individuals who  
compose them4 ,hence the character and  
the instinct of states and governments1 
of religious communities and communions4
 ,i thought they were inhabited by      
unseen intelligences4 ,my preference of 
the ,personal to the ,abstract would    
naturally lead me to this view4 ,i      
thought it countenanced by the mention  
of the ,prince of ,persia in the        
,prophet ,daniel2 and ,i think ,i       
considered that it was of such          
intermediate beings that the ,apocalypse
 spoke1 when it introduced the ,angels  
of the ,seven ,churches4  ,in #ahcg ,i  
made a further development of this      
doctrine4 ,i said to my great friend1   
,samuel ,francis ,wood1 in a letter     
which came into my hands on his death1  
,i have an idea4 ,the mass of the       

,fathers 7,justin1 ,athenagoras1        
,irenaeus1 ,clement1 ,tertullian1       
,origen1 ,lactantius1 ,sulpicius1       
,ambrose1 ,nazianzen71 hold that1 though
 ,satan fell from the beginning1 the    
,angels fell before the deluge1 falling 
in love with the daughters of men4 ,this
 has lately come across me as a         
remarkable solution of a notion which ,i
 cannot help holding4 ,daniel speaks as 
if each nation had its guardian ,angel4 
,i cannot but think that there are      
beings with a great deal of good in     
them1 yet with great defects1 who are   
the animating principles of certain     
institutions1 etc41 etc4444 ,take       
,england1 with many high virtues1 and   
yet a low ,catholicism4 ,it seems to me 
that ,john ,bull is a ,spirit neither of
 heaven nor hell4444 ,has not the       
,christian ,church1 in its parts1       
surrendered itself to one or other of   
these simulations of the truth8 444,how 
are we to avoid ,scylla and ,charybdis  
and go straight on to the very image of 

,christ8 etc41 etc4  ,i am aware that   
what ,i have been saying will1 with many
 men1 be doing credit to my imagination 
at the expense of my                    
judgment--,hippoclides doesn't care2 ,i 
am not setting myself up as a pattern of
 good sense or of anything else3 ,i am  
but vindicating myself from the charge  
of dishonesty4--,there is indeed another
 view of the economy brought out1 in the
 course of the same dissertation on the 
subject1 in my ,history of the ,arians1 
which has afforded matter for the latter
 imputation2 but ,i reserve it for the  
concluding portion of my reply4   ,while
 ,i was engaged in writing my work upon 
the ,arians1 great events were happening
 at home and abroad1 which brought out  
into form and passionate expression the 
various beliefs which had so gradually  
been winning their way into my mind4    
,shortly before1 there had been a       
revolution in ,france2 the ,bourbons had
 been dismissed3 and ,i believed that it
 was unchristian for nations to cast off

 their governors1 and1 much more1       
sovereigns who had the divine right of  
inheritance4 ,again1 the great ,reform  
agitation was going on around me as ,i  
wrote4 ,the ,whigs had come into power2 
,lord ,grey had told the ,bishops to set
 their house in order1 and some of the  
prelates had been insulted and          
threatened in the streets of ,london4   
,the vital question was how were we to  
keep the ,church from being liberalised8
 there was such apathy on the subject in
 some quarters1 such imbecile alarm in  
others2 the true principles of          
,churchmanship seemed so radically      
decayed1 and there was such distraction 
in the councils of the clergy4 ,the     
,bishop of ,london of the day1 an active
 and open-hearted man1 had been for     
years engaged in diluting the high      
orthodoxy of the ,church by the         
introduction of the ,evangelical body   
into places of influence and trust4 ,he 
had deeply offended men who agreed with 
myself1 by an off-hand saying 7as it was

 reported7 to the effect that belief in 
the apostolical succession had gone out 
with the non-jurors4 ,we can count you1 
he said to some of the gravest and most 
venerated persons of the old school4    
,and the ,evangelical party itself      
seemed1 with their late successes1 to   
have lost that simplicity and           
unworldliness which ,i admired so much  
in ,milner and ,scott4 ,it was not that 
,i did not venerate such men as the then
 ,bishop of ,lichfield1 and others of   
similar sentiments1 who were not yet    
promoted out of the ranks of the clergy1
 but ,i thought little of them as a     
class4 ,i thought they played into the  
hands of the ,liberals4 ,with the       
,establishment thus divided and         
threatened1 thus ignorant of its true   
strength1 ,i compared that fresh        
vigorous power of which ,i was reading  
in the first centuries4 ,in her         
triumphant zeal on behalf of that       
,primeval ,mystery1 to which ,i had had 
so great a devotion from my youth1 ,i   

recognised the movement of my ,spiritual
 ,mother4 ,incessu patuit ,dea4 ,the    
self-conquest of her ascetics1 the      
patience of her martyrs1 the            
irresistible determination of her       
bishops1 the joyous swing of her        
advance1 both exalted and abashed me4 ,i
 said to myself1 ,look on this picture  
and on that2 ,i felt affection for my   
own ,church1 but not tenderness2 ,i felt
 dismay at her prospects1 anger and     
scorn at her do-nothing perplexity4 ,i  
thought that if ,liberalism once got a  
footing within her1 it was sure of the  
victory in the event4 ,i saw that       
,reformation principles were powerless  
to rescue her4 ,as to leaving her1 the  
thought never crossed my imagination2   
still ,i ever kept before me that there 
was something greater than the          
,established ,church1 and that that was 
the ,church ,catholic and ,apostolic1   
set up from the beginning1 of which she 
was but the local presence and organ4   
,she was nothing1 unless she was this4  

,she must be dealt with strongly1 or she
 would be lost4 ,there was need of a    
second ,reformation4  ,at this time ,i  
was disengaged from college duties1 and 
my health had suffered from the labour  
involved in the composition of my       
volume4 ,it was ready for the press in  
,july1 #ahcb1 though not published till 
the end of #ahcc4 ,i was easily         
persuaded to join ,hurrell ,froude and  
his ,father1 who were going to the south
 of ,europe for the health of the       
former4  ,we set out in ,december1      
#ahcb4 ,it was during this expedition   
that my ,verses which are in the ,lyra  
,apostolica were written2--a few indeed 
before it1 but not more than one or two 
of them after it4 ,exchanging1 as ,i    
was1 definite tutorial labours1 and the 
literary quiet and pleasant friendships 
of the last six years1 for foreign      
countries and an unknown future1 ,i     
naturally was led to think that some    
inward changes1 as well as some larger  
course of action1 was coming upon me4   

,at ,whitchurch1 while waiting for the  
down mail to ,falmouth1 ,i wrote the    
verses about my ,guardian ,angel1 which 
begin with these words3 ,are these the  
tracks of some unearthly ,friend8 and go
 on to speak of the vision which haunted
 me3--that vision is more or less       
brought out in the whole series of these
 compositions4  ,i went to various      
coasts of the ,mediterranean1 parted    
with my friends at ,rome2 went down for 
the second time to ,sicily1 at the end  
of ,april1 and got back to ,england by  
,palermo in the early part of ,july4    
,the strangeness of foreign life threw  
me back into myself2 ,i found pleasure  
in historical sites and beautiful       
scenes1 not in men and manners4 ,we kept
 clear of ,catholics throughout our     
tour4 ,i had a conversation with the    
,dean of ,malta1 a most pleasant man1   
lately dead2 but it was about the       
,fathers1 and the ,library of the great 
church4 ,i knew the ,abbate ,santini1 at
 ,rome1 who did no more than copy for me

 the ,gregorian tones4 ,froude and ,i   
made two calls upon ,monsignore 7now    
,cardinal7 ,wiseman at the ,collegio    
,inglese1 shortly before we left ,rome4 
,i do not recollect being in a room with
 any other ecclesiastics1 except a      
,priest at ,castro-,giovanni in ,sicily1
 who called on me when ,i was ill1 and  
with whom ,i wished to hold a           
controversy4 ,as to ,church ,services1  
we attended the ,tenebrae1 at the       
,sestine1 for the sake of the ,miserere2
 and that was all4 ,my general feeling  
was1 ,all1 save the spirit of man1 is   
divine4 ,i saw nothing but what was     
external2 of the hidden life of         
,catholics ,i knew nothing4 ,i was still
 more driven back into myself1 and felt 
my isolation4 ,england was in my        
thoughts solely1 and the news from      
,england came rarely and imperfectly4   
,the ,bill for the ,suppression of the  
,irish ,sees was in progress1 and filled
 my mind4 ,i had fierce thoughts against
 the ,liberals4  ,it was the success of 

the ,liberal cause which fretted me     
inwardly4 ,i became fierce against its  
instruments and its manifestations4 ,a  
,french vessel was at ,algiers2 ,i would
 not even look at the tricolour4 ,on my 
return1 though forced to stop a day at  
,paris1 ,i kept indoors the whole time1 
and all that ,i saw of that beautiful   
city1 was what ,i saw from the          
,diligence4 ,the ,bishop of ,london had 
already sounded me as to my filling one 
of the ,whitehall preacherships1 which  
he had just then put on a new footing2  
but ,i was indignant at the line which  
he was taking1 and from my steamer ,i   
had sent home a letter declining the    
appointment by anticipation1 should it  
be offered to me4 ,at this time ,i was  
specially annoyed with ,dr4 ,arnold1    
though it did not last into later years4
 ,some one1 ,i think1 asked in          
conversation at ,rome1 whether a certain
 interpretation of ,scripture was       
,christian8 it was answered that ,dr4   
,arnold took it2 ,i interposed1 ,but is 

he a ,christian8 ,the subject went out  
of my head at once2 when afterwards ,i  
was taxed with it ,i could say no more  
in explanation1 than that ,i thought ,i 
must have been alluding to some free    
views of ,dr4 ,arnold about the ,old    
,testament3--,i thought ,i must have    
meant1 ,but who is to answer for        
,arnold8 ,it was at ,rome too that we   
began the ,lyra ,apostolica which       
appeared monthly in the ,british        
,magazine4 ,the motto shows the feeling 
of both ,froude and myself at the time3 
we borrowed from ,m4 ,bunsen a ,homer1  
and ,froude chose the words in which    
,achilles1 on returning to the battle1  
says1 ,you shall know the difference1   
now that ,i am back again4  ,especially 
when ,i was left by myself1 the thought 
came upon me that deliverance is        
wrought1 not by the many but by the few1
 not by bodies but by persons4 ,now it  
was1 ,i think1 that ,i repeated to      
myself the words1 which had ever been   
dear to me from my school days1         

,exoriare aliquis6--now too1 that       
,southey's beautiful poem of ,thalaba1  
for which ,i had an immense liking1 came
 forcibly to my mind4 ,i began to think 
that ,i had a mission4 ,there are       
sentences of my letters to my friends to
 this effect1 if they are not destroyed4
 ,when we took leave of ,monsignore     
,wiseman1 he had courteously expressed a
 wish that we might make a second visit 
to ,rome2 ,i said with great gravity1   
,we have a work to do in ,england4 ,i   
went down at once to ,sicily1 and the   
presentiment grew stronger4 ,i struck   
into the middle of the island1 and fell 
ill of a fever at ,leonforte4 ,my       
servant thought that ,i was dying1 and  
begged for my last directions4 ,i gave  
them1 as he wished2 but ,i said1 ,i     
shall not die4 ,i repeated1 ,i shall not
 die1 for ,i have not sinned against    
light1 ,i have not sinned against light4
 ,i never have been able to make out at 
all what ,i meant4  ,i got to           
,castro-,giovanni1 and was laid up there

 for nearly three weeks4 ,towards the   
end of ,may ,i set off for ,palermo1    
taking three days for the journey4      
,before starting from my inn in the     
morning of ,may #bfth or #bgth1 ,i sat  
down on my bed1 and began to sob        
bitterly4 ,my servant1 who had acted as 
my nurse1 asked what ailed me4 ,i could 
only answer1 ,i have a work to do in    
,england4  ,i was aching to get home2   
yet for want of a vessel ,i was kept at 
,palermo for three weeks4 ,i began to   
visit the ,churches1 and they calmed my 
impatience1 though ,i did not attend any
 services4 ,i knew nothing of the       
presence of the ,blessed ,sacrament     
there4 ,at last ,i got off in an orange 
boat1 bound for ,marseilles4 ,we were   
becalmed a whole week in the ,straits of
 ,bonifacio4 ,then it was that ,i wrote 
the lines1 ,lead1 kindly light1 which   
have since become well known4 ,i was    
writing verses the whole time of my     
passage4 ,at length ,i got to           
,marseilles1 and set off for ,england4  

,the fatigue of travelling was too much 
for me1 and ,i was laid up for several  
days at ,lyons4 ,at last ,i got off     
again and did not stop night or day till
 ,i reached ,england1 and my mother's   
house4 ,my brother had arrived from     
,persia only a few hours before4 ,this  
was on the ,tuesday4 ,the following     
,sunday1 ,july #adth1 ,mr4 ,keble       
preached the assize ,sermon in the      
,university ,pulpit4 ,it was published  
under the title of ,national ,apostasy4 
,i have ever considered and kept the    
day1 as the start of the religious      
movement of #ahcc4  ,footnote  #a ,vid4 
,mr4 ,morris's beautiful poem with this 
title4     ,part ,,iv  ,history of ,my  
,religious ,opinions--#ahcc-ahci   ,in  
spite of the foregoing pages1 ,i have no
 romantic story to tell2 but ,i wrote   
them1 because it is my duty to tell     
things as they took place4 ,i have not  
exaggerated the feelings with which ,i  
returned to ,england1 and ,i have no    
desire to dress up the events which     

followed1 so as to make them in keeping 
with the narrative which has gone       
before4 ,i soon relapsed into the       
every-day life which ,i had hitherto    
led2 in all things the same1 except that
 a new object was given me4 ,i had      
employed myself in my own rooms in      
reading and writing1 and in the care of 
a church1 before ,i left ,england1 and  
,i returned to the same occupations when
 ,i was back again4 ,and yet perhaps    
those first vehement feelings which     
carried me on were necessary for the    
beginning of the movement2 and          
afterwards1 when it was once begun1 the 
special need of me was over4   ,when ,i 
got home from abroad1 ,i found that     
already a movement had commenced in     
opposition to the specific danger which 
at that time was threatening the        
religion of the nation and its church4  
,several zealous and able men had united
 their counsels1 and were in            
correspondence with each other4 ,the    
principal of these were ,mr4 ,keble1    

,hurrell ,froude1 who had reached home  
long before me1 ,mr4 ,william ,palmer of
 ,dublin and ,worcester ,college 7not   
,mr4 ,w4 ,palmer of ,magdalen1 who is   
now a ,catholic71 ,mr4 ,arthur          
,perceval1 and ,mr4 ,hugh ,rose4  ,to   
mention ,mr4 ,hugh ,rose's name is to   
kindle in the minds of those who knew   
him1 a host of pleasant and affectionate
 remembrances4 ,he was the man above all
 others fitted by his cast of mind and  
literary powers to make a stand1 if a   
stand could be made1 against the        
calamity of the times4 ,he was gifted   
with a high and large mind1 and a true  
sensibility of what was great and       
beautiful2 he wrote with warmth and     
energy2 and he had a cool head and      
cautious judgment4 ,he spent his        
strength and shortened his life1 ,pro   
,ecclesia ,dei1 as he understood that   
sovereign idea4 ,some years earlier he  
had been the first to give warning1 ,i  
think from the university pulpit at     
,cambridge1 of the perils to ,england   

which lay in the biblical and           
theological speculations of ,germany4   
,the ,reform agitation followed1 and the
 ,whig government came into power2 and  
he anticipated in their distribution of 
church patronage the authoritative      
introduction of liberal opinions into   
the country3--by liberal ,i mean        
liberalism in religion1 for questions of
 politics1 as such1 do not come into    
this narrative at all4 ,he feared that  
by the ,whig party a door would be      
opened in ,england to the most grievous 
of heresies1 which never could be closed
 again4 ,in order under such grave      
circumstances to unite ,churchmen       
together1 and to make a front against   
the coming danger1 he had in #ahcb      
commenced the ,british ,magazine1 and in
 the same year he came to ,oxford in the
 summer term1 in order to beat up for   
writers for his publication2 on that    
occasion ,i became known to him through 
,mr4 ,palmer4 ,his reputation and       
position came in aid of his obvious     

fitness1 in point of character and      
intellect1 to become the centre of an   
ecclesiastical movement1 if such a      
movement were to depend on the action of
 a party4 ,his delicate health1 his     
premature death1 would have frustrated  
the expectation1 even though the new    
school of opinion had been more exactly 
thrown into the shape of a party1 than  
in fact was the case4 ,but he zealously 
backed up the first efforts of those who
 were principals in it2 and1 when he    
went abroad to die1 in #ahch1 he allowed
 me the solace of expressing my feelings
 of attachment and gratitude to him by  
addressing him1 in the dedication of a  
volume of my ,sermons1 as the man1 who1 
when hearts were failing1 bade us stir  
up the gift that was in us1 and betake  
ourselves to our true ,mother4  ,but    
there were other reasons1 besides ,mr4  
,rose's state of health1 which hindered 
those who so much admired him from      
availing themselves of his close        
co-operation in the coming fight4       

,united as both he and they were in the 
general scope of the ,movement1 they    
were in discordance with each other from
 the first in their estimate of the     
means to be adopted for attaining it4   
,mr4 ,rose had a position in the church1
 a name1 and serious responsibilities2  
he had direct ecclesiastical superiors2 
he had intimate relations with his own  
university1 and a large clerical        
connection through the country4 ,froude 
and ,i were nobodies2 with no characters
 to lose1 and no antecedents to fetter  
us4 ,rose could not go ahead across     
country1 as ,froude had no scruples in  
doing4 ,froude was a bold rider1 as on  
horseback1 so also in his speculations4 
,after a long conversation with him on  
the logical bearing of his principles1  
,mr4 ,rose said of him with quiet       
humour1 that he did not seem to be      
afraid of inferences4 ,it was simply the
 truth2 ,froude had that strong hold of 
first principles1 and that keen         
perception of their value1 that he was  

comparatively indifferent to the        
revolutionary action which would attend 
on their application to a given state of
 things2 whereas in the thoughts of     
,rose1 as a practical man1 existing     
facts had the precedence of every other 
idea1 and the chief test of the         
soundness of a line of policy lay in the
 consideration whether it would work4   
,this was one of the first questions1   
which1 as it seemed to me1 ever occurred
 to his mind4 ,with ,froude1            
,erastianism--that is1 the union 7so he 
viewed it7 of church and state--was the 
parent1 or if not the parent1 the       
serviceable and sufficient tool1 of     
liberalism4 ,till that union was        
snapped1 ,christian doctrine never could
 be safe2 and1 while he well knew how   
high and unselfish was the temper of    
,mr4 ,rose1 yet he used to apply to him 
an epithet1 reproachful in his own      
mouth2--,rose was a conservative4 ,by   
bad luck1 ,i brought out this word to   
,mr4 ,rose in a letter of my own1 which 

,i wrote to him in criticism of         
something he had inserted into the      
,magazine3 ,i got a vehement rebuke for 
my pains1 for though ,rose pursued a    
conservative line1 he had as high a     
disdain1 as ,froude could have1 of a    
worldly ambition1 and an extreme        
sensitiveness of such an imputation4    
,but there was another reason still1 and
 a more elementary one1 which severed   
,mr4 ,rose from the ,oxford movement4   
,living movements do not come of        
committees1 nor are great ideas worked  
out through the post1 even though it had
 been the penny post4 ,this principle   
deeply penetrated both ,froude and      
myself from the first1 and recommended  
to us the course which things soon took 
spontaneously1 and without set purpose  
of our own4 ,universities are the       
natural centres of intellectual         
movements4 ,how could men act together1 
whatever was their zeal1 unless they    
were united in a sort of individuality8 
,now1 first1 we had no unity of place4  

,mr4 ,rose was in ,suffolk1 ,mr4        
,perceval in ,surrey1 ,mr4 ,keble in    
,gloucestershire2 ,hurrell ,froude had  
to go for his health to ,barbados4 ,mr4 
,palmer indeed was in ,oxford2 this was 
an important advantage1 and told well in
 the first months of the ,movement2--but
 another condition1 besides that of     
place1 was required4  ,a far more       
essential unity was that of             
antecedents1--a common history1 common  
memories1 an intercourse of mind with   
mind in the past1 and a progress and    
increase of that intercourse in the     
present4 ,mr4 ,perceval1 to be sure1 was
 a pupil of ,mr4 ,keble's2 but ,keble1  
,rose1 and ,palmer1 represented distinct
 parties1 or at least tempers1 in the   
,establishment4 ,mr4 ,palmer had many   
conditions of authority and influence4  
,he was the only really learned man     
among us4 ,he understood theology as a  
science2 he was practised in the        
scholastic mode of controversial        
writing2 and ,i believe1 was as well    

acquainted1 as he was dissatisfied1 with
 the ,catholic schools4 ,he was as      
decided in his religious views1 as he   
was cautious and even subtle in their   
expression1 and gentle in their         
enforcement4 ,but he was deficient in   
depth2 and besides1 coming from a       
distance1 he never had really grown into
 an ,oxford man1 nor was he generally   
received as such2 nor had he any insight
 into the force of personal influence   
and congeniality of thought in carrying 
out a religious theory1--a condition    
which ,froude and ,i considered         
essential to any true success in the    
stand which had to be made against      
,liberalism4 ,mr4 ,palmer had a certain 
connection1 as it may be called1 in the 
,establishment1 consisting of high      
,church dignitaries1 archdeacons1       
,london rectors1 and the like1 who      
belonged to what was commonly called the
 high-and-dry school4 ,they were far    
more opposed than even he was to the    
irresponsible action of individuals4 ,of

 course their beau ideal in             
ecclesiastical action was a board of    
safe1 sound1 sensible men4 ,mr4 ,palmer 
was their organ and representative2 and 
he wished for a ,committee1 an          
,association1 with rules and meetings1  
to protect the interests of the ,church 
in its existing peril4 ,he was in some  
measure supported by ,mr4 ,perceval4    
,i1 on the other hand1 had out of my own
 head begun the ,tracts2 and these1 as  
representing the antagonist principle of
 personality1 were looked upon by ,mr4  
,palmer's friends with considerable     
alarm4 ,the great point at the time with
 these good men in ,london1--some of    
them men of the highest principle1 and  
far from influenced by what we used to  
call ,erastianism1--was to put down the 
,tracts4 ,i1 as their editor1 and mainly
 their author1 was not unnaturally      
willing to give way4 ,keble and ,froude 
advocated their continuance strongly1   
and were angry with me for consenting to
 stop them4 ,mr4 ,palmer shared the     

anxiety of his own friends2 and1 kind as
 were his thoughts of us1 he still not  
unnaturally felt1 for reasons of his    
own1 some fidget and nervousness at the 
course which his ,oriel friends were    
taking4 ,froude1 for whom he had a real 
liking1 took a high tone in his project 
of measures for dealing with bishops and
 clergy1 which must have shocked and    
scandalised him considerably4 ,as for   
me1 there was matter enough in the early
 ,tracts to give him equal disgust2 and 
doubtless ,i much tasked his generosity1
 when he had to defend me1 whether      
against the ,london dignitaries1 or the 
country clergy4 ,oriel1 from the time of
 ,dr4 ,copleston to ,dr4 ,hampden1 had  
had a name far and wide for liberality  
of thought2 it had received a formal    
recognition from the ,edinburgh ,review1
 if my memory serves me truly1 as the   
school of speculative philosophy in     
,england2 and on one occasion1 in #ahcc1
 when ,i presented myself1 with some the
 first papers of the movement1 to a     

country clergyman in ,northamptonshire1 
he paused awhile1 and then1 eyeing me   
with significance1 asked1 ,whether      
,whately was at the bottom of them8     
,mr4 ,perceval wrote to me in support of
 the judgment of ,mr4 ,palmer and the   
dignitaries4 ,i replied in a letter1    
which he afterwards published4 ,as to   
the ,tracts1 ,i said to him 7,i quote my
 own words from his pamphlet71 every one
 has his own taste4 ,you object to some 
things1 another to others4 ,if we       
altered to please every one1 the effect 
would be spoiled4 ,they were not        
intended as symbols e cathedra1 but as  
the expression of individual minds2 and 
individuals1 feeling strongly1 while on 
the one hand1 they are incidentally     
faulty in mode or language1 are still   
peculiarly effective4 ,no great work was
 done by a system2 whereas systems rise 
out of individual exertions4 ,luther was
 an individual4 ,the very faults of an  
individual excite attention2 he loses1  
but his cause 7if good and he           

powerful-minded7 gains4 ,this is the way
 of things3 we promote truth by a       
self-sacrifice4  ,the visit which ,i    
made to the ,northamptonshire ,rector   
was only one of a series of similar     
expedients1 which ,i adopted during the 
year #ahcc4 ,i called upon clergy in    
various parts of the country1 whether ,i
 was acquainted with them or not1 and ,i
 attended at the houses of friends where
 several of them were from time to time 
assembled4 ,i do not think that much    
came of such attempts1 nor were they    
quite in my way4 ,also ,i wrote various 
letters to clergymen1 which fared not   
much better1 except that they advertised
 the fact1 that a rally in favour of the
 church was commencing4 ,i did not care 
whether my visits were made to high     
church or low church2 ,i wished to make 
a strong pull in union with all who were
 opposed to the principles of           
liberalism1 whoever they might be4      
,giving my name to the editor1 ,i       
commenced a series of letters in the    

,record newspaper3 they ran to a        
considerable length2 and were borne by  
him with great courtesy and patience4   
,they were headed as being on ,church   
,reform4 ,the first was on the ,revival 
of ,church ,discipline2 the second1 on  
its ,scripture proof2 the third1 on the 
application of the doctrine2 the fourth1
 was an answer to objections2 the fifth1
 was on the benefits of discipline4 ,and
 then the series was abruptly brought to
 a termination4 ,i had said what ,i     
really felt1 and what was also in       
keeping with the strong teaching of the 
,tracts1 but ,i suppose the ,editor     
discovered in me some divergence from   
his own line of thought2 for at length  
he sent a very civil letter1 apologising
 for the non-appearance of my sixth     
communication1 on the ground that it    
contained an attack upon ,temperance    
,societies1 about which he did not wish 
a controversy in his columns4 ,he added1
 however1 his serious regret at the     
character of the ,tracts4 ,i had        

subscribed a small sum in #ahbh towards 
the first start of the ,record4  ,acts  
of the officious character1 which ,i    
have been describing1 were uncongenial  
to my natural temper1 to the genius of  
the movement1 and to the historical mode
 of its success3--they were the fruit of
 that exuberant and joyous energy with  
which ,i had returned from abroad1 and  
which ,i never had before or since4 ,i  
had the exultation of health restored1  
and home regained4 ,while ,i was at     
,palermo and thought of the breadth of  
the ,mediterranean1 and the wearisome   
journey across ,france1 ,i could not    
imagine how ,i was ever to get to       
,england2 but now ,i was amid familiar  
scenes and faces once more4 ,and my     
health and strength came back to me with
 such a rebound1 that some friends at   
,oxford1 on seeing me1 did not well know
 that it was ,i1 and hesitated before   
they spoke to me4 ,and ,i had the       
consciousness that ,i was employed in   
that work which ,i had been dreaming    

about1 and which ,i felt to be so       
momentous and inspiring4 ,i had a       
supreme confidence in our cause2 we were
 upholding that primitive ,christianity 
which was delivered for all time by the 
early teachers of the ,church1 and which
 was registered and attested in the     
,anglican formularies and by the        
,anglican divines4 ,that ancient        
religion had well nigh faded away out of
 the land1 through the political changes
 of the last #aej years1 and it must be 
restored4 ,it would be in fact a second 
,reformation3--a better reformation1 for
 it would be a return not to the        
sixteenth century1 but to the           
seventeenth4 ,no time was to be lost1   
for the ,whigs had come to do their     
worst1 and the rescue might come too    
late4 ,bishopricks were already in      
course of suppression2 ,church property 
was in course of confiscation2 sees     
would soon be receiving unsuitable      
occupants4 ,we knew enough to begin     
preaching upon1 and there was no one    

else to preach4 ,i felt as on a vessel1 
which first gets under weigh1 and then  
the deck is cleared out1 and the luggage
 and live stock stored away into their  
proper receptacles4  ,nor was it only   
that ,i had confidence in our cause1    
both in itself1 and in its controversial
 force1 but besides1 ,i despised every  
rival system of doctrine and its        
arguments4 ,as to the high church and   
the low church1 ,i thought that the one 
had not much more of a logical basis    
than the other2 while ,i had a thorough 
contempt for the evangelical4 ,i had a  
real respect for the character of many  
of the advocates of each party1 but that
 did not give cogency to their          
arguments2 and ,i thought on the other  
hand that the apostolical form of       
doctrine was essential and imperative1  
and its grounds of evidence impregnable4
 ,owing to this confidence1 it came to  
pass at that time1 that there was a     
double aspect in my bearing towards     
others1 which it is necessary for me to 

enlarge upon4 ,my behaviour had a       
mixture in it both of fierceness and of 
sport2 and on this account1 ,i dare say1
 it gave offence to many2 nor am ,i here
 defending it4  ,i wished men to a agree
 with me1 and ,i walked with them step  
by step1 as far as they would go2 this  
,i did sincerely2 but if they would     
stop1 ,i did not much care about it1 but
 walked on1 with some satisfaction that 
,i had brought them so far4 ,i liked to 
make them preach the truth without      
knowing it1 and encouraged them to do   
so4 ,it was a satisfaction to me that   
the ,record had allowed me to say so    
much in its columns1 without            
remonstrance4 ,i was amused to hear of  
one of the bishops1 who1 on reading an  
early ,tract on the ,apostolical        
,succession1 could not make up his mind 
whether he held the doctrine or not4 ,i 
was not distressed at the wonder or     
anger of dull and self-conceited men1 at
 propositions which they did not        
understand4 ,when a correspondent1 in   

good faith1 wrote to a newspaper1 to say
 that the ,sacrifice of the ,holy       
,eucharist1 spoken of in the ,tract1 was
 a false print for ,sacrament1 ,i       
thought the mistake too pleasant to be  
corrected before ,i was asked about it4 
,i was not unwilling to draw an opponent
 on step by step to the brink of some   
intellectual absurdity1 and to leave him
 to get back as he could4 ,i was not    
unwilling to play with a man1 who asked 
me impertinent questions4 ,i think ,i   
had in my mouth the words of the wise   
man1 ,answer a fool according to his    
folly1 especially if he was prying or   
spiteful4 ,i was reckless of the gossip 
which was circulated about me2 and1 when
 ,i might easily have set it right1 did 
not deign to do so4 ,also ,i used irony 
in conversation1 when matter-of-fact men
 would not see what ,i meant4  ,this    
kind of behaviour was a sort of habit   
with me4 ,if ,i have ever trifled with  
my subject1 it was a more serious fault4
 ,i never used arguments which ,i saw   

clearly to be unsound4 ,the nearest     
approach which ,i remember to such      
conduct1 but which ,i consider was clear
 of it nevertheless1 was in the case of 
,tract #ae4 ,the matter of this ,tract  
was supplied to me by a friend1 to whom 
,i had applied for assistance1 but who  
did not wish to be mixed up with the    
publication4 ,he gave it me1 that ,i    
might throw it into shape1 and ,i took  
his arguments as they stood4 ,in the    
chief portion of the ,tract ,i fully    
agreed2 for instance1 as to what it says
 about the ,council of ,trent2 but there
 were arguments1 or some argument1 in it
 which ,i did not follow2 ,i do not     
recollect what it was4 ,froude1 ,i      
think1 was disgusted with the whole     
,tract1 and accused me of economy in    
publishing it4 ,it is principally       
through ,mr4 ,froude's ,remains that    
this word has got into our language4 ,i 
think ,i defended myself with arguments 
such as these3--that1 as every one knew1
 the ,tracts were written by various    

persons who agreed together in their    
doctrine1 but not always in the         
arguments by which it was to be proved2 
that we must be tolerant of difference  
of opinion among ourselves2 that the    
author of the ,tract had a right to his 
own opinion1 and that the argument in   
question was ordinarily received2 that  
,i did not give my own name or          
authority1 nor was asked for my personal
 belief1 but only acted instrumentally1 
as one might translate a friend's book  
into a foreign language4 ,i account     
these to be good arguments2 nevertheless
 ,i feel also that such practices admit 
of easy abuse and are consequently      
dangerous2 but then again1 ,i feel also 
this1--that if all such mistakes were to
 be severely visited1 not many men in   
public life would be left with a        
character for honour and honesty4  ,this
 absolute confidence in my cause1 which 
led me to the imprudence or wantonness  
which ,i have been instancing1 also laid
 me open1 not unfairly1 to the opposite 

charge of fierceness in certain steps   
which ,i took1 or words which ,i        
published4 ,in the ,lyra ,apostolica1 ,i
 have said that1 before learning to     
love1 we must learn to hate2 though ,i  
had explained my words by adding hatred 
of sin4 ,in one of my first sermons ,i  
said1 ,i do not shrink from uttering my 
firm conviction that it would be a gain 
to the country were it vastly more      
superstitious1 more bigoted1 more       
gloomy1 more fierce in its religion than
 at present it shows itself to be4 ,i   
added1 of course1 that it would be an   
absurdity to suppose such tempers of    
mind desirable in themselves4 ,the      
corrector of the press bore these strong
 epithets till he got to more fierce1   
and then he put in the margin a query4  
,in the very first page of the first    
,tract1 ,i said of the bishops1 that1   
black event though it would be for the  
country1 yet we could not wish them a   
more blessed termination of their       
course1 than the spoiling of their goods

 and martyrdom4 ,in consequence of a    
passage in my work upon the ,arian      
,history1 a ,northern dignitary wrote to
 accuse me of wishing to re-establish   
the blood and torture of the            
,inquisition4 ,contrasting heretics and 
heresiarchs1 ,i had said1 ,the latter   
should meet with no mercy2 he assumes   
the office of the ,tempter1 and1 so far 
forth as his error goes1 must be dealt  
with by the competent authority1 as if  
he were embodied evil4 ,to spare him is 
a false and dangerous pity4 ,it is to   
endanger the souls of thousands1 and it 
is uncharitable towards himself4 ,i     
cannot deny that this is a very fierce  
passage2 but ,arius was banished1 not   
burned2 and it is only fair to myself to
 say that neither at this1 nor any other
 time of my life1 not even when ,i was  
fiercest1 could ,i have even cut off a  
,puritan's ears1 and ,i think the sight 
of a ,spanish auto-da-fe would have been
 the death of me4 ,again1 when one of my
 friends1 of liberal and evangelical    

opinions1 wrote to expostulate with me  
on the course ,i was taking1 ,i said    
that we would ride over him and his1 as 
,othniel prevailed over                 
,chushan-rishathaim1 king of            
,mesopotamia4 ,again1 ,i would have no  
dealings with my brother1 and ,i put my 
conduct upon a syllogism4 ,i said1 ,st4 
,paul bids us avoid those who cause     
divisions2 you cause divisions3         
therefore ,i must avoid you4 ,i         
dissuaded a lady from attending the     
marriage of a sister who had seceded    
from the ,anglican ,church4 ,no wonder  
that ,blanco ,white1 who had known me   
under such different circumstances1 now 
hearing the general course that ,i was  
taking1 was amazed at the change which  
he recognised in me4 ,he speaks bitterly
 and unfairly of me in his letters      
contemporaneously with the first years  
of the ,movement2 but in #ahci1 when    
looking back1 he uses terms of me1 which
 it would be hardly modest in me to     
quote1 were it not that what he says of 

me in praise is but part of a whole     
account of me4 ,he says3 ,in this party 
the anti-,peel1 in #ahbi ,i found1 to my
 great surprise1 my dear friend1 ,mr4   
,newman of ,oriel4 ,as he had been one  
of the annual ,petitioners to           
,parliament for ,catholic ,emancipation1
 his sudden union with the most violent 
bigots was inexplicable to me4 ,that    
change was the first manifestation of   
the mental revolution1 which has        
suddenly made him one of the leading    
persecutors of ,dr4 ,hampden and the    
most active and influential member of   
that association1 called the ,puseyite  
party1 from which we have those very    
strange productions1 entitled1 ,tracts  
for the ,times4 ,while stating these    
public facts1 my heart feels a pang at  
the recollection of the affectionate and
 mutual friendship between that         
excellent man and myself2 a friendship1 
which his principles of orthodoxy could 
not allow him to continue in regard to  
one1 whom he now regards as inevitably  

doomed to eternal perdition4 ,such is   
the venomous character of orthodoxy4    
,what mischief must it create in a bad  
heart and narrow mind1 when it can work 
so effectually for evil1 in one of the  
most benevolent of bosoms1 and one of   
the ablest of minds1 in the amiable1 the
 intellectual1 the refined ,john ,henry 
,newman6 7,vol4 iii4 p4 #aca47 ,he adds 
that ,i would have nothing to do with   
him1 a circumstance which ,i do not     
recollect1 and very much doubt4   ,i    
have spoken of my firm confidence in my 
position2 and now let me state more     
definitely what the position was which  
,i took up1 and the propositions about  
which ,i was so confident4 ,these were  
three3--  #a4 ,first was the principle  
of dogma3 my battle was with liberalism2
 by liberalism ,i meant the             
anti-dogmatic principle and its         
developments4 ,this was the first point 
on which ,i was certain4 ,here ,i make a
 remark3 persistence in a given belief  
is no sufficient test of its truth2 but 

departure from it is at least a slur    
upon the man who has felt so certain    
about it4 ,in proportion then as ,i had 
in #ahcb a strong persuasion in beliefs 
which ,i have since given up1 so far a  
sort of guilt attaches to me1 not only  
for that vain confidence1 but for my    
multiform conduct in consequence of it4 
,but here ,i have the satisfaction of   
feeling that ,i have nothing to retract1
 and nothing to repent of4 ,the main    
principle of the ,movement is as dear to
 me now as it ever was4 ,i have changed 
in many things3 in this ,i have not4    
,from the age of fifteen1 dogma has been
 the fundamental principle of my        
religion3 ,i know no other religion2 ,i 
cannot enter into the idea of any other 
sort of religion2 religion1 as a mere   
sentiment1 is to me a dream and a       
mockery4 ,as well can there be filial   
love without the fact of a father1 as   
devotion without the fact of a ,supreme 
,being4 ,what ,i held in #ahaf1 ,i held 
in #ahcc1 and ,i hold in #ahfd4 ,please 

,god1 ,i shall hold it to the end4 ,even
 when ,i was under ,dr4 ,whately's      
influence1 ,i had no temptation to be   
less zealous for the great dogmas of the
 faith1 and at various times ,i used to 
resist such trains of thought on his    
part1 as seemed to me 7rightly or       
wrongly7 to obscure them4 ,such was the 
fundamental principle of the ,movement  
of #ahcc4  #b4 ,secondly1 ,i was        
confident in the truth of a certain     
definite religious teaching1 based upon 
this foundation of dogma2 viz4 that     
there was a visible church with         
sacraments and rites which are the      
channels of invisible grace4 ,i thought 
that this was the doctrine of           
,scripture1 of the early ,church1 and of
 the ,anglican ,church4 ,here again1 ,i 
have not changed in opinion2 ,i am as   
certain now on this point as ,i was in  
#ahcc1 and have never ceased to be      
certain4 ,in #ahcd and the following    
years ,i put this ecclesiastical        
doctrine on a broader basis1 after      

reading ,laud1 ,bramhall1 and           
,stillingfleet and other ,anglican      
divines on the one hand1 and after      
prosecuting the study of the ,fathers on
 the other2 but the doctrine of #ahcc   
was strengthened in me1 not changed4    
,when ,i began the ,tracts for the      
,times ,i rested the main doctrine1 of  
which ,i am speaking1 upon ,scripture1  
on ,st4 ,ignatius's ,epistles1 and on   
the ,anglican ,prayer ,book4 ,as to the 
existence of a visible church1 ,i       
especially argued out the point from    
,scripture1 in ,tract #aa1 viz4 from the
 ,acts of the ,apostles and the         
,epistles4 ,as to the sacraments and    
sacramental rites1 ,i stood on the      
,prayer ,book4 ,i appealed to the       
,ordination ,service1 in which the      
,bishop says1 ,receive the ,holy ,ghost2
 to the ,visitation ,service1 which     
teaches confession and absolution2 to   
the ,baptismal ,service1 in which the   
,priest speaks of the child after       
baptism as regenerate2 to the           

,catechism1 in which ,sacramental       
,communion is receiving verily the ,body
 and ,blood of ,christ2 to the          
,commination ,service1 in which we are  
told to do works of penance2 to the     
,collects1 ,epistles1 and ,gospels1 to  
the calendar and rubricks1 wherein we   
find the festivals of the apostles1     
notice of certain other saints1 and days
 of fasting and abstinence4  ,and       
further1 as to the ,episcopal system1 ,i
 founded it upon the ,epistles of ,st4  
,ignatius1 which inculcated it in       
various ways4 ,one passage especially   
impressed itself upon me3 speaking of   
cases of disobedience to ecclesiastical 
authority1 he says1 ,a man does not     
deceive that ,bishop whom he sees1 but  
he practises rather upon the ,bishop    
,invisible1 and so the question is not  
with flesh1 but with ,god1 who knows the
 secret heart4 ,i wished to act on this 
principle to the letter1 and ,i may say 
with confidence that ,i never           
consciously transgressed it4 ,i loved to

 act in the sight of my bishop1 as if ,i
 was1 as it were1 in the sight of ,god4 
,it was one of my special safeguards    
against myself and of my supports2 ,i   
could not go very wrong while ,i had    
reason to believe that ,i was in no     
respect displeasing him4 ,it was not a  
mere formal obedience to rule that ,i   
put before me1 but ,i desired to please 
him personally1 as ,i considered him set
 over me by the ,divine ,hand4 ,i was   
strict in observing my clerical         
engagements1 not only because they were 
engagements1 but because ,i considered  
myself simply as the servant and        
instrument of my bishop4 ,i did not care
 much for the bench of bishops1 except  
as they might be the voice of my        
,church3 nor should ,i have cared much  
for a ,provincial ,council2 nor for a   
,diocesan ,synod presided over by my    
,bishop2 all these matters seemed to me 
to be jure ecclesiastico1 but what to me
 was jure divino was the voice of my    
bishop in his own person4 ,my own bishop

 was my pope2 ,i knew no other2 the     
successor of the apostles1 the vicar of 
,christ4 ,this was but a practical      
exhibition of the ,anglican theory of   
,church ,government1 as ,i had already  
drawn it out myself4 ,this continued all
 through my course2 when at length in   
#ahde ,i wrote to ,bishop ,wiseman1 in  
whose ,vicariate ,i found myself1 to    
announce my conversion1 ,i could find   
nothing better to say to him1 than that 
,i would obey the ,pope as ,i had obeyed
 my own ,bishop in the ,anglican        
,church4 ,my duty to him was my point of
 honour2 his disapprobation was the one 
thing which ,i could not bear4 ,i       
believe it to have been a generous and  
honest feeling2 and in consequence ,i   
was rewarded by having all my time for  
ecclesiastical superior a man1 whom had 
,i had a choice1 ,i should have         
preferred1 out and out1 to any other    
,bishop on the ,bench1 and for whose    
memory ,i have a special affection1 ,dr4
 ,bagot--a man of noble mind1 and as    

kind-hearted and as considerate as he   
was noble4 ,he ever sympathised with me 
in my trials which followed2 it was my  
own fault1 that ,i was not brought into 
more familiar personal relations with   
him than it was my happiness to be4 ,may
 his name be ever blessed6  ,and now in 
concluding my remarks on the second     
point on which my confidence rested1 ,i 
observe that here again ,i have no      
retractation to announce as to its main 
outline4 ,while ,i am now as clear in my
 acceptance of the principle of dogma1  
as ,i was in #ahcc and #ahaf1 so again  
,i am now as firm in my belief of a     
visible church1 of the authority of     
bishops1 of the grace of the sacraments1
 of the religious worth of works of     
penance1 as ,i was in #ahcc4 ,i have    
added ,articles to my creed2 but the old
 ones1 which ,i then held with a divine 
faith1 remain4  #c4 ,but now1 as to the 
third point on which ,i stood in #ahcc1 
and which ,i have utterly renounced and 
trampled upon since--my then view of the

 ,church of ,rome2--,i will speak about 
it as exactly as ,i can4 ,when ,i was   
young1 as ,i have said already1 and     
after ,i was grown up1 ,i thought the   
,pope to be ,antichrist4 ,at ,christmas 
#ahbd-e ,i preached a sermon to that    
effect4 ,in #ahbg ,i accepted eagerly   
the stanza in the ,christian ,year1     
which many people thought too           
charitable1 ,speak gently of thy        
sister's fall4 ,from the time that ,i   
knew ,froude ,i got less and less bitter
 on the subject4 ,i spoke 7successively1
 but ,i cannot tell in what order or at 
what dates7 of the ,roman ,church as    
being bound up with the cause of        
,antichrist1 as being one of the many   
antichrists foretold by ,st4 ,john1 as  
being influenced by the spirit of       
,antichrist1 and as having something    
very ,antichristian or unchristian about
 her4 ,from my boyhood and in #ahbd ,i  
considered1 after ,protestant           
authorities1 that ,st4 ,gregory ,i4     
about ,a4,d4 #fjj was the first ,pope   

that was ,antichrist1 and again that he 
was also a great and holy man2 in       
#ahcb-c ,i thought the ,church of ,rome 
was bound up with the cause of          
,antichrist by the ,council of ,trent4  
,when it was that in my deliberate      
judgment ,i gave up the notion          
altogether in any shape1 that some      
special reproach was attached to her    
name1 ,i cannot tell2 but ,i had a      
shrinking from renouncing it1 even when 
my reason so ordered me1 from a sort of 
conscience or prejudice1 ,i think up to 
#ahdc4 ,moreover1 at least during the   
,tract ,movement1 ,i thought the essence
 of her offence to consist in the       
honours which she paid to the ,blessed  
,virgin and the saints2 and the more ,i 
grew in devotion1 both to the saints and
 to ,our ,lady1 the more impatient was  
,i at the ,roman practices1 as if those 
glorified creations of ,god must be     
gravely shocked1 if pain could be       
theirs1 at the undue veneration of which
 they were the objects4  ,on the other  

hand1 ,hurrell ,froude in his familiar  
conversations was always tending to rub 
the idea out of my mind4 ,in a passage  
of one of his letters from abroad1      
alluding1 ,i suppose1 to what ,i used to
 say in opposition to him1 he observes3 
,i think people are injudicious who talk
 against the ,roman ,catholics for      
worshipping ,saints1 and honouring the  
,virgin and images1 etc4 ,these things  
may perhaps be idolatrous2 ,i cannot    
make up my mind about it2 but to my mind
 it is the ,carnival that is real       
practical idolatry1 as it is written1   
'the people sat down to eat and drink1  
and rose up to play4' ,the carnival1 ,i 
observe in passing1 is1 in fact1 one of 
those very excesses1 to which1 for at   
least three centuries1 religious        
,catholics have ever opposed themselves1
 as we see in the life of ,st4 ,philip1 
to say nothing of the present day2 but  
this he did not know4 ,moreover1 from   
,froude ,i learned to admire the great  
medieval ,pontiffs2 and1 of course1 when

 ,i had come to consider the ,council of
 ,trent to be the turning-point of the  
history of ,christian ,rome1 ,i found   
myself as free1 as ,i was rejoiced1 to  
speak in their praise4 ,then1 when ,i   
was abroad1 the sight of so many great  
places1 venerable shrines1 and noble    
churches1 much impressed my imagination4
 ,and my heart was touched also4 ,making
 an expedition on foot across some wild 
country in ,sicily1 at six in the       
morning ,i came upon a small church2 ,i 
heard voices1 and ,i looked in4 ,it was 
crowded1 and the congregation was       
singing4 ,of course it was the ,mass1   
though ,i did not know it at the time4  
,and1 in my weary days at ,palermo1 ,i  
was not ungrateful for the comfort which
 ,i had received in frequenting the     
,churches1 nor did ,i ever forget it4   
,then1 again1 her zealous maintenance of
 the doctrine and the rule of celibacy1 
which ,i recognised as apostolic1 and   
her faithful agreement with ,antiquity  
in so many points besides1 which were   

dear to me1 was an argument as well as a
 plea in favour of the great ,church of 
,rome4 ,thus ,i learned to have tender  
feelings towards her2 but still my      
reason was not affected at all4 ,my     
judgment was against her1 when viewed as
 an institution1 as truly as it ever had
 been4  ,this conflict between reason   
and affection ,i expressed in one of the
 early ,tracts1 published ,july1 #ahcd4 
,considering the high gifts and the     
strong claims of the ,church of ,rome   
and its dependencies on our admiration1 
reverence1 love1 and gratitude2 how     
could we withstand it1 as we do1 how    
could we refrain from being melted into 
tenderness1 and rushing into communion  
with it1 but for the words of ,truth    
itself1 which bid us prefer ,it to the  
whole world8 ',he that loveth father or 
mother more than ,me1 is not worthy of  
,me4' ,how could 'we learn to be severe1
 and execute judgment1' but for the     
warning of ,moses against even a        
divinely-gifted teacher1 who should     

preach new gods2 and the anathema of    
,st4 ,paul even against ,angels and     
,apostles1 who should bring in a new    
doctrine8--,records1 ,no4 #bd4 ,my      
feeling was something like that of a    
man1 who is obliged in a court of       
justice to bear witness against a       
friend2 or like my own now1 when ,i have
 said1 and shall say1 so many things on 
which ,i had rather be silent4  ,as a   
matter1 then1 of simple conscience1     
though it went against my feelings1 ,i  
felt it to be a duty to protest against 
the ,church of ,rome4 ,but besides this1
 it was a duty1 because the prescription
 of such a protest was a living         
principle of my own church1 as expressed
 in not simply a catena1 but a consensus
 of her divines1 and the voice of her   
people4 ,moreover1 such a protest was   
necessary as an integral portion of her 
controversial basis2 for ,i adopted the 
argument of ,bernard ,gilpin1 that      
,protestants were not able to give any  
firm and solid reason of the separation 

besides this1 to wit1 that the ,pope is 
,antichrist4 ,but while ,i thus thought 
such a protest to be based upon truth1  
and to be a religious duty1 and a rule  
of ,anglicanism1 and a necessity of the 
case1 ,i did not at all like the work4  
,hurrell ,froude attacked me for doing  
it2 and1 besides1 ,i felt that my       
language had a vulgar and rhetorical    
look about it4 ,i believed1 and really  
measured1 my words1 when ,i used them2  
but ,i knew that ,i had a temptation1 on
 the other hand1 to say against ,rome as
 much as ever ,i could1 in order to     
protect myself against the charge of    
,popery4  ,and now ,i come to the very  
point1 for which ,i have introduced the 
subject of my feelings about ,rome4 ,i  
felt such confidence in the substantial 
justice of the charges which ,i advanced
 against her1 that ,i considered them to
 be a safeguard and an assurance that no
 harm could ever arise from the freest  
exposition of what ,i used to call      
,anglican principles4 ,all the world was

 astounded at what ,froude and ,i were  
saying3 men said that it was sheer      
,popery4 ,i answered1 ,true1 we seem to 
be making straight for it2 but go on    
awhile1 and you will come to a deep     
chasm across the path1 which makes real 
approximation impossible4 ,and ,i urged 
in addition1 that many ,anglican divines
 had been accused of ,popery1 yet had   
died in their ,anglicanism2--now1 the   
ecclesiastical principles which ,i      
professed1 they had professed also2 and 
the judgment against ,rome which they   
had formed1 ,i had formed also4         
,whatever faults then the ,anglican     
system might have1 and however boldly ,i
 might point them out1 anyhow that      
system was not vulnerable on the side of
 ,rome1 and might be mended in spite of 
her4 ,in that very agreement of the two 
forms of faith1 close as it might seem1 
would really be found1 on examination1  
the elements and principles of an       
essential discordance4  ,it was with    
this supreme persuasion on my mind that 

,i fancied that there could be no       
rashness in giving to the world in      
fullest measure the teaching and the    
writings of the ,fathers4 ,i thought    
that the ,church of ,england was        
substantially founded upon them4 ,i did 
not know all that the ,fathers had said1
 but ,i felt that1 even when their      
tenets happened to differ from the      
,anglican1 no harm could come of        
reporting them4 ,i said out what ,i was 
clear they had said2 ,i spoke vaguely   
and imperfectly1 of what ,i thought they
 said1 or what some of them had said4   
,anyhow1 no harm could come of bending  
the crooked stick the other way1 in the 
process of straightening it2 it was     
impossible to break it4 ,if there was   
anything in the ,fathers of a startling 
character1 it would be only for a time2 
it would admit of explanation2 it could 
not lead to ,rome4 ,i express this view 
of the matter in a passage of the       
preface to the first volume1 which ,i   
edited1 of the ,library of the ,fathers4

 ,speaking of the strangeness at first  
sight1 presented to the ,anglican mind1 
of some of their principles and         
opinions1 ,i bid the reader go forward  
hopefully1 and not indulge his criticism
 till he knows more about them1 than he 
will learn at the outset4 ,since the    
evil1 ,i say1 is in the nature of the   
case itself1 we can do no more than have
 patience1 and recommend patience to    
others1 and1 with the racer in the      
,tragedy1 look forward steadily and     
hopefully to the event1 greek3 to telei 
pistin pheron1 when1 as we trust1 all   
that is inharmonious and anomalous in   
the details1 will at length be          
practically smoothed4  ,such was the    
position1 such the defences1 such the   
tactics1 by which ,i thought that it was
 both incumbent on us1 and possible to  
us1 to meet that onset of liberal       
principles1 of which we were all in     
immediate anticipation1 whether in the  
,church or in the ,university4 ,and     
during the first year of the ,tracts1   

the attack upon the ,university began4  
,in ,november #ahcd was sent to me by   
the author the second edition of a      
pamphlet entitled1 ,observations on     
,religious ,dissent1 with particular    
reference to the use of religious tests 
in the ,university4 ,in this pamphlet it
 was maintained1 that ,religion is      
distinct from ,theological ,opinion 7pp4
 #a1 #bh1 #cj1 etc472 that it is but a  
common prejudice to identify theological
 propositions methodically deduced and  
stated1 with the simple religion of     
,christ 7p4 #a72 that under ,theological
 ,opinion were to be placed the         
,trinitarian doctrine 7p4 #bg71 and the 
,unitarian 7p4 #ai72 that a dogma was a 
theological opinion insisted on 7pp4    
#bj1 #ba72 that speculation always left 
an opening for improvement 7p4 #bb72    
that the ,church of ,england was not    
dogmatic in its spirit1 though the      
wording of its formularies may often    
carry the sound of dogmatism 7p4 #bc74  
,i acknowledged the receipt of this work

 in the following letter3--  ,the       
kindness which has led to your          
presenting me with your late pamphlet1  
encourages me to hope that you will     
forgive me1 if ,i take the opportunity  
it affords of expressing to you my very 
sincere and deep regret that it has been
 published4 ,such an opportunity ,i     
could not let slip without being        
unfaithful to my own serious thoughts on
 the subject4  ,while ,i respect the    
tone of piety which the pamphlet        
displays1 ,i dare not trust myself to   
put on paper my feelings about the      
principles contained in it2 tending1 as 
they do1 in my opinion1 altogether to   
make shipwreck of ,christian faith4 ,i  
also lament1 that1 by its appearance1   
the first step has been taken towards   
interrupting that peace and mutual good 
understanding which has prevailed so    
long in this place1 and which1 if once  
seriously disturbed1 will be succeeded  
by dissensions the more intractable1    
because justified in the minds of those 

who resist innovation by a feeling of   
imperative duty4  ,since that time      
,phaeton has got into the chariot of the
 sun2 we1 alas6 can only look on1 and   
watch him down the steep of heaven4     
,meanwhile1 the lands1 which he is      
passing over1 suffer from his driving4  
,such was the commencement of the       
assault of liberalism upon the old      
orthodoxy of ,oxford and ,england2 and  
it could not have been broken1 as it    
was1 for so long a time1 had not a great
 change taken place in the circumstances
 of that counter-movement which had     
already started with the view of        
resisting it4 ,for myself1 ,i was not   
the person to take the lead of a party2 
,i never was1 from first to last1 more  
than a leading author of a school2 nor  
did ,i ever wish to be anything else4   
,this is my own account of the matter1  
and ,i say it1 neither as intending to  
disown the responsibility of what was   
done1 nor as if ungrateful to those who 
at that time made more of me than ,i    

deserved1 and did more for my sake and  
at my bidding than ,i realised myself4  
,i am giving my history from my own     
point of sight1 and it is as            
follows3--,i had lived for ten years    
among my personal friends2 the greater  
part of the time1 ,i had been           
influenced1 not influencing2 and at no  
time have ,i acted on others1 without   
their acting upon me4 ,as is the custom 
of a university1 ,i had lived with my   
private1 nay1 with some of my public1   
pupils1 and with the junior fellows of  
my college1 without form or distance1 on
 a footing of equality4 ,thus it was    
through friends1 younger1 for the most  
part1 than myself1 that my principles   
were spreading4 ,they heard what ,i said
 in conversation1 and told it to others4
 ,undergraduates in due time took their 
degree1 and became private tutors       
themselves4 ,in this new status1 in     
turn1 they preached the opinions which  
they had already learned themselves4    
,others went down to the country1 and   

became curates of parishes4 ,then they  
had down from ,london parcels of the    
,tracts1 and other publications4 ,they  
placed them in the shops of local       
booksellers1 got them into newspapers1  
introduced them to clerical meetings1   
and converted more or less their rectors
 and their brother curates4 ,thus the   
,movement1 viewed with relation to      
myself1 was but a floating opinion2 it  
was not a power4 ,it never would have   
been a power1 if it had remained in my  
hands4 ,years after1 a friend1 writing  
to me in remonstrance at the excesses1  
as he thought them1 of my disciples1    
applied to me my own verse about ,st4   
,gregory ,nazianzen1 ,thou couldst a    
people raise1 but couldst not rule4 ,at 
the time that he wrote to me1 ,i had    
special impediments in the way of such  
an exercise of power2 but at no time    
could ,i exercise over others that      
authority1 which under the circumstances
 was imperatively required4 ,my great   
principle ever was1 live and let live4  

,i never had the staidness or dignity   
necessary for a leader4 ,to the last ,i 
never recognised the hold ,i had over   
young men4 ,of late years ,i have read  
and heard that they even imitated me in 
various ways4 ,i was quite unconscious  
of it1 and ,i think my immediate friends
 knew too well how disgusted ,i should  
be at the news1 to have the heart to    
tell me4 ,i felt great impatience at our
 being called a party1 and would not    
allow that we were4 ,i had a lounging1  
free-and-easy way of carrying things on4
 ,i exercised no sufficient censorship  
upon the ,tracts4 ,i did not confine    
them to the writings of such persons as 
agreed in all things with myself2 and1  
as to my own ,tracts1 ,i printed on them
 a notice to the effect1 that any one   
who pleased1 might make what use he     
would of them1 and reprint them with    
alterations if he chose1 under the      
conviction that their main scope could  
not be damaged by such a process4 ,it   
was the same afterwards1 as regards     

other publications4 ,for two years ,i   
furnished a certain number of sheets for
 the ,british ,critic from myself and my
 friends1 while a gentleman was editor1 
a man of splendid talent1 who1 however1 
was scarcely an acquaintance of mine1   
and had no sympathy with the ,tracts4   
,when ,i was ,editor myself1 from #ahch 
to #ahda1 in my very first number1 ,i   
suffered to appear a critique           
unfavourable to my work on              
,justification1 which had been published
 a few months before1 from a feeling of 
propriety1 because ,i had put the book  
into the hands of the writer who so     
handled it4 ,afterwards ,i suffered an  
article against the ,jesuits to appear  
in it1 of which ,i did not like the     
tone4 ,when ,i had to provide a curate  
for my new church at ,littlemore1 ,i    
engaged a friend1 by no fault of his1   
who1 before he entered into his charge1 
preached a sermon1 either in            
depreciation of baptismal regeneration1 
or of ,dr4 ,pusey's view of it4 ,i      

showed a similar easiness as to the     
editors who helped me in the separate   
volumes of ,fleury's ,church ,history2  
they were able1 learned1 and excellent  
men1 but their after history has shown1 
how little my choice of them was        
influenced by any notion ,i could have  
had of any intimate agreement of opinion
 between them and myself4 ,i shall have 
to make the same remark in its place    
concerning the ,lives of the ,english   
,saints1 which subsequently appeared4   
,all this may seem inconsistent with    
what ,i have said of my fierceness4 ,i  
am not bound to account for it2 but     
there have been men before me1 fierce in
 act1 yet tolerant and moderate in their
 reasonings2 at least1 so ,i read       
history4 ,however1 such was the case1   
and such its effect upon the ,tracts4   
,these at first starting were short1    
hasty1 and some of them ineffective2 and
 at the end of the year1 when collected 
into a volume1 they had a slovenly      
appearance4  ,it was under these        

circumstances1 that ,dr4 ,pusey joined  
us4 ,i had known him well since #ahbg-h1
 and had felt for him an enthusiastic   
admiration4 ,i used to call him greek3  
ho megas4 ,his great learning1 his      
immense diligence1 his scholarlike mind1
 his simple devotion to the cause of    
religion1 overcame me2 and great of     
course was my joy1 when in the last days
 of #ahcc he showed a disposition to    
make common cause with us4 ,his tract on
 ,fasting appeared as one of the series 
with the date of ,december #ba4 ,he was 
not1 however1 ,i think fully associated 
in the ,movement till #ahce and #ahcf1  
when he published his tract on ,baptism1
 and started the ,library of the        
,fathers4 ,he at once gave to us a      
position and a name4 ,without him we    
should have had no chance1 especially at
 the early date of #ahcd1 of making any 
serious resistance to the liberal       
aggression4 ,but ,dr4 ,pusey was a      
,professor and ,canon of ,christ        
,church2 he had a vast influence in     

consequence of his deep religious       
seriousness1 the munificence of his     
charities1 his ,professorship1 his      
family connections1 and his easy        
relations with university authorities4  
,he was to the ,movement all that ,mr4  
,rose might have been1 with that        
indispensable addition1 which was       
wanting to ,mr4 ,rose1 the intimate     
friendship and the familiar daily       
society of the persons who had commenced
 it4 ,and he had that special claim on  
their attachment1 which lies in the     
living presence of a faithful and loyal 
affectionateness4 ,there was henceforth 
a man who could be the head and centre  
of the zealous people in every part of  
the country1 who were adopting the new  
opinions2 and not only so1 but there was
 one who furnished the ,movement with a 
front to the world1 and gained for it a 
recognition from other parties in the   
,university4 ,in #ahbi ,mr4 ,froude1 or 
,mr4 ,r4 ,wilberforce1 or ,mr4 ,newman  
were but individuals2 and1 when they    

ranged themselves in the contest of that
 year on the side of ,sir ,robert       
,inglis1 men on either side only asked  
with surprise how they got there1 and   
attached no significancy to the fact2   
but ,dr4 ,pusey was1 to use the common  
expression1 a host in himself2 he was   
able to give a name1 a form1 and a      
personality to what was without him a   
sort of mob2 and when various parties   
had to meet together in order to resist 
the liberal acts of the ,government1 we 
of the ,movement took our place by right
 among them4  ,such was the benefit     
which he conferred on the ,movement     
externally2 nor was the internal        
advantage at all inferior to it4 ,he was
 a man of large designs2 he had a       
hopeful1 sanguine mind2 he had no fear  
of others2 he was haunted by no         
intellectual perplexities4 ,people are  
apt to say that he was once nearer to   
the ,catholic ,church than he is now2 ,i
 pray ,god that he may be one day far   
nearer to the ,catholic ,church than he 

was then2 for ,i believe that1 in his   
reason and judgment1 all the time that  
,i knew him1 he never was near to it at 
all4 ,when ,i became a ,catholic1 ,i was
 often asked1 ,what of ,dr4 ,pusey8 when
 ,i said that ,i did not see symptoms of
 his doing as ,i had done1 ,i was       
sometimes thought uncharitable4 ,if     
confidence in his position is 7as it    
is71 a first essential in the leader of 
a party1 ,dr4 ,pusey had it4 ,the most  
remarkable instance of this1 was his    
statement1 in one of his subsequent     
defences of the ,movement1 when too it  
had advanced a considerable way in the  
direction of ,rome1 that among its      
hopeful peculiarities was its           
stationariness4 ,he made it in good     
faith2 it was his subjective view of it4
  ,dr4 ,pusey's influence was felt at   
once4 ,he saw that there ought to be    
more sobriety1 more gravity1 more       
careful pains1 more sense of            
responsibility in the ,tracts and in the
 whole ,movement4 ,it was through him   

that the character of the ,tracts was   
changed4 ,when he gave to us his ,tract 
on ,fasting1 he put his initials to it4 
,in #ahce he published his elaborate    
treatise on ,baptism1 which was followed
 by other ,tracts from different        
authors1 if not of equal learning1 yet  
of equal power and appositeness4 ,the   
,catenas of ,anglican divines which     
occur in the series1 though projected1  
,i think1 by me1 were executed with a   
like aim at greater accuracy and method4
 ,in #ahcf he advertised his great      
project for a ,translation of the       
,fathers3--but ,i must return to myself4
 ,i am not writing the history either of
 ,dr4 ,pusey or of the ,movement2 but it
 is a pleasure to me to have been able  
to introduce here reminiscences of the  
place which he held in it1 which have so
 direct a bearing on myself1 that they  
are no digression from my narrative4    
,i suspect it was ,dr4 ,pusey's         
influence and example which set me1 and 
made me set others1 on the larger and   

more careful works in defence of the    
principles of the ,movement which       
followed in a course of years1--some of 
them demanding and receiving from their 
authors1 such elaborate treatment that  
they did not make their appearance till 
both its temper and its fortunes had    
changed4 ,i set about a work at once2   
one in which was brought out with       
precision the relation in which we stood
 to the ,church of ,rome4 ,we could not 
move a step in comfort till this was    
done4 ,it was of absolute necessity and 
a plain duty1 to provide as soon as     
possible a large statement1 which would 
encourage and re-assure our friends1 and
 repel the attacks of our opponents4 ,a 
cry was heard on all sides of us1 that  
the ,tracts and the writings of the     
,fathers would lead us to become        
,catholics1 before we were aware of it4 
,this was loudly expressed by members of
 the ,evangelical party1 who in #ahcf   
had joined us in making a protest in    
,convocation against a memorable        

appointment of the ,prime ,minister4    
,these clergymen even then avowed their 
desire1 that the next time they were    
brought up to ,oxford to give a vote1 it
 might be in order to put down the      
popery of the ,movement4 ,there was     
another reason still1 and quite as      
important4 ,monsignore ,wiseman1 with   
the acuteness and zeal which might be   
expected from that great prelate1 had   
anticipated what was coming1 had        
returned to ,england in #ahcf1 had      
delivered lectures in ,london on the    
doctrines of ,catholicism1 and created  
an impression through the country1      
shared in by ourselves1 that we had for 
our opponents in controversy1 not only  
our brethren1 but our hereditary foes4  
,these were the circumstances1 which led
 to my publication of ,the ,prophetical 
office of the ,church viewed relatively 
to ,romanism and ,popular               
,protestantism4  ,this work employed me 
for three years1 from the beginning of  
#ahcd to the end of #ahcf4 ,it was      

composed1 after a careful consideration 
and comparison of the principal         
,anglican divines of the seventeenth    
century4 ,it was first written in the   
shape of controversial correspondence   
with a learned ,french ,priest2 then it 
was re-cast1 and delivered in ,lectures 
at ,st4 ,mary's3 lastly1 with           
considerable retrenchments and          
additions1 it was re-written for        
publication4  ,it attempts to trace out 
the rudimental lines on which ,christian
 faith and teaching proceed1 and to use 
them as means of determining the        
relation of the ,roman and ,anglican    
systems to each other4 ,in this way it  
shows that to confuse the two together  
is impossible1 and that the ,anglican   
can be as little said to tend to the    
,roman1 as the ,roman to the ,anglican4 
,the spirit of the volume is not so     
gentle to the ,church of ,rome1 as      
,tract #ga published the year before2 on
 the contrary1 it is very fierce2 and   
this ,i attribute to the circumstance   

that the volume is theological and      
didactic1 whereas the ,tract1 being     
controversial1 assumes as little and    
grants as much as possible on the points
 in dispute1 and insists on points of   
agreement as well as of difference4 ,a  
further and more direct reason is1 that 
in my volume ,i deal with ,romanism 7as 
,i call it71 not so much in its formal  
decrees and in the substance of its     
creed1 as in its traditional action and 
its authorised teaching as represented  
by its prominent writers2--whereas the  
,tract is written as if discussing the  
differences of the ,churches with a view
 to a reconciliation between them4      
,there is a further reason too1 which ,i
 will state presently4  ,but this volume
 had a larger scope than that of        
opposing the ,roman system4 ,it was an  
attempt at commencing a system of       
theology on the ,anglican idea1 and     
based upon ,anglican authorities4 ,mr4  
,palmer1 about the same time1 was       
projecting a work of a similar nature in

 his own way4 ,it was published1 ,i     
think1 under the title1 ,a ,treatise on 
the ,christian ,church4 ,as was to be   
expected from the author1 it was a most 
learned1 most careful composition2 and  
in its form1 ,i should say1 polemical4  
,so happily at least did he follow the  
logical method of the ,roman ,schools1  
that ,father ,perrone in his treatise on
 dogmatic theology1 recognised in him a 
combatant of the true cast1 and saluted 
him as a foe worthy of being vanquished4
 ,other soldiers in that field he seems 
to have thought little better than the  
lanzknechts of the middle ages1 and1 ,i 
dare say1 with very good reason4 ,when  
,i knew that excellent and kind-hearted 
man at ,rome at a later time1 he allowed
 me to put him to ample penance for     
those light thoughts of me1 which he had
 once had1 by encroaching on his        
valuable time with my theological       
questions4 ,as to ,mr4 ,palmer's book1  
it was one which no ,anglican could     
write but himself1--in no sense1 if ,i  

recollect aright1 a tentative work4 ,the
 ground of controversy was cut into     
squares1 and then every objection had   
its answer4 ,this is the proper method  
to adopt in teaching authoritatively    
young men2 and the work in fact was     
intended for students in theology4 ,my  
own book1 on the other hand1 was of a   
directly tentative and empirical        
character4 ,i wished to build up an     
,anglican theology out of the stores    
which already lay cut and hewn upon the 
ground1 the past toil of great divines4 
,to do this could not be the work of one
 man2 much less1 could it be at once    
received into ,anglican theology1       
however well it was done4 ,i fully      
trusted that my statements of doctrine  
would turn out true and important2 yet  
,i wrote1 to use the common phrase1     
under correction4  ,there was another   
motive for my publishing1 of a personal 
nature1 which ,i think ,i should        
mention4 ,i felt then1 and all along    
felt1 that there was an intellectual    

cowardice in not having a basis in      
reason for my belief1 and a moral       
cowardice in not avowing that basis4 ,i 
should have felt myself less than a man1
 if ,i did not bring it out1 whatever it
 was4 ,this is one principal reason why 
,i wrote and published the ,prophetical 
,office4 ,it was on the same feeling1   
that in the spring of #ahcf1 at a       
meeting of residents on the subject of  
the struggle then proceeding some one   
wanted us all merely to act on college  
and conservative grounds 7as ,i         
understood him71 with as few published  
statements as possible3 ,i answered1    
that the person whom we were resisting  
had committed himself in writing1 and   
that we ought to commit ourselves too4  
,this again was a main reason for the   
publication of ,tract #ij4 ,alas6 it was
 my portion for whole years to remain   
without any satisfactory basis for my   
religious profession1 in a state of     
moral sickness1 neither able to         
acquiesce in ,anglicanism1 nor able to  

go to ,rome4 ,but ,i bore it1 till in   
course of time my way was made clear to 
me4 ,if here it be objected to me1 that 
as time went on1 ,i often in my writings
 hinted at things which ,i did not fully
 bring out1 ,i submit for consideration 
whether this occurred except when ,i was
 in great difficulties1 how to speak1 or
 how to be silent1 with due regard for  
the position of mind or the feelings of 
others4 ,however1 ,i may have an        
opportunity to say more on this subject4
 ,but to return to the ,prophetical     
,office4  ,i thus speak in the          
,introduction to my volume3--  ,it is   
proposed1 ,i say1 to offer helps towards
 the formation of a recognised ,anglican
 theology in one of its departments4    
,the present state of our divinity is as
 follows3 the most vigorous1 the        
clearest1 the most fertile minds1 have  
through ,god's mercy been employed in   
the service of our ,church3 minds too as
 reverential and holy1 and as fully     
imbued with ,ancient ,truth1 and as well

 versed in the writings of the ,fathers1
 as they were intellectually gifted4    
,this is ,god's great mercy indeed1 for 
which we must ever be thankful4         
,primitive doctrine has been explored   
for us in every direction1 and the      
original principles of the ,gospel and  
the ,church patiently brought to light4 
,but one thing is still wanting3 our    
champions and teachers have lived in    
stormy times3 political and other       
influences have acted upon them         
variously in their day1 and have since  
obstructed a careful consolidation of   
their judgments4 ,we have a vast        
inheritance1 but no inventory of our    
treasures4 ,all is given us in          
profusion2 it remains for us to         
catalogue1 sort1 distribute1 select1    
harmonise1 and complete4 ,we have more  
than we know how to use2 stores of      
learning1 but little that is precise and
 serviceable2 ,catholic truth and       
individual opinion1 first principles and
 the guesses of genius1 all mingled in  

the same works1 and requiring to be     
discriminated4 ,we meet with truths     
overstated or misdirected1 matters of   
detail variously taken1 facts           
incompletely proved or applied1 and     
rules inconsistently urged or           
discordantly interpreted4 ,such indeed  
is the state of every deep philosophy in
 its first stages1 and therefore of     
theological knowledge4 ,what we need at 
present for our ,church's well-being1 is
 not invention1 nor originality1 nor    
sagacity1 nor even learning in our      
divines1 at least in the first place1   
though all gifts of ,god are in a       
measure needed1 and never can be        
unseasonable when used religiously1 but 
we need peculiarly a sound judgment1    
patient thought1 discrimination1 a      
comprehensive mind1 an abstinence from  
all private fancies and caprices and    
personal tastes1--in a word1 ,divine    
,wisdom4  ,the subject of the volume is 
the doctrine of the ,via ,media1 a name 
which had already been applied to the   

,anglican system by writers of name4 ,it
 is an expressive title1 but not        
altogether satisfactory1 because it is  
at first sight negative4 ,this had been 
the reason of my dislike to the word    
,protestant2 in the idea which it       
conveyed1 it was not the profession of  
any religion at all1 and was compatible 
with infidelity4 ,a ,via ,media was but 
a receding from extremes1 therefore ,i  
had to draw it out into a shape1 and a  
character2 before it had claims on our  
respect1 it must first be shown to be   
one1 intelligible1 and consistent4 ,this
 was the first condition of any         
reasonable treatise on the ,via ,media4 
,the second condition1 and necessary    
too1 was not in my power4 ,i could only 
hope that it would one day be fulfilled4
 ,even if the ,via ,media were ever so  
positive a religious system1 it was not 
as yet objective and real2 it had no    
original anywhere of which it was the   
representative4 ,it was at present a    
paper religion4 ,this ,i confess in my  

,introduction2 ,i say1 ,protestantism   
and ,popery are real religions 444 but  
the ,via ,media1 viewed as an integral  
system1 has scarcely had existence      
except on paper4 ,i grant the objection 
and proceed to lessen it4 ,there ,i say1
 ,it still remains to be tried1 whether 
what is called ,anglo-,catholicism1 the 
religion of ,andrewes1 ,laud1 ,hammond1 
,butler1 and ,wilson1 is capable of     
being professed1 acted on1 and          
maintained on a large sphere of action1 
or whether it be a mere modification or 
transition-state of either ,romanism or 
popular ,protestantism4 ,i trusted that 
some day it would prove to be a         
substantive religion4  ,lest ,i should  
be misunderstood1 let me observe that   
this hesitation about the validity of   
the theory of the ,via ,media implied no
 doubt of the three fundamental points  
on which it was based1 as ,i have       
described above1 dogma1 the sacramental 
system1 and opposition to the ,church of
 ,rome4  ,other investigations which    

followed gave a still more tentative    
character to what ,i wrote or got       
written4 ,the basis of the ,via ,media1 
consisting of the three elementary      
points1 which ,i have just mentioned1   
was clear enough2 but1 not only had the 
house to be built upon them1 but it had 
also to be furnished1 and it is not     
wonderful if both ,i and others erred in
 detail in determining what that        
furniture should be1 what was consistent
 with the style of building1 and what   
was in itself desirable4 ,i will explain
 what ,i mean4  ,i had brought out in   
the ,prophetical ,office in what the    
,roman and the ,anglican systems        
differed from each other1 but less      
distinctly in what they agreed4 ,i had  
indeed enumerated the ,fundamentals1    
common to both1 in the following        
passage3--,in both systems the same     
,creeds are acknowledged4 ,besides other
 points in common we both hold1 that    
certain doctrines are necessary to be   
believed for salvation2 we both believe 

in the doctrines of the ,trinity1       
,incarnation1 and ,atonement2 in        
original sin2 in the necessity of       
regeneration2 in the supernatural grace 
of the ,sacraments2 in the apostolical  
succession2 in the obligation of faith  
and obedience1 and in the eternity of   
future punishment 7,pp4 #ee1 #ef74 ,so  
much ,i had said1 but ,i had not said   
enough4 ,this enumeration implied a     
great many more points of agreement than
 were found in those very ,articles     
which were fundamental4 ,if the two     
,churches were thus the same in         
fundamentals1 they were also one and the
 same in such plain consequences as are 
contained in those fundamentals or as   
outwardly represented them4 ,it was an  
,anglican principle that the abuse of a 
thing doth not take away the lawful use 
of it2 and an ,anglican ,canon in #afjc 
had declared that the ,english ,church  
had no purpose to forsake all that was  
held in the ,churches of ,italy1        
,france1 and ,spain1 and reverenced     

those ceremonies and particular points  
which were apostolic4 ,excepting then   
such exceptional matters1 as are implied
 in this avowal1 whether they were many 
or few1 all these ,churches were        
evidently to be considered as one with  
the ,anglican4 ,the ,catholic ,church in
 all lands had been one from the first  
for many centuries2 then1 various       
portions had followed their own way to  
the injury1 but not to the destruction1 
whether of truth or of charity4 ,these  
portions or branches were mainly        
three3--the ,greek1 ,latin1 and         
,anglican4 ,each of these inherited the 
early undivided ,church in solido as its
 own possession4 ,each branch was       
identical with that early undivided     
,church1 and in the unity of that       
,church it had unity with the other     
branches4 ,the three branches agreed    
together in all but their later         
accidental errors4 ,some branches had   
retained in detail portions of          
apostolical truth and usage1 which the  

others had not2 and these portions might
 be and should be appropriated again by 
the others which had let them slip4     
,thus1 the middle age belonged to the   
,anglican ,church1 and much more did the
 middle age of ,england4 ,the ,church of
 the twelfth century was the ,church of 
the nineteenth4 ,dr4 ,howley sat in the 
seat of ,st4 ,thomas the ,martyr2       
,oxford was a medieval ,university4     
,saving our engagements to ,prayer ,book
 and ,articles1 we might breathe and    
live and act and speak1 in the          
atmosphere and climate of ,henry        
,,iii4's day1 or the ,confessor's1 or of
 ,alfred's4 ,and we ought to be         
indulgent of all that ,rome taught now1 
as of what ,rome taught then1 saving our
 protest4 ,we might boldly welcome1 even
 what we did not ourselves think right  
to adopt4 ,and1 when we were obliged on 
the contrary boldly to denounce1 we     
should do so with pain1 not with        
exultation4 ,by very reason of our      
protest1 which we had made1 and made ex 

animo1 we could agree to differ4 ,what  
the members of the ,bible ,society did  
on the basis of ,scripture1 we could do 
on the basis of the ,church2            
,trinitarian and ,unitarian were further
 apart than ,roman and ,anglican4 ,thus 
we had a real wish to co-operate with   
,rome in all lawful things1 if she would
 let us1 and the rules of our own       
,church let us2 and we thought there was
 no better way towards the restoration  
of doctrinal purity and unity4 ,and we  
thought that ,rome was not committed by 
her formal decrees to all that she      
actually taught2 and again1 if her      
disputants had been unfair to us1 or her
 rulers tyrannical1 that on our side too
 there had been rancour and slander in  
our controversy with her1 and violence  
in our political measures4 ,as to       
ourselves being instruments in improving
 the belief or practice of ,rome        
directly1 ,i used to say1 ,look at home2
 let us first1 or at least let us the   
while1 supply our own short-comings1    

before we attempt to be physicians to   
any one else4 ,this is very much the    
spirit of ,tract #ga1 to which ,i       
referred just now4 ,i am well aware that
 there is a paragraph contrary to it in 
the prospectus to the ,library of the   
,fathers2 but ,i never concurred in it4 
,indeed1 ,i have no intention whatever  
of implying that ,dr4 ,pusey concurred  
in the ecclesiastical theory1 which ,i  
have been drawing out2 nor that ,i took 
it up myself except by degrees in the   
course of ten years4 ,it was necessarily
 the growth of time4 ,in fact1 hardly   
any two persons1 who took part in the   
,movement1 agreed in their view of the  
limit to which our general principles   
might religiously be carried4  ,and now 
,i have said enough on what ,i consider 
to have been the general objects of the 
various works which ,i wrote1 edited1 or
 prompted in the years which ,i am      
reviewing2 ,i wanted to bring out in a  
substantive form1 a living ,church of   
,england in a position proper to        

herself1 and founded on distinct        
principles2 as far as paper could do it1
 and as earnestly preaching it and      
influencing others towards it1 could    
tend to make it a fact2--a living       
,church1 made of flesh and blood1 with  
voice1 complexion1 and motion and       
action1 and a will of its own4 ,i       
believe ,i had no private motive1 and no
 personal aim4 ,nor did ,i ask for more 
than a fair stage and no favour1 nor    
expect the work would be done in my     
days2 but ,i thought that enough would  
be secured to continue it in the future 
under1 perhaps1 more hopeful            
circumstances and prospects than the    
present4  ,i will mention in            
illustration some of the principal      
works1 doctrinal and historical1 which  
originated in the object which ,i have  
stated4  ,i wrote my essay on           
,justification in #ahcg2 it was aimed at
 the ,lutheran dictum that justification
 by faith only was the cardinal doctrine
 of ,christianity4 ,i considered that   

this doctrine was either a paradox or a 
truism--a paradox in ,luther's mouth1 a 
truism in ,melanchthon4 ,i thought that 
the ,anglican ,church followed          
,melanchthon1 and that in consequence   
between ,rome and ,anglicanism1 between 
high ,church and low ,church1 there was 
no real intellectual difference on the  
point4 ,i wished to fill up a ditch1 the
 work of man4 ,in this volume again1 ,i 
express my desire to build up a system  
of theology out of the ,anglican        
divines1 and imply that my dissertation 
was a tentative inquiry4 ,i speak in the
 ,preface of offering suggestions       
towards a work1 which must be uppermost 
in the mind of every true son of the    
,english ,church at this day1--the      
consolidation of a theological system1  
which1 built upon those formularies1 to 
which all clergymen are bound1 may tend 
to inform1 persuade1 and absorb into    
itself religious minds1 which hitherto  
have fancied1 that1 on the peculiar     
,protestant questions1 they were        

seriously opposed to each other4--,p4   
vii4  ,in my ,university ,sermons there 
is a series of discussions upon the     
subject of ,faith and ,reason2 these    
again were the tentative commencement of
 a grave and necessary work2 it was an  
inquiry into the ultimate basis of      
religious faith1 prior to the           
distinction into creeds4  ,in like      
manner in a pamphlet which ,i published 
in the summer of #ahch is an attempt at 
placing the doctrine of the ,real       
,presence on an intellectual basis4 ,the
 fundamental idea is consonant to that  
to which ,i had been so long attached2  
it is the denial of the existence of    
space except as a subjective idea of our
 minds4  ,the ,church of the ,fathers is
 one of the earliest productions of the 
,movement1 and appeared in numbers in   
the ,british ,magazine1 and was written 
with the aim of introducing the         
religious sentiments1 views1 and customs
 of the first ages into the modern      
,church of ,england4  ,the translation  

of ,fleury's ,church ,history was       
commenced under these circumstances3--,i
 was fond of ,fleury for a reason which 
,i express in the advertisement2 because
 it presented a sort of photograph of   
ecclesiastical history without any      
comment upon it4 ,in the event1 that    
simple representation of the early      
centuries had a good deal to do with    
unsettling me2 but how little ,i could  
anticipate this1 will be seen in the    
fact that the publication was a         
favourite scheme of ,mr4 ,rose's4 ,he   
proposed it to me twice1 between the    
years #ahcd and #ahcg2 and ,i mention it
 as one out of many particulars         
curiously illustrating how truly my     
change of opinion arose1 not from       
foreign influences1 but from the working
 of my own mind1 and the accidents      
around me4 ,the date at which the       
portion actually translated began was   
determined by the publisher on reasons  
with which we were not concerned4       
,another historical work1 but drawn from

 original sources1 was given to the     
world by my old friend ,mr4 ,bowden1    
being a ,life of ,pope ,gregory ,,vii4  
,i need scarcely recall to those who    
have read it1 the power and the         
liveliness of the narrative4 ,this      
composition was the author's relaxation 
on evenings and in his summer vacations1
 from his ordinary engagements in       
,london4 ,it had been suggested to him  
originally by me1 at the instance of    
,hurrell ,froude4  ,the series of the   
,lives of the ,english ,saints was      
projected at a later period1 under      
circumstances which ,i shall have in the
 sequel to describe4 ,those beautiful   
compositions have nothing in them1 as   
far as ,i recollect1 simply inconsistent
 with the general objects which ,i have 
been assigning to my labours in these   
years1 though the immediate occasion of 
them and their tone could not in the    
exercise of the largest indulgence be   
said to have an ,anglican direction4    
,at a comparatively early date ,i drew  

up the ,tract on the ,roman ,breviary4  
,it frightened my own friends on its    
first appearance1 and1 several years    
afterwards1 when younger men began to   
translate for publication the four      
volumes in extenso1 they were dissuaded 
from doing so by advice to which from a 
sense of duty they listened4 ,it was an 
apparent accident which introduced me to
 the knowledge of that most wonderful   
and most attractive monument of the     
devotion of saints4 ,on ,hurrell        
,froude's death1 in #ahcf1 ,i was asked 
to select one of his books as a         
keepsake4 ,i selected ,butler's         
,analogy2 finding that it had been      
already chosen1 ,i looked with some     
perplexity along the shelves as they    
stood before me1 when an intimate friend
 at my elbow said1 ,take that4 ,it was  
the ,breviary which ,hurrell had had    
with him at ,barbados4 ,accordingly ,i  
took it1 studied it1 wrote my ,tract    
from it1 and have it on my table in     
constant use till this day4  ,that dear 

and familiar companion1 who thus put the
 ,breviary into my hands1 is still in   
the ,anglican ,church4 ,so too is that  
early venerated long-loved friend1      
together with whom ,i edited a work     
which1 more perhaps than any other1     
caused disturbance and annoyance in the 
,anglican world1 ,froude's ,remains2    
yet1 however judgment might run as to   
the prudence of publishing it1 ,i never 
heard any one impute to ,mr4 ,keble the 
very shadow of dishonesty or treachery  
towards his ,church in so acting4  ,the 
annotated translation of the treatise of
 ,st4 ,athanasius was of course in no   
sense a tentative work2 it belongs to   
another order of thought4 ,this         
historico-dogmatic work employed me for 
years4 ,i had made preparations for     
following it up with a doctrinal history
 of the heresies which succeeded to the 
,arian4  ,i should make mention also of 
the ,british ,critic4 ,i was editor of  
it for three years1 from ,july #ahch to 
,july #ahda4 ,my writers belonged to    

various schools1 some to none at all4   
,the subjects are various1--classical1  
academical1 political1 critical1 and    
artistic1 as well as theological1 and   
upon the ,movement none are to be found 
which do not keep quite clear of        
advocating the cause of ,rome4   ,so ,i 
went on for years1 up to #ahda4 ,it was1
 in a human point of view1 the happiest 
time of my life4 ,i was truly at home4  
,i had in one of my volumes appropriated
 to myself the words of ,bramhall1      
,bees1 by the instinct of nature1 do    
love their hives1 and birds their nests4
 ,i did not suppose that such sunshine  
would last1 though ,i knew not what     
would be its termination4 ,it was the   
time of plenty1 and1 during its seven   
years1 ,i tried to lay up as much as ,i 
could for the dearth which was to follow
 it4 ,we prospered and spread4 ,i have  
spoken of the doings of these years1    
since ,i was a ,catholic1 in a passage1 
part of which ,i will quote1 though     
there is a sentence in it that requires 

some limitation3  ,from beginnings so   
small1 ,i said1 from elements of thought
 so fortuitous1 with prospects so       
unpromising1 the ,anglo-,catholic party 
suddenly became a power in the ,national
 ,church1 and an object of alarm to her 
rulers and friends4 ,its originators    
would have found it difficult to say    
what they aimed at of a practical kind3 
rather1 they put forth views and        
principles1 for their own sake1 because 
they were true1 as if they were obliged 
to say them2 and1 as they might be      
themselves surprised at their           
earnestness in uttering them1 they had  
as great cause to be surprised at the   
success which attended their            
propagation4 ,and1 in fact1 they could  
only say that those doctrines were in   
the air2 that to assert was to prove1   
and that to explain was to persuade2 and
 that the ,movement in which they were  
taking part was the birth of a crisis   
rather than of a place4 ,in a very few  
years a school of opinion was formed1   

fixed in its principles1 indefinite and 
progressive in their range2 and it      
extended itself into every part of the  
country4 ,if we inquire what the world  
thought of it1 we have still more to    
raise our wonder2 for1 not to mention   
the excitement it caused in ,england1   
the ,movement and its party-names were  
known to the police of ,italy and to the
 back-woodmen of ,america4 ,and so it   
proceeded1 getting stronger and stronger
 every year1 till it came into collision
 with the ,nation1 and that ,church of  
the ,nation1 which it began by          
professing especially to serve4  ,the   
greater its success1 the nearer was that
 collision at hand4 ,the first          
threatenings of the crisis were heard in
 #ahch4 ,at that time1 my bishop in a   
charge made some light animadversions1  
but they were animadversions1 on the    
,tracts for the ,times4 ,at once ,i     
offered to stop them4 ,what took place  
on the occasion ,i prefer to state in   
the words1 in which ,i related it in a  

pamphlet addressed to him in a later    
year1 when the blow actually came down  
upon me4  ,in your ,lordship's ,charge  
for #ahch1 ,i said1 an allusion was made
 to the ,tracts for the ,times4 ,some   
opponents of the ,tracts said that you  
treated them with undue indulgence 444  
,i wrote to the ,archdeacon on the      
subject1 submitting the ,tracts entirely
 to your ,lordship's disposal4 ,what ,i 
thought about your ,charge will appear  
from the words ,i then used to him4 ,i  
said1 ',a ,bishop's lightest word ex    
cathedra is heavy4 ,his judgment on a   
book cannot be light4 ,it is a rare     
occurrence4' ,and ,i offered to withdraw
 any of the ,tracts over which ,i had   
control1 if ,i were informed which were 
those to which your ,lordship had       
objections4 ,i afterwards wrote to your 
,lordship to this effect1 that ',i      
trusted ,i might say sincerely1 that ,i 
should feel a more lively pleasure in   
knowing that ,i was submitting myself to
 your ,lordship's expressed judgment in 

a matter of that kind1 than ,i could    
have even in the widest circulation of  
the volumes in question4' ,your         
,lordship did not think it necessary to 
proceed to such a measure1 but ,i felt1 
and always have felt1 that1 if ever you 
determined on it1 ,i was bound to obey4 
,that day at length came1 and ,i        
conclude this portion of my narrative1  
with relating the circumstances of it4  
,from the time that ,i had entered upon 
the duties of public tutor at my        
,college1 when my doctrinal views were  
very different from what they were in   
#ahda1 ,i had meditated a comment upon  
the ,articles4 ,then1 when the ,movement
 was in its swing1 friends had said to  
me1 ,what will you make of the          
,articles8 but ,i did not share the     
apprehension which their question       
implied4 ,whether1 as time went on1 ,i  
should have been forced1 by the         
necessities of the original theory of   
the ,movement1 to put on paper the      
speculations which ,i had about them1 ,i

 am not able to conjecture4 ,the actual 
cause of my doing so1 in the beginning  
of #ahda1 was the restlessness1 actual  
and prospective1 of those who neither   
liked the ,via ,media1 nor my strong    
judgment against ,rome4 ,i had been     
enjoined1 ,i think by my ,bishop1 to    
keep these men straight1 and wished so  
to do3 but their tangible difficulty was
 subscription to the ,articles2 and thus
 the question of the articles came      
before me4 ,it was thrown in our teeth2 
,how can you manage to sign the         
,articles8 they are directly against    
,rome4 ,against ,rome8 ,i made answer1  
,what do you mean by ',rome'8 and then  
proceeded to make distinctions1 of which
 ,i shall now give an account4  ,by     
,roman doctrine might be meant one of   
three things3 #a1 the ,catholic teaching
 of the early centuries2 or #b1 the     
formal dogmas of ,rome as contained in  
the later ,councils1 especially the     
,council of ,trent1 and as condensed in 
the ,creed of ,pope ,pius ,,iv42 #c1 the

 actual popular beliefs and usages      
sanctioned by ,rome in the countries in 
communion with it1 over and above the   
dogmas2 and these ,i called dominant    
errors4 ,now ,protestants commonly      
thought that in all three senses1 ,roman
 doctrine was condemned in the          
,articles3 ,i thought that the ,catholic
 teaching was not condemned2 that the   
dominant errors were2 and as to the     
formal dogmas1 that some were1 some were
 not1 and that the line had to be drawn 
between them4 ,thus1 #a1 the use of     
prayers for the dead was a ,catholic    
doctrine--not condemned2 #b1 the prison 
of purgatory was a ,roman dogma--which  
was condemned2 but the infallibility of 
ecumenical councils was a ,roman        
dogma--not condemned2 and #c1 the fire  
of ,purgatory was an authorised and     
popular error1 not a dogma--which was   
condemned4  ,further1 ,i considered that
 the difficulties1 felt by the persons  
whom ,i have mentioned1 mainly lay in   
their mistaking1 #a1 ,catholic teaching1

 which was not condemned in the         
,articles1 for ,roman dogma which was   
condemned2 and #b1 ,roman dogma1 which  
was not condemned in the ,articles1 for 
dominant error which was4 ,if they went 
further than this1 ,i had nothing more  
to say to them4  ,a further motive which
 ,i had for my attempt1 was the desire  
to ascertain the ultimate points of     
contrariety between the ,roman and      
,anglican creeds1 and to make them as   
few as possible4 ,i thought that each   
creed was obscured and misrepresented by
 a dominant circumambient ,popery and   
,protestantism4  ,the main thesis then  
of my essay was this3--the ,articles do 
not oppose ,catholic teaching2 they but 
partially oppose ,roman dogma2 they for 
the most part oppose the dominant errors
 of ,rome4 ,and the problem was to draw 
the line as to what they allowed and    
what they condemned4  ,such being the   
object which ,i had in view1 what were  
my prospects of widening and defining   
their meaning8 ,the prospect was        

encouraging2 there was no doubt at all  
of the elasticity of the ,articles3 to  
take a palmary instance1 the seventeenth
 was assumed by one party to be         
,lutheran1 by another ,calvinistic1     
though the two interpretations were     
contradictory to each other2 why then   
should not other ,articles be drawn up  
with a vagueness of an equally intense  
character8 ,i wanted to ascertain what  
was the limit of that elasticity in the 
direction of ,roman dogma4 ,but next1 ,i
 had a way of inquiry of my own1 which  
,i state without defending4 ,i instanced
 it afterwards in my ,essay on          
,doctrinal ,development4 ,that work1 ,i 
believe1 ,i have not read since ,i      
published it1 and ,i doubt not at all   
that ,i have made many mistakes in      
it2--partly1 from my ignorance of the   
details of doctrine1 as the ,church of  
,rome holds them1 but partly from my    
impatience to clear as large a range for
 the principle of doctrinal development 
7waiving the question of historical     

fact7 as was consistent with the strict 
apostolicity and identity of the        
,catholic ,creed4 ,in like manner1 as   
regards the #ci ,articles1 my method of 
inquiry was to leap in medias res4 ,i   
wished to institute an inquiry how far1 
in critical fairness1 the text could be 
opened2 ,i was aiming far more at       
ascertaining what a man who subscribed  
it might hold than what he must1 so that
 my conclusions were negative rather    
than positive4 ,it was but a first      
essay4 ,and ,i made it with the full    
recognition and consciousness1 which ,i 
had already expressed in my ,prophetical
 ,office1 as regards the ,via ,media1   
that ,i was making only a first         
approximation to a required solution2--a
 series of illustrations supplying hints
 in the removal of a difficulty1 and    
with full acknowledgment that in minor  
points1 whether in question of fact or  
of judgment1 there was room for         
difference or error of opinion1 and that
 ,i should not be ashamed to own a      

mistake1 if it were proved against me1  
nor reluctant to bear the just blame of 
it4--,p4 #ca4  ,in addition1 ,i was     
embarrassed in consequence of my wish to
 go as far as was possible1 in          
interpreting the ,articles in the       
direction of ,roman dogma1 without      
disclosing what ,i was doing to the     
parties whose doubts ,i was meeting1 who
 might be thereby encouraged to go still
 further than at present they found in  
themselves any call to do4  #a4 ,but in 
the way of such an attempt comes the    
prompt objection that the ,articles were
 actually drawn up against ,popery1 and 
therefore it was transcendently absurd  
and dishonest to suppose that ,popery1  
in any shape--patristic belief1         
,tridentine dogma1 or popular corruption
 authoritatively sanctioned--would be   
able to take refuge under their text4   
,this premiss ,i denied4 ,not any       
religious doctrine at all1 but a        
political principle1 was the primary    
,english idea at that time of ,popery4  

,and what was that political principle1 
and how could it best be kept out of    
,england8 ,what was the great question  
in the days of ,henry and ,elizabeth8   
,the ,supremacy2--now1 was ,i saying one
 single word in favour of the supremacy 
of the holy see1 of the foreign         
jurisdiction8 ,no2 ,i did not believe in
 it myself4 ,did ,henry ,,viii4         
religiously hold justification by faith 
only8 did he disbelieve ,purgatory8 ,was
 ,elizabeth zealous for the marriage of 
the ,clergy8 or had she a conscience    
against the ,mass8 ,the supremacy of the
 ,pope was the essence of the ,popery to
 which1 at the time of the ,articles1   
the supreme head or governor of the     
,english ,church was so violently       
hostile4  #b4 ,but again ,i said        
this2--let ,popery mean what it would in
 the mouths of the compilers of the     
,articles1 let it even1 for argument's  
sake1 include the doctrines of that     
,tridentine ,council1 which was not yet 
over when the ,articles were drawn up1  

and against which they could not be     
simply directed1 yet1 consider1 what was
 the religious object of the ,government
 in their imposition8 merely to disown  
,popery8 ,no2 it had the further object 
of gaining the ,papists4 ,what then was 
the best way to induce reluctant or     
wavering minds1 and these1 ,i supposed1 
were the majority1 to give in their     
adhesion to the new symbol8 how had the 
,arians drawn up their creeds8 ,was it  
not on the principle of using vague     
ambiguous language1 which to the        
subscribers would seem to bear a        
,catholic sense1 but which1 when worked 
out in the long run1 would prove to be  
heterodox8 ,accordingly1 there was great
 antecedent probability1 that1 fierce as
 the ,articles might look at first      
sight1 their bark would prove worse than
 their bite4 ,i say antecedent          
probability1 for to what extent that    
surmise might be true1 could only be    
ascertained by investigation4  #c4 ,but 
a consideration came up at once1 which  

threw light on this surmise3--what if it
 should turn out that the very men who  
drew up the ,articles1 in the very act  
of doing so1 had avowed1 or rather in   
one of those very ,articles themselves  
had imposed on subscribers1 a number of 
those very ,papistical doctrines1 which 
they were now thought to deny1 as part  
and parcel of that very ,protestantism1 
which they were now thought to consider 
divine8 and this was the fact1 and ,i   
showed it in my ,essay4  ,let the reader
 observe3--the #ceth ,article says3 ,the
 second ,book of ,homilies doth contain 
a godly and wholesome doctrine1 and     
necessary for these times1 as doth the  
former ,book of ,homilies4 ,here the    
doctrine of the ,homilies is recognised 
as godly and wholesome1 and subscription
 to that proposition is imposed on all  
subscribers of the ,articles4 ,let us   
then turn to the ,homilies1 and see what
 this godly doctrine is3 ,i quoted from 
them to the following effect3  #a4 ,they
 declare that the so-called apocryphal  

book of ,tobit is the teaching of the   
,holy ,ghost1 and is ,scripture4  #b4   
,that the so-called apocryphal book of  
,wisdom is ,scripture1 and the          
infallible and undeceivable word of     
,god4  #c4 ,that the ,primitive ,church1
 next to the apostles' time1 and1 as    
they imply1 for almost #gjj years1 is no
 doubt most pure4  #d4 ,that the        
,primitive ,church is specially to be   
followed4  #e4 ,that the four first     
general councils belong to the          
,primitive ,church4  #f4 ,that there are
 six councils which are allowed and     
received by all men4  #g4 ,again1 they  
speak of a certain truth which they are 
enforcing1 as declared by ,god's word1  
the sentences of the ancient doctors1   
and judgment of the ,primitive ,church4 
#h4 ,of the learned and holy ,bishops   
and doctors of the first eight centuries
 being of good authority and credit with
 the people4  #i4 ,of the declaration of
 ,christ and ,his apostles and all the  
rest of the ,holy ,fathers4  #aj4 ,of   

the authority of both ,scripture and    
also of ,augustine4  #aa4 ,of           
,augustine1 ,chrysostom1 ,ambrose1      
,jerome1 and about thirty other         
,fathers1 to some of whom they give the 
title of ,saint1 to others of ancient   
,catholic ,fathers and doctors4  #ab4   
,they declare that1 not only the holy   
apostles and disciples of ,christ1 but  
the godly ,fathers also before and since
 ,christ were endued without doubt with 
the ,holy ,ghost4  #ac4 ,that the       
ancient ,catholic ,fathers say that the 
,lord's ,supper is the salve of         
immortality1 the sovereign preservative 
against death1 the food of immortality1 
the healthful grace4  #ad4 ,that the    
,lord's ,blessed ,body and ,blood are   
received under the form of bread and    
wine4  #ae4 ,that the meat in the       
,sacrament is an invisible meat and a   
ghostly substance4  #af4 ,that the holy 
,body and ,blood ought to be touched    
with the mind4  #ag4 ,that ,ordination  
is a ,sacrament4  #ah4 ,that ,matrimony 

is a ,sacrament4  #ai4 ,that there are  
other ,sacraments besides ,baptism and  
the ,lord's ,supper4  #bj4 ,that the    
souls of the ,saints are reigning in joy
 and in heaven with ,god4  #ba4 ,that   
alms-deeds purge the soul from the      
infection and filthy spots of sin1 and  
are a precious medicine1 an inestimable 
jewel4  #bb4 ,that mercifulness wipes   
out and washes away infirmity and       
weakness as salves and remedies to heal 
sores and grievous diseases4  #bc4 ,that
 the duty of fasting is a truth more    
manifest than it should need to be      
proved4  #bd4 ,that fasting1 used with  
prayer1 is of great efficacy and        
weigheth much with ,god2 so the angel   
,raphael told ,tobias4  #be4 ,that the  
puissant and mighty ,emperor ,theodosius
 was1 in the ,primitive ,church which   
was most holy and godly1 excommunicated 
by ,st4 ,ambrose4  #bf4 ,that           
,constantine1 ,bishop of ,rome1 did     
condemn ,philippicus1 the ,emperor1 not 
without a cause indeed1 but most justly4

  ,putting altogether aside the question
 how far these separate theses came     
under the matter to which subscription  
was to be made1 it was quite plain1 that
 the men who wrote the ,homilies1 and   
who thus incorporated them into the     
,anglican system of doctrine1 could not 
have possessed that exact discrimination
 between the ,catholic and ,protestant  
faith1 or have made that clear          
recognition of formal ,protestant       
principles and tenets1 or have accepted 
that definition of ,roman doctrine1     
which is received at this day3--hence   
great probability accrued to my         
presentiment1 that the ,articles were   
tolerant1 not only of what ,i called    
,catholic teaching1 but of much that was
 ,roman4  #d4 ,and here was another     
reason against the notion that the      
,articles directly attacked the ,roman  
dogmas as declared at ,trent and as     
promulgated by ,pius the ,fourth3--the  
,council of ,trent was not over1 nor its
 decrees promulgated at the date when   

the ,articles were drawn up1 so that    
those ,articles must be aiming at       
something else4 ,what was that something
 else8 ,the ,homilies tell us3 the      
,homilies are the best comment upon the 
,articles4 ,let us turn to the          
,homilies1 and we shall find from first 
to last that1 not only is not the       
,catholic teaching of the first         
centuries1 but neither again are the    
dogmas of ,rome1 the objects of the     
protest of the compilers of the         
,articles1 but the dominant errors1 the 
popular corruptions1 authorised or      
suffered by the high name of ,rome4 ,as 
to ,catholic teaching1 nay as to ,roman 
dogma1 those ,homilies1 as ,i have      
shown1 contained no small portion of it 
themselves4  #e4 ,so much for the       
writers of the ,articles and            
,homilies2--they were witnesses1 not    
authorities1 and ,i used them as such2  
but in the next place1 who were the     
actual authorities imposing them8 ,i    
considered the imponens to be the       

,convocation of #aega2 but here again1  
it would be found that the very         
,convocation1 which received and        
confirmed the #ci ,articles1 also       
enjoined by ,canon that preachers should
 be careful1 that they should never     
teach aught in a sermon1 to be          
religiously held and believed by the    
people1 except that which is agreeable  
to the doctrine of the ,old and ,new    
,testament1 and which the ,catholic     
,fathers and ancient ,bishops have      
collected from that very doctrine4      
,here1 let it be observed1 an appeal is 
made by the ,convocation imponens to the
 very same ancient authorities1 as had  
been mentioned with such profound       
veneration by the writers of the        
,homilies and of the ,articles1 and     
thus1 if the ,homilies contained views  
of doctrine which now would be called   
,roman1 there seemed to me to be an     
extreme probability that the            
,convocation of #aega also countenanced 
and received1 or at least did not       

reject1 those doctrines4  #f4 ,and      
further1 when at length ,i came actually
 to look into the text of the ,articles1
 ,i saw in many cases a patent          
fulfilment of all that ,i had surmised  
as to their vagueness and               
indecisiveness1 and that1 not only on   
questions which lay between ,lutherans1 
,calvinists1 and ,zuinglians1 but on    
,catholic questions also2 and ,i have   
noticed them in my ,tract4 ,in the      
conclusion of my ,tract ,i observe3     
,they are evidently framed on the       
principle of leaving open large         
questions on which the controversy      
hinges4 ,they state broadly extreme     
truths1 and are silent about their      
adjustment4 ,for instance1 they say that
 all necessary faith must be proved from
 ,scripture2 but do not say who is to   
prove it4 ,they say1 that the ,church   
has authority in controversies2 they do 
not say what authority4 ,they say that  
it may enforce nothing beyond           
,scripture1 but do not say where the    

remedy lies when it does4 ,they say that
 works before grace and justification   
are worthless and worse1 and that works 
after grace and justification are       
acceptable1 but they do not speak at all
 of works with ,god's aid before        
justification4 ,they say that men are   
lawfully called and sent to minister and
 preach1 who are chosen and called by   
men who have public authority given them
 in the ,congregation2 but they do not  
add by whom the authority is to be      
given4 ,they say that ,councils called  
by princes may err2 they do not         
determine whether ,councils called in   
the name of ,christ may err4  ,such were
 the considerations which weighed with  
me in my inquiry how far the ,articles  
were tolerant of a ,catholic1 or even a 
,roman interpretation2 and such was the 
defence which ,i made in my ,tract for  
having attempted it4 ,from what ,i have 
already said1 it will appear that ,i    
have no need or intention at this day to
 maintain every particular              

interpretation which ,i suggested in the
 course of my ,tract1 nor indeed had ,i 
then4 ,whether it was prudent or not1   
whether it was sensible or not1 anyhow  
,i attempted only a first essay of a    
necessary work1 an essay which1 as ,i   
was quite prepared to find1 would       
require revision and modification by    
means of the lights which ,i should gain
 from the criticism of others4 ,i should
 have gladly withdrawn any statement1   
which could be proved to me to be       
erroneous2 ,i considered my work to be  
faulty and objectionable in the same    
sense in which ,i now consider my       
,anglican interpretations of ,scripture 
to be erroneous1 but in no other sense4 
,i am surprised that men do not apply to
 the interpreters of ,scripture         
generally the hard names which they     
apply to the author of ,tract #ij4 ,he  
held a large system of theology1 and    
applied it to the ,articles3            
,episcopalians1 or ,lutherans1 or       
,presbyterians1 or ,unitarians1 hold a  

large system of theology and apply it to
 ,scripture4 ,every theology has its    
difficulties2 ,protestants hold         
justification by faith only1 though     
there is no text in ,st4 ,paul which    
enunciates it1 and though ,st4 ,james   
expressly denies it2 do we therefore    
call ,protestants dishonest8 they deny  
that the ,church has a divine mission1  
though ,st4 ,paul says that it is the   
,pillar and ground of ,truth2 they keep 
the ,sabbath1 though ,st4 ,paul says1   
,let no man judge you in meat or drink  
or in respect of 444 the sabbath days4  
,every creed has texts in its favour1   
and again texts which run counter to it3
 and this is generally confessed4 ,and  
this is what ,i felt keenly3--how had ,i
 done worse in ,tract #ij than          
,anglicans1 ,wesleyans1 and ,calvinists 
did daily in their ,sermons and their   
publications8 ,how had ,i done worse1   
than the ,evangelical party in their ex 
animo reception of the ,services for    
,baptism and ,visitation of the ,sick8#b

 ,why was ,i to be dishonest and they   
immaculate8 ,there was an occasion on   
which our ,lord gave an answer1 which   
seemed to be appropriate to my own case1
 when the tumult broke out against my   
,tract3--,he that is without sin among  
you1 let him first cast a stone at him4 
,i could have fancied that a sense of   
their own difficulties of interpretation
 would have persuaded the great party ,i
 have mentioned to some prudence1 or at 
least moderation1 in opposing a teacher 
of an opposite school4 ,but ,i suppose  
their alarm and their anger overcame    
their sense of justice4   ,in the       
universal storm of indignation with     
which the ,tract was received on its    
appearance1 ,i recognise much of real   
religious feeling1 much of honest and   
true principle1 much of straightforward 
ignorant common sense4 ,in ,oxford there
 was genuine feeling too2 but there had 
been a smouldering stern energetic      
animosity1 not at all unnatural1 partly 
rational1 against its author4 ,a false  

step had been made2 now was the time for
 action4 ,i am told that1 even before   
the publication of the ,tract1 rumours  
of its contents had got into the hostile
 camp in an exaggerated form2 and not a 
moment was lost in proceeding to action1
 when ,i was actually in the hands of   
the ,philistines4 ,i was quite          
unprepared for the outbreak1 and was    
startled at its violence4 ,i do not     
think ,i had any fear4 ,nay1 ,i will add
 ,i am not sure that it was not in one  
point of view a relief to me4  ,i saw   
indeed clearly that my place in the     
,movement was lost2 public confidence   
was at an end2 my occupation was gone4  
,it was simply an impossibility that ,i 
could say anything henceforth to good   
effect1 when ,i had been posted up by   
the marshal on the buttery hatch of     
every ,college of my ,university1 after 
the manner of discommoned pastry-cooks1 
and when in every part of the country   
and every class of society1 through     
every organ and occasion of opinion1 in 

newspapers1 in periodicals1 at meetings1
 in pulpits1 at dinner-tables1 in       
coffee-rooms1 in railway carriages1 ,i  
was denounced as a traitor who had laid 
his train and was detected in the very  
act of firing it against the            
time-honoured ,establishment4 ,there    
were indeed men1 besides my own friends1
 men of name and position1 who gallantly
 took my part1 as ,dr4 ,hook1 ,mr4      
,palmer1 and ,mr4 ,perceval3 it must    
have been a grievous trial for          
themselves2 yet what after all could    
they do for me8 ,confidence in me was   
lost2--but ,i had already lost full     
confidence in myself4 ,thoughts had     
passed over me a year and a half before 
which for the time had profoundly       
troubled me4 ,they had gone3 ,i had not 
less confidence in the power and the    
prospects of the apostolical movement   
than before2 not less confidence than   
before in the grievousness of what ,i   
called the dominant errors of ,rome3 but
 how was ,i any more to have absolute   

confidence in myself8 how was ,i to have
 confidence in my present confidence8   
how was ,i to be sure that ,i should    
always think as ,i thought now8 ,i felt 
that by this event a kind ,providence   
had saved me from an impossible position
 in the future4   ,first1 if ,i remember
 right1 they wished me to withdraw the  
,tract4 ,this ,i refused to do3 ,i would
 not do so for the sake of those who    
were unsettled or in danger of          
unsettlement4 ,i would not do so for my 
own sake2 for how could ,i acquiesce in 
a mere ,protestant interpretation of the
 ,articles8 how could ,i range myself   
among the professors of a theology1 of  
which it put my teeth on edge1 even to  
hear the sound8  ,next they said1 ,keep 
silence2 do not defend the ,tract2 ,i   
answered1 ,yes1 if you will not condemn 
it--if you will allow it to continue on 
sale4 ,they pressed on me whenever ,i   
gave way2 they fell back when they saw  
me obstinate4 ,their line of action was 
to get out of me as much as they could2 

but upon the point of their tolerating  
the ,tract ,i was obstinate4 ,so they   
let me continue it on sale2 and they    
said they would not condemn it4 ,but    
they said that this was on condition    
that ,i did not defend it1 that ,i      
stopped the series1 and that ,i myself  
published my own condemnation in a      
letter to the ,bishop of ,oxford4 ,i    
impute nothing whatever to him1 he was  
ever most kind to me4 ,also1 they said  
they could not answer for what          
individual ,bishops might perhaps say   
about the ,tract in their own charges4  
,i agreed to their conditions4 ,my one  
point was to save the ,tract4  ,not a   
scrap of writing was given me1 as a     
pledge of the performance on their side 
of the engagement4 ,parts of letters    
from them were read to me1 without being
 put into my hands4 ,it was an          
understanding4 ,a clever man had warned 
me against understandings some six years
 before3 ,i have hated them ever since4 
,in the last words of my letter to the  

,bishop of ,oxford ,i thus resigned my  
place in the ,movement3--  ,i have      
nothing to be sorry for1 ,i say to him1 
except having made your ,lordship       
anxious1 and others whom ,i am bound to 
revere4 ,i have nothing to be sorry for1
 but everything to rejoice in and be    
thankful for4 ,i have never taken       
pleasure in seeming to be able to move a
 party1 and whatever influence ,i have  
had1 has been found1 not sought after4  
,i have acted because others did not    
act1 and have sacrificed a quiet which  
,i prized4 ,may ,god be with me in time 
to come1 as ,he has been hitherto6 and  
,he will be1 if ,i can but keep my hand 
clean and my heart pure4 ,i think ,i can
 bear1 or at least will try to bear1 any
 personal humiliation1 so that ,i am    
preserved from betraying sacred         
interests1 which the ,lord of grace and 
power has given into my charge4         
,footnote  #b ,for instance1 let candid 
men consider the form of ,absolution    
contained in that ,prayer ,book1 of     

which all clergymen1 ,evangelical and   
,liberal as well as high ,church1 and   
7,i think7 all persons in ,university   
office declare that it containeth       
nothing contrary to the ,word of ,god4  
,i challenge1 in the sight of all       
,england1 ,evangelical clergymen        
generally1 to put on paper an           
interpretation of this form of words1   
consistent with their sentiments1 which 
shall be less forced than the most      
objectionable of the interpretations    
which ,tract #ij puts upon any passage  
in the ,articles4  ,our ,lord ,jesus    
,christ1 who hath left power to ,his    
,church to absolve all sinners who truly
 repent and believe in ,him1 of ,his    
great mercy forgive thee thine offences2
 and by ,his authority committed to me1 
,i absolve thee from all thy sins1 in   
the ,name of the ,father1 and of the    
,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,amen4   
,i subjoin the ,roman form1 as used in  
,england and elsewhere ,dominus noster  
,jesus ,christus te absolvat2 et ego    

auctoritate ipsius te absolvo1 ab omni  
vinculo excommunicationis et interdicti1
 in quantum possum et tu indiges4       
,deinde ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis1 
in nomine ,patris et ,filii et ,spiritus
 ,sancti4 ,amen4     ,part ,v  ,history 
of ,my ,religious ,opinions--#ahci-ahda 
,and now that ,i am about to trace1 as  
far as ,i can1 the course of that great 
revolution of mind1 which led me to     
leave my own home1 to which ,i was bound
 by so many strong and tender ties1 ,i  
feel overcome with the difficulty of    
satisfying myself in my account of it1  
and have recoiled from doing so1 till   
the near approach of the day1 on which  
these lines must be given to the world1 
forces me to set about the task4 ,for   
who can know himself1 and the multitude 
of subtle influences which act upon him8
 and who can recollect1 at the distance 
of twenty-five years1 all that he once  
knew about his thoughts and his deeds1  
and that1 during a portion of his life1 
when even at the time his observation1  

whether of himself or of the external   
world1 was less than before or after1 by
 very reason of the perplexity and      
dismay which weighed upon him1--when1   
though it would be most unthankful to   
seem to imply that he had not           
all-sufficient light amid his darkness1 
yet a darkness it emphatically was8 ,and
 who can gird himself suddenly to a new 
and anxious undertaking1 which he might 
be able indeed to perform well1 had he  
full and calm leisure to look through   
everything that he has written1 whether 
in published works or private letters8  
but1 on the other hand1 as to that calm 
contemplation of the past1 in itself so 
desirable1 who can afford to be         
leisurely and deliberate1 while he      
practises on himself a cruel operation1 
the ripping up of old griefs1 and the   
venturing again upon the infandum       
dolorem of years1 in which the stars of 
this lower heaven were one by one going 
out8 ,i could not in cool blood1 nor    
except upon the imperious call of duty1 

attempt what ,i have set myself to do4  
,it is both to head and heart an extreme
 trial1 thus to analyse what has so long
 gone by1 and to bring out the results  
of that examination4 ,i have done       
various bold things in my life3 this is 
the boldest3 and1 were ,i not sure ,i   
should after all succeed in my object1  
it would be madness to set about it4    
,in the spring of #ahci my position in  
the ,anglican ,church was at its height4
 ,i had supreme confidence in my        
controversial status1 and ,i had a great
 and still growing success1 in          
recommending it to others4 ,i had in the
 foregoing autumn been somewhat sore at 
the bishop's charge1 but ,i have a      
letter which shows that all annoyance   
had passed from my mind4 ,in ,january1  
if ,i recollect aright1 in order to meet
 the popular clamour against myself and 
others1 and to satisfy the bishop1 ,i   
had collected into one all the strong   
things which they1 and especially ,i1   
had said against the ,church of ,rome1  

in order to their insertion among the   
advertisements appended to our          
publications4 ,conscious as ,i was that 
my opinions in religion were not gained1
 as the world said1 from ,roman sources1
 but were1 on the contrary1 the birth of
 my own mind and of the circumstances in
 which ,i had been placed1 ,i had a     
scorn of the imputations which were     
heaped upon me4 ,it was true that ,i    
held a large bold system of religion1   
very unlike the ,protestantism of the   
day1 but it was the concentration and   
adjustment of the statements of great   
,anglican authorities1 and ,i had as    
much right to do so as the ,evangelical 
party had1 and more right than the      
,liberal1 to hold their own respective  
doctrines4 ,as ,i spoke on occasion of  
,tract #ij1 ,i claimed1 in behalf of who
 would1 that he might hold in the       
,anglican ,church a comprecation with   
the saints with ,bramhall1 and the ,mass
 all but transubstantiation with        
,andrewes1 or with ,hooker that         

transubstantiation itself is not a point
 for ,churches to part communion upon1  
or with ,hammond that a general council1
 truly such1 never did1 never shall err 
in a matter of faith1 or with ,bull that
 man lost inward grace by the fall1 or  
with ,thorndike that penance is a       
propitiation for post-baptismal sin1 or 
with ,pearson that the all-powerful name
 of ,jesus is no otherwise given than in
 the ,catholic ,church4 ,two can play at
 that1 was often in my mouth1 when men  
of ,protestant sentiments appealed to   
the ,articles1 ,homilies1 or ,reformers2
 in the sense that1 if they had a right 
to speak loud1 ,i had both the liberty  
and the means of giving them tit for    
tat4 ,i thought that the ,anglican      
,church had been tyrannised over by a   
party1 and ,i aimed at bringing into    
effect the promise contained in the     
motto to the ,lyra1 ,they shall know the
 difference now4 ,i only asked to be    
allowed to show them the difference4    
,what will best describe my state of    

mind at the early part of #ahci1 is an  
article in the ,british ,critic for that
 ,april4 ,i have looked over it now1 for
 the first time since it was published2 
and have been struck by it for this     
reason3--it contains the last words     
which ,i ever spoke as an ,anglican to  
,anglicans4 ,it may now be read as my   
parting address and valediction1 made to
 my friends4 ,i little knew it at the   
time4 ,it reviews the actual state of   
things1 and it ends by looking towards  
the future4 ,it is not altogether mine2 
for my memory goes to this1--that ,i had
 asked a friend to do the work2 that    
then1 the thought came on me1 that ,i   
would do it myself3 and that he was good
 enough to put into my hands what he had
 with great appositeness written1 and ,i
 embodied it into my article4 ,every    
one1 ,i think1 will recognise the       
greater part of it as mine4 ,it was     
published two years before the affair of
 ,tract #ij1 and was entitled ,the      
,state of ,religious ,parties4  ,in this

 article1 ,i begin by bringing together 
testimonies from our enemies to the     
remarkable success of our exertions4    
,one writer said3 ,opinions and views of
 a theology of a very marked and        
peculiar kind have been extensively     
adopted and strenuously upheld1 and are 
daily gaining ground among a            
considerable and influential portion of 
the members1 as well as ministers of the
 ,established ,church4 ,another3 ,the   
,movement has manifested itself with the
 most rapid growth of the hot-bed of    
these evil days4 ,another3 ,the ,via    
,media is crowded with young            
enthusiasts1 who never presume to argue1
 except against the propriety of arguing
 at all4 ,another3 ,were ,i to give you 
a full list of the works1 which they    
have produced within the short space of 
five years1 ,i should surprise you4 ,you
 would see what a task it would be to   
make yourself complete master of their  
system1 even in its present probably    
immature state4 ,the writers have       

adopted the motto1 ',in quietness and   
confidence shall be your strength4'     
,with regard to confidence1 they have   
justified their adopting it2 but as to  
quietness1 it is not very quiet to pour 
forth such a succession of controversial
 publications4 ,another3 ,the spread of 
these doctrines is in fact now having   
the effect of rendering all other       
distinctions obsolete1 and of severing  
the religious community into two        
portions1 fundamentally and vehemently  
opposed one to the other4 ,soon there   
will be no middle ground left2 and every
 man1 and especially every clergyman1   
will be compelled to make his choice    
between the two4 ,another3 ,the time has
 gone by1 when those unfortunate and    
deeply regretted publications can be    
passed over without notice1 and the hope
 that their influence would fail is now 
dead4 ,another3 ,these doctrines had    
already made fearful progress4 ,one of  
the largest churches in ,brighton is    
crowded to hear them2 so is the church  

at ,leeds4 ,there are few towns of note1
 to which they have not extended4 ,they 
are preached in small towns in          
,scotland4 ,they obtain in ,elginshire1 
#fjj miles north of ,london4 ,i found   
them myself in the heart of the         
highlands of ,scotland4 ,they are       
advocated in the newspaper and          
periodical press4 ,they have even       
insinuated themselves into the ,house of
 ,commons4 ,and1 lastly1 a bishop in a  
charge3--,it is daily assuming a more   
serious and alarming aspect4 ,under the 
specious pretence of deference to       
,antiquity and respect for primitive    
models1 the foundations of the          
,protestant ,church are undermined by   
men1 who dwell within her walls1 and    
those who sit in the ,reformers' seat   
are traducing the ,reformation4  ,after 
thus stating the phenomenon of the time1
 as it presented itself to those who did
 not sympathise in it1 the ,article     
proceeds to account for it2 and this it 
does by considering it as a reaction    

from the dry and superficial character  
of the religious teaching and the       
literature of the last generation1 or   
century1 and as a result of the need    
which was felt both by the hearts and   
the intellects of the nation for a      
deeper philosophy1 and as the evidence  
and as the partial fulfilment of that   
need1 to which even the chief authors of
 the then generation had borne witness4 
,first1 ,i mentioned the literary       
influence of ,walter ,scott1 who turned 
men's minds to the direction of the     
middle ages4 ,the general need1 ,i said1
 of something deeper and more           
attractive1 than what had offered itself
 elsewhere1 may be considered to have   
led to his popularity2 and by means of  
his popularity he reacted on his        
readers1 stimulating their mental       
thirst1 feeding their hopes1 setting    
before them visions1 which1 when once   
seen1 are not easily forgotten1 and     
silently indoctrinating them with nobler
 ideas1 which might afterwards be       

appealed to as first principles4  ,then 
,i spoke of ,coleridge1 thus3 ,while    
history in prose and verse was thus made
 the instrument of ,church feelings and 
opinions1 a philosophical basis for the 
same was laid in ,england by a very     
original thinker1 who1 while he indulged
 a liberty of speculation1 which no     
,christian can tolerate1 and advocated  
conclusions which were often heathen    
rather than ,christian1 yet after all   
instilled a higher philosophy into      
inquiring minds1 than they had hitherto 
been accustomed to accept4 ,in this way 
he made trial of his age1 and succeeded 
in interesting its genius in the cause  
of ,catholic truth4  ,then come ,southey
 and ,wordsworth1 two living poets1 one 
of whom in the department of fantastic  
fiction1 the other in that of           
philosophical meditation1 have addressed
 themselves to the same high principles 
and feelings1 and carried forward their 
readers in the same direction4  ,then   
comes the prediction of this reaction   

hazarded by a sagacious observer        
withdrawn from the world1 and surveying 
its movements from a distance1 ,mr4     
,alexander ,knox4 ,he had said twenty   
years before the date of my writing3 ,no
 ,church on earth has more intrinsic    
excellence than the ,english ,church1   
yet no ,church probably has less        
practical influence 444 ,the rich       
provision1 made by the grace and        
providence of ,god1 for habits of a     
noble kind1 is evidence that men shall  
arise1 fitted both by nature and        
ability1 to discover for themselves1 and
 to display to others1 whatever yet     
remains undiscovered1 whether in the    
words or works of ,god4 ,also ,i        
referred to a much venerated clergyman  
of the last generation1 who said shortly
 before his death1 ,depend on it1 the   
day will come1 when those great         
doctrines1 now buried1 will be brought  
out to the light of day1 and then the   
effect will be fearful4 ,i remarked upon
 this1 that they who now blame the      

impetuosity of the current1 should      
rather turn their animadversions upon   
those who have dammed up a majestic     
river1 till it had become a flood4      
,these being the circumstances under    
which the ,movement began and           
progressed1 it was absurd to refer it to
 the act of two or three individuals4   
,it was not so much a movement as a     
spirit afloat2 it was within us1 rising 
up in hearts where it was least         
suspected1 and working itself1 though   
not in secret1 yet so subtly and        
impalpably1 as hardly to admit of       
precaution or encounter on any ordinary 
human rules of opposition4 ,it is1 ,i   
continued1 an adversary in the air1 a   
something one and entire1 a whole       
wherever it is1 unapproachable and      
incapable of being grasped1 as being the
 result of causes far deeper than       
political or other visible agencies1 the
 spiritual awakening of spiritual wants4
  ,to make this clear1 ,i proceed to    
refer to the chief preachers of the     

revived doctrines at that moment1 and to
 draw attention to the variety of their 
respective antecedents4 ,dr4 ,hook and  
,mr4 ,churton represented the high      
,church dignitaries of the last century2
 ,mr4 ,perceval1 the tory aristocracy2  
,mr4 ,keble came from a country         
parsonage2 ,mr4 ,palmer from ,ireland2  
,dr4 ,pusey from the ,universities of   
,germany1 and the study of ,arabic      
,,mss42 ,mr4 ,dodsworth from the study  
of ,prophecy2 ,mr4 ,oakeley had gained  
his views1 as he himself expressed it1  
partly by study1 partly by reflection1  
partly by conversation with one or two  
friends1 inquirers like himself2 while  
,i speak of myself as being much        
indebted to the friendship of           
,archbishop ,whately4 ,and thus ,i am   
led on to ask1 ,what head of a sect is  
there8 ,what march of opinions can be   
traced from mind to mind among preachers
 such as these8 ,they are one and all in
 their degree the organs of one         
,sentiment1 which has risen up          

simultaneously in many places very      
mysteriously4  ,my train of thought next
 led me to speak of the disciples of the
 ,movement1 and ,i freely acknowledged  
and lamented that they needed to be kept
 in order4 ,it is very much to the      
purpose to draw attention to this point 
now1 when such extravagances as then    
occurred1 whatever they were1 are simply
 laid to my door1 or to the charge of   
the doctrines which ,i advocated4 ,a man
 cannot do more than freely confess what
 is wrong1 say that it need not be1 that
 it ought not to be1 and that he is very
 sorry that it should be4 ,now ,i said  
in the ,article1 which ,i am reviewing1 
that the great truths themselves1 which 
we were preaching1 must not be condemned
 on account of such abuse of them4      
,aberrations there must ever be1        
whatever the doctrine is1 while the     
human heart is sensitive1 capricious1   
and wayward4 ,a mixed multitude went out
 of ,egypt with the ,israelites4 ,there 
will ever be a number of persons1 ,i    

continued1 professing the opinions of a 
movement party1 who talk loudly and     
strangely1 do odd or fierce things1     
display themselves unnecessarily1 and   
disgust other people2 persons1 too young
 to be wise1 too generous to be         
cautious1 too warm to be sober1 or too  
intellectual to be humble4 ,such persons
 will be very apt to attach themselves  
to particular persons1 to use particular
 names1 to say things merely because    
others do1 and to act in a              
party-spirited way4  ,while ,i thus     
republish what ,i then said about such  
extravagances as occurred in these      
years1 at the same time ,i have a very  
strong conviction that they furnished   
quite as much the welcome excuse for    
those who were jealous or shy of us1 as 
the stumbling-blocks of those who were  
well inclined to our doctrines4 ,this   
too we felt at the time2 but it was our 
duty to see that our good should not be 
evil-spoken of2 and accordingly1 two or 
three of the writers of the ,tracts for 

the ,times had commenced a ,series of   
what they called ,plain ,sermons with   
the avowed purpose of discouraging and  
correcting whatever was uppish or       
extreme in our followers3 to this series
 ,i contributed a volume myself4  ,its  
conductors say in their ,preface3 ,if   
therefore as time goes on1 there shall  
be found persons1 who admiring the      
innate beauty and majesty of the fuller 
system of ,primitive ,christianity1 and 
seeing the transcendent strength of its 
principles1 shall become loud and       
voluble advocates in their behalf1      
speaking the more freely1 because they  
do not feel them deeply as founded in   
divine and eternal truth1 of such       
persons it is our duty to declare       
plainly1 that1 as we should contemplate 
their condition with serious misgiving1 
so would they be the last persons from  
whom we should seek support4  ,but if1  
on the other hand1 there shall be any1  
who1 in the silent humility of their    
lives1 and in their unaffected reverence

 for holy things1 show that they in     
truth accept these principles as real   
and substantial1 and by habitual purity 
of heart and serenity of temper1 give   
proof of their deep veneration for      
sacraments and sacramental ordinances1  
those persons1 whether our professed    
adherents or not1 best exemplify the    
kind of character which the writers of  
the ,tracts for the ,times have wished  
to form4  ,these clergymen had the best 
of claims to use these beautiful words1 
for they were themselves1 all of them1  
important writers in the ,tracts1 the   
two ,mr4 ,kebles1 and ,mr4 ,isaac       
,williams4 ,and this passage1 with which
 they ushered their ,series into the    
world1 ,i quoted in the ,article1 of    
which ,i am giving an account1 and ,i   
added1 ,what more can be required of the
 preachers of neglected truth1 than that
 they should admit that some1 who do not
 assent to their preaching1 are holier  
and better men than some who do8 ,they  
were not answerable for the intemperance

 of those who dishonoured a true        
doctrine1 provided they protested1 as   
they did1 against such intemperance4    
,they were not answerable for the dust  
and din which attends any great moral   
movement4 ,the truer doctrines are1 the 
more liable they are to be perverted4   
,the notice of these incidental faults  
of opinion or temper in adherents of the
 ,movement1 led on to a discussion of   
the secondary causes1 by means of which 
a system of doctrine may be embraced1   
modified1 or developed1 of the variety  
of schools which may all be in the ,one 
,church1 and of the succession of one   
phase of doctrine to another1 while it  
is ever one and the same4 ,thus ,i was  
brought on to the subject of ,antiquity1
 which was the basis of the doctrine of 
the ,via ,media1 and by which was not   
implied a servile imitation of the past1
 but such a reproduction of it as is    
really young1 while it is old4 ,we have 
good hope1 ,i say1 that a system will be
 rising up1 superior to the age1 yet    

harmonising with1 and carrying out its  
higher points1 which will attract to    
itself those who are willing to make a  
venture and to face difficulties1 for   
the sake of something higher in         
prospect4 ,on this1 as on other         
subjects1 the proverb will apply1       
',fortes fortuna adjuvat4'  ,lastly1 ,i 
proceeded to the question of that future
 of the ,anglican ,church1 which was to 
be a new birth of the ,ancient          
,religion4 ,and ,i did not venture to   
pronounce upon it4 ,about the future1 we
 have no prospect before our minds      
whatever1 good or bad4 ,ever since that 
great luminary1 ,augustine1 proved to be
 the last bishop of ,hippo1 ,christians 
have had a lesson against attempting to 
foretell1 how ,providence will prosper  
and or8 bring to an end1 what it begins4
 ,perhaps the lately-revived principles 
would prevail in the ,anglican ,church2 
perhaps they would be lost in some      
miserable schism1 or some more miserable
 compromise2 but there was nothing rash 

in venturing to predict that neither    
,puritanism nor ,liberalism had any     
permanent inheritance within her4 ,i    
suppose ,i meant to say that in the     
present age1 without the aid of         
apostolic principles1 the ,anglican     
,church would1 in the event1 cease to   
exist4  ,as to ,liberalism1 we think the
 formularies of the ,church will ever1  
with the aid of a good ,providence1 keep
 it from making any serious inroads upon
 the ,clergy4 ,besides1 it is too cold a
 principle to prevail with the          
multitude4 ,but as regarded what was    
called ,evangelical ,religion or        
,puritanism1 there was more to cause    
alarm4 ,i observed upon its             
organisation2 but on the other hand it  
had no intellectual basis2 no internal  
idea1 no principle of unity1 no         
theology4 ,its adherents1 ,i said1 are  
already separating from each other2 they
 will melt away like a snow-drift4 ,it  
has no straightforward view on any one  
point1 on which it professes to teach2  

and to hide its poverty1 it has dressed 
itself out in a maze of words4 ,we have 
no dread of it at all2 we only fear what
 it may lead to4 ,it does not stand on  
intrenched ground1 or make any pretence 
to a position2 it does but occupy the   
space between contending powers1        
,catholic ,truth and ,rationalism4 ,then
 indeed will be the stern encounter1    
when two real and living principles1    
simple1 entire1 and consistent1 one in  
the ,church1 the other out of it1 at    
length rush upon each other1 contending 
not for names and words1 or half-views1 
but for elementary notions and          
distinctive moral characters4  ,whether 
the ideas of the coming age upon        
religion were true or false1 they would 
be real4 ,in the present day1 ,i said1  
mistiness is the mother of wisdom4 ,a   
man who can set down half-a-dozen       
general propositions1 which escape from 
destroying one another only by being    
diluted into truisms1 who can hold the  
balance between opposites so skilfully  

as to do without fulcrum or beam1 who   
never enunciates a truth without        
guarding himself against being supposed 
to exclude the contradictory--who holds 
that ,scripture is the only authority1  
yet that the ,church is to be deferred  
to1 that faith only justifies1 yet that 
it does not justify without works1 that 
grace does not depend on the sacraments1
 yet is not given without them1 that    
bishops are a divine ordinance1 yet     
those who have them not are in the same 
religious condition as those who        
have--this is your safe man and the hope
 of the ,church2 this is what the       
,church is said to want1 not party men1 
but sensible1 temperate1 sober1         
well-judging persons1 to guide it       
through the channel of no-meaning1      
between the ,scylla and ,charybdis of   
,aye and ,no4  ,this state of things1   
however1 ,i said1 could not last1 if men
 were to read and think4 ,they will not 
keep standing in that very attitude     
which you call sound                    

,church-of-,englandism or orthodox      
,protestantism4 ,they cannot go on for  
ever standing on one leg1 or sitting    
without a chair1 or walking with their  
feet tied1 or grazing like ,tityrus's   
stags in the air4 ,they will take one   
view or another1 but it will be a       
consistent view4 ,it may be ,liberalism1
 or ,erastianism1 or ,popery1 or        
,catholicity2 but it will be real4  ,i  
concluded the article by saying1 that   
all who did not wish to be democratic1  
or pantheistic1 or popish1 must look out
 for some ,via ,media which will        
preserve us from what threatens1 though 
it cannot restore the dead4 ,the spirit 
of ,luther is dead2 but ,hildebrand and 
,loyola are alive4 ,is it sensible1     
sober1 judicious1 to be so very angry   
with those writers of the day1 who point
 to the fact1 that our divines of the   
seventeenth century have occupied a     
ground which is the true and            
intelligible mean between extremes8 ,is 
it wise to quarrel with this ground1    

because it is not exactly what we should
 choose1 had we the power of choice8 ,is
 it true moderation1 instead of trying  
to fortify a middle doctrine1 to fling  
stones at those who do8 444 ,would you  
rather have your sons and daughters     
members of the ,church of ,england or of
 the ,church of ,rome8  ,and thus ,i    
left the matter4 ,but1 while ,i was thus
 speaking of the future of the          
,movement1 ,i was in truth winding up my
 accounts with it1 little dreaming that 
it was so to be2--while ,i was still1 in
 some way or other1 feeling about for an
 available ,via ,media1 ,i was soon to  
receive a shock which was to cast out of
 my imagination all middle courses and  
compromises for ever4 ,as ,i have said1 
this article appeared in the ,april     
number of the ,british ,critic2 in the  
,july number1 ,i cannot tell why1 there 
is no article of mine2 before the number
 for ,october1 the event had happened to
 which ,i have alluded4  ,but before ,i 
proceed to describe what happened to me 

in the summer of #ahci1 ,i must detain  
the reader for a while1 in order to     
describe the issue of the controversy   
between ,rome and the ,anglican ,church1
 as ,i viewed it4 ,this will involve    
some dry discussion2 but it is as       
necessary for my narrative1 as plans of 
buildings and homesteads are often found
 to be in the proceedings of our law    
courts4   ,i have said already that1    
though the object of the ,movement was  
to withstand the liberalism of the day1 
,i found and felt this could not be done
 by mere negatives4 ,it was necessary   
for us to have a positive ,church theory
 erected on a definite basis4 ,this took
 me to the great ,anglican divines2 and 
then of course ,i found at once that it 
was impossible to form any such theory1 
without cutting across the teaching of  
the ,church of ,rome4 ,thus came in the 
,roman controversy4  ,when ,i first     
turned myself to it1 ,i had neither     
doubt on the subject1 nor suspicion that
 doubt would ever come upon me4 ,it was 

in this state of mind that ,i began to  
read up ,bellarmine on the one hand1 and
 numberless ,anglican writers on the    
other4 ,but ,i soon found1 as others had
 found before me1 that it was a tangled 
and manifold controversy1 difficult to  
master1 more difficult to put out of    
hand with neatness and precision4 ,it   
was easy to make points1 not easy to sum
 up and settle4 ,it was not easy to find
 a clear issue for the dispute1 and     
still less by a logical process to      
decide it in favour of ,anglicanism4    
,this difficulty1 however1 had no       
tendency whatever to harass or perplex  
me3 it was a matter1 not of convictions1
 but of proofs4  ,first ,i saw1 as all  
see who study the subject1 that a broad 
distinction had to be drawn between the 
actual state of belief and of usage in  
the countries which were in communion   
with the ,roman ,church1 and her formal 
dogmas2 the latter did not cover the    
former4 ,sensible pain1 for instance1 is
 not implied in the ,tridentine decree  

upon purgatory2 but it was the tradition
 of the ,latin ,church1 and ,i had seen 
the pictures of souls in flames in the  
streets of ,naples4 ,bishop ,lloyd had  
brought this distinction out strongly in
 an ,article in the ,british ,critic in 
#ahbe2 indeed1 it was one of the most   
common objections made to the ,church of
 ,rome1 that she dared not commit       
herself by formal decree1 to what       
nevertheless she sanctioned and allowed4
 ,accordingly1 in my ,prophetical       
,office1 ,i view as simply separate     
ideas1 ,rome quiescent1 and ,rome in    
action4 ,i contrasted her creed on the  
one hand1 with her ordinary teaching1   
her controversial tone1 her political   
and social bearing1 and her popular     
beliefs and practices on the other4     
,while ,i made this distinction between 
the decrees and the traditions of ,rome1
 ,i drew a parallel distinction between 
,anglicanism quiescent1 and ,anglicanism
 in action4 ,in its formal creed        
,anglicanism was not at a great distance

 from ,rome3 far otherwise1 when viewed 
in its insular spirit1 the traditions of
 its establishment1 its historical      
characteristics1 its controversial      
rancour1 and its private judgment4 ,i   
disavowed and condemned those excesses1 
and called them ,protestantism or       
,ultra-,protestantism3 ,i wished to find
 a parallel disclaimer1 on the part of  
,roman controversialists1 of that       
popular system of beliefs and usages in 
their own ,church1 which ,i called      
,popery4 ,when that hope was a dream1 ,i
 saw that the controversy lay between   
the book-theology of ,anglicanism on the
 one side1 and the living system of what
 ,i called ,roman corruption on the     
other4 ,i could not get further than    
this2 with this result ,i was forced to 
content myself4  ,these then were the   
parties in the controversy3--the        
,anglican ,via ,media and the popular   
religion of ,rome4 ,and next1 as to the 
issue1 to which the controversy between 
them was to be brought1 it was          

this3--the ,anglican disputant took his 
stand upon ,antiquity or apostolicity1  
the ,roman upon ,catholicity4 ,the      
,anglican said to the ,roman3 ,there is 
but ,one ,faith1 the ,ancient1 and you  
have not kept to it2 the ,roman         
retorted3 ,there is but ,one ,church1   
the ,catholic1 and you are out of it4   
,the ,anglican urged3 ,your special     
beliefs1 practices1 modes of action1 are
 nowhere in ,antiquity2 the ,roman      
objected3 ,you do not communicate with  
any one ,church besides your own and its
 offshoots1 and you have discarded      
principles1 doctrines1 sacraments1 and  
usages1 which are and ever have been    
received in the ,east and the ,west4    
,the true ,church1 as defined in the    
,creeds1 was both ,catholic and         
,apostolic2 now1 as ,i viewed the       
controversy in which ,i was engaged1    
,england and ,rome had divided these    
notes or prerogatives between them3 the 
cause lay thus1 ,apostolicity versus    
,catholicity4  ,however1 in thus stating

 the matter1 of course ,i do not wish it
 supposed1 that ,i considered the note  
of ,catholicity really to belong to     
,rome1 to the disparagement of the      
,anglican ,church2 but that the special 
point or plea of ,rome in the           
controversy was ,catholicity1 as the    
,anglican plea was ,antiquity4 ,of      
course ,i contended that the ,roman idea
 of ,catholicity was not ancient and    
apostolic4 ,it was in my judgment at the
 utmost only natural1 becoming1         
expedient1 that the whole of            
,christendom should be united in one    
visible body2 while such a unity might  
be1 on the other hand1 a mere heartless 
and political combination4 ,for myself1 
,i held with the ,anglican divines1     
that1 in the ,primitive ,church1 there  
was a very real mutual independence     
between its separate parts1 though1 from
 a dictate of charity1 there was in fact
 a close union between them4 ,i         
considered that each see and diocese    
might be compared to a crystal1 and that

 each was similar to the rest1 and that 
the sum total of them all was only a    
collection of crystals4 ,the unity of   
the ,church lay1 not in its being a     
polity1 but in its being a family1 a    
race1 coming down by apostolical descent
 from its first founders and bishops4   
,and ,i considered this truth brought   
out1 beyond the possibility of dispute1 
in the ,epistles of ,st4 ,ignatius1 in  
which the bishop is represented as the  
one supreme authority in the ,church1   
that is1 in his own place1 with no one  
above him1 except as1 for the sake of   
ecclesiastical order and expedience1    
arrangements had been made by which one 
was put over or under another4 ,so much 
for our own claim to ,catholicity1 which
 was so perversely appropriated by our  
opponents to themselves3--on the other  
hand1 as to our special strong point1   
,antiquity1 while of course1 by means of
 it1 we were able to condemn most       
emphatically the novel claim of ,rome to
 domineer over other ,churches1 which   

were in truth her equals1 further than  
that1 we thereby especially convicted   
her of the intolerable offence of having
 added to the ,faith4 ,this was the     
critical head of accusation urged       
against her by the ,anglican disputant1 
and1 as he referred to ,st4 ,ignatius in
 proof that he himself was a true       
,catholic1 in spite of being separated  
from ,rome1 so he triumphantly referred 
to the ,treatise of ,vincentius of      
,lerins upon the ,quod semper1 quod     
ubique1 quod ab omnibus1 in proof that  
the controversialists of ,rome were     
separated in their creed from the       
apostolical and primitive faith4  ,of   
course those controversialists had their
 own answer to him1 with which ,i am not
 concerned in this place2 here ,i am    
only concerned with the issue itself1   
between the one party and the           
other--,antiquity versus ,catholicity4  
,now ,i will proceed to illustrate what 
,i have been saying of the status of the
 controversy1 as it presented itself to 

my mind1 by extracts from my writings of
 the dates of #ahcf1 #ahdj1 and #ahda4  
,and ,i introduce them with a remark1   
which especially applies to the paper1  
from which ,i shall quote first1 of the 
date of #ahcf4 ,that paper appeared in  
the ,march and ,april numbers of the    
,british ,magazine of that year1 and was
 entitled ,home ,thoughts ,abroad4 ,now 
it will be found1 that1 in the          
discussion which it contains1 as in     
various other writings of mine1 when ,i 
was in the ,anglican ,church1 the       
argument in behalf of ,rome is stated   
with considerable perspicuity and force4
 ,and at the time my friends and        
supporters cried out ,how imprudent6 and
 both at the time1 and especially at a  
later date1 my enemies have cried out1  
,how insidious6 ,friends and foes       
virtually agreed in their criticism2 ,i 
had set out the cause which ,i was      
combating to the best advantage3 this   
was an offence2 it might be from        
imprudence1 it might be with a          

traitorous design4 ,it was from neither 
the one nor the other2 but for the      
following reasons4 ,first1 ,i had a     
great impatience1 whatever was the      
subject1 of not bringing out the whole  
of it1 as clearly as ,i could2 next ,i  
wished to be as fair to my adversaries  
as possible2 and thirdly ,i thought that
 there was a great deal of shallowness  
among our own friends1 and that they    
undervalued the strength of the argument
 in behalf of ,rome1 and that they ought
 to be roused to a more exact           
apprehension of the position of the     
controversy4 ,at a later date 7#ahda71  
when ,i really felt the force of the    
,roman side of the question myself1 as a
 difficulty which had to be met1 ,i had 
a fourth reason for such frankness in   
argument1 and that was1 because a number
 of persons were unsettled far more than
 ,i was1 as to the ,catholicity of the  
,anglican ,church4 ,it was quite plain1 
that1 unless ,i was perfectly candid in 
stating what could be said against it1  

there was no chance that any            
representations1 which ,i felt to be in 
its favour1 or at least to be adverse to
 ,rome1 would have had their real weight
 duly acknowledged4 ,at all times ,i had
 a deep conviction1 to put the matter on
 the lowest ground1 that honesty was the
 best policy4 ,accordingly1 in #ahda1 ,i
 expressed myself thus on the ,anglican 
difficulty3 ,this is an objection which 
we must honestly say is deeply felt by  
many people1 and not inconsiderable     
ones2 and the more it is openly avowed  
to be a difficulty1 the better2 for     
there is then the chance of its being   
acknowledged1 and in the course of time 
obviated1 as far as may be1 by those who
 have the power4 ,flagrant evils cure   
themselves by being flagrant2 and we are
 sanguine that the time is come when so 
great an evil as this is1 cannot stand  
its ground against the good feeling and 
common sense of religious persons4 ,it  
is the very strength of ,romanism       
against us2 and1 unless the proper      

persons take it into their serious      
consideration1 they may look for certain
 to undergo the loss1 as time goes on1  
of some whom they would least like to be
 lost to our ,church4 ,the measure which
 ,i had especially in view in this      
passage1 was the project of a ,jerusalem
 ,bishopric1 which the then ,archbishop 
of ,canterbury was at that time         
concocting with ,m4 ,bunsen1 and of     
which ,i shall speak more in the sequel4
 ,and now to return to the ,home        
,thoughts ,abroad of the spring of      
#ahcf3--  ,the discussion contained in  
this composition runs in the form of a  
dialogue4 ,one of the disputants says3  
,you say to me that the ,church of ,rome
 is corrupt4 ,what then8 to cut off a   
limb is a strange way of saving it from 
the influence of some constitutional    
ailment4 ,indigestion may cause cramp in
 the extremities2 yet we spare our poor 
feet notwithstanding4 ,surely there is  
such a religious fact as the existence  
of a great ,catholic body1 union with   

which is a ,christian privilege and     
duty4 ,now1 we ,english are separate    
from it4  ,the other answers3 ,the      
present is an unsatisfactory1 miserable 
state of things1 yet ,i can grant no    
more4 ,the ,church is founded on a      
doctrine1--on the gospel of ,truth2 it  
is a means to an end4 ,perish the       
,church 7though1 blessed be the promise6
 this cannot be71 yet let it perish     
rather than the ,truth should fail4     
,purity of faith is more precious to the
 ,christian than unity itself4 ,if ,rome
 has erred grievously in doctrine1 then 
it is a duty to separate even from      
,rome4  ,his friend1 who takes the      
,roman side of the argument1 refers to  
the image of the ,vine and its branches1
 which is found1 ,i think1 in ,st4      
,cyprian1 as if a branch cut from the   
,catholic ,vine must necessarily die4   
,also he quotes a passage from ,st4     
,augustine in controversy with the      
,donatists to the same effect2 viz4     
that1 as being separated from the body  

of the ,church1 they were ipso facto cut
 off from the heritage of ,christ4 ,and 
he quotes ,st4 ,cyril's argument drawn  
from the very title ,catholic1 which no 
body or communion of men has ever dared 
or been able to appropriate1 besides    
one4 ,he adds1 ,now1 ,i am only         
contending for the fact1 that the       
communion of ,rome constitutes the main 
body of the ,church ,catholic1 and that 
we are split off from it1 and in the    
condition of the ,donatists4  ,the other
 replies1 by denying the fact that the  
present ,roman communion is like ,st4   
,augustine's ,catholic ,church1 inasmuch
 as there are to be taken into account  
the large ,anglican and ,greek          
communions4 ,presently he takes the     
offensive1 naming distinctly the points1
 in which ,rome has departed from       
,primitive ,christianity1 viz4 the      
practical idolatry1 the virtual worship 
of the ,virgin and ,saints1 which are   
the offence of the ,latin ,church1 and  
the degradation of moral truth and duty1

 which follows from these4 ,and again3  
,we cannot join a ,church1 did we wish  
it ever so much1 which does not         
acknowledge our orders1 refuses us the  
,cup1 demands our acquiescence in       
image-worship1 and excommunicates us1 if
 we do not receive it and all the       
decisions of the ,tridentine ,council4  
,his opponent answers these objections  
by referring to the doctrine of         
developments of gospel truth4 ,besides1 
,the ,anglican system itself is not     
found complete in those early centuries2
 so that the ,anglican principle of     
,antiquity is self-destructive4 ,when a 
man takes up this ,via ,media1 he is a  
mere doctrinaire2 he is like those1 who1
 in some matter of business1 start up to
 suggest their own little crotchet1 and 
are ever measuring mountains with a     
pocket ruler1 or improving the planetary
 courses4 ,the ,via ,media has slept in 
libraries2 it is a substitute of infancy
 for manhood4  ,it is plain1 then1 that 
at the end of #ahce or beginning of     

#ahcf1 ,i had the whole state of the    
question before me1 on which1 to my     
mind1 the decision between the ,churches
 depended4 ,it is observable that the   
question of the position of the ,pope1  
whether as the centre of unity1 or as   
the source of jurisdiction1 did not come
 into my thoughts at all2 nor did it1 ,i
 think ,i may say1 to the end4 ,i doubt 
whether ,i ever distinctly held any of  
his powers to be de jure divino1 while  
,i was in the ,anglican ,church2--not   
that ,i saw any difficulty in the       
doctrine2 not that1 together with the   
story of ,st4 ,leo1 of which ,i shall   
speak by and by1 the idea of his        
infallibility did not cross my mind1 for
 it did--but after all1 in my view the  
controversy did not turn upon it2 it    
turned upon the ,faith and the ,church4 
,this was my issue of the controversy   
from the beginning to the end4 ,there   
was a contrariety of claims between the 
,roman and ,anglican religions1 and the 
history of my conversion is simply the  

process of working it out to a solution4
 ,in #ahch ,i illustrated it by the     
contrast presented to us between the    
,madonna and ,child1 and a ,calvary4 ,i 
said that the peculiarity of the        
,anglican theology was this--that it    
supposed the ,truth to be entirely      
objective and detached1 not 7as the     
,roman7 lying hid in the bosom of the   
,church as if one with her1 clinging to 
and 7as it were7 lost her embrace1 but  
as being sole and unapproachable1 as on 
the ,cross or at the ,resurrection1 with
 the ,church close by1 but in the       
background4  ,as ,i viewed the          
controversy in #ahcf and #ahch1 so ,i   
viewed it in #ahdj and #ahda4 ,in the   
,british ,critic of ,january #ahdj1     
after gradually investigating how the   
matter lies between the ,churches by    
means of a dialogue1 ,i end thus3 ,it   
would seem1 that1 in the above          
discussion1 each disputant has a strong 
point3 our strong point is the argument 
from ,primitiveness1 that of ,romanists 

from ,universality4 ,it is a fact1      
however it is to be accounted for1 that 
,rome has added to the ,creed2 and it is
 a fact1 however we justify ourselves1  
that we are estranged from the great    
body of ,christians over the world4 ,and
 each of these two facts is at first    
sight a grave difficulty in the         
respective systems to which they belong4
 ,again1 ,while ,rome1 though not       
deferring to the ,fathers1 recognises   
them1 and ,england1 not deferring to the
 large body of the ,church1 recognises  
it1 both ,rome and ,england have a point
 to clear up4  ,and still more strongly 
in ,july1 #ahda3  ,if the ,note of      
schism1 on the one hand1 lies against   
,england1 an antagonist disgrace lies   
upon ,rome1 the ,note of idolatry4 ,let 
us not be mistaken here2 we are neither 
accusing ,rome of idolatry1 nor         
ourselves of schism2 we think neither   
charge tenable2 but still the ,roman    
,church practises what is so like       
idolatry1 and the ,english ,church makes

 much of what is so very like schism1   
that without deciding what is the duty  
of a ,roman ,catholic towards the       
,church of ,england in her present      
state1 we do seriously think that       
members of the ,english ,church have a  
providential direction given them1 how  
to comport themselves towards the       
,church of ,rome1 while she is what she 
is4  ,one remark more about ,antiquity  
and the ,via ,media4 ,as time went on1  
without doubting the strength of the    
,anglican argument from ,antiquity1 ,i  
felt also that it was not merely our    
special plea1 but our only one4 ,also ,i
 felt that the ,via ,media1 which was to
 represent it1 was to be a sort of      
remodelled and adapted ,antiquity4 ,this
 ,i observe both in ,home ,thoughts     
,abroad1 and in the ,article of the     
,british ,critic which ,i have analysed 
above4 ,but this circumstance1 that     
after all we must use private judgment  
upon ,antiquity1 created a sort of      
distrust of my theory altogether1 which 

in the conclusion of my volume on the   
,prophetical ,office ,i express thus3   
,now that our discussions draw to a     
close1 the thought1 with which we       
entered on the subject1 is apt to recur1
 when the excitement of the inquiry has 
subsided1 and weariness has succeeded1  
that what has been said is but a dream1 
the wanton exercise1 rather than the    
practical conclusions of the intellect4 
,and ,i conclude the paragraph by       
anticipating a line of thought into     
which ,i was1 in the event1 almost      
obliged to take refuge3 ,after all1 ,i  
say1 the ,church is ever invisible in   
its day1 and faith only apprehends it4  
,what was this1 but to give up the      
,notes of a visible ,church altogether1 
whether the ,catholic ,note or the      
,apostolic8   ,the ,long ,vacation of   
#ahci began early4 ,there had been a    
great many visitors to ,oxford from     
,easter to ,commemoration2 and ,dr4     
,pusey and myself had attracted         
attention1 more1 ,i think1 than any     

former year4 ,i had put away from me the
 controversy with ,rome for more than   
two years4 ,in my ,parochial ,sermons   
the subject had never been introduced3  
there had been nothing for two years1   
either in my ,tracts or in the ,british 
,critic1 of a polemical character4 ,i   
was returning1 for the vacation1 to the 
course of reading which ,i had many     
years before chosen as especially my    
own4 ,i have no reason to suppose that  
the thoughts of ,rome came across my    
mind at all4 ,about the middle of ,june 
,i began to study and master the history
 of the ,monophysites4 ,i was absorbed  
in the doctrinal question4 ,this was    
from about ,june #acth to ,august #cjth4
 ,it was during this course of reading  
that for the first time a doubt came    
upon me of the tenableness of           
,anglicanism4 ,i recollect on the #cjth 
of ,july mentioning to a friend1 whom ,i
 had accidentally met1 how remarkable   
the history was2 but by the end of      
,august ,i was seriously alarmed4  ,i   

have described in a former work1 how the
 history affected me4 ,my stronghold was
 ,antiquity2 now here1 in the middle of 
the fifth century1 ,i found1 as it      
seemed to me1 ,christendom of the       
sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries  
reflected4 ,i saw my face in that       
mirror1 and ,i was a ,monophysite4 ,the 
,church of the ,via ,media was in the   
position of the ,oriental communion1    
,rome was1 where she now is2 and the    
,protestants were the ,eutychians4 ,of  
all passages of history1 since history  
has been1 who would have thought of     
going to the sayings and doings of old  
,eutyches1 that delirus senex1 as 7,i   
think7 ,petavius calls him1 and to the  
enormities of the unprincipled          
,dioscorus1 in order to be converted to 
,rome6  ,now let it be simply understood
 that ,i am not writing controversially1
 but with the one object of relating    
things as they happened to me in the    
course of my conversion4 ,with this view
 ,i will quote a passage from the       

account1 which ,i gave in #ahej1 of my  
reasonings and feelings in #ahci3  ,it  
was difficult to make out how the       
,eutychians or ,monophysites were       
heretics1 unless ,protestants and       
,anglicans were heretics also2 difficult
 to find arguments against the          
,tridentine ,fathers1 which did not tell
 against the ,fathers of ,chalcedon2    
difficult to condemn the ,popes of the  
sixteenth century1 without condemning   
the ,popes of the fifth4 ,the drama of  
religion1 and the combat of truth and   
error1 were ever one and the same4 ,the 
principles and proceedings of the       
,church now1 were those of the ,church  
then2 the principles and proceedings of 
heretics then1 were those of            
,protestants now4 ,i found it           
so1--almost fearfully2 there was an     
awful similitude1 more awful1 because so
 silent and unimpassioned1 between the  
dead records of the past and the        
feverish chronicle of the present4 ,the 
shadow of the fifth century was on the  

sixteenth4 ,it was like a spirit rising 
from the troubled waters of the old     
world1 with the shape and lineaments of 
the new4 ,the ,church then1 as now1     
might be called peremptory and stern1   
resolute1 overbearing1 and relentless2  
and heretics were shifting1 changeable1 
reserved1 and deceitful1 ever courting  
civil power1 and never agreeing         
together1 except by its aid2 and the    
civil power was ever aiming at          
comprehensions1 trying to put the       
invisible out of view1 and substituting 
expediency for faith4 ,what was the use 
of continuing the controversy1 or       
defending my position1 if1 after all1 ,i
 was forging arguments for ,arius or    
,eutyches1 and turning devil's advocate 
against the much-enduring ,athanasius   
and the majestic ,leo8 ,be my soul with 
the ,saints6 and shall ,i lift up my    
hand against them8 ,sooner may my right 
hand forget her cunning1 and wither     
outright1 as his who once stretched it  
out against a prophet of ,god6 anathema 

to a whole tribe of ,cranmers1 ,ridleys1
 ,latimers1 and ,jewels6 perish the     
names of ,bramhall1 ,ussher1 ,taylor1   
,stillingfleet1 and ,barrow from the    
face of the earth1 ere ,i should do     
aught but fall at their feet in love and
 in worship1 whose image was continually
 before my eyes1 and whose musical words
 were ever in my ears and on my tongue6 
,hardly had ,i brought my course of     
reading to a close1 when the ,dublin    
,review of that same ,august was put    
into my hands1 by friends who were more 
favourable to the cause of ,rome than ,i
 was myself4 ,there was an ,article in  
it on the ,anglican ,claim by ,bishop   
,wiseman4 ,this was about the middle of 
,september4 ,it was on the ,donatists1  
with an application to ,anglicanism4 ,i 
read it1 and did not see much in it4    
,the ,donatist controversy was known to 
me for some years1 as ,i have instanced 
above4 ,the case was not parallel to    
that of the ,anglican ,church4 ,st4     
,augustine in ,africa wrote against the 

,donatists in ,africa4 ,they were a     
furious party who made a schism within  
the ,african ,church1 and not beyond its
 limits4 ,it was a case of altar against
 altar1 of two occupants of the same    
see1 as that between the non-jurors in  
,england and the ,established ,church2  
not the case of one ,church against     
another1 as ,rome against the ,oriental 
,monophysites4 ,but my friend1 an       
anxiously religious man1 now1 as then1  
very dear to me1 a ,protestant still1   
pointed out the palmary words of ,st4   
,augustine1 which were contained in one 
of the extracts made in the ,review1 and
 which had escaped my observation4      
,securus judicat orbis terrarum4 ,he    
repeated these words again and again1   
and1 when he was gone1 they kept ringing
 in my ears4 ,securus judicat orbis     
terrarum2 they were words which went    
beyond the occasion of the ,donatists3  
they applied to that of the             
,monophysites4 ,they gave a cogency to  
the ,article1 which had escaped me at   

first4 ,they decided ecclesiastical     
questions on a simpler rule than that of
 ,antiquity2 nay1 ,st4 ,augustine was   
one of the prime oracles of ,antiquity2 
here then ,antiquity was deciding       
against itself4 ,what a light was hereby
 thrown upon every controversy in the   
,church6 not that1 for the moment1 the  
multitude may not falter in their       
judgment1--not that1 in the ,arian      
hurricane1 ,sees more than can be       
numbered did not bend before its fury1  
and fall off from ,st4 ,athanasius1--not
 that the crowd of ,oriental ,bishops   
did not need to be sustained during the 
contest by the voice and the eye of ,st4
 ,leo2 but that the deliberate judgment1
 in which the whole ,church at length   
rests and acquiesces1 is an infallible  
prescription and a final sentence       
against such portions of it as protest  
and secede4 ,who can account for the    
impressions which are made on him8 ,for 
a mere sentence1 the words of ,st4      
,augustine1 struck me with a power which

 ,i never had felt from any words       
before4 ,to take a familiar instance1   
they were like the ,turn again          
,whittington of the chime2 or1 to take a
 more serious one1 they were like the   
,tolle1 lege1--,tolle1 lege1 of the     
child1 which converted ,st4 ,augustine  
himself4 ,securus judicat orbis         
terrarum6 ,by those great words of the  
ancient ,father1 the theory of the ,via 
,media was absolutely pulverised4  ,i   
became excited at the view thus opened  
upon me4 ,i was just starting on a round
 of visits2 and ,i mentioned my state of
 mind to two most intimate friends3 ,i  
think to no others4 ,after a while1 ,i  
got calm1 and at length the vivid       
impression upon my imagination faded    
away4 ,what ,i thought about it on      
reflection1 ,i will attempt to describe 
presently4 ,i had to determine its      
logical value1 and its bearing upon my  
duty4 ,meanwhile1 so far as this was    
certain1--,i had seen the shadow of a   
hand upon the wall4 ,it was clear that  

,i had a good deal to learn on the      
question of the ,churches1 and that     
perhaps some new light was coming upon  
me4 ,he who has seen a ghost1 cannot be 
as if he had never seen it4 ,the heavens
 had opened and closed again4 ,the      
thought for the moment had been1 ,the   
,church of ,rome will be found right    
after all2 and then it had vanished4 ,my
 old convictions remained as before4    
,at this time1 ,i wrote my ,sermon on   
,divine ,calls1 which ,i published in my
 volume of ,plain ,sermons4 ,it ends    
thus3--  ,o that we could take that     
simple view of things1 as to feel that  
the one thing which lies before us is to
 please ,god6 ,what gain is it to please
 the world1 to please the great1 nay    
even to please those whom we love1      
compared with this8 ,what gain is it to 
be applauded1 admired1 courted1         
followed1--compared with this one aim1  
of 'not being disobedient to a heavenly 
vision'8 ,what can this world offer     
comparable with that insight into       

spiritual things1 that keen faith1 that 
heavenly peace1 that high sanctity1 that
 everlasting righteousness1 that hope of
 glory1 which they have1 who in         
sincerity love and follow our ,lord     
,jesus ,christ8 ,let us beg and pray    
,him day by day to reveal ,himself to   
our souls more fully1 to quicken our    
senses1 to give us sight and hearing1   
taste and touch of the world to come2 so
 to work within us1 that we may         
sincerely say1 ',thou shalt guide me    
with ,thy counsel1 and after that       
receive me with glory4 ,whom have ,i in 
heaven but ,thee8 and there is none upon
 earth that ,i desire in comparison of  
,thee4 ,my flesh and my heart faileth1  
but ,god is the strength of my heart1   
and my portion for ever4'   ,now to     
trace the succession of thoughts1 and   
the conclusions1 and the consequent     
innovations on my previous belief1 and  
the general conduct1 to which ,i was    
led1 upon this sudden visitation4 ,and  
first1 ,i will say1 whatever comes of   

saying it1 for ,i leave inferences to   
others1 that for years ,i must have had 
something of an habitual notion1 though 
it was latent1 and had never led me to  
distrust my own convictions1 that my    
mind had not found its ultimate rest1   
and that in some sense or other ,i was  
on journey4 ,during the same passage    
across the ,mediterranean in which ,i   
wrote ,lead kindly light1 ,i also wrote 
the verses1 which are found in the ,lyra
 under the head of ,providences1        
beginning1 ,when ,i look back4 ,this was
 in #ahcc2 and1 since ,i have begun this
 narrative1 ,i have found a memorandum  
under the date of ,september #g1 #ahbi1 
in which ,i speak of myself1 as now in  
my rooms in ,oriel ,college1 slowly     
advancing etc4 and led on by ,god's hand
 blindly1 not knowing whither ,he is    
taking me4 ,but1 whatever this          
presentiment be worth1 it was no        
protection against the dismay and       
disgust1 which ,i felt1 in consequence  
of the dreadful misgiving1 of which ,i  

have been relating the history4 ,the one
 question was1 what was ,i to do8 ,i had
 to make up my mind for myself1 and     
others could not help me4 ,i determined 
to be guided1 not by my imagination1 but
 by my reason4 ,and this ,i said over   
and over again in the years which       
followed1 both in conversation and in   
private letters4 ,had it not been for   
this severe resolve1 ,i should have been
 a ,catholic sooner than ,i was4        
,moreover1 ,i felt on consideration a   
positive doubt1 on the other hand1      
whether the suggestion did not come from
 below4 ,then ,i said to myself1 ,time  
alone can solve that question4 ,it was  
my business to go on as usual1 to obey  
those convictions to which ,i had so    
long surrendered myself1 which still had
 possession of me1 and on which my new  
thoughts had no direct bearing4 ,that   
new conception of things should only so 
far influence me1 as it had a logical   
claim to do so4 ,if it came from above1 
it would come again2--so ,i             

trusted1--and with more definite        
outlines4 ,i thought of ,samuel1 before 
he knew the word of the ,lord2 and      
therefore ,i went1 and lay down to sleep
 again4 ,this was my broad view of the  
matter1 and my prima facie conclusion4  
,however1 my new historical fact had to 
a certain point a logical force4 ,down  
had come the ,via ,media as a definite  
theory or scheme1 under the blows of    
,st4 ,leo4 ,my ,prophetical ,office had 
come to pieces2 not indeed as an        
argument against ,roman errors1 nor as  
against ,protestantism1 but as in behalf
 of ,england4 ,i had no more a          
distinctive plea for ,anglicanism1      
unless ,i would be a ,monophysite4 ,i   
had1 most painfully1 to fall back upon  
my three original points of belief1     
which ,i have spoken so much of in a    
former passage1--the principle of dogma1
 the sacramental system1 and            
anti-,romanism4 ,of these three1 the    
first two were better secured in ,rome  
than in the ,anglican ,church4 ,the     

,apostolical ,succession1 the two       
prominent sacraments1 and the primitive 
,creeds1 belonged1 indeed1 to the       
latter1 but there had been and was far  
less strictness on matters of dogma and 
ritual in the ,anglican system than in  
the ,roman3 in consequence1 my main     
argument for the ,anglican claims lay in
 the positive and special charges1 which
 ,i could bring against ,rome4 ,i had no
 positive ,anglican theory4 ,i was very 
nearly a pure ,protestant4 ,lutherans   
had a sort of theology1 so had          
,calvinists2 ,i had none4  ,however1    
this pure ,protestantism1 to which ,i   
was gradually left1 was really a        
practical principle4 ,it was a strong1  
though it was only a negative ground1   
and it still had great hold on me4 ,as a
 boy of fifteen1 ,i had so fully imbibed
 it1 that ,i had actually erased in my  
,gradus ad ,parnassum1 such titles1     
under the word ,papa1 as ,christi       
,vicarius1 sacer interpres1 and sceptra 
gerens1 and substituted epithets so vile

 that ,i cannot bring myself to write   
them down here4 ,the effect of this     
early persuasion remained as1 what ,i   
have already called it1 a stain upon my 
imagination4 ,as regards my reason1 ,i  
began in #ahcc to form theories on the  
subject1 which tended to obliterate it4 
,in the first part of ,home ,thoughts   
,abroad1 written in that year1 after    
speaking of ,rome as undeniably the most
 exalted ,church in the whole world1 and
 manifesting1 in all the truth and      
beauty of the ,spirit1 that side of high
 mental excellence1 which ,pagan ,rome  
attempted but could not                 
realise1--high-mindedness1 majesty1 and 
the calm consciousness of power1--,i    
proceed to say1 ,alas6 444the old spirit
 has revived1 and the monster of        
,daniel's vision1 untamed by its former 
judgments1 has seized upon ,christianity
 as the new instrument of its impieties1
 and awaits a second and final woe from 
,god's hand4 ,surely the doctrine of the
 ,genius ,loci is not without           

foundation1 and explains to us how the  
blessing or the curse attaches to cities
 and countries1 not to generations4     
,michael is represented in the book of  
,daniel as opposed to the ,prince of the
 kingdom of ,persia4 ,old ,rome is still
 alive4 ,the ,sorceress upon the ,seven 
,hills1 in the book of ,revelation1 is  
not the ,church of ,rome1 but ,rome     
itself1 the bad spirit1 which1 in its   
former shape1 was the animating spirit  
of the ,fourth ,monarchy4 ,then ,i refer
 to ,st4 ,malachi's ,prophecy which     
makes a like distinction between the    
,city and the ,church of ,rome4 ',in the
 last persecution1' it says1 'of the    
,holy ,roman ,church1 ,peter of ,rome   
shall be on the throne1 who shall feed  
his flock in many tribulations4 ,when   
these are past1 the ,city upon the      
,seven ,hills shall be destroyed1 and   
the awful ,judge shall judge the        
people4' ,then ,i append my moral4 ,i   
deny that the distinction is unmeaning2 
,is it nothing to be able to look on our

 ,mother1 to whom we owe the blessing of
 ,christianity1 with affection instead  
of hatred8 with pity indeed1 aye1 and   
fear1 but not with horror8 ,is it       
nothing to rescue her from the hard     
names1 which interpreters of prophecy   
have put upon her1 as an idolatress and 
an enemy of ,god1 when she is deceived  
rather than a deceiver8 ,nothing to be  
able to account her priests as ordained 
of ,god1 and anointed for their         
spiritual functions by the ,holy        
,spirit1 instead of considering her     
communion the bond of ,satan8 ,this was 
my first advance in rescuing1 on an     
intelligible1 intellectual basis1 the   
,roman ,church from the designation of  
,antichrist2 it was not the ,church1 but
 the old dethroned ,pagan monster1 still
 living in the ruined city1 that was    
,antichrist4  ,in a ,tract in #ahch1 ,i 
profess to give the opinions of the     
,fathers on the subject1 and the        
conclusions to which ,i come1 are still 
less violent against the ,roman ,church1

 though on the same basis as before4 ,i 
say that the local ,christian ,church of
 ,rome has been the means of shielding  
the pagan city from the fulness of those
 judgments1 which are due to it2 and    
that1 in consequence of this1 though    
,babylon has been utterly swept from the
 earth1 ,rome remains to this day4 ,the 
reason seemed to be simply this1 that1  
when the barbarians came down1 ,god had 
a people in that city4 ,babylon was a   
mere prison of the ,church2 ,rome had   
received her as a guest4 ,that vengeance
 has never fallen3 it is still          
suspended2 nor can reason be given why  
,rome has not fallen under the rule of  
,god's general dealings with ,his       
rebellious creatures1 except that a     
,christian ,church is still in that     
city1 sanctifying it1 interceding for   
it1 saving it4 ,i add in a note1 ,no    
opinion1 one way or the other1 is here  
expressed as to the question1 how far1  
as the local ,church has saved ,rome1 so
 ,rome has corrupted the local ,church2 

or whether the local ,church in         
consequence1 or again whether other     
,churches elsewhere1 may or may not be  
types of ,antichrist4 ,i quote all this 
in order to show how ,bishop ,newton was
 still upon my mind even in #ahch2 and  
how ,i was feeling after some other     
interpretation of prophecy instead of   
his1 and not without a good deal of     
hesitation4  ,however1 ,i have found    
notes written in ,march1 #ahci1 which   
anticipate my article in the ,british   
,critic of ,october1 #ahdj1 in which ,i 
contended that the ,churches of ,rome   
and ,england were both one1 and also the
 one true ,church1 for the very reason  
that they had both been stigmatised by  
the name of ,antichrist1 proving my     
point from the text1 ,if they have      
called the ,master of the ,house        
,beelzebub1 how much more them of ,his  
household1 and quoting largely from     
,puritans and ,independents to show     
that1 in their mouths1 the ,anglican    
,church is ,antichrist and              

,anti-christian as well as the ,roman4  
,i urged in that article that the       
calumny of being ,antichrist is almost  
one of the notes of the true ,church2   
and that there is no medium between a   
,vice-,christ and ,anti-,christ2 for it 
is not the acts that make the difference
 between them1 but the authority for    
those acts4 ,this of course was a new   
mode of viewing the question2 but we    
cannot unmake ourselves or change our   
habits in a moment4 ,it is quite clear1 
that1 if ,i dared not commit myself in  
#ahch1 to the belief that the ,church of
 ,rome was not a type of ,antichrist1 ,i
 could not have thrown off the          
unreasoning prejudice and suspicion1    
which ,i cherished about her1 for some  
time after1 at least by fits and starts1
 in spite of the conviction of my       
reason4 ,i cannot prove this1 but ,i    
believe it to have been the case from   
what ,i recollect of myself4 ,nor was   
there anything in the history of ,st4   
,leo and the ,monophysites to undo the  

firm belief ,i had in the existence of  
what ,i called the practical abuses and 
excesses of ,rome4  ,to the             
inconsistencies then1 to the ambition   
and intrigue1 to the sophistries of     
,rome 7as ,i considered them to be7 ,i  
had recourse in my opposition to her1   
both public and personal4 ,i did so by  
way of a relief4 ,i had a great and     
growing dislike1 after the summer of    
#ahci1 to speak against the ,roman      
,church herself or her formal doctrines4
 ,i was very averse to speak against    
doctrines1 which might possibly turn out
 to be true1 though at the time ,i had  
no reason for thinking they were1 or    
against the ,church1 which had preserved
 them4 ,i began to have misgivings1     
that1 strong as my own feelings had been
 against her1 yet in some things which  
,i had said1 ,i had taken the statements
 of ,anglican divines for granted       
without weighing them for myself4 ,i    
said to a friend in #ahdj1 in a letter1 
which ,i shall use presently1 ,i am     

troubled by doubts whether as it is1 ,i 
have not1 in what ,i have published1    
spoken too strongly against ,rome1      
though ,i think ,i did it in a kind of  
faith1 being determined to put myself   
into the ,english system1 and say all   
that our divines said1 whether ,i had   
fully weighed it or not4 ,i was sore    
about the great ,anglican divines1 as if
 they had taken me in1 and made me say  
strong things1 which facts did not      
justify4 ,yet ,i did still hold in      
substance all that ,i had said against  
the ,church of ,rome in my ,prophetical 
,office4 ,i felt the force of the usual 
,protestant objections against her2 ,i  
believed that we had the apostolical    
succession in the ,anglican ,church1 and
 the grace of the sacraments2 ,i was not
 sure that the difficulty of its        
isolation might not be overcome1 though 
,i was far from sure that it could4 ,i  
did not see any clear proof that it had 
committed itself to any heresy1 or had  
taken part against the truth2 and ,i was

 not sure that it would not revive into 
full apostolic purity and strength1 and 
grow into union with ,rome herself      
7,rome explaining her doctrines and     
guarding against their abuse71 that is1 
if we were but patient and hopeful4 ,i  
wished for union between the ,anglican  
,church and ,rome1 if1 and when1 it was 
possible2 and ,i did what ,i could to   
gain weekly prayers for that object4    
,the ground which ,i felt good against  
her was the moral ground3 ,i felt ,i    
could not be wrong in striking at her   
political and social line of action4    
,the alliance of a dogmatic religion    
with liberals1 high or low1 seemed to me
 a providential direction against moving
 towards it1 and a better ,preservative 
against ,popery1 than the three volumes 
of folio1 in which1 ,i think1 that      
prophylactic is to be found4 ,however1  
on occasions which demanded it1 ,i felt 
it a duty to give out plainly all that  
,i thought1 though ,i did not like to do
 so4 ,one such instance occurred1 when  

,i had to publish a letter about ,tract 
#ij4 ,in that letter ,i said1 ,instead  
of setting before the soul the ,holy    
,trinity1 and heaven and hell1 the      
,church of ,rome does seem to me1 as a  
popular system1 to preach the ,blessed  
,virgin and the ,saints1 and purgatory4 
,on this occasion ,i recollect          
expressing to a friend the distress it  
gave me thus to speak2 but1 ,i said1    
,how can ,i help saying it1 if ,i think 
it8 and ,i do think it2 my ,bishop calls
 on me to say out what ,i think2 and    
that is the long and the short of it4   
,but ,i recollected ,hurrell ,froude's  
words to me1 almost his dying words1 ,i 
must enter another protest against your 
cursing and swearing4 ,what good can it 
do8 and ,i call it uncharitable to an   
excess4 ,how mistaken we may ourselves  
be1 on many points that are only        
gradually opening on us6  ,instead then 
of speaking of errors in doctrine1 ,i   
was driven1 by my state of mind1 to     
insist upon the political conduct1 the  

controversial bearing1 and the social   
methods and manifestations of ,rome4    
,and here ,i found a matter close at    
hand1 which affected me most sensibly   
too1 because it was before my eyes4 ,i  
can hardly describe too strongly my     
feeling upon it4 ,i had an unspeakable  
aversion to the policy and acts of ,mr4 
,o',connell1 because1 as ,i thought1 he 
associated himself with men of all      
religions and no religion against the   
,anglican ,church1 and advanced         
,catholicism by violence and intrigue4  
,when then ,i found him taken up by the 
,english ,catholics1 and1 as ,i         
supposed1 at ,rome1 ,i considered ,i had
 a fulfilment before my eyes how the    
,court of ,rome played fast and loose1  
and fulfilled the bad points which ,i   
had seen put down in books against it4  
,here we saw what ,rome was in action1  
whatever she might be when quiescent4   
,her conduct was simply secular and     
political4  ,this feeling led me into   
the excess of being very rude to that   

zealous and most charitable man1 ,mr4   
,spencer1 when he came to ,oxford in    
,january1 #ahdj1 to get ,anglicans to   
set about praying for unity4 ,i myself  
then1 or soon after1 drew up such       
prayers2 it was one of the first        
thoughts which came upon me after my    
shock1 but ,i was too much annoyed with 
the political action of the members of  
the ,roman ,church in ,england to wish  
to have anything to do with them        
personally4 ,so glad in my heart was ,i 
to see him when he came to my rooms1    
whither ,mr4 ,palmer of ,magdalen       
brought him1 that ,i could have laughed 
for joy2 ,i think ,i did2 but ,i was    
very rude to him1 ,i would not meet him 
at dinner1 and that 7though ,i did not  
say so7 because ,i considered him in    
loco apostatae from the ,anglican       
,church1 and ,i hereby beg his pardon   
for it4 ,i wrote afterwards with a view 
to apologise1 but ,i dare say he must   
have thought that ,i made the matter    
worse1 for these were my words to him3--

  ,the news that you are praying for us 
is most touching1 and raises a variety  
of indescribable emotions4 ,may their   
prayers return abundantly into their own
 bosoms6 ,why then do ,i not meet you in
 a manner conformable with these first  
feelings8 ,for this single reason1 if ,i
 may say it1 that your acts are contrary
 to your words4 ,you invite us to a     
union of hearts1 at the same time that  
you are doing all you can1 not to       
restore1 not to reform1 not to reunite1 
but to destroy our ,church4 ,you go     
further than your principles require4   
,you are leagued with our enemies4 ',the
 voice is ,jacob's voice1 but the hands 
are the hands of ,esau4' ,this is what  
especially distresses us2 this is what  
we cannot understand1 how ,christians1  
like yourselves1 with the clear view you
 have that a warfare is ever waging in  
the world between good and evil1 should1
 in the present state of ,england1 ally 
yourselves with the side of evil against
 the side of good4444 ,of parties now in

 the country1 you cannot but allow1 that
 next to yourselves we are nearest to   
revealed truth4 ,we maintain great and  
holy principles2 we profess ,catholic   
doctrines4444 ,so near are we as a body 
to yourselves in modes of thinking1 as  
even to have been taunted with the      
nicknames which belong to you2 and1 on  
the other hand1 if there are professed  
infidels1 scoffers1 sceptics1           
unprincipled men1 rebels1 they are found
 among our opponents4 ,and yet you take 
part with them against us4444 ,you      
consent to act hand in hand with these  
and others for our overthrow4 ,alas6 all
 this it is that impresses us           
irresistibly with the notion that you   
are a political1 not a religious party2 
that1 in order to gain an end on which  
you set your hearts1--an open stage for 
yourselves in ,england--you ally        
yourselves with those who hold nothing  
against those who hold something4 ,this 
is what distresses my own mind so       
greatly1 to speak of myself1 that1 with 

limitations which need not now be       
mentioned1 ,i cannot meet familiarly any
 leading persons of the ,roman          
,communion1 and least of all when they  
come on a religious errand4 ,break off1 
,i would say1 with ,mr4 ,o',connell in  
,ireland and the liberal party in       
,england1 or come not to us with        
overtures for mutual prayer and         
religious sympathy4  ,and here came in  
another feeling1 of a personal nature1  
which had little to do with the argument
 against ,rome1 except that1 in my      
prejudice1 ,i connected it with my own  
ideas of the usual conduct of her       
advocates and instruments4 ,i was very  
stern upon any interference in our      
,oxford matters on the part of          
charitable ,catholics1 and on any       
attempt to do me good personally4 ,there
 was nothing1 indeed1 at the time more  
likely to throw me back4 ,why do you    
meddle8 why cannot you let me alone8    
,you can do me no good2 you know nothing
 on earth about me2 you may actually do 

me harm2 ,i am in better hands than     
yours4 ,i know my own sincerity of      
purpose2 and ,i am determined upon      
taking my time4 ,since ,i have been a   
,catholic1 people have sometimes accused
 me of backwardness in making converts2 
and ,protestants have argued from it    
that ,i have no great eagerness to do   
so4 ,it would be against my nature to   
act otherwise than ,i do2 but besides1  
it would be to forget the lessons which 
,i gained in the experience of my own   
history in the past4  ,this is the      
account which ,i have to give of some   
savage and ungrateful words in the      
,british ,critic of #ahdj against the   
controversialists of ,rome3 ,by their   
fruits ye shall know them4444 ,we see it
 attempting to gain converts among us by
 unreal representations of its          
doctrines1 plausible statements1 bold   
assertions1 appeals to the weaknesses of
 human nature1 to our fancies1 our      
eccentricities1 our fears1 our          
frivolities1 our false philosophies4 ,we

 see its agents1 smiling and nodding and
 ducking to attract attention1 as       
gipsies make up to truant boys1 holding 
out tales for the nursery1 and pretty   
pictures1 and gilt gingerbread1 and     
physic concealed in jam1 and sugar-plums
 for good children4 ,who can but feel   
shame when the religion of ,ximenes1    
,borromeo1 and ,pascal1 is so overlaid8 
,who can but feel sorrow1 when its      
devout and earnest defenders so mistake 
its genius and its capabilities8 ,we    
,englishmen like manliness1 openness1   
consistency1 truth4 ,rome will never    
gain on us1 till she learns these       
virtues1 and uses them2 and then she may
 gain us1 but it will be by ceasing to  
be what we now mean by ,rome1 by having 
a right1 not to 'have dominion over our 
faith1' but to gain and possess our     
affections in the bonds of the gospel4  
,till she ceases to be what she         
practically is1 a union is impossible   
between her and ,england2 but1 if she   
does reform 7and who can presume to say 

that so large a part of ,christendom    
never can87 then it will be our         
,church's duty at once to join in       
communion with the continental          
,churches1 whatever politicians at home 
may say to it1 and whatever steps the   
civil power may take in consequence4    
,and though we may not live to see that 
day1 at least we are bound to pray for  
it2 we are bound to pray for our        
brethren that they and we may be led    
together into the pure light of the     
gospel1 and be one as we once were one4 
,it was most touching news to be told1  
as we were lately1 that ,christians on  
the ,continent were praying together for
 the spiritual well-being of ,england4  
,may they gain light1 while they aim at 
unity1 and grow in faith while they     
manifest their love6 ,we too have our   
duties to them2 not of reviling1 not of 
slandering1 not of hating1 though       
political interests require it2 but the 
duty of loving brethren still more      
abundantly in spirit1 whose faces1 for  

our sins and their sins1 we are not     
allowed to see in the flesh4  ,no one   
ought to indulge in insinuations2 it    
certainly diminishes my right to        
complain of slanders uttered against    
myself1 when1 as in this passage1 ,i had
 already spoken in condemnation of that 
class of controversialists to which ,i  
myself now belong4   ,i have thus put   
together1 as well as ,i could1 what has 
to be said about my general state of    
mind from the autumn of #ahci to the    
summer of #ahda2 and1 having done so1 ,i
 go on to narrate how my new misgivings 
affected my conduct1 and my relations   
towards the ,anglican ,church4  ,when ,i
 got back to ,oxford in ,october1 #ahci1
 after the visits which ,i had been     
paying1 it so happened1 there had been1 
in my absence1 occurrences of an awkward
 character1 bringing me into collision  
both with my ,bishop and also with the  
,university authorities2 and this drew  
my attention at once to the state of    
what would be considered the ,movement  

party there1 and made me very anxious   
for the future4 ,in the spring of the   
year1 as has been seen in the ,article  
analysed above1 ,i had spoken of the    
excesses which were to be found among   
persons commonly included in it2 at that
 time ,i thought little of such an evil1
 but the new thoughts1 which had come on
 me during the long vacation1 on the one
 hand made me comprehend it1 and on the 
other took away my power of effectually 
meeting it4 ,a firm and powerful control
 was necessary to keep men straight2 ,i 
never had a strong wrist1 but at the    
very time1 when it was most needed1 the 
reins had broken in my hands4 ,with an  
anxious presentiment on my mind of the  
upshot of the whole inquiry1 which it   
was almost impossible for me to conceal 
from men who saw me day by day1 who     
heard my familiar conversation1 who came
 perhaps for the express purpose of     
pumping me1 and having a categorical yes
 or no to their questions--how could ,i 
expect to say anything about my actual1 

positive1 present belief1 which would be
 sustaining or consoling to such persons
 as were haunted already by doubts of   
their own8 ,nay1 how could ,i1 with     
satisfaction to myself1 analyse my own  
mind1 and say what ,i held and what ,i  
did not8 or say with what limitations1  
shades of difference1 or degrees of     
belief1 ,i held that body of opinions   
which ,i had openly professed and       
taught8 how could ,i deny or assert this
 point or that1 without injustice to the
 new view1 in which the whole evidence  
for those old opinions presented itself 
to my mind8  ,however1 ,i had to do what
 ,i could1 and what was best1 under the 
circumstances2 ,i found a general talk  
on the subject of the article in the    
,dublin ,review2 and1 if it had affected
 me1 it was not wonderful1 that it      
affected others also4 ,as to myself1 ,i 
felt no kind of certainty that the      
argument in it was conclusive4 ,taking  
it at the worst1 granting that the      
,anglican ,church had not the note of   

,catholicity2 yet there were many notes 
of the ,church4 ,some belonged to one   
age or place1 some to another4          
,bellarmine had reckoned ,temporal      
,prosperity among the notes of the      
,church2 but the ,roman ,church had not 
any great popularity1 wealth1 glory1    
power1 or prospects1 in the nineteenth  
century4 ,it was not at all certain yet1
 even that we had not the note of       
,catholicity2 but1 if not we had others4
 ,my first business then1 was to examine
 this question carefully1 and see1 if a 
great deal could not be said after all  
for the ,anglican ,church1 in spite of  
its acknowledged shortcomings4 ,this ,i 
did in an ,article on the ,catholicity  
of the ,english ,church1 which appeared 
in the ,british ,critic of ,january1    
#ahdj4 ,as to my personal distress on   
the point1 ,i think it had gone by      
,february #bast in that year1 for ,i    
wrote then to ,mr4 ,bowden about the    
important ,article in the ,dublin1 thus3
 ,it made a great impression here       

,oxford2 and1 ,i say what of course ,i  
would only say to such as yourself1 it  
made me for a while very uncomfortable  
in my own mind4 ,the great speciousness 
of his argument is one of the things    
which have made me despond so much1 that
 is1 as to its effect upon others4      
,but1 secondly1 the great               
stumbling-block lay in the #ci          
,articles4 ,it was urged that here was a
 positive ,note against                 
,anglicanism3--,anglicanism claimed to  
hold that the ,church of ,england was   
nothing else than a continuation in this
 country 7as the ,church of ,rome might 
be in ,france or ,spain7 of that one    
,church of which in old times           
,athanasius and ,augustine were members4
 ,but1 if so1 the doctrine must be the  
same2 the doctrine of the ,old ,church  
must live and speak in ,anglican        
formularies1 in the #ci ,articles4 ,did 
it8 ,yes1 it did2 that is what ,i       
maintained2 it did in substance1 in a   
true sense4 ,man had done his worst to  

disfigure1 to mutilate1 the old         
,catholic ,truth1 but there it was1 in  
spite of them1 in the ,articles still4  
,it was there1 but this must be shown4  
,it was a matter of life and death to us
 to show it4 ,and ,i believed that it   
could be shown2 ,i considered that those
 grounds of justification1 which ,i gave
 above1 when ,i was speaking of ,tract  
#ij1 were sufficient for the purpose2   
and therefore ,i set about showing it at
 once4 ,this was in ,march1 #ahdj1 when 
,i went up to ,littlemore4 ,and1 as it  
was a matter of life and death with us1 
all risks must be run to show it4 ,when 
the attempt was actually made1 ,i had   
got reconciled to the prospect of it1   
and had no apprehensions as to the      
experiment2 but in #ahdj1 while my      
purpose was honest1 and my grounds of   
reason satisfactory1 ,i did nevertheless
 recognise that ,i was engaged in an    
experimentum crucis4 ,i have no doubt   
that then ,i acknowledged to myself that
 it would be a trial of the ,anglican   

,church1 which it had never undergone   
before--not that the ,catholic sense of 
the ,articles had not been held or at   
least suffered by their framers and     
promulgators1 and was not implied in the
 teaching of ,andrewes or ,beveridge1   
but that it had never been publicly     
recognised1 while the interpretation of 
the day was ,protestant and exclusive4  
,i observe also1 that1 though my ,tract 
was an experiment1 it was1 as ,i said at
 the time1 no feeler1 the event showed  
it2 for1 when my principle was not      
granted1 ,i did not draw back1 but gave 
up4 ,i would not hold office in a       
,church which would not allow my sense  
of the ,articles4 ,my tone was1 ,this is
 necessary for us1 and have it we must  
and will1 and1 if it tends to bring men 
to look less bitterly on the ,church of 
,rome1 so much the better4  ,this then  
was the second work to which ,i set     
myself2 though when ,i got to           
,littlemore1 other things came in the   
way of accomplishing it at the moment4  

,i had in mind to remove all such       
obstacles as were in the way of holding 
the ,apostolic and ,catholic character  
of the ,anglican teaching2 to assert the
 right of all who chose to say in the   
face of day1 ,our ,church teaches the   
,primitive ,ancient faith4 ,i did not   
conceal this3 in ,tract #ij1 it is put  
forward as the first principle of all1  
,it is a duty which we owe both to the  
,catholic ,church1 and to our own1 to   
take our reformed confessions in the    
most ,catholic sense they will admit3 we
 have no duties towards their framers4  
,and still more pointedly in my letter1 
explanatory of the ,tract1 addressed to 
,dr4 ,jelf1 ,i say3 ,the only           
peculiarity of the view ,i advocate1 if 
,i must so call it1 is this--that       
whereas it is usual at this day to make 
the particular belief of their writers  
their true interpretation1 ,i would make
 the belief of the ,catholic ,church    
such4 ,that is1 as it is often said that
 infants are regenerated in ,baptism1   

not on the faith of their parents1 but  
of the ,church1 so in like manner ,i    
would say that the ,articles are        
received1 not in the sense of their     
framers1 but 7as far as the wording will
 admit or any ambiguity requires it7 in 
the one ,catholic sense4  ,a third      
measure which ,i distinctly             
contemplated1 was the resignation of    
,st4 ,mary's1 whatever became of the    
question of the ,articles2 and as a     
first step ,i meditated a retirement to 
,littlemore4 ,i had built a ,church     
there several years before2 and ,i went 
there to pass the ,lent of #ahdj1 and   
gave myself up to teaching in the poor  
schools1 and practising the choir4 ,at  
the same time1 ,i contemplated a        
monastic house there4 ,i bought ten     
acres of ground and began planting2 but 
this great design was never carried out4
 ,i mention it1 because it shows how    
little ,i had really the idea then of   
ever leaving the ,anglican ,church4     
,that ,i also contemplated even the     

further step of giving up ,st4 ,mary's  
itself as early as #ahci1 appears from a
 letter which ,i wrote in ,october1     
#ahdj1 to the friend whom it was most   
natural for me to consult on such a     
point4 ,it ran as follows3--  ,for a    
year past a feeling has been growing on 
me that ,i ought to give up ,st4        
,mary's1 but ,i am no fit judge in the  
matter4 ,i cannot ascertain accurately  
my own impressions and convictions1     
which are the basis of the difficulty1  
and though you cannot of course do this 
for me1 yet you may help me generally1  
and perhaps supersede the necessity of  
my going by them at all4  ,first1 it is 
certain that ,i do not know my ,oxford  
parishioners2 ,i am not conscious of    
influencing them1 and certainly ,i have 
no insight into their spiritual state4  
,i have no personal1 no pastoral        
acquaintance with them4 ,to very few    
have ,i any opportunity of saying a     
religious word4 ,whatever influence ,i  
exert on them is precisely that which ,i

 may be exerting on persons out of my   
parish4 ,in my excuse ,i am accustomed  
to say to myself that ,i am not adapted 
to get on with them1 while others are4  
,on the other hand1 ,i am conscious that
 by means of my position at ,st4 ,mary's
 ,i do exert a considerable influence on
 the ,university1 whether on            
,undergraduates or ,graduates4 ,it      
seems1 then1 on the whole that ,i am    
using ,st4 ,mary's1 to the neglect of   
its direct duties1 for objects not      
belonging to it2 ,i am converting a     
parochial charge into a sort of         
,university office4  ,i think ,i may say
 truly that ,i have begun scarcely any  
plan but for the sake of my parish1 but 
every one has turned1 independently of  
me1 into the direction of the           
,university4 ,i began ,saints'-days     
,services1 daily ,services1 and         
,lectures in ,adam de ,brome's ,chapel1 
for my parishioners2 but they have not  
come to them4 ,in consequence ,i dropped
 the last mentioned1 having1 while it   

lasted1 been naturally led to direct it 
to the instruction of those who did     
come1 instead of those who did not4 ,the
 ,weekly ,communion1 ,i believe1 ,i did 
begin for the sake of the ,university4  
,added to this the authorities of the   
,university1 the appointed guardians of 
those who form great part of the        
attendants on my ,sermons1 have shown a 
dislike of my preaching4 ,one dissuades 
men from coming2--the late              
,vice-,chancellor threatens to take his 
own children away from the ,church2 and 
the present1 having an opportunity last 
spring of preaching in my parish pulpit1
 gets up and preaches against doctrine  
with which ,i am in good measure        
identified4 ,no plainer proof can be    
given of the feeling in these quarters1 
than the absurd myth1 now a second time 
put forward1 that ',vice-,chancellors   
cannot be got to take the office on     
account of ,puseyism4'  ,but further    
than this1 ,i cannot disguise from      
myself that my preaching is not         

calculated to defend that system of     
religion which has been received for    
#cjj years1 and of which the ,heads of  
,houses are the legitimate maintainers  
in this place4 ,they exclude me1 as far 
as may be1 from the ,university ,pulpit2
 and1 though ,i never have preached     
strong doctrine in it1 they do so       
rightly1 so far as this1 that they      
understand that my sermons are          
calculated to undermine things          
established4 ,i cannot disguise from    
myself that they are4 ,no one will deny 
that most of my sermons are on moral    
subjects1 not doctrinal2 still ,i am    
leading my hearers to the ,primitive    
,church1 if you will1 but not to the    
,church of ,england4 ,now1 ought one to 
be disgusting the minds of young men    
with the received religion1 in the      
exercise of a sacred office1 yet without
 a commission1 against the wish of their
 guides and governors8  ,but this is not
 all4 ,i fear ,i must allow that1       
whether ,i will or no1 ,i am disposing  

them towards ,rome4 ,first1 because     
,rome is the only representative of the 
,primitive ,church besides ourselves2 in
 proportion then as they are loosened   
from the one1 they will go to the other4
 ,next1 because many doctrines which ,i 
have held1 have far greater1 or their   
only scope1 in the ,roman system4 ,and1 
moreover1 if1 as is not unlikely1 we    
have in process of time heretical       
,bishops or teachers among us1 an evil  
which ipso facto infects the whole      
community to which they belong1 and if1 
again 7what there are at this moment    
symptoms of71 there be a movement in the
 ,english ,roman ,catholics to break the
 alliance of ,o',connell and of ,exeter 
,hall1 strong temptations will be placed
 in the way of individuals1 already     
imbued with a tone of thought congenial 
to ,rome1 to join her ,communion4       
,people tell me1 on the other hand1 that
 ,i am1 whether by sermons or otherwise1
 exerting at ,st4 ,mary's a beneficial  
influence on our prospective clergy2 but

 what if ,i take to myself the credit of
 seeing further than they1 and of having
 in the course of the last year         
discovered that what they approve so    
much is very likely to end in ,romanism8
  ,the arguments which ,i have published
 against ,romanism seem to myself as    
cogent as ever1 but men go by their     
sympathies1 not by argument2 and if ,i  
feel the force of this influence myself1
 who bow to the arguments1 why may not  
others still more who never have in the 
same degree admitted the arguments8     
,nor can ,i counteract the danger by    
preaching or writing against ,rome4 ,i  
seem to myself almost to have shot my   
last arrow in the ,article on ,english  
,catholicity4 ,it must be added1 that   
the very circumstance that ,i have      
committed myself against ,rome has the  
effect of setting to sleep people       
suspicious about me1 which is painful   
now that ,i begin to have suspicions    
about myself4 ,i mentioned my general   
difficulty to ,a4 ,b4 a year since1 than

 whom ,i know no one of a more fine and 
accurate conscience1 and it was his     
spontaneous idea that ,i should give up 
,st4 ,mary's1 if my feelings continued4 
,i mentioned it again to him lately1 and
 he did not reverse his opinion1 only   
expressed great reluctance to believe it
 must be so4  ,my friend's judgment was 
in favour of my retaining my living2 at 
least for the present2 what weighed with
 me most was his saying1 ,you must      
consider1 whether your retiring either  
from the ,pastoral ,care only1 or from  
writing and printing and editing in the 
cause1 would not be a sort of scandalous
 thing1 unless it were done very warily4
 ,it would be said1 ',you see he can go 
on no longer with the ,church of        
,england1 except in mere ,lay           
,communion2' or people might say you    
repented of the cause altogether4 ,till 
you see your way to mitigate1 if not    
remove this evil ,i certainly should    
advise you to stay4 ,i answered as      
follows3--  ,since you think ,i may go  

on1 it seems to follow that1 under the  
circumstances1 ,i ought to do so4 ,there
 are plenty of reasons for it1 directly 
it is allowed to be lawful4 ,the        
following considerations have much      
reconciled my feelings to your          
conclusion4  #a4 ,i do not think that we
 have yet made fair trial how much the  
,english ,church will bear4 ,i know it  
is a hazardous experiment--like proving 
cannon4 ,yet we must not take it for    
granted1 that the metal will burst in   
the operation4 ,it has borne at various 
times1 not to say at this time1 a great 
infusion of ,catholic truth without     
damage4 ,as to the result1 viz4 whether 
this process will not approximate the   
whole ,english ,church1 as a body to    
,rome1 that is nothing to us4 ,for what 
we know1 it may be the providential     
means of uniting the whole ,church in   
one1 without fresh schismatising or use 
of private judgment4  ,here ,i observe1 
that1 what was contemplated was the     
bursting of the ,catholicity of the     

,anglican ,church1 that is1 my          
subjective idea of that ,church4 ,its   
bursting would not hurt her with the    
world1 but would be a discovery that she
 was purely and essentially ,protestant1
 and would be really the hoisting of the
 engineer with his own petard4 ,and this
 was the result4 ,i continue3--  #b4    
,say1 that ,i move sympathies for ,rome3
 in the same sense does ,hooker1        
,taylor1 ,bull1 etc4 ,their arguments   
may be against ,rome1 but the sympathies
 they raise must be towards ,rome1 so   
far as ,rome maintains truths which our 
,church does not teach or enforce4 ,thus
 it is a question of degree between our 
divines and me4 ,i may1 if so be1 go    
further2 ,i may raise sympathies more2  
but ,i am but urging minds in the same  
direction as they do4 ,i am doing just  
the very thing which all our doctors    
have ever been doing4 ,in short1 would  
not ,hooker1 if ,vicar of ,st4 ,mary's1 
be in my difficulty8--,here it may be   
said1 that ,hooker could preach against 

,rome1 and ,i could not2 but ,i doubt   
whether he could have preached          
effectively against transubstantiation  
better than ,i1 though neither he nor ,i
 held it4  #c4 ,rationalism is the great
 evil of the day4 ,may not ,i consider  
my post at ,st4 ,mary's as a place of   
protest against it8 ,i am more certain  
that the ,protestant spirit1 which ,i   
oppose1 leads to infidelity1 than that  
which ,i recommend1 leads to ,rome4 ,who
 knows what the state of the ,university
 may be1 as regards ,divinity           
,professors in a few years hence8       
,anyhow1 a great battle may be coming   
on1 of which ,c4 ,d4's book is a sort of
 earnest4 ,the whole of our day may be a
 battle with this spirit4 ,may we not   
leave to another age its own evil--to   
settle the question of ,romanism8  ,i   
may add that from this time ,i had a    
,curate at ,st4 ,mary's1 who gradually  
took more and more of my work4  ,also1  
this same year1 #ahdj1 ,i made          
arrangements for giving up the ,british 

,critic1 in the following ,july1 which  
were carried into effect at that date4  
,such was about my state of mind1 on the
 publication of ,tract #ij in ,february1
 #ahda4 ,the immense commotion          
consequent upon the publication of the  
,tract did not unsettle me again2 for ,i
 had weathered the storm3 the ,tract had
 not been condemned3 that was the great 
point2 ,i made much of it4  ,to         
illustrate my feelings during this      
trial1 ,i will make extracts from my    
letters to a friend1 which have come    
into my possession4 ,the dates are      
respectively ,march #be1 ,april #a1 and 
,may #i4  #a4 ,i do trust ,i shall make 
no false step1 and hope my friends will 
pray for me to this effect4 ,if1 as you 
say1 a destiny hangs over us1 a single  
false step may ruin all4 ,i am very well
 and comfortable2 but we are not yet out
 of the wood4  #b4 ,the ,bishop sent me 
word on ,sunday to write a letter to him
 'instanter4' ,so ,i wrote it on        
,monday3 on ,tuesday it passed through  

the press3 on ,wednesday it was out3 and
 to-day ,thursday it is in ,london4  ,i 
trust that things are smoothing now2 and
 that we have made a great step is      
certain4 ,it is not right to boast1 till
 ,i am clear out of the wood1 i4e4 till 
,i know how the letter is received in   
,london4 ,you know1 ,i suppose1 that ,i 
am to stop the ,tracts2 but you will see
 in the ,letter1 though ,i speak quite  
what ,i feel1 yet ,i have managed to    
take out on my side my snubbing's worth4
 ,and this makes me anxious how it will 
be received in ,london4  ,i have not had
 a misgiving for five minutes from the  
first3 but ,i do not like to boast1 lest
 some harm come4  #c4 ,the ,bishops are 
very desirous of hushing the matter up3 
and ,i certainly have done my utmost to 
co-operate with them1 on the            
understanding that the ,tract is not to 
be withdrawn or condemned4  ,and to my  
friend1 ,mr4 ,bowden1 under date of     
,march #ae1 ,the ,heads1 ,i believe1    
have just done a violent act3 they have 

said that my interpretation of the      
,articles is an evasion4 ,do not think  
that this will pain me4 ,you see1 no    
doctrine is censured1 and my shoulders  
shall manage to bear the charge4 ,if you
 knew all1 or were here1 you would see  
that ,i have asserted a great principle1
 and ,i ought to suffer for it3--that   
the ,articles are to be interpreted1 not
 according to the meaning of the        
writers1 but 7as far as the wording will
 admit7 according to the sense of the   
,catholic ,church4  ,upon occasion of   
,tract #ij several ,catholics wrote to  
me2 ,i answered one of my correspondents
 thus3--  ,april #h4--,you have no cause
 to be surprised at the discontinuance  
of the ,tracts4 ,we feel no misgivings  
about it whatever1 as if the cause of   
what we hold to be ,catholic truth would
 suffer thereby4 ,my letter to my       
,bishop has1 ,i trust1 had the effect of
 bringing the preponderating authority  
of the ,church on our side4 ,no stopping
 of the ,tracts can1 humanly speaking1  

stop the spread of the opinions which   
they have inculcated4  ,the ,tracts are 
not suppressed4 ,no doctrine or         
principle has been conceded by us1 or   
condemned by authority4 ,the ,bishop has
 but said that a certain ,tract is      
'objectionable1' no reason being stated4
 ,i have no intention whatever of       
yielding any one point which ,i hold on 
conviction2 and that the authorities of 
the ,church know full well4   ,in the   
summer of #ahda1 ,i found myself at     
,littlemore without any harass or       
anxiety on my mind4 ,i had determined to
 put aside all controversy1 and ,i set  
myself down to my translation of ,st4   
,athanasius2 but1 between ,july and     
,november1 ,i received three blows which
 broke me4  #a4 ,i had got but a little 
way in my work1 when my trouble returned
 on me4 ,the ghost had come a second    
time4 ,in the ,arian ,history ,i found  
the very same phenomenon1 in a far      
bolder shape1 which ,i had found in the 
,monophysite4 ,i had not observed it in 

#ahcb4 ,wonderful that this should come 
upon me6 ,i had not sought it out2 ,i   
was reading and writing in my own line  
of study1 far from the controversies of 
the day1 on what is called a            
metaphysical subject2 but ,i saw        
clearly1 that in the history of         
,arianism1 the pure ,arians were the    
,protestants1 the semi-,arians were the 
,anglicans1 and that ,rome now was what 
it was4 ,the truth lay1 not with the    
,via ,media1 but in what was called the 
extreme party4 ,as ,i am not writing a  
work of controversy1 ,i need not enlarge
 upon the argument2 ,i have said        
something on the subject in a volume    
which ,i published fourteen years ago4  
#b4 ,i was in the misery of this new    
unsettlement1 when a second blow came   
upon me4 ,the bishops one after another 
began to charge against me4 ,it was a   
formal1 determinate movement4 ,this was 
the real understanding2 that1 on which  
,i had acted on occasion of ,tract #ij1 
had come to nought4 ,i think the words1 

which had then been used to me1 were1   
that perhaps two or three might think it
 necessary to say something in their    
charges2 but by this time they had tided
 over the difficulty of the ,tract1 and 
there was no one to enforce the         
understanding4 ,they went on in this    
way1 directing charges at me1 for three 
whole years4 ,i recognised it as a      
condemnation2 it was the only one that  
was in their power4 ,at first ,i        
intended to protest2 but ,i gave up the 
thought in despair4  ,on ,october #agth1
 ,i wrote thus to a friend3 ,i suppose  
it will be necessary in some shape or   
other to reassert ,tract #ij2 else1 it  
will seem1 after these ,bishops'        
,charges1 as if it were silenced1 which 
it has not been1 nor do ,i intend it    
should be4 ,i wish to keep quiet2 but if
 ,bishops speak1 ,i will speak too4 ,if 
the view were silenced1 ,i could not    
remain in the ,church1 nor could many   
others2 and therefore1 since it is not  
silenced1 ,i shall take care to show    

that it isn't4  ,a day or two after1    
,oct4 #bb1 a stranger wrote to me to    
say1 that the ,tracts for the ,times had
 made a young friend of his a ,catholic1
 and to ask1 would ,i be so good as to  
convert him back2 ,i made answer3  ,if  
conversions to ,rome take place in      
consequence of the ,tracts for the      
,times1 ,i do not impute blame to them1 
but to those who1 instead of            
acknowledging such ,anglican principles 
of theology and ecclesiastical polity as
 they contain1 set themselves to oppose 
them4 ,whatever be the influence of the 
,tracts1 great or small1 they may become
 just as powerful for ,rome1 if our     
,church refuses them1 as they would be  
for our ,church if she accepted them4   
,if our rulers speak either against the 
,tracts1 or not at all1 if any number of
 them1 not only do not favour1 but even 
do not suffer the principles contained  
in them1 it is plain that our members   
may easily be persuaded either to give  
up those principles1 or to give up the  

,church4 ,if this state of things goes  
on1 ,i mournfully prophesy1 not one or  
two1 but many secessions to the ,church 
of ,rome4  ,two years afterwards1       
looking back on what had passed1 ,i     
said1 ,there were no converts to ,rome1 
till after the condemnation of ,no4 #ij4
  #c4 ,as if all this were not enough1  
there came the affair of the ,jerusalem 
,bishopric2 and1 with a brief mention of
 it1 ,i shall conclude4  ,i think ,i am 
right in saying that it had been long a 
desire with the ,prussian ,court to     
introduce ,episcopacy into the          
,evangelical ,religion1 which was       
intended in that country to embrace both
 the ,lutheran and ,calvinistic bodies4 
,i almost think ,i heard of the project1
 when ,i was at ,rome in #ahcc1 at the  
hotel of the ,prussian ,minister1 ,m4   
,bunsen1 who was most hospitable and    
kind1 as to other ,english visitors1 so 
also to my friends and myself4 ,i       
suppose that the idea of ,episcopacy1 as
 the ,prussian king understood it1 was  

very different from that taught in the  
,tractarian ,school2 but still1 ,i      
suppose also1 that the chief authors of 
that school would have gladly seen such 
a measure carried out in ,prussia1 had  
it been done without compromising those 
principles which were necessary to the  
being of a ,church4 ,about the time of  
the publication of ,tract #ij1 ,m4      
,bunsen and the then ,archbishop of     
,canterbury were taking steps for its   
execution1 by appointing and            
consecrating a ,bishop for ,jerusalem4  
,jerusalem1 it would seem1 was          
considered a safe place for the         
experiment2 it was too far from ,prussia
 to awaken the susceptibilities of any  
party at home2 if the project failed1 it
 failed without harm to any one2 and1 if
 it succeeded1 it gave ,protestantism a 
status in the ,east1 which in           
association with the ,monophysite or    
,jacobite and the ,nestorian bodies1    
formed a political instrument for       
,england1 parallel to that which ,russia

 had in the ,greek ,church and ,france  
in the ,latin4  ,accordingly1 in ,july  
#ahda1 full of the ,anglican difficulty 
on the question of ,catholicity1 ,i thus
 spoke of the ,jerusalem scheme in an   
,article in the ,british ,critic3 ,when 
our thoughts turn to the ,east1 instead 
of recollecting that there are          
,christian ,churches there1 we leave it 
to the ,russians to take care of the    
,greeks1 and the ,french to take care of
 the ,romans1 and we content ourselves  
with erecting a ,protestant ,church at  
,jerusalem1 or with helping the ,jews to
 rebuild their ,temple there1 or with   
becoming the august protectors of       
,nestorians1 ,monophysites1 and all the 
heretics we can hear of1 or with forming
 a league with the ,mussulman against   
,greeks and ,romans together4  ,i do not
 pretend so long after the time to give 
a full or exact account of this measure 
in detail4 ,i will but say that in the  
,act of ,parliament1 under date of      
,october #e1 #ahda 7if the copy1 from   

which ,i quote1 contains the measure as 
it passed the ,houses71 provision is    
made for the consecration of ,british   
subjects1 or the subjects or citizens of
 any foreign state1 to be ,bishops in   
any foreign country1 whether such       
foreign subjects or citizens be or be   
not subjects or citizens of the country 
in which they are to act1 and 444       
without requiring such of them as may be
 subjects or citizens of any foreign    
kingdom or state to take the oaths of   
allegiance and supremacy1 and the oath  
of due obedience to the ,archbishop for 
the time being 444 also that such       
,bishop or ,bishops1 so consecrated1 may
 exercise1 within such limits1 as may   
from time to time be assigned for that  
purpose in such foreign countries by her
 ,majesty1 spiritual jurisdiction over  
the ministers of ,british congregations 
of the ,united ,church of ,england and  
,ireland1 and over such other           
,protestant ,congregations1 as may be   
desirous of placing themselves under his

 or their authority4  ,now here1 at the 
very time that the ,anglican ,bishops   
were directing their censure upon me for
 avowing an approach to the ,catholic   
,church not closer than ,i believed the 
,anglican formularies would allow1 they 
were on the other hand fraternising1 by 
their act or by their sufferance1 with  
,protestant bodies1 and allowing them to
 put themselves under an ,anglican      
,bishop1 without any renunciation of    
their errors or regard to the due       
reception of baptism and confirmation2  
while there was great reason to suppose 
that the said ,bishop was intended to   
make converts from the orthodox ,greeks1
 and the schismatical ,oriental bodies1 
by means of the influence of ,england4  
,this was the third blow1 which finally 
shattered my faith in the ,anglican     
,church4 ,that ,church was not only     
forbidding any sympathy or concurrence  
with the ,church of ,rome1 but it       
actually was courting an intercommunion 
with ,protestant ,prussia and the heresy

 of the ,orientals4 ,the ,anglican      
,church might have the apostolical      
succession1 as had the ,monophysites2   
but such acts as were in progress led me
 to the gravest suspicion1 not that it  
would soon cease to be a ,church1 but   
that it had never been a ,church all    
along4  ,on ,october #abth ,i thus wrote
 to a friend3--,we have not a single    
,anglican in ,jerusalem1 so we are      
sending a ,bishop to make a communion1  
not to govern our own people4 ,next1 the
 excuse is1 that there are converted    
,anglican ,jews there who require a     
,bishop2 ,i am told there are not       
half-a-dozen4 ,but for them the ,bishop 
is sent out1 and for them he is a       
,bishop of the circumcision 7,i think he
 was a converted ,jew1 who boasted of   
his ,jewish descent71 against the       
,epistle to the ,galatians pretty       
nearly4 ,thirdly1 for the sake of       
,prussia1 he is to take under him all   
the foreign ,protestants who will come2 
and the political advantages will be so 

great1 from the influence of ,england1  
that there is no doubt they will come4  
,they are to sign the ,confession of    
,augsburg1 and there is nothing to show 
that they hold the doctrine of          
,baptismal ,regeneration4  ,as to       
myself1 ,i shall do nothing whatever    
publicly1 unless indeed it were to give 
my signature to a ,protest2 but ,i think
 it would be out of place in me to      
agitate1 having been in a way silenced2 
but the ,archbishop is really doing most
 grave work1 of which we cannot see the 
end4  ,i did make a solemn ,protest1 and
 sent it to the ,archbishop of          
,canterbury1 and also sent it to my own 
,bishop1 with the following letter3--   
,it seems as if ,i were never to write  
to your ,lordship1 without giving you   
pain1 and ,i know that my present       
subject does not specially concern your 
,lordship2 yet1 after a great deal of   
anxious thought1 ,i lay before you the  
enclosed ,protest4  ,your ,lordship will
 observe that ,i am not asking for any  

notice of it1 unless you think that ,i  
ought to receive one4 ,i do this very   
serious act1 in obedience to my sense of
 duty4  ,if the ,english ,church is to  
enter on a new course1 and assume a new 
aspect1 it will be more pleasant to me  
hereafter to think1 that ,i did not     
suffer so grievous an event to happen1  
without bearing witness against it4     
,may ,i be allowed to say1 that ,i augur
 nothing but evil1 if we in any respect 
prejudice our title to be a branch of   
the ,apostolic ,church8 ,that ,article  
of the ,creed1 ,i need hardly observe to
 your ,lordship1 is of such constraining
 power1 that1 if we will not claim it1  
and use it for ourselves1 others will   
use it in their own behalf against us4  
,men who learn1 whether by means of     
documents or measures1 whether from the 
statements or the acts of persons in    
authority1 that our communion is not a  
branch of the one ,church1 ,i foresee   
with much grief1 will be tempted to look
 out for that ,church elsewhere4  ,it is

 to me a subject of great dismay1 that1 
as far as the ,church has lately spoken 
out1 on the subject of the opinions     
which ,i and others hold1 those opinions
 are1 not merely not sanctioned 7for    
that ,i do not ask71 but not even       
suffered4  ,i earnestly hope that your  
,lordship will excuse my freedom in thus
 speaking to you of some members of your
 ,most ,rev4 and ,right ,rev4 ,body4    
,with every feeling of reverent         
attachment to your ,lordship1 ,i am1    
etc4  ,,protest  ,whereas the ,church of
 ,england has a claim on the allegiance 
of ,catholic believers only on the      
ground of her own claim to be considered
 a branch of the ,catholic ,church3     
,and whereas the recognition of heresy1 
indirect as well as direct1 goes far to 
destroy such claim in the case of any   
religious body advancing it3  ,and      
whereas to admit maintainers of heresy  
to communion1 without formal            
renunciation of their errors1 goes far  
towards recognising the same3  ,and     

whereas ,lutheranism and ,calvinism are 
heresies1 repugnant to ,scripture1      
springing up three centuries since1 and 
anathematised by ,east as well as ,west3
  ,and whereas it is reported that the  
,most ,reverend ,primate and other      
,right ,reverend ,rulers of our ,church 
have consecrated a ,bishop with a view  
to exercising spiritual jurisdiction    
over ,protestant1 that is1 ,lutheran and
 ,calvinist congregations in the ,east  
7under the provisions of an ,act made in
 the last session of ,parliament to     
amend an ,act made in the #bfth year of 
the reign of his ,majesty ,king ,george 
the ,third1 intituled1 ',an ,act to     
empower the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 
or the ,archbishop of ,york for the time
 being1 to consecrate to the office of  
,bishop persons being subjects or       
citizens of countries out of his        
,majesty's dominions'71 dispensing at   
the same time1 not in particular cases  
and accidentally1 but as if on principle
 and universally1 with any abjuration of

 error on the part of such              
congregations1 and with any             
reconciliation to the ,church on the    
part of the presiding ,bishop2 thereby  
giving some sort of formal recognition  
to the doctrines which such             
congregations maintain3  ,and whereas   
the dioceses in ,england are connected  
together by so close an intercommunion1 
that what is done by authority in one1  
immediately affects the rest3  ,on these
 grounds1 ,i in my place1 being a priest
 of the ,english ,church and ,vicar of  
,st4 ,mary the ,virgin's1 ,oxford1 by   
way of relieving my conscience1 do      
hereby solemnly protest against the     
measure aforesaid1 and disown it1 as    
removing our ,church from her present   
ground and tending to her               
disorganisation4  ,,john ,,henry        
,,newman4  ,november #aa1 #ahda4        
,looking back two years afterwards on   
the above-mentioned and other acts1 on  
the part of ,anglican ,ecclesiastical   
authorities1 ,i observe3 ,many a man    

might have held an abstract theory about
 the ,catholic ,church1 to which it was 
difficult to adjust the ,anglican--might
 have admitted a suspicion1 or even     
painful doubts about the latter--yet    
never have been impelled onwards1 had   
our ,rulers preserved the quiescence of 
former years2 but it is the             
corroboration of a present1 living1 and 
energetic heterodoxy1 which realises and
 makes them practical2 it has been the  
recent speeches and acts of authorities1
 who had so long been tolerant of       
,protestant error1 which have given to  
inquiry and to theory its force and its 
edge4  ,as to the project of a          
,jerusalem ,bishopric1 ,i never heard of
 any good or harm it has ever done1     
except what it has done for me2 which   
many think a great misfortune1 and ,i   
one of the greatest of mercies4 ,it     
brought me on to the beginning of the   
end4     ,part ,,vi  ,history of ,my    
,religious ,opinions--#ahda-ahde   ,from
 the end of #ahda1 ,i was on my         

death-bed1 as regards my membership with
 the ,anglican ,church1 though at the   
time ,i became aware of it only by      
degrees4 ,i introduce what ,i have to   
say with this remark1 by way of         
accounting for the character of this    
remaining portion of my narrative4 ,a   
death-bed has scarcely a history2 it is 
a tedious decline1 with seasons of      
rallying and seasons of falling back2   
and since the end is foreseen1 or what  
is called a matter of time1 it has      
little interest for the reader1         
especially if he has a kind heart4      
,moreover1 it is a season when doors are
 closed and curtains drawn1 and when the
 sick man neither cares nor is able to  
record the stages of his malady4 ,i was 
in these circumstances1 except so far as
 ,i was not allowed to die in           
peace1--except so far as friends1 who   
had still a full right to come in upon  
me1 and the public world which had not1 
have given a sort of history to those   
last four years4 ,but in consequence1 my

 narrative must be in great measure     
documentary4 ,letters of mine to friends
 have come to me since their deaths2    
others have been kindly lent me for the 
occasion2 and ,i have some drafts of    
letters1 and notes of my own1 though ,i 
have no strictly personal or continuous 
memoranda to consult1 and have unluckily
 mislaid some valuable papers4   ,and   
first as to my position in the view of  
duty2 it was this3--#a4 ,i had given up 
my place in the ,movement in my letter  
to the ,bishop of ,oxford in the spring 
of #ahda2 but #b4 ,i could not give up  
my duties towards the many and various  
minds who had more or less been brought 
into it by me2 #c4 ,i expected or       
intended gradually to fall back into    
,lay ,communion2 #d4 ,i never           
contemplated leaving the ,church of     
,england2 #e4 ,i could not hold office  
in her1 if ,i were not allowed to hold  
the ,catholic sense of the ,articles2   
#f4 ,i could not go to ,rome1 while she 
suffered honours to be paid to the      

,blessed ,virgin and the ,saints which  
,i thought incompatible with the        
,supreme1 ,incommunicable ,glory of the 
,one ,infinite and ,eternal2 #g4 ,i     
desired a union with ,rome under        
conditions1 ,church with ,church2 #h4 ,i
 called ,littlemore my ,torres ,vedras1 
and thought that some day we might      
advance again within the ,anglican      
,church1 as we had been forced to       
retire2 #i4 ,i kept back all persons who
 were disposed to go to ,rome with all  
my might4  ,and ,i kept them back for   
three or four reasons2 #a1 because what 
,i could not in conscience do myself1 ,i
 could not suffer them to do2 #b1       
because ,i thought that in various cases
 they were acting under excitement2 #c1 
while ,i held ,st4 ,mary's1 because ,i  
had duties to my ,bishop and to the     
,anglican ,church2 and #d1 in some      
cases1 because ,i had received from     
their ,anglican parents or superiors    
direct charge of them4  ,this was my    
view of my duty from the end of #ahda1  

to my resignation of ,st4 ,mary's in the
 autumn of #ahdc4 ,and now ,i shall     
relate my view1 during that time1 of the
 state of the controversy between the   
,churches4  ,as soon as ,i saw the hitch
 in the ,anglican argument1 during my   
course of reading in the summer of      
#ahci1 ,i began to look about1 as ,i    
have said1 for some ground which might  
supply a controversial basis for my     
need4 ,the difficulty in question had   
affected my view both of ,antiquity and 
,catholicity2 for1 while the history of 
,st4 ,leo showed me that the deliberate 
and eventual consent of the great body  
of the ,church ratified a doctrinal     
decision1 it also showed that the rule  
of ,antiquity was not infringed1 though 
a doctrine had not been publicly        
recognised as a portion of the dogmatic 
foundation of the ,church1 till         
centuries after the time of the         
apostles4 ,thus1 whereas the ,creeds    
tell us that the ,church is ,one1 ,holy1
 ,catholic1 and ,apostolic1 ,i could not

 prove that the ,anglican communion was 
an integral part of the ,one ,church1 on
 the ground of its being ,apostolic or  
,catholic1 without reasoning in favour  
of what are commonly called the ,roman  
corruptions2 and ,i could not defend our
 separation from ,rome without using    
arguments prejudicial to those great    
doctrines concerning our ,lord1 which   
are the very foundation of the          
,christian religion4 ,the ,via ,media   
was an impossible idea2 it was what ,i  
had called standing on one leg2 and it  
was necessary1 if my old issue of the   
controversy was to be retained1 to go   
further either one way or the other4    
,accordingly1 ,i abandoned that old     
ground and took another4 ,i deliberately
 quitted the old ,anglican ground as    
untenable2 but ,i did not do so all at  
once1 but as ,i became more and more    
convinced of the state of the case4 ,the
 ,jerusalem bishopric was the ultimate  
condemnation of the old theory of the   
,via ,media2 from that time the         

,anglican ,church was1 in my mind1      
either not a normal portion of that ,one
 ,church to which the promises were     
made1 or at least in an abnormal state1 
and from that time ,i said boldly1 as ,i
 did in my ,protest1 and as indeed ,i   
had even intimated in my letter to the  
,bishop of ,oxford1 that the ,church in 
which ,i found myself had no claim on   
me1 except on condition of its being a  
portion of the ,one ,catholic           
,communion1 and that that condition must
 ever be borne in mind as a practical   
matter1 and had to be distinctly proved4
 ,all this was not inconsistent with my 
saying that1 at this time1 ,i had no    
thought of leaving that ,church because 
,i felt some of my old objections       
against ,rome as strongly as ever4 ,i   
had no right1 ,i had no leave1 to act   
against my conscience4 ,that was a      
higher rule than any argument about the 
notes of the ,church4  ,under these     
circumstances ,i turned for protection  
to the note of sanctity1 with a view of 

showing that we had at least one of the 
necessary notes1 as fully as the ,church
 of ,rome2 or1 at least1 without        
entering into comparisons1 that we had  
it in such a sufficient sense as to     
reconcile us to our position1 and to    
supply full evidence1 and a clear       
direction1 on the point of practical    
duty4 ,we had the note of life1--not any
 sort of life1 not such only as can come
 of nature1 but a supernatural          
,christian life1 which could only come  
directly from above4 ,in my article in  
the ,british ,critic1 to which ,i have  
so often referred1 in ,january1 #ahdj   
7before the time of ,tract #ij71 ,i said
 of the ,anglican ,church that she has  
the note of possession1 the note of     
freedom from party titles1 the note of  
life1--a tough life and a vigorous2 she 
has ancient descent1 unbroken           
continuance1 agreement in doctrine with 
the ,ancient ,church4 ,presently ,i go  
on to speak of sanctity3 ,much as ,roman
 ,catholics may denounce us at present  

as schismatical1 they could not resist  
us if the ,anglican communion had but   
that one note of the ,church upon       
it1--sanctity4 ,the ,church of the day  
fourth century could not resist         
,meletius2 his enemies were fairly      
overcome by him1 by his meekness and    
holiness1 which melted the most jealous 
of them4 ,and ,i continue1 ,we are      
almost content to say to ,romanists1    
account us not yet as a branch of the   
,catholic ,church1 though we be a       
branch1 till we are like a branch1      
provided that when we do become like a  
branch1 then you consent to acknowledge 
us1 etc4 ,and so ,i was led on in the   
,article to that sharp attack on        
,english ,catholics for their           
short-comings as regards this note1 a   
good portion of which ,i have already   
quoted in another place4 ,it is there   
that ,i speak of the great scandal which
 ,i took at their political1 social1 and
 controversial bearing2 and this was a  
second reason why ,i fell back upon the 

note of sanctity1 because it took me    
away from the necessity of making any   
attack upon the doctrines of the ,roman 
,church1 nay1 from the consideration of 
her popular beliefs1 and brought me upon
 a ground on which ,i felt ,i could not 
make a mistake2 for what is a higher    
guide for us in speculation and in      
practice1 than that conscience of right 
and wrong1 of truth and falsehood1 those
 sentiments of what is decorous1        
consistent1 and noble1 which our        
,creator has made a part of our original
 nature8 ,therefore ,i felt ,i could not
 be wrong in attacking what ,i fancied  
was a fact1--the unscrupulousness1 the  
deceit1 and the intriguing spirit of the
 agents and representatives of ,rome4   
,this reference to holiness as the true 
test of a ,church was steadily kept in  
view in what ,i wrote in connection with
 ,tract #ij4 ,i say in its              
,introduction1 ,the writer can never be 
party to forcing the opinions or        
projects of one school upon another2    

religious changes should be the act of  
the whole body4 ,no good can come of a  
change which is not a development of    
feelings springing up freely and calmly 
within the bosom of the whole body      
itself2 every change in religion must be
 attended by deep repentance2 changes   
must be nurtured in mutual love2 we     
cannot agree without a supernatural     
influence2 we must come together to ,god
 to do for us what we cannot do for     
ourselves4 ,in my letter to the bishop  
,i said1 ,i have set myself against     
suggestions for considering the         
differences between ourselves and the   
foreign ,churches with a view to their  
adjustment4 7,i meant in the way of     
negotiation1 conference1 agitation1 or  
the like47 ,our business is with        
ourselves1--to make ourselves more holy1
 more self-denying1 more primitive1 more
 worthy of our high calling4 ,to be     
anxious for a composition of differences
 is to begin at the end4 ,political     
reconciliations are but outward and     

hollow1 and fallacious4 ,and till ,roman
 ,catholics renounce political efforts1 
and manifest in their public measures   
the light of holiness and truth1        
perpetual war is our only prospect4     
,according to this theory1 a religious  
body is part of the ,one ,catholic and  
,apostolic ,church1 if it has the       
succession and the creed of the         
apostles1 with the note of holiness of  
life2 and there is much in such a view  
to approve itself to the direct common  
sense and practical habits of an        
,englishman4 ,however1 with events      
consequent upon ,tract #ij1 ,i sunk my  
theory to a lower level4 ,what could be 
said in apology1 when the bishops and   
the people of my ,church1 not only did  
not suffer1 but actually rejected       
primitive ,catholic doctrine1 and tried 
to eject from their communion all who   
held it8 after the ,bishops' charges8   
after the ,jerusalem abomination8 ,well1
 this could be said2 still we were not  
nothing3 we could not be as if we never 

had been a ,church2 we were ,samaria4   
,this then was that lower level on which
 ,i placed myself1 and all who felt with
 me1 at the end of #ahda4  ,to bring out
 this view was the purpose of four      
sermons preached at ,st4 ,mary's in     
,december of that year4 ,hitherto ,i had
 not introduced the exciting topics of  
the day into the pulpit2 on this        
occasion ,i did4 ,i did so1 for the     
moment was urgent2 there was great      
unsettlement of mind among us1 in       
consequence of those same events which  
had unsettled me4 ,one special anxiety1 
very obvious1 which was coming on me    
now1 was1 that what was one man's meat  
was another man's poison4 ,i had said   
even of ,tract #ij1 ,it was addressed to
 one set of persons1 and has been used  
and commented on by another2 still more 
was it true now1 that whatever ,i wrote 
for the service of those whom ,i knew to
 be in trouble of mind1 would become on 
the one hand matter of suspicion and    
slander in the mouths of my opponents1  

and of distress and surprise to those on
 the other hand1 who had no difficulties
 of faith at all4 ,accordingly1 when ,i 
published these four sermons at the end 
of #ahdc1 ,i introduced them with a     
recommendation that none should read    
them who did not need them4 ,but in     
truth the virtual condemnation of ,tract
 #ij1 after that the whole difficulty   
seemed to have been weathered1 was an   
enormous disappointment and trial4 ,my  
,protest also against the ,jerusalem    
,bishopric was an unavoidable cause of  
excitement in the case of many2 but it  
calmed them too1 for the very fact of a 
,protest was a relief to their          
impatience4 ,and so1 in like manner1 as 
regards the four sermons1 of which ,i   
speak1 though they acknowledged freely  
the great scandal which was involved in 
the recent episcopal doings1 yet at the 
same time they might be said to bestow  
upon the multiplied disorders and       
shortcomings of the ,anglican ,church a 
sort of place in the ,revealed          

,dispensation1 and an intellectual      
position in the controversy1 and the    
dignity of a great principle1 for       
unsettled minds to take and use1 which  
might teach them to recognise their own 
consistency1 and to be reconciled to    
themselves1 and which might absorb into 
itself and dry up a multitude of their  
grudgings1 discontents1 misgivings1 and 
questionings1 and lead the way to       
humble1 thankful1 and tranquil          
thoughts2--and this was the effect which
 certainly it produced on myself4  ,the 
point of these sermons is1 that1 in     
spite of the rigid character of the     
,jewish law1 the formal and literal     
force of its precepts1 and the manifest 
schism1 and worse than schism1 of the   
ten tribes1 yet in fact they were still 
recognised as a people by the ,divine   
,mercy2 that the great prophets ,elias  
and ,eliseus were sent to them1 and not 
only so1 but sent to preach to them and 
reclaim them1 without any intimation    
that they must be reconciled to the line

 of ,david and the ,aaronic priesthood1 
or go up to ,jerusalem to worship4 ,they
 were not in the ,church1 yet they had  
the means of grace and the hope of      
acceptance with their ,maker4 ,the      
application of all this to the ,anglican
 ,church was immediate2--whether a man  
could assume or exercise ministerial    
functions under the circumstances1 or   
not1 might not clearly appear1 though it
 must be remembered that ,england had   
the apostolic priesthood1 whereas       
,israel had no priesthood at all2 but so
 far was clear1 that there was no call  
at all for an ,anglican to leave his    
,church for ,rome1 though he did not    
believe his own to be part of the ,one  
,church3--and for this reason1 because  
it was a fact that the kingdom of       
,israel was cut off from the ,temple2   
and yet its subjects1 neither in a mass1
 nor as individuals1 neither the        
multitudes on ,mount ,carmel1 nor the   
,shunammite and her household1 had any  
command given them1 though miracles were

 displayed before them1 to break off    
from their own people1 and to submit    
themselves to ,judah4#c  ,it is plain   
that a theory such as this1 whether the 
marks of a divine presence and life in  
the ,anglican ,church were sufficient to
 prove that she was actually within the 
covenant1 or only sufficient to prove   
that she was at least enjoying          
extraordinary and uncovenanted mercies1 
not only lowered her level in a         
religious point of view1 but weakened   
her controversial basis4 ,its very      
novelty made it suspicious2 and there   
was no guarantee that the process of    
subsidence might not continue1 and that 
it might not end in a submersion4       
,indeed1 to many minds1 to say that     
,england was wrong was even to say that 
,rome was right2 and no ethical         
reasoning whatever could overcome in    
their case the argument from            
prescription and authority4 ,to this    
objection ,i could only answer that ,i  
did not make my circumstances4 ,i fully 

acknowledged the force and effectiveness
 of the genuine ,an glican theory1 and  
that it was all but proof against the   
disputants of ,rome2 but still like     
,achilles1 it had a vulnerable point1   
and that ,st4 ,leo had found it out for 
me1 and that ,i could not help          
it2--that1 were it not for matter of    
fact1 the theory would be great indeed1 
it would be irresistible1 if it were    
only true4 ,when ,i became a ,catholic1 
the editor of a magazine who had in     
former days accused me1 to my           
indignation1 of tending towards ,rome1  
wrote to me to ask1 which of the two was
 now right1 he or ,i8 ,i answered him in
 a letter1 part of which ,i here insert1
 as it will serve as a sort of          
leave-taking of the great theory1 which 
is so specious to look upon1 so         
difficult to prove1 and so hopeless to  
work4  ,nov4 #h1 #ahde4 ,i do not think1
 at all more than ,i did1 that the      
,anglican principles which ,i advocated 
at the date you mention1 lead men to the

 ,church of ,rome4 ,if ,i must specify  
what ,i mean by ',anglican principles1' 
,i should say1 e4g4 taking ,antiquity1  
not the existing ,church1 as the oracle 
of truth2 and holding that the          
,apostolical ,succession is a sufficient
 guarantee of ,sacramental ,grace1      
without union with the ,christian       
,church throughout the world4 ,i think  
these still the firmest1 strongest      
ground against ,rome--that is1 if they  
can be held4 ,they have been held by    
many1 and are far more difficult to     
refute in the ,roman controversy1 than  
those of any other religious body4  ,for
 myself1 ,i found ,i could not hold     
them4 ,i left them4 ,from the time ,i   
began to suspect their unsoundness1 ,i  
ceased to put them forward4 ,when ,i was
 fairly sure of their unsoundness1 ,i   
gave up my ,living4 ,when ,i was fully  
confident that the ,church of ,rome was 
the only true ,church1 ,i joined her4   
,i have felt all along that ,bp4 ,bull's
 theology was the only theology on which

 the ,english ,church could stand4 ,i   
have felt1 that opposition to the       
,church of ,rome was part of that       
theology2 and that he who could not     
protest against the ,church of ,rome was
 no true divine in the ,english ,church4
 ,i have never said1 nor attempted to   
say1 that any one in office in the      
,english ,church1 whether ,bishop or    
incumbent1 could be otherwise than in   
hostility to the ,church of ,rome4  ,the
 ,via ,media then disappeared for ever1 
and a new ,theory1 made expressly for   
the occasion1 took its place4 ,i was    
pleased with my new view4 ,i wrote to an
 intimate friend1 ,dec4 #ac1 #ahda1 ,i  
think you will give me the credit1      
,carissime1 of not undervaluing the     
strength of the feelings which draw one 
to ,rome1 and yet ,i am 7,i trust7 quite
 clear about my duty to remain where ,i 
am2 indeed1 much clearer than ,i was    
some time since4 ,if it is not          
presumptuous to say1 ,i have 444 a much 
more definite view of the promised      

inward ,presence of ,christ with us in  
the ,sacraments now that the outward    
notes of it are being removed4 ,and ,i  
am content to be with ,moses in the     
desert1 or with ,elijah excommunicated  
from the ,temple4 ,i say this1 putting  
things at the strongest4  ,however1 my  
friends of the moderate ,apostolical    
party1 who were my friends for the very 
reason of my having been so moderate and
 ,anglican myself in general tone in    
times past1 who had stood up for ,tract 
#ij partly from faith in me1 and        
certainly from generous and kind        
feeling1 and had thereby shared an      
obloquy which was none of theirs1 were  
naturally surprised and offended at a   
line of argument1 novel1 and1 as it     
appeared to them1 wanton1 which threw   
the whole controversy into confusion1   
stultified my former principles1 and    
substituted1 as they would consider1 a  
sort of methodistic self-contemplation1 
especially abhorrent both to my nature  
and to my past professions1 for the     

plain and honest tokens1 as they were   
commonly received1 of a divine mission  
in the ,anglican ,church4 ,they could   
not tell whither ,i was going2 and were 
still further annoyed1 when ,i would    
view the reception of ,tract #ij by the 
public and the ,bishops as so grave a   
matter1 and threw about what they       
considered mysterious hints of          
eventualities1 and would not simply say1
 ,an ,anglican ,i was born1 and an      
,anglican ,i will die4 ,one of my       
familiar friends1 who was in the country
 at ,christmas1 #ahda-b1 reported to me 
the feeling that prevailed about me2 and
 how ,i felt towards it will appear in  
the following letter of mine1 written in
 answer3--  ,oriel1 ,dec4 #bd1 #ahda4   
,carissime1 you cannot tell how sad your
 account of ,moberly has made me4 ,his  
view of the sinfulness of the decrees of
 ,trent is as much against union of     
,churches as against individual         
conversions4 ,to tell the truth1 ,i     
never have examined those decrees with  

this object1 and have no view2 but that 
is very different from having a         
deliberate view against them4 ,could not
 he say which they are8 ,i suppose      
,transubstantiation is one4 ,a4 ,b41    
though of course he would not like to   
have it repeated1 does not scruple at   
that4 ,i have not my mind clear4        
,moberly must recollect that ,palmer    
thinks they all bear a ,catholic        
interpretation4 ,for myself1 this only  
,i see1 that there is indefinitely more 
in the ,fathers against our own state of
 alienation from ,christendom than      
against the ,tridentine ,decrees4  ,the 
only thing ,i can think of that ,i can  
have said is this1 that there were      
persons who1 if our ,church committed   
herself to heresy1 sooner than think    
that there was no ,church anywhere1     
would believe the ,roman to be the      
,church2 and therefore would on faith   
accept what they could not otherwise    
acquiesce in4 ,i suppose1 it would be no
 relief to him to insist upon the       

circumstance that there is no immediate 
danger4 ,individuals can never be       
answered for of course2 but ,i should   
think lightly of that man1 who1 for some
 act of the ,bishops1 should all at once
 leave the ,church4 ,now1 considering   
how the ,clergy really are improving1   
considering that this row is even making
 them read the ,tracts1 is it not       
possible we may all be in a better state
 of mind seven years hence to consider  
these matters8 and may we not leave them
 meanwhile to the will of ,providence8  
,i cannot believe this work has been of 
man2 ,god has a right to ,his own work1 
to do what ,he will with it4 ,may we not
 try to leave it in ,his hands1 and be  
content8  ,if you learn anything about  
,barter1 which leads you to think that  
,i can relieve him by a letter1 let me  
know4 ,the truth is this--our good      
friends do not read the ,fathers2 they  
assent to us from the common sense of   
the case3 then1 when the ,fathers1 and  
we1 say more than their common sense1   

they are dreadfully shocked4  ,the      
,bishop of ,london has rejected a man1  
#a4 ,for holding any ,sacrifice in the  
,eucharist4 #b4 ,the ,real ,presence4   
#c4 ,that there is a grace in           
,ordination4#d  ,are we quite sure that 
the ,bishops will not be drawing up some
 stringent declarations of faith8 is    
this what ,moberly fears8 ,would the    
,bishop of ,oxford accept them8 ,if so1 
,i should be driven into the ,refuge for
 the ,destitute ,littlemore4 ,but ,i    
promise ,moberly1 ,i would do my utmost 
to catch all dangerous persons and clap 
them into confinement there4  ,christmas
 ,day1 #ahda4 ,i have been dreaming of  
,moberly all night4 ,should not he and  
the like see1 that it is unwise1 unfair1
 and impatient to ask others1 ,what will
 you do under circumstances1 which have 
not1 which may never come8 ,why bring   
fear1 suspicion1 and disunion into the  
camp about things which are merely in   
posse8 ,natural1 and exceedingly kind as
 ,barter's and another friend's letters 

were1 ,i think they have done great     
harm4 ,i speak most sincerely when ,i   
say1 that there are things which ,i     
neither contemplate1 nor wish to        
contemplate2 but1 when ,i am asked about
 them ten times1 at length ,i begin to  
contemplate them4  ,he surely does not  
mean to say1 that nothing could separate
 a man from the ,english ,church1 e4g4  
its avowing ,socinianism2 its holding   
the ,holy ,eucharist in a ,socinian     
sense4 ,yet1 he would say1 it was not   
right to contemplate such things4       
,again1 our case is diverging from that 
of ,ken's4 ,to say nothing of the last  
miserable century1 which has given us to
 start from a much lower level and with 
much less to spare than a ,churchman in 
the #agth century1 questions of doctrine
 are now coming in2 with him1 it was a  
question of discipline4  ,if such       
dreadful events were realised1 ,i cannot
 help thinking we should all be vastly  
more agreed than we think now4 ,indeed1 
is it possible 7humanly speaking7 that  

those1 who have so much the same heart1 
should widely differ8 ,but let this be  
considered1 as to alternatives4 ,what   
communion could we join8 ,could the     
,scotch or ,american sanction the       
presence of its ,bishops and            
congregations in ,england1 without      
incurring the imputation of schism1     
unless indeed 7and is that likely87 they
 denounced the ,english as heretical8   
,is not this a time of strange          
providences8 is it not our safest       
course1 without looking to consequences1
 to do simply what we think right day by
 day8 shall we not be sure to go wrong1 
if we attempt to trace by anticipation  
the course of divine ,providence8  ,has 
not all our misery1 as a ,church1 arisen
 from people being afraid to look       
difficulties in the face8 ,they have    
palliated acts1 when they should have   
denounced them4 ,there is that good     
fellow1 ,worcester ,palmer1 can         
whitewash the ,ecclesiastical           
,commission and the ,jerusalem          

,bishopric4 ,and what is the            
consequence8 that our ,church has1      
through centuries1 ever been sinking    
lower and lower1 till good part of its  
pretensions and professions is a mere   
sham1 though it be a duty to make the   
best of what we have received4 ,yet1    
though bound to make the best of other  
men's shams1 let us not incur any of our
 own4 ,the truest friends of our ,church
 are they1 who say boldly when her      
rulers are going wrong1 and the         
consequences2 and 7to speak             
catachrestically7 they are most likely  
to die in the ,church1 who are1 under   
these black circumstances1 most prepared
 to leave it4  ,and ,i will add1 that1  
considering the traces of ,god's grace  
which surround us1 ,i am very sanguine1 
or rather confident 7if it is right so  
to speak71 that our prayers and our alms
 will come up as a memorial before ,god1
 and that all this miserable confusion  
tends to good4  ,let us not then be     
anxious1 and anticipate differences in  

prospect1 when we agree in the present4 
,p4,s4 ,i think1 when friends i4e4 the  
extreme party get over their first      
unsettlement of mind and consequent     
vague apprehensions1 which the new      
attitude of the ,bishops1 and our       
feelings upon it1 have brought about1   
they will get contented and satisfied4  
,they will see that they exaggerated    
things4444 ,of course it would have been
 wrong to anticipate what one's feelings
 would be under such a painful          
contingency as the ,bishops' charging as
 they have done--so it seems to me      
nobody's fault4 ,nor is it wonderful    
that others moderate men are startled   
i4e4 at my ,protest1 etc4 etc42 yet they
 should recollect that the more implicit
 the reverence one pays to a ,bishop1   
the more keen will be one's perception  
of heresy in him4 ,the cord is binding  
and compelling1 till it snaps4  ,men of 
reflection would have seen this1 if they
 had looked that way4 ,last spring1 a   
very high churchman talked to me of     

resisting my ,bishop1 of asking him for 
the ,canons under which he acted1 and so
 forth2 but those1 who have cultivated a
 loyal feeling towards their superiors1 
are the most loving servants1 or the    
most zealous protestors4 ,if others     
became so too1 if the clergy of ,chester
 denounced the heresy of their diocesan1
 they would be doing their duty1 and    
relieving themselves of the share which 
they otherwise have in any possible     
defection of their brethren4  ,st4      
,stephen's ,december #bf4 ,how ,i       
fidget6 ,i now fear that the note ,i    
wrote yesterday only makes matters worse
 by disclosing too much4 ,this is always
 my great difficulty4  ,in the present  
state of excitement on both sides1 ,i   
think of leaving out altogether my      
reassertion of ,no4 #ij in my ,preface  
to ,volume #f1 and merely saying1 ',as  
many false reports are at this time in  
circulation about him1 he hopes his     
well-wishers will take this ,volume as  
an indication of his real thoughts and  

feelings3 those who are not1 he leaves  
in ,god's hand to bring them to a better
 mind in ,his own time4' ,what do you   
say to the logic1 sentiment1 and        
propriety of this8  ,there was one very 
old friend1 at a distance from ,oxford1 
afterwards a ,catholic1 now dead some   
years1 who must have said something to  
me1 ,i do not know what1 which          
challenged a frank reply2 for ,i        
disclosed to him1 ,i do not know in what
 words1 my frightful suspicion1 hitherto
 only known to two persons1 as regards  
my ,anglicanism1 perhaps ,i might break 
down in the event1 that perhaps we were 
both out of the ,church4 ,he answered me
 thus1 under date of ,jan4 #bi1 #ahdb3  
,i don't think that ,i ever was so      
shocked by any communication1 which was 
ever made to me1 as by your letter of   
this morning4 ,it has quite unnerved    
me4444 ,i cannot but write to you1      
though ,i am at a loss where to begin   
444 ,i know of no act by which we have  
dissevered ourselves from the communion 

of the ,church ,universal4444 ,the more 
,i study ,scripture1 the more am ,i     
impressed with the resemblance between  
the ,romish principle in the ,church and
 the ,babylon of ,st4 ,john4444 ,i am   
ready to grieve that ,i ever directed my
 thoughts to theology1 if it is indeed  
so uncertain1 as your doubts seem to    
indicate4  ,while my old and true       
friends were thus in trouble about me1  
,i suppose they felt not only anxiety   
but pain1 to see that ,i was gradually  
surrendering myself to the influence of 
others1 who had not their own claims    
upon me1 younger men1 and of a cast of  
mind uncongenial to my own4 ,a new      
school of thought was rising1 as is     
usual in such movements1 and was        
sweeping the original party of the      
movement aside1 and was taking its      
place4 ,the most prominent person in it1
 was a man of elegant genius1 of        
classical mind1 of rare talent in       
literary composition3--,mr4 ,oakeley4   
,he was not far from my own age2 ,i had 

long known him1 though of late years he 
had not been in residence at ,oxford2   
and quite lately1 he has been taking    
several signal occasions of renewing    
that kindness1 which he ever showed     
towards me when we were both in the     
,anglican ,church4 ,his tone of mind was
 not unlike that which gave a character 
to the early movement2 he was almost a  
typical ,oxford man1 and1 as far as ,i  
recollect1 both in political and        
ecclesiastical views1 would have been of
 one spirit with the ,oriel party of    
#ahbf-ahcc4 ,but he had entered late    
into the ,movement2 he did not know its 
first years2 and1 beginning with a new  
start1 he was naturally thrown together 
with that body of eager1 acute1 resolute
 minds who had begun their ,catholic    
life about the same time as he1 who knew
 nothing about the ,via ,media1 but had 
heard much about ,rome4 ,this new party 
rapidly formed and increased1 in and out
 of ,oxford1 and1 as it so happened1    
contemporaneously with that very summer1

 when ,i received so serious a blow to  
my ecclesiastical views from the study  
of the ,monophysite controversy4 ,these 
men cut into the original ,movement at  
an angle1 fell across its line of       
thought1 and then set about turning that
 line in its own direction4 ,they were  
most of them keenly religious men1 with 
a true concern for their souls as the   
first matter of all1 with a great zeal  
for me1 but giving little certainty at  
the time as to which way they would     
ultimately turn4 ,some in the event have
 remained firm to ,anglicanism1 some    
have become ,catholics1 and some have   
found a refuge in ,liberalism4 ,nothing 
was clearer concerning them1 than that  
they needed to be kept in order2 and on 
me who had had so much to do with the   
making of them1 that duty was as clearly
 incumbent2 and it is equally clear1    
from what ,i have already said1 that ,i 
was just the person1 above all others1  
who could not undertake it4 ,there are  
no friends like old friends2 but of     

those old friends1 few could help me1   
few could understand me1 many were      
annoyed with me1 some were angry1       
because ,i was breaking up a compact    
party1 and some1 as a matter of         
conscience1 could not listen to me4 ,i  
said1 bitterly1 ,you are throwing me on 
others1 whether ,i will or no4 ,yet     
still ,i had good and true friends      
around me of the old sort1 in and out of
 ,oxford too4 ,but on the other hand1   
though ,i neither was so fond of the    
persons1 nor of the methods of thought1 
which belonged to this new school1      
excepting two or three men1 as of the   
old set1 though ,i could not trust in   
their firmness of purpose1 for1 like a  
swarm of flies1 they might come and go1 
and at length be divided and dissipated1
 yet ,i had an intense sympathy in their
 object and in the direction of their   
path1 in spite of my old friends1 in    
spite of my old life-long prejudices4   
,in spite of my ingrained fears of      
,rome1 and the decision of my reason and

 conscience against her usages1 in spite
 of my affection for ,oxford and ,oriel1
 yet ,i had a secret longing love of    
,rome the author of ,english            
,christianity1 and ,i had a true        
devotion to the ,blessed ,virgin1 in    
whose ,college ,i lived1 whose altar ,i 
served1 and whose immaculate purity ,i  
had in one of my earliest printed       
,sermons made much of4 ,and it was the  
consciousness of this bias in myself1 if
 it is so to be called1 which made me   
preach so earnestly against the danger  
of being swayed by our sympathy rather  
than our reason in religious inquiry4   
,and moreover1 the members of this new  
school looked up to me1 as ,i have said1
 and did me true kindnesses1 and really 
loved me1 and stood by me in trouble1   
when others went away1 and for all this 
,i was grateful2 nay1 many of them were 
in trouble themselves1 and in the same  
boat with me1 and that was a further    
cause of sympathy between us2 and hence 
it was1 when the new school came on in  

force1 and into collision with the old1 
,i had not the heart1 any more than the 
power1 to repel them2 ,i was in great   
perplexity1 and hardly knew where ,i    
stood2 ,i took their part3 and1 when ,i 
wanted to be in peace and silence1 ,i   
had to speak out1 and ,i incurred the   
charge of weakness from some men1 and of
 mysteriousness1 shuffling1 and         
underhand dealing from the majority4    
,now ,i will say here frankly1 that this
 sort of charge is a matter which ,i    
cannot properly meet1 because ,i cannot 
duly realise it4 ,i have never had any  
suspicion of my own honesty2 and1 when  
men say that ,i was dishonest1 ,i cannot
 grasp the accusation as a distinct     
conception1 such as it is possible to   
encounter4 ,if a man said to me1 ,on    
such a day and before such persons you  
said a thing was white1 when it was     
black1 ,i understand what is meant well 
enough1 and ,i can set myself to prove  
an alibi or to explain the mistake2 or  
if a man said to me1 ,you tried to gain 

me over to your party1 intending to take
 me with you to ,rome1 but you did not  
succeed1 ,i can give him the lie1 and   
lay down an assertion of my own as firm 
and as exact as his1 that not from the  
time that ,i was first unsettled1 did ,i
 ever attempt to gain any one over to   
myself or to my ,romanizing opinions1   
and that it is only his own coxcombical 
fancy which has bred such a thought in  
him3 but my imagination is at a loss in 
presence of those vague charges1 which  
have commonly been brought against me1  
charges1 which are made up of           
impressions1 and understandings1 and    
inferences1 and hearsay1 and surmises4  
,accordingly1 ,i shall not make the     
attempt1 for1 in doing so1 ,i should be 
dealing blows in the air2 what ,i shall 
attempt is to state what ,i know of     
myself and what ,i recollect1 and leave 
its application to others4  ,while ,i   
had confidence in the ,via ,media1 and  
thought that nothing could overset it1  
,i did not mind laying down large       

principles1 which ,i saw would go       
further than was commonly perceived4 ,i 
considered that to make the ,via ,media 
concrete and substantive1 it must be    
much more than it was in outline2 that  
the ,anglican ,church must have a       
ceremonial1 a ritual1 and a fulness of  
doctrine and devotion1 which it had not 
at present1 if it were to compete with  
the ,roman ,church with any prospect of 
success4 ,such additions would not      
remove it from its proper basis1 but    
would merely strengthen and beautify it3
 such1 for instance1 would be           
confraternities1 particular devotions1  
reverence for the ,blessed ,virgin1     
prayers for the dead1 beautiful         
churches1 rich offerings to them and in 
them1 monastic houses1 and many other   
observances and institutions1 which ,i  
used to say belonged to us as much as to
 ,rome1 though ,rome had appropriated   
them1 and boasted of them1 by reason of 
our having let them slip from us4 ,the  
principle1 on which all this turned1 is 

brought out in one of the letters ,i    
published on occasion of ,tract #ij4    
,the age is moving1 ,i said1 towards    
something2 and most unhappily the one   
religious communion among us1 which has 
of late years been practically in       
possession of this something1 is the    
,church of ,rome4 ,she alone1 amid all  
the errors and evils of her practical   
system1 has given free scope to the     
feelings of awe1 mystery1 tenderness1   
reverence1 devotedness1 and other       
feelings which may be especially called 
,catholic4 ,the question then is1       
whether we shall give them up to the    
,roman ,church or claim them for        
ourselves4444 ,but if we do give them   
up1 we must give up the men who cherish 
them4 ,we must consent either to give up
 the men1 or to admit their principles4 
,with these feelings ,i frankly admit1  
that1 while ,i was working simply for   
the sake of the ,anglican ,church1 ,i   
did not at all mind1 though ,i found    
myself laying down principles in its    

defence1 which went beyond that         
particular defence which high-and-dry   
men thought perfection1 and though ,i   
ended in framing a sort of defence1     
which they might call a revolution1     
while ,i thought it a restoration4      
,thus1 for illustration1 ,i might       
discourse upon the ,communion of ,saints
 in such a manner1 7though ,i do not    
recollect doing so7 as might lead the   
way towards devotion to the ,blessed    
,virgin and the saints on the one hand1 
and towards prayers for the dead on the 
other4 ,in a memorandum of the year     
#ahdd or #ahde1 ,i thus speak on this   
subject3 ,if the ,church be not defended
 on establishment grounds1 it must be   
upon principles1 which go far beyond    
their immediate object4 ,sometimes ,i   
saw these further results1 sometimes    
not4 ,though ,i saw them1 ,i sometimes  
did not say that ,i saw them2 so long as
 ,i thought they were inconsistent1 not 
with our ,church1 but only with the     
existing opinions1 ,i was not unwilling 

to insinuate truths into our ,church1   
which ,i thought had a right to be      
there4  ,to so much ,i confess2 but ,i  
do not confess1 ,i simply deny that ,i  
ever said anything which secretly bore  
against the ,church of ,england1 knowing
 it myself1 in order that others might  
unwarily accept it4 ,it was indeed one  
of my great difficulties and causes of  
reserve1 as time went on1 that ,i at    
length recognised in principles which ,i
 had honestly preached as if ,anglican1 
conclusions favourable to the ,roman    
,church4 ,of course ,i did not like to  
confess this2 and1 when interrogated1   
was in consequence in perplexity4 ,the  
prime instance of this was the appeal to
 ,antiquity2 ,st4 ,leo had overset1 in  
my own judgment1 its force in the       
special argument for ,anglicanism2 yet  
,i was committed to ,antiquity1 together
 with the whole ,anglican school2 what  
then was ,i to say1 when acute minds    
urged this or that application of it    
against the ,via ,media8 it was         

impossible that1 in such circumstances1 
any answer could be given which was not 
unsatisfactory1 or any behaviour adopted
 which was not mysterious4 ,again1      
sometimes in what ,i wrote ,i went just 
as far as ,i saw1 and could as little   
say more1 as ,i could see what is below 
the horizon2 and therefore1 when asked  
as to the consequences of what ,i had   
said1 had no answer to give4 ,again1    
sometimes when ,i was asked1 whether    
certain conclusions did not follow from 
a certain principle1 ,i might not be    
able to tell at the moment1 especially  
if the matter were complicated2 and for 
this reason1 if for no other1 because   
there is great difference between a     
conclusion in the abstract and a        
conclusion in the concrete1 and because 
a conclusion may be modified in fact by 
a conclusion from some opposite         
principle4 ,or it might so happen that  
,i got simply confused1 by the very     
clearness of the logic which was        
administered to me1 and thus gave my    

sanction to conclusions which really    
were not mine2 and when the report of   
those conclusions came round to me      
through others1 ,i had to unsay them4   
,and then again1 perhaps ,i did not like
 to see men scared or scandalised by    
unfeeling logical inferences1 which     
would not have touched them to the day  
of their death1 had they not been made  
to eat them4 ,and then ,i felt          
altogether the force of the maxim of    
,st4 ,ambrose1 ,non in dialectica       
complacuit ,deo salvum facere populum   
suum2--,i had a great dislike of paper  
logic4 ,for myself1 it was not logic    
that carried me on2 as well might one   
say that the quicksilver in the         
barometer changes the weather4 ,it is   
the concrete being that reasons2 pass a 
number of years1 and ,i find my mind in 
a new place2 how8 the whole man moves2  
paper logic is but the record of it4    
,all the logic in the world would not   
have made me move faster towards ,rome  
than ,i did2 as well might you say that 

,i have arrived at the end of my        
journey1 because ,i see the village     
church before me1 as venture to assert  
that the miles1 over which my soul had  
to pass before it got to ,rome1 could be
 annihilated1 even though ,i had had    
some far clearer view than ,i then had1 
that ,rome was my ultimate destination4 
,great acts take time4 ,at least this is
 what ,i felt in my own case2 and       
therefore to come to me with methods of 
logic1 had in it the nature of a        
provocation1 and1 though ,i do not think
 ,i ever showed it1 made me somewhat    
indifferent how ,i met them1 and perhaps
 led me1 as a means of relieving my     
impatience1 to be mysterious or         
irrelevant1 or to give in because ,i    
could not reply4 ,and a greater trouble 
still than these logical mazes1 was the 
introduction of logic into every subject
 whatever1 so far1 that is1 as it was   
done4 ,before ,i was at ,oriel1 ,i      
recollect an acquaintance saying to me  
that the ,oriel ,common ,room stank of  

,logic4 ,one is not at all pleased when 
poetry1 or eloquence1 or devotion1 is   
considered as if chiefly intended to    
feed syllogisms4 ,now1 in saying all    
this1 ,i am saying nothing against the  
deep piety and earnestness which were   
characteristics of this second phase of 
the ,movement1 in which ,i have taken so
 prominent a part4 ,what ,i have been   
observing is1 that this phase had a     
tendency to bewilder and to upset me1   
and1 that instead of saying so1 as ,i   
ought to have done1 in a sort of        
easiness1 for what ,i know1 ,i gave     
answers at random1 which have led to my 
appearing close or inconsistent4  ,i    
have turned up two letters of this      
period1 which in a measure illustrate   
what ,i have been saying4 ,the first is 
what ,i said to the ,bishop of ,oxford  
on occasion of ,tract #ij3  ,march #bj1 
#ahda4 ,no one can enter into my        
situation but myself4 ,i see a great    
many minds working in various directions
 and a variety of principles with       

multiplied bearings2 ,i act for the     
best4 ,i sincerely think that matters   
would not have gone better for the      
,church1 had ,i never written4 ,and if  
,i write ,i have a choice of            
difficulties4 ,it is easy for those who 
do not enter into those difficulties to 
say1 ',he ought to say this and not say 
that1' but things are wonderfully linked
 together1 and ,i cannot1 or rather ,i  
would not be dishonest4 ,when persons   
too interrogate me1 ,i am obliged in    
many cases to give an opinion1 or ,i    
seem to be underhand4 ,keeping silence  
looks like artifice4 ,and ,i do not like
 people to consult or respect me1 from  
thinking differently of my opinions from
 what ,i know them to be4 ,and again 7to
 use the proverb7 what is one man's food
 is another man's poison4 ,all these    
things make my situation very difficult4
 ,but that collision must at some time  
ensue between members of the ,church of 
opposite sentiments1 ,i have long been  
aware4 ,the time and mode has been in   

the hand of ,providence2 ,i do not mean 
to exclude my own great imperfections in
 bringing it about2 yet ,i still feel   
obliged to think the ,tract necessary4  
,dr4 ,pusey has shown me your           
,lordship's letters to him4 ,i am most  
desirous of saying in print anything    
which ,i can honestly say to remove     
false impressions created by the ,tract4
  ,the second is part of the notes of a 
letter sent to ,dr4 ,pusey in the next  
year3  ,october #af1 #ahdb4 ,as to my   
being entirely with ,a4 ,b41 ,i do not  
know the limits of my own opinions4 ,if 
,a4 ,b4 says that this or that is a     
development from what ,i have said1 ,i  
cannot say ,yes or ,no4 ,it is          
plausible1 it may be true4 ,of course   
the fact that the ,roman ,church has so 
developed and maintained1 adds great    
weight to the antecedent plausibility4  
,i cannot assert that it is not true2   
but ,i cannot1 with that keen perception
 which some people have1 appropriate it4
 ,it is a nuisance to me to be forced   

beyond what ,i can fairly accept4       
,there was another source of the        
perplexity with which at this time ,i   
was encompassed1 and of the reserve and 
mysteriousness1 of which it gave me the 
credit4 ,after ,tract #ij the           
,protestant world would not let me      
alone2 they pursued me in the public    
journals to ,littlemore4 ,reports of all
 kinds were circulated about me4        
,imprimis1 why did ,i go up to          
,littlemore at all8 ,for no good purpose
 certainly2 ,i dared not tell why4 ,why1
 to be sure1 it was hard that ,i should 
be obliged to say to the ,editors of    
newspapers that ,i went up there to say 
my prayers2 it was hard to have to tell 
the world in confidence1 that ,i had a  
certain doubt about the ,anglican       
system1 and could not at that moment    
resolve it1 or say what would come of   
it2 it was hard to have to confess that 
,i had thought of giving up my living a 
year or two before1 and that this was a 
first step to it4 ,it was hard to have  

to plead1 that1 for what ,i knew1 my    
doubts would vanish1 if the newspapers  
would be so good as to give me time and 
let me alone4 ,who would ever dream of  
making the world his confidant8 yet ,i  
was considered insidious1 sly1          
dishonest1 if ,i would not open my heart
 to the tender mercies of the world4    
,but they persisted3 ,what was ,i doing 
at ,littlemore8 ,doing there8 have ,i   
not retreated from you8 have ,i not     
given up my position and my place8 am ,i
 alone1 of ,englishmen1 not to have the 
privilege to go where ,i will1 no       
questions asked8 am ,i alone to be      
followed about by jealous prying eyes1  
who note down whether ,i go in at a back
 door or at the front1 and who the men  
are who happen to call on me in the     
afternoon8 ,cowards6 if ,i advanced one 
step1 you would run away2 it is not you 
that ,i fear3 ,di me terrent1 et        
,jupiter hostis4 ,it is because the     
,bishops still go on charging against   
me1 though ,i have quite given up3 it is

 that secret misgiving of heart which   
tells me that they do well1 for ,i have 
neither lot nor part with them3 this it 
is which weighs me down4 ,i cannot walk 
into or out of my house1 but curious    
eyes are upon me4 ,why will you not let 
me die in peace8 ,wounded brutes creep  
into some hole to die in1 and no one    
grudges it them4 ,let me alone1 ,i shall
 not trouble you long4 ,this was the    
keen heavy feeling which pierced me1    
and1 ,i think1 these are the very words 
that ,i used to myself4 ,i asked1 in the
 words of a great motto1 ,ubi lapsus8   
quid feci8 ,one day when ,i entered my  
house1 ,i found a flight of             
undergraduates inside4 ,heads of houses1
 as mounted patrols1 walked their horses
 round those poor cottages4 ,doctors of 
divinity dived into the hidden recesses 
of that private tenement uninvited1 and 
drew domestic conclusions from what they
 saw there4 ,i had thought that an      
,englishman's house was his castle2 but 
the newspapers thought otherwise1 and at

 last the matter came before my good    
,bishop4 ,i insert his letter1 and a    
portion of my reply to him3--  ,april   
#ab1 #ahdb4 ,so many of the charges     
against yourself and your friends which 
,i have seen in the public journals have
 been1 within my own knowledge1 false   
and calumnious1 that ,i am not apt to   
pay much attention to what is asserted  
with respect to you in the newspapers4  
,in a newspaper1 however1 of ,april #i1 
there appears a paragraph in which it is
 asserted1 as a matter of notoriety1    
that a 'so-called ,anglo-,catholic      
,monastery is in process of erection at 
,littlemore1 and that the cells of      
dormitories1 the chapel1 the refectory1 
the cloisters all may be seen advancing 
to perfection1 under the eye of a       
,parish ,priest of the ,diocese of      
,oxford4'  ,now1 as ,i have understood  
that you really are possessed of some   
tenements at ,littlemore--as it is      
generally believed that they are        
destined for the purposes of study and  

devotion--and as much suspicion and     
jealousy are felt about the matter1 ,i  
am anxious to afford you an opportunity 
of making me an explanation on the      
subject4  ,i know you too well not to be
 aware that you are the last man living 
to attempt in my ,diocese a revival of  
the ,monastic orders 7in anything       
approaching to the ,romanist sense of   
the term7 without previous communication
 with me--or indeed that you should take
 upon yourself to originate any measure 
of importance without authority from the
 heads of the ,church--and therefore ,i 
at once exonerate you from the          
accusation brought against you by the   
newspaper ,i have quoted1 but ,i feel it
 nevertheless a duty to my ,diocese and 
myself1 as well as to you1 to ask you to
 put it in my power to contradict what1 
if uncontradicted1 would appear to imply
 a glaring invasion of all              
ecclesiastical discipline on your part1 
or of inexcusable neglect and           
indifference to my duties on mine4      

,april #ad1 #ahdb4 ,i am very much      
obliged by your ,lordship's kindness in 
allowing me to write to you on the      
subject of my house at ,littlemore2 at  
the same time ,i feel it hard both on   
your ,lordship and myself that the      
restlessness of the public mind should  
oblige you to require an explanation of 
me4  ,it is now a whole year that ,i    
have been the subject of incessant      
misrepresentation4 ,a year since ,i     
submitted entirely to your ,lordship's  
authority2 and with the intention of    
following out the particular act        
enjoined upon me1 ,i not only stopped   
the series of ,tracts1 on which ,i was  
engaged1 but withdrew from all public   
discussion of ,church matters of the    
day1 or what may be called              
ecclesiastical politics4 ,i turned      
myself at once to the preparation for   
the ,press of the translations of ,st4  
,athanasius to which ,i had long wished 
to devote myself1 and ,i intended and   
intend to employ myself in the like     

theological studies1 and in the concerns
 of my own parish and in practical      
works4  ,with the same view of personal 
improvement ,i was led more seriously to
 a design which had been long on my     
mind4 ,for many years1 at least         
thirteen1 ,i have wished to give myself 
to a life of greater religious          
regularity than ,i have hitherto led2   
but it is very unpleasant to confess    
such a wish even to my ,bishop1 because 
it seems arrogant1 and because it is    
committing me to a profession which may 
come to nothing4 ,for what have ,i done 
that ,i am to be called to account by   
the world for my private actions1 in a  
way in which no one else is called8 ,why
 may ,i not have that liberty which all 
others are allowed8 ,i am often accused 
of being underhand and uncandid in      
respect to the intentions to which ,i   
have been alluding3 but no one likes his
 own good resolutions noised about1 both
 from mere common delicacy and from fear
 lest he should not be able to fulfil   

them4 ,i feel it very cruel1 though the 
parties in fault do not know what they  
are doing1 that very sacred matters     
between me and my conscience are made a 
matter of public talk4 ,may ,i take a   
case parallel though different8 suppose 
a person in prospect of marriage2 would 
he like the subject discussed in        
newspapers1 and parties1 circumstances1 
etc41 etc41 publicly demanded of him1 at
 the penalty of being accused of craft  
and duplicity8  ,the resolution ,i speak
 of has been taken with reference to    
myself alone1 and has been contemplated 
quite independent of the co-operation of
 any other human being1 and without     
reference to success or failure other   
than personal1 and without regard to the
 blame or approbation of man4 ,and being
 a resolution of years1 and one to which
 ,i feel ,god has called me1 and in     
which ,i am violating no rule of the    
,church any more than if ,i married1 ,i 
should have to answer for it1 if ,i did 
not pursue it1 as a good ,providence    

made openings for it4 ,in pursuing it   
then ,i am thinking of myself alone1 not
 aiming at any ecclesiastical or        
external effects4 ,at the same time of  
course it would be a great comfort to me
 to know that ,god had put it into the  
hearts of others to pursue their        
personal edification in the same way1   
and unnatural not to wish to have the   
benefit of their presence and           
encouragement1 or not to think it a     
great infringement on the rights of     
conscience if such personal and private 
resolutions were interfered with4 ,your 
,lordship will allow me to add my firm  
conviction that such religious          
resolutions are most necessary for      
keeping a certain class of minds firm in
 their allegiance to our ,church2 but   
still ,i can as truly say that my own   
reason for anything ,i have done has    
been a personal one1 without which ,i   
should not have entered upon it1 and    
which ,i hope to pursue whether with or 
without the sympathies of others        

pursuing a similar course4 444  ,as to  
my intentions1 ,i purpose to live there 
myself a good deal1 as ,i have a        
resident curate in ,oxford4 ,in doing   
this1 ,i believe ,i am consulting for   
the good of my parish1 as my population 
at ,littlemore is at least equal to that
 of ,st4 ,mary's in ,oxford1 and the    
whole of ,littlemore is double of it4   
,it has been very much neglected2 and in
 providing a parsonage-house at         
,littlemore1 as this will be1 and will  
be called1 ,i conceive ,i am doing a    
very great benefit to my people4 ,at the
 same time it has appeared to me that a 
partial or temporary retirement from    
,st4 ,mary's ,church might be expedient 
under the prevailing excitement4  ,as to
 the quotation from the newspaper which 
,i have not seen1 your ,lordship will   
perceive from what ,i have said1 that no
 'monastery is in process of erection2' 
there is no 'chapel2' no 'refectory1'   
hardly a dining-room or parlour4 ,the   
'cloisters' are my shed connecting the  

cottages4 ,i do not understand what     
'cells of dormitories' means4 ,of course
 ,i can repeat your ,lordship's words   
that ',i am not attempting a revival of 
the ,monastic ,orders1 in anything      
approaching to the ,romanist sense of   
the term1' or 'taking on myself to      
originate any measure of importance     
without authority from the ,heads of the
 ,church4' ,i am attempting nothing     
ecclesiastical1 but something personal  
and private1 and which can only be made 
public1 not private1 by newspapers and  
letter-writers1 in which sense the most 
sacred and conscientious resolves and   
acts may certainly be made the objects  
of an unmannerly and unfeeling          
curiosity4  ,one calumny there was which
 the bishop did not believe1 and of     
which of course he had no idea of       
speaking4 ,it was that ,i was actually  
in the service of the enemy4 ,i had been
 already received into the ,catholic    
,church1 and was rearing at ,littlemore 
a nest of ,papists1 who1 like me1 were  

to take the ,anglican oaths which they  
did not believe1 and for which they got 
dispensation from ,rome1 and thus in due
 time were to bring over to that        
unprincipled ,church great numbers of   
the ,anglican clergy and laity4 ,bishops
 gave their countenance to this         
imputation against me4 ,the case was    
simply this3--as ,i made ,littlemore a  
place of retirement for myself1 so did  
,i offer it to others4 ,there were young
 men in ,oxford1 whose testimonials for 
,orders had been refused by their       
,colleges2 there were young clergymen1  
who had found themselves unable from    
conscience to go on with their duties1  
and had thrown up their parochial       
engagements4 ,such men were already     
going straight to ,rome1 and ,i         
interposed2 ,i interposed for the       
reasons ,i have given in the beginning  
of this portion of my narrative4 ,i     
interposed from fidelity to my clerical 
engagements1 and from duty to my        
,bishop2 and from the interest which ,i 

was bound to take in them1 and from     
belief that they were premature or      
excited4 ,their friends besought me to  
quiet them1 if ,i could4 ,some of them  
came to live with me at ,littlemore4    
,they were laymen1 or in the place of   
laymen4 ,i kept some of them back for   
several years from being received into  
the ,catholic ,church4 ,even when ,i had
 given up my living1 ,i was still bound 
by my duty to their parents or friends1 
and ,i did not forget still to do what  
,i could for them4 ,the immediate       
occasion of my resigning ,st4 ,mary's1  
was the unexpected conversion of one of 
them4 ,after that1 ,i felt it was       
impossible to keep my post there1 for ,i
 had been unable to keep my word with my
 ,bishop4  ,the following letters refer1
 more or less1 to these men1 whether    
they were with me at ,littlemore or     
not3--  #a4 #ahdc or #ahdd4 ,i did not  
explain to you sufficiently the state of
 mind of those who were in danger4 ,i   
only spoke of those who were convinced  

that our ,church was external to the    
,church ,catholic1 though they felt it  
unsafe to trust their own private       
convictions2 but there are two other    
states of mind2 #a1 that of those who   
are unconsciously near ,rome1 and whose 
despair about our ,church would at once 
develop into a state of conscious       
approximation1 or a quasi-resolution to 
go over2 #b1 those who feel they can    
with a safe conscience remain with us   
while they are allowed to testify in    
behalf of ,catholicism1 i4e4 as if by   
such acts they were putting our ,church1
 or at least that portion of it in which
 they were included1 in the position of 
catechumens4  #b4 ,july #af1 #ahdc4 ,i  
assure you that ,i feel1 with only too  
much sympathy1 what you say4 ,you need  
not be told that the whole subject of   
our position is a subject of anxiety to 
others beside yourself4 ,it is no good  
attempting to offer advice1 when perhaps
 ,i might raise difficulties instead of 
removing them4 ,it seems to me quite a  

case1 in which you should1 as far as may
 be1 make up your mind for yourself4    
,come to ,littlemore by all means4 ,we  
shall all rejoice in your company2 and1 
if quiet and retirement are able1 as    
they very likely will be1 to reconcile  
you to things as they are1 you shall    
have your fill of them4 ,how distressed 
poor ,henry ,wilberforce must be6       
,knowing how he values you1 ,i feel for 
him2 but1 alas6 he has his own position1
 and every one else has his own1 and the
 misery is that no two of us have       
exactly the same4  ,it is very kind of  
you to be so frank and open with me1 as 
you are2 but this is a time which throws
 together persons who feel alike4 ,may  
,i without taking a liberty sign myself1
 yours affectionately1 etc4  #c4 #ahde4 
,i am concerned to find you speak of me 
in a tone of distrust4 ,if you knew me  
ever so little1 instead of hearing of me
 from persons who do not know me at all1
 you would think differently of me1     
whatever you thought of my opinions4    

,two years since1 ,i got your son to    
tell you my intention of resigning ,st4 
,mary's1 before ,i made it public1      
thinking you ought to know it4 ,when you
 expressed some painful feeling upon it1
 ,i told him ,i could not consent to his
 remaining here1 painful as it would be 
to me to part with him1 without your    
written sanction4 ,and this you did me  
the favour to give4  ,i believe you will
 find that it has been merely a delicacy
 on your son's part1 which has delayed  
his speaking to you about me for two    
months past2 a delicacy1 lest he should 
say either too much or too little about 
me4 ,i have urged him several times to  
speak to you4  ,nothing can be done     
after your letter1 but to recommend him 
to go to ,a4 ,b4 7his home7 at once4 ,i 
am very sorry to part with him4  #d4    
,the following letter is addressed to a 
,catholic prelate1 who accused me of    
coldness in my conduct towards him3--   
,april #af1 #ahde4 ,i was at that time  
in charge of a ministerial office in the

 ,english ,church1 with persons         
entrusted to me1 and a ,bishop to obey2 
how could ,i possibly write otherwise   
than ,i did without violating sacred    
obligations and betraying momentous     
interests which were upon me8 ,i felt   
that my immediate1 undeniable duty1     
clear if anything was clear1 was to     
fulfil that trust4 ,it might be right   
indeed to give it up1 that was another  
thing2 but it never could be right to   
hold it1 and to act as if ,i did not    
hold it4444 ,if you knew me1 you would  
acquit me1 ,i think1 of having ever felt
 towards your ,lordship an unfriendly   
spirit1 or ever having had a shadow on  
my mind 7as far as ,i dare witness about
 myself7 of what might be called        
controversial rivalry or desire of      
getting the better1 or fear lest the    
world should think ,i had got the worst1
 or irritation of any kind4 ,you are too
 kind indeed to imply this1 and yet your
 words lead me to say it4 ,and now in   
like manner1 pray believe1 though ,i    

cannot explain it to you1 that ,i am    
encompassed with responsibilities1 so   
great and so various1 as utterly to     
overcome me1 unless ,i have mercy from  
,him1 who all through my life has       
sustained and guided me1 and to whom ,i 
can now submit myself1 though men of all
 parties are thinking evil of me4  #e4  
,august #cj1 #ahdc4 ,a4 ,b4 has suddenly
 conformed to the ,church of ,rome4 ,he 
was away for three weeks4 ,i suppose ,i 
must say in my defence1 that he promised
 me distinctly to remain in our ,church 
three years1 before ,i received him     
here4  ,such fidelity1 however1 was     
taken in malam partem by the high       
,anglican authorities2 they thought it  
insidious4 ,i happen still to have a    
correspondence1 in which the chief place
 is filled by one of the most eminent   
bishops of the day1 a theologian and    
reader of the ,fathers1 a moderate man1 
who at one time was talked of as likely 
to have the reversion of the ,primacy4  
,a young clergyman in his diocese became

 a ,catholic2 the papers at once        
reported on authority from a very high  
quarter1 that1 after his reception1 the 
,oxford men had been recommending him to
 retain his living4 ,i had reasons for  
thinking that the allusion was to me1   
and ,i authorised the editor of a paper1
 who had inquired of me on the point1 to
 give it1 as far as ,i was concerned1 an
 unqualified contradiction2--when from a
 motive of delicacy he hesitated1 ,i    
added my direct and indignant           
contradiction4 ,whoever is the author of
 it1 no correspondence or intercourse of
 any kind1 direct or indirect1 has      
passed1 ,i continued to the ,editor1    
between ,mr4 ,s4 and myself1 since his  
conforming to the ,church of ,rome1     
except my formally and merely           
acknowledging the receipt of his letter1
 in which he informed me of the fact1   
without1 as far as ,i recollect1 my     
expressing any opinion upon it4 ,you may
 state this as broadly as ,i have set it
 down4 ,my denial was told to the       

,bishop2 what took place upon it is     
given in a letter from which ,i copy4   
,my father showed the letter to the     
,bishop1 who1 as he laid it down1 said1 
',ah1 those ,oxford men are not         
ingenuous4' ',how do you mean8' ,i asked
 my father4 ',why1' said the ,bishop1   
'they advised ,mr4 ,b4 ,s4 to retain his
 living after he turned ,catholic4 ,i   
know that to be a fact1 because ,a4 ,b4 
told me so4' ,the ,bishop1 continues the
 letter1 who is perhaps the most        
influential man in reality on the bench1
 evidently believes it to be the truth4 
,dr4 ,pusey too wrote for me to the     
,bishop2 and the ,bishop instantly beat 
a retreat4 ,i have the honour1 he says  
in the autograph which ,i transcribe1 to
 acknowledge the receipt of your note1  
and to say in reply that it has not been
 stated by me 7though such a statement  
has1 ,i believe1 appeared in some of the
 ,public ,prints71 that ,mr4 ,newman had
 advised ,mr4 ,b4 ,s4 to retain his     
living1 after he had forsaken our       

,church4 ,but it has been stated to me1 
that ,mr4 ,newman was in close          
correspondence with ,mr4 ,b4 ,s41 and1  
being fully aware of his state of       
opinions and feelings1 yet advised him  
to continue in our communion4 ,allow me 
to add1 he says to ,dr4 ,pusey1 that    
neither your name1 nor that of ,mr4     
,keble1 was mentioned to me in          
connection with that of ,mr4 ,b4 ,s4  ,i
 was not going to let the ,bishop off on
 this evasion1 so ,i wrote to him       
myself4 ,after quoting his letter to    
,dr4 ,pusey1 ,i continued1 ,i beg to    
trouble your ,lordship with my own      
account of the two allegations close    
correspondence and fully aware1 etc4    
which are contained in your statement1  
and which have led to your speaking of  
me in terms which ,i hope never to      
deserve4 #a4 ,since ,mr4 ,b4 ,s4 has    
been in your ,lordship's diocese1 ,i    
have seen him in common rooms or private
 parties in ,oxford two or three times1 
when ,i never 7as far as ,i can         

recollect7 had any conversation with    
him4 ,during the same time ,i have1 to  
the best of my memory1 written to him   
three letters4 ,one was lately1 in      
acknowledgment of his informing me of   
his change of religion4 ,another was    
last summer1 when ,i asked him 7to no   
purpose7 to come and stay with me in    
this place4 ,the earliest of the three  
letters was written just a year since1  
as far as ,i recollect1 and it certainly
 was on the subject of his joining the  
,church of ,rome4 ,i wrote this letter  
at the earnest wish of a friend of his4 
,i cannot be sure that1 on his replying1
 ,i did not send him a brief note in    
explanation of points in my letter which
 he had misapprehended4 ,i cannot       
recollect any other correspondence      
between us4  #b4 ,as to my knowledge of 
his opinions and feelings1 as far as ,i 
remember1 the only point of perplexity  
which ,i knew1 the only point which to  
this hour ,i know1 as pressing upon him1
 was that of the ,pope's supremacy4 ,he 

professed to be searching ,antiquity    
whether the see of ,rome had formally   
that relation to the whole ,church which
 ,roman ,catholics now assign to it4 ,my
 letter was directed to the point1 that 
it was his duty not to perplex himself  
with arguments on such a question 444   
and to put it altogether aside4444 ,it  
is hard that ,i am put upon my memory1  
without knowing the details of the      
statement made against me1 considering  
the various correspondence in which ,i  
am from time to time unavoidably        
engaged4444 ,be assured1 my ,lord1 that 
there are very definite limits1 beyond  
which persons like me would never urge  
another to retain preferment in the     
,english ,church1 nor would retain it   
themselves2 and that the censure which  
has been directed against them by so    
many of its ,rulers has a very grave    
bearing upon those limits4 ,the ,bishop 
replied in a civil letter1 and sent my  
own letter to his original informant1   
who wrote to me the letter of a         

gentleman4 ,it seems that an anxious    
lady had said something or other which  
had been misinterpreted1 against her    
real meaning1 into the calumny which was
 circulated1 and so the report vanished 
into thin air4 ,i closed the            
correspondence with the following letter
 to the ,bishop3--  ,i hope your        
,lordship will believe me when ,i say1  
that statements about me1 equally       
incorrect with that which has come to   
your ,lordship's ears1 are from time to 
time reported to me as credited and     
repeated by the highest authorities in  
our ,church1 though it is very seldom   
that ,i have the opportunity of denying 
them4 ,i am obliged by your ,lordship's 
letter to ,dr4 ,pusey as giving me such 
an opportunity4 ,then ,i added1 with a  
purpose1 ,your ,lordship will observe   
that in my ,letter ,i had no occasion to
 proceed to the question1 whether a     
person holding ,roman ,catholic opinions
 can in honesty remain in our ,church4  
,lest then any misconception should     

arise from my silence1 ,i here take the 
liberty of adding1 that ,i see nothing  
wrong in such a person's continuing in  
communion with us1 provided he holds no 
preferment or office1 abstains from the 
management of ecclesiastical matters1   
and is bound by no subscription or oath 
to our doctrines4  ,this was written on 
,march #g1 #ahdc1 and was in            
anticipation of my own retirement into  
lay communion4 ,this again leads me to a
 remark2 for two years ,i was in lay    
communion1 not indeed being a ,catholic 
in my convictions1 but in a state of    
serious doubt1 and with the probable    
prospect of becoming some day1 what as  
yet ,i was not4 ,under these            
circumstances ,i thought the best thing 
,i could do was to give up duty and to  
throw myself into lay communion1        
remaining an ,anglican4 ,i could not go 
to ,rome1 while ,i thought what ,i did  
of the devotions she sanctioned to the  
,blessed ,virgin and the ,saints4 ,i did
 not give up my fellowship1 for ,i could

 not be sure that my doubts would not be
 reduced or overcome1 however unlikely  
,i thought such an event4 ,but ,i gave  
up my living2 and1 for two years before 
my conversion1 ,i took no clerical duty4
 ,my last sermon was in ,september1     
#ahdc2 then ,i remained at ,littlemore  
in quiet for two years4 ,but it was made
 a subject of reproach to me at the     
time1 and is at this day1 that ,i did   
not leave the ,anglican ,church sooner4 
,to me this seems a wonderful charge2   
why1 even had ,i been quite sure that   
,rome was the true ,church1 the         
,anglican ,bishops would have had no    
just subject of complaint against me1   
provided ,i took no ,anglican oath1 no  
clerical duty1 no ecclesiastical        
administration4 ,do they force all men  
who go to their ,churches to believe in 
the #ci ,articles1 or to join in the    
,athanasian ,creed8 ,however1 ,i was to 
have other measure dealt to me2 great   
authorities ruled it so2 and a learned  
controversialist in the ,north thought  

it a shame that ,i did not leave the    
,church of ,england as much as ten years
 sooner than ,i did4 ,his nephew1 an    
,anglican clergyman1 kindly wished to   
undeceive him on this point4 ,so1 in    
#ahej1 after some correspondence1 ,i    
wrote the following letter1 which will  
be of service to this narrative1 from   
its chronological character3--  ,dec4   
#f1 #ahdi4 ,your uncle says1 ',if he    
7,mr4 ,n47 will declare1 sans phrase1 as
 the ,french say1 that ,i have laboured 
under an entire mistake1 and that he was
 not a concealed ,romanist during the   
ten years in question' 7,i suppose1 the 
last ten years of my membership with the
 ,anglican ,church71 'or during any part
 of the time1 my controversial antipathy
 will be at an end1 and ,i will readily 
express to him that ,i am truly sorry   
that ,i have made such a mistake4'  ,so 
candid an avowal is what ,i should have 
expected from a mind like your uncle's4 
,i am extremely glad he has brought it  
to this issue4  ,by a 'concealed        

,romanist' ,i understand him to mean    
one1 who1 professing to belong to the   
,church of ,england1 in his heart and   
will intends to benefit the ,church of  
,rome1 at the expense of the ,church of 
,england4 ,he cannot mean by the        
expression merely a person who in fact  
is benefiting the ,church of ,rome1     
while he is intending to benefit the    
,church of ,england1 for that is no     
discredit to him morally1 and he 7your  
uncle7 evidently means to impute blame4 
,in the sense in which ,i have explained
 the words1 ,i can simply and honestly  
say that ,i was not a concealed         
,romanist during the whole1 or any part 
of1 the years in question4  ,for the    
first four years of the ten 7up to      
,michaelmas1 #ahci7 ,i honestly wished  
to benefit the ,church of ,england1 at  
the expense of the ,church of ,rome3    
,for the second four years ,i wished to 
benefit the ,church of ,england without 
prejudice to the ,church of ,rome3  ,at 
the beginning of the ninth year         

7,michaelmas1 #ahdc7 ,i began to despair
 of the ,church of ,england1 and gave up
 all clerical duty2 and then1 what ,i   
wrote and did was influenced by a mere  
wish not to injure it1 and not by the   
wish to benefit it3  ,at the beginning  
of the tenth year ,i distinctly         
contemplated leaving it1 but ,i also    
distinctly told my friends that it was  
in my contemplation4  ,lastly1 during   
the last half of that tenth year ,i was 
engaged in writing a book 7,essay on    
,development7 in favour of the ,roman   
,church1 and indirectly against the     
,english2 but even then1 till it was    
finished1 ,i had not absolutely intended
 to publish it1 wishing to reserve to   
myself the chance of changing my mind   
when the argumentative views which were 
actuating me had been distinctly brought
 out before me in writing4  ,i wish this
 statement1 which ,i make from memory1  
and without consulting any document1    
severely tested by my writings and      
doings1 as ,i am confident it will1 on  

the whole1 be borne out1 whatever real  
or apparent exceptions 7,i suspect none7
 have to be allowed by me in detail4    
,your uncle is at liberty to make what  
use he pleases of this explanation4  ,i 
have now reached an important date in my
 narrative1 the year #ahdc1 but before  
proceeding to the matters which it      
contains1 ,i will insert portions of my 
letters from #ahda to #ahdc1 addressed  
to ,catholic acquaintances4  #a4 ,april 
#h1 #ahda 444 ,the unity of the ,church 
,catholic is very near my heart1 only ,i
 do not see any prospect of it in our   
time2 and ,i despair of its being       
effected without great sacrifices on all
 hands4 ,as to resisting the ,bishop's  
will1 ,i observe that no point of       
doctrine or principle was in dispute1   
but a course of action1 the publication 
of certain works4 ,i do not think you   
sufficiently understood our position4 ,i
 suppose you would obey the holy see in 
such a case2 now1 when we were separated
 from the ,pope1 his authority reverted 

to our ,diocesans4 ,our ,bishop is our  
,pope4 ,it is our theory1 that each     
diocese is an integral ,church1         
intercommunion being a duty 7and the    
breach of it a sin71 but not essential  
to ,catholicity4 ,to have resisted my   
,bishop1 would have been to place myself
 in an utterly false position1 which ,i 
never could have recovered4 ,depend upon
 it1 the strength of any party lies in  
its being true to its theory4           
,consistency is the life of a movement4 
,i have no misgivings whatever that the 
line ,i have taken can be other than a  
prosperous one3 that is1 in itself1 for 
of course ,providence may refuse to us  
its legitimate issues for our sins4  ,i 
am afraid1 that in one respect you may  
be disappointed4 ,it is my trust1 though
 ,i must not be too sanguine1 that we   
shall not have individual members of our
 communion going over to yours4 ,what   
one's duty would be under other         
circumstances1 what our duty ten or     
twenty years ago1 ,i cannot say2 but ,i 

do think that there is less of private  
judgment in going with one's ,church1   
than in leaving it4 ,i can earnestly    
desire a union between my ,church and   
yours4 ,i cannot listen to the thought  
of your being joined by individuals     
among us4  #b4 ,april #bf1 #ahda4 ,my   
only anxiety is lest your branch of the 
,church should not meet us by those     
reforms which surely are necessary4 ,it 
never could be1 that so large a portion 
of ,christendom should have split off   
from the communion of ,rome1 and kept up
 a protest for #cjj years for nothing4  
,i think ,i never shall believe that so 
much piety and earnestness would be     
found among ,protestants1 if there were 
not some very grave errors on the side  
of ,rome4 ,to suppose the contrary is   
most unreal1 and violates all one's     
notions of moral probabilities4 ,all    
aberrations are founded on1 and have    
their life in1 some truth or other--and 
,protestantism1 so widely spread and so 
long enduring1 must have in it1 and must

 be witness for1 a great truth or much  
truth4 ,that ,i am an advocate for      
,protestantism1 you cannot suppose--but 
,i am forced into a ,via ,media1 short  
of ,rome1 as it is at present4  #c4 ,may
 #e1 #ahda4 ,while ,i most sincerely    
hold that there is in the ,roman ,church
 a traditionary system which is not     
necessarily connected with her essential
 formularies1 yet1 were ,i ever so much 
to change my mind on this point1 this   
would not tend to bring me from my      
present position1 providentially        
appointed in the ,english ,church4 ,that
 your communion was unassailable1 would 
not prove that mine was indefensible4   
,nor would it at all affect the sense in
 which ,i receive our ,articles2 they   
would still speak against certain       
definite errors1 though you had reformed
 them4  ,i say this lest any lurking    
suspicion should be left in the mind of 
your friends that persons who think with
 me are likely1 by the growth of their  
present views1 to find it imperative on 

them to pass over to your communion4    
,allow me to state strongly1 that if you
 have any such thoughts1 and proceed to 
act upon them1 your friends will be     
committing a fatal mistake4 ,we have 7,i
 trust7 the principle and temper of     
obedience too intimately wrought into us
 to allow of our separating ourselves   
from our ecclesiastical superiors       
because in many points we may sympathise
 with others4 ,we have too great a      
horror of the principle of private      
judgment to trust it in so immense a    
matter as that of changing from one     
communion to another4 ,we may be cast   
out of our communion1 or it may decree  
heresy to be truth--you shall say       
whether such contingencies are likely2  
but ,i do not see other conceivable     
causes of our leaving the ,church in    
which we were baptized4  ,for myself1   
persons must be well acquainted with    
what ,i have written before they venture
 to say whether ,i have much changed my 
main opinions and cardinal views in the 

course of the last eight years4 ,that my
 sympathies have grown towards the      
religion of ,rome ,i do not deny2 that  
my reasons for shunning her communion   
have lessened or altered it would be    
difficult perhaps to prove4 ,and ,i wish
 to go by reason1 not by feeling4  #d4  
,june #ah1 #ahda4 ,you urge persons     
whose views agree with mine to commence 
a movement in behalf of a union between 
the ,churches4 ,now in the letters ,i   
have written1 ,i have uniformly said    
that ,i did not expect that union in our
 time1 and have discouraged the notion  
of all sudden proceedings with a view to
 it4 ,i must ask your leave to repeat on
 this occasion most distinctly1 that ,i 
cannot be party to any agitation1 but   
mean to remain quiet in my own place1   
and to do all ,i can to make others take
 the same course4 ,this ,i conceive to  
be my simple duty2 but1 over and above  
this1 ,i will not set my teeth on edge  
with sour grapes4 ,i know it is quite   
within the range of possibilities that  

one or another of our people should go  
over to your communion2 however1 it     
would be a greater misfortune to you    
than grief to us4 ,if your friends wish 
to put a gulf between themselves and us1
 let them make converts1 but not else4  
,some months ago1 ,i ventured to say    
that ,i felt it a painful duty to keep  
aloof from all ,roman ,catholics who    
came with the intention of opening      
negotiations for the union of the       
,churches3 when you now urge us to      
petition our ,bishops for a union1 this1
 ,i conceive1 is very like an act of    
negotiation4  #e4 ,i have the first     
sketch or draft of a letter1 which ,i   
wrote to a zealous ,catholic layman3 it 
runs as follows1 as ,i have preserved   
it3--,september #ab1 #ahda4 ,it would   
rejoice all ,catholic minds among us1   
more than words can say1 if you could   
persuade members of the ,church of ,rome
 to take the line in politics which you 
so earnestly advocate4 ,suspicion and   
distrust are the main causes at present 

of the separation between us1 and the   
nearest approaches in doctrine will but 
increase the hostility1 which1 alas1 our
 people feel towards yours1 while these 
causes continue4 ,depend upon it1 you   
must not rely upon our ,catholic        
tendencies till they are removed4 ,i am 
not speaking of myself1 or of any       
friends of mine2 but of our ,church     
generally4 ,whatever our personal       
feelings may be1 we shall but tend to   
raise and spread a rival ,church to     
yours in the four quarters of the world1
 unless you do what none but you can do4
 ,sympathies1 which would flow over to  
the ,church of ,rome1 as a matter of    
course1 did she admit them1 will but be 
developed in the consolidation of our   
own system1 if she continues to be the  
object of our suspicions and fears4 ,i  
wish1 of course ,i do1 that our own     
,church may be built up and extended1   
but still1 not at the cost of the       
,church of ,rome1 not in opposition to  
it4 ,i am sure1 that1 while you suffer1 

we suffer too from the separation2 but  
we cannot remove the obstacles2 it is   
with you to do so4 ,you do not fear us2 
we fear you4 ,till we cease to fear you1
 we cannot love you4  ,while you are in 
your present position1 the friends of   
,catholic unity in our ,church are but  
fulfilling the prediction of those of   
your body who are averse to them1 viz4  
that they will be merely strengthening a
 rival communion to yours4 ,many of you 
say that we are your greatest enemies2  
we have said so ourselves3 so we are1 so
 we shall be1 as things stand at        
present4 ,we are keeping people from    
you1 by supplying their wants in our own
 ,church4 ,we are keeping persons from  
you3 do you wish us to keep them from   
you for a time or for ever8 ,it rests   
with you to determine4 ,i do not fear   
that you will succeed among us2 you will
 not supplant our ,church in the        
affections of the ,english nation2 only 
through the ,english ,church can you act
 upon the ,english nation4 ,i wish of   

course our ,church should be            
consolidated1 with and through and in   
your communion1 for its sake1 and your  
sake1 and for the sake of unity4  ,are  
you aware that the more serious thinkers
 among us are used1 as far as they dare 
form an opinion1 to regard the spirit of
 ,liberalism as the characteristic of   
the destined ,antichrist8 ,in vain does 
any one clear the ,church of ,rome from 
the badges of ,antichrist1 in which     
,protestants would invest her1 if she   
deliberately takes up her position in   
the very quarter1 whither we have cast  
them1 when we took them off from her4   
,antichrist is described as the greek3  
anomos1 as exalting himself above the   
yoke of religion and law4 ,the spirit of
 lawlessness came in with the           
,reformation1 and ,liberalism is its    
offspring4  ,and now ,i fear ,i am going
 to pain you by telling you1 that you   
consider the approaches in doctrine on  
our part towards you1 closer than they  
really are4 ,i cannot help repeating    

what ,i have many times said in print1  
that your services and devotions to ,st4
 ,mary in matter of fact do most deeply 
pain me4 ,i am only stating it as a     
fact4  ,again1 ,i have nowhere said that
 ,i can accept the decrees of ,trent    
throughout1 nor implied it4 ,the        
doctrine of ,transubstantiation is a    
great difficulty with me1 as being1 as  
,i think1 not primitive4 ,nor have ,i   
said that our ,articles in all respects 
admit of a ,roman interpretation2 the   
very word ',transubstantiation' is      
disowned in them4  ,thus1 you see1 it is
 not merely on grounds of expedience    
that we do not join you4 ,there are     
positive difficulties in the way of it4 
,and1 even if there were not1 we shall  
have no divine warrant for doing so1    
while we think that the ,church of      
,england is a branch of the true        
,church1 and that intercommunion with   
the rest of ,christendom is necessary1  
not for the life of a particular        
,church1 but for its health only4 ,i    

have never disguised that there are     
actual circumstances in the ,church of  
,rome1 which pain me much2 of the       
removal of these ,i see no chance1 while
 we join you one by one2 but if our     
,church were prepared for a union1 she  
might make her terms2 she might gain the
 ,cup2 she might protest against the    
extreme honours paid to ,st4 ,mary2 she 
might make some explanation of the      
doctrine of ,transubstantiation4 ,i am  
not prepared to say that a reform in    
other branches of the ,roman ,church    
would be necessary for our uniting with 
them1 however desirable in itself1 so   
that we were allowed to make a reform in
 our own country4 ,we do not look       
towards ,rome as believing that its     
communion is infallible1 but that union 
is a duty4  ,the following letter was   
occasioned by the present of a book1    
from the friend to whom it is written2  
more will be said on the subject of it  
presently3--  ,nov4 #bb1 #ahdb4 ,i only 
wish that your ,church were more known  

among us by such writings4 ,you will not
 interest us in her1 till we see her1   
not in politics1 but in her true        
functions of exhorting1 teaching1 and   
guiding4 ,i wish there were a chance of 
making the leading men among you        
understand1 what ,i believe is no novel 
thought to yourself4 ,it is not by      
learned discussions1 or acute arguments1
 or reports of miracles1 that the heart 
of ,england can be gained4 ,it is by men
 'approving themselves1' like the       
,apostle1 'ministers of ,christ4'  ,as  
to your question1 whether the ,volume   
you have sent is not calculated to      
remove my apprehensions that another    
gospel is substituted for the true one  
in your practical instructions1 before  
,i can answer it in any way1 ,i ought to
 know how far the ,sermons which it     
comprises are selected from a number1 or
 whether they are the whole1 or such as 
the whole1 which have been published of 
the author's4 ,i assure you1 or at least
 ,i trust1 that1 if it is ever clearly  

brought home to me that ,i have been    
wrong in what ,i have said on this      
subject1 my public avowal of that       
conviction will only be a question of   
time with me4  ,if1 however1 you saw our
 ,church as we see it1 you would easily 
understand that such a change of        
feeling1 did it take place1 would have  
no necessary tendency1 which you seem to
 expect1 to draw a person from the      
,church of ,england to that of ,rome4   
,there is a divine life among us1       
clearly manifested1 in spite of all our 
disorders1 which is as great a note of  
the ,church1 as any can be4 ,why should 
we seek our ,lord's presence elsewhere1 
when ,he vouchsafes it to us where we   
are8 ,what call have we to change our   
communion8  ,roman ,catholics will find 
this to be the state of things in time  
to come1 whatever promise they may fancy
 there is of a large secession to their 
,church4 ,this man or that may leave us1
 but there will be no general movement4 
,there is1 indeed1 an incipient movement

 of our ,church towards yours1 and this 
your leading men are doing all they can 
to frustrate by their unwearied efforts 
at all risks to carry off individuals4  
,when will they know their position1 and
 embrace a larger and wiser policy8     
,the last letter1 which ,i have         
inserted1 is addressed to my dear       
friend1 ,dr4 ,russell1 the present      
,president of ,maynooth4 ,he had1       
perhaps1 more to do with my conversion  
than any one else4 ,he called upon me1  
in passing through ,oxford in the summer
 of #ahda1 and ,i think ,i took him over
 some of the buildings of the           
,university4 ,he called again another   
summer1 on his way from ,dublin to      
,london4 ,i do not recollect that he    
said a word on the subject of religion  
on either occasion4 ,he sent me at      
different times several letters2 he was 
always gentle1 mild1 unobtrusive1       
uncontroversial4 ,he let me alone4 ,he  
also gave me one or two books4 ,veron's 
,rule of ,faith and some ,treatises of  

the ,wallenburghs was one2 a volume of  
,st4 ,alfonso ,liguori's ,sermons was   
another2 and to that the letter which ,i
 have last inserted relates4  ,now it   
must be observed that the writings of   
,st4 ,alfonso1 as ,i knew them by the   
extracts commonly made from them1       
prejudiced me as much against the ,roman
 ,church as anything else1 on account of
 what was called their ,mariolatry2 but 
there was nothing of the kind in this   
book4 ,i wrote to ask ,dr4 ,russell     
whether anything had been left out in   
the translation2 he answered that there 
certainly was an omission of one passage
 about the ,blessed ,virgin4 ,this      
omission1 in the case of a book intended
 for ,catholics1 at least showed that   
such passages as are found in the works 
of ,italian authors were not acceptable 
to every part of the ,catholic world4   
,such devotional manifestations in      
honour of our ,lady had been my great   
crux as regards ,catholicism2 ,i say    
frankly1 ,i do not fully enter into them

 now2 ,i trust ,i do not love her the   
less1 because ,i cannot enter into them4
 ,they may be fully explained and       
defended2 but sentiment and taste do not
 run with logic3 they are suitable for  
,italy1 but they are not suitable for   
,england4 ,but1 over and above ,england1
 my own case was special2 from a boy ,i 
had been led to consider that my ,maker 
and ,i1 ,his creature1 were the two     
beings1 certainly such1 in rerum natura4
 ,i will not here speculate1 however1   
about my own feelings4 ,only this ,i    
know full well now1 and did not know    
then1 that the ,catholic ,church allows 
no image of any sort1 material or       
immaterial1 no dogmatic symbol1 no rite1
 no sacrament1 no ,saint1 not even the  
,blessed ,virgin herself1 to come       
between the soul and its ,creator4 ,it  
is face to face1 solus cum solo1 in all 
matters between man and his ,god4 ,he   
alone creates2 ,he alone has redeemed2  
before ,his awful eyes we go in death2  
in the vision of ,him is our eternal    

beatitude4 ,solus cum solo3--,i         
recollect but indistinctly the effect   
produced upon me by this volume1 but it 
must have been considerable4 ,at all    
events ,i had got a key to a difficulty2
 in these sermons 7or rather heads of   
sermons1 as they seem to be1 taken down 
by a hearer7 there is much of what would
 be called legendary illustration2 but  
the substance of them is plain1         
practical1 awful preaching upon the     
great truths of salvation4 ,what ,i can 
speak of with greater confidence is the 
effect upon me a little later of the    
,exercises of ,st4 ,ignatius4 ,here     
again1 in a pure matter of the most     
direct religion1 in the intercourse     
between ,god and the soul1 during a     
season of recollection1 of repentance1  
of good resolution1 of inquiry into     
vocation1 the soul was sola cum solo2   
there was no cloud interposed between   
the creature and the ,object of his     
faith and love4 ,the command practically
 enforced was1 ,my son1 give ,me thy    

heart4 ,the devotions then to angels and
 saints as little interfered with the   
incommunicable glory of the ,eternal1 as
 the love which we bear our friends and 
relations1 our tender human sympathies1 
are inconsistent with that supreme      
homage of the heart to the ,unseen1     
which really does but sanctify and exalt
 what is of earth4 ,at a later date ,dr4
 ,russell sent me a large bundle of     
penny or half-penny books of devotion1  
of all sorts1 as they are found in the  
booksellers' shops at ,rome2 and1 on    
looking them over1 ,i was quite         
astonished to find how different they   
were from what ,i had fancied1 how      
little there was in them to which ,i    
could really object4 ,i have given an   
account of them in my ,essay on the     
,development of ,doctrine4 ,dr4 ,russell
 sent me ,st4 ,alfonso's book at the end
 of #ahdb2 however1 it was still a long 
time before ,i got over my difficulty1  
on the score of the devotions paid to   
the saints2 perhaps1 as ,i judge1 from a

 letter ,i have turned up1 it was some  
way into #ahdd1 before ,i could be said 
to have got over it4  ,i am not sure    
that another consideration did not also 
weigh with me then4 ,the idea of the    
,blessed ,virgin was as it were         
magnified in the ,church of ,rome1 as   
time went on1--but so were all the      
,christian ideas2 as that of the        
,blessed ,eucharist4 ,the whole scene of
 pale1 faint1 distant ,apostolic        
,christianity is seen in ,rome1 as      
through a telescope or magnifier4 ,the  
harmony of the whole1 however1 is of    
course what it was4 ,it is unfair then  
to take one ,roman idea1 that of the    
,blessed ,virgin1 out of what may be    
called its context4  ,thus ,i am brought
 to the principle of development of     
doctrine in the ,christian ,church1 to  
which ,i gave my mind at the end of     
#ahdb4 ,i had spoken of it in the       
passage1 which ,i quoted many pages     
back1 in ,home ,thoughts ,abroad1       
published in #ahcf2 but it had been a   

favourite subject with me all along4    
,and it is certainly recognised in that 
celebrated ,treatise of ,vincent of     
,lerins1 which has so often been taken  
as the basis of the ,anglican theory4   
,in #ahdc ,i began to consider it       
steadily2 and the general view to which 
,i came is stated thus in a letter to a 
friend of the date of ,july #ad1 #ahdd2 
it will be observed that1 now as before1
 my issue is still ,faith versus        
,church3--  ,the kind of considerations 
which weigh with me are such as the     
following3--#a4 ,i am far more certain  
7according to the ,fathers7 that we are 
in a state of culpable separation1 than 
that developments do not exist under the
 ,gospel1 and that the ,roman           
developments are not the true ones4 #b4 
,i am far more certain1 that our        
7modern7 doctrines are wrong1 than that 
the ,roman 7modern7 doctrines are wrong4
 #c4 ,granting that the ,roman 7special7
 doctrines are not found drawn out in   
the early ,church1 yet ,i think there is

 sufficient trace of them in it1 to     
recommend and prove them1 on the        
hypothesis of the ,church having a      
divine guidance1 though not sufficient  
to prove them by itself4 ,so that the   
question simply turns on the nature of  
the promise of the ,spirit1 made to the 
,church4 #d4 ,the proof of the ,roman   
7modern7 doctrine is as strong 7or      
stronger7 in ,antiquity1 as that of     
certain doctrines which both we and     
,romans hold3 e4g4 there is more of     
evidence in ,antiquity for the necessity
 of ,unity1 than for the ,apostolical   
,succession2 for the ,supremacy of the  
,see of ,rome1 than for the ,presence in
 the ,eucharist2 for the practice of    
,invocation1 than for certain books in  
the present ,canon of ,scripture1 etc41 
etc4 #e4 ,the analogy of the ,old       
,testament1 and also of the ,new1 leads 
to the acknowledgment of doctrinal      
developments4  ,and thus ,i was led on  
to a further consideration4 ,i saw that 
the principle of development not only   

accounted for certain facts1 but was in 
itself a remarkable philosophical       
phenomenon1 giving a character to the   
whole course of ,christian thought4 ,it 
was discernible from the first years of 
the ,catholic teaching up to the present
 day1 and gave to that teaching a unity 
and individuality4 ,it served as a sort 
of test1 which the ,anglican could not  
exhibit1 that modern ,rome was in truth 
ancient ,antioch1 ,alexandria1 and      
,constantinople1 just as a mathematical 
curve has its own law and expression4   
,and thus again ,i was led on to examine
 more attentively what ,i doubt not was 
in my thoughts long before1 viz4 the    
concatenation of argument by which the  
mind ascends from its first to its final
 religious idea2 and ,i came to the     
conclusion that there was no medium1 in 
true philosophy1 between ,atheism and   
,catholicity1 and that a perfectly      
consistent mind1 under those            
circumstances in which it finds itself  
here below1 must embrace either the one 

or the other4 ,and ,i hold this still3  
,i am a ,catholic by virtue of my       
believing in a ,god2 and if ,i am asked 
why ,i believe in a ,god1 ,i answer that
 it is because ,i believe in myself1 for
 ,i feel it impossible to believe in my 
own existence 7and of that fact ,i am   
quite sure7 without believing also in   
the existence of ,him1 who lives as a   
,personal1 ,all-seeing1 ,all-judging    
,being in my conscience4 ,now1 ,i dare  
say1 ,i have not expressed myself with  
philosophical correctness1 because ,i   
have not given myself to the study of   
what others have said on the subject2   
but ,i think ,i have a strong true      
meaning in what ,i say which will stand 
examination4  ,moreover1 ,i came to the 
conclusion which ,i have been stating1  
on reasoning of the same nature1 as that
 which ,i had adopted on the subject of 
development of doctrine4 ,the fact of   
the operation from first to last of that
 principle of development is an argument
 in favour of the identity of ,roman and

 ,primitive ,christianity2 but as there 
is a law which acts upon the            
subject-matter of dogmatic theology1 so 
is there a law in the matter of         
religious faith4 ,in the third part of  
this narrative ,i spoke of certitude as 
the consequence1 divinely intended and  
enjoined upon us1 of the accumulative   
force of certain given reasons which1   
taken one by one1 were only             
probabilities4 ,let it be recollected   
that ,i am historically relating my     
state of mind1 at the period of my life 
which ,i am surveying4 ,i am not        
speaking theologically1 nor have ,i any 
intention of going into controversy1 or 
of defending myself2 but speaking       
historically of what ,i held in #ahdc-d1
 ,i say1 that ,i believed in a ,god on a
 ground of probability1 that ,i believed
 in ,christianity on a probability1 and 
that ,i believed in ,catholicism on a   
probability1 and that all three were    
about the same kind of probability1 a   
cumulative1 a transcendent probability1 

but still probability2 inasmuch as ,he  
who made us1 has so willed that in      
mathematics indeed we arrive at         
certitude by rigid demonstration1 but in
 religious inquiry we arrive at         
certitude by accumulated                
probabilities--inasmuch as ,he who has  
willed that we should so act1           
co-operates with us in our acting1 and  
thereby bestows on us a certitude which 
rises higher than the logical force of  
our conclusions4 ,and thus ,i came to   
see clearly1 and to have a satisfaction 
in seeing1 that1 in being led on into   
the ,church of ,rome1 ,i was proceeding1
 not by any secondary grounds of reason1
 or by controversial points in detail1  
but was protected and justified1 even in
 the use of those secondary arguments1  
by a great and broad principle4 ,but1   
let it be observed1 that ,i am stating a
 matter of fact1 not defending it2 and  
if any ,catholic says in consequence    
that ,i have been converted in a wrong  
way1 ,i cannot help that now4  ,and now 

,i have carried on the history of my    
opinions to their last point1 before ,i 
became a ,catholic4 ,i find great       
difficulty in fixing dates precisely2   
but it must have been some way into     
#ahdd1 before ,i thought not only that  
the ,anglican ,church was certainly     
wrong1 but that ,rome was right4 ,then  
,i had nothing more to learn on the     
subject4 ,how ,samaria faded away from  
my imagination ,i cannot tell1 but it   
was gone4 ,now to go back to the time   
when this last stage of my inquiry was  
in its commencement1 which1 if ,i dare  
assign dates1 was towards the end of    
#ahdb4   ,in #ahdc1 ,i took two very    
important and significant steps3--#a4   
,in ,february1 ,i made a formal         
retractation of all the hard things     
which ,i had said against the ,church of
 ,rome4 #b4 ,in ,september1 ,i resigned 
the living of ,st4 ,mary's1 ,littlemore 
inclusive3--,i will speak of these two  
acts separately4  #a4 ,the words1 in    
which ,i made my retractation1 have     

given rise to much criticism4 ,after    
quoting a number of passages from my    
writings against the ,church of ,rome1  
which ,i withdrew1 ,i ended thus3--,if  
you ask me how an individual could      
venture1 not simply to hold1 but to     
publish such views of a communion so    
ancient1 so wide-spreading1 so fruitful 
in ,saints1 ,i answer that ,i said to   
myself1 ',i am not speaking my own      
words1 ,i am but following almost a     
consensus of the divines of my own      
,church4 ,they have ever used the       
strongest language against ,rome1 even  
the most able and learned of them4 ,i   
wish to throw myself into their system4 
,while ,i say what they say1 ,i am safe4
 ,such views1 too1 are necessary for our
 position4' ,yet ,i have reason to fear 
still1 that such language is to be      
ascribed1 in no small measure1 to an    
impetuous temper1 a hope of approving   
myself to persons ,i respect1 and a wish
 to repel the charge of ,romanism4      
,these words have been1 and are1 cited  

again and again against me1 as if a     
confession that1 when in the ,anglican  
,church1 ,i said things against ,rome   
which ,i did not really believe4  ,for  
myself1 ,i cannot understand how any    
impartial man can so take them2 and ,i  
have explained them in print several    
times4 ,i trust that by this time they  
have been sufficiently explained by what
 ,i have said in former portions of this
 narrative2 still ,i have a word or two 
to say about them1 which ,i have not    
said before ,i apologised in the lines  
in question for saying out charges      
against the ,church of ,rome which ,i   
fully believed to be true4 ,what is     
wonderful in such an apology8  ,there   
are many things a man may hold1 which at
 the same time he may feel that he has  
no right to say publicly4 ,the law      
recognises this principle4 ,in our own  
time1 men have been imprisoned and fined
 for saying true things of a bad king4  
,the maxim has been held1 that1 ,the    
greater the truth1 the greater is the   

libel4 ,and so as to the judgment of    
society1 a just indignation would be    
felt against a writer who brought       
forward wantonly the weaknesses of a    
great man1 though the whole world knew  
that they existed4 ,no one is at liberty
 to speak ill of another without a      
justifiable reason1 even though he knows
 he is speaking truth1 and the public   
knows it too4 ,therefore ,i could not   
speak ill against the ,church of ,rome1 
though ,i believed what ,i said1 without
 a good reason4 ,i did believe what ,i  
said2 but had ,i a good reason for      
saying it8 ,i thought ,i had1 viz4 ,i   
said what ,i believed was simply        
necessary in the controversy1 in order  
to defend ourselves2 ,i considered that 
the ,anglican position could not be     
defended1 without bringing charges      
against the ,church of ,rome4 ,is not   
this almost a truism8 is it not what    
every one says1 who speaks on the       
subject at all8 does any serious man    
abuse the ,church of ,rome1 for the sake

 of abusing her1 or because it justifies
 his own religious position8 ,what is   
the meaning of the very word            
,protestantism1 but that there is a call
 to speak out8 ,this then is what ,i    
said2 ,i know ,i spoke strongly against 
the ,church of ,rome2 but it was no mere
 abuse1 for ,i had a serious reason for 
doing so4  ,but1 not only did ,i think  
such language necessary for my ,church's
 religious position1 but all the great  
,anglican divines had thought so before 
me4 ,they had thought so1 and they had  
acted accordingly4 ,and therefore ,i    
said1 with much propriety1 that ,i had  
not done it simply out of my own head1  
but that ,i was following the track1 or 
rather reproducing the teaching1 of     
those who had preceded me4  ,i was      
pleading guilty2 but pleading also that 
there were extenuating circumstances in 
the case4 ,we all know the story of the 
convict1 who on the scaffold bit off his
 mother's ear4 ,by doing so he did not  
deny the fact of his own crime1 for     

which he was to hang2 but he said that  
his mother's indulgence1 when he was a  
boy1 had a good deal to do with it4 ,in 
like manner ,i had made a charge1 and ,i
 had made it ex animo2 but ,i accused   
others of having led me into believing  
it and publishing it4  ,but there was   
more than this meant in the words which 
,i used3--first1 ,i will freely confess1
 indeed ,i said it some pages back1 that
 ,i was angry with the ,anglican        
divines4 ,i thought they had taken me   
in2 ,i had read the ,fathers with their 
eyes2 ,i had sometimes trusted their    
quotations or their reasonings2 and from
 reliance on them1 ,i had used words or 
made statements1 which properly ,i ought
 rigidly to have examined myself4 ,i had
 exercised more faith than criticism in 
the matter4 ,this did not imply any     
broad misstatements on my part1 arising 
from reliance on their authority1 but it
 implied carelessness in matters of     
detail4 ,and this of course was a fault4
  ,but there was a far deeper reason for

 my saying what ,i said in this matter1 
on which ,i have not hitherto touched2  
and it was this3--,the most oppressive  
thought1 in the whole process of my     
change of opinion1 was the clear        
anticipation1 verified by the event1    
that it would issue in the triumph of   
,liberalism4 ,against the ,anti-dogmatic
 principle ,i had thrown my whole mind2 
yet now ,i was doing more than any one  
else could do1 to promote it4 ,i was one
 of those who had kept it at bay in     
,oxford for so many years2 and thus my  
very retirement was its triumph4 ,the   
men who had driven me from ,oxford were 
distinctly the ,liberals2 it was they   
who had opened the attack upon ,tract   
#ij1 and it was they who would gain a   
second benefit1 if ,i went on to retire 
from the ,anglican ,church4 ,but this   
was not all4 ,as ,i have already said1  
there are but two alternatives1 the way 
to ,rome1 and the way to ,atheism3      
,anglicanism is the halfway house on the
 one side1 and ,liberalism is the       

halfway house on the other4 ,how many   
men were there1 as ,i knew full well1   
who would not follow me now in my       
advance from ,anglicanism to ,rome1 but 
would at once leave ,anglicanism and me 
for the ,liberal camp4 ,it is not at all
 easy 7humanly speaking7 to wind up an  
,englishman to a dogmatic level4 ,i had 
done so in a good measure1 in the case  
both of young men and of laymen1 the    
,anglican ,via ,media being the         
representative of dogma4 ,the dogmatic  
and the ,anglican principle were one1 as
 ,i had taught them2 but ,i was breaking
 the ,via ,media to pieces1 and would   
not dogmatic faith altogether be broken 
up1 in the minds of a great number1 by  
the demolition of the ,via ,media8 ,oh6 
how unhappy this made me6 ,i heard once 
from an eyewitness the account of a poor
 sailor whose legs were shattered by a  
ball1 in the action off ,algiers in     
#ahaf1 and who was taken below for an   
operation4 ,the surgeon and the chaplain
 persuaded him to have a leg off2 it was

 done and the tourniquet applied to the 
wound4 ,then1 they broke it to him that 
he must have the other off too4 ,the    
poor fellow said1 ,you should have told 
me that1 gentlemen1 and deliberately    
unscrewed the instrument and bled to    
death4 ,would not that be the case with 
many friends of my own8 ,how could ,i   
ever hope to make them believe in a     
second theology1 when ,i had cheated    
them in the first8 with what face could 
,i publish a new edition of a dogmatic  
creed1 and ask them to receive it as    
gospel8 ,would it not be plain to them  
that no certainty was to be found       
anywhere8 ,well1 in my defence ,i could 
but make a lame apology2 however1 it was
 the true one1 viz4 that ,i had not read
 the ,fathers critically enough2 that in
 such nice points1 as those which       
determine the angle of divergence       
between the two ,churches1 ,i had made  
considerable miscalculations2 and how   
came this about8 ,why the fact was1     
unpleasant as it was to avow1 that ,i   

had leaned too much upon the assertions 
of ,ussher1 ,jeremy ,taylor1 or ,barrow1
 and had been deceived by them4 ,valeat 
quantum--it was all that could be said4 
,this then was a chief reason of that   
wording of the retractation1 which has  
given so much offence1 and the following
 letter will illustrate it3--  ,april   
#c1 #ahdd4 ,i wish to remark on ,w4's   
chief distress1 that my changing my     
opinion seemed to unsettle one's        
confidence in truth and falsehood as    
external things1 and led one to be      
suspicious of the new opinion as one    
became distrustful of the old4 ,now in  
what ,i shall say1 ,i am not going to   
speak in favour of my second thoughts in
 comparison of my first1 but against    
such scepticism and unsettlement about  
truth and falsehood generally1 the idea 
of which is very painful4  ,the case    
with me1 then1 was this1 and not surely 
an unnatural one3--as a matter of       
feeling and of duty ,i threw myself into
 the system which ,i found myself in4 ,i

 saw that the ,english ,church had a    
theological idea or theory as such1 and 
,i took it up4 ,i read ,laud on         
,tradition1 and thought it 7as ,i still 
think it7 very masterly4 ,the ,anglican 
,theory was very distinctive4 ,i admired
 it and took it on faith4 ,it did not   
7,i think7 occur to me to doubt it2 ,i  
saw that it was able1 and supported by  
learning1 and ,i felt it was a duty to  
maintain it4 ,further1 on looking into  
,antiquity and reading the ,fathers1 ,i 
saw such portions of it as ,i examined1 
fully confirmed 7e4g4 the supremacy of  
,scripture74 ,there was only one        
question about which ,i had a doubt1    
viz4 whether it would work1 for it has  
never been more than a paper system4444 
,so far from my change of opinion having
 any fair tendency to unsettle persons  
as to truth and falsehood viewed as     
objective realities1 it should be       
considered whether such change is not   
necessary1 if truth be a real objective 
thing1 and be made to confront a person 

who has been brought up in a system     
short of truth4 ,surely the continuance 
of a person who wishes to go right in a 
wrong system1 and not his giving it up1 
would be that which militated against   
the objectiveness of ,truth1 leading1 as
 it would1 to the suspicion1 that one   
thing and another were equally pleasing 
to our ,maker1 where men were sincere4  
,nor surely is it a thing ,i need be    
sorry for1 that ,i defended the system  
in which ,i found myself1 and thus have 
had to unsay my words4 ,for is it not   
one's duty1 instead of beginning with   
criticism1 to throw oneself generously  
into that form of religion which is     
providentially put before one8 ,is it   
right1 or is it wrong1 to begin with    
private judgment8 ,may we not1 on the   
other hand1 look for a blessing through 
obedience even to an erroneous system1  
and a guidance even by means of it out  
of it8 ,were those who were strict and  
conscientious in their ,judaism1 or     
those who were lukewarm and sceptical1  

more likely to be led into              
,christianity1 when ,christ came8 ,yet  
in proportion to their previous zeal1   
would be their appearance of            
inconsistency4 ,certainly1 ,i have      
always contended that obedience even to 
an erring conscience was the way to gain
 light1 and that it mattered not where a
 man began1 so that he began on what    
came to hand1 and in faith2 and that    
anything might become a divine method of
 ,truth2 that to the pure all things are
 pure1 and have a self-correcting virtue
 and a power of germinating4 ,and though
 ,i have no right at all to assume that 
this mercy is granted to me1 yet the    
fact1 that a person in my situation may 
have it granted to him1 seems to me to  
remove the perplexity which my change of
 opinion may occasion4  ,it may be      
said--,i have said it to myself--',why1 
however1 did you publish8 had you waited
 quietly1 you would have changed your   
opinion without any of the misery1 which
 now is involved in the change1 of      

disappointing and distressing people4'  
,i answer1 that things are so bound up  
together1 as to form a whole1 and one   
cannot tell what is or is not a         
condition of what4 ,i do not see how    
possibly ,i could have published the    
,tracts1 or other works professing to   
defend our ,church1 without accompanying
 them with a strong protest or argument 
against ,rome4 ,the one obvious         
objection against the whole ,anglican   
line is1 that it is ,roman2 so that ,i  
really think there was no alternative   
between silence altogether1 and forming 
a theory and attacking the ,roman       
system4  #b4 ,and now1 secondly1 as to  
my resignation of ,st4 ,mary's1 which   
was the second of the steps which ,i    
took in #ahdc4 ,the ostensible1 direct1 
and sufficient cause of my doing so was 
the persevering attack of the ,bishops  
on ,tract #ij4 ,i alluded to it in the  
letter which ,i have inserted above1    
addressed to one of the most influential
 among them4 ,a series of their ex      

cathedra judgments1 lasting through     
three years1 and including a notice of  
no little severity in a ,charge of my   
own ,bishop1 came as near to a          
condemnation of my ,tract1 and1 so far1 
to a repudiation of the ancient         
,catholic doctrine1 which was the scope 
of the ,tract1 as was possible in the   
,church of ,england4 ,it was in order to
 shield the ,tract from such a          
condemnation1 that ,i had at the time of
 its publication so simply put myself at
 the disposal of the higher powers in   
,london4 ,at that time1 all that was    
distinctly contemplated in the way of   
censure1 was the message which my       
,bishop sent me1 that it was            
objectionable4 ,that ,i thought was the 
end of the matter4 ,i had refused to    
suppress it1 and they had yielded that  
point4 ,since ,i wrote the former       
portions of this narrative1 ,i have     
found what ,i wrote to ,dr4 ,pusey on   
,march #bd1 while the matter was in     
progress4 ,the more ,i think of it1 ,i  

said1 the more reluctant ,i am to       
suppress ,tract #ij1 though of course ,i
 will do it if the ,bishop wishes it2 ,i
 cannot1 however1 deny that ,i shall    
feel it a severe act4 ,according to the 
notes which ,i took of the letters or   
messages which ,i sent to him in the    
course of that day1 ,i went on to say1  
,my first feeling was to obey without a 
word2 ,i will obey still2 but my        
judgment has steadily risen against it  
ever since4 ,then in the postscript1 ,if
 ,i have done any good to the ,church1  
,i do ask the ,bishop this favour1 as my
 reward for it1 that he would not insist
 on a measure1 from which ,i think good 
will not come4 ,however1 ,i will submit 
to him4 ,afterwards1 ,i get stronger    
still3 ,i have almost come to the       
resolution1 if the ,bishop publicly     
intimates that ,i must suppress the     
,tract1 or speaks strongly in his charge
 against it1 to suppress it indeed1 but 
to resign my living also4 ,i could not  
in conscience act otherwise4 ,you may   

show this in any quarter you please4    
,all my then hopes1 all my satisfaction 
at the apparent fulfilment of those     
hopes1 were at an end in #ahdc4 ,it is  
not wonderful then1 that in ,may of that
 year ,i addressed a letter on the      
subject of ,st4 ,mary's to the same     
friend1 whom ,i had consulted about     
retiring from it in #ahdj4 ,but ,i did  
more now2 ,i told him my great          
unsettlement of mind on the question of 
the ,churches4 ,i will insert portions  
of two of my letters3--  ,may #d1       
#ahdc4444 ,at present ,i fear1 as far as
 ,i can analyze my own convictions1 ,i  
consider the ,roman ,catholic ,communion
 to be the ,church of the ,apostles1 and
 that what grace is among us 7which1    
through ,god's mercy1 is not little7 is 
extraordinary1 and from the overflowings
 of ,his dispensation4 ,i am very far   
more sure that ,england is in schism1   
than that the ,roman additions to the   
,primitive ,creed may not be            
developments1 arising out of a keen and 

vivid realizing of the ,divine          
,depositum of ,faith4  ,you will now    
understand what gives edge to the       
,bishops' ,charges1 without any undue   
sensitiveness on my part4 ,they distress
 me in two ways3--first1 as being in    
some sense protests and witnesses to my 
conscience against my own unfaithfulness
 to the ,english ,church1 and next1 as  
being samples of her teaching1 and      
tokens how very far she is from even    
aspiring to ,catholicity4  ,of course my
 being unfaithful to a trust is my great
 subject of dread--as it has long been1 
as you know4  ,when he wrote to make    
natural objections to my purpose1 such  
as the apprehension that the removal of 
clerical obligations might have the     
indirect effect of propelling me towards
 ,rome1 ,i answered3--  ,may #ah1       
#ahdc4444 ,my office or charge at ,st4  
,mary's is not a mere state1 but a      
continual energy4 ,people assume and    
assert certain things of me in          
consequence4 ,with what sort of         

sincerity can ,i obey the ,bishop8 how  
am ,i to act in the frequent cases1 in  
which one way or another the ,church of 
,rome comes into consideration8 ,i have 
to the utmost of my power tried to keep 
persons from ,rome1 and with some       
success2 but even a year and a half     
since1 my arguments1 though more        
efficacious with the persons ,i aimed at
 than any others could be1 were of a    
nature to infuse great suspicion of me  
into the minds of lookers-on4  ,by      
retaining ,st4 ,mary's1 ,i am an offence
 and a stumbling-block4 ,persons are    
keen-sighted enough to make out what ,i 
think on certain points1 and then they  
infer that such opinions are compatible 
with holding situations of trust in our 
,church4 ,a number of younger men take  
the validity of their interpretation of 
the ,articles1 etc41 from me on faith4  
,is not my present position a cruelty1  
as well as a treachery towards the      
,church8  ,i do not see how ,i can      
either preach or publish again1 while ,i

 hold ,st4 ,mary's2--but consider again 
the following difficulty in such a      
resolution1 which ,i must state at some 
length4  ,last ,long ,vacation the idea 
suggested itself to me of publishing the
 ,lives of the ,english ,saints2 and ,i 
had a conversation with a publisher upon
 it4 ,i thought it would be useful1 as  
employing the minds of men who were in  
danger of running wild1 bringing them   
from doctrine to history1 and from      
speculation to fact2--again1 as giving  
them an interest in the ,english soil1  
and the ,english ,church1 and keeping   
them from seeking sympathy in ,rome1 as 
she is2 and further1 as seeking to      
promote the spread of right views4      
,but1 within the last month1 it has come
 upon me1 that1 if the scheme goes on1  
it will be a practical carrying out of  
,no4 #ij2 from the character of the     
usages and opinions of ante-reformation 
times4  ,it is easy to say1 ',why will  
you do any thing8 why won't you keep    
quiet8 what business had you to think of

 any such plan at all8' ,but ,i cannot  
leave a number of poor fellows in the   
lurch4 ,i am bound to do my best for a  
great number of people both in ,oxford  
and elsewhere4 ,if ,i did not act1      
others would find means to do so4       
,well1 the plan has been taken up with  
great eagerness and interest4 ,many men 
are setting to work4 ,i set down the    
names of men1 most of them engaged1 the 
rest half engaged and probable1 some    
actually writing4 ,about thirty names   
follow1 some of them at that time of the
 school of ,dr4 ,arnold1 others of ,dr4 
,pusey's1 some my personal friends and  
of my own standing1 others whom ,i      
hardly knew1 while of course the        
majority were of the party of the new   
,movement4 ,i continue3--  ,the plan has
 gone so far1 that it would create      
surprise and talk1 were it now suddenly 
given over4 ,yet how is it compatible   
with my holding ,st4 ,mary's1 being what
 ,i am8  ,such was the object and the   
origin of the projected series of the   

,english ,saints2 and1 as the           
publication was connected1 as has been  
seen1 with my resignation of ,st4       
,mary's1 ,i may be allowed to conclude  
what ,i have to say on the subject here1
 though it will read like a digression4 
,as soon then as the first of the series
 got into print1 the whole project broke
 down4 ,i had already anticipated that  
some portions of the series would be    
written in a style inconsistent with the
 professions of a beneficed clergyman1  
and therefore ,i had given up my living2
 but men of great weight went further1  
when they saw the ,life of ,st4 ,stephen
 ,harding1 and decided that it was of   
such a character as to be inconsistent  
even with its being given to the world  
by an ,anglican publisher3 and so the   
scheme was given up at once4 ,after the 
two first parts1 ,i retired from the    
editorship1 and those ,lives only were  
published in addition1 which were then  
already finished1 or in advanced        
preparation4 ,the following passages    

from what ,i or others wrote at the time
 will illustrate what ,i have been      
saying3--  ,in ,november1 #ahdd1 ,i     
wrote thus to one of the authors of     
them3 ,i am not ,editor1 ,i have no     
direct control over the ,series4 ,it is 
,t4's work2 he may admit what he        
pleases2 and exclude what he pleases4 ,i
 was to have been ,editor4 ,i did edit  
the two first numbers4 ,i was           
responsible for them1 in the way in     
which an ,editor is responsible4 ,had ,i
 continued ,editor1 ,i should have      
exercised a control over all4 ,i laid   
down in the ,preface that doctrinal     
subjects were1 if possible1 to be       
excluded4 ,but1 even then1 ,i also set  
down that no writer was to be held      
answerable for any of the ,lives but his
 own4 ,when ,i gave up the ,editorship1 
,i had various engagements with friends 
for separate ,lives remaining on my     
hands4 ,i should have liked to have     
broken from them all1 but there were    
some from which ,i could not break1 and 

,i let them take their course4 ,some    
have come to nothing2 others like yours 
have gone on4 ,i have seen such1 either 
in ,,ms4 or ,proof4 ,as time goes on1 ,i
 shall have less and less to do with the
 ,series4 ,i think the engagement       
between you and me should come to an    
end4 ,i have anyhow abundant            
responsibility on me1 and too much4 ,i  
shall write to ,t4 that if he wants the 
advantage of your assistance1 he must   
write to you direct4  ,in accordance    
with this letter1 ,i had already        
advertised in ,january #ahdd1 ten months
 before it1 that other ,lives1 after    
,st4 ,stephen ,harding1 will be         
published by their respective authors on
 their own responsibility4 ,this notice 
is repeated in ,february1 in the        
advertisement to the second volume      
entitled ,the ,family of ,st4 ,richard1 
though to this volume also1 for some    
reason1 ,i also put my initials4 ,in the
 ,life of ,st4 ,augustine1 the author1 a
 man of nearly my own age1 says in like 

manner1 ,no one but himself is          
responsible for the way in which these  
materials have been used4 ,i have in    
,,ms4 another advertisement to the same 
effect1 but cannot tell whether it was  
ever put into print4  ,i will add1 since
 the authors have been considered       
hot-headed boys1 whom ,i was in charge  
of and whom ,i suffered do intemperate  
things1 that1 while the writer of ,st4  
,augustine was of the mature age which  
,i have stated1 most of the others were 
on one side or other of thirty4 ,three  
were under twenty-five4 ,moreover1 of   
these writers some became ,catholics1   
some remained ,anglicans1 and others    
have professed what are called free or  
liberal opinions4  ,the immediate cause 
of the resignation of my living is      
stated in the following letter1 which ,i
 wrote to my ,bishop3--  ,august #bi1   
#ahdc4 ,it is with much concern that ,i 
inform your ,lordship1 that ,mr4 ,a4    
,b41 who has been for the last year an  
inmate of my house here1 has just       

conformed to the ,church of ,rome4 ,as  
,i have ever been desirous1 not only of 
faithfully discharging the trust1 which 
is involved in holding a living in your 
,lordship's diocese1 but of approving   
myself to your ,lordship1 ,i will for   
your information state one or two       
circumstances connected with this       
unfortunate event4444 ,i received him on
 condition of his promising me1 which he
 distinctly did1 that he would remain   
quietly in our ,church for three years4 
,a year has passed since that time1 and1
 though ,i saw nothing in him which     
promised that he would eventually be    
contented with his present position1 yet
 for the time his mind became as settled
 as one could wish1 and he frequently   
expressed his satisfaction at being     
under the promise which ,i had exacted  
of him4  ,i felt it impossible to remain
 any longer in the service of the       
,anglican ,church1 when such a breach of
 trust1 however little ,i had to do with
 it1 would be laid at my door4 ,i wrote 

in a few days to a friend3  ,september  
#g1 #ahdc4 ,i this day ask the ,bishop  
leave to resign ,st4 ,mary's4 ,men whom 
you little think1 or at least whom ,i   
little thought1 are in almost a hopeless
 way4 ,really we may expect anything4 ,i
 am going to publish a ,volume of       
,sermons1 including those ,four against 
moving4   ,i resigned my living on      
,september #ahth4 ,i had not the means  
of doing it legally at ,oxford4 ,the    
late ,mr4 ,goldsmid aided me in         
resigning it in ,london4 ,i found no    
fault with the ,liberals2 they had      
beaten me in a fair field4 ,as to the   
act of the ,bishops1 ,i thought1 as     
,walter ,scott has applied the text1    
that they had seethed the kid in his    
mother's milk4  ,i said to a friend3--  
,victrix causa diis placuit1 sed victa  
,catoni4  ,and now ,i have brought      
almost to an end1 as far as this sketch 
has to treat of them1 the history both  
of my opinions1 and of the public acts  
which they involved4 ,i had only one    

more advance of mind to make2 and that  
was1 to be certain of what ,i had       
hitherto anticipated1 concluded1 and    
believed2 and this was close upon my    
submission to the ,catholic ,church4    
,and ,i had only one more act to        
perform1 and that was the act of        
submission itself4 ,but two years yet   
intervened before the date of these     
final events2 during which ,i was in lay
 communion in the ,church of ,england1  
attending its services as usual1 and    
abstaining altogether from intercourse  
with ,catholics1 from their places of   
worship1 and from those religious rites 
and usages1 such as the ,invocation of  
,saints1 which are characteristics of   
their creed4 ,i did all this on         
principle2 for ,i never could understand
 how a man could be of two religions at 
once4  ,what then ,i now have to add is 
of a private nature1 being my           
preparation for the great event1 for    
which ,i was waiting1 in the interval   
between the autumns of #ahdc and #ahde4 

,and ,i shall almost confine what ,i    
have to say to this one point1 the      
difficulty ,i was in as to the best mode
 of revealing the state of my mind to my
 friends and others1 and how ,i managed 
to do it4  ,up to ,january1 #ahdb1 ,i   
had not disclosed my state of           
unsettlement to more than three persons1
 as has been mentioned above1 and is    
repeated in the letters which ,i am now 
about to give to the reader4 ,to two of 
them1 intimate and familiar companions1 
in the ,autumn of #ahci3 to the third1  
an old friend too1 when1 ,i suppose1 ,i 
was in great distress of mind upon the  
affair of the ,jerusalem ,bishopric4 ,in
 ,may1 #ahdc1 ,i mentioned it to the    
friend1 by whose advice ,i wished1 as   
far as possible1 to be guided4 ,to      
mention it on set purpose to any one1   
unless indeed ,i was asking advice1 ,i  
should have felt to be a crime4 ,if     
there is anything that was and is       
abhorrent to me1 it is the scattering   
doubts1 and unsettling consciences      

without necessity4 ,a strong            
presentiment that my existing opinions  
would ultimately give way1 and that the 
grounds of them were unsound1 was not a 
sufficient warrant for disclosing the   
state of my mind4 ,i had no guarantee   
yet1 that that presentiment would be    
realised4 ,supposing ,i were crossing   
ice1 which came right in my way1 which  
,i had good reasons for considering     
sound1 and which ,i saw numbers before  
me crossing in safety1 and supposing a  
stranger from the bank1 in a voice of   
authority1 and in an earnest tone1      
warned me that it was dangerous1 and    
then was silent1 ,i think ,i should be  
startled1 and should look about me      
anxiously1 but ,i also should go on1    
till ,i had better grounds for doubt2   
and such was my state1 ,i believe1 till 
the end of #ahdb4 ,then again1 when my  
dissatisfaction became greater1 it was  
hard at first to determine the point of 
time1 when it was too strong to suppress
 with propriety4 ,certitude of course is

 a point1 but doubt is a progress2 ,i   
was not near certitude yet4 ,certitude  
is a reflex action2 it is to know that  
one knows4 ,i believe ,i had not that1  
till close upon my reception into the   
,catholic ,church4 ,again1 a practical1 
effective doubt is a point too1 but who 
can easily ascertain it for himself8    
,who can determine when it is1 that the 
scales in the balance of opinion begin  
to turn1 and what was a greater         
probability in behalf of a belief       
becomes a positive doubt against it8    
,in considering this question in its    
bearing upon my conduct in #ahdc1 my own
 simple answer to my great difficulty   
was1 ,do what your present state of     
opinion requires1 and let that doing    
tell3 speak by acts4 ,this ,i did2 my   
first act of the year was in ,february1 
#ahdc4 ,after three months' deliberation
 ,i published my retractation of the    
violent charges which ,i had made       
against ,rome3 ,i could not be wrong in 
doing so much as this2 but ,i did no    

more3 ,i did not retract my ,anglican   
teaching4 ,my second act was in         
,september2 after much sorrowful        
lingering and hesitation1 ,i resigned my
 ,living4 ,i tried indeed to keep       
,littlemore for myself1 even though it  
was still to remain an integral part of 
,st4 ,mary's4 ,i had made it a parish1  
and ,i loved it2 but ,i did not succeed 
in my attempt4 ,i could indeed bear to  
become the curate at will of another1   
but ,i hoped still that ,i might have   
been my own master there4 ,i had hoped  
an exception might have been made in my 
favour1 under the circumstances2 but ,i 
did not gain my request4 ,indeed1 ,i was
 asking what was impracticable1 and it  
is well for me that it was so4  ,these  
were my two acts of the year1 and ,i    
said1 ,i cannot be wrong in making them2
 let that follow which must follow in   
the thoughts of the world about me1 when
 they see what ,i do4 ,they fully       
answered my purpose4 ,what ,i felt as a 
simple duty to do1 did create a general 

suspicion about me1 without such        
responsibility as would be involved in  
my taking the initiative in creating it4
 ,then1 when friends wrote me on the    
subject1 either ,i did not deny or ,i   
confessed it1 according to the character
 and need of their letters4 ,sometimes1 
in the case of intimate friends1 whom ,i
 seemed to leave in ignorance of what   
others knew about me1 ,i invited the    
question4  ,and here comes in another   
point for explanation4 ,while ,i was    
fighting for the ,anglican ,church in   
,oxford1 then indeed ,i was very glad to
 make converts1 and1 though ,i never    
broke away from that rule of my mind 7as
 ,i may call it7 of which ,i have       
already spoken1 of finding disciples    
rather than seeking them1 yet1 that ,i  
made advances to others in a special    
way1 ,i have no doubt2 this came to an  
end1 however1 as soon as ,i fell into   
misgivings as to the true ground to be  
taken in the controversy4 ,then1 when ,i
 gave up my place in the ,movement1 ,i  

ceased from any such proceeding3 and my 
utmost endeavour was to tranquillise    
such persons1 especially those who      
belonged to the new school1 as were     
unsettled in their religious views1 and1
 as ,i judged1 hasty in their           
conclusions4 ,this went on till #ahdc2  
but1 at that date1 as soon as ,i turned 
my face ,romeward1 ,i gave up altogether
 and in any shape1 as far as ever was   
possible1 the thought of acting upon    
others4 ,then ,i myself was simply my   
own concern4 ,how could ,i in any sense 
direct others1 who had to be guided in  
so momentous a matter myself8 ,how could
 ,i be considered in a position1 even to
 say a word to them one way or the      
other8 ,how could ,i presume to unsettle
 them1 as ,i was unsettled1 when ,i had 
no means of bringing them out of such   
unsettlement8 ,and1 if they were        
unsettled already1 how could ,i point to
 them a place of refuge1 which ,i was   
not sure that ,i should choose for      
myself8 ,my only line1 my only duty1 was

 to keep simply to my own case4 ,i      
recollected ,pascal's words1 ,je mourrai
 seul4 ,i deliberately put out of my    
thoughts all other works and claims1 and
 said nothing to any one1 unless ,i was 
obliged4  ,but this brought upon me a   
great trouble4 ,in the newspapers there 
were continual reports about my         
intentions2 ,i did not answer them2     
presently strangers or friends wrote1   
begging to be allowed to answer them2   
and1 if ,i still kept to my resolution  
and said nothing1 then ,i was thought to
 be mysterious1 and a prejudice was     
excited against me4 ,but1 what was far  
worse1 there were a number of tender1   
eager hearts1 of whom ,i knew nothing at
 all1 who were watching me1 wishing to  
think as ,i thought1 and to do as ,i    
did1 if they could but find it out2 who 
in consequence were distressed1 that1 in
 so solemn a matter1 they could not see 
what was coming1 and who heard reports  
about me this way or that1 on a first   
day and on a second2 and felt the       

weariness of waiting1 and the sickness  
of delayed hope1 and did not understand 
that ,i was as perplexed as themselves1 
and1 being of more sensitive complexion 
of mind than myself1 were made ill by   
the suspense4 ,and they too of course   
for the time thought me mysterious and  
inexplicable4 ,i ask their pardon as far
 as ,i was really unkind to them4 ,there
 was a gifted and deeply earnest lady1  
who in a parabolical account of that    
time1 has described both my conduct as  
she felt it1 and that of such as        
herself4 ,in a singularly graphic1      
amusing vision of pilgrims1 who were    
making their way across a bleak common  
in great discomfort1 and who were ever  
warned against1 yet continually nearing1
 the king's highway on the right1 she   
says1 ,all my fears and disquiets were  
speedily renewed by seeing the most     
daring of our leaders 7the same who had 
first forced his way through the        
palisade1 and in whose courage and      
sagacity we all put implicit trust7     

suddenly stop short1 and declare that he
 would go on no further4 ,he did not1   
however1 take the leap at once1 but     
quietly sat down on the top of the fence
 with his feet hanging towards the road1
 as if he meant to take his time about  
it1 and let himself down easily4 ,i do  
not wonder at all that ,i thus seemed so
 unkind to a lady1 who at that time had 
never seen me4 ,we were both in trial in
 our different ways4 ,i am far from     
denying that ,i was acting selfishly    
both towards them and towards others2   
but it was a religious selfishness4     
,certainly to myself my own duty seemed 
clear4 ,they that are whole can heal    
others2 but in my case it was1          
,physician1 heal thyself4 ,my own soul  
was my first concern1 and it seemed an  
absurdity to my reason to be converted  
in partnership4 ,i wished to go to my   
,lord by myself1 and in my own way1 or  
rather ,his way4 ,i had neither wish1   
nor1 ,i may say1 thought of taking a    
number with me4 ,but nothing of this    

could be known to others4  ,the         
following three letters are written to a
 friend1 who had every claim upon me to 
be frank with him3--it will be seen that
 ,i disclose the real state of mind to  
him1 in proportion as he presses me4    
#a4 ,october #ad1 #ahdc4 ,i would tell  
you in a few words why ,i have resigned 
,st4 ,mary's1 as you seem to wish1 were 
it possible to do so4 ,but it is most   
difficult to bring out in brief1 or even
 in extenso1 any just view of my        
feelings and reasons4  ,the nearest     
approach ,i can give to a general       
account of them is to say1 that it has  
been caused by the general repudiation  
of the view1 contained in ,no4 #ij1 on  
the part of the ,church4 ,i could not   
stand against such an unanimous         
expression of opinion from the ,bishops1
 supported1 as it has been1 by the      
concurrence1 or at least silence1 of all
 classes in the ,church1 lay and        
clerical4 ,if there ever was a case1 in 
which an individual teacher has been put

 aside and virtually put away by a      
community1 mine is one4 ,no decency has 
been observed in the attacks upon me    
from authority2 no protests have been   
offered against them4 ,it is felt1--,i  
am far from denying1 justly felt1--that 
,i am a foreign material1 and cannot    
assimilate with the ,church of ,england4
  ,even my own ,bishop has said that my 
mode of interpreting the ,articles makes
 them mean anything or nothing4 ,when ,i
 heard this delivered1 ,i did not       
believe my ears4 ,i denied to others    
that it was said4444 ,out came the      
charge1 and the words could not be      
mistaken4 ,this astonished me the more1 
because ,i published that ,letter to him
 7how unwillingly you know7 on the      
understanding that ,i was to deliver his
 judgment on ,no4 #ij instead of him4 ,a
 year elapses1 and a second and heavier 
judgment came forth4 ,i did not bargain 
for this1--nor did he1 but the tide was 
too strong for him4  ,i fear that ,i    
must confess1 that1 in proportion as ,i 

think the ,english ,church is showing   
herself intrinsically and radically     
alien from ,catholic principles1 so do  
,i feel the difficulties of defending   
her claims to be a branch of the        
,catholic ,church4 ,it seems a dream to 
call a communion ,catholic1 when one can
 neither appeal to any clear statement  
of ,catholic doctrine in its            
formularies1 nor interpret ambiguous    
formularies by the received and living  
,catholic sense1 whether past or        
present4 ,men of ,catholic views are too
 truly but a party in our ,church4 ,i   
cannot deny that many other independent 
circumstances1 which it is not worth    
while entering into1 have led me to the 
same conclusion4  ,i do not say all this
 to every body1 as you may suppose2 but 
,i do not like to make a secret of it to
 you4  #b4 ,oct4 #be1 #ahdc4 ,you have  
engaged in a dangerous correspondence2  
,i am deeply sorry for the pain ,i shall
 give you4  ,i must tell you then       
frankly 7but ,i combat arguments which  

to me1 alas1 are shadows71 that it is   
not from disappointment1 irritation1 or 
impatience1 that ,i have1 whether       
rightly or wrongly1 resigned ,st4       
,mary's2 but because ,i think the       
,church of ,rome the ,catholic ,church1 
and ours not part of the ,catholic      
,church1 because not in communion with  
,rome2 and because ,i feel that ,i could
 not honestly be a teacher in it any    
longer4  ,this thought came to me last  
summer four years4444 ,i mentioned it to
 two friends in the autumn4444 ,it arose
 in the first instance from the         
,monophysite and ,donatist              
controversies1 the former of which ,i   
was engaged with in the course of       
theological study to which ,i had given 
myself4 ,this was at a time when no     
,bishop1 ,i believe1 had declared       
against us1 and when all was progress   
and hope4 ,i do not think ,i have ever  
felt disappointment or impatience1      
certainly not then2 for ,i never looked 
forward to the future1 nor do ,i realise

 it now4  ,my first effort was to write 
that article on the ,catholicity of the 
,english ,church2 for two years it      
quieted me4 ,since the summer of #ahci  
,i have written little or nothing on    
modern controversy4444 ,you know how    
unwillingly ,i wrote my letter to the   
,bishop in which ,i committed myself    
again1 as the safest course under       
circumstances4 ,the article ,i speak of 
quieted me till the end of #ahda1 over  
the affair of ,no4 #ij1 when that       
wretched ,jerusalem ,bishopric 7no      
personal matter7 revived all my alarms4 
,they have increased up to this moment4 
,at that time ,i told my secret to      
another person in addition4  ,you see   
then that the various ecclesiastical and
 quasi-ecclesiastical acts1 which have  
taken place in the course of the last   
two years and a half1 are not the cause 
of my state of opinion1 but are keen    
stimulants and weighty confirmations of 
a conviction forced upon me1 while      
engaged in the course of duty1 viz4 that

 theological reading to which ,i had    
given myself4 ,and this last-mentioned  
circumstance is a fact1 which has never1
 ,i think1 come before me till now that 
,i write to you4  ,it is three years    
since1 on account of my state of        
opinion1 ,i urged the ,provost in vain  
to let ,st4 ,mary's be separated from   
,littlemore2 thinking ,i might with a   
safe conscience serve the latter1 though
 ,i could not comfortably continue in so
 public a place as a ,university4 ,this 
was before ,no4 #ij4  ,finally1 ,i have 
acted under advice1 and that1 not of my 
own choosing1 but what came to me in the
 way of duty1 nor the advice of those   
only who agree with me1 but of near     
friends who differ from me4  ,i have    
nothing to reproach myself with1 as far 
as ,i see1 in the matter of impatience2 
i4e4 practically or in conduct4 ,and ,i 
trust that ,he1 who has kept me in the  
slow course of change hitherto1 will    
keep me still from hasty acts or        
resolves with a doubtful conscience4    

,this ,i am sure of1 that such          
interposition as yours1 kind as it is1  
only does what you would consider harm4 
,it makes me realise my own views to    
myself2 it makes me see their           
consistency2 it assures me of my own    
deliberateness2 it suggests to me the   
traces of a ,providential ,hand2 it     
takes away the pain of disclosures2 it  
relieves me of a heavy secret4  ,you may
 make what use of my letters you think  
right4  ,my correspondent wrote to me   
once more1 and ,i replied thus3 ,october
 #ca1 #ahdc4 ,your letter has made my   
heart ache more1 and caused me more and 
deeper sighs than any ,i have had a long
 while1 though ,i assure you there is   
much on all sides of me to cause sighing
 and heartache4 ,on all sides ,i am     
quite haunted by the one dreadful       
whisper repeated from so many quarters1 
and causing the keenest distress to     
friends4 ,you know but a part of my     
present trial1 in knowing that ,i am    
unsettled myself4  ,since the beginning 

of this year ,i have been obliged to    
tell the state of my mind to some       
others2 but never1 ,i think1 without    
being in a way obliged1 as from friends 
writing to me as you did1 or guessing   
how matters stood4 ,no one in ,oxford   
knows it or here ,littlemore1 but one   
friend whom ,i felt ,i could not help   
telling the other day4 ,but1 ,i suppose1
 very many suspect it4  ,on receiving   
these letters1 my correspondent1 if ,i  
recollect rightly1 at once communicated 
the matter of them to ,dr4 ,pusey1 and  
this will enable me to state as nearly  
as ,i can the way in which my changed   
state of opinion was made known to him4 
,i had from the first a great difficulty
 in making ,dr4 ,pusey understand such  
differences of opinion as existed       
between himself and me4 ,when there was 
a proposal about the end of #ahch for a 
subscription for a ,cranmer ,memorial1  
he wished us both to subscribe together 
to it4 ,i could not1 of course1 and     
wished him to subscribe by himself4     

,that he would not do2 he could not bear
 the thought of our appearing to the    
world in separate positions1 in a matter
 of importance4 ,and1 as time went on1  
he would not take any hints1 which ,i   
gave him1 on the subject of my growing  
inclination to ,rome4 ,when ,i found him
 so determined1 ,i often had not the    
heart to go on4 ,and then ,i knew1 that1
 from affection to me1 he so often took 
up and threw himself into what ,i said1 
that ,i felt the great responsibility ,i
 should incur1 if ,i put things before  
him just as ,i might view them4 ,and1   
not knowing him so well as ,i did       
afterwards1 ,i feared lest ,i should    
unsettle him4 ,and moreover1 ,i         
recollected well1 how prostrated he had 
been with illness in #ahcb1 and ,i used 
always to think that the start of the   
,movement had given him a fresh life4 ,i
 fancied that his physical energies even
 depended on the presence of a vigorous 
hope and bright prospects for his       
imagination to feed upon2 so much so1   

that when he was so unworthily treated  
by the authorities of the place in      
#ahdc1 ,i recollect writing to the late 
,mr4 ,dodsworth to state my anxiety1    
lest1 if his mind became dejected in    
consequence1 his health would suffer    
seriously also4 ,these were difficulties
 in my way2 and then again1 another     
difficulty was1 that1 as we were not    
together under the same roof1 we only   
saw each other at set times2 others     
indeed1 who were coming in or out of my 
rooms freely1 and as there might be need
 at the moment1 knew all my thoughts    
easily2 but for him to know them well1  
formal efforts were necessary4 ,a common
 friend of ours broke it all to him in  
#ahda1 as far as matters had gone at    
that time1 and showed him clearly the   
logical conclusions which must lie in   
propositions to which ,i had committed  
myself2 but somehow or other in a little
 while1 his mind fell back into its     
former happy state1 and he could not    
bring himself to believe that he and ,i 

should not go on pleasantly together to 
the end4 ,but that affectionate dream   
needs must have been broken at last2 and
 two years afterwards1 that friend to   
whom ,i wrote the letters which ,i have 
just now inserted1 set himself1 as ,i   
have said1 to break it4 ,upon that1 ,i  
too begged ,dr4 ,pusey to tell in       
private to any one he would1 that ,i    
thought in the event ,i should leave the
 ,church of ,england4 ,however1 he would
 not do so2 and at the end of #ahdd had 
almost relapsed into his former thoughts
 about me1 if ,i may judge from a letter
 of his which ,i have found4 ,nay1 at   
the ,commemoration of #ahde1 a few      
months before ,i left the ,anglican     
,church1 ,i think he said about me to a 
friend1 ,i trust after all we shall keep
 him4  ,in that autumn of #ahdc1 at the 
time that ,i spoke to ,dr4 ,pusey1 ,i   
asked another friend also to communicate
 to others in confidence the prospect   
which lay before me4  ,to another friend
 ,i gave the opportunity of knowing it1 

if he would1 in the following postscript
 to a letter3--  ,while ,i write1 ,i    
will add a word about myself4 ,you may  
come near a person or two who1 owing to 
circumstances1 know more exactly my     
state of feeling than you do1 though    
they would not tell you4 ,now ,i do not 
like that you should not be aware of    
this1 though ,i see no reason why you   
should know what they happen to know4   
,your wishing it otherwise would be a   
reason4  ,i had a dear and old friend1  
near his death2 ,i never told him my    
state of mind4 ,why should ,i unsettle  
that sweet calm tranquillity1 when ,i   
had nothing to offer him instead8 ,i    
could not say1 ,go to ,rome2 else ,i    
should have shown him the way4 ,yet ,i  
offered myself for his examination4 ,one
 day he led the way to my speaking out2 
but1 rightly or wrongly1 ,i could not   
respond4 ,my reason was1 ,i have no     
certainty on the matter myself4 ,to say 
',i think' is to tease and to distress1 
not to persuade4  ,i wrote to him on    

,michaelmas ,day1 #ahdc3 ,as you may    
suppose1 ,i have nothing to write to you
 about1 pleasant4 ,i could tell you some
 very painful things2 but it is best not
 to anticipate trouble1 which after all 
can but happen1 and1 for what one knows1
 may be averted4 ,you are always so     
kind1 that sometimes1 when ,i part with 
you1 ,i am nearly moved to tears1 and it
 would be a relief to be so1 at your    
kindness and at my hardness4 ,i think no
 one ever had such kind friends as ,i   
have4  ,the next year1 ,january #bb1 ,i 
wrote to him3 ,pusey has quite enough on
 him1 and generously takes on himself   
more than enough1 for me to add burdens 
when ,i am not obliged2 particularly    
too1 when ,i am very conscious1 that    
there are burdens1 which ,i am or shall 
be obliged to lay upon him some time or 
other1 whether ,i will or no4  ,and on  
,february #ba3 ,half-past ten4 ,i am    
just up1 having a bad cold2 the like has
 not happened to me 7except twice in    
,january7 in my memory4 ,you may think  

you have been in my thoughts1 long      
before my rising4 ,of course you are so 
continually1 as you well know4 ,i could 
not come to see you2 ,i am not worthy of
 friends4 ,with my opinions1 to the full
 of which ,i dare not confess1 ,i feel  
like a guilty person with others1 though
 ,i trust ,i am not so4 ,people kindly  
think that ,i have much to bear         
externally1 disappointment1 slander1    
etc4 ,no1 ,i have nothing to bear1 but  
the anxiety which ,i feel for my        
friends' anxiety for me1 and their      
perplexity4 ,this letter is a better    
,ash-,wednesday than birthday present2  
his birthday was the same day as mine2  
it was ,ash-,wednesday that year2 but ,i
 cannot help writing about what is      
uppermost4 ,and now all kindest and best
 wishes to you1 my oldest friend1 whom  
,i must not speak more about1 and with  
reference to myself1 lest you should be 
angry4 ,it was not in his nature to have
 doubts3 he used to look at me with     
anxiety1 and wonder what had come over  

me4  ,on ,easter ,monday3 ,all that is  
good and gracious descend upon you and  
yours from the influences of this       
,blessed ,season2 and it will be so 7so 
be it671 for what is the life of you    
all1 as day passes after day1 but a     
simple endeavour to serve ,him1 from    
whom all blessing comes8 ,though we are 
separated in place1 yet this we have in 
common1 that you are living a calm and  
cheerful time1 and ,i am enjoying the   
thought of you4 ,it is your blessing to 
have a clear heaven1 and peace around1  
according to the blessing pronounced on 
,benjamin4 ,so it is1 and so may it ever
 be4  ,he was in simple good faith4 ,he 
died in ,september that year4 ,i had    
expected that his last illness would    
have brought light to my mind1 as to    
what ,i ought to do4 ,it brought none4  
,i made a note1 which runs thus3 ,i     
sobbed bitterly over his coffin1 to     
think that he left me still dark as to  
what the way of truth was1 and what ,i  
ought to do in order to please ,god and 

fulfil ,his will4 ,i think ,i wrote to  
,charles ,marriott to say1 that at that 
moment1 with the thought of my friend   
before me1 my strong view in favour of  
,rome remained just what it was4 ,on the
 other hand1 my firm belief that grace  
was to be found in the ,anglican ,church
 remained too4#e ,i wrote to a friend   
upon his death3--  ,sept4 #af1 #ahdd4 ,i
 am full of wrong and miserable         
feelings1 which it is useless to detail1
 so grudging and sullen1 when ,i should 
be thankful4 ,of course1 when one sees  
so blessed an end1 and that1 the        
termination of so blameless a life1 of  
one who really fed on our ordinances and
 got strength from them1 and see the    
same continued in a whole family1 the   
little children finding quite a solace  
of their pain in the ,daily ,prayer1 it 
is impossible not to feel more at ease  
in our ,church1 as at least a sort of   
,zoar1 a place of refuge and temporary  
rest1 because of the steepness of the   
way4 ,only1 may we be kept from unlawful

 security1 lest we have ,moab and ,ammon
 for our progeny1 the enemies of        
,israel4  ,i could not continue in this 
state1 either in the light of duty or of
 reason4 ,my difficulty was this3 ,i had
 been deceived greatly once2 how could  
,i be sure that ,i was not deceived a   
second time8 ,i then thought myself     
right2 how was ,i to be certain that ,i 
was right now8 ,how many years had ,i   
thought myself sure of what ,i now      
rejected8 how could ,i ever again have  
confidence in myself8 ,as in #ahdj ,i   
listened to the rising doubt in favour  
of ,rome1 now ,i listened to the waning 
doubt in favour of the ,english ,church4
 ,to be certain is to know that one     
knows2 what test had ,i1 that ,i should 
not change again1 after that ,i had     
become a ,catholic8 ,i had still        
apprehension of this1 though ,i thought 
a time would come1 when it would depart4
 ,however1 some limit ought to be put to
 these vague misgivings2 ,i must do my  
best and then leave it to a higher power

 to prosper it4 ,so1 ,i determined to   
write an essay on ,doctrinal            
,development2 and then1 if1 at the end  
of it1 my convictions in favour of the  
,roman ,church were not weaker1 to make 
up my mind to seek admission into her   
fold4 ,i acted upon this resolution in  
the beginning of #ahde1 and worked at my
 ,essay steadily into the autumn4  ,i   
told my resolution to various friends at
 the beginning of the year2 indeed1 it  
was at that time known generally4 ,i    
wrote to a friend thus3--  ,my intention
 is1 if nothing comes upon me1 which ,i 
cannot foresee1 to remain quietly in    
statu quo for a considerable time1      
trusting that my friends will kindly    
remember me and my trial in their       
prayers4 ,and ,i should give up my      
fellowship some time before anything    
further took place4  ,one very dear     
friend1 now no more1 ,charles ,marriott1
 sent me a letter at the beginning of   
the next year1 from which1 from love of 
him1 ,i quote some sentences3--         

,january #ae1 #ahde4 ,you know me well  
enough to be aware1 that ,i never see   
through anything at first4 ,your letter 
to ,b4 casts a gloom over the future1   
which you can understand1 if you have   
understood me1 as ,i believe you have4  
,but ,i may speak out at once1 of what  
,i see and feel at once1 and doubt not  
that ,i shall ever feel3 that your whole
 conduct towards the ,church of ,england
 and towards us1 who have striven and   
are still striving to seek after ,god   
for ourselves1 and to revive true       
religion among others1 under her        
authority and guidance1 has been        
generous and considerate1 and1 were that
 word appropriate1 dutiful1 to a degree 
that ,i could scarcely have conceived   
possible1 more unsparing of self than ,i
 should have thought nature could       
sustain4 ,i have felt with pain every   
link that you have severed1 and ,i have 
asked no questions1 because ,i felt that
 you ought to measure the disclosure of 
your thoughts according to the occasion1

 and the capacity of those to whom you  
spoke4 ,i write in haste1 in the midst  
of engagements engrossing in themselves1
 but partly made tasteless1 partly      
embittered by what ,i have heard2 but ,i
 am willing to trust even you1 whom ,i  
love best on earth1 in ,god's ,hand1 in 
the earnest prayer that you may be so   
employed as is best for the ,holy       
,catholic ,church4  ,there was a lady1  
who was very anxious on the subject1 and
 ,i wrote to her the following          
letters3--  #a4 ,october1 #ahdd4 ,what  
can ,i say more to your purpose8 ,if you
 will ask me any specific questions1 ,i 
will answer them1 as far as ,i am able4 
#b4 ,november #g1 #ahdd4 ,i am still    
where ,i was2 ,i am not moving4 ,two    
things1 however1 seem plain1 that every 
one is prepared for such an event1 next1
 that every one expects it of me4 ,few  
indeed1 who do not think it suitable1   
fewer still1 who do not think it likely4
 ,however1 ,i do not think it either    
suitable or likely4 ,i have very little 

reason to doubt about the issue of      
things1 but the when and the how are    
known to ,him1 from whom1 ,i trust1 both
 the course of things and the issue     
come4 ,the expression of opinion1 and   
the latent and habitual feeling about   
me1 which is on every side and among all
 parties1 has great force4 ,i insist    
upon it1 because ,i have a great dread  
of going by my own feelings1 lest they  
should mislead me4 ,by one's sense of   
duty one must go2 but external facts    
support one in doing so4  #c4 ,january  
#h1 #ahde4 ,my full belief is1 in       
accordance with your letter1 that1 if   
there is a move in our ,church1 very few
 persons indeed will be partners to it4 
,i doubt whether one or two at the most 
among residents at ,oxford4 ,and ,i     
don't know whether ,i can wish it4 ,the 
state of the ,roman ,catholics is at    
present so unsatisfactory4 ,this ,i am  
sure of1 that nothing but a simple1     
direct call of duty is a warrant for any
 one leaving our ,church2 no preference 

of another ,church1 no delight in its   
services1 no hope of greater religious  
advancement in it1 no indignation1 no   
disgust1 at the persons and things1     
among which we may find ourselves in the
 ,church of ,england4 ,the simple       
question is1 ,can ,i 7it is personal1   
not whether another1 but can ,i7 be     
saved in the ,english ,church8 am ,i in 
safety1 were ,i to die tonight8 ,is it a
 mortal sin in me1 not joining another  
communion8 ,p4,s4 ,i hardly see my way  
to concur in attendance1 though         
occasional1 in the ,roman ,catholic     
chapel1 unless a man has made up his    
mind pretty well to join it eventually4 
,invocations are not required in the    
,church of ,rome2 somehow1 ,i do not    
like using them except under the        
sanction of the ,church1 and this makes 
me unwilling to admit them in members of
 our ,church4  #d4 ,march #cj4 ,now ,i  
will tell you more than any one knows   
except two friends4 ,my own convictions 
are as strong1 as ,i suppose they can   

become3 only it is so difficult to know 
whether it is a call of reason or of    
conscience4 ,i cannot make out1 if ,i am
 impelled by what seems clear1 or by a  
sense of duty4 ,you can understand how  
painful this doubt is2 so ,i have       
waited1 hoping for light1 and using the 
words of the ,psalmist1 ',show some     
token upon me4' ,but ,i suppose ,i have 
no right to wait for ever for this4     
,then ,i am waiting1 because friends are
 most considerately bearing me in mind1 
and asking guidance for me2 and1 ,i     
trust1 ,i should attend to any new      
feelings which came upon me1 should that
 be the effect of their kindness4 ,and  
then this waiting subserves the purpose 
of preparing men's minds4 ,i dread      
shocking1 unsettling people4 ,anyhow1 ,i
 can't avoid giving incalculable pain4  
,so1 if ,i had my will1 ,i should like  
to wait till the summer of #ahdf1 which 
would be a full seven years from the    
time that my convictions first began to 
fall on me4 ,but ,i don't think ,i shall

 last so long4  ,my present intention is
 to give up my ,fellowship in ,october1 
and to publish some work or treatise    
between that and ,christmas4 ,i wish    
people to know why ,i am acting1 as well
 as what ,i am doing2 it takes off that 
vague and distressing surprise1 ',what  
can have made him8'  #e4 ,june #a4 ,what
 you tell me of yourself makes it plain 
that it is your duty to remain quietly  
and patiently1 till you see more clearly
 where you are2 else you are leaping in 
the dark4  ,in the early part of this   
year1 if not before1 there was an idea  
afloat that my retirement from the      
,anglican ,church was owing to the      
feeling that ,i had so been thrust      
aside1 without any one's taking my part4
 ,various measures were1 ,i believe1    
talked of in consequence of this        
surmise4 ,coincidently with it was an   
exceedingly kind article about me in a  
quarterly1 in its ,april number4 ,the   
writer praised me in feeling and        
beautiful language far above my deserts4

 ,in the course of his remarks1 he said1
 speaking of me as ,vicar of ,st4       
,mary's3 ,he had the future race of     
clergy hearing him4 ,did he value and   
feel tender about1 and cling to his     
position8 444,not at all4444 ,no        
sacrifice to him perhaps1 he did not    
care about such things4  ,this was the  
occasion of my writing to a very        
intimate friend the following letter3-- 
,april #c1 #ahde4444 ,accept this       
apology1 my dear ,c41 and forgive me4   
,as ,i say so1 tears come into my       
eyes--that arises from the accident of  
this time1 when ,i am giving up so much 
,i love4 ,just now ,i have been overset 
by ,a4 ,b4's article in the ,c4 ,d42 yet
 really1 my dear ,c41 ,i have never for 
an instant had even the temptation of   
repenting my leaving ,oxford4 ,the      
feeling of repentance has not even come 
into my mind4 ,how could it8 ,how could 
,i remain at ,st4 ,mary's a hypocrite8  
how could ,i be answerable for souls    
7and life so uncertain71 with the       

convictions1 or at least persuasions1   
which ,i had upon me8 ,it is indeed a   
responsibility to act as ,i am doing2   
and ,i feel ,his hand heavy on me       
without intermission1 who is all ,wisdom
 and ,love1 so that my heart and mind   
are tired out1 just as the limbs might  
be from a load on one's back4 ,that sort
 of dull aching pain is mine2 but my    
responsibility really is nothing to what
 it would be1 to be answerable for      
souls1 for confiding loving souls1 in   
the ,english ,church1 with my           
convictions4 ,my love to ,marriott1 and 
save me the pain of sending him a line4 
,in ,july a bishop thought it worth     
while to give out to the world that the 
adherents of ,mr4 ,newman are few in    
number4 ,a short time will now probably 
suffice to prove this fact4 ,it is well 
known that he is preparing for          
secession2 and1 when that event takes   
place1 it will be seen how few will go  
with him4  ,all this time ,i was hard at
 my essay on ,doctrinal ,development4   

,as ,i advanced1 my view so cleared that
 instead of speaking any more of the    
,roman ,catholics1 ,i boldly called them
 ,catholics4 ,before ,i got to the end1 
,i resolved to be received1 and the book
 remains in the state in which it was   
then1 unfinished4  ,on ,october #hth ,i 
wrote to a number of friends the        
following letter3--  ,littlemore1       
,october #h1 #ahde4 ,i am this night    
expecting ,father ,dominic1 the         
,passionist1 who1 from his youth1 has   
been led to have distinct and direct    
thoughts1 first of the countries of the 
,north1 then of ,england4 ,after thirty 
years' 7almost7 waiting1 he was without 
his own act sent here4 ,but he has had  
little to do with conversions4 ,i saw   
him here for a few minutes on ,st4 ,john
 ,baptist's day last year4 ,he does not 
know of my intention2 but ,i mean to ask
 of him admission into the one ,fold of 
,christ4444  ,i have so many letters to 
write1 that this must do for all who    
choose to ask about me4 ,with my best   

love to dear ,charles ,marriott1 who is 
over your head1 etc41 etc4  ,p4,s4 ,this
 will not go till all is over4 ,of      
course it requires no answer4   ,for a  
while after my reception1 ,i proposed to
 betake myself to some secular calling4 
,i wrote thus in answer to a very       
gracious letter of congratulation3--    
,nov4 #be1 #ahde4 ,i hope you will have 
anticipated1 before ,i express it1 the  
great gratification which ,i received   
from your ,eminence's letter4 ,that     
gratification1 however1 was tempered by 
the apprehension1 that kind and anxious 
well-wishers at a distance attach more  
importance to my step than really       
belongs to it4 ,to me indeed personally 
it is of course an inestimable gain2 but
 persons and things look great at a     
distance1 which are not so when seen    
close2 and1 did your ,eminence know me1 
you would see that ,i was one1 about    
whom there has been far more talk for   
good and bad than he deserves1 and about
 whose movements far more expectation   

has been raised than the event will     
justify4  ,as ,i never1 ,i do trust1    
aimed at anything else than obedience to
 my own sense of right1 and have been   
magnified into the leader of a party    
without my wishing it or acting as such1
 so now1 much as ,i may wish to the     
contrary1 and earnestly as ,i may labour
 7as is my duty7 to minister in a humble
 way to the ,catholic ,church1 yet my   
powers will1 ,i fear1 disappoint the    
expectations of both my own friends1 and
 of those who pray for the peace of     
,jerusalem4  ,if ,i might ask of your   
,eminence a favour1 it is that you would
 kindly moderate those anticipations4   
,would it were in my power to do1 what  
,i do not aspire to do6 ,at present     
certainly ,i cannot look forward to the 
future1 and1 though it would be a good  
work if ,i could persuade others to do  
as ,i have done1 yet it seems as if ,i  
had quite enough to do in thinking of   
myself4  ,soon1 ,dr4 ,wiseman1 in whose 
vicariate ,oxford lay1 called me to     

,oscott2 and ,i went there with others2 
afterwards he sent me to ,rome1 and     
finally placed me in ,birmingham4  ,i   
wrote to a friend3--  ,january #bj1     
#ahdf4 ,you may think how lonely ,i am4 
',obliviscere populum tuum et domum     
patris tui1' has been in my ears for the
 last twelve hours4 ,i realise more that
 we are leaving ,littlemore1 and it is  
like going on the open sea4  ,i left    
,oxford for good on ,monday1 ,february  
#bc1 #ahdf4 ,on the ,saturday and       
,sunday before1 ,i was in my house at   
,littlemore simply by myself1 as ,i had 
been for the first day or two when ,i   
had originally taken possession of it4  
,i slept on ,sunday night at my dear    
friend's1 ,mr4 ,johnson's1 at the       
,observatory4 ,various friends came to  
see the last of me2 ,mr4 ,copeland1 ,mr4
 ,church1 ,mr4 ,buckle1 ,mr4 ,pattison1 
and ,mr4 ,lewis4 ,dr4 ,pusey too came up
 to take leave of me2 and ,i called on  
,dr4 ,ogle1 one of my very oldest       
friends1 for he was my private tutor    

when ,i was an undergraduate4 ,in him ,i
 took leave of my first college1        
,trinity1 which was so dear to me1 and  
which held on its foundation so many who
 have been kind to me both when ,i was a
 boy1 and all through my ,oxford life4  
,trinity had never been unkind to me4   
,there used to be much snapdragon       
growing on the walls opposite my        
freshman's rooms there1 and ,i had for  
years taken it as the emblem of my own  
perpetual residence even unto death in  
my ,university4  ,on the morning of the 
#bcrd ,i left the observatory4 ,i have  
never seen ,oxford since1 excepting its 
spires1 as they are seen from the       
railway4  ,footnotes  #c ,as ,i am not  
writing controversially1 ,i will only   
here remark upon this argument1 that    
there is a great difference between a   
command1 which implies physical         
conditions1 and one which is moral4 ,to 
go to ,jerusalem was a matter of the    
body1 not of the soul4  #d ,i cannot    
prove this at this distance of time2 but

 ,i do not think it wrong to introduce  
here the passage containing it1 as ,i am
 imputing to the ,bishop nothing which  
the world would think disgraceful1 but1 
on the contrary1 what a large religious 
body would approve4  #e ,on this        
subject1 vid4 my third lecture on       
,anglican ,difficulties4     ,part ,,vii
  ,general answer to ,mr4 ,kingsley     
,from the time that ,i became a         
,catholic1 of course ,i have no further 
history of my religious opinions to     
narrate4 ,in saying this1 ,i do not mean
 to say that my mind has been idle1 or  
that ,i have given up thinking on       
theological subjects2 but that ,i have  
had no changes to record1 and have had  
no anxiety of heart whatever4 ,i have   
been in perfect peace and contentment4  
,i never have had one doubt4 ,i was not 
conscious to myself1 on my conversion1  
of any difference of thought or of      
temper from what ,i had before4 ,i was  
not conscious of firmer faith in the    
fundamental truths of revelation1 or of 

more self-command2 ,i had not more      
fervour2 but it was like coming into    
port after a rough sea2 and my happiness
 on that score remains to this day      
without interruption4  ,nor had ,i any  
trouble about receiving those additional
 articles1 which are not found in the   
,anglican ,creed4 ,some of them ,i      
believed already1 but not any one of    
them was a trial to me4 ,i made a       
profession of them upon my reception    
with the greatest ease1 and ,i have the 
same ease in believing them now4 ,i am  
far of course from denying that every   
article of the ,christian ,creed1       
whether as held by ,catholics or by     
,protestants1 is beset with intellectual
 difficulties2 and it is simple fact1   
that1 for myself1 ,i cannot answer those
 difficulties4 ,many persons are very   
sensitive of the difficulties of        
religion2 ,i am as sensitive as any one2
 but ,i have never been able to see a   
connection between apprehending those   
difficulties1 however keenly1 and       

multiplying them to any extent1 and     
doubting the doctrines to which they are
 attached4 ,ten thousand difficulties do
 not make one doubt1 as ,i understand   
the subject2 difficulty and doubt are   
incommensurate4 ,there of course may be 
difficulties in the evidence2 but ,i am 
speaking of difficulties intrinsic to   
the doctrines1 or to their compatibility
 with each other4 ,a man may be annoyed 
that he cannot work out a mathematical  
problem1 of which the answer is or is   
not given to him1 without doubting that 
it admits of an answer1 or that a       
particular answer is the true one4 ,of  
all points of faith1 the being of a ,god
 is1 to my own apprehension1 encompassed
 with most difficulty1 and borne in upon
 our minds with most power4  ,people say
 that the doctrine of                   
,transubstantiation is difficult to     
believe2 ,i did not believe the doctrine
 till ,i was a ,catholic4 ,i had no     
difficulty in believing it as soon as ,i
 believed that the ,catholic ,roman     

,church was the oracle of ,god1 and that
 she had declared this doctrine to be   
part of the original revelation4 ,it is 
difficult1 impossible to imagine1 ,i    
grant--but how is it difficult to       
believe8 ,yet ,macaulay thought it so   
difficult to believe1 that he had need  
of a believer in it of talents as       
eminent as ,sir ,thomas ,more1 before he
 could bring himself to conceive that   
the ,catholics of an enlightened age    
could resist the overwhelming force of  
the argument against it4 ,sir ,thomas   
,more1 he says1 is one of the choice    
specimens of wisdom and virtue2 and the 
doctrine of transubstantiation is a kind
 of proof charge4 ,a faith which stands 
that test1 will stand any test4 ,but for
 myself1 ,i cannot indeed prove it1 ,i  
cannot tell how it is2 but ,i say1 ,why 
should it not be8 ,what's to hinder it8 
,what do ,i know of substance or matter8
 just as much as the greatest           
philosophers1 and that is nothing at    
all2--so much is this the case1 that    

there is a rising school of philosophy  
now1 which considers phenomena to       
constitute the whole of our knowledge in
 physics4 ,the ,catholic doctrine leaves
 phenomena alone4 ,it does not say that 
the phenomena go2 on the contrary1 it   
says that they remain3 nor does it say  
that the same phenomena are in several  
places at once4 ,it deals with what no  
one on earth knows anything about1 the  
material substances themselves4 ,and1 in
 like manner1 of that majestic article  
of the ,anglican as well as of the      
,catholic ,creed--the doctrine of the   
,trinity in ,unity4 ,what do ,i know of 
the essence of the ,divine ,being8 ,i   
know that my abstract idea of three is  
simply incompatible with my idea of one2
 but when ,i come to the question of    
concrete fact1 ,i have no means of      
proving that there is not a sense in    
which one and three can equally be      
predicated of the ,incommunicable ,god4 
,but ,i am going to take upon myself the
 responsibility of more than the mere   

creed of the ,church2 as the parties    
accusing me are determined ,i shall do4 
,they say1 that now1 in that ,i am a    
,catholic1 though ,i may not have       
offences of my own against honesty to   
answer for1 yet1 at least1 ,i am        
answerable for the offences of others1  
of my co-religionists1 of my brother    
priests1 of the ,church herself4 ,i am  
quite willing to accept the             
responsibility2 and1 as ,i have been    
able1 as ,i trust1 by means of a few    
words1 to dissipate1 in the minds of all
 those who do not begin with            
disbelieving me1 the suspicion with     
which so many ,protestants start1 in    
forming their judgment of ,catholics1   
viz4 that our creed is actually set up  
in inevitable superstition and          
hypocrisy1 as the original sin of       
,catholicism2 so now ,i will go on1 as  
before1 identifying myself with the     
,church and vindicating it--not of      
course denying the enormous mass of sin 
and ignorance which exists of necessity 

in that world-wide multiform            
communion--but going to the proof of    
this one point1 that its system is in no
 sense dishonest1 and that therefore the
 upholders and teachers of that system1 
as such1 have a claim to be acquitted in
 their own persons of that odious       
imputation4   ,starting then with the   
being of a ,god 7which1 as ,i have said1
 is as certain to me as the certainty of
 my own existence1 though when ,i try to
 put the grounds of that certainty into 
logical shape ,i find a difficulty in   
doing so in mood and figure to my       
satisfaction71 ,i look out of myself    
into the world of men1 and there ,i see 
a sight which fills me with unspeakable 
distress4 ,the world seems simply to    
give the lie to that great truth1 of    
which my whole being is so full2 and the
 effect upon me is1 in consequence1 as a
 matter of necessity1 as confusing as if
 it denied that ,i am in existence      
myself4 ,if ,i looked into a mirror1 and
 did not see my face1 ,i should have the

 sort of feeling which actually comes   
upon me1 when ,i look into this living  
busy world1 and see no reflexion of its 
,creator4 ,this is1 to me1 one of the   
great difficulties of this absolute     
primary truth1 to which ,i referred just
 now4 ,were it not for this voice1      
speaking so clearly in my conscience and
 my heart1 ,i should be an atheist1 or a
 pantheist1 or a polytheist when ,i     
looked into the world4 ,i am speaking   
for myself only2 and ,i am far from     
denying the real force of the arguments 
in proof of a ,god1 drawn from the      
general facts of human society1 but     
these do not warm me or enlighten me2   
they do not take away the winter of my  
desolation1 or make the buds unfold and 
the leaves grow within me1 and my moral 
being rejoice4 ,the sight of the world  
is nothing else than the prophet's      
scroll1 full of lamentations1 and       
mourning1 and woe4  ,to consider the    
world in its length and breadth1 its    
various history1 the many races of man1 

their starts1 their fortunes1 their     
mutual alienation1 their conflicts2 and 
then their ways1 habits1 governments1   
forms of worship2 their enterprises1    
their aimless courses1 their random     
achievements and acquirements1 the      
impotent conclusion of long-standing    
facts1 the tokens so faint and broken1  
of a superintending design1 the blind   
evolution of what turn out to be great  
powers or truths1 the progress of       
things1 as if from unreasoning elements1
 not towards final causes1 the greatness
 and littleness of man1 his far-reaching
 aims1 his short duration1 the curtain  
hung over his futurity1 the             
disappointments of life1 the defeat of  
good1 the success of evil1 physical     
pain1 mental anguish1 the prevalence and
 intensity of sin1 the pervading        
idolatries1 the corruptions1 the dreary 
hopeless irreligion1 that condition of  
the whole race1 so fearfully yet exactly
 described in the ,apostle's words1     
having no hope and without ,god in the  

world1--all this is a vision to dizzy   
and appal2 and inflicts upon the mind   
the sense of a profound mystery1 which  
is absolutely beyond human solution4    
,what shall be said to this             
heart-piercing1 reason-bewildering fact8
 ,i can only answer1 that either there  
is no ,creator1 or this living society  
of men is in a true sense discarded from
 ,his presence4 ,did ,i see a boy of    
good make and mind1 with the tokens on  
him of a refined nature1 cast upon the  
world without provision1 unable to say  
whence he came1 his birthplace or his   
family connections1 ,i should conclude  
that there was some mystery connected   
with his history1 and that he was one1  
of whom1 from one cause or other1 his   
parents were ashamed4 ,thus only should 
,i be able to account for the contrast  
between the promise and condition of his
 being4 ,and so ,i argue about the      
world2--if there be a ,god1 since there 
is a ,god1 the human race is implicated 
in some terrible aboriginal calamity4   

,it is out of joint with the purposes of
 its ,creator4 ,this is a fact1 a fact  
as true as the fact of its existence2   
and thus the doctrine of what is        
theologically called original sin       
becomes to me almost as certain as that 
the world exists1 and as the existence  
of ,god4  ,and now1 supposing it were   
the blessed and loving will of the      
,creator to interfere in this anarchical
 condition of things1 what are we to    
suppose would be the methods which might
 be necessarily or naturally involved in
 ,his object of mercy8 ,since the world 
is in so abnormal a state1 surely it    
would be no surprise to me1 if the      
interposition were of necessity equally 
extraordinary--or what is called        
miraculous4 ,but that subject does not  
directly come into the scope of my      
present remarks4 ,miracles as evidence1 
involve an argument2 and of course ,i am
 thinking of some means which does not  
immediately run into argument4 ,i am    
rather asking what must be the          

face-to-face antagonist1 by which to    
withstand and baffle the fierce energy  
of passion and the all-corroding1       
all-dissolving scepticism of the        
intellect in religious inquiries8 ,i    
have no intention at all to deny1 that  
truth is the real object of our reason1 
and that1 if it does not attain to      
truth1 either the premiss or the process
 is in fault2 but ,i am not speaking of 
right reason1 but of reason as it acts  
in fact and concretely in fallen man4 ,i
 know that even the unaided reason1 when
 correctly exercised1 leads to a belief 
in ,god1 in the immortality of the soul1
 and in a future retribution2 but ,i am 
considering it actually and             
historically2 and in this point of view1
 ,i do not think ,i am wrong in saying  
that its tendency is towards a simple   
unbelief in matters of religion4 ,no    
truth1 however sacred1 can stand against
 it1 in the long run2 and hence it is   
that in the pagan world1 when our ,lord 
came1 the last traces of the religious  

knowledge of former times were all but  
disappearing from those portions of the 
world in which the intellect had been   
active and had had a career4  ,and in   
these latter days1 in like manner1      
outside the ,catholic ,church things are
 tending1 with far greater rapidity than
 in that old time from the circumstance 
of the age1 to atheism in one shape or  
other4 ,what a scene1 what a prospect1  
does the whole of ,europe present at    
this day6 and not only ,europe1 but     
every government and every civilization 
through the world1 which is under the   
influence of the ,european mind6        
,especially1 for it most concerns us1   
how sorrowful1 in the view of religion1 
even taken in its most elementary1 most 
attenuated form1 is the spectacle       
presented to us by the educated         
intellect of ,england1 ,france1 and     
,germany6 ,lovers of their country and  
of their race1 religious men1 external  
to the ,catholic ,church1 have attempted
 various expedients to arrest fierce    

wilful human nature in its onward       
course1 and to bring it into subjection4
 ,the necessity of some form of religion
 for the interests of humanity1 has been
 generally acknowledged3 but where was  
the concrete representative of things   
invisible1 which would have the force   
and the toughness necessary to be a     
breakwater against the deluge8 ,three   
centuries ago the establishment of      
religion1 material1 legal1 and social1  
was generally adopted as the best       
expedient for the purpose1 in those     
countries which separated from the      
,catholic ,church2 and for a long time  
it was successful2 but now the crevices 
of those establishments are admitting   
the enemy4 ,thirty years ago1 education 
was relied upon3 ten years ago there was
 a hope that wars would cease for ever1 
under the influence of commercial       
enterprise and the reign of the useful  
and fine arts2 but will any one venture 
to say that there is anything anywhere  
on this earth1 which will afford a      

fulcrum for us1 whereby to keep the     
earth from moving onwards8  ,the        
judgment1 which experience passes on    
establishments or education1 as a means 
of maintaining religious truth in this  
anarchical world1 must be extended even 
to ,scripture1 though ,scripture be     
divine4 ,experience proves surely that  
the ,bible does not answer a purpose1   
for which it was never intended4 ,it may
 be accidentally the means of the       
conversion of individuals2 but a book1  
after all1 cannot make a stand against  
the wild living intellect of man1 and in
 this day it begins to testify1 as      
regards its own structure and contents1 
to the power of that universal solvent1 
which is so successfully acting upon    
religious establishments4  ,supposing   
then it to be the ,will of the ,creator 
to interfere in human affairs1 and to   
make provisions for retaining in the    
world a knowledge of ,himself1 so       
definite and distinct as to be proof    
against the energy of human scepticism1 

in such a case--,i am far from saying   
that there was no other way--but there  
is nothing to surprise the mind1 if ,he 
should think fit to introduce a power   
into the world1 invested with the       
prerogative of infallibility in         
religious matters4 ,such a provision    
would be a direct1 immediate1 active1   
and prompt means of withstanding the    
difficulty2 it would be an instrument   
suited to the need2 and1 when ,i find   
that this is the very claim of the      
,catholic ,church1 not only do ,i feel  
no difficulty in admitting the idea1 but
 there is a fitness in it1 which        
recommends it to my mind4 ,and thus ,i  
am brought to speak of the ,church's    
infallibility1 as a provision1 adapted  
by the mercy of the ,creator1 to        
preserve religion in the world1 and to  
restrain that freedom of thought1 which 
of course in itself is one of the       
greatest of our natural gifts1 and to   
rescue it from its own suicidal         
excesses4 ,and let it be observed that1 

neither here nor in what follows1 shall 
,i have occasion to speak directly of   
the revealed body of truths1 but only as
 they bear upon the defence of natural  
religion4 ,i say1 that a power1         
possessed of infallibility in religious 
teaching1 is happily adapted to be a    
working instrument1 in the course of    
human affairs1 for smiting hard and     
throwing back the immense energy of the 
aggressive intellect3--and in saying    
this1 as in the other things that ,i    
have to say1 it must still be           
recollected that ,i am all along bearing
 in mind my main purpose1 which is a    
defence of myself4  ,i am defending     
myself here from a plausible charge     
brought against ,catholics1 as will be  
seen better as ,i proceed4 ,the charge  
is this3--that ,i1 as a ,catholic1 not  
only make profession to hold doctrines  
which ,i cannot possibly believe in my  
heart1 but that ,i also believe in the  
existence of a power on earth1 which at 
its own will imposes upon men any new   

set of credenda1 when it pleases1 by a  
claim to infallibility2 in consequence1 
that my own thoughts are not my own     
property2 that ,i cannot tell that      
tomorrow ,i may not have to give up what
 ,i hold today1 and that the necessary  
effect of such a condition of mind must 
be a degrading bondage1 or a bitter     
inward rebellion relieving itself in    
secret infidelity1 or the necessity of  
ignoring the whole subject of religion  
in a sort of disgust1 and of            
mechanically saying everything that the 
,church says1 and leaving to others the 
defence of it4 ,as then ,i have above   
spoken of the relation of my mind       
towards the ,catholic ,creed1 so now ,i 
shall speak of the attitude which it    
takes up in the view of the ,church's   
infallibility4  ,and first1 the initial 
doctrine of the infallible teacher must 
be an emphatic protest against the      
existing state of mankind4 ,man had     
rebelled against his ,maker4 ,it was    
this that caused the divine             

interposition3 and the first act of the 
divinely accredited messenger must be to
 proclaim it4 ,the ,church must denounce
 rebellion as of all possible evils the 
greatest4 ,she must have no terms with  
it2 if she would be true to her ,master1
 she must ban and anathematise it4 ,this
 is the meaning of a statement which has
 furnished matter for one of those      
special accusations to which ,i am at   
present replying3 ,i have1 however1 no  
fault at all to confess in regard to it2
 ,i have nothing to withdraw1 and in    
consequence ,i here deliberately repeat 
it4 ,i said1 ,the ,catholic ,church     
holds it better for the sun and moon to 
drop from heaven1 for the earth to fail1
 and for all the many millions on it to 
die of starvation in extremest agony1 as
 far as temporal affliction goes1 than  
that one soul1 ,i will not say1 should  
be lost1 but should commit one single   
venial sin1 should tell one wilful      
untruth1 or should steal one poor       
farthing without excuse4 ,i think the   

principle here enunciated to be the mere
 preamble in the formal credentials of  
the ,catholic ,church1 as an ,act of    
,parliament might begin with a ,whereas4
 ,it is because of the intensity of the 
evil which has possession of mankind1   
that a suitable antagonist has been     
provided against it2 and the initial act
 of that divinely-commissioned power is 
of course to deliver her challenge and  
to defy the enemy4 ,such a preamble then
 gives a meaning to her position in the 
world1 and an interpretation to her     
whole course of teaching and action4    
,in like manner she has ever put forth1 
with most energetic distinctness1 those 
other great elementary truths1 which    
either are an explanation of her mission
 or give a character to her work4 ,she  
does not teach that human nature is     
irreclaimable1 else wherefore should she
 be sent8 not that it is to be shattered
 and reversed1 but to be extricated1    
purified1 and restored2 not that it is a
 mere mass of evil1 but that it has the 

promise of great things1 and even now   
has a virtue and a praise proper to     
itself4 ,but in the next place she knows
 and she preaches that such a           
restoration1 as she aims at effecting in
 it1 must be brought about1 not simply  
through any outward provision of        
preaching and teaching1 even though it  
be her own1 but from a certain inward   
spiritual power or grace imparted       
directly from above1 and which is in her
 keeping4 ,she has it in charge to      
rescue human nature from its misery1 but
 not simply by raising it upon its own  
level1 but by lifting it up to a higher 
level than its own4 ,she recognises in  
it real moral excellence though         
degraded1 but she cannot set it free    
from earth except by exalting it towards
 heaven4 ,it was for this end that a    
renovating grace was put into her hands1
 and therefore from the nature of the   
gift1 as well as from the reasonableness
 of the case1 she goes on1 as a further 
point1 to insist1 that all true         

conversion must begin with the first    
springs of thought1 and to teach that   
each individual man must be in his own  
person one whole and perfect temple of  
,god1 while he is also one of the living
 stones which build up a visible        
religious community4 ,and thus the      
distinctions between nature and grace1  
and between outward and inward religion1
 become two further articles in what ,i 
have called the preamble of her divine  
commission4  ,such truths as these she  
vigorously reiterates1 and              
pertinaciously inflicts upon mankind2 as
 to such she observes no half-measures1 
no economical reserve1 no delicacy or   
prudence4 ,ye must be born again1 is the
 simple1 direct form of words which she 
uses after her ,divine ,master2 your    
whole nature must be re-born1 your      
passions1 and your affections1 and your 
aims1 and your conscience1 and your     
will1 must all be bathed in a new       
element1 and reconsecrated to your      
,maker1 and1 the last not the least1    

your intellect4 ,it was for repeating   
these points of her teaching in my own  
way1 that certain passages of one of my 
volumes have been brought into the      
general accusation which has been made  
against my religious opinions4 ,the     
writer has said that ,i was demented if 
,i believed1 and unprincipled if ,i did 
not believe1 in my statement that a     
lazy1 ragged1 filthy1 story-telling     
beggar-woman1 if chaste1 sober1         
cheerful1 and religious1 had a prospect 
of heaven1 which was absolutely closed  
to an accomplished statesman1 or lawyer1
 or noble1 be he ever so just1 upright1 
generous1 honourable1 and conscientious1
 unless he had also some portion of the 
divine ,christian grace2 yet ,i should  
have thought myself defended from       
criticism by the words which our ,lord  
used to the chief priests1 ,the         
publicans and harlots go into the       
kingdom of ,god before you4 ,and ,i was 
subjected again to the same alternative 
of imputations1 for having ventured to  

say that consent to an unchaste wish was
 indefinitely more heinous than any lie 
viewed apart from its causes1 its       
motives1 and its consequences2 though a 
lie1 viewed under the limitation of     
these conditions1 is a random utterance1
 an almost outward act1 not directly    
from the heart1 however disgraceful it  
may be1 whereas we have the express     
words of our ,lord to the doctrine that 
whoso looketh on a woman to lust after  
her1 hath committed adultery with her   
already in his heart4 ,on the strength  
of these texts ,i have surely as much   
right to believe in these doctrines as  
to believe in the doctrine of original  
sin1 or that there is a supernatural    
revelation1 or that a ,divine ,person   
suffered1 or that punishment is eternal4
  ,passing now from what ,i have called 
the preamble of that grant of power1    
with which the ,church is invested1 to  
that power itself1 ,infallibility1 ,i   
make two brief remarks3 on the one hand1
 ,i am not here determining anything    

about the essential seat of that power1 
because that is a question doctrinal1   
not historical and practical2 nor1 on   
the other hand1 am ,i extending the     
direct subject-matter1 over which that  
power has jurisdiction1 beyond religious
 opinion3--and now as to the power      
itself4  ,this power1 viewed in its     
fulness1 is as tremendous as the giant  
evil which has called for it4 ,it       
claims1 when brought into exercise in   
the legitimate manner1 for otherwise of 
course it is but dormant1 to have for   
itself a sure guidance into the very    
meaning of every portion of the divine  
message in detail1 which was committed  
by our ,lord to ,his ,apostles4 ,it     
claims to know its own limits1 and to   
decide what it can determine absolutely 
and what it cannot4 ,it claims1         
moreover1 to have a hold upon statements
 not directly religious1 so far as this1
 to determine whether they indirectly   
relate to religion1 and1 according to   
its own definitive judgment1 to         

pronounce whether or not1 in a          
particular case1 they are consistent    
with revealed truth4 ,it claims to      
decide magisterially1 whether infallibly
 or not1 that such and such statements  
are or are not prejudicial to the       
apostolic depositum of faith1 in their  
spirit or in their consequences1 and to 
allow them1 or condemn and forbid them1 
accordingly4 ,it claims to impose       
silence at will on any matters1 or      
controversies1 of doctrine1 which on its
 own ipse dixit1 it pronounces to be    
dangerous1 or inexpedient1 or           
inopportune4 ,it claims that whatever   
may be the judgment of ,catholics upon  
such acts1 these acts should be received
 by them with those outward marks of    
reverence1 submission1 and loyalty1     
which ,englishmen1 for instance1 pay to 
the presence of their sovereign1 without
 public criticism on them1 as being in  
their matter inexpedient1 or in their   
manner violent or harsh4 ,and lastly1 it
 claims to have the right of inflicting 

spiritual punishment1 of cutting off    
from the ordinary channels of the divine
 life1 and of simply excommunicating1   
those who refuse to submit themselves to
 its formal declarations4 ,such is the  
infallibility lodged in the ,catholic   
,church1 viewed in the concrete1 as     
clothed and surrounded by the appendages
 of its high sovereignty3 it is1 to     
repeat what ,i said above1 a            
supereminent prodigious power sent upon 
earth to encounter and master a giant   
evil4  ,and now1 having thus described  
it1 ,i profess my own absolute          
submission to its claim4 ,i believe the 
whole revealed dogma as taught by the   
apostles1 as committed by the apostles  
to the ,church1 and as declared by the  
,church to me4 ,i receive it1 as it is  
infallibly interpreted by the authority 
to whom it is thus committed1 and       
7implicitly7 as it shall be1 in like    
manner1 further interpreted by that same
 authority till the end of time4 ,i     
submit1 moreover1 to the universally    

received traditions of the ,church1 in  
which lies the matter of those new      
dogmatic definitions which are from time
 to time made1 and which in all times   
are the clothing and the illustration of
 the ,catholic dogma as already defined4
 ,and ,i submit myself to those other   
decisions of the holy see1 theological  
or not1 through the organs which it has 
itself appointed1 which1 waiving the    
question of their infallibility1 on the 
lowest ground come to me with a claim to
 be accepted and obeyed4 ,also1 ,i      
consider that1 gradually and in the     
course of ages1 ,catholic inquiry has   
taken certain definite shapes1 and has  
thrown itself into the form of a        
science1 with a method and a phraseology
 of its own1 under the intellectual     
handling of great minds1 such as ,st4   
,athanasius1 ,st4 ,augustine1 and ,st4  
,thomas2 and ,i feel no temptation at   
all to break in pieces the great legacy 
of thought thus committed to us for     
these latter days4  ,all this being     

considered as the profession ex animo1  
as on my own part1 so also on the part  
of the ,catholic body1 as far as ,i know
 it1 it will at first sight be said that
 the restless intellect of our common   
humanity is utterly weighed down to the 
repression of all independent effort and
 action whatever1 so that1 if this is to
 be the mode of bringing it into order1 
it is brought into order only to be     
destroyed4 ,but this is far from the    
result1 far from what ,i conceive to be 
the intention of that high ,providence  
who has provided a great remedy for a   
great evil--far from borne out by the   
history of the conflict between         
infallibility and reason in the past1   
and the prospect of it in the future4   
,the energy of the human intellect does 
from opposition grow2 it thrives and is 
joyous1 with a tough elastic strength1  
under the terrible blows of the         
divinely-fashioned weapon1 and is never 
so much itself as when it has lately    
been overthrown4 ,it is the custom with 

,protestant writers to consider that1   
whereas there are two great principles  
in action in the history of religion1   
,authority and ,private ,judgment1 they 
have all the ,private ,judgment to      
themselves1 and we have the full        
inheritance and the superincumbent      
oppression of ,authority4 ,but this is  
not so2 it is the vast ,catholic body   
itself1 and it only1 which affords an   
arena for both combatants in that awful1
 never-dying duel4 ,it is necessary for 
the very life of religion1 viewed in its
 large operations and its history1 that 
the warfare should be incessantly       
carried on4 ,every exercise of          
,infallibility is brought out into act  
by an intense and varied operation of   
the ,reason1 from within and without1   
and provokes again a re-action of       
,reason against it2 and1 as in a civil  
polity the ,state exists and endures by 
means of the rivalry and collision1 the 
encroachments and defeats of its        
constituent parts1 so in like manner    

,catholic ,christendom is no simple     
exhibition of religious absolutism1 but 
it presents a continuous picture of     
,authority and ,private ,judgment       
alternately advancing and retreating as 
the ebb and flow of the tide2--it is a  
vast assemblage of human beings with    
wilful intellects and wild passions1    
brought together into one by the beauty 
and the majesty of a superhuman         
power--into what may be called a large  
reformatory or training-school1 not to  
be sent to bed1 not to be buried alive1 
but for the melting1 refining1 and      
moulding1 as in some moral factory1 by  
an incessant noisy process 7if ,i may   
proceed to another metaphor71 of the raw
 material of human nature1 so excellent1
 so dangerous1 so capable of divine     
purposes4  ,st4 ,paul says in one place 
that his apostolical power is given him 
to edification1 and not to destruction4 
,there can be no better account of the  
,infallibility of the ,church4 ,it is a 
supply for a need1 and it does not go   

beyond that need4 ,its object is1 and   
its effect also1 not to enfeeble the    
freedom or vigour of human thought in   
religious speculation1 but to resist and
 control its extravagance4 ,what have   
been its great works8 ,all of them in   
the distinct province of theology3--to  
put down ,arianism1 ,eutychianism1      
,pelagianism1 ,manichaeism1             
,lutheranism1 ,jansenism4 ,such is the  
broad result of its action in the       
past2--and now as to the securities     
which are given us that so it ever will 
act in time to come4  ,first1           
infallibility cannot act outside of a   
definite circle of thought1 and it must 
in all its decisions1 or definitions1 as
 they are called1 profess to be keeping 
within it4 ,the great truths of the     
moral law1 of natural religion1 and of  
apostolical faith1 are both its boundary
 and its foundation4 ,it must not go    
beyond them1 and it must ever appeal to 
them4 ,both its subject-matter1 and its 
articles in that subject-matter1 are    

fixed4 ,thus1 in illustration1 it does  
not extend to statements1 however sound 
and evident1 which are mere logical     
conclusions from the articles of the    
apostolic ,depositum2 again1 it can     
pronounce nothing about the persons of  
heretics1 whose works fall within its   
legitimate province4 ,it must ever      
profess to be guided by ,scripture and  
by tradition4 ,it must refer to the     
particular apostolic truth which it is  
enforcing1 or 7what is called7 defining4
 ,nothing1 then1 can be presented to me1
 in time to come1 as part of the faith1 
but what ,i ought already to have       
received1 and have not actually         
received1 7if not7 merely because it has
 not been told me4 ,nothing can be      
imposed upon me different in kind from  
what ,i hold already--much less contrary
 to it4 ,the new truth which is         
promulgated1 if it is to be called new1 
must be at least homogeneous1 cognate1  
implicit1 viewed relatively to the old  
truth4 ,it must be what ,i may even have

 guessed1 or wished1 to be included in  
the apostolic revelation2 and at least  
it will be of such a character1 that my 
thoughts readily concur in it or        
coalesce with it1 as soon as ,i hear it4
 ,perhaps ,i and others actually have   
always believed it1 and the only        
question which is now decided in my     
behalf1 is that ,i am henceforth to     
believe that ,i have only been holding  
what the apostles held before me4  ,let 
me take the doctrine which ,protestants 
consider our greatest difficulty1 that  
of the ,immaculate ,conception4 ,here ,i
 entreat the reader to recollect my main
 drift1 which is this4 ,i have no       
difficulty in receiving it3 if ,i have  
no difficulty1 why may not another have 
no difficulty also8 why may not a       
hundred8 a thousand8 ,now ,i am sure    
that ,catholics in general have not any 
intellectual difficulty at all on the   
subject of the ,immaculate ,conception2 
and that there is no reason why they    
should4 ,priests have no difficulty4    

,you tell me that they ought to have a  
difficulty2--but they have not4 ,be     
large-minded enough to believe1 that men
 may reason and feel very differently   
from yourselves2 how is it that men     
fall1 when left to themselves1 into such
 various forms of religion1 except that 
there are various types of mind among   
them1 very distinct from each other8    
,from my testimony then about myself1 if
 you believe it1 judge of others also   
who are ,catholics3 we do not find the  
difficulties which you do in the        
doctrines which we hold2 we have no     
intellectual difficulty in that in      
particular1 which you call a novelty of 
this day4 ,we priests need not be       
hypocrites1 though we be called upon to 
believe in the ,immaculate ,conception4 
,to that large class of minds1 who      
believe in ,christianity1 after our     
manner1--in the particular temper1      
spirit1 and light 7whatever word is     
used7 in which ,catholics believe       
it--there is no burden at all in holding

 that the ,blessed ,virgin was conceived
 without original sin2 indeed1 it is a  
simple fact to say1 that ,catholics have
 not come to believe it because it is   
defined1 but it was defined because they
 believed it4  ,so far from the         
definition in #ahed being a tyrannical  
infliction on the ,catholic world1 it   
was received everywhere on its          
promulgation with the greatest          
enthusiasm4 ,it was in consequence of   
the unanimous petition1 presented from  
all parts to the holy see1 in behalf of 
a declaration that the doctrine was     
apostolic1 that it was declared so to   
be4 ,i never heard of one ,catholic     
having difficulties in receiving it1    
whose faith on other grounds was not    
already suspicious4 ,of course there    
were grave and good men1 who were made  
anxious by the doubt whether it could be
 proved apostolical either by ,scripture
 or tradition1 and who accordingly1     
though believing it themselves1 did not 
see how it could be defined by          

authority2 but this is another matter4  
,the point in question is1 whether the  
doctrine is a burden4 ,i believe it to  
be none4 ,so far from it being so1 ,i   
sincerely think that ,st4 ,bernard and  
,st4 ,thomas1 who scrupled at it in     
their day1 had they lived into this1    
would have rejoiced to accept it for its
 own sake4 ,their difficulty1 as ,i view
 it1 consisted in matters of words1     
ideas1 and arguments4 ,they thought the 
doctrine inconsistent with other        
doctrines2 and those who defended it in 
that age had not that precision in their
 view of it1 which has been given to it 
by means of the long controversy of the 
centuries which followed4 ,and hence the
 difference of opinion1 and the         
controversy4  ,now the instance which ,i
 have been taking suggests another      
remark2 the number of those 7so called7 
new doctrines will not oppress us1 if it
 takes eight centuries to promulgate    
even one of them4 ,such is about the    
length of time through which the        

preparation has been carried on for the 
definition of the ,immaculate           
,conception4 ,this of course is an      
extraordinary case2 but it is difficult 
to say what is ordinary1 considering how
 few are the formal occasions on which  
the voice of infallibility has been     
solemnly lifted up4 ,it is to the ,pope 
in ecumenical council that we look1 as  
to the normal seat of infallibility3 now
 there have been only eighteen such     
councils since ,christianity was--an    
average of one to a century--and of     
these councils some passed no doctrinal 
decree at all1 others were employed on  
only one1 and many of them were         
concerned with only elementary points of
 the ,creed4 ,the ,council of ,trent    
embraced a large field of doctrine      
certainly2 but ,i should apply to its   
canons a remark contained in that       
,university ,sermon of mine1 which has  
been so ignorantly criticised in the    
pamphlet which has led to my            
writing2--,i there have said that the   

various verses of the ,athanasian ,creed
 are only repetitions in various shapes 
of one and the same idea2 and in like   
manner1 the ,tridentine decrees are not 
isolated from each other1 but are       
occupied in bringing out in detail1 by a
 number of separate declarations1 as if 
into bodily form1 a few necessary       
truths4 ,i should make the same remark  
on the various theses condemned by      
popes1 and on their dogmatic decisions  
generally4 ,i acknowledge that at first 
sight they seem from their number to be 
a greater burden to the faith of        
individuals than are the canons of      
councils2 still ,i do not believe in    
matter of fact that they are so at all1 
and ,i give this reason for it3--it is  
not that a ,catholic1 layman or priest1 
is indifferent to the subject1 or1 from 
a sort of recklessness1 will accept     
anything that is placed before him1 or  
is willing1 like a lawyer1 to speak     
according to his brief1 but that in such
 condemnations the holy see is engaged1 

for the most part1 in repudiating one or
 two great lines of error1 such as      
,lutheranism or ,jansenism1 principally 
ethical not doctrinal1 which are foreign
 to the ,catholic mind1 and that it is  
expressing what any good ,catholic1 of  
fair abilities1 though unlearned1 would 
say himself1 from common and sound      
sense1 if the matter could be put before
 him4  ,now ,i will go on in fairness to
 say what ,i think is the great trial to
 the reason1 when confronted with that  
august prerogative of the ,catholic     
,church1 of which ,i have been speaking4
 ,i enlarged just now upon the concrete 
shape and circumstances1 under which    
pure infallible authority presents      
itself to the ,catholic4 ,that authority
 has the prerogative of an indirect     
jurisdiction on subject-matters which   
lie beyond its own proper limits1 and it
 most reasonably has such a             
jurisdiction4 ,it could not act in its  
own province1 unless it had a right to  
act out of it4 ,it could not properly   

defend religious truth1 without claiming
 for it what may be called its pomoeria2
 or1 to take another illustration1      
without acting as we act1 as a nation1  
in claiming as our own1 not only the    
land on which we live1 but what are     
called ,british waters4 ,the ,catholic  
,church claims1 not only to judge       
infallibly on religious questions1 but  
to animadvert on opinions in secular    
matters which bear upon religion1 on    
matters of philosophy1 of science1 of   
literature1 of history1 and it demands  
our submission to her claim4 ,it claims 
to censure books1 to silence authors1   
and to forbid discussions4 ,in all this 
it does not so much speak doctrinally1  
as enforce measures of discipline4 ,it  
must of course be obeyed without a word1
 and perhaps in process of time it will 
tacitly recede from its own injunctions4
 ,in such cases the question of faith   
does not come in2 for what is matter of 
faith is true for all times1 and never  
can be unsaid4 ,nor does it at all      

follow1 because there is a gift of      
infallibility in the ,catholic ,church1 
that therefore the power in possession  
of it is in all its proceedings         
infallible4 ,o1 it is excellent1 says   
the poet1 to have a giant's strength1   
but tyrannous1 to use it like a giant4  
,i think history supplies us with       
instances in the ,church1 where         
legitimate power has been harshly used4 
,to make such admission is no more than 
saying that the divine treasure1 in the 
words of the apostle1 is in earthen     
vessels2 nor does it follow that the    
substance of the acts of the ruling     
power is not right and expedient1       
because its manner may have been faulty4
 ,such high authorities act by means of 
instruments2 we know how such           
instruments claim for themselves the    
name of their principals1 who thus get  
the credit of faults which really are   
not theirs4 ,but granting all this to an
 extent greater than can with any show  
of reason be imputed to the ruling power

 in the ,church1 what is there in this  
want of prudence or moderation more than
 can be urged1 with far greater justice1
 against ,protestant communities and    
institutions8 ,what is there in it to   
make us hypocrites1 if it has not that  
effect upon ,protestants8 ,we are called
 upon1 not to profess anything1 but to  
submit and be silent4 ,such injunctions 
as ,i have supposed are laid merely upon
 our actions1 not upon our thoughts4    
,how1 for instance1 does it tend to make
 a man a hypocrite1 to be forbidden to  
publish a libel8 his thoughts are as    
free as before3 authoritative           
prohibitions may tease and irritate1 but
 they have no bearing whatever upon the 
exercise of reason4  ,so much at first  
sight2 but ,i will go on to say further1
 that1 in spite of all that the most    
hostile critic may say upon the         
encroachments or severities of high     
ecclesiastics1 in times past1 in the use
 of their power1 ,i think that the event
 has shown after all1 that they were    

mainly in the right1 and that those whom
 they were hard upon mainly in the      
wrong4 ,i love1 for instance1 the name  
of ,origen3 ,i will not listen to the   
notion that so great a soul was lost2   
but ,i am quite sure that1 in the       
contest between his doctrine and his    
followers and ecclesiastical power1 his 
opponents were right1 and he was wrong4 
,yet who can speak with patience of his 
enemy and the enemy of ,st4 ,john       
,chrysostom1 that ,theophilus1 bishop of
 ,alexandria8 who can admire or revere  
,pope ,vigilius8 ,and here another      
consideration presents itself to my     
thoughts4 ,in reading ecclesiastical    
history1 when ,i was an ,anglican1 it   
used to be forcibly brought home to me1 
how the initial error of what afterwards
 became heresy was the urging forward   
some truth against the prohibition of   
authority at an unseasonable time4      
,there is a time for everything1 and    
many a man desires a reformation of an  
abuse1 or the fuller development of a   

doctrine1 or the adoption of a          
particular policy1 but forgets to ask   
himself whether the right time for it is
 come2 and1 knowing that there is no one
 who will do anything towards it in his 
own lifetime unless he does it himself1 
he will not listen to the voice of      
authority1 and spoils a good work in his
 own century1 that another man1 as yet  
unborn1 may not bring it happily to     
perfection in the next4 ,he may seem to 
the world to be nothing else than a bold
 champion for the truth and a martyr to 
free opinion1 when he is just one of    
those persons whom the competent        
authority ought to silence1 and1 though 
the case may not fall within that       
subject-matter in which it is           
infallible1 or the formal conditions of 
the exercise of that gift may be        
wanting1 it is clearly the duty of      
authority to act vigorously in the case4
 ,yet that act will go down to posterity
 as an instance of a tyrannical         
interference with private judgment1 and 

of the silencing of a reformer1 and of a
 base love of corruption or error2 and  
it will show still less to advantage1 if
 the ruling power happens in its        
proceedings to act with any defect of   
prudence or consideration4 ,and all     
those who take the part of that ruling  
authority will be considered as         
time-servers1 or indifferent to the     
cause of uprightness and truth2 while1  
on the other hand1 the said authority   
may be supported by a violent ultra     
party1 which exalts opinions into       
dogmas1 and has it principally at heart 
to destroy every school of thought but  
its own4  ,such a state of things may be
 provoking and discouraging at the time1
 in the case of two classes of persons2 
of moderate men who wish to make        
differences in religious opinion as     
little as they fairly can be made2 and  
of such as keenly perceive1 and are     
honestly eager to remedy1 existing      
evils--evils1 of which divines in this  
or that foreign country know nothing at 

all1 and which even at home it is not   
every one who has the means of          
estimating4 ,this is a state of things  
both of past time and of the present4   
,we live in a wonderful age2 the        
enlargement of the circle of secular    
knowledge just now is simply a          
bewilderment1 and the more so1 because  
it has the promise of continuing1 and   
that with greater rapidity1 and more    
signal results4 ,now these discoveries1 
certain or probable1 have in matter of  
fact an indirect bearing upon religious 
opinions1 and the question arises how   
are the respective claims of revelation 
and of natural science to be adjusted4  
,few minds in earnest can remain at ease
 without some sort of rational grounds  
for their religious belief2 to reconcile
 theory and fact is almost an instinct  
of the mind4 ,when then a flood of      
facts1 ascertained or suspected1 comes  
pouring in upon us1 with a multitude of 
others in prospect1 all believers in    
revelation1 be they ,catholic or not1   

are roused to consider their bearing    
upon themselves1 both for the honour of 
,god1 and from tenderness for those many
 souls who1 in consequence of the       
confident tone of the schools of secular
 knowledge1 are in danger of being led  
away into a bottomless liberalism of    
thought4  ,i am not going to criticise  
here that vast body of men1 in the mass1
 who at this time would profess to be   
liberals in religion2 and who look      
towards the discoveries of the age1     
certain or in progress1 as their        
informants1 direct or indirect1 as to   
what they shall think about the unseen  
and the future4 ,the ,liberalism which  
gives a colour to society now1 is very  
different from that character of thought
 which bore the name thirty or forty    
years ago4 ,it is scarcely now a party2 
it is the educated lay world4 ,when ,i  
was young1 ,i knew the word first as    
giving name to a periodical1 set up by  
,lord ,byron and others4 ,now1 as then1 
,i have no sympathy with the philosophy 

of ,byron4 ,afterwards1 ,liberalism was 
the badge of a theological school1 of a 
dry and repulsive character1 not very   
dangerous in itself1 though dangerous as
 opening the door to evils which it did 
not itself either anticipate or         
comprehend4 ,now it is nothing else than
 that deep1 plausible scepticism1 of    
which ,i spoke above1 as being the      
development of human reason1 as         
practically exercised by the natural    
man4  ,the ,liberal religionists of this
 day are a very mixed body1 and         
therefore ,i am not intending to speak  
against them4 ,there may be1 and        
doubtless is1 in the hearts of some or  
many of them a real antipathy or anger  
against revealed truth1 which it is     
distressing to think of4 ,again2 in many
 men of science or literature there may 
be an animosity arising from almost a   
personal feeling2 it being a matter of  
party1 a point of honour1 the excitement
 of a game1 or a consequence of soreness
 or annoyance occasioned by the acrimony

 or narrowness of apologists for        
religion1 to prove that ,christianity or
 that ,scripture is untrustworthy4 ,many
 scientific and literary men1 on the    
other hand1 go on1 ,i am confident1 in a
 straightforward impartial way1 in their
 own province and on their own line of  
thought1 without any disturbance from   
religious opinion in themselves1 or any 
wish at all to give pain to others by   
the result of their investigations4 ,it 
would ill become me1 as if ,i were      
afraid of truth of any kind1 to blame   
those who pursue secular facts1 by means
 of the reason which ,god has given     
them1 to their logical conclusions3 or  
to be angry with science because        
religion is bound to take cognizance of 
its teaching4 ,but putting these        
particular classes of men aside1 as     
having no special call on the sympathy  
of the ,catholic1 of course he does most
 deeply enter into the feelings of a    
fourth and large class of men1 in the   
educated portions of society1 of        

religious and sincere minds1 who are    
simply perplexed--frightened or rendered
 desperate1 as the case may be--by the  
utter confusion into which late         
discoveries or speculations have thrown 
their most elementary ideas of religion4
 ,who does not feel for such men8 who   
can have one unkind thought of them8 ,i 
take up  ,st4 ,augustine's beautiful    
words1 ,illi in vos saeviant1 etc4 ,let 
them be fierce with you who have no     
experience of the difficulty with which 
error is discriminated from truth1 and  
the way of life is found amid the       
illusions of the world4 ,how many       
,catholics have in their thoughts       
followed such men1 many of them so good1
 so true1 so noble6 how often has the   
wish risen in their hearts that some one
 from among themselves should come      
forward as the champion of revealed     
truth against its opponents6 ,various   
persons1 ,catholic and ,protestant1 have
 asked me to do so myself2 but ,i had   
several strong difficulties in the way4 

,one of the greatest is this1 that at   
the moment it is so difficult to say    
precisely what it is that is to be      
encountered and overthrown4 ,i am far   
from denying that scientific knowledge  
is really growing1 but it is by fits and
 starts2 hypotheses rise and fall2 it is
 difficult to anticipate which will keep
 their ground1 and what the state of    
knowledge in relation to them will be   
from year to year4 ,in this condition of
 things1 it has seemed to me to be very 
undignified for a ,catholic to commit   
himself to the work of chasing what     
might turn out to be phantoms1 and in   
behalf of some special objections1 to be
 ingenious in devising a theory1 which1 
before it was completed1 might have to  
give place to some theory newer still1  
from the fact that those former         
objections had already come to nought   
under the uprising of others4 ,it seemed
 to be a time of all others1 in which   
,christians had a call to be patient1 in
 which they had no other way of helping 

those who were alarmed1 than that of    
exhorting them to have a little faith   
and fortitude1 and to beware1 as the    
poet says1 of dangerous steps4 ,this    
seemed so clear to me1 the more ,i      
thought1 as to make me surmise1 that1 if
 ,i attempted what had so little promise
 in it1 ,i should find that the highest 
,catholic authority was against the     
attempt1 and that ,i should have spent  
my time and my thought1 in doing what   
either it would be imprudent to bring   
before the public at all1 or what1 did  
,i do so1 would only complicate matters 
further which were already complicated  
more than enough4 ,and ,i interpret     
recent acts of that authority as        
fulfilling my expectation2 ,i interpret 
them as tying the hands of a            
controversialist1 such as ,i should be1 
and teaching us that true wisdom1 which 
,moses inculcated on his people1 when   
the ,egyptians were pursuing them1 ,fear
 ye not1 stand still2 the ,lord shall   
fight for you1 and ye shall hold your   

peace4 ,and so far from finding a       
difficulty in obeying in this case1 ,i  
have cause to be thankful and to rejoice
 to have so clear a direction in a      
matter of difficulty4  ,but if we would 
ascertain with correctness the real     
course of a principle1 we must look at  
it at a certain distance1 and as history
 represents it to us4 ,nothing carried  
on by human instruments1 but has its    
irregularities1 and affords ground for  
criticism1 when minutely scrutinised in 
matters of detail4 ,i have been speaking
 of that aspect of the action of an     
infallible authority1 which is most open
 to invidious criticism from those who  
view it from without2 ,i have tried to  
be fair1 in estimating what can be said 
to its disadvantage1 as witnessed in the
 ,catholic ,church1 and now ,i wish its 
adversaries to be equally fair in their 
judgment upon its historical character4 
,can1 then1 the infallible authority1   
with any show of reason1 be said in fact
 to have destroyed the energy of the    

intellect in the ,catholic ,church8 ,let
 it be observed1 ,i have not to speak of
 any conflict which ecclesiastical      
authority has had with science1 for     
there has been none such1 because the   
secular sciences1 as they now exist1 are
 a novelty in the world1 and there has  
been no time yet for a history of       
relations between theology and these new
 methods of knowledge1 and indeed the   
,church may be said to have kept clear  
of them1 as is proved by the constantly 
cited case of ,galileo4 ,here exceptio  
probat regulam3 for it is the one stock 
argument4 ,again1 ,i have not to speak  
of any relations of the ,church to the  
new sciences1 because my simple question
 is whether the assumption of           
infallibility by the proper authority is
 adapted to make me a hypocrite1 and    
till that authority passes decrees on   
pure physical subjects and calls on me  
to subscribe them 7which it never will  
do1 because it has not the power71 it   
has no tendency by its acts to interfere

 with my private judgment on those      
points4 ,the simple question is whether 
authority has so acted upon the reason  
of individuals1 that they can have no   
opinion of their own1 and have but an   
alternative of slavish superstition or  
secret rebellion of heart2 and ,i think 
the whole history of theology puts an   
absolute negative upon such a           
supposition4 ,it is hardly necessary to 
argue out so plain a point4 ,it is      
individuals1 and not the holy see1 who  
have taken the initiative1 and given the
 lead to ,catholic minds1 in theological
 inquiry4 ,indeed1 it is one of the     
reproaches urged against the ,church of 
,rome1 that it has originated nothing1  
and has only served as a sort of remora 
or break in the development of doctrine4
 ,and it is an objection which ,i       
embrace as a truth2 for such ,i conceive
 to be the main purpose of its          
extraordinary gift4 ,it is said1 and    
truly1 that the ,church of ,rome        
possessed no great mind in the whole    

period of persecution4 ,afterwards for a
 long while1 it has not a single doctor 
to show2 ,st4 ,leo1 its first1 is the   
teacher of one point of doctrine2 ,st4  
,gregory1 who stands at the very        
extremity of the first age of the       
,church1 has no place in dogma or       
philosophy4 ,the great luminary of the  
western world is1 as we know1 ,st4      
,augustine2 he1 no infallible teacher1  
has formed the intellect of ,europe2    
indeed to the ,african ,church generally
 we must look for the best early        
exposition of ,latin ideas4 ,the case is
 the same as regards the ecumenical     
councils4 ,authority in its most        
imposing exhibition1 grave bishops1     
laden with the traditions and rivalries 
of particular nations or places1 have   
been guided in their decisions by the   
commanding genius of individuals1       
sometimes young and of inferior rank4   
,not that uninspired intellect overruled
 the super-human gift which was         
committed to the council1 which would be

 a self-contradictory assertion1 but    
that in that process of inquiry and     
deliberation1 which ended in an         
infallible enunciation1 individual      
reason was paramount4 ,thus the writings
 of ,st4 ,bonaventura1 and1 what is more
 to the point1 the address of a priest  
and theologian1 ,salmeron1 at ,trent1   
had a critical effect on some of the    
definitions of dogmas4 ,parallel to this
 is the influence1 so well known1 of a  
young deacon1 ,st4 ,athanasius1 with the
 #cah ,fathers at ,nicaea4 ,in like     
manner we hear of the influence of ,st4 
,anselm at ,bari1 and ,st4 ,thomas at   
,lyons4 ,in the latter cases the        
influence might be partly moral1 but in 
the former it was that of a discursive  
knowledge of ecclesiastical writers1 a  
scientific acquaintance with theology1  
and a force of thought in the treatment 
of doctrine4  ,there are of course      
intellectual habits which theology does 
not tend to form1 as for instance the   
experimental1 and again the             

philosophical2 but that is because it is
 theology1 not because of the gift of   
infallibility4 ,but1 as far as this     
goes1 ,i think it could be shown that   
physical science on the other hand1 or  
mathematical1 affords but an imperfect  
training for the intellect4 ,i do not   
see then how any objection about the    
narrowness of theology comes into our   
question1 which simply is1 whether the  
belief in an infallible authority       
destroys the independence of the mind2  
and ,i consider that the whole history  
of the ,church1 and especially the      
history of the theological schools1     
gives a negative to the accusation4     
,there never was a time when the        
intellect of the educated class was more
 active1 or rather more restless1 than  
in the middle ages4 ,and then again all 
through ,church history from the first1 
how slow is authority in interfering6   
,perhaps a local teacher1 or a doctor in
 some local school1 hazards a           
proposition1 and a controversy ensues4  

,it smoulders or burns in one place1 no 
one interposing2 ,rome simply lets it   
alone4 ,then it comes before a ,bishop2 
or some priest1 or some professor in    
some other seat of learning takes it up2
 and then there is a second stage of it4
 ,then it comes before a ,university1   
and it may be condemned by the          
theological faculty4 ,so the controversy
 proceeds year after year1 and ,rome is 
still silent4 ,an appeal perhaps is next
 made to a seat of authority inferior to
 ,rome2 and then at last after a long   
while it comes before the supreme power4
 ,meanwhile1 the question has been      
ventilated and turned over and over     
again1 and viewed on every side of it1  
and authority is called upon to         
pronounce a decision1 which has already 
been arrived at by reason4 ,but even    
then1 perhaps the supreme authority     
hesitates to do so1 and nothing is      
determined on the point for years2 or so
 generally and vaguely1 that the whole  
controversy has to be gone through      

again1 before it is ultimately          
determined4 ,it is manifest how a mode  
of proceeding1 such as this1 tends not  
only to the liberty1 but to the courage1
 of the individual theologian or        
controversialist4 ,many a man has ideas1
 which he hopes are true1 and useful for
 his day1 but he wishes to have them    
discussed4 ,he is willing or rather     
would be thankful to give them up1 if   
they can be proved to be erroneous or   
dangerous1 and by means of controversy  
he obtains his end4 ,he is answered1 and
 he yields2 or he finds that he is      
considered safe4 ,he would not dare to  
do this1 if he knew an authority1 which 
was supreme and final1 was watching     
every word he said1 and made signs of   
assent or dissent to each sentence1 as  
he uttered it4 ,then indeed he would be 
fighting1 as the ,persian soldiers1     
under the lash1 and the freedom of his  
intellect might truly be said to be     
beaten out of him4 ,but this has not    
been so3--,i do not mean to say that1   

when controversies run high1 in schools 
or even in small portions of the        
,church1 an interposition may not       
rightly take place2 and again1 questions
 may be of that urgent nature1 that an  
appeal must1 as a matter of duty1 be    
made at once to the highest authority in
 the ,church2 but1 if we look into the  
history of controversy1 we shall find1  
,i think1 the general run of things to  
be such as ,i have represented it4      
,zosimus treated ,pelagius and          
,coelestius with extreme forbearance2   
,st4 ,gregory ,,vii4 was equally        
indulgent with ,berengarius2 by reason  
of the very power of the popes they have
 commonly been slow and moderate in     
their use of it4  ,and here again is a  
further shelter for the individual      
reason3--the multitude of nations who   
are in the fold of the ,church will be  
found to have acted for its protection1 
against any narrowness1 if so1 in the   
various authorities at ,rome1 with whom 
lies the practical decision of          

controverted questions4 ,how have the   
,greek traditions been respected and    
provided for in the later ,ecumenical   
,councils1 in spite of the countries    
that held them being in a state of      
schism6 ,there are important points of  
doctrine which have been 7humanly       
speaking7 exempted from the infallible  
sentence1 by the tenderness with which  
its instruments1 in framing it1 have    
treated the opinions of particular      
places4 ,then1 again1 such national     
influences have a providential effect in
 moderating the bias which the local    
influences of ,italy may exert upon the 
,see of ,st4 ,peter4 ,it stands to      
reason that1 as the ,gallican ,church   
has in it an element of ,france1 so     
,rome must have an element of ,italy2   
and it is no prejudice to the zeal and  
devotion with which we submit ourselves 
to the holy see to admit this plainly4  
,it seems to me1 as ,i have been saying1
 that ,catholicity is not only one of   
the notes of the ,church1 but1 according

 to the divine purposes1 one of its     
securities4 ,i think it would be a very 
serious evil1 which ,divine ,mercy      
avert6 that the ,church should be       
contracted in ,europe within the range  
of particular nationalities4 ,it is a   
great idea to introduce ,latin          
civilization into ,america1 and to      
improve the ,catholics there by the     
energy of ,french religion2 but ,i trust
 that all ,european races will have ever
 a place in the ,church1 and assuredly  
,i think that the loss of the ,english1 
not to say the ,german element1 in its  
composition has been a most serious     
evil4 ,and certainly1 if there is one   
consideration more than another which   
should make us ,english grateful to     
,pius the ,ninth1 it is that1 by giving 
us a ,church of our own1 he has prepared
 the way for our own habits of mind1 our
 own manner of reasoning1 our own       
tastes1 and our own virtues1 finding a  
place and thereby a sanctification1 in  
the ,catholic ,church4   ,there is only 

one other subject1 which ,i think it    
necessary to introduce here1 as bearing 
upon the vague suspicions which are     
attached in this country to the         
,catholic priesthood4 ,it is one of     
which my accuser says much1 the charge  
of reserve and economy4 ,he founds it in
 no slight degree on what ,i have said  
on the subject in my ,history of the    
,arians1 and in a note upon one of my   
sermons in which ,i refer to it4 ,the   
principle of reserve is also advocated  
by an admirable writer in two numbers of
 the ,tracts for the ,times4  ,now1 as  
to the economy itself1 ,i leave the     
greater part of what ,i have to say to  
an ,appendix4 ,here ,i will but say that
 it is founded upon the words of our    
,lord1 ,cast not your pearls before     
swine2 and it was observed by the early 
,christians more or less in their       
intercourse with the heathen populations
 among whom they lived4 ,in the midst of
 the abominable idolatries and          
impurities of that fearful time1 they   

could not do otherwise4 ,but the rule of
 the economy1 at least as ,i have       
explained and recommended it1 did not go
 beyond 7#a7 the concealing the truth   
when we could do so without deceit1 7#b7
 stating it only partially1 and 7#c7    
representing it under the nearest form  
possible to a learner or inquirer1 when 
he could not possibly understand it     
exactly4 ,i conceive that to draw angels
 with wings is an instance of the third 
of these economical modes2 and to avoid 
the question1 ,do ,christians believe in
 a ,trinity8 by answering1 ,they believe
 in only one ,god1 would be an instance 
of the second4 ,as to the first1 it is  
hardly an economy1 but comes under what 
is called the ,disciplina ,arcani4 ,the 
second and third economical modes       
,clement calls lying2 meaning that a    
partial truth is in some sense a lie1   
and so also is a representative truth4  
,and this1 ,i think1 is about the long  
and the short of the ground of the      
accusation which has been so violently  

urged against me1 as being a patron of  
the economy4  ,of late years ,i have    
come to think1 as ,i believe most       
writers do1 that ,clement meant more    
than ,i have said4 ,i used to think he  
used the word lie as an hyperbole1 but  
,i now believe that he1 as other early  
,fathers1 thought that1 under certain   
circumstances1 it was lawful to tell a  
lie4 ,this doctrine ,i never maintained1
 though ,i used to think1 as ,i do now1 
that the theory of the subject is       
surrounded with considerable difficulty2
 and it is not strange that ,i should   
say so1 considering that great ,english 
writers simply declare that in certain  
extreme cases1 as to save life1 honour1 
or even property1 a lie is allowable4   
,and thus ,i am brought to the direct   
question of truth1 and the truthfulness 
of ,catholic priests generally in their 
dealings with the world1 as bearing on  
the general question of their honesty1  
and their internal belief in their      
religious professions4   ,it would      

answer no purpose1 and it would be      
departing from the line of writing which
 ,i have been observing all along1 if ,i
 entered into any formal discussion on  
the subject2 what ,i shall do here1 as  
,i have done in the foregoing pages1 is 
to give my own testimony on the matter  
in question1 and there to leave it4 ,now
 first ,i will say1 that1 when ,i became
 a ,catholic1 nothing struck me more at 
once than the ,english out-spoken manner
 of the priests4 ,it was the same at    
,oscott1 at ,old ,hall ,green1 at       
,ushaw2 there was nothing of that       
smoothness1 or mannerism1 which is      
commonly imputed to them1 and they were 
more natural and unaffected than many an
 ,anglican clergyman4 ,the many years1  
which have passed since1 have only      
confirmed my first impression4 ,i have  
ever found it in the priests of this    
,diocese2 did ,i wish to point out a    
straightforward ,englishman1 ,i should  
instance the ,bishop1 who has1 to our   
great benefit1 for so many years        

presided over it4  ,and next1 ,i was    
struck1 when ,i had more opportunity of 
judging of the ,priests1 by the simple  
faith in the ,catholic ,creed and system
 of which they always gave evidence1 and
 which they never seemed to feel1 in any
 sense at all1 to be a burden4 ,and now 
that ,i have been in the ,church        
nineteen years1 ,i cannot recollect     
hearing of a single instance in ,england
 of an infidel priest4 ,of course there 
are men from time to time1 who leave the
 ,catholic ,church for another religion1
 but ,i am speaking of cases1 when a man
 keeps a fair outside to the world and  
is a hollow hypocrite in his heart4  ,i 
wonder that the self-devotion of our    
priests does not strike ,protestants in 
this point of view4 ,what do they gain  
by professing a ,creed1 in which1 if my 
assailant is to be believed1 they really
 do not believe8 ,what is their reward  
for committing themselves to a life of  
self-restraint and toil1 and after all  
to a premature and miserable death8 ,the

 ,irish fever cut off between ,liverpool
 and ,leeds thirty priests and more1    
young men in the flower of their days1  
old men who seemed entitled to some     
quiet time after their long toil4 ,there
 was a bishop cut off in the ,north2 but
 what had a man of his ecclesiastical   
rank to do with the drudgery and danger 
of sick calls1 except that ,christian   
faith and charity constrained him8      
,priests volunteered for the dangerous  
service4 ,it was the same on the first  
coming of the cholera1 that mysterious  
awe-inspiring infliction4 ,if priests   
did not heartily believe in the ,creed  
of the ,church1 then ,i will say that   
the remark of the apostle had its       
fullest illustration3--,if in this life 
only we have hope in ,christ1 we are of 
all men most miserable4 ,what could     
support a set of hypocrites in the      
presence of a deadly disorder1 one of   
them following another in long order up 
the forlorn hope1 and one after another 
perishing8 ,and such1 ,i may say1 in its

 substance1 is every mission-priest's   
life4 ,he is ever ready to sacrifice    
himself for his people4 ,night and day1 
sick or well himself1 in all weathers1  
off he is1 on the news of a sick call4  
,the fact of a parishioner dying without
 the sacraments through his fault is    
terrible to him2 why terrible1 if he has
 not a deep absolute faith1 which he    
acts upon with a free service8          
,protestants admire this1 when they see 
it2 but they do not seem to see as      
clearly1 that it excludes the very      
notion of hypocrisy4  ,sometimes1 when  
they reflect upon it1 it leads them to  
remark on the wonderful discipline of   
the ,catholic priesthood2 they say that 
no ,church has so well ordered a clergy1
 and that in that respect it surpasses  
their own2 they wish they could have    
such exact discipline among themselves4 
,but is it an excellence which can be   
purchased8 is it a phenomenon which     
depends on nothing else than itself1 or 
is it an effect which has a cause8 ,you 

cannot buy devotion at a price4 ,it hath
 never been heard of in the land of     
,chanaan1 neither hath it been seen in  
,theman4 ,the children of ,agar1 the    
merchants of ,meran1 none of these have 
known its way4 ,what then is that       
wonderful charm1 which makes a thousand 
men act all in one way1 and infuses a   
prompt obedience to rule1 as if they    
were under some stern military          
compulsion8 ,how difficult to find an   
answer1 unless you will allow the       
obvious one1 that they believe intensely
 what they profess6   ,i cannot think   
what it can be1 in a day like this1     
which keeps up the prejudice of this    
,protestant country against us1 unless  
it be the vague charges which are drawn 
from our books of moral theology2 and   
with a notice of the work in particular 
which my accuser especially throws in   
our teeth1 ,i shall in a very few words 
bring these observations to a close4    
,st4 ,alfonso ,liguori1 it cannot be    
denied1 lays down that an equivocation1 

that is1 a play upon words1 in which one
 sense is taken by the speaker1 and     
another sense intended by him for the   
hearer1 is allowable1 if there is a just
 cause1 that is1 in a special case1 and 
may even be confirmed by an oath4 ,i    
shall give my opinion on this point as  
plainly as any ,protestant can wish2 and
 therefore ,i avow at once that in this 
department of morality1 much as ,i      
admire the high points of the ,italian  
character1 ,i like the ,english         
character better2 but1 in saying so1 ,i 
am not1 as will be seen1 saying anything
 disrespectful to ,st4 ,alfonso1 who was
 a lover of truth1 and whose            
intercession ,i trust ,i shall not lose1
 though1 on the matter under            
consideration1 ,i follow other guidance 
in preference to his4  ,now ,i make this
 remark first3--great ,english authors1 
,jeremy ,taylor1 ,milton1 ,paley1       
,johnson1 men of very distinct schools  
of thought1 distinctly say1 that under  
certain special circumstances it is     

allowable to tell a lie4 ,taylor says3  
,to tell a lie for charity1 to save a   
man's life1 the life of a friend1 of a  
husband1 of a prince1 of a useful and a 
public person1 hath not only been done  
at all times1 but commended by great and
 wise and good men4 ,who would not save 
his father's life1 at the charge of a   
harmless lie1 from persecutors or       
tyrants8 ,again1 ,milton says3 ,what man
 in his senses would deny1 that there   
are those whom we have the best grounds 
for considering that we ought to        
deceive--as boys1 madmen1 the sick1 the 
intoxicated1 enemies1 men in error1     
thieves8 ,i would ask1 by which of the  
commandments is a lie forbidden8 ,you   
will say1 by the ninth4 ,if then my lie 
does not injure my neighbour1 certainly 
it is not forbidden by this commandment4
 ,paley says3 ,there are falsehoods1    
which are not lies1 that is1 which are  
not criminal4 ,johnson3 ,the general    
rule is1 that truth should never be     
violated2 there must1 however1 be some  

exceptions4 ,if1 for instance1 a        
murderer should ask you which way a man 
is gone4  ,now1 ,i am not using these   
instances as an argumentum ad hominem2  
but this is the use to which ,i put     
them3--  #a4 ,first1 ,i have set down   
the distinct statements of ,taylor1     
,milton1 ,paley1 and ,johnson2 now1     
would any one give ever so little weight
 to these statements1 in forming a real 
estimate of the veracity of the writers1
 if they now were alive8 ,were a man1   
who is so fierce with ,st4 ,alfonso1 to 
meet ,paley or ,johnson tomorrow in     
society1 would he look upon him as a    
liar1 a knave1 as dishonest and         
untrustworthy8 ,i am sure he would not4 
,why then does he not deal out the same 
measure to ,catholic priests8 ,if a copy
 of ,scavini1 which speaks of           
equivocation as being in a just cause   
allowable1 be found in a student's room 
at ,oscott1 not ,scavini himself1 but   
the unhappy student1 who has what a     
,protestant calls a bad book in his     

possession1 is judged for life unworthy 
of credit4 ,are all ,protestant         
text-books at the ,university           
immaculate8 ,is it necessary to take for
 gospel every word of ,aristotle's      
,ethics1 or every assertion of ,hey or  
,burnett on the ,articles8 ,are         
text-books the ultimate authority1 or   
are they manuals in the hands of a      
lecturer1 and the groundwork of his     
remarks8 ,but1 again1 let us suppose1   
not the case of a student1 or of a      
professor1 but of ,scavini himself1 or  
of ,st4 ,alfonso2 now here again ,i ask1
 if you would not scruple in holding    
,paley for an honest man1 in spite of   
his defence of lying1 why do you scruple
 at ,st4 ,alfonso8 ,i am perfectly sure 
that you would not scruple at ,paley    
personally2 you might not agree with    
him1 but you would call him a bold      
thinker3 then why should ,st4 ,alfonso's
 person be odious to you1 as well as his
 doctrine8  ,now ,i wish to tell you why
 you are not afraid of ,paley2 because1 

you would say1 when he advocated lying1 
he was taking special cases4 ,you would 
have no fear of a man who you knew had  
shot a burglar dead in his own house1   
because you know you are not a burglar3 
so you would not think that ,paley had a
 habit of telling lies in society1      
because in the case of a cruel          
alternative he thought it the lesser    
evil to tell a lie4 ,then why do you    
show such suspicion of a ,catholic      
theologian1 who speaks of certain       
special cases in which an equivocation  
in a penitent cannot be visited by his  
confessor as if it were a sin8 for this 
is the exact point of the question4     
,but again1 why does ,paley1 why does   
,jeremy ,taylor1 when no practical      
matter is before him1 lay down a maxim  
about the lawfulness of lying1 which    
will startle most readers8 ,the reason  
is plain4 ,he is forming a theory of    
morals1 and he must treat every question
 in turn as it comes4 ,and this is just 
what ,st4 ,alfonso or ,scavini is doing4

 ,you only try your hand yourself at a  
treatise on the rules of morality1 and  
you will see how difficult the work is4 
,what is the definition of a lie8 ,can  
you give a better than that it is a sin 
against justice1 as ,taylor and ,paley  
consider it8 but1 if so1 how can it be a
 sin at all1 if your neighbour is not   
injured8 ,if you do not like this       
definition1 take another2 and then1 by  
means of that1 perhaps you will be      
defending ,st4 ,alfonso's equivocation4 
,however1 this is what ,i insist upon2  
that ,st4 ,alfonso1 as ,paley1 is       
considering the different portions of a 
large subject1 and he must1 on the      
subject of lying1 give his judgment1    
though on that subject it is difficult  
to form any judgment which is           
satisfactory4  ,but further still3 you  
must not suppose that a philosopher or  
moralist uses in his own case the       
licence which his theory itself would   
allow him4 ,a man in his own person is  
guided by his own conscience2 but in    

drawing out a system of rules he is     
obliged to go by logic1 and follow the  
exact deduction of conclusion from      
conclusion1 and be sure that the whole  
system is coherent and one4 ,you hear of
 even immoral or irreligious books being
 written by men of decent character2    
there is a late writer who says that    
,david ,hume's sceptical works are not  
at all the picture of the man4 ,a priest
 may write a treatise which would be    
called really lax on the subject of     
lying1 which might come under the       
condemnation of the holy see1 as some   
treatises on that score have been       
condemned1 and yet in his own person be 
a rigorist4 ,and1 in fact1 it is        
notorious from ,st4 ,alfonso's ,life1   
that he1 who has the repute of being so 
lax a moralist1 had one of the most     
scrupulous and anxious of consciences   
himself4 ,nay1 further than this1 he was
 originally in the ,law1 and on one     
occasion he was betrayed into the       
commission of what seemed like a deceit1

 though it was an accident2 and that was
 the very occasion of his leaving the   
profession and embracing the religious  
life4  ,the account of this remarkable  
occurrence is told us in his ,life3--   
,notwithstanding he had carefully       
examined over and over the details of   
the process1 he was completely mistaken 
regarding the sense of one document1    
which constituted the right of the      
adverse party4 ,the advocate of the     
,grand ,duke perceived the mistake1 but 
he allowed ,alfonso to continue his     
eloquent address to the end without     
interruption2 as soon1 however1 as he   
had finished1 he rose1 and said with    
cutting coolness1 ',sir1 the case is not
 exactly what you suppose it to be2 if  
you will review the process1 and examine
 this paper attentively1 you will find  
there precisely the contrary of all you 
have advanced4' ',willingly1' replied   
,alfonso1 without hesitating2 'the      
decision depends on this                
question--whether the fief were granted 

under the law of ,lombardy1 or under the
 ,french ,law4' ,the paper being        
examined1 it was found that the ,grand  
,duke's advocate was in the right4      
',yes1' said ,alfonso1 holding the paper
 in his hand1 ',i am wrong1 ,i have been
 mistaken4' ,a discovery so unexpected1 
and the fear of being accused of unfair 
dealing1 filled him with consternation1 
and covered him with confusion1 so much 
so1 that every one saw his emotion4 ,it 
was in vain that the ,president         
,caravita1 who loved him1 and knew his  
integrity1 tried to console him1 by     
telling him that such mistakes were not 
uncommon1 even among the first men at   
the bar4 ,alfonso would listen to       
nothing1 but1 overwhelmed with          
confusion1 his head sunk on his breast1 
he said to himself1 ',world1 ,i know you
 now2 courts of law1 never shall you see
 me again6' ,and turning his back on the
 assembly1 he withdrew to his own house1
 incessantly repeating to himself1      
',world1 ,i know you now4' ,what annoyed

 him most was1 that having studied and  
re-studied the process during a whole   
month1 without having discovered this   
important flaw1 he could not understand 
how it had escaped his observation4     
,and this is the man who is so          
flippantly pronounced to be a patron of 
lying4  ,but1 in truth1 a ,catholic     
theologian has objects in view which men
 in general little compass2 he is not   
thinking of himself1 but of a multitude 
of souls1 sick souls1 sinful souls1     
carried away by sin1 full of evil1 and  
he is trying with all his might to      
rescue them from their miserable state2 
and1 in order to save them from more    
heinous sins1 he tries1 to the full     
extent that his conscience will allow   
him to go1 to shut his eyes to such     
sins1 as are1 though sins1 yet lighter  
in character or degree4 ,he knows       
perfectly well that1 if he is as strict 
as he would wish to be1 he shall be able
 to do nothing at all with the run of   
men2 so he is as indulgent with them as 

ever he can be4 ,let it not be for an   
instant supposed1 that ,i allow of the  
maxim of doing evil that good may come2 
but1 keeping clear of this1 there is a  
way of winning men from greater sins by 
winking for the time at the less1 or at 
mere improprieties or faults2 and this  
is the key to the difficulty which      
,catholic books of moral theology so    
often cause to the ,protestant4 ,they   
are intended for the confessor1 and     
,protestants view them as intended for  
the preacher4  #b4 ,and ,i observe upon 
,taylor1 ,milton1 and ,paley thus3 ,what
 would a ,protestant clergyman say to   
me1 if ,i accused him of teaching that a
 lie was allowable2 and if1 when he     
asked for my proof1 ,i said in reply    
that ,taylor and ,milton so taught8     
,why1 he would sharply retort1 ,i am not
 bound by ,taylor or ,milton2 and if ,i 
went on urging that ,taylor was one of  
his authorities1 he would answer that   
,taylor was a great writer1 but great   
writers were not therefore infallible4  

,this is pretty much the answer which ,i
 make1 when ,i am considered in this    
matter a disciple of ,st4 ,alfonso4  ,i 
plainly and positively state1 and       
without any reserve1 that ,i do not at  
all follow this holy and charitable man 
in this portion of his teaching4 ,there 
are various schools of opinion allowed  
in the ,church3 and on this point ,i    
follow others4 ,i follow ,cardinal      
,gerdil1 and ,natalis ,alexander1 nay1  
,st4 ,augustine4 ,i will quote one      
passage from ,natalis ,alexander3--,they
 certainly lie1 who utter the words of  
an oath1 without the will to swear or   
bind themselves3 or who make use of     
mental reservations and equivocations in
 swearing1 since they signify by words  
what they have not in mind1 contrary to 
the end for which language was          
instituted1 viz4 as signs of ideas4 ,or 
they mean something else than the words 
signify in themselves and the common    
custom of speech4 ,and1 to take an      
instance3 ,i do not believe any priest  

in ,england would dream of saying1 ,my  
friend is not here2 meaning1 ,he is not 
in my pocket or under my shoe4 ,nor     
should any consideration make me say so 
myself4 ,i do not think ,st4 ,alfonso   
would in his own case have said so2 and 
he would have been as much shocked at   
,taylor and ,paley1 as ,protestants are 
at him4   ,and now1 if ,protestants wish
 to know what our real teaching is1 as  
on other subjects1 so on that of lying1 
let them look1 not at our books of      
casuistry1 but at our catechisms4 ,works
 on pathology do not give the best      
insight into the form and the harmony of
 the human frame2 and1 as it is with the
 body1 so is it with the mind4 ,the     
,catechism of the ,council of ,trent was
 drawn up for the express purpose of    
providing preachers with subjects for   
their sermons2 and1 as my whole work has
 been a defence of myself1 ,i may here  
say that ,i rarely preach a sermon1 but 
,i go to this beautiful and complete    
,catechism to get both my matter and my 

doctrine4 ,there we find the following  
notices about the duty of veracity3--   
',thou shalt not bear false witness1'   
etc43 let attention be drawn to two laws
 contained in this commandment3--the    
one1 forbidding false witness2 the other
 bidding1 that removing all pretence and
 deceits1 we should measure our words   
and deeds by simple truth1 as the       
,apostle admonished the ,ephesians of   
that duty in these words3 ',doing truth 
in charity1 let us grow in ,him through 
all things4'  ,to deceive by a lie in   
joke or for the sake of compliment1     
though to no one there accrues loss or  
gain in consequence1 nevertheless is    
altogether unworthy3 for thus the       
,apostle admonishes1 ',putting aside    
lying1 speak ye truth4' ,for therein is 
great danger of lapsing into frequent   
and more serious lying1 and from lies in
 joke men gain the habit of lying1      
whence they gain the character of not   
being truthful4 ,and thence again1 in   
order to gain credit to their words1    

they find it necessary to make a        
practice of swearing4  ,nothing is more 
necessary than truth of testimony1 in   
those things1 which we neither know     
ourselves1 nor can allowably be ignorant
 of1 on which point there is extant that
 maxim of ,st4 ,augustine's2 ,whoso     
conceals the truth1 and whoso puts forth
 a lie1 each is guilty2 the one because 
he is not willing to do a service1 the  
other because he has a wish to do a     
mischief4  ,it is lawful at times to be 
silent about the truth1 but out of a    
court of law2 for in court1 when a      
witness is interrogated by the judge    
according to law1 the truth is wholly to
 be brought out4  ,witnesses1 however1  
must beware1 lest1 from over-confidence 
in their memory1 they affirm for        
certain1 what they have not verified4   
,in order that the faithful may with    
more good will avoid the sin of lying1  
the ,parish ,priest shall set before    
them the extreme misery and turpitude of
 this wickedness4 ,for1 in holy writ1   

the devil is called the father of a lie2
 for1 in that he did not remain in      
,truth1 he is a liar1 and the father of 
a lie4 ,he will add1 with the view of   
ridding men of so great a crime1 the    
evils which follow upon lying2 and1     
whereas they are innumerable1 he will   
point out at least the sources and the  
general heads of these mischiefs and    
calamities1 viz4 #a4 ,how great is      
,god's displeasure and how great ,his   
hatred of a man who is insincere and a  
liar4 #b4 ,what security there is that a
 man who is specially hated by ,god may 
not be visited by the heaviest          
punishments4 #c4 ,what more unclean and 
foul1 as ,st4 ,james says1 than 444 that
 a fountain by the same jet should send 
out sweet water and bitter8 #d4 ,for    
that tongue1 which just now praised     
,god1 next1 as far as in it lies1       
dishonours ,him by lying4 #e4 ,in       
consequence1 liars are shut out from the
 possession of heavenly beatitude4 #f4  
,that too is the worst evil of lying1   

that that disease of the mind is        
generally incurable4  ,moreover1 there  
is this harm too1 and one of vast       
extent1 and touching men generally1 that
 by insincerity and lying faith and     
truth are lost1 which are the firmest   
bonds of human society1 and1 when they  
are lost1 supreme confusion follows in  
life1 so that men seem in nothing to    
differ from devils4  ,lastly1 the       
,parish ,priest will set those right who
 excuse their insincerity and allege the
 example of wise men1 who1 they say1 are
 used to lie for an occasion4 ,he will  
tell them1 what is most true1 that the  
wisdom of the flesh is death4 ,he will  
exhort his hearers to trust in ,god1    
when they are in difficulties and       
straits1 nor to have recourse to the    
expedient of a lie4  ,they who throw the
 blame of their own lie on those who    
have already by a lie deceived them1 are
 to be taught that men must not revenge 
themselves1 nor make up for one evil by 
another4 444  ,there is much more in the

 ,catechism to the same effect1 and it  
is of universal obligation2 whereas the 
decision of a particular author in      
morals need not be accepted by any one4 
,to one other authority ,i appeal on    
this subject1 which commands from me    
attention of a special kind1 for they   
are the words of a ,father4 ,they will  
serve to bring my work to a conclusion4 
,st4 ,philip1 says the ,roman oratorian 
who wrote his ,life1 had a particular   
dislike of affectation both in himself  
and others1 in speaking1 in dressing1 or
 in anything else4  ,he avoided all     
ceremony which savoured of worldly      
compliment1 and always showed himself a 
great stickler for ,christian simplicity
 in everything2 so that1 when he had to 
deal with men of worldly prudence1 he   
did not very readily accommodate himself
 to them4  ,and he avoided1 as much as  
possible1 having anything to do with    
two-faced persons1 who did not go simply
 and straightforwardly to work in their 
transactions4  ,as for liars1 he could  

not endure them1 and he was continually 
reminding his spiritual children1 to    
avoid them as they would a pestilence4  
,these are the principles on which ,i   
have acted before ,i was a ,catholic2   
these are the principles which1 ,i      
trust1 will be my stay and guidance to  
the end4   ,i have closed this history  
of myself with ,st4 ,philip's name upon 
,st4 ,philip's feast-day2 and1 having   
done so1 to whom can ,i more suitably   
offer it1 as a memorial of affection and
 gratitude1 than to ,st4 ,philip's sons1
 my dearest brothers of this house1 the 
priests of the ,birmingham ,oratory1    
,ambrose ,st4 ,john1 ,henry ,austin     
,mills1 ,henry ,bittleston1 ,edward     
,caswall1 ,william ,paine ,neville1 and 
,henry ,ignatius ,dudley ,ryder8 who    
have been so faithful to me2 who have   
been so sensitive of my needs2 who have 
been so indulgent to my failings2 who   
have carried me through so many trials2 
who have grudged no sacrifice1 if ,i    
asked for it2 who have been so cheerful 

under discouragements of my causing2 who
 have done so many good works1 and let  
me have the credit of them2--with whom  
,i have lived so long1 with whom ,i hope
 to die4  ,and to you especially1 dear  
,ambrose ,st4 ,john2 whom ,god gave me1 
when ,he took every one else away2 who  
are the link between my old life and my 
new2 who have now for twenty-one years  
been so devoted to me1 so patient1 so   
zealous1 so tender2 who have let me lean
 so hard upon you2 who have watched me  
so narrowly2 who have never thought of  
yourself1 if ,i was in question4  ,and  
in you ,i gather up and bear in memory  
those familiar affectionate companions  
and counsellors1 who in ,oxford were    
given to me1 one after another1 to be my
 daily solace and relief2 and all those 
others1 of great name and high example1 
who were my thorough friends1 and showed
 me true attachment in times long past2 
and also those many younger men1 whether
 ,i knew them or not1 who have never    
been disloyal to me by word or by deed2 

and of all these1 thus various in their 
relations to me1 those more especially  
who have since joined the ,catholic     
,church4  ,and ,i earnestly pray for    
this whole company1 with a hope against 
hope1 that all of us1 who once were so  
united1 and so happy in our union1 may  
even now be brought at length1 by the   
,power of the ,divine ,will1 into ,one  
,fold and under ,one ,shepherd4  ,may   
#bf1 #ahfd4  ,in ,festo ,corp4 ,christ4 
,appendix  ,answer in ,detail to ,mr4   
,kingsley's ,accusations   ,in          
proceeding now1 according to the        
engagement with which ,i entered upon my
 undertaking1 to examine in detail the  
,pamphlet which has been written against
 me1 ,i am very sorry to be obliged to  
say1 that it is as slovenly and random  
and futile in its definite charges1 as  
it is iniquitous in its method of       
disputation4 ,and now ,i proceed to show
 this without any delay2 and shall      
consider in order1    #a4 ,my ,sermon on
 the ,apostolical ,christian4   #b4 ,my 

,sermon on ,wisdom and ,innocence4   #c4
 ,the ,anglican ,church4   #d4 ,the     
,lives of the ,english ,saints4   #e4   
,ecclesiastical miracles4   #f4 ,popular
 ,religion4   #g4 ,the ,economy4   #h4  
,lying and ,equivocation4   #a4 ,my     
,sermon on ,the ,apostolical ,christian1
 being the #aith of ,sermons on         
,subjects of the ,day  ,this writer     
says1 ,what ,dr4 ,newman means by       
,christians 444 he has not left in      
doubt2 and then1 quoting a passage from 
this sermon which speaks of the humble  
monk and the holy nun being ,christians 
after the very pattern given us in      
,scripture1 he observes1 ,this is his   
definition of ,christians4--p4 #i4      
,this is not the case4 ,i have neither  
given a definition1 nor implied one1 nor
 intended one2 nor could ,i1 either now 
or in #ahdc-d1 or at any time1 allow of 
the particular definition he ascribes to
 me4 ,as if all ,christians must be     
monks or nuns6  ,what ,i have said is1  
that monks and nuns are patterns of     

,christian perfection2 and that         
,scripture itself supplies us with this 
pattern4 ,who can deny this8 ,who is    
bold enough to say that ,st4 ,john      
,baptist1 who1 ,i suppose1 is a         
,scripture character1 is not a          
pattern-monk2 and that ,mary1 who sat at
 our ,lord's feet1 was not a            
pattern-nun8 and ,anna too1 who served  
,god with fastings and prayers night and
 day8 ,again1 what is meant but this by 
,st4 ,paul's saying1 ,it is good for a  
man not to touch a woman8 and1 when     
speaking of the father or guardian of a 
young girl1 ,he that giveth her in      
marriage doeth well2 but he that giveth 
her not in marriage doeth better8 ,and  
what does ,st4 ,john mean but to praise 
virginity1 when he says of the hundred  
forty and four thousand on ,mount ,sion1
 ,these are they which were not defiled 
with women1 for they are virgins8 ,and  
what else did our ,lord mean1 when ,he  
said1 ,there be eunuchs who have made   
themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of   

heaven's sake4 ,he that is able to      
receive it1 let him receive it8  ,he    
ought to know his logic better3 ,i have 
said that monks and nuns find their     
pattern in ,scripture3 he adds1         
,therefore ,i hold all ,christians are  
monks and nuns4  ,this is ,blot one4    
,now then for ,blot two4  ,monks and    
nuns the only perfect ,christians 444   
what more8--p4 #i4  ,a second fault in  
logic4 ,i said no more than that monks  
and nuns were perfect ,christians3 he   
adds1 ,therefore monks and nuns are the 
only perfect ,christians4 ,monks and    
nuns are not the only perfect           
,christians2 ,i never thought so or said
 so1 now or at any other time4   ,p4    
#db4 ,in the ,sermon 444 monks and nuns 
are spoken of as the only true ,bible   
,christians4 ,this1 again1 is not the   
case4 ,what ,i said is1 that monks and  
nuns are ,bible ,christians3 it does not
 follow1 nor did ,i mean1 that all      
,bible ,christians are monks and nuns4  
,bad logic again4 ,blot three4  #b4 ,my 

,sermon on ,wisdom and ,innocence1      
,being the #bjth of ,sermons on         
,subjects of the ,day  ,this writer     
says1 p4 #h1 about my ,sermon #bj1 ,by  
the world appears to be signified1      
especially1 the ,protestant public of   
these realms4  ,he also asks1 p4 #ad1   
,why was it preached8 444 to insinuate1 
that the admiring young gentlemen1 who  
listened to him1 stood to their         
fellow-countrymen in the relation of the
 early ,christians to the heathen       
,romans8 ,or that ,queen ,victoria's    
,government was to the ,church of       
,england1 what ,nero's or ,dioclesian's 
was to the ,church of ,rome8 it may have
 been so4  ,may or may not1 it wasn't4  
,he insinuates what not even with his   
little finger does he attempt to prove4 
,blot four4   ,he asserts1 p4 #i1 that  
,i said in the sermon in question1 that 
,sacramental ,confession and the        
celibacy of the clergy are 'notes' of   
the ,church4 ,and1 just before1 he puts 
the word notes in inverted commas1 as if

 it was mine4 ,that is1 he garbles4 ,it 
is not mine4 ,blot five4   ,he says that
 ,i define what ,i mean by the ,church  
in two 'notes' of her character4 ,i do  
not define1 or dream of defining4  #a4  
,he says that ,i teach that the celibacy
 of the clergy enters into the          
definition of the ,church4 ,i do no such
 thing2 that is the blunt truth4 ,define
 the ,church by the celibacy of the     
clergy6 why1 let him read #a ,tim4 iii42
 there he will find that bishops and    
deacons are spoken of as married4 ,how1 
then1 could ,i be the dolt to say or    
imply that the celibacy of the clergy   
was a part of the definition of the     
,church8 ,blot six4  ,and again in p4   
#db1 ,in the ,sermon a celibate clergy  
is made a note of the ,church4 ,thus the
 untruth is repeated4 ,blot seven4   #b4
 ,and now for ,blot eight4 ,neither did 
,i say that ,sacramental confession was 
a note of the ,church4 ,nor is it4 ,nor 
could ,i with any cogency have brought  
this as an argument against the ,church 

of ,england1 for the ,church of ,england
 has retained ,confession1 nay1         
,sacramental ,confession4 ,no fair man  
can read the form of ,absolution in the 
,anglican ,prayer in the ,visitation of 
the ,sick1 without seeing that that     
,church does sanction and provide for   
,confession and ,absolution4 ,if that   
form does not contain the profession of 
a grave sacramental act1 words have no  
meaning4 ,the form is almost in the     
words of the ,roman form2 and1 by the   
time that this clergyman has succeeded  
in explaining it away1 he will have also
 got skill enough to explain away the   
,roman form2 and if he did but handle my
 words with that latitude with which he 
interprets his own formularies1 he would
 prove that1 instead of my being        
superstitious and frantic1 ,i was the   
most ,protestant of preachers and the   
most latitudinarian of thinkers4 ,it    
would be charity in him1 in his reading 
of my words1 to use some of that power  
of evasion1 of which he shows himself   

such a master in his dealing with his   
own ,prayer ,book4 ,yet he has the      
assurance at p4 #ad to ask1 ,why was the
 ,sermon preached8 to insinuate that a  
,church which had sacramental confession
 and a celibate clergy was the only true
 ,church8   ,why8 ,i will tell the      
reader1 why2 and with this view will    
speak1 first of the contents of the     
,sermon1 then of its subject1 then of   
its circumstances4  #a4 ,it was one of  
the last six sermons which ,i wrote when
 ,i was an ,anglican4 ,it was one of the
 five sermons ,i preached in ,st4       
,mary's between ,christmas and ,easter1 
#ahdc1 the year when ,i gave up my      
living4 ,the ,,ms4 of the sermon is     
destroyed2 but ,i believe1 and my memory
 too bears me out1 as far as it goes1   
that the sentence in question about     
celibacy and confession was not preached
 at all4 ,the volume1 in which this     
sermon is found1 was published after    
that ,i had given up ,st4 ,mary's1 when 
,i had no call on me to restrain the    

expression of anything which ,i might   
hold3 and ,i state an important fact    
about it in the advertisement1 which    
this truth-loving writer suppresses4    
,blot nine4  ,my words1 which stared him
 in the face1 are as follows3--,in      
preparing these ,sermons for            
publication1 a few words and sentences  
have in several places been added1 which
 will be found to express more of       
private or personal opinion1 than it was
 expedient to introduce into the        
instruction delivered in ,church to a   
parochial ,congregation4 ,such          
introduction1 however1 seems            
unobjectionable in the case of          
compositions1 which are detached from   
the sacred place and service to which   
they once belonged1 and submitted to the
 reason and judgment of the general     
reader4  ,this volume of sermons then   
cannot be criticised at all as          
preachments2 they are essays2 essays of 
a man who1 at the time of publishing    
them1 was not a preacher4 ,such         

passages1 as that in question1 are just 
the very ones which ,i added upon my    
publishing them4 ,i always was on my    
guard in the pulpit of saying anything  
which looked towards ,rome2 and         
therefore all his rhetoric about my     
disciples1 admiring young gentlemen who 
listened to me1 fanatic and hot-headed  
young men1 who hung upon my every word1 
becomes simple rubbish4  ,i have more to
 say on this point4 ,this writer says1  
p4 #ad1 ,i know that men used to suspect
 ,dr4 ,newman--,i have been inclined to 
do so myself--of writing a whole        
,sermon1 not for the sake of the text or
 of the matter1 but for the sake of one 
simple passing hint--one phrase1 one    
epithet4 ,can there be a plainer        
testimony borne to the practical        
character of my sermons at ,st4 ,mary's 
than this gratuitous insinuation8 ,many 
a preacher of ,tractarian doctrine has  
been accused of not letting his         
parishioners alone1 and of teasing them 
with his private theological notions4   

,you would gather from the general tone 
of this writer that that was my way4    
,every one who was in the habit of      
hearing me1 knows that it wasn't4 ,this 
writer either knows nothing about it1   
and then he ought to be silent2 or he   
does know1 and then he ought to speak   
the truth4 ,others spread the same      
report twenty years ago as he does now1 
and the world believed that my sermons  
at ,st4 ,mary's were full of red-hot    
,tractarianism4 ,then strangers came to 
hear me preach1 and were astonished at  
their own disappointment4 ,i recollect  
the wife of a great prelate from a      
distance coming to hear me1 and then    
expressing her surprise to find that ,i 
preached nothing but a plain humdrum    
sermon4 ,i recollect how1 when on the   
,sunday before ,commemoration one year1 
a number of strangers came to hear me1  
and ,i preached in my usual way1        
residents in ,oxford1 of high position1 
were loud in their satisfaction that on 
a great occasion1 ,i had made a simple  

failure1 for after all there was nothing
 in the sermon to hear4 ,well1 but they 
were not going to let me off1 for all my
 common-sense view of duty4             
,accordingly1 they got up the charitable
 theory which this writer revives4 ,they
 said that there was a double purpose in
 those plain addresses of mine1 and that
 my sermons were never so artful as when
 they seemed common-place2 that there   
were sentences which redeemed their     
apparent simplicity and quietness4 ,so  
they watched during the delivery of a   
sermon1 which to them was too practical 
to be useful1 for the concealed point of
 it1 which they could at least imagine1 
if they could not discover4 ,men used to
 suspect ,dr4 ,newman1 he says1 of      
writing a whole ,sermon1 not for the    
sake of the text or of the matter1 but  
for the sake of 444 one phrase1 one     
epithet1 one little barbed arrow1 which1
 as he swept magnificently past on the  
stream of his calm eloquence1 seemingly 
unconscious of all presences1 save those

 unseen1 he delivered unheeded1 etc4 p4 
#ad4 ,to all appearance1 he says1 ,i was
 unconscious of all presences2 so this  
kind writer supplies the true           
interpretation of this unconsciousness4 
,he is not able to deny that the whole  
,sermon had the appearance of being for 
the sake of the text and matter2        
therefore he suggests that perhaps it   
wasn't4 ,and then he emptily talks of   
the magnificent sweep of my eloquence1  
and my oratoric power4 ,did he forget   
that the sermon of which he thus speaks 
can be read by others as well as him8   
,now1 the sentences are as short as     
,aristotle's1 and as grave as ,bishop   
,butler's4 ,it is written almost in the 
condensed style of ,tract #ij4          
,eloquence there is none4 ,i put this   
down as ,blot ten4   #b4 ,and now as to 
the subject of the sermon4 ,the series  
of which the volume consists are such   
sermons as are1 more or less1 exceptions
 to the rule which ,i ordinarily        
observed1 as to the subjects which ,i   

introduced into the pulpit of ,st4      
,mary's4 ,they are not purely ethical or
 doctrinal4 ,they were for the most part
 caused by circumstances of the day or  
of the time1 and they belong to various 
years4 ,one was written in #ahcb1 two in
 #ahcf1 two in #ahch1 five in #ahdj1    
five in #ahda1 four in #ahdb1 seven in  
#ahdc4 ,many of them are engaged on one 
subject1 viz4 in viewing the ,church in 
its relation to the world4 ,by the world
 was meant1 not simply those multitudes 
which were not in the ,church1 but the  
existing body of human society1 whether 
in the ,church or not1 whether          
,catholics1 ,protestants1 ,greeks1 or   
,mahometans1 theists or idolaters1 as   
being ruled by principles1 maxims1 and  
instincts of their own1 that is1 of an  
unregenerate nature1 whatever their     
supernatural privileges might be1       
greater or less1 according to their form
 of religion4 ,this view of the relation
 of the ,church to the world as taken   
apart from questions of ecclesiastical  

politics1 as they may be called1 is     
often brought out in my sermons4 ,two   
occur to me at once2 ,no4 #c of my      
,plain ,sermons1 which was written in   
#ahbi1 and ,no4 #ae of my third volume1 
written in #ahce4 ,then1 on the other   
hand1 by ,church ,i meant--in common    
with all writers connected with the     
,tract ,movement1 whatever their shades 
of opinion1 and with the whole body of  
,english divines1 except those of the   
,puritan or ,evangelical ,school--the   
whole of ,christendom1 from the         
apostles' time till now1 whatever their 
later divisions into ,latin1 ,greek1 and
 ,anglican4 ,i have explained this view 
of the subject above at pp4 #hc-he of   
this ,volume4 ,when then ,i speak1 in   
the particular sermon before us1 of the 
members1 or the rulers1 or the action of
 the ,church1 ,i mean neither the       
,latin1 nor the ,greek1 nor the         
,english1 taken by itself1 but of the   
whole ,church as one body3 of ,italy as 
one with ,england1 of the ,saxon or     

,norman as one with the ,caroline       
,church4 ,this was specially the one    
,church1 and the points in which one    
branch or one period differed from      
another were not and could not be notes 
of the ,church1 because notes           
necessarily belonged to the whole of the
 ,church everywhere and always4  ,this  
being my doctrine as to the relation of 
the ,church to the world1 ,i laid down  
in the sermon three principles          
concerning it1 and there left the       
matter4 ,the first is1 that ,divine     
,wisdom had framed for its action1 laws 
which man1 if left to himself1 would    
have antecedently pronounced to be the  
worst possible for its success1 and     
which in all ages have been called by   
the world1 as they were in the apostles'
 days1 foolishness2 that man ever relies
 on physical and material force1 and on 
carnal inducements--as ,mahomet with his
 sword and his houris1 or indeed almost 
as that theory of religion1 called1     
since the sermon was written1 muscular  

,christianity2 but that our ,lord1 on   
the contrary1 has substituted meekness  
for haughtiness1 passiveness for        
violence1 and innocence for craft3 and  
that the event has shown the high wisdom
 of such an economy1 for it has brought 
to light a set of natural laws1 unknown 
before1 by which the seeming paradox    
that weakness should be stronger than   
might1 and simplicity than worldly      
policy1 is readily explained4           
,secondly1 ,i said that men of the      
world1 judging by the event1 and not    
recognizing the secret causes of the    
success1 viz4 a higher order of natural 
laws--natural1 though their source and  
action were supernatural1 7for the meek 
inherit the earth1 by means of a        
meekness which comes from above7--these 
men1 ,i say1 concluded1 that the success
 which they witnessed must arise from   
some evil secret which the world had not
 mastered--by means of magic1 as they   
said in the first ages1 by cunning as   
they say now4 ,and accordingly they     

thought that the humility and           
inoffensiveness of ,christians1 or of   
,churchmen1 was a mere pretence and     
blind to cover the real causes of that  
success1 which ,christians could explain
 and would not2 and that they were      
simply hypocrites4  ,thirdly1 ,i        
suggested that shrewd ecclesiastics1 who
 knew very well that there was neither  
magic nor craft in the matter1 and1 from
 their intimate acquaintance with what  
actually went on within the ,church1    
discerned what were the real causes of  
its success1 were of course under the   
temptation of substituting reason for   
conscience1 and1 instead of simply      
obeying the command1 were led to do good
 that good might come1 that is1 to act  
in order to their success1 and not from 
a motive of faith4 ,some1 ,i said1 did  
yield to the temptation more or less1   
and their motives became mixed2 and in  
this way the world in a more subtle     
shape has got into the ,church2 and     
hence it has come to pass1 that1 looking

 at its history from first to last1 we  
cannot possibly draw the line between   
good and evil there1 and say either that
 everything is to be defended1 or some  
things to be condemned4 ,i expressed the
 difficulty1 which ,i supposed to be    
inherent in the ,church1 in the         
following words4 ,i said1 ,priestcraft  
has ever been considered the badge1 and 
its imputation is a kind of ,note of the
 ,church2 and in part indeed truly1     
because the presence of powerful        
enemies1 and the sense of their own     
weakness1 has sometimes tempted         
,christians to the abuse1 instead of the
 use of ,christian wisdom1 to be wise   
without being harmless2 but partly1 nay1
 for the most part1 not truly1 but      
slanderously1 and merely because the    
world called their wisdom craft1 when it
 was found to be a match for its own    
numbers and power4 ,this passage he has 
partly garbled1 partly omitted4 ,blot   
eleven4  ,such is the substance of the  
sermon3 and as to the main drift of it1 

it was this2 that ,i was1 there and     
elsewhere1 scrutinising the course of   
the ,church as a whole1 as if           
philosophically1 as an historical       
phenomenon1 and observing the laws on   
which it was conducted4 ,hence the      
sermon1 or essay as it more truly is1 is
 written in a dry and unimpassioned way3
 it shows as little of human warmth of  
feeling1 ,i repeat1 as a sermon of      
,bishop ,butler's4 ,yet1 under that calm
 exterior there was a deep and keen     
sensitiveness1 as ,i shall now proceed  
to show4   #c4 ,if ,i mistake not1 it   
was written with a secret thought about 
myself4 ,every one preaches according to
 his frame of mind1 at the time of      
preaching4 ,one heaviness especially    
oppressed me at that season1 which this 
writer1 twenty years afterwards1 has set
 himself with a good will to renew3 it  
arose from the sense of the base        
calumnies which were thrown upon me on  
all sides4 ,in this trouble of mind ,i  
gained1 while ,i reviewed the history of

 the ,church1 at once an argument and a 
consolation4 ,my argument was this3 if  
,i1 who knew my own innocence1 was so   
blackened by party prejudice1 perhaps   
those high rulers and those servants of 
the ,church1 in the many ages which     
intervened between the early ,nicene    
times and the present1 who were laden   
with such grievous accusations1 were    
innocent also2 and this reflection      
served to make me tender towards those  
great names of the past1 to whom        
weaknesses or crimes were imputed1 and  
reconciled me to difficulties in        
ecclesiastical proceedings1 which there 
were no means now of properly           
explaining4 ,and the sympathy thus      
excited for them1 reacted on myself1 and
 ,i found comfort in being able to put  
myself under the shadow of those who had
 suffered as ,i was suffering1 and who  
seemed to promise me their recompense1  
since ,i had a fellowship in their      
trial4 ,in a letter to my bishop at the 
time of ,tract #ij1 part of which ,i    

have quoted1 ,i said that ,i had ever   
tried to keep innocency2 and now two    
years had passed since then1 and men    
were louder and louder in heaping on me 
the very charges1 which this writer     
repeats out of my sermon1 of fraud and  
cunning1 craftiness and deceitfulness1  
double-dealing1 priestcraft1 of being   
mysterious1 dark1 subtle1 designing1    
when ,i was all the time conscious to   
myself1 in my degree1 and after my      
measure1 of sobriety1 self-restraint1   
and control of word and feeling4 ,i had 
had experience how my past success had  
been imputed to secret management2 and  
how1 when ,i had shown surprise at that 
success1 that surprise again was imputed
 to deceit2 and how my honest heartfelt 
submission to authority had been called1
 as it was called in a colonial bishop's
 charge1 mystic humility2 and how my    
silence was called an hypocrisy2 and my 
faithfulness to my clerical engagements 
a secret correspondence with the enemy4 
,and ,i found a way of destroying my    

sensitiveness about these things which  
jarred upon my sense of justice1 and    
otherwise would have been too much for  
me1 by the contemplation of a large law 
of the ,divine ,dispensation1 and found 
myself more and more able to bear in my 
own person a present trial1 of which in 
my past writings ,i had expressed an    
anticipation4  ,for thus feeling and    
thus speaking this writer has the       
charitableness and the decency to call  
me ,mawworm4 ,i found him telling       
,christians1 he says1 that they will    
always seem 'artificial1' and 'wanting  
in openness and manliness2' that they   
will always be 'a mystery' to the world2
 and that the world will always think   
them rogues2 and bidding them glory in  
what the world 7that is1 the rest of    
their fellow-countrymen7 disown1 and say
 with ,mawworm1 ',i like to be          
despised4' 444 ,how was ,i to know that 
the preacher 444 was utterly blind to   
the broad meaning and the plain         
practical result of a sermon like this  

delivered before fanatic and hot-headed 
young men1 who hung upon his every      
word8--p4 #ag4 ,hot-headed young men6   
why1 man1 you are writing a romance4    
,you think the scene is ,alexandria or  
the ,spanish main1 where you may let    
your imagination play revel to the      
extent of inveracity4 ,it is good luck  
for me that the scene of my labours was 
not at ,moscow or ,damascus4 ,then ,i   
might be one of your ecclesiastical     
saints1 of which ,i sometimes hear in   
conversation1 but with whom1 ,i am glad 
to say1 ,i have no personal             
acquaintance4 ,then you might ascribe to
 me a more deadly craft than mere       
quibbling and lying2 in ,spain ,i should
 have been an ,inquisitor1 with my rack 
in the background2 ,i should have had a 
concealed dagger in ,sicily2 at ,venice 
,i should have brewed poison2 in ,turkey
 ,i should have been the                
,sheik-el-,islam with my bowstring2 in  
,khorassan ,i should have been a veiled 
prophet4 ,fanatic young men6 ,why he is 

writing out the list of a dramatis      
,personae2 guards1 conspirators1        
populace1 and the like4 ,he thinks ,i   
was ever moving about with a train of   
,capulets at my heels4 ,hot-headed      
fanatics1 who hung on my every word6 ,if
 he had taken to write a history1 and   
not a play1 he would have easily found  
out1 as ,i have said1 that from #ahda ,i
 had severed myself from the younger    
generation of ,oxford1 that ,dr4 ,pusey 
and ,i had then closed our theological  
meetings at his house1 that ,i had      
brought my own weekly evening parties to
 an end1 that ,i preached only by fits  
and starts at ,st4 ,mary's1 so that the 
attendance of young men was broken up1  
that in those very weeks from ,christmas
 till over ,easter1 during which this   
sermon was preached1 ,i was but five    
times in the pulpit there4 ,he would    
have known that it was written at a time
 when ,i was shunned rather than sought1
 when ,i had great sacrifices in        
anticipation1 when ,i was thinking much 

of myself2 that ,i was ruthlessly       
tearing myself away from my own         
followers1 and that1 in the musings of  
that sermon1 ,i was at the very utmost  
only delivering a testimony in my behalf
 for time to come1 not sowing my        
rhetoric broadcast for the chance of    
present sympathy4 ,blot twelve4  ,i     
proceed3 he says at p4 #ae1 ,i found him
 actually using of such prelates1 7and1 
as ,i thought1 of himself and his party 
likewise71 the words ',they yield       
outwardly2 to assent inwardly were to   
betray the faith4 ,yet they are called  
deceitful and double-dealing1 because   
they do as much as they can1 not more   
than they may4' ,this too is a proof of 
my duplicity6 ,let this writer go with  
some one else1 just a little further    
than he has gone with me2 and let him   
get into a court of law for libel2 and  
let him be convicted2 and let him still 
fancy that his libel1 though a libel1   
was true1 and let us then see whether he
 will not in such a case yield          

outwardly1 without assenting internally2
 and then again whether we should please
 him1 if we called him deceitful and    
double-dealing1 because he did as much  
as he could1 not more than he ought to  
do4 ,but ,tract #ij will supply a real  
illustration of what ,i meant4 ,i       
yielded to the bishops in outward act1  
viz4 in not defending the ,tract1 and in
 closing the series2 but1 not only did  
,i not assent inwardly to any           
condemnation of it1 but ,i opposed      
myself to the proposition of a          
condemnation on the part of authority4  
,yet ,i was then by the public called   
deceitful and double-dealing1 as this   
writer calls me now1 because ,i did as  
much as ,i felt ,i could do1 and not    
more than ,i felt ,i could honestly do4 
,many were the publications of the day  
and the private letters which accused me
 of shuffling1 because ,i closed the    
series of tracts1 yet kept the tracts on
 sale1 as if ,i ought to comply not only
 with what my bishop asked1 but with    

what he did not ask1 and perhaps did not
 wish4 ,however1 such teaching1         
according to this writer1 was likely to 
make young men suspect that truth was   
not a virtue for its own sake1 but only 
for the sake of the spread of ,catholic 
opinions1 and the salvation of their own
 souls2 and that cunning was the weapon 
which heaven had allowed to them to     
defend themselves against the           
persecuting ,protestant public4--p4 #af4
 ,blot thirteen4   ,and now ,i draw     
attention to another point4 ,he says at 
p4 #ae1 ,how was ,i to know that the    
preacher 444 did not foresee1 that      
fanatic and hot-headed young men would  
think that they obeyed him1 by becoming 
affected1 artificial1 sly1 shifty1 ready
 for concealments and equivocations8    
,how should he know6 ,what6 ,i suppose  
that we are to think every man a knave  
till he is proved not to be such4 ,know6
 had he no friend to tell him whether ,i
 was affected or artificial myself8     
,could he not have done better than     

impute equivocation to me1 at a time    
when ,i was in no sense answerable for  
the amphibologia of the ,roman casuists8
 ,has he a single fact which belongs to 
me personally or by profession to couple
 my name with equivocation in #ahdc8    
,how should he know that ,i was not sly1
 smooth1 artificial1 non-natural6 he    
should know by that common manly        
frankness1 if he had it1 by which we put
 confidence in others1 till they are    
proved to have forfeited it2 he should  
know it by my own words in that very    
sermon1 in which ,i say it is best to be
 natural1 and that reserve is at best   
but an unpleasant necessity4 ,i say1 ,i 
do not deny that there is something very
 engaging in a frank and unpretending   
manner2 some persons have it more than  
others2 in some persons it is a great   
grace4 ,but it must be recollected that 
,i am speaking of times of persecution  
and oppression to ,christians1 such as  
the text foretells2 and then surely     
frankness will become nothing else than 

indignation at the oppressor1 and       
vehement speech1 if it is permitted4    
,accordingly1 as persons have deep      
feelings1 so they will find the         
necessity of self-control1 lest they    
should say what they ought not4 ,he     
omits these words4 ,i call1 then1 this  
base insinuation that ,i taught         
equivocation1 ,blot the fourteenth4     
,lastly1 he sums up thus3 ,if ,dr4      
,newman would 444 persist 7as in this   
,sermon7 in dealing with matters dark1  
offensive1 doubtful1 sometimes actually 
forbidden1 at least according to the    
notions of the great majority of        
,english ,churchmen2 if he would always 
do so in a tentative1 paltering way1    
seldom or never letting the world know  
how much he believed1 how far he        
intended to go2 if1 in a word1 his      
method of teaching was a suspicious one1
 what wonder if the minds of men were   
filled with suspicions of him8--p4 #ag4 
,now first he is speaking of my sermons2
 where1 then1 is his proof that in my   

sermons ,i dealt in matters dark1       
offensive1 doubtful1 actually forbidden8
 he has said nothing in proof that ,i   
have not been able flatly to deny4      
,forbidden according to the notions of  
the great majority of ,english          
,churchmen4 ,i should like to know what 
opinions1 beyond those which relate to  
the ,creed1 are held by the majority of 
,english ,churchmen3--are his own8 is it
 not perfectly well known1 that the     
great majority think of him and his     
views with a feeling which ,i will not  
describe1 because it is not necessary   
for my argument8 ,so far is certain1    
that he has not the majority with him4  
,in a tentative1 paltering way4 ,the    
word paltering ,i reject1 as vague2 as  
to tentative1 he must show that ,i was  
tentative in my sermons2 and he has     
eight volumes to look through4 ,as to   
the ninth1 my ,university sermons1 of   
course ,i was tentative2 but not because
 ,i would seldom or never let the world 
know how much ,i believed1 or how far ,i

 intended to go2 but because in deep    
subjects1 which had not been fully      
investigated1 ,i said as much as ,i     
believed1 and about as far as ,i saw ,i 
could go2 and a man cannot do more2 and 
,i account no man to be a philosopher   
who attempts to do more4 ,how long am ,i
 to have the office of merely negativing
 assertions which are but supported by  
former assertions1 in which ,john is    
ever helping ,tom1 and the elephant     
stands upon the tortoise8 ,this is ,blot
 fifteen4  #c4 ,the ,anglican ,church   
,this writer says3--,if there is1 as    
there is1 a strong distrust of certain  
,catholics1 it is restricted to the     
proselytizing priests among them2 and   
especially to those1 who1 like ,dr4     
,newman1 have turned round upon their   
mother ,church 7,i had almost said their
 mother country71 with contumely and    
slander4--p4 #ah4  ,no one has a right  
to make a charge1 without at least an   
attempt to prove what he says2 but this 
writer is consistent with himself4 ,from

 the time that he first spoke of me in  
the magazine1 when has he ever even     
professed to give evidence of any sort  
for any one of his charges1 from his own
 sense of propriety1 and without being  
challenged on the point8 ,after the     
sentence which ,i have been quoting1 and
 another like it1 he coolly passes on to
 ,tract #ij6 ,blot sixteen2 but ,i shall
 dwell on it awhile1 for its own sake4  
,now ,i have been bringing out my mind  
in this volume on every subject which   
has come before me2 and therefore ,i am 
bound to state plainly what ,i feel and 
have felt1 since ,i was a ,catholic1    
about the ,anglican ,church4 ,i said1 in
 a former page1 that1 on my conversion1 
,i was not conscious of any change in me
 of thought or feeling1 as regards      
matters of doctrine2 this1 however1 was 
not the case as regards some matters of 
fact1 and1 unwilling as ,i am to give   
offence to religious ,anglicans1 ,i am  
bound to confess that ,i felt a great   
change in my view of the ,church of     

,england4 ,i cannot tell how soon there 
came on me--but very soon--an extreme   
astonishment that ,i had ever imagined  
it to be a portion of the ,catholic     
,church4 ,for the first time1 ,i looked 
at it from without1 and 7as ,i should   
myself say7 saw it as it was4 ,forthwith
 ,i could not get myself to see in it   
anything else1 than what ,i had so long 
fearfully suspected1 from as far back as
 #ahcf--;a mere national institution4   
,as if my eyes were suddenly opened1 so 
,i saw it--spontaneously1 apart from any
 definite act of reason or any argument2
 and so ,i have seen it ever since4 ,i  
suppose1 the main cause of this lay in  
the contrast which was presented to me  
by the ,catholic ,church4 ,then ,i      
recognised at once a reality which was  
quite a new thing with me4 ,then ,i was 
sensible that ,i was not making for     
myself a ,church by an effort of        
thought2 ,i needed not to make an act of
 faith in her2 ,i had not painfully to  
force myself into a position1 but my    

mind fell back upon itself in relaxation
 and in peace1 and ,i gazed at her      
almost passively as a great objective   
fact4 ,i looked at her2--at her rites1  
her ceremonial1 and her precepts2 and ,i
 said1 ,this is a religion2 and then1   
when ,i looked back upon the poor       
,anglican ,church1 for which ,i had     
laboured so hard1 and upon all that     
appertained to it1 and thought of our   
various attempts to dress it up         
doctrinally and esthetically1 it seemed 
to me to be the veriest of nonentities4 
,vanity of vanities1 all is vanity6 ,how
 can ,i make a record of what passed    
within me1 without seeming to be        
satirical8 ,but ,i speak plain1 serious 
words4 ,as people call me credulous for 
acknowledging ,catholic claims1 so they 
call me satirical for disowning         
,anglican pretensions2 to them it is    
credulity1 to them it is satire2 but it 
is not so in me4 ,what they think       
exaggeration1 ,i think truth4 ,i am not 
speaking of the ,anglican ,church in any

 disdain1 though to them ,i seem        
contemptuous4 ,to them of course it is  
,aut ,caesar aut nullus1 but not to me4 
,it may be a great creation1 though it  
be not divine1 and this is how ,i judge 
of it4 ,men1 who abjure the divine right
 of kings1 would be very indignant1 if  
on that account they were considered    
disloyal4 ,and so ,i recognise in the   
,anglican ,church a time-honoured       
institution1 of noble historical        
memories1 a monument of ancient wisdom1 
a momentous arm of political strength1 a
 great national organ1 a source of vast 
popular advantage1 and1 to a certain    
point1 a witness and teacher of         
religious truth4 ,i do not think that1  
if what ,i have written about it since  
,i have been a ,catholic1 be equitably  
considered as a whole1 ,i shall be found
 to have taken any other view than this2
 but that it is something sacred1 that  
it is an oracle of revealed doctrine1   
that it can claim a share in ,st4       
,ignatius or ,st4 ,cyprian1 that it can 

take the rank1 contest the teaching1 and
 stop the path of the ,church of ,st4   
,peter1 that it can call itself the     
,bride of the ,lamb1 this is the view of
 it which simply disappeared from my    
mind on my conversion1 and which it     
would be almost a miracle to reproduce4 
,i went by1 and lo6 it was gone2 ,i     
sought it1 but its place could no where 
be found2 and nothing can bring it back 
to me4 ,and1 as to its possession of an 
episcopal succession from the time of   
the apostles1 well1 it may have it1 and1
 if the holy see ever so decided1 ,i    
will believe it1 as being the decision  
of a higher judgment than my own2 but1  
for myself1 ,i must have ,st4 ,philip's 
gift1 who saw the sacerdotal character  
on the forehead of a gaily-attired      
youngster1 before ,i can by my own wit  
acquiesce in it1 for antiquarian        
arguments are altogether unequal to the 
urgency of visible facts4 ,why is it    
that ,i must pain dear friends by saying
 so1 and kindle a sort of resentment    

against me in the kindest of hearts8 but
 ,i must1 though to do it be not only a 
grief to me1 but most impolitic at the  
moment4 ,anyhow1 this is my mind2 and1  
if to have it1 if to have betrayed it1  
before now1 involuntarily by my words or
 my deeds1 if on a fitting occasion1 as 
now1 to have avowed it1 if all this be a
 proof of the justice of the charge     
brought against me of having turned     
round upon my ,mother-,church with      
contumely and slander1 in this sense1   
but in no other sense1 do ,i plead      
guilty to it without a word in          
extenuation4  ,in no other sense surely2
 the ,church of ,england has been the   
instrument of ,providence in conferring 
great benefits on me2 had ,i been born  
in ,dissent1 perhaps ,i should never    
have been baptised2 had ,i been born an 
,english ,presbyterian1 perhaps ,i      
should never have known our ,lord's     
divinity2 had ,i not come to ,oxford1   
perhaps ,i never should have heard of   
the visible ,church1 or of ,tradition1  

or other ,catholic doctrines4 ,and as ,i
 have received so much good from the    
,anglican ,establishment itself1 can ,i 
have the heart1 or rather the want of   
charity1 considering that it does for so
 many others1 what it has done for me1  
to wish to see it overthrown8 ,i have no
 such wish while it is what it is1 and  
while we are so small a body4 ,not for  
its own sake1 but for the sake of the   
many congregations to which it          
ministers1 ,i will do nothing against   
it4 ,while ,catholics are so weak in    
,england1 it is doing our work2 and1    
though it does us harm in a measure1 at 
present the balance is in our favour4   
,what our duty would be at another time 
and in other circumstances1 supposing1  
for instance1 the ,establishment lost   
its dogmatic faith1 or at least did not 
preach it1 is another matter altogether4
 ,in secular history we read of hostile 
nations having long truces1 and renewing
 them from time to time1 and that seems 
to be the position the ,catholic ,church

 may fairly take up at present in       
relation to the ,anglican               
,establishment4  ,doubtless the         
,national ,church has hitherto been a   
serviceable breakwater against doctrinal
 errors1 more fundamental than its own4 
,how long this will last in the years   
now before us1 it is impossible to say1 
for the nation drags down its ,church to
 its own level2 but still the ,national 
,church has the same sort of influence  
over the nation that a periodical has   
upon the party which it represents1 and 
my own idea of a ,catholic's fitting    
attitude towards the ,national ,church  
in this its supreme hour1 is that of    
assisting and sustaining it1 if it be in
 our power1 in the interest of dogmatic 
truth4 ,i should wish to avoid          
everything1 except under the direct call
 of duty1 which went to weaken its hold 
upon the public mind1 or to unsettle its
 establishment1 or to embarrass and     
lessen its maintenance of those great   
,christian and ,catholic principles and 

doctrines which it has up to this time  
successfully preached4  ,i say1 except  
under the call of duty2 and this        
exception1 ,i am obliged to admit1 is   
not a slight one2 it is one which       
necessarily places a bar to any closer  
relation between it and ourselves1 than 
that of an armed truce4 ,for1 in the    
first place1 it stands to reason that   
even a volume1 such as this has been1   
exerts an influence adverse to the      
,establishment--at least in the case of 
many minds2 and this ,i cannot avoid1   
though ,i have sincerely attempted to   
keep as wide of controversy in the      
course of it1 as ever ,i could4 ,and    
next ,i cannot deny1 what must be ever a
 very sore point with ,anglicans1 that1 
if any ,anglican comes to me after      
careful thought and prayer1 and with    
deliberate purpose1 and says1 ,i believe
 in the ,holy ,catholic ,church1 and    
that your ,church and yours alone is it1
 and ,i demand admittance into it1 it   
would be the greatest of sins in me to  

reject such a man1 as being a distinct  
contravention of our ,lord's maxim1     
,freely ye have received1 freely give4  
,i have written three volumes which may 
be considered controversial2 ,loss and  
,gain in #ahdg2 ,lectures on            
,difficulties felt by ,anglicans in     
submitting to the ,catholic ,church in  
#ahej2 and ,lectures on the present     
,position of ,catholics in ,england in  
#ahea4 ,and though ,i have neither time 
nor need to go into the matter minutely1
 a few words will suffice for some      
general account of what has been my     
object and my tone in these works       
severally4  ,of these three1 the        
,lectures on the ,position of ,catholics
 have nothing to do with the ,church of 
,england1 as such2 they are directed    
against the ,protestant or              
,ultra-,protestant tradition on the     
subject of ,catholicism since the time  
of ,queen ,elizabeth1 in which parties  
indeed in the ,church of ,england have  
largely participated1 but which cannot  

be confused with ,anglican teaching     
itself4 ,much less can that tradition be
 confused with the doctrine of the      
,laudian or of the ,tractarian ,school4 
,i owe nothing to ,protestantism2 and ,i
 spoke against it even when ,i was an   
,anglican1 as well as in these ,catholic
 lectures4 ,if ,i spoke in them against 
the ,church ,established1 it was        
because1 and so far as1 at the time when
 they were delivered the ,establishment 
took a violent part against the         
,catholic ,church1 on the basis of the  
,protestant tradition4 ,moreover1 ,i had
 never as an ,anglican been a lover of  
the actual ,establishment2 ,hurrell     
,froude's ,remains1 in which it is      
called an incubus and ,upas ,tree1 will 
stand in evidence1 as for him1 so for   
me2 for ,i was one of the editors4 ,what
 ,i said even as an ,anglican1 it is not
 strange that ,i said when ,i was not4  
,indeed ,i have been milder in my       
thoughts of the ,establishment ever     
since ,i have been a ,catholic than     

before1 and for an obvious reason3--when
 ,i was an ,anglican1 ,i viewed it as   
repressing a higher doctrine than its   
own2 and now ,i view it as keeping out a
 lower and more dangerous4  ,then as to 
my ,lectures on ,anglican ,difficulties4
 ,neither were these formally directed  
against the ,national ,church4 ,they    
were addressed to the ,children of the  
,movement of #ahcc1 to impress upon     
them1 that1 whatever was the case with  
others1 their duty at least was to      
become ,catholics1 since ,catholicism   
was the real scope and issue of that    
,movement4 ,there is but one thing1 ,i  
say1 that forces me to speak4444 ,it    
will be a miserable thing for you and   
for me1 if ,i have been instrumental in 
bringing you but half-way1 if ,i have   
co-operated in removing your invincible 
ignorance1 but am able to do no         
more4--p4 #e4 ,such being the drift of  
the volume1 the reasoning directed      
against the ,church of ,england goes no 
further than this1 that it had no claims

 whatever on such of its members as were
 proceeding onwards with the ,movement  
into the ,catholic ,church4  ,lastly1 as
 to ,loss and ,gain3 it is the story1   
simply ideal1 of the conversion of an   
,oxford man4 ,its drift is to show how  
little there is in ,anglicanism to      
satisfy and retain a young and earnest  
heart4 ,in this tale1 all the best      
characters are sober ,church-of-,england
 people4 ,no ,tractarians proper are    
introduced3 and this is noted in the    
advertisement3 ,no proper representative
 is intended in this tale1 of the       
religious opinions1 which had lately so 
much influence in the ,university of    
,oxford4 ,there could not be such in the
 tale1 without the introduction of      
friends1 which was impossible in its    
very notion4 ,but1 since the scene was  
to be laid during the very years1 and at
 the head-quarters1 of ,tractarianism1  
some expedient was necessary in order to
 meet what was a great difficulty4 ,my  
expedient was the introduction of what  

may be called ,tractarians improper2 and
 ,i took them the more readily1 because1
 though ,i knew that such there were1 ,i
 knew none of them personally4 ,i mean  
such men as ,i used to consider of the  
gilt-gingerbread school1 from whom ,i   
expected little good1 persons whose     
religion lay in ritualism or            
architecture1 and who played at ,popery 
or at ,anglicanism4 ,i repeat ,i knew no
 such men1 because it is one thing to   
desire fine churches and ceremonies     
7which of course ,i did myself71 and    
quite another thing to desire these and 
nothing else2 but at that day there was 
in some quarters1 though not in those   
where ,i had influence1 a strong        
movement in the esthetic direction4     
,doubtless ,i went too far in my        
apprehension of such a movement3 for one
 of the best1 and most devoted and      
hard-working priests ,i ever knew was   
the late ,father ,hutchison1 of the     
,london ,oratory1 and ,i believe it was 
architecture that directed his thoughts 

towards the ,catholic ,church4 ,however1
 ,i had in my mind an external religion 
which was inordinate2 and1 as the men   
who were considered instances of it1    
were personally unknown to me1 even by  
name1 ,i introduced them1 under         
imaginary representatives1 in ,loss and 
,gain1 and that1 in order to get clear  
of ,tractarians proper2 and of the three
 men1 whom ,i have introduced1 the      
,anglican is the best4 ,in like manner  
,i introduced two gilt-gingerbread young
 ladies1 who were ideal1 absolutely1    
utterly1 without a shred of concrete    
existence about them2 and ,i introduced 
them with the remark that they were     
really kind charitable persons1 and by  
no means put forth as a type of a class1
 that among such persons were to be     
found the gentlest spirits and the      
tenderest hearts1 and that these sisters
 had open hands1 if they had not wise   
heads1 but that they did not know much  
of matters ecclesiastical1 and they knew
 less of themselves4  ,it has been said1

 indeed1 ,i know not to what extent1    
that ,i introduced my friends or        
partisans into the tale2 this is utterly
 untrue4 ,only two cases of this        
misconception have come to my knowledge1
 and ,i at once denied each of them     
outright2 and ,i take this opportunity  
of denying generally the truth of all   
other similar charges4 ,no friend of    
mine1 no one connected in any way with  
the ,movement1 entered into the         
composition of any one of the           
characters4 ,indeed1 putting aside the  
two instances which have been distinctly
 brought before me1 ,i have not even any
 sort of suspicion who the persons are1 
whom ,i am thus accused of introducing4 
,next1 this writer goes on to speak of  
,tract #ij2 a subject of which ,i have  
treated at great length in a former     
passage of this narrative1 and1 in      
consequence1 need not take up again now4
  #d4 ,series of ,lives of the ,english 
,saints  ,i have given the history of   
this publication above at pp4 #aie-aif4 

,it was to have consisted of almost #cjj
 ,lives1 and ,i was to have been the    
editor4 ,it was brought to an end1      
before it was well begun1 by the act of 
friends who were frightened at the first
 ,life printed1 the ,life of ,st4       
,stephen ,harding4 ,thus ,i was not     
responsible except for the first two    
numbers2 and the advertisements         
distinctly declared this4 ,i had just   
the same responsibility about the other 
,lives1 that my assailant had1 and not a
 bit more4 ,however1 it answers his     
purpose to consider me responsible4     
,next1 ,i observe1 that his delusion    
about hot-headed fanatic young men      
continues3 here again ,i figure with my 
strolling company4 ,they said1 he       
observes1 what they believed2 at least1 
what they had been taught to believe    
that they ought to believe4 ,and who had
 taught them8 ,dr4 ,newman can best     
answer that question1 p4 #bj4 ,well1 ,i 
will do what ,i can to solve the        
mystery4  ,now as to the juvenile       

writers in the proposed series4 ,one was
 my friend ,mr4 ,bowden1 who in #ahdc   
was a man of #df years old2 he was to   
have written ,st4 ,boniface4 ,another   
was ,mr4 ,johnson1 a man of #db2 he was 
to have written ,st4 ,aldelm4 ,another  
was the author of ,st4 ,augustine3 let  
us hear something about him from this   
writer3--  ,dr4 ,newman1 he says1 might 
have said to the ,author of the ,life of
 ,st4 ,augustine1 when he found him1 in 
the heat and haste of youthful          
fanaticism1 outraging historic truth and
 the law of evidence1 ',this must not   
be4'--p4 #bj4  ,good4 ,this juvenile was
 past #dj--well1 say #ci4 ,blot         
seventeen4 ,this must not be4 ,this is  
what ,i ought to have said1 it seems6   
,and then1 you see1 ,i have not the     
talent1 and never had1 of some people1  
for lecturing my equals1 much less men  
twenty years older than myself4   ,but  
again1 the author of ,st4 ,augustine's  
,life distinctly says in his            
advertisement1 ,no one but himself is   

responsible for the way in which these  
materials have been used4 ,blot         
eighteen4  ,thirty-three ,lives were    
actually published4 ,out of the whole   
number this writer notices three4 ,of   
these one is charming2 therefore ,i am  
not to have the benefit of it4 ,another 
outrages historic truth and the law of  
evidence2 therefore it was notoriously  
sanctioned by ,dr4 ,newman4 ,and the    
third was one of the most offensive1 and
 ,dr4 ,newman must have formally        
connected himself with it in a moment of
 amiable weakness4--p4 #bb4 ,what       
even-handed justice is here6 ,blot      
nineteen4   ,but to return to the       
juvenile author of ,st4 ,augustine3--,i 
found1 says this writer1 the ,life of   
,st4 ,augustine saying1 that1 though the
 pretended visit of ,st4 ,peter to      
,england wanted historic evidence1 'yet 
it has undoubtedly been received as a   
pious opinion by the ,church at large1  
as we learn from the often-quoted words 
of ,st4 ,innocent ,i4 7who wrote ,a4,d4 

#daf7 that ,st4 ,peter was instrumental 
in the conversion of the ,west          
generally4'--p4 #ba4 ,he brings this    
passage against me 7with which1 however1
 ,i have nothing more to do than he has7
 as a great misdemeanour2 but let us see
 what his criticism is worth4 ,and this 
sort of argument1 continues the passage1
 though it ought to be kept quite       
distinct from documentary and historic  
proof1 will not be without its effect on
 devout minds1 etc4 ,i should have      
thought this a very sober doctrine1 viz4
 that we must not confuse together two  
things quite distinct from each other1  
criticism and devotion1 so proof and    
opinion--that a devout mind will hold   
opinions which it cannot demonstrate by 
historic proof4 ,what1 ,i ask1 is the   
harm of saying this8 ,is this my        
assailant's definition of opinion1 a    
thing which can be proved8 ,i cannot    
answer for him1 but ,i can answer for   
men in general4 ,let him read ,sir      
,david ,brewster's ,more ,worlds than   

,one2--this principle1 which is so      
shocking to my assailant1 is precisely  
the argument of ,sir ,david's book2 he  
tells us that the plurality of worlds   
cannot be proved1 but will be received  
by religious men4 ,he asks1 p4 #bbi1 ,if
 the stars are not suns1 for what       
conceivable purpose were they created8  
and then he lays down dogmatically1 p4  
#bed1 ,there is no opinion1 out of the  
region of pure demonstration1 more      
universally cherished than the doctrine 
of the ,plurality of worlds4 ,and in his
 title-page he styles this opinion the  
creed of the philosopher and the hope of
 the ,christian4 ,if ,brewster may bring
 devotion into astronomy1 why may not my
 friend bring it into history8 and that 
the more1 when he actually declares that
 it ought to be kept quite distinct from
 history1 and by no means assumes that  
he is an historian because he is a      
hagiographer2 whereas1 somehow or other1
 ,sir ,david does seem to me to show a  
zeal greater than becomes a savant1 and 

to assume that he himself is a          
theologian because he is an astronomer4 
,this writer owes ,sir ,david as well as
 me an apology4 ,blot twenty4   ,he     
ought to wish his original charge       
against me in the magazine dead and     
buried2 but he has the good sense and   
good taste to revive it again and again4
 ,this is one of the places which he has
 chosen for it4 ,let him then1 just for 
a change1 substitute ,sir ,david        
,brewster for me in his sentence2 ,sir  
,david has quite as much right to the   
compliment as ,i have1 as far as this   
,life of ,st4 ,augustine is concerned4  
,then he will be saying1 that1 because  
,sir ,david teaches that the belief in  
more worlds than one is a pious opinion1
 and not a demonstrated fact1 he does   
not care for truth for its own sake1 or 
teach men to regard it as a virtue1 p4  
#ba4 ,blot twenty-one4   ,however1 he   
goes on to give in this same page one   
other evidence of my disregard of truth4
 ,the author of ,st4 ,augustine's ,life 

also asks the following question3 ,on   
what evidence do we put faith in the    
existence of ,st4 ,george1 the patron of
 ,england8 ,upon such1 assuredly1 as an 
acute critic or skillful pleader might  
easily scatter to the winds2 the belief 
of prejudiced or credulous witnesses1   
the unwritten record of empty pageants  
and bauble decorations4 ,on the side of 
scepticism might be exhibited a powerful
 array of suspicious legends and        
exploded acts4 ,yet1 after all1 what    
,catholic is there but would count it a 
profaneness to question the existence of
 ,st4 ,george8 ,on which my assailant   
observes1 ,when ,i found ,dr4 ,newman   
allowing his disciples 444 in page after
 page1 in ,life after ,life1 to talk    
nonsense of this kind which is not only 
sheer ,popery1 but saps the very        
foundation of historic truth1 was it so 
wonderful that ,i conceived him to have 
taught and thought like them8 p4 #bb1   
that is1 to have taught lying4  ,well   
and good2 here again take a parallel2   

not ,st4 ,george1 but ,lycurgus4  ,mr4  
,grote says3 ,plutarch begins his       
biography of ,lycurgus with the         
following ominous words3 ',concerning   
the lawgiver ,lycurgus1 we can assert   
absolutely nothing1 which is not        
controverted4 ,there are different      
stories in respect to his birth1 his    
travels1 his death1 and also his mode of
 proceeding1 political as well as       
legislative3 least of all is the time in
 which he lived agreed on4' ,and this   
exordium is but too well borne out by   
the unsatisfactory nature of the        
accounts which we read1 not only in     
,plutarch himself1 but in those other   
authors1 out of whom we are obliged to  
make up our idea of the memorable       
,lycurgian system4--,greece1 vol4 ii4 p 
#dee4 ,but ,bishop ,thirlwall says1     
,experience proves that scarcely any    
amount of variation1 as to the time or  
circumstances of a fact1 in the authors 
who record it1 can be a sufficient      
ground for doubting its                 

reality4--,greece1 vol4 i4 p4 #ccb4     
,accordingly1 my assailant is virtually 
saying of the latter of these two       
historians1 ,when ,i found the ,bishop  
of ,st4 ,david's talking nonsense of    
this kind1 which saps the very          
foundation of historic truth1 was it    
hasty or far-fetched to conclude that he
 did not care for truth for its own     
sake1 or teach his disciples to regard  
it as a virtue8 p4 #ba4 ,nay1 further1  
the ,author of ,st4 ,augustine is no    
more a disciple of mine1 than the       
,bishop of ,st4 ,david's is of my       
assailant's1 and therefore the parallel 
will be more exact if ,i accuse this    
professor of history of teaching ,dr4   
,thirlwall not to care for truth1 as a  
virtue1 for its own sake4 ,blot         
twenty-two4   ,it is hard on me to have 
this dull1 profitless work4 ,but ,i have
 pledged myself2--so now for ,st4       
,walburga4  ,now will it be believed    
that this writer suppresses the fact    
that the miracles of ,st4 ,walburga are 

treated by the author of her ,life as   
mythical8 yet that is the tone of the   
whole composition4 ,this writer can     
notice it in the ,life of ,st4 ,neot1   
the first of the three ,lives which he  
criticises2 these are his words3 ,some  
of them1 the writers1 for instance1 of  
,volume #d1 which contains1 among       
others1 a charming life of ,st4 ,neot1  
treat the stories openly as legends and 
myths1 and tell them as they stand1     
without asking the reader1 or           
themselves1 to believe them altogether4 
,the method is harmless enough1 if the  
legends had stood alone2 but dangerous  
enough1 when they stand side by side    
with stories told in earnest1 like that 
of ,st4 ,walburga4--p4 #bb4  ,now1      
first1 that the miraculous stories are  
treated1 in the ,life of ,st4 ,walburga1
 as legends and myths4 ,throughout1 the 
miracles and extraordinary occurrences  
are spoken of as said or reported2 and  
the suggestion is made that1 even though
 they occurred1 they might have been    

after all natural4 ,thus1 in one of the 
very passages which my assailant quotes1
 the author says1 ,illuminated men feel 
the privileges of ,christianity1 and to 
them the evil influence of ,satanic     
power is horribly discernible1 like the 
,egyptian darkness which could be felt2 
and the only way to express their keen  
perception of it is to say1 that they   
see upon the countenances of the slaves 
of sin1 the marks1 and lineaments1 and  
stamp of the evil one2 and that they    
smell with their nostrils the horrible  
fumes that arise from their vices and   
uncleansed heart1 etc4 p4#gh4 ,this     
introduces ,st4 ,sturme and the         
gambolling ,germans2 what does it mean  
but that the intolerable scent was      
nothing physical1 or strictly           
miraculous1 but the horror1 parallel to 
physical distress1 with which the saint 
was affected1 from his knowledge of the 
state of their souls8 ,my assailant is a
 lucky man1 if mental pain has never    
come upon him with a substance and a    

volume1 as forcible as if it were       
bodily4  ,and so in like manner1 the    
author of the ,life says1 as this writer
 actually has quoted him1 a story was   
told and believed1 p4 #id4 ,one evening1
 says her history1 p4 #hg4 ,another     
incident is thus related1 p4 #hh4       
,immediately1 says ,wuelfhard1 p4 #ia4  
,a vast number of other cases are       
recorded1 p4 #ib4 ,and there is a       
distinct intimation that they may be    
myths1 in a passage which this assailant
 himself quotes1 ,all these have the    
character of a gentle mother correcting 
the idleness and faults of careless and 
thoughtless children with               
tenderness4--p4 #ie4 ,i think the       
criticism which he makes upon this ,life
 is one of the most wanton passages in  
his pamphlet4 ,the ,life is beautifully 
written1 full of poetry1 and1 as ,i have
 said1 bears on its very surface the    
profession of a legendary and mythical  
character4 ,blot twenty-three4   ,in    
saying all this1 ,i have no intention   

whatever of implying that miracles did  
not illustrate the ,life of ,st4        
,walburga2 but neither the author nor ,i
 have bound ourselves to the belief of  
certain instances in particular4 ,my    
assailant1 in the passage which ,i just 
now quoted from him1 made some          
distinction1 which was apparently       
intended to save ,st4 ,neot1 while it   
condemned ,st4 ,walburga4 ,he said that 
legends are dangerous enough1 when they 
stand side by side with stories told in 
earnest like ,st4 ,walburga4 ,he will   
find he has here ,dr4 ,milman against   
him1 as he has already had ,sir ,david  
,brewster1 and the ,bishop of ,st4      
,david's4 ,he accuses me of having      
outraged historic truth and the law of  
evidence1 because friends of mine have  
considered that1 though opinions need   
not be convictions1 nevertheless that   
legends may be connected with history3  
now1 on the contrary1 let us hear the   
,dean of ,st4 ,paul's3--  ,history1 to  
be true1 must condescend to speak the   

language of legend2 the belief of the   
times is part of the record of the      
times2 and1 though there may occur what 
may baffle its more calm and searching  
philosophy1 it must not disdain that    
which was the primal1 almost universal1 
motive of human life4--,latin4 ,christ41
 vol4 i4 p4 #chh4 ,dr4 ,milman's        
decision justifies me in putting this   
down as ,blot twenty-four4   ,however1  
there is one miraculous account for     
which this writer makes me directly     
answerable1 and with reason2 and with it
 ,i shall conclude my reply to his      
criticisms on the ,lives of the ,english
 ,saints4 ,it is the medicinal oil which
 flows from the relics of ,st4          
,walburga4  ,now1 as ,i shall have      
occasion to remark under my next head1  
these two questions among others occur1 
in judging of a miraculous story2 viz4  
whether the matter of it is extravagant1
 and whether it is a fact4 ,and first1  
it is plain there is nothing extravagant
 in this report of the relics having a  

supernatural virtue2 and for this       
reason1 because there are such instances
 in ,scripture1 and ,scripture cannot be
 extravagant4 ,for instance1 a man was  
restored to life by touching the relics 
of the prophet ,eliseus4 ,the sacred    
text runs thus3--,and ,elisha died1 and 
they buried him4 ,and the bands of the  
,moabites invaded the land at the coming
 in of the year4 ,and it came to pass1  
as they were burying a man1 that1       
behold1 they spied a band of men2 and   
they cast the man into the sepulchre of 
,elisha4 ,and1 when the man was let     
down1 and touched the bones of ,elisha1 
he revived1 and stood upon his feet4    
,again1 in the case of an inanimate     
substance1 which had touched a living   
saint3 ,and ,god wrought special        
miracles by the hands of ,paul2 so that 
from his body were brought unto the sick
 handkerchiefs or aprons1 and the       
diseases departed from them4 ,and again 
in the case of a pool3 ,an angel went   
down at a certain season into the pool1 

and troubled the water2 whosoever then  
first1 after the troubling of the water1
 stepped in1 was made whole of          
whatsoever disease he had4 #b ,kings #d 
,kings xiii4 #bj1 #ba4 ,acts xix4 #aa1  
#ab4 ,john v4 #d4 ,therefore there is   
nothing extravagant in the character of 
the miracle4  ,the main question then   
7,i do not say the only remaining       
question1 but the main question7 is the 
matter of fact3--is there an oil flowing
 from ,st4 ,walburga's tomb1 which is   
medicinal8 ,to this question ,i confined
 myself in the ,preface to the volume4  
,of the accounts of medieval miracles1  
,i said that there was no extravagance  
in their general character1 but ,i could
 not affirm that there was always       
evidence for them4 ,i could not simply  
accept them as facts1 but ,i could not  
reject them in their nature2 they might 
be true1 for they were not impossible3  
but they were not proved to be true1    
because there was not trustworthy       
testimony4 ,however1 as to ,st4         

,walburga1 ,i made one exception1 the   
fact of the medicinal oil1 since for    
that miracle there was distinct and     
successive testimony4 ,and then ,i went 
on to give a chain of witnesses4 ,it was
 my duty to state what those witnesses  
said in their very words2 and ,i did so2
 they were in ,latin1 and ,i gave them  
in ,latin4 ,one of them speaks of the   
sacrum oleum flowing de membris ejus    
virgineis1 maxime tamen pectoralibus2   
and ,i so printed it2--if ,i had left it
 out1 this sweet-tempered writer would  
have accused me of an economy4 ,i gave  
the testimonies in full1 tracing them   
from the saint's death4 ,i said1 ,she is
 one of the principal ,saints of her age
 and country4 ,then ,i quoted ,basnage1 
a ,protestant1 who says1 ,six writers   
are extant1 who have employed themselves
 in relating the deeds or miracles of   
,walburga4 ,then ,i said that her renown
 was not the mere natural growth of     
ages1 but begins with the very century  
of the ,saint's death4 ,then ,i observed

 that only two miracles seem to have    
been distinctly reported of her as      
occurring in her lifetime2 and they were
 handed down apparently by tradition4   
,also1 that they are said to have       
commenced about ,a4,d4 #ggg4 ,then ,i   
spoke of the medicinal oil as having    
testimony to it in #hic1 in #acjf1 after
 #adej1 in #afae1 and in #afbj4 ,also1  
,i said that ,mabillon seems not to have
 believed some of her miracles2 and that
 the earliest witness had got into      
trouble with his bishop4 ,and so ,i left
 it1 as a question to be decided by     
evidence1 not deciding anything myself4 
,what was the harm of all this8 but my  
critic has muddled it together in a most
 extraordinary manner1 and ,i am far    
from sure that he knows himself the     
definite categorical charge which he    
intends it to convey against me4 ,one of
 his remarks is1 ,what has become of the
 holy oil for the last #bdj years1 ,dr4 
,newman does not say1 p4 #be4 ,of course
 ,i did not1 because ,i did not know2 ,i

 gave the evidence as ,i found it2 he   
assumes that ,i had a point to prove1   
and then asks why ,i did not make the   
evidence larger than it was4 ,i put this
 down as ,blot twenty-five4  ,i can tell
 him more about it now2 the oil still   
flows2 ,i have had some of it in my     
possession2 it is medicinal2 some think 
it is so by a natural quality1 others by
 a divine gift4 ,perhaps it is on the   
confines of both4  #e4 ,ecclesiastical  
,miracles  ,what is the use of going on 
with this writer's criticisms upon me1  
when ,i am confined to the dull monotony
 of exposing and oversetting him again  
and again1 with a persistence1 which    
many will think merciless1 and few will 
have the interest to read8 ,yet ,i am   
obliged to do so1 lest ,i should seem to
 be evading difficulties4  ,now as to   
,miracles4 ,catholics believe that they 
happen in any age of the ,church1 though
 not for the same purposes1 in the same 
number1 or with the same evidence1 as in
 apostolic times4 ,the apostles wrought 

them in evidence of their divine        
mission2 and with this object they have 
been sometimes wrought by evangelists of
 countries since1 as even ,protestants  
allow4 ,hence we hear of them in the    
history of ,st4 ,gregory in ,pontus1 and
 ,st4 ,martin in ,gaul2 and in their    
case1 as in that of the apostles1 they  
were both numerous and clear4 ,as they  
are granted to evangelists1 so are they 
granted1 though in less measure and     
evidence1 to other holy men2 and as holy
 men are not found equally at all times 
and in all places1 therefore miracles   
are in some places and times more than  
in others4 ,and since1 generally1 they  
are granted to faith and prayer1        
therefore in a country in which faith   
and prayer abound1 they will be more    
likely to occur1 than where and when    
faith and prayer are not2 so that their 
occurrence is irregular4 ,and further1  
as faith and prayer obtain miracles1 so 
still more commonly do they gain from   
above the ordinary interventions of     

,providence2 and1 as it is often very   
difficult to distinguish between a      
providence and a miracle1 and there will
 be more providences than miracles1     
hence it will happen that many          
occurrences will be called miraculous1  
which1 strictly speaking1 are not such1 
and not more than providential mercies1 
or what are sometimes called graces or  
favours4  ,persons who believe all this1
 in accordance with ,catholic teaching1 
as ,i did and do1 they1 on the report of
 a miracle1 will of necessity1 the      
necessity of good logic1 be led to say1 
first1 ,it may be1 and secondly1 ,but ,i
 must have good evidence in order to    
believe it4 ,it may be1 because miracles
 take place in all ages2 it must be     
clearly proved1 because perhaps after   
all it may be only a providential mercy1
 or an exaggeration1 or a mistake1 or an
 imposture4 ,well1 this is precisely    
what ,i have said1 which this writer    
considers so irrational4 ,i have said1  
as he quotes me1 p4 #bd1 ,in this day1  

and under our present circumstances1 we 
can only reply1 that there is no reason 
why they should not be4 ,surely this is 
good logic1 provided that miracles do   
occur in all ages2 and so again is it   
logical to say1 ,there is nothing1 prima
 facie1 in the miraculous accounts in   
question1 to repel a properly taught or 
religiously disposed mind4 ,what is the 
matter with this statement8 ,my         
assailant does not pretend to say what  
the matter is1 and he cannot2 but he    
expresses a rude1 unmeaning             
astonishment4 ,next1 ,i stated what     
evidence there is for the miracles of   
which ,i was speaking2 what is the harm 
of that8 ,he observes1 ,what evidence   
,dr4 ,newman requires1 he makes evident 
at once4 ,he at least will fear for     
himself1 and swallow the whole as it    
comes4--p4 #bd4 ,what random abuse is   
this1 or1 to use his own words of me    
just before1 what stuff and nonsense6   
,what is it ,i am swallowing8 the whole 
what8 the evidence8 or the miracles8 ,i 

have swallowed neither1 nor implied any 
such thing4 ,blot twenty-six4   ,but to 
return3 ,i have just said that a        
,catholic's state of mind1 of logical   
necessity1 will be1 ,it may be a        
miracle1 but it has to be proved4 ,what 
has to be proved8 #a4 ,that the event   
occurred as stated1 and is not a false  
report or an exaggeration4 #b4 ,that it 
is clearly miraculous1 and not a mere   
providence or answer to prayer within   
the order of nature4 ,what is the fault 
of saying this8 ,the inquiry is parallel
 to that which is made about some       
extraordinary fact in secular history4  
,supposing ,i hear that ,king ,charles  
,,ii4 died a ,catholic1 ,i should say1  
#a4 ,it may be4 #b4 ,what is your proof8
 ,accordingly1 in the passage which this
 writer quotes1 ,i observe1 ,miracles   
are the kind of facts proper to         
ecclesiastical history1 just as         
instances of sagacity or daring1        
personal prowess1 or crime1 are the     
facts proper to secular history4 ,what  

is the harm of this8 ,but this writer   
says1 ,verily his ,dr4 ,newman's idea of
 secular history is almost as degraded  
as his idea of ecclesiastical1 p4 #bd1  
and he ends with this muddle of an ,ipse
 dixit6 ,blot twenty-seven4   ,in like  
manner1 about the ,holy ,coat at        
,treves1 he says of me1 ,dr4 ,newman 444
 seems hardly sure of the authenticity  
of the ,holy ,coat4 ,why need ,i be1    
more than ,i am sure that ,richard      
,,iii4 murdered the little princes8 ,if 
,i have not means of making up my mind  
one way or the other1 surely my most    
logical course is not to be sure4 ,he   
continues1 ,dr4 ,newman 'does not see   
why it may not have been what it        
professes to be4' ,well1 is not that    
just what this writer would say of a    
great number of the facts recorded in   
secular history8 is it not what he would
 be obliged to say of much that is told 
us about the armour and other           
antiquities in the ,tower of ,london8   
,to this ,i alluded in the passage from 

which he quotes2 but he has garbled that
 passage1 and ,i must show it4 ,he      
quotes me to this effect3 ,is the ,tower
 of ,london shut against sight-seers    
because the coats of mail or pikes there
 may have half-legendary tales connected
 with them8 why then may not the country
 people come up in joyous companies1    
singing and piping1 to see the holy coat
 at ,treves8 ,on this he remarks1 ,to   
see1 forsooth6 to worship1 ,dr4 ,newman 
would have said1 had he known 7as ,i    
take for granted he does not7 the facts 
of that imposture4 ,here1 if ,i         
understand him1 he implies that the     
people came up1 not only to see1 but to 
worship1 and that ,i have slurred over  
the fact that their coming was an act of
 religious homage1 that is1 what he     
would call worship4 ,now1 will it be    
believed that1 so far from concealing   
this1 ,i had carefully stated it in the 
sentence immediately preceding1 and he  
suppresses it8 ,i say1 ,the world pays  
civil honour to it a jewel said to be   

,alfred's on the probability2 we pay    
religious honour to relics1 if so be1 on
 the probability4 ,is the ,tower of     
,london1 ,i proceed1 shut1 etc4 ,blot   
twenty-eight4   ,these words of mine1   
however1 are but one sentence in a long 
argument1 conveying the ,catholic view  
on the subject of ecclesiastical        
miracles2 and1 as it is carefully worked
 out1 and very much to the present      
point1 and will save me doing over again
 what ,i could not do better or more    
fully now1 if ,i set about it1 ,i shall 
make a very long extract from the       
,lecture in which it occurs1 and so     
bring this ,head to an end4  ,the       
argument1 ,i should first observe1 which
 is worked out1 is this1 that ,catholics
 set out with a definite religious tenet
 as a first principle1 and ,protestants 
with a contrary one1 and that on this   
account it comes to pass that miracles  
are credible to ,catholics and          
incredible to ,protestants4  ,we affirm 
that the ,supreme ,being has wrought    

miracles on earth ever since the time of
 the ,apostles2 ,protestants deny it4   
,why do we affirm1 why do they deny8 ,we
 affirm it on a first principle1 they   
deny it on a first principle2 and on    
either side the first principle is made 
to be decisive of the question 444 ,both
 they and we start with the miracles of 
the ,apostles2 and then their first     
principle or presumption against our    
miracles is this1 ',what ,god did once1 
,he is not likely to do again2' while   
our first principle or presumption for  
our miracles is this2 ',what ,god did   
once1 ,he is likely to do again4' ,they 
say1 ,it cannot be supposed ,he will    
work many miracles2 we1 ,it cannot be   
supposed ,he will work few4  ,the       
,protestant1 ,i say1 laughs at the very 
idea of miracles or supernatural powers 
as occurring at this day2 his first     
principle is rooted in him2 he repels   
from him the idea of miracles2 he laughs
 at the notion of evidence2 one is just 
as likely as another2 they are all      

false4 ,why8 because of his first       
principle1 ,there are no miracles since 
the ,apostles4 ,here1 indeed1 is a short
 and easy way of getting rid of the     
whole subject1 not by reason1 but by a  
first principle which he calls reason4  
,yes1 it is reason1 granting his first  
principle is true2 it is not reason1    
supposing his first principle is false4 
,there is in the ,church a vast         
tradition and testimony about miracles2 
how is it to be accounted for8 ,if      
miracles can take place1 then the fact  
of the miracle will be a natural        
explanation of the report1 just as the  
fact of a man dying accounts            
satisfactorily for the news that he is  
dead2 but the ,protestant cannot so     
explain it1 because he thinks miracles  
cannot take place2 so he is necessarily 
driven1 by way of accounting for the    
report of them1 to impute that report to
 fraud4 ,he cannot help himself4 ,i     
repeat it2 the whole mass of accusations
 which ,protestants bring against us    

under this head1 ,catholic credulity1   
imposture1 pious frauds1 hypocrisy1     
priestcraft1 this vast and varied       
superstructure of imputation1 you see1  
all rests on an assumption1 on an       
opinion of theirs1 for which they offer 
no kind of proof4 ,what then1 in fact1  
do they say more than this1 ,if         
,protestantism be true1 you ,catholics  
are a most awful set of knaves8 ,here1  
at least1 is a most sensible and        
undeniable position4  ,now1 on the other
 hand1 let me take our own side of the  
question1 and consider how we ourselves 
stand relatively to the charge made     
against us4 ,catholics1 then1 hold the  
mystery of the ,incarnation2 and the    
,incarnation is the most stupendous     
event which ever can take place on      
earth2 and after it and henceforth1 ,i  
do not see how we can scruple at any    
miracle on the mere ground of its being 
unlikely to happen4444 ,when we start   
with assuming that miracles are not     
unlikely1 we are putting forth a        

position which lies embedded1 as it     
were1 and involved in the great revealed
 fact of the ,incarnation4 ,so much is  
plain on starting2 but more is plain    
too4 ,miracles are not only not         
unlikely1 but they are positively       
likely2 and for this simple reason1     
because for the most part1 when ,god    
begins1 ,he goes on4 ,we conceive1 that 
when ,he first did a miracle1 ,he began 
a series2 what ,he commenced1 ,he       
continued3 what has been1 will be4      
,surely this is good and clear          
reasoning4 ,to my own mind1 certainly1  
it is incomparably more difficult to    
believe that the ,divine ,being should  
do one miracle and no more1 than that   
,he should do a thousand2 that ,he      
should do one great miracle only1 than  
that ,he should do a multitude of lesser
 besides4444 ,if the ,divine ,being does
 a thing once1 ,he is1 judging by human 
reason1 likely to do it again4 ,this    
surely is common sense4 ,if a beggar    
gets food at a gentleman's house once1  

does he not send others thither after   
him8 ,if you are attacked by thieves    
once1 do you forthwith leave your       
windows open at night8 444 ,nay1 suppose
 you yourselves were once to see a      
miracle1 would you not feel the         
occurrence to be like passing a line8   
would you1 in consequence of it1        
declare1 ',i never will believe another 
if ,i hear of one8' would it not1 on the
 contrary1 predispose you to listen to a
 new report8 444  ,when ,i hear the     
report of a miracle1 my first feeling   
would be of the same kind as if it were 
a report of any natural exploit or      
event4 ,supposing1 for instance1 ,i     
heard a report of the death of some     
public man2 it would not startle me1    
even if ,i did not at once credit it1   
for all men must die4 ,did ,i read of   
any great feat of valour1 ,i should     
believe it1 if imputed to ,alexander or 
,coeur de ,lion4 ,did ,i hear of any act
 of baseness1 ,i should disbelieve it1  
if imputed to a friend whom ,i knew and 

loved4 ,and so in like manner were a    
miracle reported to me as wrought by a  
,member of ,parliament1 or a ,bishop of 
the ,establishment1 or a ,wesleyan      
preacher1 ,i should repudiate the       
notion3 were it referred to a saint1 or 
the relic of a saint1 or the            
intercession of a saint1 ,i should not  
be startled at it1 though ,i might not  
at once believe it4 ,and ,i certainly   
should be right in this conduct1        
supposing my ,first ,principle be true4 
,miracles to the ,catholic are          
historical facts1 and nothing short of  
this2 and they are to be regarded and   
dealt with as other facts2 and as       
natural facts1 under circumstances1 do  
not startle ,protestants1 so            
supernatural1 under circumstances1 do   
not startle the ,catholic4 ,they may or 
may not have taken place in particular  
cases2 he may be unable to determine    
which1 he may have no distinct evidence2
 he may suspend his judgment1 but he    
will say ',it is very possible2' he     

never will say ',i cannot believe it4'  
,take the history of ,alfred2 you know  
his wise1 mild1 beneficent1 yet daring  
character1 and his romantic vicissitudes
 of fortune4 ,this great king has a     
number of stories1 or1 as you may call  
them1 legends told of him4 ,do you      
believe them all8 no4 ,do you1 on the   
other hand1 think them incredible8 no4  
,do you call a man a dupe or a          
block-head for believing them8 no4 ,do  
you call an author a knave or a cheat   
who records them8 no4 ,you go into      
neither extreme1 whether of implicit    
faith or of violent reprobation4 ,you   
are not so extravagant2 you see that    
they suit his character1 they may have  
happened3 yet this is so romantic1 that 
has so little evidence1 a third is so   
confused in dates or in geography1 that 
you are in matter of fact indisposed    
towards them4 ,others are probably true1
 others certainly4 ,nor do you force    
every one to take your view of          
particular stories2 you and your        

neighbour think differently about this  
or that in detail1 and agree to differ4 
,there is in the museum at ,oxford1 a   
jewel or trinket said to be ,alfred's2  
it is shown to all comers2 ,i never     
heard the keeper of the museum accused  
of hypocrisy or fraud for showing1 with 
,alfred's name appended1 what he might  
or might not himself believe to have    
belonged to that great king2 nor did ,i 
ever see any party of strangers who were
 looking at it with awe1 regarded by any
 self-complacent bystander with scornful
 compassion4 ,yet the curiosity is not  
to a certainty ,alfred's4 ,the world    
pays civil honour to it on the          
probability2 we pay religious honour to 
relics1 if so be1 on the probability4   
,is the ,tower of ,london shut against  
sight-seers1 because the coats of mail  
and pikes there may have half-legendary 
tales connected with them8 why then may 
not the country people come up in joyous
 companies1 singing and piping1 to see  
the ,holy ,coat at ,treves8 ,there is   

our ,queen again1 who is so truly and   
justly popular2 she roves about in the  
midst of tradition and romance2 she     
scatters myths and legends from her as  
she goes along2 she is a being of       
poetry1 and you might fairly be         
sceptical whether she had any personal  
existence4 ,she is always at some       
beautiful1 noble1 bounteous work or     
other1 if you trust the papers4 ,she is 
doing alms-deeds in the ,highlands2 she 
meets beggars in her rides at ,windsor2 
she writes verses in albums1 or draws   
sketches1 or is mistaken for the        
house-keeper by some blind old woman1 or
 she runs up a hill as if she were a    
child4 ,who finds fault with these      
things8 he would be a cynic1 he would be
 white-livered1 and would have gall for 
blood1 who was not struck with this     
graceful1 touching evidence of the love 
her subjects bear her4 ,who could have  
the head1 even if he had the heart1 who 
could be so cross and peevish1 who could
 be so solemn and perverse1 as to say   

that some of these stories may be simple
 lies1 and all of them might have       
stronger evidence than they carry with  
them8 ,do you think she is displeased at
 them8 ,why then should ,he1 the ,great 
,father1 who once walked the earth1 look
 sternly on the unavoidable mistakes of 
,his own subjects and children in their 
devotion to ,him and ,his8 ,even        
granting they mistake some cases in     
particular1 from the infirmity of human 
nature and the contingencies of         
evidence1 and fancy there is or has been
 a miracle here and there when there is 
not1 though a tradition1 attached to a  
picture1 or to a shrine1 or a well1 be  
very doubtful1 though one relic be      
sometimes mistaken for another1 and ,st4
 ,theodore stands for ,st4 ,eugenius or 
,st4 ,agathocles1 still1 once take into 
account our ,first ,principle1 that ,he 
is likely to continue miracles among us1
 which is as good as the ,protestant's1 
and ,i do not see why ,he should feel   
much displeasure with us on account of  

this1 or should cease to work wonders in
 our behalf4 ,in the ,protestant's view1
 indeed1 who assumes that miracles never
 are1 our thaumatology is one great     
falsehood2 but that is his ,first       
,principle1 as ,i have said so often1   
which he does not prove but assume4 ,if 
he1 indeed1 upheld our system1 or we    
held his principle1 in either case he or
 we should be impostors2 but though we  
should be partners to a fraud if we     
thought like ,protestants1 we surely are
 not if we think like ,catholics4  ,such
 then is the answer ,i make to those who
 would urge against us the multitude of 
miracles recorded in our ,saints' ,lives
 and devotional works1 for many of which
 there is little evidence1 and for some 
next to none4 ,we think them true in the
 same sense in which ,protestants think 
the history of ,england true4 ,when they
 say that1 they do not mean to say that 
there are no mistakes1 but no mistakes  
of consequence1 none which alter the    
general course of history4 ,nor do they 

mean they are equally sure of every     
part2 for evidence is fuller and better 
for some things than for others4 ,they  
do not stake their credit on the truth  
of ,froissart or ,sully1 they do not    
pledge themselves for the accuracy of   
,doddington or ,walpole1 they do not    
embrace as an ,evangelist ,hume1 ,sharon
 ,turner1 or ,macaulay4 ,and yet they do
 not think it necessary1 on the other   
hand1 to commence a religious war       
against all our historical catechisms1  
and abstracts1 and dictionaries1 and    
tales1 and biographies1 through the     
country2 they have no call on them to   
amend and expurgate books of            
archaeology1 antiquities1 heraldry1     
architecture1 geography1 and statistics1
 to re-write our inscriptions1 and to   
establish a censorship on all new       
publications for the time to come4 ,and 
so as regards the miracles of the       
,catholic ,church2 if1 indeed1 miracles 
never can occur1 then1 indeed1 impute   
the narratives to fraud2 but till you   

prove they are not likely1 we shall     
consider the histories which have come  
down to us true on the whole1 though in 
particular cases they may be exaggerated
 or unfounded4 ,where1 indeed1 they can 
certainly be proved to be false1 there  
we shall be bound to do our best to get 
rid of them2 but till that is clear1 we 
shall be liberal enough to allow others 
to use their private judgment in their  
favour1 as we use ours in their         
disparagement4 ,for myself1 lest ,i     
appear in any way to be shrinking from a
 determinate judgment on the claims of  
some of those miracles and relics1 which
 ,protestants are so startled at1 and to
 be hiding particular questions in what 
is vague and general1 ,i will avow      
distinctly1 that1 putting out of the    
question the hypothesis of unknown laws 
of nature 7which is an evasion from the 
force of any proof71 ,i think it        
impossible to withstand the evidence    
which is brought for the liquefaction of
 the blood of ,st4 ,januarius at        

,naples1 and for the motion of the eyes 
of the pictures of the ,madonna in the  
,roman ,states4 ,i see no reason to     
doubt the material of the ,lombard crown
 at ,monza2 and ,i do not see why the   
,holy ,coat at ,treves may not have been
 what it professes to be4 ,i firmly     
believe that portions of the ,true      
,cross are at ,rome and elsewhere1 that 
the ,crib of ,bethlehem is at ,rome1 and
 the bodies of ,st4 ,peter and ,st4     
,paul also4444 ,many men when they hear 
an educated man so speak1 will at once  
impute the avowal to insanity1 or to an 
idiosyncrasy1 or to imbecility of mind1 
or to decrepitude of powers1 or to      
fanaticism1 or to hypocrisy4 ,they have 
a right to say so1 if they will2 and we 
have a right to ask them why they do not
 say it of those who bow down before the
 ,mystery of mysteries1 the ,divine     
,incarnation8   ,in my ,essay on        
,miracles of the year #ahbf1 ,i proposed
 three questions about a professed      
miraculous occurrence1 #a4 is it        

antecedently probable8 #b4 is it in its 
nature certainly miraculous8 #c4 has it 
sufficient evidence8 ,these are the     
three heads under which ,i still wish to
 conduct the inquiry into the miracles  
of ecclesiastical history4  #f4 ,popular
 ,religion  ,this writer uses much      
rhetoric against a lecture of mine1 in  
which ,i bring out1 as honestly as ,i   
can1 the state of countries which have  
long received the ,catholic ,faith1 and 
hold it by the force of tradition1      
universal custom1 and legal             
establishment2 a lecture in which ,i    
give pictures1 drawn principally from   
the middle ages1 of what1 considering   
the corruption of the human race        
generally1 that state is sure to        
be--pictures of its special sins and    
offences1 sui generis1 which are the    
result of that faith when it is         
separated from love or charity1 or of   
what ,scripture calls a dead faith1 of  
the light shining in darkness1 and the  
truth held in unrighteousness4 ,the     

nearest approach which this writer is   
able to make towards stating what ,i    
have said in this lecture1 is to state  
the very reverse4 ,observe3 we have     
already had some instances of the       
haziness of his ideas concerning the    
,notes of the ,church4 ,these notes are1
 as any one knows who has looked into   
the subject1 certain great and simple   
characteristics1 which ,he who founded  
the ,church has stamped upon her in     
order to draw both the reason and the   
imagination of men to her1 as being     
really a divine work1 and a religion    
distinct from all other religious       
communities2 the principal of these     
notes being that she is ,holy1 ,one1    
,catholic1 and ,apostolic1 as the ,creed
 says4 ,now1 to use his own word1 he has
 the incredible audacity to say1 that ,i
 have declared1 not the divine          
characteristics of the ,church1 but the 
sins and scandals in her1 to be her     
,notes--as if ,i made ,god the author of
 evil4 ,he says distinctly1 ,dr4        

,newman1 with a kind of desperate       
audacity1 will dig forth such scandals  
as ,notes of the ,catholic ,church4     
,this is what ,i get at his hands for my
 honesty4 ,blot twenty-nine4   ,again1  
he says1 ,dr4 ,newman uses the blasphemy
 and profanity which he confesses to be 
so common in ,catholic countries1 as an 
argument for1 and not against the       
',catholic ,faith4'--p4 #cd4 ,that is1  
because ,i admit that profaneness exists
 in the ,church1 therefore ,i consider  
it a token of the ,church4 ,yes1        
certainly1 just as our national form of 
cursing is an evidence of the being of a
 ,god1 and as a gallows is the glorious 
sign of a civilised country1--but in no 
other way4 ,blot thirty4   ,what is it  
that ,i really say8 ,i say as follows3  
,protestants object that the communion  
of ,rome does not fulfil satisfactorily 
the expectation which we may justly form
 concerning the true ,church1 as it is  
delineated in the four notes1 enumerated
 in the ,creed2 and among others1 e4g4  

in the note of sanctity2 and they point1
 in proof of what they assert1 to the   
state of ,catholic countries4 ,now1 in  
answer to this objection1 it is plain   
what ,i might have done1 if ,i had not  
had a conscience4 ,i might have denied  
the fact4 ,i might have said1 for       
instance1 that the middle ages were as  
virtuous1 as they were believing4 ,i    
might have denied that there was any    
violence1 any superstition1 any         
immorality1 any blasphemy during them4  
,and so as to the state of countries    
which have long had the light of        
,catholic truth1 and have degenerated4  
,i might have admitted nothing against  
them1 and explained away everything     
which plausibly told to their           
disadvantage4 ,i did nothing of the     
kind2 and what effect has this had upon 
this estimable critic8 ,dr4 ,newman     
takes a seeming pleasure1 he says1 in   
detailing instances of dishonesty on the
 part of ,catholics4--p4 #cd4 ,blot     
thirty-one4 ,any one who knows me well1 

would testify that my seeming pleasure1 
as he calls it1 at such things1 is just 
the impatient sensitiveness1 which      
relieves itself by means of a definite  
delineation of what is so hateful to it4
  ,however1 to pass on4 ,all the        
miserable scandals of ,catholic         
countries1 taken at the worst1 are1 as  
,i view the matter1 no argument against 
the ,church itself2 and the reason which
 ,i give in the lecture is1 that1       
according to the proverb1 ,corruptio    
optimi est pessima4 ,the ,jews could sin
 in a way no other contemporary race    
could sin1 for theirs was a sin against 
light2 and ,catholics can sin with a    
depth and intensity with which          
,protestants cannot sin4 ,there will be 
more blasphemy1 more hatred of ,god1    
more of diabolical rebellion1 more of   
awful sacrilege1 more of vile hypocrisy 
in a ,catholic country than anywhere    
else1 because there is in it more of sin
 against light4 ,surely1 this is just   
what ,scripture says1 ,woe unto thee1   

,chorazin6 woe unto thee1 ,bethsaida6   
,and1 again1 surely what is told us by  
religious men1 say by ,father           
,bresciani1 about the present           
unbelieving party in ,italy1 fully bears
 out the divine text3 ,if1 after they   
have escaped the pollutions of the world
 444 they are again entangled therein   
and overcome1 the latter end is worse   
with them than the beginning4 ,for it   
had been better for them not to have    
known the way of righteousness1 than1   
after they have known it1 to turn from  
the holy commandments delivered unto    
them4  ,and what is true of those who   
thus openly oppose themselves to the    
truth1 as it was true of the ,evil ,one 
in the beginning1 will in an analogous  
way be true in the case of all sin1 be  
it of a heavier or lighter character1   
which is found in a ,catholic           
country3--sin will be strangely tinged  
or dyed by religious associations or    
beliefs1 and will exhibit the tragical  
inconsistencies of the excess of        

knowledge over love1 or of much faith   
with little obedience4 ,the mysterious  
battle between good and evil will assume
 in a ,catholic country its most        
frightful shape1 when it is not the     
collision of two distinct and           
far-separated hosts1 but when it is     
carried on in hearts and souls1 taken   
one by one1 and when the eternal foes   
are so intermingled and interfused that 
to human eyes they seem to coalesce into
 a multitude of individualities4 ,this  
is in course of years1 the real1 the    
hidden condition of a nation1 which has 
been bathed in ,christian ideas1 whether
 it be a young vigorous race1 or an old 
and degenerate2 and it will manifest    
itself socially and historically in     
those characteristics1 sometimes        
grotesque1 sometimes hideous1 sometimes 
despicable1 of which we have so many    
instances1 medieval and modern1 both in 
this hemisphere and in the western4 ,it 
is1 ,i say1 the necessary result of the 
intercommunion of divine faith and human

 corruption4  ,but it has a light side  
as well as a dark4 ,first1 much which   
seems profane1 is not in itself profane1
 but in the subjective view of the      
,protestant beholder4 ,scenic           
representations of our ,lord's ,passion 
are not profane to a ,catholic          
population2 in like manner1 there are   
usages1 customs1 institutions1 actions1 
often of an indifferent nature1 which   
will be necessarily mixed up with       
religion in a ,catholic country1 because
 all things whatever are so mixed up4   
,protestants have been sometimes        
shocked1 most absurdly as a ,catholic   
rightly decides1 at hearing that ,mass  
is sometimes said for a good haul of    
fish4 ,there is no sin here1 but only a 
difference from ,protestant customs4    
,other phenomena of a ,catholic nation  
are at most mere extravagances4 ,and    
then as to what is really sinful1 if    
there be in it fearful instances of     
blasphemy or superstition1 there are    
also special and singular fruits and    

exhibitions of sanctity2 and1 if the    
many do not seem to lead better lives   
for all their religious knowledge1 at   
least they learn1 as they can learn     
nowhere else1 how to repent thoroughly  
and to die well4  ,the visible state of 
a country1 which professes ,catholicism1
 need not be the measure of the         
spiritual result of that ,catholicism1  
at the eternal judgment seat2 but no one
 could say that that visible state was a
 note that ,catholicism was divine4     
,all this ,i attempted to bring out in  
the lecture of which ,i am speaking2 and
 that ,i had some success1 ,i am glad to
 infer from the message of              
congratulation upon it1 which ,i        
received at the time1 from a foreign    
,catholic layman1 of high ,english      
reputation1 with whom ,i had not the    
honour of a personal acquaintance4 ,and 
having given the key to the lecture1    
which the writer so wonderfully         
misrepresents1 ,i pass on to another    
head4  #g4 ,the ,economy  ,for the      

subject of the ,economy1 ,i shall refer 
to my discussion upon it in my ,history 
of the ,arians1 after one word about    
this writer4 ,he puts into his          
title-page these words from a sermon of 
mine3 ,it is not more than an hyperbole 
to say1 that1 in certain cases1 a lie is
 the nearest approach to truth4 ,this   
sermon he attacks2 but ,i do not think  
it necessary to defend it here1 because 
any one who reads it1 will see that he  
is simply incapable of forming a notion 
of what it is about4 ,it treats of      
subjects which are entirely out of his  
depth2 and1 as ,i have already shown in 
other instances1 and observed in the    
beginning of this volume1 he illustrates
 in his own person the very thing that  
shocks him1 viz4 that the nearest       
approach to truth1 in given cases1 is a 
lie4 ,he does his best to make something
 of it1 ,i believe2 but he gets simply  
perplexed4 ,he finds that it annihilates
 space1 robs him of locomotion1 almost  
scoffs at the existence of the earth1   

and he is simply frightened and cowed4  
,he can but say the man who wrote that  
sermon was already past the possibility 
of conscious dishonesty1 p4 #da4        
,perhaps it is hardly fair1 after such a
 confession on his part of being fairly 
beat1 to mark down a blot2 however1 let 
it be ,blot thirty-two4   ,then again1  
he quotes from me thus3 ,many a theory  
or view of things1 on which an          
institution is founded1 or a party held 
together1 is of the same kind           
7economical74 ,many an argument1 used by
 zealous and earnest men1 has this      
economical character1 being not the very
 ground on which they act 7for they     
continue in the same course1 though it  
be refuted71 yet in a certain sense1 a  
representation of it1 a proximate       
description of their feelings1 in the   
shape of argument1 on which they can    
rest1 to which they can recur when      
perplexed1 and appeal when they are     
questioned4 ,he calls these startling   
words1 p4 #ci4 ,yet here again he       

illustrates their truth2 for in his own 
case1 he has acted on them in this very 
controversy with the most happy         
exactness4 ,surely he referred to my    
sermon on ,wisdom and ,innocence1 when  
called on to prove me a liar1 as a      
proximate description of his feelings   
about me1 in the shape of argument1 and 
he has continued in the same course     
though it has been refuted4 ,blot       
thirty-three4   ,then1 as to a party    
being held together by a mythical       
representation1 or economy4 ,surely     
,church and ,king1 ,reform1             
,non-intervention1 are such symbols2 or 
let this writer answer ,mr4 ,kinglake's 
question in his ,crimean ,war1 ,is it   
true that 444 great armies were         
gathering1 and that for the sake of the 
,key and the ,star the peace of the     
nations was brought into danger8 ,blot  
thirty-four4   ,in the beginning of this
 work1 pp4 #ag-bc1 ,i refuted his       
gratuitous accusation against me at p4  
#db1 founded on my calling one of my    

,anglican sermons a ,protestant one3 so 
,i have nothing to do but to register it
 here as ,blot thirty-five4   ,then he  
says that ,i committed an economy in    
placing in my original title-page1 that 
the question between him and me1 was    
whether ,dr4 ,newman teaches that ,truth
 is no virtue4 ,it was a wisdom of the  
serpentine type1 since ,i did not add1  
for its own sake4 ,now observe3 ,first1 
as to the matter of fact1 in the course 
of my ,letters1 which bore that         
title-page1 ,i printed the words for its
 own sake1 five times over4 ,next1 pray1
 what kind of a virtue is that1 which is
 not done for its own sake8 ,so this1   
after all1 is this writer's idea of     
virtue6 a something that is done for the
 sake of something else2 a sort of      
expedience6 ,he is honest1 it seems1    
simply because honesty is the best      
policy1 and on that score it is that he 
thinks himself virtuous4 ,why1 for its  
own sake enters into the very idea or   
definition of a virtue4 ,defend me from 

such virtuous men1 as this writer would 
inflict upon us6 ,blot thirty-six4      
,these blots are enough just now2 so ,i 
proceed to a brief sketch of what ,i    
held in #ahcc upon the ,economy1 as a   
rule of practice4 ,i wrote this two     
months ago2 perhaps the composition is  
not quite in keeping with the run of    
this ,appendix2 and it is short2 but ,i 
think it will be sufficient for my      
purpose3--  ,the doctrine of the        
,economia1 had1 as ,i have shown1 pp4   
#di-ea1 a large signification when      
applied to the divine ordinances2 it    
also had a definite application to the  
duties of ,christians1 whether clergy or
 laity1 in preaching1 in instructing or 
catechizing1 or in ordinary intercourse 
with the world around them4  ,as        
,almighty ,god did not all at once      
introduce the ,gospel to the world1 and 
thereby gradually prepared men for its  
profitable reception1 so1 according to  
the doctrine of the early ,church1 it   
was a duty1 for the sake of the heathen 

among whom they lived1 to observe a     
great reserve and caution in            
communicating to them the knowledge of  
the whole counsel of ,god4 ,this        
cautious dispensation of the truth1     
after the manner of a discreet and      
vigilant steward1 is denoted by the word
 economy4 ,it is a mode of acting which 
comes under the head of prudence1 one of
 the four cardinal virtues4  ,the       
principle of the economy is this2 that  
out of various courses1 in religious    
conduct or statement1 all and each      
allowable antecedently and in           
themselves1 that ought to be taken which
 is most expedient and most suitable at 
the time for the object in hand4        
,instances of its application and       
exercise in ,scripture are such as the  
following3--#a4 ,divine ,providence did 
but gradually impart to the world in    
general1 and to the ,jews in particular1
 the knowledge of ,his will3--,he is    
said to have winked at the times of     
ignorance among the heathen2 and ,he    

suffered in the ,jews divorce because of
 the hardness of their hearts4 #b4 ,he  
has allowed ,himself to be represented  
as having eyes1 ears1 and hands1 as     
having wrath1 jealousy1 grief1 and      
repentance4 #c4 ,in like manner1 our    
,lord spoke harshly to the              
,syro-,phoenician woman1 whose daughter 
,he was about to heal1 and made as if   
,he would go further1 when the two      
disciples had come to their journey's   
end4 #d4 ,thus too ,joseph made himself 
strange to his brethren1 and ,elisha    
kept silence on request of ,naaman to   
bow in the house of ,rimmon4 #e4 ,thus  
,st4 ,paul circumcised ,timothy1 while  
he cried out ,circumcision availeth not4
  ,it may be said that this principle1  
true in itself1 yet is dangerous1       
because it admits of an easy abuse1 and 
carries men away into what becomes      
insincerity and cunning4 ,this is       
undeniable2 to do evil that good may    
come1 to consider that the means1       
whatever they are1 justify the end1 to  

sacrifice truth to expedience1          
unscrupulousness1 recklessness1 are     
grave offences4 ,these are abuses of the
 economy4 ,but to call them economical  
is to give a fine name to what occurs   
every day1 independent of any knowledge 
of the doctrine of the ,economy4 ,it is 
the abuse of a rule which nature        
suggests to every one4 ,every one looks 
out for the mollia tempora fandi1 and   
mollia verba too4  ,having thus         
explained what is meant by the economy  
as a rule of social intercourse between 
men of different religious1 or1 again1  
political1 or social views1 next ,i  go 
on to state what ,i said in the ,arians4
  ,i say in that volume first1 that our 
,lord has given us the principle in ,his
 own words--,cast not your pearls before
 swine2 and that ,he exemplified it in  
,his teaching by parables2 that ,st4    
,paul expressly distinguishes between   
the milk which is necessary to one set  
of men1 and the strong meat which is    
allowed to others1 and that1 in two     

,epistles4 ,i say1 that the apostles in 
the ,acts observe the same rule in their
 speeches1 for it is a fact1 that they  
do not preach the high doctrines of     
,christianity1 but only ,jesus and the  
resurrection or repentance and faith4 ,i
 also say1 that this is the very reason 
that the ,fathers assign for the silence
 of various writers in the first        
centuries on the subject of our ,lord's 
divinity4 ,i also speak of the          
catechetical system practised in the    
early ,church1 and the disciplina arcani
 as regards the doctrine of the ,holy   
,trinity1 to which ,bingham bears       
witness2 also of the defence of this    
rule by ,basil1 ,cyril of ,jerusalem1   
,chrysostom1 and ,theodoret4  ,and next 
the question may be asked1 whether ,i   
have said anything in my volume to guard
 the doctrine1 thus laid down1 from the 
abuse to which it is obviously exposed3 
and my answer is easy4 ,of course1 had  
,i had any idea that ,i should have been
 exposed to such hostile                

misrepresentations1 as it has been my   
lot to undergo on the subject1 ,i should
 have made more direct avowals than ,i  
have done of my sense of the gravity and
 the danger of that abuse4 ,since ,i    
could not foresee when ,i wrote1 that ,i
 should have been wantonly slandered1 ,i
 only wonder that ,i have anticipated   
the charge as fully as will be seen in  
the following extracts4  ,for instance1 
speaking of the ,disciplina ,arcani1 ,i 
say3--7#a7 ,the elementary information  
given to the heathen or catechumen was  
in no sense undone by the subsequent    
secret teaching1 which was in fact but  
the filling up of a bare but correct    
outline1 p4 #eh1 and ,i contrast this   
with the conduct of the ,manichaeans who
 represented the initiatory discipline  
as founded on a fiction or hypothesis1  
which was to be forgotten by the learner
 as he made progress in the real        
doctrine of the ,gospel4 7#b7 ,as to    
allegorising1 ,i say that the           
,alexandrians erred1 whenever and as far

 as they proceeded to obscure the       
primary meaning of ,scripture1 and to   
weaken the force of historical facts and
 express declarations1 p4 #fi4 7#c7 ,and
 that they were more open to censure1   
when1 on being urged by objections to   
various passages in the history of the  
,old ,testament1 as derogatory to the   
divine perfections or to the ,jewish    
,saints1 they had recourse to an        
allegorical explanation by way of       
answer1 p4 #ga4 7#d7 ,i add1 ,it is     
impossible to defend such a procedure1  
which seems to imply a want of faith in 
those who had recourse to it2 for ,god  
has given us rules of right and wrong1  
ibid4 7#e7 ,again1 ,i say--,the abuse of
 the ,economy in the hands of           
unscrupulous reasoners1 is obvious4     
,even the honest controversialist or    
teacher will find it very difficult to  
represent1 without misrepresenting1 what
 it is yet his duty to present to his   
hearers with caution or reserve4 ,here  
the obvious rule to guide our practice  

is1 to be careful ever to maintain      
substantial truth in our use of the     
economical method1 pp4 #gi1 #hj4 7#f7   
,and so far from concurring at all      
hazards with ,justin1 ,gregory1 or      
,athanasius1 ,i say1 ,it is plain they  
were justified or not in their ,economy1
 according as they did or did not       
practically mislead their opponents1 p4 
#hj4 7#g7 ,i proceed1 ,it is so         
difficult to hit the mark in these      
perplexing cases1 that it is not        
wonderful1 should these or other        
,fathers have failed at times1 and said 
more or less than was proper1 ibid4     
,the principle of the economy is        
familiarly acted on among us every day4 
,when we would persuade others1 we do   
not begin by treading on their toes4    
,men would be thought rude who          
introduced their own religious notions  
into mixed society1 and were devotional 
in a drawing-room4 ,have we never       
thought lawyers tiresome who came down  
for the assizes and talked law all      

through dinner8 ,does the same argument 
tell in the ,house of ,commons1 on the  
hustings1 and at ,exeter ,hall8 ,is an  
educated gentleman never worsted at an  
election by the tone and arguments of   
some clever fellow1 who1 whatever his   
shortcomings in other respects1         
understands the common people8   ,as to 
the ,catholic religion in ,england at   
the present day1 this only will ,i      
observe--that the truest expedience is  
to answer right out1 when you are asked2
 that the wisest economy is to have no  
management2 that the best prudence is   
not to be a coward2 that the most       
damaging folly is to be found out       
shuffling2 and that the first of virtues
 is to tell truth1 and shame the devil4 
#h4 ,lying and ,equivocation  ,this     
writer says1 ,though a lie be a sin1 the
 fact of its being a venial one seems to
 have gained for it as yet a very slight
 penance4--p4 #df4 ,yet he says also    
that ,dr4 ,newman takes a perverse      
pleasure in eccentricities1 because ,i  

say that it is better for sun and moon  
to drop from heaven than that one soul  
should tell one wilful untruth4--p4 #cj4
 ,that is1 he first accuses us without  
foundation of making light of a lie2    
and1 when he finds that we don't1 then  
he calls us inconsistent4 ,i have       
noticed these words of mine1 and two    
passages besides1 which he quotes1 above
 at pp4 #bbb-bbd4 ,here ,i will but     
observe on the subject of venial sin    
generally1 that he altogether forgets   
our doctrine of purgatory4 ,this        
punishment may last till the day of     
judgment2 so much for duration2 then as 
to intensity1 let the image of fire1 by 
which we denote it1 show what we think  
of it4 ,here is the expiation of venial 
sins4 ,yet ,protestants1 after the      
manner of this writer1 are too apt to   
play fast and loose2 to blame us because
 we hold that sin may be venial1 and to 
blame us again when we tell them what we
 think will be its punishment4 ,blot    
thirty-seven4   ,at the end of his      

pamphlet he makes a distinction between 
the ,catholic clergy and gentry in      
,england1 which ,i know the latter      
consider to be very impertinent2 and he 
makes it apropos of a passage in one of 
my original letters in ,january4 ,he    
quotes me as saying that ,catholics     
differ from ,protestants1 as to whether 
this or that act in particular is       
conformable to the rule of truth1 p4    
#dh2 and then he goes on to observe1    
that ,i have calumniated the ,catholic  
gentry1 because there is no difference  
whatever1 of detail or other1 between   
their truthfulness and honour1 and the  
truthfulness and honour of the          
,protestant gentry among whom they live4
 ,but again he has garbled my words2    
they run thus3  ,truth is the same in   
itself and in substance1 to ,catholic   
and ,protestant2 so is purity2 both     
virtues are to be referred to that moral
 sense which is the natural possession  
of us all4 ,but1 when we come to the    
question in detail1 whether this or that

 act in particular is conformable to the
 rule of truth1 or again to the rule of 
purity1 then sometimes there is a       
difference of opinion between           
individuals1 sometimes between schools1 
and sometimes between religious         
communions4 ,i knew indeed perfectly    
well1 and ,i confessed that ,protestants
 think that the ,catholic system1 as    
such1 leads to a lax observance of the  
rule of truth2 but ,i added1 ,i am very 
sorry that they should think so1 and ,i 
never meant myself to grant that all    
,protestants were on the strict side1   
and all ,catholics on the lax4 ,far from
 it2 there is a stricter party as well  
as a laxer party among ,catholics1 there
 is a laxer party as well as a stricter 
party among ,protestants4 ,i have       
already spoken of ,protestant writers   
who in certain cases allow of lying1 ,i 
have also spoken of ,catholic writers   
who do not allow of equivocation2 when  
,i wrote a difference of opinion between
 individuals1 and between schools1 ,i   

meant between ,protestant and           
,protestant1 and particular instances   
were in my mind4 ,i did not say then1 or
 dream of saying1 that ,catholics1      
priests and laity1 were lax on the point
 of lying1 and that ,protestants were   
strict1 any more than ,i meant to say   
that all ,catholics were pure1 and all  
,protestants impure2 but ,i meant to say
 that1 whereas the rule of truth is one 
and the same both to ,catholic and      
,protestant1 nevertheless some          
,catholics were lax1 some strict1 and   
again some ,protestants were strict1    
some lax2 and ,i have already had       
opportunities of recording my own       
judgment on which side this writer is   
himself1 and therefore he may keep his  
forward vindication of honest gentlemen 
and noble ladies1 who1 in spite of their
 priests1 are still so truthful1 till   
such time as he can find a worse        
assailant of them than ,i am1 and they  
no better champion of them than himself4
 ,and as to the ,priests of ,england1   

those who know them1 as he does not1    
will pronounce them no whit inferior in 
this great virtue to the gentry1 whom he
 says that he does2 and ,i cannot say   
more4 ,blot thirty-eight4   ,lastly1    
this writer uses the following words1   
which ,i have more than once quoted1 and
 with a reference to them ,i shall end  
my remarks upon him4 ,i am henceforth1  
he says1 in doubt and fear1 as much as  
an honest man can be1 concerning every  
word ,dr4 ,newman may write4 ,how can ,i
 tell that ,i shall not be the dupe of  
some cunning equivocation1 of one of the
 three kinds1 laid down as permissible  
by the blessed ,st4 ,alfonso da ,liguori
 and his pupils1 even when confirmed    
with an oath4448  ,i will tell him why  
he need not fear2 because he has left   
out one very important condition in the 
statement of ,st4 ,alfonso--and very    
applicable to my own case1 even if ,i   
followed ,st4 ,alfonso's view of the    
subject4 ,st4 ,alfonso says ex justa    
causa2 but our honest man1 as he styles 

himself1 has omitted these words2 which 
are a key to the whole question4 ,blot  
thirty-nine4 ,here endeth our honest    
man4 ,now for the subject of lying4     
,almost all authors1 ,catholic and      
,protestant1 admit1 that when a just    
cause is present1 there is some kind or 
other of verbal misleading1 which is not
 sin4 ,even silence is in certain cases 
virtually such a misleading1 according  
to the proverb1 ,silence gives consent4 
,again1 silence is absolutely forbidden 
to a ,catholic1 as a mortal sin1 under  
certain circumstances1 e4g4 to keep     
silence1 instead of making a profession 
of faith4  ,another mode of verbal      
misleading1 and the most direct1 is     
actually saying the thing that is not2  
and it is defended on the principle that
 such words are not a lie1 when there is
 a justa causa1 as killing is not murder
 in the case of an executioner4         
,another ground of certain authors for  
saying that an untruth is not a lie     
where there is a just cause1 is1 that   

veracity is a kind of justice1 and      
therefore1 when we have no duty of      
justice to tell truth to another1 it is 
no sin not to do so4 ,hence we may say  
the thing that is not1 to children1 to  
madmen1 to men who ask impertinent      
questions1 to those whom we hope to     
benefit by misleading4  ,another ground1
 taken in defending certain untruths1 ex
 justa causa1 as if not lies1 is that   
veracity is for the sake of society1    
and1 if in no case we might lawfully    
mislead others1 we should actually be   
doing society great harm4  ,another mode
 of verbal misleading is equivocation or
 a play upon words2 and it is defended  
on the view that to lie is to use words 
in a sense which they will not bear4    
,but an equivocator uses them in a      
received sense1 though there is another 
received sense1 and therefore1 according
 to this definition1 he does not lie4   
,others say that all equivocations are1 
after all1 a kind of lying1 faint lies  
or awkward lies1 but still lies2 and    

some of these disputants infer1 that    
therefore we must not equivocate1 and   
others that equivocation is but a half  
measure1 and that it is better to say at
 once that in certain cases untruths are
 not lies4  ,others will try to         
distinguish between evasions and        
equivocations2 but they will be         
answered1 that1 though there are        
evasions which are clearly not          
equivocations1 yet that it is difficult 
scientifically to draw the line between 
them4  ,to these must be added the      
unscientific way of dealing with lies1  
viz4 that on a great or cruel occasion a
 man cannot help telling a lie1 and he  
would not be a man1 did he not tell it1 
but still it is wrong and he ought not  
to do it1 and he must trust that the sin
 will be forgiven him1 though he goes   
about to commit it4 ,it is a frailty1   
and had better not be anticipated1 and  
not thought of again1 after it is once  
over4 ,this view cannot for a moment be 
defended1 but1 ,i suppose1 it is very   

common4   ,and now ,i think the         
historical course of thought upon the   
matter has been this3 the ,greek        
,fathers thought that1 when there was a 
justa causa1 an untruth need not be a   
lie4 ,st4 ,augustine took another view1 
though with great misgiving2 and1       
whether he is rightly interpreted or    
not1 is the doctor of the great and     
common view that all untruths are lies1 
and that there can be no just cause of  
untruth4 ,in these later times1 this    
doctrine has been found difficult to    
work1 and it has been largely taught    
that1 though all untruths are lies1 yet 
that certain equivocations1 when there  
is a just cause1 are not untruths4      
,further1 there have been and all along 
through these later ages1 other schools1
 running parallel with the above        
mentioned1 one of which says that       
equivocations1 etc4 after all are lies1 
and another which says that there are   
untruths which are not lies4   ,and now 
as to the just cause1 which is the      

condition1 sine qua non4 ,the ,greek    
,fathers make them such as these1       
self-defence1 charity1 zeal for ,god's  
honour1 and the like4  ,st4 ,augustine  
seems to deal with the same just causes 
as the ,greek ,fathers1 even though he  
does not allow of their availableness as
 depriving untruths1 spoken with such   
objects1 of their sinfulness4 ,he       
mentions defence of life and of honour1 
and the safe custody of a secret4 ,also 
the ,anglican writers1 who have followed
 the ,greek ,fathers1 in defending      
untruths when there is the just cause1  
consider that just cause to be such as  
the preservation of life and property1  
defence of law1 the good of others4     
,moreover1 their moral rights1 e4g4     
defence against the inquisitive1 etc4   
,st4 ,alfonso1 ,i consider1 would take  
the same view of the justa causa as the 
,anglican divines2 he speaks of it as   
quicunque finis honestus1 ad servanda   
bona spiritui vel corpori utilia2 which 
is very much the view which they take of

 it1 judging by the instances which they
 give4  ,in all cases1 however1 and as  
contemplated by all authors1 ,clement of
 ,alexandria1 or ,milton1 or ,st4       
,alfonso1 such a causa is1 in fact1     
extreme1 rare1 great1 or at least       
special4 ,thus the writer in the        
,melanges ,theologiques 7,liege1        
#aheb-c1 p4 #dec7 quotes ,lessius3 ,si  
absque justa causa fiat1 est abusio     
orationis contra virtutem veritatis1 et 
civilem consuetudinem1 etsi proprie non 
sit mendacium4 ,that is1 the virtue of  
truth1 and the civil custom1 are the    
measure of the just cause4 ,and so      
,voit1 ,if a man has used a reservation 
7restrictione non pure mentali7 without 
a grave cause1 he has sinned gravely4   
,and so the author himself1 from whom ,i
 quote1 and who defends the ,patristic  
and ,anglican doctrine that there are   
untruths which are not lies1 says1      
,under the name of mental reservation   
theologians authorise many lies1 when   
there is for them a grave reason and    

proportionate1 i4e4 to their            
character--p4 #dei4 ,and so ,st4        
,alfonso1 in another treatise1 quotes   
,st4 ,thomas to the effect1 that1 if    
from one cause two immediate effects    
follow1 and1 if the good effect of that 
cause is equal in value to the bad      
effect 7bonus aequivalet malo71 then    
nothing hinders that the good may be    
intended and the evil permitted4 ,from  
which it will follow that1 since the    
evil to society from lying is very      
great1 the just cause which is to make  
it allowable1 must be very great also4  
,and so ,kenrick3 ,it is confessed by   
all ,catholics that1 in the common      
intercourse of life1 all ambiguity of   
language is to be avoided2 but it is    
debated whether such ambiguity is ever  
lawful4 ,most theologians answer in the 
affirmative1 supposing a grave cause    
urges1 and the true mind of the speaker 
can be collected from the adjuncts1     
though in fact it be not collected4     
,however1 there are cases1 ,i have      

already said1 of another kind1 in which 
,anglican authors would think a lie     
allowable2 such as when a question is   
impertinent4 ,accordingly1 ,i think the 
best word for embracing all the cases   
which would come under the justa causa1 
is1 not extreme1 but special1 and ,i say
 the same as regards ,st4 ,alfonso2 and 
therefore1 above in pp4 #bdb and #bdd1  
whether ,i speak of ,st4 ,alfonso or    
,paley1 ,i should have used the word    
special1 or extraordinary1 not extreme4 
,what ,i have been saying shows what    
different schools of opinion there are  
in the ,church in the treatment of this 
difficult doctrine2 and1 by consequence1
 that a given individual1 such as ,i am1
 cannot agree with all1 and has a full  
right to follow which he will4 ,the     
freedom of the schools1 indeed1 is one  
of those rights of reason1 which the    
,church is too wise really to interfere 
with4 ,and this applies not to moral    
questions only1 but to dogmatic also4   
,it is supposed by ,protestants that1   

because ,st4 ,alfonso's writings have   
had such high commendation bestowed upon
 them by authority1 therefore they have 
been invested with a                    
quasi-infallibility4 ,this has arisen in
 good measure from ,protestants not     
knowing the force of theological terms4 
,the words to which they refer are the  
authoritative decision that nothing in  
his works has been found worthy of      
censure1 censura dignum2 but this does  
not lead to the conclusions which have  
been drawn from it4 ,those words occur  
in a legal document1 and cannot be      
interpreted except in a legal sense4 ,in
 the first place1 the sentence is       
negative2 nothing in ,st4 ,alfonso's    
writings is positively approved2 and    
secondly it is not said that there are  
no faults in what he has written1 but   
nothing which comes under the           
ecclesiastical censura1 which is        
something very definite4 ,to take and   
interpret them1 in the way commonly     
adopted in ,england1 is the same        

mistake1 as if one were to take the word
 apologia in the ,english sense of      
apology1 or infant in law to mean a     
little child4  #a4 ,now first as to the 
meaning of the form of words viewed as a
 proposition4 ,when they were brought   
before the fitting authorities at ,rome 
by the ,archbishop of ,besancon1 the    
answer returned to him contained the    
condition that those words were to be   
interpreted1 with due regard to the mind
 of the ,holy ,see concerning the       
approbation of writings of the servants 
of ,god1 ad effectum ,canonisationis4   
,this is intended to prevent any        
,catholic taking the words about ,st4   
,alfonso's works in too large a sense4  
,before a saint is canonised1 his works 
are examined and a judgment pronounced  
upon them4 ,pope ,benedict ,,xiv4 says1 
,the end or scope of this judgment is1  
that it may appear1 whether the doctrine
 of the servant of ,god1 which he has   
brought out in his writings1 is free    
from any soever theological censure4    

,and he remarks in addition1 ,it never  
can be said that the doctrine of a      
servant of ,god is approved by the ,holy
 ,see1 but at most it can only be said  
that it is not disapproved 7non         
reprobatam7 in case that the revisers   
had reported that there is nothing found
 by them in his works1 which is adverse 
to the decrees of ,urban ,,viii41 and   
that the judgment of the ,revisers has  
been approved by the sacred             
,congregation1 and confirmed by the     
,supreme ,pontiff4 ,the ,decree of      
,urban ,,viii4 here referred to is1 ,let
 works be examined1 whether they contain
 errors against faith or good morals    
7bonos mores71 or any new doctrine1 or a
 doctrine foreign and alien to the      
common sense and custom of the ,church4 
,the author from whom ,i quote this 7,m4
 ,vandenbroeck1 of the diocese of       
,malines7 observes1 ,it is therefore    
clear1 that the approbation of the works
 of the ,holy ,bishop touches not the   
truth of every proposition1 adds nothing

 to them1 nor even gives them by        
consequence a degree of intrinsic       
probability4 ,he adds that it gives ,st4
 ,alfonso's theology an extrinsic       
probability1 from the fact that1 in the 
judgment of the ,holy ,see1 no          
proposition deserves to receive a       
censure2 but that that probability will 
cease nevertheless in a particular case1
 for any one who should be convinced1   
whether by evident arguments1 or by a   
decree of the ,holy ,see1 or otherwise1 
that the doctrine of the ,saint deviates
 from the truth4 ,he adds1 ,from the    
fact that the approbation of the works  
of ,st4 ,alfonso does not decide the    
truth of each proposition1 it follows1  
as ,benedict ,,xiv4 has remarked1 that  
we may combat the doctrine which they   
contain2 only1 since a canonised saint  
is in question1 who is honoured by a    
solemn culte in the ,church1 we ought   
not to speak except with respect1 nor to
 attack his opinions except with temper 
and modesty4  #b4 ,then1 as to the      

meaning of the word censura3 ,benedict  
,,xiv4 enumerates a number of ,notes    
which come under that name2 he says1    
,out of propositions which are to be    
noted with theological censure1 some are
 heretical1 some erroneous1 some close  
upon error1 some savouring of heresy1   
and so on2 and each of these terms has  
its own definite meaning4 ,thus by      
erroneous is meant1 according to ,viva1 
a proposition which is not immediately  
opposed to a revealed proposition1 but  
only to a theological conclusion drawn  
from premisses which are de fide2       
savouring of heresy1 when a proposition 
is opposed to a theological conclusion  
not evidently drawn from premisses which
 are de fide1 but most probably and     
according to the common mode of         
theologising1 and so with the rest4     
,therefore when it was said by the      
revisers of ,st4 ,alfonso's works that  
they were not worthy of censure1 it was 
only meant that they did not fall under 
these particular ,notes4  ,but the      

answer from ,rome to the ,archbishop of 
,besancon went further than this2 it    
actually took pains to declare that any 
one who pleased might follow other      
theologians instead of ,st4 ,alfonso4   
,after saying that no priest was to be  
interfered with who followed ,st4       
,alfonso in the ,confessional1 it added1
 ,this is said1 however1 without on that
 account judging that they are          
reprehended who follow opinions handed  
down by other approved authors4  ,and   
this too1 ,i will observe1 that ,st4    
,alfonso made many changes of opinion   
himself in the course of his writings2  
and it could not for an instant be      
supposed that we were bound to every one
 of his opinions1 when he did not feel  
himself bound to them in his own person4
 ,and1 what is more to the purpose      
still1 there are opinions1 or some      
opinion1 of his which actually has been 
proscribed by the ,church since1 and    
cannot now be put forward or used4 ,i do
 not pretend to be a well-read          

theologian myself1 but ,i say this on   
the authority of a theological professor
 of ,breda1 quoted in the ,melanges     
,theol4 for #ahej-a4 ,he says3 ,it may  
happen1 that1 in the course of time1    
errors may be found in the works of ,st4
 ,alfonso and be proscribed by the      
,church1 a thing which in fact has      
already occurred4  ,in not ranging      
myself then with those who consider that
 it is justifiable to use words in a    
double sense1 that is1 to equivocate1 ,i
 put myself1 first1 under the protection
 of ,cardinal ,gerdil1 who1 in a work   
lately published at ,rome1 has the      
following passage1 which ,i owe to the  
kindness of a friend3  ,gerdil  ,in an  
oath one ought to have respect to the   
intention of the party swearing1 and the
 intention of the party to whom the oath
 is taken4 ,whoso swears binds himself  
in virtue of the words1 not according to
 the sense he retains in his own mind1  
but in the sense according to which he  
perceives that they are understood by   

him to whom the oath is made4 ,when the 
mind of the one is discordant with the  
mind of the other1 if this happens by   
deceit or cheat of the party swearing1  
he is bound to observe the oath         
according to the right sense 7sana      
mente7 of the party receiving it2 but1  
when the discrepancy in the sense comes 
of misunderstanding1 without deceit of  
the party swearing1 in that case he is  
not bound1 except to that to which he   
had in mind to wish to be bound4 ,it    
follows hence1 that whoso uses mental   
reservation or equivocation in the oath1
 in order to deceive the party to whom  
he offers it1 sins most grievously1 and 
is always bound to observe the oath in  
the sense in which he knew that his     
words were taken by the other party1    
according to the decision of ,st4       
,augustine1 ',they are perjured1 who1   
having kept the words1 have deceived the
 expectations of those to whom the oath 
was taken4' ,he who swears externally1  
without the inward intention of         

swearing1 commits a most grave sin1 and 
remains all the same under the          
obligation to fulfil it4444 ,in a word1 
all that is contrary to good faith1 is  
iniquitous1 and by introducing the name 
of ,god the iniquity is aggravated by   
the guilt of sacrilege4  ,natalis       
,alexander  ,they certainly lie1 who    
utter the words of an oath1 and without 
the will to swear or bind themselves2 or
 who make use of mental reservations and
 equivocations in swearing1 since they  
signify by words what they have not in  
mind1 contrary to the end for which     
language was instituted1 viz4 as signs  
of ideas4 ,or they mean something else  
than the words signify in themselves1   
and the common custom of speech1 and the
 circumstances of persons and           
business-matters2 and thus they abuse   
words which were instituted for the     
cherishing of society4  ,contenson      
,hence is apparent how worthy of        
condemnation is the temerity of those   
half-taught men1 who give a colour to   

lies and equivocations by the words and 
instances of ,christ4 ,than whose       
doctrine1 which is an art of deceiving1 
nothing can be more pestilent4 ,and     
that1 both because what you do not wish 
done to yourself1 you should not do to  
another2 now the patrons of             
equivocations and mental reservations   
would not like to be themselves deceived
 by others1 etc4444 and also because    
,st4 ,augustine1 etc4444 ,in truth1 as  
there is no pleasant living with those  
whose language we do not understand1    
and1 as ,st4 ,augustine teaches1 a man  
would more readily live with his dog    
than with a foreigner1 less pleasant    
certainly is our converse with those who
 make use of frauds artificially        
covered1 overreach their hearers by     
deceits1 address them insidiously1      
observe the right moment1 and catch at  
words to their purpose1 by which truth  
is hidden under a covering2 and so on   
the other hand nothing is sweeter than  
the society of those1 who both love and 

speak the naked truth1 444 without their
 mouth professing one thing and their   
mind hiding another1 or spreading before
 it the cover of double words4 ,nor does
 it matter that they colour their lies  
with the name of equivocations or mental
 reservations4 ,for ,hilary says1 ',the 
sense1 not the speech1 makes the crime4'
  ,concina allows of what ,i shall      
presently call evasions1 but nothing    
beyond1 if ,i understand him2 but he is 
most vehement against mental reservation
 of every kind1 so ,i quote him4        
,concina  ,that mode of speech1 which   
some theologians call pure mental       
reservation1 others call reservation not
 simply mental2 that language which to  
me is lying1 to the greater part of     
recent authors is only                  
amphibological4444 ,i have discovered   
that nothing is adduced by more recent  
theologians for the lawful use of       
amphibologies which has not been made   
use of already by the ancients1 whether 
philosophers or some ,fathers1 in       

defence of lies4 ,nor does there seem to
 me other difference when ,i consider   
their respective grounds1 except that   
the ancients frankly called those modes 
of speech lies1 and the more recent     
writers1 not a few of them1 call them   
amphibological1 equivocal1 and material4
  ,in another place he quotes ,caramuel1
 so ,i suppose ,i may do so too1 for the
 very reason that his theological       
reputation does not place him on the    
side of strictness4 ,concina says1      
,caramuel himself1 who bore away the    
palm from all others in relaxing the    
evangelical and natural law1 says3      
,caramuel  ,i have an innate aversion to
 mental reservations4 ,if they are      
contained within the bounds of piety and
 sincerity1 then they are not necessary2
 444 but if otherwise they are the      
destruction of human society and        
sincerity1 and are to be condemned as   
pestilent4 ,once admitted1 they open the
 way to all lying1 all perjury4 ,and the
 whole difference in the matter is1 that

 what yesterday was called a lie1       
changing1 not its nature and malice1 but
 its name1 is today entitled 'mental    
reservation2' and this is to sweeten    
poison with sugar1 and to colour guilt  
with the appearance of virtue4  ,st4    
,thomas  ,when the sense of the party   
swearing1 and of the party to whom he   
swears1 is not the same1 if this        
proceeds from the deceit of the former1 
the oath ought to be kept according to  
the right sense of the party to whom it 
is made4 ,but if the party swearing does
 not make use of deceit1 then he is     
bound according to his own sense4  ,st4 
,isidore  ,with whatever artifice of    
words a man swears1 nevertheless ,god   
who is the witness of his conscience1 so
 takes the oath as he understands it1 to
 whom it is sworn4 ,and he becomes twice
 guilty1 who both takes the name of ,god
 in vain1 and deceives his neighbour4   
,st4 ,augustine  ,i do not question that
 this is most justly laid down1 that the
 promise of an oath must be fulfilled1  

not according to the words of the party 
taking it1 but according to the         
expectation of the party to whom it is  
taken1 of which he who takes it is      
aware4  ,and now1 under the protection  
of these authorities1 ,i say as         
follows3--  ,casuistry is a noble       
science1 but it is one to which ,i am   
led1 neither by my abilities nor my turn
 of mind4 ,independently1 then1 of the  
difficulties of the subject1 and the    
necessity1 before forming an opinion1 of
 knowing more of the arguments of       
theologians upon it than ,i do1 ,i am   
very unwilling to say a word here on the
 subject of lying and equivocation4 ,but
 ,i consider myself bound to speak2 and 
therefore1 in this strait1 ,i can do    
nothing better1 even for my own relief1 
than submit myself and what ,i shall say
 to the judgment of the ,church1 and to 
the consent1 so far as in this matter   
there be a consent1 of the ,schola      
,theologorum4  ,now1 in the case of one 
of those special and rare exigencies or 

emergencies1 which constitute the justa 
causa of dissembling or misleading1     
whether it be extreme as the defence of 
life1 or a duty as the custody of a     
secret1 or of a personal nature as to   
repel an impertinent inquirer1 or a     
matter too trivial to provoke question1 
as in dealing with children or madmen1  
there seem to be four courses3  #a4 ,to 
say the thing that is not4 ,here ,i draw
 the reader's attention to the words    
material and formal4 ,thou shalt not    
kill2 murder is the formal transgression
 of this commandment1 but accidental    
homicide is the material transgression4 
,the matter of the act is the same in   
both cases2 but in the homicide1 there  
is nothing more than the act1 whereas in
 murder there must be the intention1    
etc4 which constitutes the formal sin4  
,so1 again1 an executioner commits the  
material act1 but not that formal       
killing which is a breach of the        
commandment4 ,so a man1 who1 simply to  
save himself from starving1 takes a loaf

 which is not his own1 commits only the 
material1 not the formal act of         
stealing1 that is1 he does not commit a 
sin4 ,and so a baptised ,christian1     
external to the ,church1 who is in      
invincible ignorance1 is a material     
heretic1 and not a formal4 ,and in like 
manner1 if to say the thing which is not
 be in special cases lawful1 it may be  
called a material lie4  ,the first mode 
then which has been suggested of meeting
 those special cases1 in which to       
mislead by words has a sufficient       
object1 or has a just cause1 is by a    
material lie4  ,the second mode is by an
 aequivocatio1 which is not equivalent  
to the ,english word equivocation1 but  
means sometimes a play upon words1      
sometimes an evasion4  #b4 ,a play upon 
words4 ,st4 ,alfonso certainly says that
 a play upon words is allowable2 and1   
speaking under correction1 ,i should say
 that he does so on the ground that     
lying is not a sin against justice1 that
 is1 against our neighbour1 but a sin   

against ,god2 because words are the     
signs of ideas1 and therefore if a word 
denotes two ideas1 we are at liberty to 
use it in either of its senses3 but ,i  
think ,i must be incorrect here in some 
respect1 because the ,catechism of the  
,council1 as ,i have quoted it at p4    
#bdh1 says1 ,vanitate et mendacio fides 
ac veritas tolluntur1 arctissima vincula
 societatis humanae2 quibus sublatis1   
sequitur summa vitae confusio1 ut       
homines nihil a daemonibus differre     
videantur4  #c4 ,evasion2--when1 for    
instance1 the speaker diverts the       
attention of the hearer to another      
subject2 suggests an irrelevant fact or 
makes a remark1 which confuses him and  
gives him something to think about2     
throws dust into his eyes2 states some  
truth1 from which he is quite sure his  
hearer will draw an illogical and untrue
 conclusion1 and the like4 ,bishop      
,butler seems distinctly to sanction    
such a proceeding1 in a passage which ,i
 shall extract below4  ,the greatest    

school of evasion1 ,i speak seriously1  
is the ,house of ,commons2 and          
necessarily so1 from the nature of the  
case4 ,and the hustings is another4  ,an
 instance is supplied in the history of 
,st4 ,athanasius3 he was in a boat on   
the ,nile1 flying persecution2 and he   
found himself pursued4 ,on this he      
ordered his men to turn his boat round1 
and ran right to meet the satellites of 
,julian4 ,they asked him1 ,have you seen
 ,athanasius8 and he told his followers 
to answer1 ,yes1 he is close to you4    
,they went on their course1 and he ran  
into ,alexandria1 and there lay hid till
 the end of the persecution4  ,i gave   
another instance above1 in reference to 
a doctrine of religion4 ,the early      
,christians did their best to conceal   
their ,creed on account of the          
misconceptions of the heathen about it4 
,were the question asked of them1 ,do   
you worship a ,trinity8 and did they    
answer1 ,we worship one ,god1 and none  
else2 the inquirer might1 or would1     

infer that they did not acknowledge the 
,trinity of ,divine ,persons4  ,it is   
very difficult to draw the line between 
these evasions1 and what are commonly   
called in ,english equivocations2 and of
 this difficulty1 again1 ,i think1 the  
scenes in the ,house of ,commons supply 
us with illustrations4  #d4 ,the fourth 
method is silence4 ,for instance1 not   
giving the whole truth in a court of    
law4 ,if ,st4 ,alban1 after dressing    
himself in the priest's clothes1 and    
being taken before the persecutor1 had  
been able to pass off for his friend1   
and so gone to martyrdom without being  
discovered2 and had he in the course of 
examination answered all questions      
truly1 but not given the whole truth1   
the most important truth1 that he was   
the wrong person1 he would have come    
very near to telling a lie1 for a       
half-truth is often a falsehood4 ,and   
his defence must have been the justa    
causa1 viz4 either that he might in     
charity or for religion's sake save a   

priest1 or again that the judge had no  
right to interrogate him on the subject4
  ,now1 of these four modes of          
misleading others by the tongue1 when   
there is a justa causa 7supposing there 
can be such7--a material lie1 that is an
 untruth which is not a lie1 an         
equivocation1 an evasion1 and           
silence1--,first1 ,i have no difficulty 
whatever in recognizing as allowable the
 method of silence4  ,secondly1 ,but1 if
 ,i allow of silence1 why not of the    
method of material lying1 since half of 
a truth is often a lie8 ,and1 again1 if 
all killing be not murder1 nor all      
taking from another stealing1 why must  
all untruths be lies8 ,now ,i will say  
freely that ,i think it difficult to    
answer this question1 whether it be     
urged by ,st4 ,clement or by ,milton2 at
 the same time1 ,i never have acted1 and
 ,i think1 when it came to the point1 ,i
 never should act upon such a theory    
myself1 except in one case1 stated      
below4 ,this ,i say for the benefit of  

those who speak hardly of ,catholic     
theologians1 on the ground that they    
admit text-books which allow of         
equivocation4 ,they are asked1 how can  
we trust you1 when such are your views8 
but such views1 as ,i already have said1
 need not have anything to do with their
 own practice1 merely from the          
circumstance that they are contained in 
their text-books4 ,a theologian draws   
out a system2 he does it partly as a    
scientific speculation3 but much more   
for the sake of others4 ,he is lax for  
the sake of others1 not of himself4 ,his
 own standard of action is much higher  
than that which he imposes upon men in  
general4 ,one special reason why        
religious men1 after drawing out a      
theory1 are unwilling to act upon it    
themselves1 is this3 that they          
practically acknowledge a broad         
distinction between their reason and    
their conscience2 and that they feel the
 latter to be the safer guide1 though   
the former may be the clearer1 nay even 

though it be the truer4 ,they would     
rather be wrong with their conscience1  
than right with their reason4 ,and again
 here is this more tangible difficulty  
in the case of exceptions to the rule of
 veracity1 that so very little external 
help is given us in drawing the line1 as
 to when untruths are allowable and when
 not2 whereas that sort of killing which
 is not murder1 is most definitely      
marked off by legal enactments1 so that 
it cannot possibly be mistaken for such 
killing as is murder4 ,on the other hand
 the cases of exemption from the rule of
 ,veracity are left to the private      
judgment of the individual1 and he may  
easily be led on from acts which are    
allowable to acts which are not4 ,now   
this remark does not apply to such acts 
as are related in ,scripture1 as being  
done by a particular inspiration1 for in
 such cases there is a command4 ,if ,i  
had my own way1 ,i would oblige society1
 that is1 its great men1 its lawyers1   
its divines1 its literature1 publicly to

 acknowledge1 as such1 those instances  
of untruth which are not lies1 as for   
instance1 untruths in war2 and then     
there could be no danger in them to the 
individual ,catholic1 for he would be   
acting under a rule4  ,thirdly1 as to   
playing upon words1 or equivocation1 ,i 
suppose it is from the ,english habit1  
but1 without meaning any disrespect to a
 great ,saint1 or wishing to set myself 
up1 or taking my conscience for more    
than it is worth1 ,i can only say as a  
fact1 that ,i admit it as little as the 
rest of my countrymen3 and1 without any 
reference to the right and the wrong of 
the matter1 of this ,i am sure1 that1 if
 there is one thing more than another   
which prejudices ,englishmen against the
 ,catholic ,church1 it is the doctrine  
of great authorities on the subject of  
equivocation4 ,for myself1 ,i can fancy 
myself thinking it was allowable in     
extreme cases for me to lie1 but never  
to equivocate4 ,luther said1 ,pecca     
fortiter4 ,i anathematise the formal    

sentiment1 but there is a truth in it1  
when spoken of material acts4           
,fourthly1 ,i think evasion1 as ,i have 
described it1 to be perfectly allowable2
 indeed1 ,i do not know1 who does not   
use it1 under circumstances2 but that a 
good deal of moral danger is attached to
 its use2 and that1 the cleverer a man  
is1 the more likely he is to pass the   
line of ,christian duty4   ,but it may  
be said1 that such decisions do not meet
 the particular difficulties for which  
provision is required2 let us then take 
some instances4  #a4 ,i do not think it 
right to tell lies to children1 even on 
this account1 that they are sharper than
 we think them1 and will soon find out  
what we are doing2 and our example will 
be a very bad training for them4 ,and so
 of equivocation3 it is easy of         
imitation1 and we ourselves shall be    
sure to get the worst of it in the end4 
#b4 ,if an early ,father defends the    
patriarch ,jacob in his mode of gaining 
his father's blessing1 on the ground    

that the blessing was divinely pledged  
to him already1 that it was his1 and    
that his father and brother were acting 
at once against his own rights and the  
divine will1 it does not follow from    
this that such conduct is a pattern to  
us1 who have no supernatural means of   
determining when an untruth becomes a   
material and not a formal lie4 ,it seems
 to me very dangerous1 be it allowable  
or not1 to lie or equivocate in order to
 preserve some great temporal or        
spiritual benefit1 nor does ,st4        
,alfonso here say anything to the       
contrary1 for he is not discussing the  
question of danger or expedience4  #c4  
,as to ,johnson's case of a murderer    
asking you which way a man had gone1 ,i 
should have anticipated that1 had such a
 difficulty happened to him1 his first  
act would have been to knock the man    
down1 and to call out for the police2   
and next1 if he was worsted in the      
conflict1 he would not have given the   
ruffian the information he asked1 at    

whatever risk to himself4 ,i think he   
would have let himself be killed first4 
,i do not think that he would have told 
a lie4  #d4 ,a secret is a more         
difficult case4 ,supposing something has
 been confided to me in the strictest   
secrecy1 which could not be revealed    
without great disadvantage to another1  
what am ,i to do8 ,if ,i am a lawyer1 ,i
 am protected by my profession4 ,i have 
a right to treat with extreme           
indignation any question which trenches 
on the inviolability of my position2    
but1 supposing ,i was driven up into a  
corner1 ,i think ,i should have a right 
to say an untruth1 or that1 under such  
circumstances1 a lie would be material1 
but it is almost an impossible case1 for
 the law would defend me4 ,in like      
manner1 as a priest1 ,i should think it 
lawful to speak as if ,i knew nothing of
 what passed in confession4 ,and ,i     
think in these cases1 ,i do in fact     
possess that guarantee1 that ,i am not  
going by private judgment1 which just   

now ,i demanded2 for society would bear 
me out1 whether as a lawyer or as a     
priest1 that ,i had a duty to my client 
or penitent1 such1 that an untruth in   
the matter was not a lie4 ,a common type
 of this permissible denial1 be it      
material lie or evasion1 is at the      
moment supplied to me3 an artist asked a
 ,prime ,minister1 who was sitting to   
him1 ,what news1 my ,lord1 from ,france8
 ,he answered1 ,i do not know2 ,i have  
not read the ,papers4  #e4 ,a more      
difficult question is1 when to accept   
confidence has not been a duty4         
,supposing a man wishes to keep the     
secret that he is the author of a book1 
and he is plainly asked on the subject4 
,here ,i should ask the previous        
question1 whether any one has a right to
 publish what he dare not avow4 ,it     
requires to have traced the bearings and
 results of such a principle1 before    
being sure of it2 but certainly1 for    
myself1 ,i am no friend of strictly     
anonymous writing4 ,next1 supposing     

another has confided to you the secret  
of his authorship3 there are persons who
 would have no scruple at all in giving 
a denial to impertinent questions asked 
them on the subject4 ,i have heard a    
great man in his day at ,oxford1 warmly 
contend1 as if he could not enter into  
any other view of the matter1 that1 if  
he had been trusted by a friend with the
 secret of his being author of a certain
 book1 and he were asked by a third     
person1 if his friend was not 7as he    
really was7 the author of it1 he ought  
without any scruple and distinctly to   
answer that he did not know4 ,he had an 
existing duty towards the author2 he had
 none towards his inquirer4 ,the author 
had a claim on him2 an impertinent      
questioner had none at all4 ,but here   
again ,i desiderate some leave1         
recognised by society1 as in the case of
 the formulas ,not at home1 and ,not    
guilty1 in order to give me the right of
 saying what is a material untruth4 ,and
 moreover1 ,i should here also ask the  

previous question1 ,have ,i any right to
 accept such a confidence8 have ,i any  
right to make such a promise8 and1 if it
 be an unlawful promise1 is it binding  
at the expense of a lie8 ,i am not      
attempting to solve these difficult     
questions1 but they have to be carefully
 examined4   ,as ,i put into print some 
weeks ago various extracts from authors 
relating to the subject which ,i have   
been considering1 ,i conclude by        
inserting them here1 though they will   
not have a very methodical appearance4  
,for instance1 ,st4 ,dorotheus3         
,sometimes the necessity of some matter 
urges 7incumbit71 which1 unless you     
somewhat conceal and dissemble it1 will 
turn into a greater trouble4 ,and he    
goes on to mention the case of saving a 
man who has committed homicide from his 
pursuers3 and he adds that it is not a  
thing that can be done often1 but once  
in a long time4  ,st4 ,clement in like  
manner speaks of it only as a necessity1
 and as a necessary medicine4  ,origen1 

after saying that ,god's commandment    
makes it a plain duty to speak the      
truth1 adds1 that a man1 when necessity 
urges1 may avail himself of a lie1 as   
medicine1 that is1 to the extent of     
,judith's conduct towards ,holofernes2  
and he adds that that necessity may be  
the obtaining of a great good1 as ,jacob
 hindered his father from giving the    
blessing to ,esau against the will of   
,god4  ,cassian says1 that the use of a 
lie1 in order to be allowable1 must be  
like the use of hellebore1 which is     
itself poison1 unless a man has a fatal 
disease on him4 ,he adds1 ,without the  
condition of an extreme necessity1 it is
 a present ruin4  ,st4 ,john ,chrysostom
 defends ,jacob on the ground that his  
deceiving his father was not done for   
the sake of temporal gain1 but in order 
to fulfil the providential purpose of   
,god2 and he says1 that1 as ,abraham was
 not a murderer1 though he was minded to
 kill his son1 so an untruth need not be
 a lie4 ,and he adds1 that often such a 

deceit is the greatest possible benefit 
to the man who is deceived1 and         
therefore allowable4 ,also ,st4 ,hilary1
 ,st4 ,john ,climacus1 etc41 in         
,thomassin1 ,concina1 the ,melanges1    
etc4  ,various modern ,catholic divines 
hold this doctrine of the material lie  
also4 ,i will quote three passages in   
point4  ,cataneo3 ,be it then well      
understood1 that the obligation to      
veracity1 that is1 of conforming our    
words to the sentiments of our mind1 is 
founded principally upon the necessity  
of human intercourse1 for which reason  
they 7i4e4 words7 ought not and cannot  
be lawfully opposed to this end1 so     
just1 so necessary1 and so important1   
without which1 the world would become a 
,babylon of confusion4 ,and this would  
in a great measure be really the result1
 as often as a man should be unable to  
defend secrets of high importance1 and  
other evils would follow1 even worse    
than confusion1 in their nature         
destructive of this very intercourse    

between man and man for which speech was
 instituted4 ,every body must see the   
advantage a hired assassin would have1  
if supposing he did not know by sight   
the person he was commissioned to kill1 
,i being asked by the rascal at the     
moment he was standing in doubt with his
 gun cocked1 were obliged to approve of 
his deed by keeping silence1 or to      
hesitate1 or lastly to answer ',yes1    
that is the man4' ,then follow other    
similar cases4 ,in such and similar     
cases1 in which your sincerity is       
unjustly assailed1 when no other way    
more prompt or more efficacious presents
 itself1 and when it is not enough to   
say1 ',i do not know1' let such persons 
be met openly with a downright resolute 
',no' without thinking upon anything    
else4 ,for such a ',no' is conformable  
to the universal opinion of men1 who are
 the judges of words1 and who certainly 
have not placed upon them obligations to
 the injury of the ,human ,republic1 nor
 ever entered into a compact to use them

 in behalf of rascals1 spies1           
incendiaries1 and thieves4 ,i repeat    
that such a ',no' is conformable to the 
universal mind of man1 and with this    
mind your own mind ought to be in union 
and alliance4 ,who does not see the     
manifest advantage which highway robbers
 would derive1 were travellers when     
asked if they had gold1 jewels1 etc41   
obliged either to invent tergiversations
 or to answer ',yes1 we have8'          
,accordingly in such circumstances that 
',no' which you utter see ,card4        
,pallav4 lib4 iii4 c4 xi4 n4 #bc1 de    
,fide1 ,spe1 etc4 remains deprived of   
its proper meaning1 and is like a piece 
of coin1 from which by the command of   
the government the current value has    
been withdrawn1 so that by using it you 
become in no sense guilty of lying4     
,bolgeni says1 ,we have therefore proved
 satisfactorily1 and with more than     
moral certainty1 that an exception      
occurs to the general law of not        
speaking untruly1 viz4 when it is       

impossible to observe a certain other   
precept1 more important1 without telling
 a lie4 ,some persons indeed say1 that  
in the cases of impossibility which are 
above drawn out1 what is said is not a  
lie4 ,but a man who thus speaks confuses
 ideas and denies the essential         
characters of things4 ,what is a lie8   
,it is 'locutio contra mentem2' this is 
its common definition4 ,but in the cases
 of impossibility1 a man speaks contra  
mentem2 that is clear and evident4      
,therefore he tells a lie4 ,let us      
distinguish between the lie and the sin4
 ,in the above cases1 the man really    
tells a lie1 but this lie is not a sin1 
by reason of the existing impossibility4
 ,to say that in those cases no one has 
a right to ask1 that the words have a   
meaning according to the common consent 
of men1 and the like1 as is said by     
certain authors in order in those cases 
to exempt the lie from sin1 this is to  
commit oneself to frivolous excuses1 and
 to subject oneself to a number of      

retorts1 when there is the plain reason 
of the above-mentioned fact of          
impossibility4  ,and the ,author in the 
,melanges ,theologiques3 ,we have then  
gained this truth1 and it is a          
conclusion of which we have not the     
smallest doubt1 that if the intention of
 deceiving our neighbour is essential to
 a lie1 it is allowable in certain cases
 to say what we know to be false1 as1   
e4g4 to escape from a great danger4444  
,but1 let no one be alarmed1 it is never
 allowable to lie2 in this we are in    
perfect agreement with the whole body of
 theologians4 ,the only point in which  
we differ from them is in what we mean  
by a lie4 ,they call that a lie which is
 not such in our view1 or rather1 if you
 will1 what in our view is only a       
material lie they account to be both    
formal and material4  ,now to come to   
,anglican authorities4  ,taylor3        
,whether it can in any case be lawful to
 tell a lie8 ,to this ,i answer1 that   
the holy ,scriptures of the ,old and    

,new ,testament do indefinitely and     
severely forbid lying4 ,prov4 xiii4 #e2 
xxx4 #h4 ,ps4 v4 #f4 ,john viii4 #dd4   
,col4 iii4 #i4 ,rev4 xxi4 #h1 #bg4      
,beyond these things1 nothing can be    
said in condemnation of lying4  ,but    
then lying is to be understood to be    
something said or written to the hurt of
 our neighbour1 which cannot be         
understood otherwise than to differ from
 the mind of him that speaks4 ',a lie is
 petulantly or from a desire of hurting1
 to say one thing1 or to signify it by  
gesture1 and to think another thing2'#f 
so ,melancthon1 ',to lie is to deceive  
our neighbour to his hurt4' ,for in this
 sense a lie is naturally or            
intrinsically evil2 that is1 to speak a 
lie to our neighbour is naturally evil  
444 not because it is different from an 
eternal truth4444 ,a lie is an injury to
 our neighbour4444 ,there is in mankind 
a universal contract implied in all     
their intercourses4444 ,in justice we   
are bound to speak1 so as that our      

neighbour do not lose his right1 which  
by our speaking we give him to the      
truth1 that is1 in our heart4 ,and of a 
lie1 thus defined1 which is injurious to
 our neighbour1 so long as his right to 
truth remains1 it is that ,st4 ,austin  
affirms it to be simply unlawful1 and   
that it can in no case be permitted1    
nisi forte regulas quasdam daturus      
es4444 ,if a lie be unjust1 it can never
 become lawful2 but1 if it can be       
separate from injustice1 then it may be 
innocent4 ,here then ,i consider  ,this 
right1 though it be regularly and       
commonly belonging to all men1 yet it   
may be taken away by a superior right   
intervening2 or it may be lost1 or it   
may be hindered1 or it may cease1 upon a
 greater reason4  ,therefore upon this  
account it was lawful for the children  
of ,israel to borrow jewels of the      
,egyptians1 which supposes a promise of 
restitution1 though they intended not to
 pay them back again4 ,god gave         
commandment so to spoil them1 and the   

,egyptians were divested of their       
rights1 and were to be used like        
enemies4  ,it is lawful to tell a lie to
 children or to madmen2 because they1   
having no powers of judging1 have no    
right to truth2 but then1 the lie must  
be charitable and useful4444 ,if a lie  
be told1 it must be such as is for their
 good 444 and so do physicians to their 
patients4444 ,this and the like were so 
usual1 so permitted to physicians1 that 
it grew to a proverb1 ',you lie like a  
doctor2'#g which yet was always to be   
understood in the way of charity1 and   
with honour to the profession4444 ,to   
tell a lie for charity1 to save a man's 
life1 the life of a friend1 of a        
husband1 of a prince1 of a useful and a 
public person1 hath not only been done  
at all times1 but commended by great and
 wise and good men4444 ,who would not   
save his father's life 444 at the charge
 of a harmless lie1 from the rage of    
persecutors or tyrants8 444,when the    
telling of a truth will certainly be the

 cause of evil to a man1 though he have 
right to truth1 yet it must not be given
 to him to his harm4444 ,every truth is 
no more justice1 than every restitution 
of a straw to the right owner is a duty4
 ',be not over-righteous1' says         
,solomon4444 ,if it be objected1 that we
 must not tell a lie for ,god1 therefore
 much less for our brother1 ,i answer1  
that it does not follow2 for ,god needs 
not a lie1 but our brother does4444     
,deceiving the enemy by the stratagem of
 actions or words1 is not properly      
lying2 for this supposes a conversation1
 of law or peace1 trust or promise      
explicit or implicit4 ,a lie is a       
deceiving of a trust or                 
confidence4--,taylor1 vol4 xiii4 pp4    
#cea-cga1 ed4 ,heber4  ,it is clear that
 ,taylor thought that veracity was one  
branch of justice2 a social virtue2     
under the second table of the law1 not  
under the first2 only binding1 when     
those to whom we speak have a claim of  
justice upon us1 which ordinarily all   

men have4 ,accordingly1 in cases where a
 neighbour has no claim of justice upon 
us1 there is no opportunity of          
exercising veracity1 as1 for instance1  
when he is mad1 or is deceived by us for
 his own advantage4 ,and hence1 in such 
cases1 a lie is not really a lie1 as he 
says in one place1 ,deceiving the enemy 
is not properly lying4 ,here he seems to
 make that distinction common to        
,catholics2 viz4 between what they call 
a material act and a formal act4 ,thus  
,taylor would maintain1 that to say the 
thing that is not to a madman1 has the  
matter of a lie1 but the man who says it
 as little tells a formal lie1 as the   
judge1 sheriff1 or executioner murders  
the man whom he certainly kills by forms
 of law4  ,other ,english authors take  
precisely the same view1 viz4 that      
veracity is a kind of justice--that our 
neighbour generally has a right to have 
the truth told him2 but that he may     
forfeit that right1 or lose it for the  
time1 and then to say the thing that is 

not to him is no sin against veracity1  
that is1 no lie4 ,thus ,milton says1    
,veracity is a virtue1 by which we speak
 true things to him to whom it is       
equitable1 and concerning what things it
 is suitable for the good of our        
neighbour4444 ,all dissimulation is not 
wrong1 for it is not necessary for us   
always openly to bring out the truth2   
that only is blamed which is            
malicious4444 ,i do not see why that    
cannot be said of lying which can be    
said of homicide and other matters1     
which are not weighed so much by the    
deed as by the object and end of acting4
 ,what man in his senses will deny that 
there are those whom we have the best of
 grounds for considering that we ought  
to deceive--as boys1 madmen1 the sick1  
the intoxicated1 enemies1 men in error1 
thieves8 444,is it a point of conscience
 not to deceive them8 444 ,i would ask1 
by which of the commandments is a lie   
forbidden8 ,you will say1 by the ninth4 
,come1 read it out1 and you will agree  

with me4 ,for whatever is here forbidden
 comes under the head of injuring one's 
neighbour4 ,if then any lie does not    
injure one's neighbour1 certainly it is 
not forbidden by this commandment4 ,it  
is on this ground that1 by the judgment 
of theologians1 we shall acquit so many 
holy men of lying4 ,abraham1 who said to
 his servants that he would return with 
his son2 444 the wise man understood    
that it did not matter to his servants  
to know that his son would not return1  
and that it was at the moment expedient 
for himself that they should not        
know4444 ,joseph would be a man of many 
lies if the common definition of lying  
held2 also ,moses1 ,rahab1 ,ehud1 ,jael1
 ,jonathan4 ,here again veracity is due 
only on the score of justice towards the
 person whom we speak with2 and1 if he  
has no claim upon us to speak the truth1
 we need not speak the truth to him4    
,and so1 again1 ,paley3 ,a lie is a     
breach of promise2 for whoever seriously
 addresses his discourse to another     

tacitly promises to speak the truth1    
because he knows that the truth is      
expected4 ,or the obligation of veracity
 may be made out from the direct ill    
consequences of lying to social         
happiness4444 ,there are falsehoods     
which are not lies2 that is1 which are  
not criminal4 7,here1 let it be         
observed1 is the same distinction as in 
,taylor between material and formal     
untruths47 #a4 ,when no one is          
deceived4444 #b4 ,when the person to    
whom you speak has no right to know the 
truth1 or1 more properly1 when little or
 no inconveniency results from the want 
of confidence in such cases1 as where   
you tell a falsehood to a madman for his
 own advantage2 to a robber1 to conceal 
your property2 to an assassin1 to defeat
 or divert him from his purpose4444 ,it 
is upon this principle that1 by the laws
 of war1 it is allowable to deceive an  
enemy by feints1 false colours1 spies1  
false intelligence4444 ,many people     
indulge1 in serious discourse1 a habit  

of fiction or exaggeration4444 ,so long 
as 444 their narratives1 though false1  
are inoffensive1 it may seem a          
superstitious regard to truth to censure
 them merely for truth's sake4 ,then he 
goes on to mention reasons against such 
a practice1 adding1 ,i have seldom known
 any one who deserted truth in trifles  
that could be trusted in matters of     
importance4--,works1 vol4 iv4 p4 #abc4  
,dr4 ,johnson1 who1 if any one1 has the 
reputation of being a sturdy moralist1  
thus speaks3  ,we talked1 says ,boswell1
 of the casuistical question--whether it
 was allowable at any time to depart    
from truth4 ,johnson4 ,the general rule 
is1 that truth should never be violated2
 because it is of the utmost importance 
to the comfort of life1 that we should  
have a full security by mutual faith2   
and occasional inconveniences should be 
willingly suffered1 that we may preserve
 it4 ,there must1 however1 be some      
exceptions4 ,if1 for instance1 a        
murderer should ask you which way a man 

is gone1 you may tell him what is not   
true1 because you are under a previous  
obligation not to betray a man to a     
murderer4 ,boswell4 ,supposing the      
person who wrote ,junius were asked     
whether he was the author1 might he deny
 it8 ,johnson4 ,i don't know what to say
 to this4 ,if you were sure that he     
wrote ,junius1 would you1 if he denied  
it1 think as well of him afterwards8    
,yet it may be urged1 that what a man   
has no right to ask1 you may refuse to  
communicate2 and there is no other      
effectual mode of preserving a secret1  
and an important secret1 the discovery  
of which may be very hurtful to you1 but
 a flat denial2 for if you are silent1  
or hesitate1 or evade1 it will be held  
equivalent to a confession4 ,but stay1  
sir2 here is another case4 ,supposing   
the author had told me confidentially   
that he had written ,junius1 and ,i were
 asked if he had1 ,i should hold myself 
at liberty to deny it1 as being under a 
previous promise1 express or implied1 to

 conceal it4 ,now what ,i ought to do   
for the author1 may ,i not do for       
myself8 ,but ,i deny the lawfulness of  
telling a lie to a sick man for fear of 
alarming him4 ,you have no business with
 consequences2 you are to tell the      
truth4 ,besides1 you are not sure what  
effect your telling him that he is in   
danger may have2 it may bring his       
distemper to a crisis1 and that may cure
 him4 ,of all lying ,i have the greatest
 abhorrence of this1 because ,i believe 
it has been frequently practised on     
myself4--,boswell's ,life1 vol4 iv4 p4  
#bgg4   ,there are ,english authors who 
allow of mental reservation and         
equivocation2 such is ,jeremy ,taylor4  
,he says1 ,in the same cases in which it
 is lawful to tell a lie1 in the same   
cases it is lawful to use a mental      
reservation4--,ibid4 p4 #cgd4  ,he says1
 too1 ,when the things are true in      
several senses1 the not explicating in  
what sense ,i mean the words is not a   
criminal reservation4444 ,but #a1 this  

liberty is not to be used by inferiors1 
but by superiors only2 #b1 not by those 
that are interrogated1 but by them which
 speak voluntarily2 #c1 not by those    
which speak of duty1 but which speak of 
grace and kindness4--,ibid4 p4 #cgh4    
,bishop ,butler1 the first of ,anglican 
authorities1 writing in his grave and   
abstract way1 seems to assert a similar 
doctrine in the following passage3      
,though veracity1 as well as justice1 is
 to be our rule of life1 it must be     
added1 otherwise a snare will be laid in
 the way of some plain men1 that the use
 of common forms of speech generally    
understood1 cannot be falsehood2 and1 in
 general1 that there can be no designed 
falsehood without designing to deceive4 
,it must likewise be observed1 that1 in 
numberless cases1 a man may be under the
 strictest obligations to what he       
foresees will deceive1 without his      
intending it4 ,for it is impossible not 
to foresee1 that the words and actions  
of men in different ranks and           

employments1 and of different           
educations1 will perpetually be mistaken
 by each other2 and it cannot but be so1
 whilst they will judge with the utmost 
carelessness1 as they daily do1 of what 
they are not perhaps enough informed to 
be competent judges of1 even though they
 considered it with great               
attention4--,nature of ,virtue1 fin4    
,these last words seem in a measure to  
answer to the words in ,scavini1 that an
 equivocation is permissible1 because   
then we do not deceive our neighbour1   
but allow him to deceive himself4 ,in   
thus speaking1 ,i have not the slightest
 intention of saying anything           
disrespectful to ,bishop ,butler2 and   
still less of course to ,st4 ,alfonso4  
,and a third author1 for whom ,i have a 
great respect1 as different from the    
above two as they are from each other1  
bears testimony to the same effect in   
his ,comment on ,scripture1 ,thomas     
,scott4 ,he maintains indeed that ,ehud 
and ,jael were divinely directed in what

 they did2 but they could have no divine
 direction for what was in itself wrong4
  ,thus on ,judges iii4 #ae-ba3  ',and  
,ehud said1 ,i have a secret errand unto
 thee1 ,o king2 ,i have a message from  
,god unto thee1 and ,ehud thrust the    
dagger into his belly4' ,ehud1 indeed1  
says ,scott1 had a secret errand1 a     
message from ,god unto him2 but it was  
of a far different nature than ,eglon   
expected4  ,and again on ,judges iv4    
#ah-ba3  ',and ,jael said1 ,turn in1 my 
lord1 fear not4 ,and he said to her1    
,when any man doth inquire1 ,is there   
any man here8 thou shalt say1 ,no4 ,then
 ,jael took a nail1 and smote the nail  
into his temple4' ,jael1 says ,scott1 is
 not said to have promised ,sisera that 
she would deny his being there2 she     
would give him shelter and refreshment1 
but not utter a falsehood to oblige him4
  ,footnotes  #f ,mendacium est         
petulanter1 aut cupiditate nocendi1     
aliud loqui1 seu gestu significare1 et  
aliud sentire4  #g ,mentiris ut medicus4

     ,,postscriptum  ,june #d1 #ahfd    
,while ,i was engaged with these        
concluding pages1 ,i received another of
 those special encouragements1 which    
from several quarters have been bestowed
 upon me1 since my controversy began4   
,it was the extraordinary honour done me
 of an address from the clergy of this  
large diocese1 who had been assembled   
for the ,synod4  ,it was followed two   
days afterwards by a most gracious      
testimonial from my ,bishop1 ,dr4       
,ullathorne1 in the shape of a letter   
which he wrote to me1 and also inserted 
in the ,birmingham papers4 ,with his    
leave ,i transfer it to my own volume1  
as a very precious document1 completing 
and recompensing1 in a way most grateful
 to my feelings1 the anxious work which 
has occupied me so fully for nearly ten 
weeks4  ,bishop's ,house1 ,june #b1     
#ahfd4  ,my dear ,dr4 ,newman1--,it was 
with warm gratification that1 after the 
close of the ,synod yesterday1 ,i       
listened to the ,address presented to   

you by the clergy of the diocese1 and to
 your impressive reply4 ,but ,i should  
have been little satisfied with the part
 of the silent listener1 except on the  
understanding with myself that ,i also  
might afterwards express to you my own  
sentiments in my own way4  ,we have now 
been personally acquainted1 and much    
more than acquainted1 for nineteen      
years1 during more than sixteen of which
 we have stood in special relation of   
duty towards each other4 ,this has been 
one of the singular blessings which ,god
 has given me amongst the cares of the  
,episcopal office4 ,what my feelings of 
respect1 of confidence1 and of affection
 have been towards you1 you know well1  
nor should ,i think of expressing them  
in words4 ,but there is one thing that  
has struck me in this day of            
explanations1 which you could not1 and  
would not1 be disposed to do1 and which 
no one could do so properly or so       
authentically as ,i could1 and which it 
seems to me is not altogether uncalled  

for1 if every kind of erroneous         
impression that some persons have       
entertained with no better evidence than
 conjecture is to be removed4  ,it is   
difficult to comprehend how1 in the face
 of facts1 the notion should ever have  
arisen that1 during your ,catholic life1
 you have been more occupied with your  
own thoughts than with the service of   
religion and the work of the ,church4   
,if we take no other work into          
consideration beyond the written        
productions which your ,catholic pen has
 given to the world1 they are enough for
 the life's labour of another4 ,there   
are the ,lectures on ,anglican          
,difficulties1 the ,lectures on         
,catholicism in ,england1 the great work
 on the ,scope and ,end of ,university  
,education1 that on the ,office and     
,work of ,universities1 the ,lectures   
and ,essays on ,university ,subjects1   
and the two ,volumes of ,sermons2 not to
 speak of your contributions to the     
,atlantis1 which you founded1 and to    

other periodicals2 then there are those 
beautiful offerings to ,catholic        
literature1 the ,lectures on the ,turks1
 ,loss and ,gain1 and ,callista1 and    
though last1 not least1 the ,apologia1  
which is destined to put many idle      
rumours to rest1 and many unprofitable  
surmises2 and yet all these productions 
represent but a portion of your labour1 
and that in the second half of your     
period of public life4  ,these works    
have been written in the midst of labour
 and cares of another kind1 and of which
 the world knows very little4 ,i will   
specify four of these undertakings1 each
 of a distinct character1 and any one of
 which would have made a reputation for 
untiring energy in the practical order4 
,the first of these undertakings was the
 establishment of the congregation of   
the ,oratory of ,st4 ,philip ,neri--that
 great ornament and accession to the    
force of ,english ,catholicity4 ,both   
the ,london and the ,birmingham ,oratory
 must look to you as their founder and  

as the originator of their              
characteristic excellences2 whilst that 
of ,birmingham has never known any other
 presidency4  ,no sooner was this work  
fairly on foot than you were called by  
the highest authority to commence       
another1 and one of yet greater         
magnitude and difficulty1 the founding  
of a ,university in ,ireland4 ,after the
 ,universities had been lost to the     
,catholics of these kingdoms for three  
centuries1 everything had to be begun   
from the beginning3 the idea of such an 
institution to be inculcated1 the plan  
to be formed that would work1 the       
resources to be gathered1 and the staff 
of superiors and professors to be       
brought together4 ,your name was then   
the chief point of attraction which     
brought these elements together4 ,you   
alone know what difficulties you had to 
conciliate and what to surmount1 before 
the work reached that state of          
consistency and promise1 which enabled  
you to return to those responsibilities 

in ,england which you had never laid    
aside or suspended4 ,and here1 excuse me
 if ,i give expression to a fancy which 
passed through my mind4  ,i was lately  
reading a poem1 not long published1 from
 the ,,mss4 ,de ,rerum ,natura1 by      
,neckham1 the foster-brother of ,richard
 the ,lion-hearted4 ,he quotes an old   
prophecy1 attributed to ,merlin1 and    
with a sort of wonder1 as if            
recollecting that ,england owed so much 
of its literary learning to that        
country2 and the prophecy says that     
after long years ,oxford will pass into 
,ireland--',vada boum suo tempore       
transibunt in ,hiberniam4' ,when ,i read
 this1 ,i could not but indulge the     
pleasant fancy that in the days when the
 ,dublin ,university shall arise in     
material splendour1 an allusion to this 
prophecy might form a poetic element in 
the inscription on the pedestal of the  
statue which commemorates its first     
,rector4  ,the original plan of an      
oratory did not contemplate any         

parochial work1 but you could not       
contemplate so many souls in want of    
pastors without being prompt and ready  
at the beck of authority to strain all  
your efforts in coming to their help4   
,and this brings me to the third and the
 most continuous of those labours to    
which ,i have alluded4 ,the mission in  
,alcester ,street1 its church and       
schools1 were the first work of the     
,birmingham ,oratory4 ,after several    
years of close and hard work1 and a     
considerable call upon the private      
resources of the ,fathers who had       
established this congregation1 it was   
delivered over to other hands1 and the  
,fathers removed to the district of     
,edgbaston1 where up to that time       
nothing ,catholic had appeared4 ,then   
arose under your direction the large    
convent of the ,oratory1 the church     
expanded by degrees into its present    
capaciousness1 a numerous congregation  
has gathered and grown in it2 poor      
schools and other pious institutions    

have grown up in connection with it1    
and1 moreover1 equally at your expense  
and that of your brethren1 and1 as ,i   
have reason to know1 at much            
inconvenience1 the ,oratory has relieved
 the other clergy of ,birmingham all    
this while by constantly doing the duty 
in the poor-house and gaol of           
,birmingham4  ,more recently still1 the 
mission and the poor school at          
,smethwick owe their existence to the   
,oratory4 ,and all this while the       
founder and father of these religious   
works has added to his other solicitudes
 the toil of frequent preaching1 of     
attendance in the confessional1 and     
other parochial duties4  ,i have read on
 this day of its publication the seventh
 part of the ,apologia1 and the touching
 allusion in it to the devotedness of   
the ,catholic clergy to the poor in     
seasons of pestilence reminds me that   
when the cholera raged so dreadfully at 
,bilston1 and the two priests of the    
town were no longer equal to the number 

of cases to which they were hurried day 
and night1 ,i asked you to lend me two  
fathers to supply the place of other    
priests whom ,i wished to send as a     
further aid4 ,but you and ,father ,st4  
,john preferred to take the place of    
danger which ,i had destined for others1
 and remained at ,bilston till the worst
 was over4  ,the fourth work which ,i   
would notice is one more widely known4  
,i refer to the school for the education
 of the higher classes1 which at the    
solicitation of many friends you have   
founded and attached to the ,oratory4   
,surely after reading this bare         
enumeration of work done1 no man will   
venture to say that ,dr4 ,newman is     
leading a comparatively inactive life in
 the service of the ,church4  ,to spare1
 my dear ,dr4 ,newman1 any further      
pressure on those feelings with which ,i
 have already taken so large a liberty1 
,i will only add one word more for my   
own satisfaction4 ,during our long      
intercourse there is only one subject on

 which1 after the first experience1 ,i  
have measured my words with some        
caution1 and that has been where        
questions bearing on ecclesiastical duty
 have arisen4 ,i found some little      
caution necessary1 because you were     
always so prompt and ready to go even   
beyond the slightest intimation of my   
wish or desires4  ,that ,god may bless  
you with health1 life1 and all the      
spiritual good which you desire1 you and
 your brethren of the ,oratory1 is the  
earnest prayer now and often of1 my dear
 ,dr4 ,newman1 your affectionate friend 
and faithful servant in ,christ1   ,w4  
,b4 ,,ullathorne4