U-: 0^ ^ ■^ai' ; ^ a^ -7^ Second Edition, in fcp. 8vo. price 6s. cloth, LECTURES ox THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. By the Eev. II. II. DICKIXSON, D.D. VicAU OF St. Axx's, Dublin, AXD First Chaplain- to His Excellexcy tui-; Lord LiKL:ri:N-AN-T. [Examining Chaplain to His Grace the J ate Archbiiliop of Dublin. 1 'As a brief, sensible, and spirited work, it is well calculated to give niiddlc-i'lass readers and young persons such information upon the Trayer J5uok as will lead tlieni to use it more intidligently, and to value it more. It is conipreliensivo and discriminatin!;, and not only give.n useful liisioi-ieal and liturgieal notes, but explains many expressions which are misunderstood, or are perverted by extreme ^n^:■n on either side." lixGLISH CHriU'H:MAN. bMii.lon: L0XG31AXS, Cl^EllN, :ind CO. rat'.n-noster Ro'.v. WHATELY'S LIFE AND COEEESPONDENCE. VOL. I. LONDON rulSTED I!Y SroTTlSWOODE AND CO KEW STliEKT Sl^L'AUE \r^ ^^Ztyjl^ .Jt:^ LIFE AND CORRESrONDENCE OF PtlCnARD WHATELY, D.D. LATE ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN. I)Y E. JANE- WIIATELY AUTIIOn VV 'ENGUSII SYNONYMS.' IN TWO VOLl'^r KS. — VOiA'MK I. LONDON : T. N ( J .Al A N S, ( i II E K N, AND C O. Th> ,i.-hl • I fi-in .-hdir:, ■, rc'iric ': PREFACE. In bringing the Memoir of my father before the pubhr, I do it witli a full consciousness of the disadvantages under which a Biography, compiled by one standing in so near a relation to its subject, must necessarily labour. A portrait taken from so close a point of view, though it may contain more of delicate and minute touches than one taken at a distance, can never be so complete as a whole ; and any attempt to keep this circumstance out of sight, by writing as a stranger, would have destroyed the truthfuhiess of the portrait without adding to its completeness. The only way in which tins disadvantai^e could be at all obviated, was by leaving the subject ol' the MeuKMr, as far as possible, to speak for himself; and although he left neither diary nor aut()biogra})hy, the mass of corre.'ipondence in my hands has enabled me in a considerable measure to effect this object. Ill the difficult task of supplying the gaps left by the conHspondence iu literary and political history c'C'C. I havr I'cceived most im[)ortaiit aid from Herman Merivale. Es(j., VI PREFACE. to whose valuable services in revising and preparing the whole Work for the press I am greatly indebted. The additions wliich he has made to the Narrative are distinguished throughout by an asterisk at the beginning and end of each passage. To tliose kind friends wlio have contributed portions of correspondence and personal recollections to the Work, I desire here to express my most grateful thanks. E. J. WlIATELY. Brighton : May 1 866. CONTENTS THE FIRST VOLUME. CIIAPTEll I. 1787—1821. I lis Parcntag-c and Birth — Premature Development of bis Tastes for Mathematics and Castle-building — His Scliool Days — Keeps a Com- monplace ]5ook — His Absence of !Mind early displayed — His Intellec- tual Characteristics — Enters Oriel College, Oxford — Influence of Dr. Copleston — Takes his Degrees — His Habits of Intimacy with his Pupils, and Early Friendships — Reminiscences of his Pupils — Ordained Deacon inl814,and first Public Preaching — Bishop Hinds' Ilecollections of "Whately, and Int<;re8ting Anecdotes — Dialogue in a Stage-coach •\vith a Roman Catholic Farmer — Visits the Continent, and passes tlio Winter in Portugal with his Sisters — Resumes his College Duties on his return — His Mode of Teaching — Reminiscences of the Rev. R. N. Boultbee — A Table Anecdote page 1 CHAPTER II. 1821—1828. Commencement of his active literarj- Career — A Contributor to the • En- cycloprt'dia Mrtropolitana ' — His * Historic Doubts respecting Napoleon Buonaparte ' ami other "Works — His Marriage — Api)oiiited IJiuujiton Lecturer — Removes to Ilaleswortli — Illness of Mrs. \Vliat<'ly — Takes his D.I)., and is appointed Principal of Alban Hall— Literary Soeiely at Oxford — Tle>(on — Hi- plan for Educating liis Children — Sir Robert Peel and ('ntliolic l>niiUicii);iliou — Supports Sir Robert, which lead:- to a breach wiih lii • iii CONTENTS OF early friends — Rupture with Dr. Newman — Elected Professor of Political Economy — Letter on School-house Lectures — Letter to Bishop of Llandaff — Passing of the Catholic Emancipation Bill — Interests himself for the Pe-election of Sir R. Peel — Publishes the * Errors of Romanism.' — Letter on National Distress — Letter on University Examinations — Proposal for gradual Abolition of Slavery PAGE 57 CHAPTER IV. 1831. Ijctttr to Mr. Senior on Parliamentary Reform — Letter to tlie same on forming a I'olitical Economy Society — -His Appointment to the See of Dublin — Various Opinions respecting his Elevation — Appeal's at a Levee without his Order — Climbing Feats of his Dog — Dissatisfaction at his Elevation — Speech of the Bishop of Exeter — Dr. Whately's Opinions respecting the Fourtli Commandment — Letter to Bishop of LLxndafi' on his Appointment to the Primacy— Letter to Lady Mary Sheplierd — Starts for Dublin — Attacked by a Birmingham Mob — Narrow Escape at Holyhead. .......... 87 CHAPTER V. 1832. State of Protestant Church in Ireland — Question of Tithes — Arrives at Dublin — Enters on hisOthcial Duties — His Hospitable Reccptiou— His Comitry-house at Redesdale — Anecdote of his Rustic Life — His simple Tastes and Pursuits — Apportions his Time— Letter to Lord-Lieutenant on Tithes — Letter to Bishop of Llandaff on State of Ireland— His First Charge, and consequent Exposure to Public Obloquy— I^etter to Dr. I'usey on National .ludgments — Establishment of National Educa- tion System — Renewed Hostility to the Archbishop and his Measures — Founds a Professorship of Political Economy — Speech at the forma- tion of the Statistical Society — His "Weekly Ivcvces — Anecdotes of liis Confirmation Tours — His Monthly Dinners — Anecdotes of his Contro- versiul Powers, and of his Eiforts to Suppress Mendicancy — Letter to Mr. Senior on Transportation — Letter to Earl fJrey on Cliurch matters — Letter to Mr. Senior on Ecclesiastical Government — Letter to Earl Grey on same subject- Letter to I>ishop of Llandalf en the Reform Bill — Letters to Miss Crabtree — Letter to Mr. Senior on Secondary Punishments — Letter to the Hon. Mr. Stanley on curtailing a Clergyman's Salary — I^etter to Bit^hop of IJandafl' on I'uiver.'-ity matters — Letter to Lord (i rev on Church Keform — His Opinions on Secondary I'unishments — Letter to Sir T. Penman on same subject. / "llr, THE FIKST VOIJJME. ix CHAPTER VI. 1833. Rev. J. Blanco White resides with the Archbisliop, and is appointed Tutor to the Archbisliop's Family — Letter to Mr. IJadeley <>n the Clerical Society — Letter to Mi.s.s Crahtree — Letter to the Howard Society on the Penalty of Death — Letter to the Anti-Slavery Society — Letter to Mr. Senior — Takes his Seat iu I'arlianient — Speeches on Irish Education and Lish Emancipation — Letter to Bishop of Llandafl" on the Church Temporalities ]iill — Notes on same Subject — Retire- ment of ])r. Hinds, and Appointment of Dr. Dickinson as his Suc- cessor — Associated with Archbishop Murray in Commission of Liquiry on Irish Poor — His independent Conduct — Letter to Mr. Stanley (ni the Establishment of a Divinity Colle<,fe — Letter to Mr. Hull on Church A Hairs — Letter to a Friend on Relipous Dilliculties — Letter to a Youii^' Clergynum — Fragment on the Sabbath (Question . . pmsv: 178 CHAPTER VII. 1834—18:3.5. I>etter to Mr. Senior on a 'Statistical Dictionary' — Letter to Bishop of J^landalV on th(> Divinity College — Letters to' Rev. J. E. Tyler and Dr. Blomfield illustrative of his Magnanimity — Letter to I''arl (Jrey on L'niversity Reform — Letter to Dr. Hawkins on Church Matters — His tender Regard for the Feelings of ^len — Letters to and from Dr. Newman respecting their Dill'erences of Opinion on Church matters — Paper on Church Temporalities Bill — Letters to Mr. Senior on Church Atl'airs, ^c. — Mr. Blanco White, embracing Socinian Mews, ri'tires from the Archbisliop's Family — (xrief on this ac- couiii niiUiifested bv the Archbishop, who subsefjuentlv pensions Mr. W])ite . . ' ' . .21} C1IAI'T1:P \ III. 183.-'). Letters to Rev. .7. Blanco White on his L'nitarian \'iews, and cnti- sef£ueul Secessiuu from the Church ...... L'oO CITAITEK IX. is;;.-,. Vi.-it> 'ruiibrid-v Wdls— Letter to Mr. Senior on Tithes and Chureii i'r()j)eity -Oil I'uljlic Pknlges -Letter lo Man^uis of W.dlesley on Cliiuvli -Matters— Litirr to .Mr. Smior — Letter to Lord .Mrjl.ourne on National F.ducatioii — Letters to Mr. Senior. I'vrc.. on CInireh and vol., I il X CONTEXTS OF State Questions — Report of a Conversation with the Archhishop on various Subjects — Letter to Mr. Senior on the Tithes Bill — Letter to Lord Melbourne on Tithes — Letter to Mr. Carlisle on the Sabbath Question — Letter to a Friend ...... page 290 CHAPTER X. 1830. Visit of Dr. Arnold — Letters to Lord Stanley on Church Affairs in Ire- land — Pressed by Mr. Senior to exchange for an English Bishopric — Letter to Mr. Senior on same Subject— His Views on the Importance of Moral over Intellectual Education — Letter to Bishop of Llandaff on the Irish Church — Letter to Rev. J. Tyler on Ncutralify in case of I3r. Hampden — Letter to Mr. Senior — Letter to Bisliop of Llandaff on University Examinations— Letter to Mr. Senior on various SuTyects connected with Church and State ...... o42 CHAPTER XI. 1837. Letter to a Clergyman on Religion — Letters to Rev. .1. Tyler on Invoca- tion of Saints, &c. — Letter to Dr. Dickinson — Letters to Bishop of Xorwich on Irish Church Questions, &c. — Letter on * Evidences of Christianity ' — Letter to Blanco AVhite, and generous Concern for his Welfare — Letter to Dr. Dickinson on Abolition of Superfluous ( )atbs — Letter to Lord John Russell — Letter to a Lady on State of Ireland- Table Talk : on Tractarianism — Letter to Mr. Senior on Colonisation — His Views on the Government Poor-law Measure for Ireland — Letters to Mr. Senior on same Subject — Petition to the (^ueen on Administra- tion of Oaths by Chancellor of the Order of St. Patrick . , 309 CHAPTER XII. 1838. Letter to Dr. Arnold on the London University — Letter to ^Ir. Sfiiior on Colonising New Zealand, &c. — Letter on various Subjects — His Practice regarding Anonymous Letters — Revisits Oxford — Letter to Mr. Senior — Letter to Bishop of Norwich — Letter to Mr. Senior on Irish Education — Misrepresentations from the Stationery Oilice and others respecting the Education Board ..... 408 CHAPTER XIII. 1830. Letters to Rev. Baden Powell on his "Work ' Tradition Unveilfd ' — Letters to Mr. Senior on Irish Education, Relief, i.K:c. — Letter to Pev. THE FIRST VOLUME. xi Dr. Dickinson — Starts on a Continental Tour — Visits the I'ieUl of Waterloo — Conversation with the Kin','' of tlio Belgians — Letter to ])r. Dicliinson oi^ Switzerland and Italy — Maiies the Acquaintance of M. Sit^niondi — Letter to Mr. Senior on ' Travelling- ' — Disappointed at the Failure of his Scheme for a new Divinity College — Misrepresenta- tions of the Scheme — Returns to Dublin — Letters to Mr. Senior on various Subjects — L'rged by his Friends to attend Parliament — Letter on the Subject — Letter to Miss Crabtree— Madame Fabre translates the 'Lessons on the Evidences of Christianity' — Letter to M. Fabre on the Translation I'Agk 422 CHAPTER XIV. 1840. Letter to Dr. Hinds on ' Tradition,' &c. — Letter to Bishop of LlandaO" — Attends Parliament — Letters to Mr. Senior on his I'arlianu'ntarv Attendance — Letters to Dr. Dickinson — Introduced to M. Guizot — Letter to a Clergyman soliciting for a Parish — Hints to Transcenden- talists — Visits Tenby — Letter to Dr. Hinds on Church History — Renewed Intercourse -with M. Sismondi — Letter to Mr. Senior — I^etter to Lady Osborne on her Praying for the Archbishop — Appoint- ment of Dr. Dickinson to the Bishopric of Meath — Letter to Bishop of Norwich — Letter on the Elevation of Dr. Dickinson — Dissolut'.on of Parliament — Letter to Mr. Senior — Letter to Bishop of Norwich — Letter to Dr. Hinds on ' Absolution ' and on Fairy Tales — Letter of Advice to One troubled with Religious Ditliculties . . . 444 CHAPTER XV. 1841. Letter to Mr. Senior on the Merits of Two Anonymous Personages — Letter to Bishop of Llaudair — Letter to Miss Crabtree on a Mathematical (Question — Accident to Mrs. Whately — Letter to J)ishop of Llandaff — Letter to Mr. Senior on 'Tract No. iU) ' — Interview with Dr. Pusey — Death of liis I'riend Blanco AMiile — Msits ]']nis Avitli liis Family — Letter to Dr. West — Letter to Bisliop of Norwich — Returns to Ire- land — Letter to Mr. Senior on Irish ]']ducation — Letter on same Subject ........... 477 TO THE BINDER. Portrait of Archbishop Whately, from the"! ^^.^^^^..^^^^ ^^ y^^_ j Picture by C. Smith, R.II.A. . . J Portrait of Archbishop Whately, from f^} j.yontispiece to Vol. II. PhotoirraDh bv Mason . . . .J LIFE AND REMAINS ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. CIIAPTEPi I. 1787— ]S21. His parciitngt^ nnd liirlli — Pivnialun' (U'vcliipnicnt of liis tastes for iiiatlioniatics ami cast le-Luildiiig— His scliool days — Keeps a ('oiuiiioiiplace IJonk — His absence of mind early displayed — His intellectual characteristics — Enters Oriel College, Oxford — Intiii- ence of ])r. Copleston — Takes his degrees — His habits of intimacy "with his pupils, and early friendships — Iteminiscences of his pupils — Ordained deacon in 1814, and lirst public preaching — IJishop Hinds' recollections of [Mr. AVliately, and interesting anecdotes — Dialogue in a stage-coach -with a IJoman Catholic farmer— Visits the Continent, and passes the winter in Portugal -with his sisters- Resumes his college duties on his return — His mode of teaching — Reminiscences of tlie IJev. li. ^«'. ISoullbee — A taljle anecdote. Till-: SUIUKCT of tills mcinoir was the youngest of tlie nine eliildreii of tlie liev. Dr. Josepli A\']iatel3% of Xonsiicli Tark, Surrey, and rrebendary of I^ristol — tilso \"R'ar of Widford, and Lectiii-er at Greshani College. Before ])ro- ceeding to detail liis ])ersonal liistoiy, a few words re- speeting Lis family may not be out ol' })lacc. The A\diately famil}^ numbered in its aneestry some ])ersons of note; among them was the famous '])ainl'id ])rea('her' of jtan- buiy, a ])uritan divine of some eminence, whose Treati-e on the Xew Birth is still extant. VOI>. 1. B 2 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1787 The father of Dr. Joseph Wlmtely connected himself by marriage with the Thompson family, of which Lord Haversham^ was the head, and some members of which had been distinguished, on the side of the Paiiiament, in the civil wars. His wife appears to have been a remark- able woman ; her portrait by Eomney, now in the pos- session of one of her great-grandsons, gives the impres- sion of a mind of no ordinary stamp ; and she was regarded by her children with deep reverence. She had three sons. *One of them (Thomas) was private secretary and confidential friend to George Grenville, and afterwards Under-Secretary of State, M.P. for Castle Eising, and (to use the singular title of his office given in the ' Gentleman's Magazine ') ' Keeper of His Majesty's private Eoads, and Guide to the Eoyal Person in all Pro- gresses.' It was He to whom Hutchinson and Oliver addressed from Massachusetts those celebrated letters which got, by unfair means, into the hands of Franklin, and produced so great an effect at the outbreak of American discontent. On his death, in 1772, his brother William became lawful owner of these papers, and thought himself obliged to fight a duel with Mr. John Temple on account of them.^ Thomas Whately was the author of an 'Essay on Modern Gardening' (1770), of which tlie Archbishop says that he believes him to have been ' the eai^liest writer on the subject. From his work subsequent writers have borrowed largely, and generally without acknowledgement. The French poet De Lille, however, in his poem " Des Jardins," does acknowledge him his master.'^ He also wrote 'Eemarks on some of ' Sir John Thompson, Bart., created Baron Ilaversham, Bucks, in 1G96. Extinct in liis son, 174-5. * See Lord Stanliope's 'History of England,' c. 50, ^ 'Annotations on Bacon,' Essay xlvi., 'On Gardeis.' ^T. 1] HIS TARENTAGE AND BIRTH. 3 the Characters in Shakspeare,' re-edited by tlic Arcli- bishop.' Dr. Joseph Whately (tlie third) was married to Miss Jane Pkuner, one of tlie tliree daugliters of W. rhuncr, Esq., of Gilston, and also of Blakesware Park, Herts. This hist, an ancient dower-house, where the widow of Mr. rhniier resided with her dau":hters, is interestintj from tlie notice of it in Charles Lamb's Essays. Lamb's grandmother, Mrs. Field, was the housekeeper, and every reader of ' Elia ' will remember the allusions in it to early recollections of this place, now pulled down. Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Whately were the parents of nine children, five daughters and four sons, all of whom lived to maturity, and most of them to old age. The eldest son, William, was early engaged in business, afterwards turned his attention to law, married late in life, and died without children a few years after. The second, Thomas, was appointed to the living of Cookham, near Maidenhead, and afterwards to Chetwynd in Shrop- shire ; he married a sister of Charles first Earl of Cotten- liam, and survived his brother Eichard only six months, dying at the age of ninety-one, and leaving a numerous family. Tlie third, Joseph Thompson, married an heiress, the daugliter of T. Ilalsey, Esq., of Gaddesden, Herts, took tlie name of his wife, and died in 1818, leaving four children. Of the five daughters, the eldest died in the ])rinie of life; the fourth and only surviving one is the widow of the late Sir David Barry,^ an eminent physician ; the three others died unmarried at an advanced age. Eichard, the youngest child, was born on the 1st of • //. M. 1 Lady ])aiTy died on August 17tli, IbGG, -wLile this ^vurli was giiinjr tlirtniji-h tlio pn.'ss. 4 LIFE OF ArtCIIBISIIOP WHATELY, [1793 February 1787, in Cavendish Square, at the house of his maternal uncle, Mr. Phnner, then M.P. for Hertford- shire. His birth took place six years after that of tlie next youngest child, when the family had been long sup- posed complete, and the ' nursery ' in the house had ceased to exist. The arrival of the new-comer was an unlooked-for and scarcely a welcome event. He was feeble in healtli, and his slight and puny appearance must have strangely contrasted with tlie powerful, tall, and well-pro- portioned form of his maturer age. His friends have often heard him remark, tliat the earliest event of his life was his beino' weighed asainst a turkey, to the advantaire CDC J ' <- of the bird ; and that he never in childhood knew what a really healthy appetite was ; the sensation of hunger was to him somethinfj ncAv and strano;e, when he first felt it as a boy of eleven or twelve. In disposition he was shy, timid, and retiring ; he knew little of the high spirits and playfulness of early childhood, and tlie society of children of his own age was actually distasteful to liim. From all company he shrank with a nervous dread ; and would often in after-life express wonder at the pleasure which children and young people usually take in social intercourse, and the desire of notice which they manifest. In his own family he met with most attentive personal care from his elder sisters ; but none of his brothers were sufrieiently near him in age to be his companions, and his early tastes and pui'suits were not likely to meet with gene- ral sympathy or appreciaticni. He learned to read and write very early, and read with avidity ; but his great delight was in the observation of nature. He v/ould spend hoiu's in the garden, watching the habits of spiders, taming young ducklings, and carrying them in his hand to pick snails from the cabbages, learning to distinguish yEr. GJ Ills EARLY PASSION FOR FIGURES. o notes of birds, &c. And to the results of these early observations he would often allude in after-years. But his most remarkable early passion was for aritli- metic. In this he diplayed a singular precocity. At six years old he astonished his family by telling the celebrated Parkhurst, his father's near neighbour and in- timate friend, and a man of past sixty, how many minutes' he was old. His calculations were tested, and f(3iuid to be perfectly correct. But an extract from his Commou- ])lace Book will best give an idea of this curious episode in his early life. ' There certainly was,' he writes, ' something peculiar in my calculatuig faculty. It began to show itself be- tween five and six, and lasted about three years. One of the earliest things I can remember is the discovery of the difference between even and odd numbers, whose names I was hii>hly delighted to be told : I soon o-ot to do tlie most diflicult sums, always in my liead, for I knew nothing of figiuTS beyond ninneration, nor had I any names for the different processes I employed. But I believe my sums were cliiefly in multiplication, division, and tlie rule of three. lu this last point I believe I sur})assed the fa- mous American boy, though I did not, like liim, understand the extraction of roots. I did these sums nuicli quicker than any one could upon })aper, and I never remember committing the smallest error. I Avas engaged either in calculation or in castle-building (which I was also very {"ond oF) morning, noon, and night ; and was so absorbed as to I'un jigainst peo[)]e in the streets, Avith all the (»ther accidents of absent ])eo[)le. ' My father tried often, bnt in vain, to ti'ansfer my jsowcrs to written fignres ; and when I went to scliool, al which time the })assion was worn off, I ^vas a pertecL (huice ;il, cvi'lierinii;, and so have continued e\'er since. Thus was 6 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1790 I saved from being a Jedediah Buxton, by the amputation, as it were, of this overgrown faculty. For, valuable as it is in itself, it would have been a heavy loss to have it swallow up the rest. It was banished by a kind of ostra- cism, as the best of the Athenian citizens were, for the benefit of the community.' Thus far his own words. He has often remarked that he would at that time have been perfectly happy shut up in the Bastile, if permitted to follow his favourite pursuit undisturbed. At the time he went to school, which was at about nine years old, this passion died away, and, as he subsequently thought, he then learned arithmetic slowly and with diffi- culty. He always looked on himself as a dunce in that line, though the readiness with which he solved curious problems and arithmetical puzzles would often surprise and baffle first-class mathematicians. The clearness of his explanations of the j^rocesses of arithmetic was always remarkable ; but he was never distinguished as a mathe- matician at college. But the other taste which he alludes to in the frao-ment given above — that for ' castle-building' — remained, and became more fully developed. His were not the usual childish flights of fancy, but rather visionary speculations on a variety of abstract subjects, metaphysical, political, and ethical ; fancied schemes for ameliorating the world, ideal republics, &c. In those early days, wlien his absence of mind excited laugliter, and it would be, half pityingly, half contemptuously, prophesied by his friends tliat ]ie would ' never ]3e able to make his way in tlie world,' tlic mind of the boy was preoccupied with conjectures and speculations, which ]iave often found place in the 'Nvritings of philosophers of maturer age. He liimsclf has relato(l how, while still a cliild, it occurred to him that the con- ^T.d] SCHOOL DAYS. 7 sciousness of brutes must be analogous to that of liuniau beings in a dream, when the power of abstraction at plea- sure is gone. This view he confirmed in later life : but with regard to many theories of government, civilisation, &c. he was ac- customed to remark, ' I went through that when I was twelve ; such a system I thought out when I was thirteen or fourteen,' and so on. Ilis family afterwards regretted that he had not been sent to a public school ; but whether this would have suited his peculiar cast of mind so well as the training he was thus unconsciously giving himseli", may perhaps be doubted. At the age of nine he was sent to the school of a Mv. Philips, in the neiglibourhood of Bristol. This school in great measure determined the friendships and connections of his subsequent life. AYith one of his schoolfellows in particular (Mr. J. Parsons, afterwards son-in-law to Mr. Philips) he formed a close intimacy, which was only dissolved by death ; and through this early friend he was afterwards brou£:^lit into intimate relations with others who attended the same school after he left ; among the ])rincipal of tliese were IMr. E(jwe and Dr. Hinds. ]\[r. Pliilips's scliool was much resorted to by West In- dians, and tliis gave him a familiarity with the customs and habits of the West Indies, wliich oflen ap[)eared in liis conversation and writings. The smallest incident which tended to throw light on national peculiarities, (Tnnate, or institutions, had always a })eculiar interest for him, and was stored up in his memory from the time he heard it. Of his master he often spoke afterwards as remarkable for his personal inlluence over his ])U[)ils -an influeiiee wliieh did not spring from any extraordinary lalent. but iVoni some nameless p^)wer or (jualily in him, which 8 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1803-5 cortainly conduced in no small degree to the general good conduct and order of the school. In his Commonplace Book allusions will be found to his leading the sports of his companions ; but, on the whole, his school-life does not appear to have been a happy one. His thoughtful and meditative turn of mind was hardly fitted for ordinary schoolboy contact. Much of his leisure time was spent, as it had been at home, in solitary wanderings and observations in natural liistory ; he would delight in straying over a common near the playground, watching the habits of the sheep, and trying to tame them, and other similar occupations. At ten years old he lost his father, the one of his family best able to appreciate his powers and peculiar turn of mind. This early bereavement he always de]:)lored, and ever retained a lively recollection of conversations with his father, even at that early period. Mrs. Whately removed with her five daughters and youngest son to Bath, where she passed the remainder of her life. Of the period just preceding his entrance into college scarcely any records remain. His habits of solitary reflection and his interest in natural science appear to have been the same all along. Of fishing he was par- ticularly fond. Throughout life, he retained his love for active exercise in the open air. His only surviving sister recollects another trait — the kind and unselfish conside- ration v/hicli madcliim, tlien and later, take pains to])ro- cure her horses and to ride with her, horse exercise being recommended for her health. Though a most acute and watcliful observer, whore any princi])le was to be illustrated or induction niiule, he saw little at otlier times of wliat passed around him. His mind was eminently conceiitrative, and he often yEr, 10-18] DEFICIENCY IN CURIOSITY. 9 remarked in later life that, inconvenient as tins habit was to him, ho still owed everything in life to it. It enabled him to bring all his mental powers to bear on the subject before him, but, on the other hand, it made the operation of turning from one topic to anotlier more intensely and painfully difTicult ; and thus naturally pro- duced the absence of mind referred to, which was one of his most remarkable characteristics, especially in the earlier period of his life. *He speaks with regret, in his Commonplace Book (1812), of his deficiency in tlie quality which he terms Curiosity. ' By this means,' he says, ' I believe I lose more amusement, and sulTer more inconvenience, than if I was indifTerent to many dignified and excellent subjects of enquiry which I delight in. I have no relish for ordinary chat, which consists in the reciprocal gratification of the above passion ; nor, conse- quently, for the company of a great part of the world, who have little to say that has anything but novelty to recommend it. It gives me no pleasure to be told who is dead, and who married, and what wages my neighbour gives his servants. Then, for the inconvenience, I am ignorant of the streets, and shops, and neighbouring villages of the town where I live. I very often know a man, without being able to tell any more about his couutiy, family, etc., tlian if he had dropt from the skies. Xor do I even know, unless I enquire and examine diligently, and with design, how far it is from one place to anothei', what hour the coach starts, or what ])lace^ it passes through. I am fref[uently forced to evade ([IK's- lions in a most awkward manner, from not daring to own, nor indeeil able to convince any one ol", my own incrctli- ble ignorance. If I had had no micle or aunt, I -huuM, pi'ol)ahly,have been ignoranlof my nu )tht'r"> maiden nMnic' These [)refat(jry remarks may serve U) inlroduee ihe 10 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1803-5 reader to a few of those peculiar characteristics of his mind and of his labours, which will be more fully developed in the course of the correspondence now laid before him. From the beginning, and emphatically, Whately was a thinker. His favourite authors were few : Aristotle, Thu- cydides, Bacon, Bishop Butler, Warburton, Adam Smith ; these were, perhaps, his principal intimates among great writers ; and it will be easily seen that they are among the most 'suggestive;' among those who could furnish the most ready texts on which his ruminating powers might be expended. But one unavoidable result of this compa- rative want of reading, in one who thought and Avrote so much, was, that he continually stumbled upon the thoughts of others, and reproduced them in perfect honesty as his own. This was one of his characteristics through life. It is singular to read one of his early critics^ commenting on his tendency to reproduce the ' commonplace of other writers, not unfrequently, without any apparent consciousness of their ever having seen the light before ;' while one of his latest, Mr. Stuart Mill, speaking of his philosophical investigations, says that ' of all persons in modern times, entitled to the name of philosophers, the two, probably, whose reading Avas the scantiest, in proportion to their intellectual capacity, where Archbishop AVhately and Dr. Brown. But though indolent readers they were both of them active and fertile thinkers.' * 'Activity and fertility were certainly, beyond all others, the cliaractcristics of Whately's intellect. As in the early school and Oxford days, of which we are now writing, so down to his latest times, the daily occii])ation of iiis brain was to seize on some notion of wliat lie considered a practical order, l)elongiiig to any one of the various ^ 'Brilijli Cdlic,' i&2ti, on Lid * Diliicultioc of .St. i'aul.' yEr. 10-18] INTELLECTUAL CHARACTERISTICS. 11 subjects with which his mind occupied itself; to follow it out to its minutest ramifications, and to bring it home with him, turned from the mere germ into the complete production. And this perpetual ' chopping logic with himself ' he carried on not less copiously when his usually soUtary walks were enlivened by companionship. His talk was rather didactic than controversial ; which naturally rendered his company unpopular with some, wliile it gave him the mastery over other spirits of a different mould. ' His real object, or his original objects,' writes one of his earliest and ablest friends, ' was to get up clearly and beat out his ideas for his own use. Thus he wrote his books. Mr. E., lately dead, who was junior to Whately as a fellow of Oriel, told me that, in one of his walks with him, he was so overcome by Whately 's recurrence, in conversation, to topics which he had already on former occasions insisted on, that he stopped short, and said, " Why, Whately, you said all this to me the other day :" to which Whately replied to the effect tliat he woidd not be the worse for hearing it many times over.' * In the company of a few chosen friends he dehglited; but tlie intercourse witli general society, and tlie ordinary routine of a town life, were to liim irksome in the extreme. He was tlien, and even later, most painfully shy ; and the Avell-meant efforts of his friends to correct this defect, by constantly reminding him of tlie impression lie was likely to make on others, served to increase the evil they Avere intended to combat. In the ])nges of his Commoiij)l:i('e j'ook he records how at last he determined to make a bold effort, and care nothing for what others miglit be thinking of him ; and, to use his own words, ' if he must be a bear, to be at k'ast as unconscious as a bi'ar.' And the ellbrt succeeded. ^Jdic shyness passed awav ; and though his inaiiners might have still a certain abruptnos 12 LIFE OF AECIIBISnOP WIIATELY. [1805 and peculiarity about them, the distressing consciousness which made hfe a misery was gone. That this was no trifling hindrance removed from his path, was attested by his frequent emphatic remark in later years : ' If there were no life but the present, the kindest thing that one could do for an intensely shy youth would be to shoot him through the head ! ' * ' He could be most touchingly gentle in his manner,' says an old friend, ' to those whom he liked ; but I recollect a lady saying she would not for the world be his wife, from the way in which she liad seen him put Mrs. Whately' (the object, all his life, of his strongest affection) ' into a carriage.' * In 1805 he entered Oriel College, Oxford. That col- lege was then, and for some years afterwards, tlie most distinguished in the Avhole University. Dr. Copleston, afterwards Dean of Chester and Eishop of Llandaff, who was a college tutor at Oriel at the time of his entrance, and subsequently became Provost, was one of those who most eminently contributed to raise the cha- racter of his college to the height it retained during the early part of this century. To Eichard Whately, whose intellectual life had hitherto been so entirely solitary, the lectures and converse of Dr. Copleston were like a new spring of life. For the first time he found himself brought into immediate communi- cation with one who could enter into his aspirations, and draw out the latent powers of his mind. And under that new and genial influence tlie young student's powers ex- panded hke a plant in sunshine. Often lias he described ill after-life those lectures wliich Avere to form the turn- ing-point in Jiis intellectual career. As Copleston's pene- trating eye glanced round the lecture-room in search of an answering and understanding look, it rested with satis- faction on the one pupil who was ahvays sure to be eagerly yEr.lSJ JNFLUENCE OF DIl. COrLESTON. 13 (Iriuking in his every word. The Archbishop often dwelt on the tlirill of pleasure with which he heard the lirst words of calm discriminating commendation of his theme from his tutor's lips : ' That is well, Mi\ Whately ; I see you understand it.' *The iniluence which these two men reciprocally ex- ercised on each other was very great, and to a certain extent coloured the subsequent lives of both. Bishop Copleston was more the man of the world of the two. J kit in him, mider a polished and somewhat artilicial sfholariike exterior, and an appearance of even over- strained caution, there lurked not only nuich energy of mind and precision of judgment, but a strong tendency to liberalism in Church and State, and superiority to ordinary fears and prejudices. It was in this direction that he especially trained Whately 's character ; while he learnt to admire, if too staid to imitate, the imcompro- mising boldness and thorough freedom from partisanship of the younger man. But the ideas of both Avere too iinconfj;enial with those which T)revailed amomx the larixe majority of Oxford residents at the time to be in ftxvour ; and ' Oriel ' in general, with its pretensions to dissect, by searching logic, the preconceived notions of the little world around it, was not popular. The great dispenser (jf patronage in those days, Lord Liverpool, was thought to have been prejudiced against Copleston by Oxford advisers. And Whately, whose disposition was always a little too ready to lend itself to impressions of injustice done to a friend, seems early in life to have regarded his tutor as something of a martyr.* llis constitutional tendency was to indolence ; but this was con(|uered by his earnest desire to prolit by wliat lie Avas learning, lie often remaiked in after-years that the mere thirst for knowledice niiu'ht not have been in itself 14 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1809 sufficient to accomplish this ; but his anxious wish to be independent, and no longer a burden on his widowed mother, was a stimulus to him to advance in those studies which alone held out to him a prospect of attaining his object. And manfully and resolutely he set himself to work. Though naturally one who shook off sleep with diffi- culty, it was his college habit to arouse himself by the help of an alarum in his room, at five o'clock, summer and winter, light his own fire, and study for two hours or more ; then sally forth for an early walk, from which he returned in time to meet the band of late risers hurrying from their beds to the eight o'clock chapel. He has described, in his ' Annotations on Bacon,' the results of the observations of natural phenomena which he made in these early morning walks ; and also his experience as a student with respect to hours. He found it best to pursue the early-rising plan when engaged only in the acquirement of knowledge ; but whenever he had to com- pose a theme or essay, he found his ideas did not floAv as freely in the morning as at night ; he therefore changed his habits, and sat up at night while occupied in any original work. His intercourse with his tutor, Copleston, soon ripened into a steady and solid fiiendship, which lasted till death dissolved it. It vras in their long walks together, in the woods and meadows near Oxford, that they discussed and Avorked out such subjects as form much of the ground- work of the ' Logic' In 1809 he commenced a plan which was continued up to within a few months of his death, — viz., that of noting down his thoughts in a Commonplace Book. A conside- rable portion of this has now been brought before tlie public. It is interesting to see his early aspirations in tlie first pages, written in a youthfid and unformed hand. ^.T. 22] HE KEEPS A COMMONPLACE BOOK. 15 They can best be described by quoting his own words : — ' When I consider the progress I have made in the im- provement of my mind since I have been at college, I cannot help thinking that by perseverance almost any one may do more than at first sight appears possible ; and I regret more than ever the same I formerly lost. But the past cannot be recalled ; the future is in my powder, and I resolve, through God's help, to make the best use of it ; and though I am very hkely to fail of my main object, I shall at least satisfy my conscience by doing my best. When I call to mind the independent spirit and thirst for improvement which I admired in my beloved tutor Cople- ston, I am stimulated to double exertions, that I may be enabled, as in other things, so in this, to imitate his virtues ; and as the improvement of my mind is one of my objects, though not the principal one, I have begun the plan recommended by Miss E. Smith,^ of keeping a register of my thoughts.' In this preface, if so we may call it, to all his subsequent literary labours, we catch a glimpse of those religious senti- ments to which the reserve of his character and habits rarely permitted an expression ; and the spirit in which he began this, which many w^ould have considered a purely secular work, is slKnvn further by the full-lengtli quota- tion of the last verse of Psalm xix. in the fly-leaf of his fii'st notebook : ' Let the words of my mouth, and tlie meditations of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, Lord, my strength, and my redeemer ! ' The details of this interesting period of his life are necessarily few and scanty ; and they must be chieliy ^ He alludes to a little volume of tlie ' IJemains of Elizabeth Smith,' pub- li.-lifd Ly Miss J^owdlur, and givinjr an interesting account of tlie ell'oits at fieU'-improvenient under diillculties of a young person of very reniarliublo powers. 10 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1812 drawn from recollections of his conversation in later life, and from the pages of his Commonplace Book. The time now came for him to take his degree. He went up for honours in 1808, and took a double second- class. It has been sur>] NASSAU W. SENIOR BECOMES HIS VJJVIL. 17 words of the Catechism. The examiner remarked, ' Why, sir, a child of ten years old could answer that!' 'So could I, sir,' replied the young student, ' when / was ten years old ! ' But the sharp repartee did not save him from being plucked. Both he and his family were naturally nuich mortified ; but being of a nature not easily crushed, the disappointment, which might have been hiu'tful to many, acted leather as a stimulus on him ; he resoh\ d he would retrieve his injured reputation, and for this it was important to secure a llrst-rate private tutor. Through their common friend, ]Mr. Ilardcastle, he was introduced to ]\Ir. Whately, and shortly after wrote home to his father — ' I liave got Whately for my private tutor, and I will have the iirst-class next term.' He succeeded, and this was the commencement of a friendshi]) between liichard Whately and Xassaii William Senior which lasted throui>h their lives. The youue in wliich any concession Avould ha\e injured the character of the college, and been hurtful to the princlplo of nioralilv and \irtue: but I )i'. \\ halelw as I'nncipa' of Albaii Hall, seme \-ears later, ^\'as a luercilul 34 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1816—18 tliougli a strict head of a house, ' I pardon this as a first oiTence,' he would sometimes say, after some esca- pade of an imdergraduate, ' and I do not wisli to remem- ber it. I will not, unless you force me to do so. But recollect, if that you commit a second, I must remember the first.' Another reminiscence of a different kind Av^e may quote. He had an early college-friend, whose character he used to describe as a peculiarly attractive union of perfect sweetness of temper with a vehement enthusiasm, which is more frequently combined with some heat and irrita- bility. ' He was like a south-west wind,' he woidd say, ' strono:, but mild. Once he was burstino; forth into a vehement eulogy of the institution of Trial by Jury. I maintained, on the opposite side, tliat England was not ripe for it when first introduced, and is scarcely fit for it yet. He seized a glass of wine, and, folhng on his knees, drank the health of the founder of tlie institution ; I im- mediately took up a glass of water and, turning my back to the table, drank tlie health, as if in mockery, to the great amusement of all present.' His energy and love of remedying abuses were mani- fested on many occasions which would generally be re- garded as triflinfr. He used to relate tliat when travellino; by stage-coach, as he did two or three times a year, be- tween Oxford and Bath, the coachman was in the habit of putting up half-way at an inn of very inferior preten- sions, whose landlord and attendants, coiuiting on the custom of the stage-coach as secure, made it tlieir chief object to delay the ])i'eakfiist or luncheon till tlie passen- gers were compelled to resume their journey without tasting the meal they had paid for. 'I deterinined at last,' he said, ' that I would not sutler this. As soon as ilie coach stopped to change horses, I lan across to a small .Ex. 28-31] IN'CIDENTS OF STAGE-COACH TKAVELLIXO. .35 inn on the opposite side, and engaged the people to pre- })are some refreshment as quickly as possible. Seeing that the change might benefit them, they were wonder- fully prompt. Next time we passed I spoke of this to my companions, and persuaded one or two to come with me and get breakfast where it could be had in time. Each journey brought more and more of the passengers to my side, and at last, one memorable day, the whole ])arty of travellers, inside and outside, repaired to the opposition inn. The victory was gained, the coach thence- forth put up there, and the rival house was effectually put down.' lie was fond of the outside of a coach, and conversed freely with all he met, often repeating amusing incidents of the old travelling days. Most of his friends will re- member the stage-coach auard, who having been in the East or West Indies (I forget which), and also being ])ossessed of some knowledge of chemistry, enjoyed a delightfid sense of his superiority, of which he made the most, by parading before those whom he met his know- ledge of whichever branch he found them deficient in. He poured forth the stores of his erudition to his fellow Iravellei', who let him go on, till at last, in a paroxysm of s(.'lf-complacency, he exclaimed, ' Sir, I knows the iiatur of all tilings as is in the world ! ' The earliest letter before the editor was written in the year 181S, to his friend ^l\\ Senior: — 'April ]-). ISIS. ']\ry deal' Senior, — There is one circumstance I oniitte(l to mention in my last letter, which is not a little inteiw-l- ing to me — your bi'olhei-'s book,^ which I shall be very ' An account of tl;(' >tiitf of .laniiiica at tliat time, \\liicli tlic writ' r. ^\•]ll) liail .-fr\f(l tliiTi- Inn;/ witli his rciiinicnt. liad tlir(j\\ii into llx' >liaiM' df ii talc. I) -2 36 LIFE OF AKCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1818 glad to hear of as in progress. The mere circumstance that it is, as I think, hkely to have a great run, is, in itself, of no great consequence ; but in combination witli its tendency to do good, is of the highest. I, for my part, indeed, am very much of Bacon's opinion, who seems to doubt whether tliere can be, properly speaking, any such tiling as a useless truth : that, many might doubt, but their doubts could liai'dly extend to the present case, where the truth in question so obviously leads to practice. No detailed argument can be needed to show, that if Jamaica is a part of this empire, the state of it ought to be known ; and that this is proportionally the more im- portant if there be anything in it that calls loudly for amendment, and if ignorance and misapprehension gene- rally prevail on the subject. To say nothing of celebrity, which I would never take for granted to be anyone's principal object, till I am com})elled to do so, I do not see how anyone, who has a sense of duty, and who feels that his country has a demand on him for some duties, can fail to consider himself bound to do what tends to so great a public benefit. The only question is as to the mode ; and I think the one proposed decidedly the best that could be adopted. It would be hardly possible in a description to collect and detail the many little matters to be noticed, so as to avoid a very uninteresting dryness ; and a strictly correct narrative, which sliould distinguish in due order how each piece of information was acquired, would necessarily blend together matters of very various natin-e, and disjoin things nearly connected ; so tliat the descriptions would be given piecemeal, and tlie whole would be insufferably tedious, and all merely for the sake of adhering to strict truth in a matter in Avhicli it is not of the smallest consequence, — viz , the advenlnri's of an individual; for no one cares wlielher he and his ex])loits yEx. .31] LETTER TO NASSAU SENIOR. 87 ])e real or fictitious, the object of curiosity being tlie state of tilings generally. With respect, indeed, to great public characters and political events, we wish to know what actually haj)pens : with respect to private individuals and minor occurrences (though, taken collectively, these are of the higher importance), our curiosity is to know what sort of things happen. It is on this ground I have always defended the Waverly Xovels : and I do not see why tlie production in question should not possess a good deal of the same sort of interest wliich tliey have excited. I take for granted (which I may do at a venture, witliout paying your brother an ill compliment) that it will be far inferior to them in their incomparably picturesque descriptions ; but it will have, to counterbalance that, the advantage of being al)Oiit the present, whereas they relate to the past. Think of tlie interest excited by the debates in the IIousl; of Commons, compared with that of the far more eloquent orations of Cicero and Demosthenes ! 1 will only adci, that the earlier the woi'k comes forward, the better: not only because, " cieteris paribus," now is always the best of times, but because the freshness of the events in tlie writer's mind Avill nuich beneiit the descriptions, and al-o because all that relates to S])ani>li Amei'icawill daily lose interest if deferred.^ T hope he will be careful to preser\"e poetical justice, as I suggested, by making his luro smart for his i'aults, which might be done by making them tlu' cau-^e of a \ovage in which he should be captured, cVc. 'hire necessarv indelicacy of sonu^ ])ai'ts renders some niorality the more indi^pt-nsabk'. — Yours afleclionately, ' ill). WlIATKLV." The followiuLi' reminiscences fi'oui another of hi- earl\' ' 'l"hi' Ixiiilc iniiitimit'il \va> ])ulili.-lic(l iH,-my yi';ir> lafi'r, uuil'-r tlir tiilr "l' ' ('harli'>; \'('riiiiii." It is rclViTrd to in ii suliscf|iiciit li'ttrr. 38 LIFE OF AKCHBISHOP WliATELY. [1819 friends, the Eev. E. N. Boultbee, addressed to tlie writer of this memoir, will throw further light on his character and early history : ' I regret,' he says, ' that I can give you no information as to the early part of your father's college life, as my acquaintance with him did not com- mence till after he had been elected a Fellow of Oriel, and taken his M.A. degree. He was the contemporary and great friend of my eldest brother at Oriel, and out of regard for him, when I went up to college, he took me by the hand, and was during my whole career at Oxford as an elder brother, friend, tutor — in a word, everything to me ; and to . him I always consider that I owe my chief success in hfe. I was in the habit of walking out into the country with him two or three times a week, and during these rambles I was made the recipient of many of his most original thoughts, preserved in his Commonplace Book. Well do I remember the shady bank in Eagley Wood, where he first read to me the draft of the '' Historic Doubts." ' I left Oxford in 1819, and we rarely met till he re- turned there as Principal of St. Alban Hall. There from time to time I used to visit him, and during these visits had frequently cause to regret how very much the in- fluence he might have exercised in the government of the University was lessened by his utter disregard of the customs and regulations of the place. ' On many a summer's evening did I walk with him in " l)eaver," as it was called, in Christchurcli meadow, where every one was expected to appear in cap and gown, and where, to the horror of the " Dons," a crowd would be collected round him to witness the ex})loits of his dog "Sailor," a large spaniel whom he had tauglit to climb the high trees hanging over tlieCherwell, from which he would often drop into the river below ; and this curious exploit of Mt. 32] A TABLE ANECDOTE. 89 liis clog he continued to exhibit, in the fkce of sundry irnive remonstrances. Nevertheless 1 lis influence for good in the University was very considerable, the result of his transcen- dent talents and unconiproniising honesty. Asa ])reachei' in the University, his powers were fully ajipreciated, thougli his manner was far from attractive. Early attendance at the doors of the church on the days he preached Avas necessary to secure even a standing-place ' The way in which he would throw himself into tlie tiilhng amusements of society, was to me a very striking part of his character. During my residence at college we got up a chess-club, limited to ten members, wliicli met at each otlier's rooms. lie was a good ])layei', and at and after tlie supper Avliich followed tlie games, he Avas tlie life and soul of the party, first and foi'emost in tlie jokes and cliarades, and fun of all kinds ; and many of our best songs were supplied by him. lie was ik^ singer; I never heard him attempt it, But the rule was that those who could not sing must compose a song. ' Several of tlie songs in his collection were composed for the club, and sung by myself. ' One scene is, and will ever be, from particular cir- cumstances, veiy- vividly before me. It was at the hoine of his great fViend, ]\Ir. 15, of A. In the morning 1] , Whatcly. and inv-clf. had ainii-e(l oui>(,'l\e> by lading a hole in the l)ro()k, for the sake of catching '■bullheads/' a small unsightly li^h with which the l)i'(>ok abounded, and which were su])})osed to be very good. In the e\'ening was a grand dinner — a magniricent turbot at one end of the table, and a dish of bullheads at the otliei', to which latter AVhately most gallantlv adhered. A certain ladv. Avell- kuown for hei' propensity for setting people lo-right<, called out, '• 1 can't think. ]\l!\ Whatelv. how vou can eat 40 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1821 those ugly-looking fish, with such a magnificent turbot before you; tliey are so small!" He repUecl, without looking up from his plate, " If you had a whale on your plate, you must cut it in bits before you put it in your mouth ! " I never shall forget how completely the whole party were electrified and delighted with the extinguisher put upon the good lady.' It was at this time, when dining with a friend in Wor- cester Collef>:e, til at a trillino; incident broug-ht out one of his happiest hons mots. There Avere some medlars on tlie table, and his host regretted tliat he had in vain tried to procure also some services (Pyrus do7nestica, a fruit which grows wild in Kent and Sussex, and is there called ' chec- qucrs'). One of tlie company asked the difference between a ' service ' and a ' meddler,' to which Mr. Wliately re- plied, ' The same kind of difference as that between " ofHcium" and " officiosus." ' 41 CHAPTER II. 1821—1828. Commencement of his active literary career— A contributor to the ' Encyclop.T3dia Metropolitana ' — Ilia ' Historic Doubts respectinf^ Napoleon Buonaparte ' and other woi-ks — Ilis marriage — Appointed Bampton Lecturer — Removes to Ilalesworth — Illness of Mrs. Whately — Takes his D.B., and is appointed Principal of Alban Hall — Literary Society at Oxford — Testimony of Dr. Newman — of Dr. Mayo — Instances of his powers of anecdote and repartee. *Tiiis period of Whately 's life was one of great and pro- ductive literary activity. He was a frequent contributor to some periodicals, and, in particular, to the ' Encyclo- paedia Metropolitana : ' and in their pages some of tlie works by which he became in after-life most celebrated, first appeared. In 1821, he edited Archbishop Wake's 'Treatises on Predestination,' and in 1825 he published his essays ' On some of the Peculiarities of tlie Christian Eeligion ;' wliicli, witli tlie essays ' On some of the Difficulties in tlie Writ- ings of St. Paul' (1828), and on tlu; ' Errors of Eomanism Traced to their Origin in Human Xature,' form a series which has o-one throuuh many editions, which first estab- lislied his reputation as a theologian, and which brought down on him no small share of his unpopularity with some classes in the Church.*^ ^ This may be the most convenii,'nt place for notiein": liis colel)ratod little pamplilet of 'Historic Doubts respecting Xapok'on Buonaparte' ' AV<> had in our hand recently the thirtoentli edition of it, puljlished when tlie nt'j)]icw of its hero liad become I'resident of tlic French Uepublic, and there may have been more since. It is directed against reasoners wlio argue thus (and 42 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1821 The materials for an account of his private hfe, during these years, are scanty. With a few early friends, not resi- dent in Oxford, he appears to have maintained a full and frequent correspondence : but of these hardly any survive, and of the letters in their hands none seem to have been preserved. He never kept any kind of journal ; he had special aversion to any work which he could not look forward to completing ; and often said if he were forced to undertake a life-long diary he should wish his life over. In the year 1820, being somewhat out of health, he was recommended to try the waters of Cheltenham, and went on a visit to his friend and pupil, Slierlock Willis ; and thus naturally became acquainted with his friend's aunt, Mrs. Pope, widow of W. Pope, Esq., of Ililhngdon, Middlesex, who was at that time also residing- at Chelten- ham with her daughters. To the third daughter, Ehza- beth, he formed an attachment ; and in the July of the following year was married to her at Cheltenham, by the Pev. Mr. Jervis, the rector. In what liizlit he regarded his marriage as affecting the happiness of liis life may be judged from a touching little memorandum in liis Com- monplace Book of that year — the only outlet he ever allowed himself (and that rarely) for his inmost feelings. ' Happiness,' lie remarks, in an article dated the year before, ' must, I conclude from conjecture, be a calm and writers on IIum(,''s side are constantly fallin^ir into tlie confusion, intentionally or casually), 'Miracles cannot be believed on human testimony, lint, in addition to this, the testimony on which you receive tlieni is full of incon- sistencies and absurdities." The Whatelei.n answer is, " If no testimony will mahe miracles credible, then the character of the testimony is unimpor- tant. But if it is important, then I will show you that a piece of well-known history — that of Napoleon, for instance — is as full of apparent iiiconsistencies and absurdities as the instances you cite from Scripture. And then, ti.Is task di.^posed of, we can attach ourselves more clostdy to the issue whicli is the kernel — An; miracles credible or no?" ' — Edinhitytjli Jlcvicir, vol.cxxii. ^T. 34] HIS MARRIAGE. 43 serious feeling.' Tlie following year he adds a note in Latin, 'I proved it, thank God ! July 18, 1821.' To speak of her who was now to be the companion of his life, is not easy for those who feel so deeply. To say that she was one fully able to appreciate his high qualities, is no more than truth, but falls far short of it. Those who remember the grace and dignity of character, the delicacy of mind, and sensitive refinement, which were united with her high powers of intellect and mental cultivation, and a tliirst for knowledge seldom exceeded, will not fail to recall intercourse with one so gifted as a privilege : but many more still will remember, with deeper reverence, the moral and Christian graces which adorned her ; ilie de- voted unselfishness, the almost painfully sensitive conscien- tiousness, tlie gentle, tender, unwearied benevolence, and deep aflections, all guided and regulated by the highest principles, springing from that living and loving faitli in her Lord and Saviour, in the strength of which she lived and worked, and resting on which slie died. What she was to the poor, the sick, the ignorant, and the erring ; what her labours of love were in Dublin, where she car- ried out many blessed and Christian works which ended only with her life, many remain to testify; but all cannot be known till tiie great day wlieii the sower and the ]va])er sliall rejoice together. Shortly after his marriage Dr. Whately settled in Ox- foi'd, where he took pupils; the following 3'ear he was appointed Daiiiptoii Lecturer, and liis iirst ])ul)]i.--hc'(l volume contains the course of lectures then deliv^Ted. 'I'he sul)j('ct lie chose Avas one which much occupied his mind through life — the evils and dangers of parly spirit.^ ' ' On till' l^^i' and Abuse of Turty Feeling In Religion,' lS22. A fourth t'dition was jjublishcd in IS")'.). 44 LIFE OF AECIIBISHOP WHATELY. [1822 He often observed afterwards tliat in this choice of a sub- ject he felt he was, as it were, ' breaking the bridge behind him,' and committing himself to a life-long com- bat against the evil he denounced. In the August of this year (1822), he removed to Halesworth in Suffolk, a living to which he had been presented by his uncle, Mr. Plumcr, shortly before the death of the latter. It had been anticipated by some, tliat one whose life had been passed almost exclusively in a college, would be hardly fitted for the very different sphere of a country parish. And certainly it could not fail to present many difficulties to one so little accustomed to that kind of work. But Mr. Whately did not easily yield to diffi- culties, small or great ; whatever he undertook he set himself to master in right earnest, undeterred by dis- couragements or hindrances. The task, even to one accustomed to parish work, must have been far from an easy one. The former incumbent had been an old and infirm man, whose reading and preaching were so nearly inaudible as to drive from the church the few who would have gone there in earnest. No effort had been made for the welfare of the people, secular or spiritual. But this part of my father's life- work can best be oiven in the words of her who was throughout it his able and unwearied helper : — ' We had found the peo|)le,' my mother writes, ' in a state of heathenish ii^norance from lonci; neii;lect. We left them, I trust, in a ver}^ different condition, for we had car- ried with us youtli and activity, as well as a deep sense of responsil)ility, to tlie task. An adult scliool, and a weekly lecture — wliicli Mr. Whately gave at first in a private room, and then, when liis hearers increased, in tlie cliurch — were among the most a])pareut means by wliicli the older portion of tfie parisli were im|)r()ve(l. vVnd in .Et. 3o] parochial work AT HALESWORTH. 45 the adult school he was able to induce some of the trades- people to assist. In eveiy attempt at improvement, both spiritual and temporal, we were aided by two or three among the parishioners of the lower class : one, our valu- able schoolmistress, daily carried on her labours of love, as soon as her school closed, among the sick, the sorrowful, and the sinning. ' Mr, Whately was, I think, one of the first to set on foot that active and diligent preparation for Confirmation, by teaching and examination, which has since been gene- rally adopted.' To this it may be added, that it was a series of tlie weekly lectures alluded to, which were usually a kind of Scri})ture exposition, which formed the substance of the ' Lectures on the Scripture lievelations of a Future State.' But these labours of love were to be brought to a very speedy close. The damp climate of Ilaleswortli made serious inroads on his wife's constitution. Several times her life was in danger ; and more than once lier husband's medical knowledge and singular presence of mind and })r()mptness of action were called into play, both in her case and tliat of a sister who had come to nurse her, and ])L'en herself seized with typhus-fever of the most ahu'ming kind. Her lile seemed to have been, humanly speaking, saved by her brolher-in-law's pr()m})t decision and luiwearied cai'e. In 1825^ he took his degree as Doctor of Divinilv, and was in tlie same year appointed, by Loi'd Grenville, ' The fdlliiwinp- is the list, talccn fmni the Oxfnrd Caleiulars, of rriiiripals ami Vice-Principals dl' Al])aii Hall for a few years from ihis time. ]S2.",. l':imsley. Craiuer, \.\\ h'^l'ti. AN'halely. Xewiiiaii, ,, 1S27 to ]S:!l. Whatelv. Iliiuls, 46 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP ^VHATELY. [1825 Principal of Alban Hall. On this he removed with his family to Oxford, intending to spend the vacations at Halesworth ; but, after two or three years' trial, it became evident that even these occasional residences could only be continued at the risk of his wife's life. lie therefore gave up residence, and, placing a valued and trusted curate in the rectory, contented himself with solitary visits to the parish three or four times a year, passing the long vacations with his family eitlier at the sea, or at Tunbridge Wells, in the neighbourhood of his wife's relations, to whom he was strongly attaclied. The new sphere of work at Alban Hall was apparently a more congenial one than that of Halesworth ; but tlie difficulties, in a different way, were quite as great. Alban Hall had gradually, eitlier from neglect or mismanage- ment, become a kind of ' Botany Bay' to the University — • a place where students were sent who were considered too idle and dissipated to be received elsewhere. But the new Principal was not one to suffer this, and with his usual energetic resolution he set himself to remedy the evil. He continued to get rid of some of tlie useless members : and determined, first, never to receive into tlie Hall any who had been obliged to quit their college, and, secondly, to take his share in tlie lectures. And, lastly, he placed on a reasonable and moderate footing that scandal of many Oxford bodies, the ' Buttery' estab- lishment. These measures were quite sufficient to alter the chai'acter of the Hall, and eventually the members who resorted to it were so great that he buil: additional rooms, which were all occupied when he resigned. When Dr. Hinds succeeded Mr. Xewman as Vice-Prin- cipal, the character of the Hall had already been estab- lished ; but he remembers that a few of the old set still remahied, whom they used to designate '•Albnni Patre.s' — .Et. 88] VIEWS OX POLITICAL ECONOMY. 47 well-conducted and respectable, but beyond the usual age of undergraduates. In the year after his settlement at Alban Hall (182G) are dated the next letters to be presented to the reader. The first is to his friend Mr. Senior, on a subject which much occnipied the minds of both, that of Political Economy. Poth had done nuich to rescue this study from the undue prejudice with which it was frenerally reij-arded ; and throuaik'(l by argument. As there are also many of them ck'igynien, or cleiical students, they may be reminded, ' Senior's I.ccturfS nii I'dlilical Iv-onoiny (to tlic Profi's-drsliiji of \vlii
  • r(l, fnimdrd li_v .Mr. DrininuinKl nf All.iiiv, lio liad jii-i !» m jqipcintcd) wcrp ]iu])lish('(l I'ritiu 1S:?7 to ls;;i. 48 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP WHATELY. [1826 that to charge the science itself with every error, real or supposed, of every professor of it, is a procedure whicli they would not approve, if aj^plied, as it easily may be, in the case of theology.' ^ The next is addressed to his old and valued friend, Mr. Philip Duncan, who, together with his elder brother, were through life among his highly-prized associates. It is a criticism of a series of logical lectures which had just appeared : — ' Oriel College, 182G. ' It is said that Sir W. Ealeigh gave his bailiff some potatoes, with directions to sow them, having heard of their being; cultivated with advantaofe in America. At the time appointed in his memorandum-book, he sent him to collect the produce, and received a handful of the ber- ries. " Ah, well," he said, " I feared they would not do here ; go, plough the field and sow wheat." Kow, if tliis })loughing had not casually turned up the potatoes, he might have written a treatise on the inexpediency of cultivating them. For " potatoes " read " logic," and, mutatis mutandis, you have Dr. Jardine's l)ook.^ He was doubtless rigiit, on being appointed lecturer on a subject of Avhich he v;as totally and profoundly ignorant, to teach something which he did understand ; thence, according to the common plan of measuring other men's corn by his own bushel, he concludes that what he can- not understand, or cannot teach, no one else can — that whatever plan he has hit upon was untried before, etc. etc. But he seems on the whole to have been a good tutor considering, and though his lectiu'cs were likely to ' ' Jardine, Outlines of Pliildsopliical Ecluciitit>n : illustrated by the Me- thod of Teaching the' Loijic or First Class of Fliilc se.])h_v in the riiivci^itv of CJlasgow/ ISh^. /Et. 39] PUBLICATION OF HIS ' LOGIC 49 give liis pupils an cxtensivx^ superlicial and vanity-feeding smattering, they liad, probably, le:ss uf this fault than most of those in Scotland.' It \vas in tliis year (182()) that the 'Logic' was published. This work had originally been written in articles ibr the ' EncyclojKedia Metropolitana.' *The task undertaken by the writer was one of no ordinaiy didiculty : it w[is not the originating of a new science, but the resuscitation of an old and half-defunct one. The study of logic, formerly pursued with great and creditable devotion, had, in latter 3'ears, fallen into disrepute among the more intelle<-tual class in the University. It was pursued in tlie schools at Oxford merely by connnitting to heart tlie technical rules of the compendium of Dr. Aldrich. These were by no means without their utility as a tough mental exercise, and many an Oxonian miglit remember with gratitude the edge which it gave to his powers of reasoning, particularly if unacquainted witli the more valuable discipline of ma- themtitics. It was \\ hately's great and eminently suc- cessful ellort to raise tlie study from this inlei'ior condition to something approaching ;i scieiitilic character.^ The -Ulu'toric' followed the 'Logic" in LSl^S. Like its ])redL'Cc'>soi'. it had been originally written for the • I'JKyclo- ])a'dia.' The title, liowi'ver Aristotelian, was not an attrac- tive one togeMieral readers, and he often regretted it in after years, as giving an erroneous impression of the general scope and aim of tlie work ; which is. in fact, a sei'ies of lessons on the artof composition, and on the means to be employed for the arrangement of the matter of a discourse, whethei' written or spoken, so as to convince tlu' nndia- standing. persuade the will, and move the feelings. ' Tlic piv.^rul Oxl'Mi-d I'mlVs^.or, -Mr. Wall, is a piqiil <>[' An-lil.i-M.ip Whatrlv. vol.. 1. !•: 60 TJFE OF ARCHBISHOP WTIATELY. [1828 Bishop Hinds has described the influence of tlie Oriel Common Eoom as a centre of literary and philosophical activity. Oxford, at that time, was distinguished by a constellation of talent and learning in various departments which has perhaps rarely been surpassed, if equalled, in any given time and place. Besides Copleston and Whately, the names of Newman, Pusey, Keble, Arnold, Hawkins, Hinds, Fronde, Wilberforce, Blanco White, and others, appear in that brilliant assembly of gifted and eminent men. Most of these were on intimate terms with the Principal of Alban Hall ; several were among his closest fiiends.* The ' Life ' of Dr. Arnold sufficiently bears testimony to that pure, warm, and noble friendship wliicli united these two eminent men till the death of the younger. The respective marriages of the two friends still further sealed and cemented this happy union; and the frequent interchanges of visits from one circle to the other — parents and children alike enjoying the free and unrestrained intercourse of domestic life together, according to their several ages and pursuits — must ever be held in tender and grateful remembrance by the scattered and bereaved survivors of that happy band of friends. In tlie letters from Eugb}', frequent and affectionate mention is made of the pleasiu\3 conferred by Dr. Whately's visits, his lively interest in his friend's concerns, his tenderness for the children, and his varied and interesting conver- sation. And Dr. Whately never failed to bear a hearty and earnest testimony to the merits of Arnold. At an early stage of his career, his fiiend had pointed out. to those judges who were discouraged by the crudities of Arnold's early essays, the 'great capaljility of growth' wliicli lie l)elieved to be involved in thesc> apparently un])i-omising .Ex. 41] IXTBIACY WITH ARNOLD, KEHLE, AND NEWMAN. 51 attempts. How truly and fully his prophecy was carried out, the world n()w knows, It may appear strange that so few records remain of this friendship in the letters before us ; but Dr. Arnold was not in the habit of [)reserving correspondence, and one only, of which a copy had been made, remains of Dr. Whateiy's many letters to this loved and valued friend. With Mr. Keble much ])leasant intercourse was enjoyed at Oxford ; and it was during a visit paid by him to Halesworth that the manuscript poems which now foi-m the ' Christian Year' were read by the writer to his host and hostess, who were among the earliest friends who suggested its publication. The familiarity of Dr. Xewman with Dr. Whately, con- nected as it is with points of so much interest in the lives of both, belongs to tliis period of their history. And the account of it is bjst o-iven in the W(jrds of the great Oxford leader's own 'A[)ologia': — 'And now as to Dr. Whately. I owe him a great deal. lie was a man of generous and warm heart. He was particulai'ly loyal to his friends, and, to use tlie conunon phrase, "all his geese were swans." AVhile I was still awkward and timid, in LS'2"2, he took me by the hand, and acted the part to me of a gentle and encouraging instruc- toi'. lie. emphatically, opened my mind, and taught me to think and to use my reason. . . . lie had done his Avork towards me, or nearly >o, when he had taught me to see with mv own eyes, and to walk with my own feet. Xot that 1 had not a good deal to leai"n from others -till, but 1 inlluenced them as well as they me. and cooperated rather than merely concurred \\\i\\ them. As to Dr. Av'hatelv, his mind was too dillerent from mine for n- to remain long (jn one line. I recollect how dissati-lied he was with an article of mine in the '" London lc'\ie\v,"' 52 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP WHATELY. [1828 wliich BlancoWhite good-humou redly only called Platonic. When I was diverging from liim (which he did not like), I thought of dedicating my first book to him, in words to the effect that he had not only taught me to think, but to think for myself. ... I have always felt a real affection for what I must call his memory, for thenceforward he made himself dead to me. My reason told me that it was impossible that we could have got on together longer, yet I loved him too much to bid him farewell without pain.. After a few years had passed, I began to believe that his influence on me, in a higher respect than intellectual advance (I Avill not say through his faidt), had not been satisfact()ry. I believe that he has inserted sharp things in liis later works about me ; they have never come in my way, and I have not thouglit it necessary to seek out what would pain me so much in the reading. ' What he did for me, in point of religious opinion, was first to teach me the existence of tlie Church as a sub- stantive body or corporation ; next to fix in me those anti- Erastian views of Church polity, which were one of the most prominent features of the Tractarian movement.'^ 1 Dr. Xewmau proceeds to describe the effect produced on liis mind by another little book Avhich appeared about tlie same time (182G), and which public opinion lias uniformly attributed to AVhatel}^ : although, as he never aYO^Yed the authorship, the editor has felt some scruple as to mentioning it in connexion with his name. This able tract (it has been said) is now out of date, because the opinions respecting the separation of Church from State, which it advocated, strange then to a Cluu'chman^ are now held by all but a few Churchmen : — 'In th.e year l.'^2n, in tlie course of a walk, Fronde said much to me about a work then published, called " Letters on the Church, by an Episcopalian." lie said that it would make my blood boil. It was certainly a most power- ful composition. One of our common friends told me, tluat alter reading it he could not Iceep still, but went on walking up and down his room. It was ascribed at once to Whately. I gave eager expression to the contrary opinion, but I found the belief of Oxford in the ailirmative to be too strong i'or me. IJightly or wrongly, I yielded to tlie general voice; and I liave ylvr. 41] HIS CONVERSATIONAL QUALITIES. 53 It was at tliis period of liis later Oxford career, pei'haps tlie hap[)iest of liis life, that liis remarkable coiiversalional powers jii^t began to be widely appreciated. The present opporturiity may therefore serve for introducing a com- munication made to the writer of this memoir respecting him by one of his associates of early times, Dr. Mayo the physician : — ' In latter years our lives were thrown into difTerent channels, and I saw very little of him ; but I will make a few remarks as to what m}' early acquaintance with liis intellect suggested to me. Ilis aptitude for inductive and deductive reasoning was nearly equal ; and he once told me tliat his mental powers in early life changed from the ])ure scientific ty[)e to that which his friends recognised in him jifterwards — namely, the dealing with contingent matter. ' Xone who knew 3'our fjitlier well could forget the })leasure which his society afforded, but life with him was a continued performance of a series of duties ; and it is possible that his powers, as a man of great wit and vivid imagination, may not have been sufriciently under- stood except by his innnediate friends, thougli his wit often transfused itself into his public speeches. Witness ii!'\t'i' lifiii'iU tlii'ii dr siiifo, (if any disclaiiiirr df autliorsliip •«// /ux pnn/cr.f, 'J'ake him by the left leg, and throw him downstcairs ? If that is not religious persecution, what is? ' Being absolutely compelled, by the unwise solicitations of a clerical friend, to give his opinion as to that friend's performance of the service, lie told him — 'Well, then, if you really wish to know what I think of your reading, I sl'.ould say there ai'e only two parts of the service you read well, and those you I'ead miexceptionably.' ' And what me thost' ? ' said the clergyman. They are, " Here endeth the lirst lesson,"' and '* Here endelli the second lesson.'" • What do you mean, ^\'llately ? ' ' 1 mean," he re[)lie(l, ' that ihest; parts you read in yoiii' own nafui'al voice and manner, which are very good : the; rest is all artiliclal and assumed.' It may be added that his iVieiul took the hint, altered his style, and became a verv good reader. lie often related another incident. ilhislraliiiL;' his 56 LIFE OF ArtCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1828 strongly expressed opinion (see his ' Ehetoric ') that the natural voice and manner are the best adapted to pubhc speaking and reading, and also less tiying to the voice than the artificial tone so generally preferred. A clerical friend of his, who had been accustomed to make use of this artificial tone, complained to him that he was suffering so much from weakness of the throat, he feared he must resign his post. Dr. Whately told him that he believed, if he would change his style of reading, and deliver the service in his natural voice, he would find it mucli less fatiguing. ' Oh,' said his friend, ' that is all very well for you who have a powerful voice ; but mhie is so feeble that it would be impossible to make myself heard iu a church if I did not speak in an artificial tone.' ' I believe you are mistaken,' replied the former ; ' you would find that even a weak voice would be better heard, and at the expense of less fatigue, if the tone were a natural one.' The other appeared unconvinced ; but meeting ]iis adviser some time after, he told him he had at last come round to his view. The weakness in his throat had so increased that he was on the point of retiring from active duty, but resolved, as a desperate fmal effort, to try tlie experiment of altering his manner of reading and speak- ing. He did so, and not only succeeded beyond his hopes in making himself heard, but found his voice so much less fatigued by the effort, that he was able to con- tinue his employment. 57 CIIAPTEE III. 1828—18:30. Frajrnient on controversial writings — Letter to Dr. Copleston — His plan for educating his children — Sir Kohert Peel aTid Catholic Emancipation — Supports Sir Iiobert, which leads to a Lreacli ■with his earlv friends — IJuptnre with Dr. Newman — Elected Professor of Political Economy — Letter on School-house Lectures — Letter to l^ishop of Llandatl^ — Piissing of the Catliolic Emancipation Dill — Interests himself for the re-election of Sir 1\. Peel — Publishes the 'Errors of IJomanism ' — Letter on National Distress — Letter on University Examinations — Proposal for gradual abolition of slavery. To this period, as far as we can collect, belongs tlie fol- lowing: frau'nient on controversial writini2;s: — ' I should say it makes all the difTerence whetlier one is Avriting a popular book, or one designed for the learned few. In writing for these last, I should collect from the ancient Fathers, and fi'oni various connnentators and critics, Avliatevcr I met with that might throw liglit — c>vcii twi- liglit — on niiy portion of an interesting subject. In a 2)<)ji:il(ir work, on the contrary, I should confuie myself to such topics as are iiiunedintehj accessible to the lui- leai'ued — i.e., to nineteen-twentieths of what ai"e called the liiglu'r classes, and all of the rest. I should appeal, chiclly if not entirely, to connuou senst-, and to the plain portions of !^crii)ture in the I'cceivcd version, with other books which are in most people's hands. ' X'i in any [)ublieation designed to be popuhir. and mo-t especially in any (piestion with the Church of lionie, 1 58 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY, [1828 found that the author was provided with an ample store of tlie most decisive testimonies from the greatest Bibhcal critics, and other writers of great weight, sufficient to con- vince any reader of intelligence, candour, learning, and diligence, I should be inclined to advise him, if he con- sulted me, to strike it all out : if not, however decisive his victory in the eyes of competent judges, I should expect that — orally or in writing — he would be met by opponents who would join issue on that portion of his argument (keeping all the rest out of sight) which turned most on matters of deep research and nmltifarious reading ; boldly maintaining that he had misrepresented this or that author's opinions, that he had omitted the most weighty authorities, and that, in such-and-such points, the voice of the learned world was against him, &c. Who of the unlearned could tell which was in the right ? ' He might reply, and triumphantly disprove everything that had been urged againe^t him ; he would be met by fresh and fresh assertions and contradictions, and fresli appeals to authorities, real or imaginary ; and so the con- test might be kept up for ever. Meantime, the mass of the readers would be like a blind man who should be a bystander, though not a spectator, of a battle — inca- pable of judging which pnrty was prevailing, except from the report of those who stand next him. Each V70idd judge of the matter in dispute on the autliority of the teacher whom he had been accustomed to reverence, or who was the most plausible in manners, or the most vehement in asseveration. And, moreo\"er, all the readers (of the class I am speaking of) would have it im])resse(l on their minds continually more and more, as the c^>n- troversy went on, that the unlearned have nothing for it but to rest in implicit acquiescence on the authority of the qualified to guide them ; being as iuca})al)le of gaining ^x. 41] FRAGMENT OX CONTROVERSIAL WRITINGS. '>0 access to, and reading, and understanding tlie voluminous works referred to, as of mastering the sciences of anatomy, pliarmacy, (Sic, so that tliey must proceed as tliey do in the case of their health — i.e., resort eitlicr to the family physician, or to anyone that they fancy, put themselves into his hands, and swallow what he prescribes, without any knowledge of the wliat or the wliy ; only with this difl'erence, that the errors of a doctor may be detected in tJii,s Avorld, by his patient being cured, or the reverse ; whereas the D.D., uidike the M.D., cannot be tried by experience till tlie day of judgment. ' This supposed necessity of relying impUcithj on the authority of a s])iritual guide, is not stated and proved, once for all, as a distinct proposition, but is made to sink, gradually, more and more into the mind, in the course of such a controversy, from the obvious impossibility, to the unlearned, of verifying for themselves the statements on whicli each argument is made to turn. 'And those who do not, thence, give themselves up to the autlioriiy of tlieir respective leaders, are apt to infer that tliere are no means for the mass of mankind to ascertain religious ti'uth, and tliat, ('onse(|ueiitly, tliere /.v no snrh thing; that as the religions of Brahma, Mahomet, and ('hri>t. tVic, all rest, as far as regards the people, on the >aine grounds — the as>ertions of the leanietl — and as thev cannot be all true, a man of sense will conj'on/i to that which suits his taste or convenience, and believe none. ' 'J'he iy, so conducted, in a popular work (suj)|)osiug the intrinsic forcc^ of the argu- ment to be t'omj)letely on the ri'ote>tant side), I >hould expect to be — and as far as my obserx'atiou ha-^ gone thi-- expectation is conlirnied — that the geueralilv of the lu Miia- nist-^ >linuhl be c()iiliriiied iu their iuinlicit reliance on an 60 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [I818 infallible Church, and that for one convert they lost, they would gain two, besides several converts to infidelity. ' For these reasons I should, as I have said, rather avoid appeals to rare or voluminous works, to elaborate disqui- sitions, and to disputed passages of Scripture. ' And, in the present case, I should keep clear of the conflicting opinions as to the precise interpretation of the prophecy respecting the " Man of Sin," and confine myself to the delineation of the erroneous principles against which we are warned ; and which must, at any rate, be the very reason of the warning. I should dwell on the " Sin," not on the " Man ;" and lead the reader to judge of the tree by its fi'uits, rather than of the fruits by the tree. If we guard them against the presumption of man's putting himself in place of God, and " teaching for doctrines the commandments of men," we strike at the root not only of Popenj, but of every similar corruption, past, present, or future.' The next letter before us is one addressed to his old friend and former tutor. Dr. Co})lcston, wlio had been appointed Bishop of Landaff : — ' Sept. 28, 1828. ' My dear Lord, — It would have given me the greatest pleasure to accept your friendly invitation, but tliat I am detained by what may be rightly called a press of bu i- ness, i.e. business of the press. I have no hard work, however, to do, wliich makes me woiulcr tlie more tliat I have had a succession of bilious attacks, at short intervals, ever since I left Tunbridge Wells. They seem t ) be going about very much in many parts ; ]\Irs. W. has not been exempt. As soon as my })resent work is out of hand, I must set al)out preparing a new edition of the "L(\gic " — iny " Logic," as it is always and will be always called. yEx. 41] LETTER TO DR. COPLESTOX. CI No acknowledgments will ever transfer to another the credit of a book which is published with one's name ; the only way, I believe, in wliich it could be done, would be to make no acknowledgments, and indicate a wish to conceal the assistance received. 'By-the-bye, I forget whether I told you of a curious adventure of my brother's : he was transacting some busi- ness at tlie Ijank, and having in one of the offices signed his name, the clerk politely asked whether he was the Dr. Wiiately from whose work on " Logic " he liad deiived so much gratification. My brother expressed liis siuprise; on which he told him that logic was liis favourite studv, and that he iiad felt particular obligations to this book. Presently he went into anotlier office in the Bank, and there the clei'k asked him the very same question. ' All this belongs as much at least to you as to me, and I hope it may mitigate your suspicion (whicli I have often heard you express), that the world is not ripe for a work of the kind. ' When you speak of Hawkins or me writing a tract for distribution, you should remember liow long ago lie wrote that excellent one, ''The Christian's ^Manual,'" on whicli the Society' have been deliberating these two vrars, and have not yet placed it on their list. I should, perhaps, lind it diflicult to write what would give satisi'action at once to others and myself. Alino>t all former wi'iters use argu Kcuts of whicli a rai)i.-t may and generallv does avail himself; or such as are drawn from the Jewish Churcli, which do not apply; or drawn from a mi>inti'r- ])rc'tation of the word "• unity,'" as t'luployed in Scripture. And hardly any di>tiiiguish between the two very dif- ferent cases, of a man who himself secedes, and one who * The ('hristiiiii Kiiowlc lire ^ocictv. 62 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1828 has been broiiglit up a Dissenter. The latter case is one of much difficulty, ' Your gocldauffhter threatens to outgrow her strensth : she requires constant care to support her under such a prodigious shoot. She is very forward in understanding, but not alarmingly so. My plans of education fidly answer my expectations : she has never yet learned any- thing as a task, and that, considering she has learned more than most, will make tasks far ligliter when they do come ; and she has never yet learned anything by rote, and I trust never will, tiU she turns Papist. ' They say a letter should be a picture of the writer ; if so, this ought to have been on yellow paper.' The allusion to his children's education is very charac- teristic. He greatly objected to teaching childi'cn to learn by rote what they did not understand. He used to say, that to teach thus mechanically, in the hope that the children would afterwards find out the meaning of what they had learned, was to make them ' swallow their food first, and chew it afterwards.' ' When ]\Irs. Whately and I first married,' he observed, many years later, ' one of the first things we agreed upon was, that sliould Providence send us children, we would never teach tliem anything tliat they did not understand.' ' Not even their prayers, my Lord ? ' asked the person ad- dressed. ' Xo, not even tlieir prayers,' lie replied. To the custom of teaching children of tender age to repeat prayers by rote, witliout attending to tlieir sense, he ob- jected even more strongly than to any other kind of mechanical teacliiiig ; as he considered it inculcated the idea, that a person is praying when merely repeating a form of words in which the mind and feelings have no part, which is destructive of the very essence of devotion. JEt. 41] LETTER TO REV, J. BADE LEY. G3 The following extract from a letter to the Rev. J. Badeley, on the spirit of persecution in and out of our Church, will not'be out of phice liere ; it is anak)gous to much which appears in liis various essays on the peculiari- ties of the Churcli of Rome : — ' Albau Hall : April 3, 1829. ' I wisli you to observe that the unpersecuting spirit of oiu' Churcli is only that of (I w^ould I could say all) her individual members : no declaration was ever made by our Church, as a body, that it is unchristian to inflict secular coercion and punishment on professors of a false religion. A man wdio should hold (as Bishop Jewel and others of our Reformers did) the right, and the duty, of putting down heresy by civil penalties (tliough I shoidd think him, so far, an unenlightened Christian) might be an unimpeachable member of our Church. He might defy you to show anything against him in the Articles ; and if you a|)peakHl to tlie Canons, you would fmd them all on his side. Whether a man be I^ipist or Protestant in name, let him beware chiefly of Old Adam.' *This letter was in all jn'obability occasioned by the controversy which agitated England this spring, respecting the admission of Roman Catholics to Rai'Hament. In Oxlbrd tliat agitation was felt with ])eciiliar strength, because, in ad(htion to the general interest which politico- I'cligious (|uestions excited in its society, tliere was the special excitement occasioned l)y the personal question, whether ^^Fr. Reel, tlie gi'cat promoter of the change, shoidd continue to be Member i'ov the Rniversitv. As for Dr. Whately's sliare in tliis temporary convulsion, it amounted to no more tlian this, that he unhesitatingly supported a measure oi" which he had always, in less ])roniisiiig times, pi-olessed himselt' tlie staunch adlicreut. 64 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1829 But the elTect produced on the knot of liis friends and pupils was strong, and disheartening. It had no small influence in producing the trials and difficulties of his after-life. It is particularly observable, that several of those who were most conspicuous in the Oxford or Tractarian movement of some years later — nay, wlio followed that movement to its ultimate consequences, into the communion of the Church of Eorae — ceased, now, to walk fm-ther with those whom, in their tem2:)orary Angli- can zeal, they regarded, like Whately, as traitors to the Estabhshment. Dr. Newman has avowed that this was the case with himself. 'In the beo;innino; of 1829 came the grand breach between Dr. Whately and me ; Mr. Peel's attempted re-election w^as the occasion of it. I think, in 1827 or 1828, I had voted in the minority when the petition to Parliament against the Catholic claims was brought into Convocation. I did so mainly on the views suggested to me by the theory of the " Letters of an Episcopalian." .... I took part against Mr. Peel on a simple academical, not at all on an ecclesiastical or a political ground ; and this I professed at the time Also by this time I was under the influence of Kehle and Froude, who, in addition to tlie reasons I have given, disliked the Duke's change of policy as dictated by libe- ralism.' Dr. Newman tlien ])roceeds to tell, with an infinity of quiet Immour, tlie anecdote whicli lias been quoted so often from his book, concerning the trick played by Whately on him, in inviting him to meet a diiHier-party of tlie ' two-bottle ortiiodox,' as a })layful punishnicnt for liis abandonment of the liberal side. Henceforth, however, tliere can be little doubt that Whately felt his position in the University less agreeable than it had formerly been. Strong ])olitical excitement Avidened the breach of feeling which had always existed, /Et. 42] RUrTURE WITH NEWMAN. 05 between him and tlie old ' high-and-diy ' majority of tlio residents. And those youni^er and more far-reachinii; spirits, with whom liis sympatliies had cliiefly lain — of whom Xewnian, m his then state of mind, may be taken as an instance — were now detached from him, not because they had joined the old school, but because they were forming to themselves a new school ; which began in fierce disapprobation of the 'liberal' mode of dealing with the Clun'ch, and, after many vicissitudes of thoiiglit — from which Whately's unchangeable consistency was al- together alien — ended for the most part by abandoning that Churcli. Whately's adherents, beyond the limited circle of his attached friends, were now few, and shared his unpopularity. *In 1829 Whately was elected Professor of Political Economy, in succession to Senior ; his tenure of the office, however, "was cut short by his appointment to Dublin in 1831. He published an introductory course of lectures (1831), of which the main purpose, in accordance with his usual love for clearing-iip difficulties of thought by preci- sion of language, was that of establishing the real scope and purpose of the science — which lie desciibed as ' to encpiire into the nature, production, and distribution of wealth, not its comiection with virtue and ha[)piness.' To ol)\iate the fallacies to which, in his opinion, the popnlar deiioniiiiafion of the science had given rise, he })ro[)o.-ed to substitute for it tliat of ' Catallactics,' or the science of ex- clianL!"es. Put this new momenclature did not succeed.* The letter wliich follows, to a friend wliose name is not given, is cliielly on tlie subject of his acceptance of this Profess(H>hi[) : — 'There is something consolatory in your description ol" tlie state of mind in the University some years ago. Coin- pared with the darkness of tliat time, we are enjoying a vol,. I. F 66 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1829 twilight, wliich there is therefore hope may brighten. We are still hard at work statute-mending, and begin to see land, though it is a task of double difficulty to frame what shall be at once an improvement and passable in Convoca- tion. " We," you are to note, are the members, in num- ber nine, of the committee, which would perhaps get on all the better if two-thirds of us were sound asleep. I compare it to the nine muses, who are always printed sinfrinfT all at once on nine different themes. ' With respect to the Professorship of Political Economy, I have made up my mind to accept it if there is no rival candidate, which the Provost will undertake to ascertain. It is not, however, exactly from " having a fancy for it " that I am induced to do so ; for though it is entertaining to me to reail Senior's lectures, &c., and to converse on the subject with an intelligent companion, such is my natural laziness (which I believe you greatly underrate) that no taste for any subject ever yet did, or I believe ever will, bring mo to set to icork and systematically master it. In chemistry, in natural history, and several other pursuits, I am not without an interest ; but it is only strong enough to pick up, in a lounging and desul- tory way, a little superficial smattering. Never did I study any subject — never did I, properly speaking, do any manner of icork, except either from necessity or a sense of duty. In the present case there is, indeed, no precisely definite duty incumbent on me ; but if it is right that a tliinof should be done, it must be rit>lit that some- body should do it : and some of my friends have per- suaded me that this is a sort of crisis for the science in this place, such, that the occupying of the office by one of my prof<.!ssion and station may rescue it permanently from disrepute. Eeligious trutli — wliicli is, as you observe, the only description tliat calls for gixnit sacrifices — appears JEr.42] VIEWS ON I^OLITICAL ECONOMY. G7 to me intimately connected, at this time especially, with the subject in question. For it seems to me that before long^ political economists, of some sort or other, must govern the world ; I mean that it will be with legislators as it is with physicians, lawyers, &:c. — no one will be trusted who is not supposed at least to have systematically studied tlie sciences connected Avith his profession. Now the anti-Christians are striving hard to have this science to themselves, and to interweave with it their own notions ; and if these efforts are not met, the risinfj Q-eneration will be at tlie mercy of these men in one way or another — as their disciples, or as their inferiors. I am thinking, in tlie event of my appointment, of making a sort of continuation of Paley's " Xatural Theology," extending to the body-politic some such views as his respecting the natural. *" The carping spirit which you complain has crept into the " British Critic," I am in good hopes is likely in some degree to creep out of it. It is bad enough to be sure, but I think it was a great deal worse. j\Iay not a genuine reviewer, with his mixture of haughty self-sufficiency and flippant Iniflbonery, be aptly compared to an ancient mountebank and his merry-andrew eombined ?— the one lull of pulling and arrogant pretension, while the other relieves his gi-avity from time to time by singing a merry song and showing oil" some monkey tricks, to keep the crowd ill good-liuniour, tluit they niay the more readily buv his master's doses of trash and poison. That is a cjipilal article, though unequal, on Lord Uurghley. The careless and luxuriant vigour of it is (piite a contrast to the liiiished and elaborate article on Church lleforni. The latter is, however, the work of some able and prac- tised hand ; and I do not know that its excellences are inoi-e conducive to the object of ])ro(lucing a powertiil i -2 68 LIFE OF AECIIBISHOP WIIATELY. [1829 and general effect, than tlie disdainful arrogance, &c. which you I'eckon among its faults. ' The generality of readers give a man credit for as much, and only as much, superiority as he assumes, and con- clude anything to be contemptible which they see treated wdth great contempt. What struck me as the strongest part, was the interpretation of Our Lord's declarations, as having reference to the expectations of a temporal Mes- siah, though the topic might have been more forcibly nrged by a Papist or a Protestant within a few years of the Eeformation ; since, as it is, there is a difficulty in avoiding the charge of proving too much — in explaining, I mean, how it should not be a duty of the magistrate to 2^ut down heterodox teachers as he would thieves or coiners, inasmuch as the care of religion, no less than property, comes under his province. But if tlie reviewer had confined himself to a calm discussion of this topic, he w^ould not so effectually have gained tlie ear of tiie " most thinking people." Even his jokes about the fox without a tail, if not in the best taste, are probably (what is more to the purpose) in the popular taste. And that nosegay of nettless which he has culled towards the end — the collection of all the offensive expressions, unredeemed and unaccounted for by the context — struck me as a masterpiece of polemical art. But though admirably cal- culated to disparage a work in high and general esteem, (the " Episcopalian "), I should suspect, unless the book has obtained more circulation and influence than I had any idea of, it is likely to be in the condition of a top, which if let alone would drop, but is kept up by whipping. Xow, if he proves the book to be worthless to the full satisfac- tion of 2,000 or 3,000 persons, who would otherwise never have heard of it, there is nothing gained by that ; and, on the other hand, he may even call it from obscurity yEr. A-2] EE.MAi;KS OX CRITICISM. (il) into notice. Of three books which liead the article, one only is reviewed, and that with evident vehemence and earnestness. Now, if a WTiter speaks of a woi'k with dis- dain, and then passes it by, he is generally believed ; but if he assures his readers over and over again, with strong asseverations, that it is utterly contemptible, they begin at last sometimes to suspect that it is not. This is like some of the overdone French bulletins, which annihilate a corps of the enemy to-day, and then rout them again to-morrow, and then gain a third victory over them next day, till at last the reader doubts whether they have gained any vi(^tory at all. ' I am convinced that I am regarded by all parties as a man too little to be relied on to hope eflectual favour from any. I purposely began my career by declaring open Avar with both parties. For I considered that old age would, as it advanced, be likely to bring on more and more its three characteristic evils — procrastination, avarice, and timidity ; so that this, together with anxiety on account of my chihken, woidd be likely to paralyse my ell()rts in the cause of truth, unless I began by conunitting myself, s(^ as to cut off all rcas()nal)le chance of success from truckling to the Avorld ; in short, I burnt my ships to take awdv the chance of retreat. At present, therefore, I give mvself no ci'cdit ibr heroism in ac(\^})ting the Vvo- fessorrs, for he will never either read or preach in an edifying manner. And I will own that to do tliis in surli a way as to display superior talents must be tlie lot of but a few, because superior talents implies what few possess. But that it re(|uii'es superior talents to do this, in such a manner as to ])r()!it tlie people, is notoriously the reverse of fact. Eveiy man is not eloquent, but eveiy one can speak so as to be underst(H)d and attended to in liis own particular business wlien he is quite in earnest ; (V/., a farnuM' can give liis labourers a tolerable lecture on the work they are to do, a housekeeper alv/ays fnids tongue enougli to teacli the 72 LIFE OF AKCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1829 servants to cook and sweep, &c., and so of others. All ]}ut the regular ministers of the Gospel ! We alone have not a word to say on our own professional subject to the people placed under us for instruction ! Wliy, if a mechanic were thinking (as we are too apt to do) of tlie opinion his apprentices would form of him as a speaker he also would, I dare say, begin to feel nervous and modest, and would be content to read them a written dis 30urse on shoemaking — and the shoes^ would never be made. As it is, it is for his interest that they should learn to make shoes, and therefore he finds words to teach them how.' The next, to the Bishop of LlandafF, explains itself : — 'Alban Hall : October 17, 1829. ' I was surprised and gratified to hear so favourable an account of the state of your diocese, labouring as it docs under the disadvantag;e of the Welsh lano;uao:e. The difference, however, is perhaps greater in appearance than in reality ; at least, I am certain that in a vast many in- stances the clergy address their flocks in a language quite as unintelligible to the lower orders as Enghsh to a Welsh- man. And if they do not go about to the cottages, and instead of talking to the people, get them to talk and state their own impressions, the ftiilure remains undetected. Now, at Eastbourne, Dr. B , who was there wlicn we visited it, and who used a very plain simple style, and did a vast deal of good, has been succeeded by a man w^ho preaclies, in a very audible voice, very ortliodox sermons, in well-turned sentences, not one of wliich lam confident any one of the lower classes can make head or tail of; and, consequently, those who had acquired a desire for rehgious yEr. 42] LETTER TO BISHOP OF LLANDAFF. 73 instruction have gone in flocks to the mecting-hoiisc. It is often contended that tliis is a proof that the precedhig pastor must have been methodistical, which seems to me very rash ; it only proves that he had imparted a hmiger and thirst after some kind of religious instruction. iSow, suppose the other some years hence succeeded by such a man as Dr. B ; would all Avho have then become Dissenters come back to the Church ? No such thiniji;. If an active and judicious minister could in the course of several years reclaim a few, one at a time, it would be wo small credit to him. The one change is like the upsetting of a ship, so that most of her cargo is canted at one shock into the sea ; the other, the fishing up ]>iece by piece, at low-water, scattered ])ortions of that cargo. So that in consec|uence of these alternations (which must be of fre- quent occurrence), the result is, that the Church Establish- ment is ultimately weakened even by the pious diligence of some of her own ministers. A continual drain is kept up of the most thoughtful and careful among her children; the stupid and apathetic continue to go to church ])ecause tlieir fathers did so befoi'e them. 'And tlius we are in the condition of L:i])an when Jacob k(,'pt his flocks ; all the vigorous and llniving turn out ringstraked and s})eckled, and the feeble ones alone reuKiiu white, and continue in our Hock. Then some ])eople, ob>er\iug tlie extravagances wliich many Dis- senters fall into, say, ''Oh, \\\\ don't want anytliing ol' this kind introduced into tlie Ciuirch — tlicse fanatics liad l)c'tter be out of the pale than in;" a> if thty would of course have l)een just as wild had they remained among us. This is like the mistake many ignorant peoj)]!! are apt to make ^vhen they see a patient whose whole sirengtli is (h'aiued away by analjsces-- — " Oh I this nuist l)e carr\'iiig 74 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP ^\^IATELY. [1829 off bad humours ; such a discharge as that would be poison if returned in the body :" not knowing that it was sound blood, flesh, and bone, though now corrupted.' In tliis yenr was passed the Bill for Eornan Catholic Emancipation, in consequence of which Sir Eobert Peel lost his re-election at Oxford. Dr. Whately was among the very few ' heads of houses ' who gave him his vote and advocated his cause. Through life he maintained this principle firmly — that to exclude any class of men from public offices, in consequence of their religion, was to make Christ's a ' kingdom of this world,' which He and His dis- ciples had distinctly and expressly disclaimed ; and also, that by tempting persons whose ambition might be stronger than their scruples, to profess a religion tliey believed false, in order to insure their worldly advancement, such mea- sures were holding out a premium to hypocrisy and false profession. He would not argue on the ground that such- and-such persons were not likely to hejii to hold office ; but he considered that the electors should be allowed to exercise their own judgment on such cases, and to elect the person they considered most v/orthy, bciug responsible to God and their own consciences for their choice. He also considered that the real power of taking part in the government is given already, wherever the elective franchise exists ; and that to allow this last, and refuse a seat in Parliament, is simply to irritate the minds of the class excluded, without really crippling tlieir power of action; and he always appealed to history to shoAV how uniformly the system of an excluded class, like the Helots and Gibeonites, had tended to injure the peace and pros- perity of a country.^ * See tlie Annotiitioiis to IJacon's 21st ' Essay of Delays.' yET. 42] Sill H0J5ERT PEEL AND OXFORD UNIVERSITY. Tr/ Dr. Whately often made severe and sarcastic remarks on the treatment, Sir E. Peel at tliis time received from his former partisans ; those who supported him at tliis juncture being precisely those who had hitherto kept alo(jf from him, and vice verm. The editor of the ' Encyclopaadia Metropolitana,' to Avhich Dr. Whately was so valuable a contributor, wrote to him at tliis time, to tell him he had directed his pub- lisher to forward him a copy of a poem of his own, on ' Catholic Emancipation.' Dr. Whately replied, with his usual plainness of speech, by expressing a hope 'lie should not find move rhyme than reason in it.' The poem was not sent, but the editor evinced no mortification at tlie rebuff. It was about this time that Dr. Burgess, Bisliop of Salis- bury, liaving conceived a liigli opinion of Dr. Whatel3''s powers from the publication of the 'Logic,' wrote to pi'o- pose that he sliould bring out an edition of Chillingwortli's ' Eeligion of Protestants,' with some additions of his own, offering to bear liiin harmless as to the ex])eiise of ])ul)- lisliiiig tlie ])ook in a cheap form for wide circulation. Ikit his extreme scrupulousness on the sul^ject of indej)en- deiice of action, and dread of even .•<('<') it 'ukj to be in the position of a party-tool, induced him to decline. In l(So() was published the third portion of his series of religious cs-ays : that entitled 'The I'rrors of liomaui. 86 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1830 absolute loss, since it would go to relieve a most distressed and to reconcile a most dissatisfied body of men — the planters. And ultimately, when the situation of the colo- nies allowed it, a land-tax, or some other source of revenue, might be resorted to, without any ground of complaint from the parties represented in Parliament. ' The originator of the above proposal is ready to point out many other collateral advantages, to meet any objec- tions that may be raised, and to prove both the pressing necessity for adopting some decisive measure, and the im- possibility of devising any other that would in any degree meet the difficulties of the case.'^ ^ Note by Bishop Hinds, see p. 147. 87 CIIAPTErv IV. 1831. Letter to Mr. Senior on Parliamentary Reform — Letter to the same on forming' a Political Economy Society — llis appointment to the See of Dublin — Various opinions respecting his elevation — Appears at a Levee without his Order — Climbing feats of his dog — Dissatis- faction at his elevation — Speech of the Dishop of Exeter^Dr. Whately's opinions respecting the Fourth Commandment — Letter to Bishop of Llandafl' on his appointment to the Primacy — IjCttcr to Lady Mary Shepherd — Starts for Dublin — Attacked by a Pir- mingham mob — Narrow escape at Holyhead. *TiiE following- letters, written during; the leisure of tliis llis last long vacation, speak for themselves. Tliey sliow that tlieir writer, like a true Aristotelian, was in favour of the Timocracy of that })]iiloso[)lier, or system of cumula- tive votes according to property : — On rai-Hameidary Rcfovni. '8th Octubcr (probal)ly August), 18:^. ' ]\Iy dear Senior, — As I liave nothing lu'tter to do just now (^frxo7^rj Os ttJ^zUov r) (jh^to Tac^iO'Ti [J.oiJ^ I will send you my poor thoughts on rarliamentary Iie- i"orm. There are various reasons for supposing that some modifications will be introduced ; Avhile, on the other liiind, not only do Ministers })rofess a determination to abide b}^ the principle of the Bill (which I a[)])rehend is to make the rej)resentation more })o[)ular), l)ut also it would be manifestly imsafe to make it /('.»• poj)uhii-. 83 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 Whatever anyone may think of tlie expediency of making 10/. occupants electors, it woiikl be difficult now, directly, to raise the qualification. We are so placed that we can advance in a certain direction, but can scarcely recede. ' And yet, not only are there objections to so low a qualification, but it has always seemed to me that the system could not last, but must go on to universal suffrage. The qualification is not only so low, but so arhitrary and unequal (10/. occupiers in some places being on a par with 20/. in others, and hi. in others), tliat I think the line of distinction could never be maintained, ' The evils of universal suffrage are chiefly two : — ' lstl5^ The preponderance given to the poor over the rich, through their numerical superiority, as soon as they are put man for man on a level. ' 2ndly. The danger and evil of mobs — meaning by a moh a large collection of j^eople of ichatever rank ; for then they always heat like new hay, and are governed by passion instead of reason. I verily think five conunon labourers deliberating together would be more likely to adopt wise and temperate measui-es than five thousand gentlemen. ' Xow to avoid the first evil, I would have eveiy one (not convicted of any infamous crime, especially bribery, and not having received parochial relief since 1832, and pay- ing rates) a voter ; but those who possess certain property, two, three, fonr, or more votes, up to a certain point, as is the case in vestries. Tlius a due weiglit would be given to property, and yet everyone would feel that he had some voice in making the laws he is to obey, and imposing the taxes he is to pay. ' To remedy the second evil, I can tliink of nothing but some resemblance to the French plan of electing electors. Ml. 44] VIEWS ON PARLIAMENTARY REFORM. 89 Let cacli voter choose, not a member of Parliament, but a deputy^ who should possess, while holding the office, the elective franchise. ' Tliese should not be chosen in each general election, but for a certain term of years (say seven), with a capa- bility of being re-elected ; and let i\\o^Q first chosen draw lots, to sit for one, two, three, &c., or the whole seven 3'ears — that they might go out of office in succession, and ]je replaced by a perpetual splicing. ' Deputies should be chosen from each parish, or smaller district. And there would not be the same invidious and hardly intelligible distinction between one having the elec- tive franchise because he rented a tenement of 10/., and another not, who rerited 9/. ; but one would have it and another not, because the one was chosen fiom real or supposed desert, and the other not. ' The deputies for the election of members should have all equal votes ; but the electors should have one or more votes according to their qualification. ' All tumult, delay, and canvassing at elections would be cut off. As the de})uties or electors of members would not be ab(n-e 400 or 500 in the largest county or town, a general election might be finished in a single day, or two at most. ' And if it were found or thought that any deputy had betrayed his trust, you would have only to elect another in his stead at the next term. ' The pi'imary elections might, for all I can see, vote by ballot; the deputies viva voce, that it might be seen by the persons they returned to rai'liament how far they were worthy of the trust reposed in them. ' I think hoik of these alterations desirable, but they are not necessnril}^ connected ; and if there were any insu])er- al)le objection to the one, the other might be adopted 90 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 notwithstanding. I cannot conceive any system either safe or permanent which should exckide both. ' As for other points, it seems to me that it would be very desirable to give some places alternate representa- tion in Parliament, as in Scotland, and as is the case of Irish bishops. There are several places but just falling below the mark of those which return a member, which it seems very reasonable to give this right to, every other or every third Parliament. I would not, however, in- crease the members of the House ; on the contrary, I would have several places which now send two members return only one, keeping .up their advantage over those which now send one, by giving these only an alternate member. ' I would have no candidate, either for the office of deputy or of members, allowed personally to ask a vote. It seems to me indecent, contra bonos mores, that either a seat in Parliament, or the possession of an elective fran- chise, should be openly acknowledged as something bene- ficial to the person holding it. And it is surely implied by a person's begging for your vote, humbly thanking you for it, &c. ' I know very well that members of Parliament do seek their own interest, or the gratification of their own vanity or ambition ; but surely it is but decent that they should be at least supposed in courtesy to be actuated, chiefly at least, by public spirit. N'ow, so far as they do undertake a laborious office Avith a view to the public good, so far they deserve to receive the thanks of their constituents. Then, again, the voters do very often not only receive direct bribes, but when this is not the case, look to some indirect benefit to themselves in the votes they give — to the advancement in life of a son — tlie obtaining of a cus- tomer — to some advantafxe to tlieir own town or district JEr. 44] THE ELECTIVE FrvAXCIIlSE. 91 at the expense of the community. But it is most indecent that tliese views should be avowed and recognised ; and such appears t'o me the case by tallying of the elective franchise (as many speakers, on botli sides, have done in the late debates) as a benefit and advantage to tliose possessing it. I liave always been most indignant at the ])lea urged in favour of some of the boroughs pro])osed to be disfranchised : "These persons have a vested interest; they ought not to be deprived of their property unless it can be proved that they have abused their privileges," &c. I should have replied, not, as some did, by urging tliat l)rivate interest sliould give way to public, but that these persons owjht to have 7io personal interest in the matter. So far as they are lionest men, they are taking the trouble of selecting a fit person, not to promote })rivate and local interests, but to legislate for the public. To deprive them of the elective franchise, therefore (if it seems expedient to tlie community), is not taking away from them any valuable pro})erty. Will anyone have the effrontery to reply, " Yes, but we do reap advantage from having votes, because we get attention ])aid to our own pecidiar interests".^ This is j)leading your own wrong. A man might as well petition against the erection of a lighthouse, on the ground that he made a profit of plundering wrecks. JJiit it is tlic same error to talk of conferring on such-and- such persons the elective fraucliise as a boon to tliem. So far as they make and consider it sucli (which, after all, we must expect many of tliem will do), they are abusing the trusts reposed in tliem ; at all events, let no practice be tolerated which sliall imply a recognition of an abuse. ' I do think the law excluding clerg3'inen iVoin sitting in the House of Commons — passed, as it notoriously was, on account of t)ne obnoxious individual — is a disgi'aceto the Legislature which cannot be too soon wiped oil'. I do not 92 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 wish to see clergymen in the House ; but if certain elec- tors think fit to fix on a certain clergyman as their repre- sentative, it is most unreasonable to say, " You shall not elect this man ! " This ought decidedly to be at once remedied. ' To make the absurdity the more glaring, while a cler- gyman, who may have no cure, is absolutely excluded from Parliament, a bishop, who must have more business than anyone can get through, is necessarily a member. And the junior bishop is kept away from his diocese to perform a duty which might be just as well entrusted to any clergyman. This childish regulation should be done away with at once. ' I am decidedly of opinion that the bishops should have no place in the House of Lords, the duties of the two situations being incompatible ; but should have the right of appointing proxies^ who should be any peers, Irish or Scotch as well as English, whether otherwise entitled to a seat or not. ' And I think that the property of the Church should be more effectually represented by members from each diocese in the House of Commons, elected by all holders and tenants of glebe-lands, or other ecclesiastical pro- perty — the same property not giving anyone a vote in the county. ' The cutting-ofF of the second member, from several places that now send two, might prevent the augmentation in the total number. ' These last suggestions might perhaps be too strongly opposed ; but the removing of the exclusion of clergymen from the House of Commons, and of the enforced attend- ance of the junior bishop, none I think could have the face to object to. ' Some may perhaps think, at the first glance, that my ^.T. 44] AGGRANDISING TENDENCY OF DEMOCRACIES. 93 reform is veiy democratical, I think that a more attentive mind will sliow that it is calculated to prevent, in the most effectual way, tne inroads of excessive democracy. I can at least say tliat no one can dread more than myself a de- mocratical government, chiefly because I am convinced it is the most warlike. ' Our Eadicals declaim against the laws entered into for tlie aggrandisement of kings, &C., not considering tliat national aggrandisement is at least as much souglit by democracies, and that, besides ambition, they are apt to be liurried into a war by being in a passion. ' Those who are capable of learning from experience may see this in the histories of Eome and of Athens in ancient times, and of the United States in modern ; and also by observing how all those of democratical principles among us have tried to urge us into a war with Holland and with Eussia ; and how eager tlie French EepubHcans are, and ever have been, for war, with anybody and every- body.' To Nassau Senior, Esq. ' Sea Houses, Eastbourne : Au^. II, 18.31. ' I am surprised at not liearing anything of you and vour ])ani})hlet. If at all, I should think it should ap- pear at once, as the subjects of it are ab'eady under parlia- mentary discussion. I am disposed to fear, thei'efore, that vou have abandoned the idea, which I should be very sorry f<-)r. ' I have been doing next to nothing this vacation. The least labour fatigues me excessively, and yet I iind hardly anvtliing that anuises or relaxes me. In fact, the bow has been so long over-bent that it has nearly lost its elasticity. I think at the close of the present year of the Proiessoi-- ship, I shall resign it. One capable of so very little labour 94 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 as I am, ought to have absolutely nothing else to think of. There are volumes on volumes which I know I ought to read, but it is by great effort only that I can fix my attention on anything requiring thought, and that for not more than an hour in a day on an average, if so much. I shall have done something by having accepted the office, and put forth a vindication of the study. I wish, while I hold the situation, I may see a Political Economy Society formed. I think you and Tooke, and five or six more, might set it on foot, not insisting on any large number to begin with ; and when once existing, many would readily join who would be but apathetic about forming it. And do not put the subscription too high.' To the Same. 'Eastbourne: Aug. 21, 18.31. ' Hinds observes, that when you speak of the relative population and capital of Ireland, you should remember that no inconsiderable portion of the capital on which the Irish subsist is English. While indeed they remain here, they may be regarded as a part of our population ; but there is a continual ebb-tide of returning Irish, some laboui'ers, and some beggars, but mostly both by tin^ns, who seldom go home empty. At the Mendicity-office in Oxford, where a great majority of the applicants are Irish, they have sometimes, on being searched, been found to have one, two, or three sovereigns in their rags, and it is likely that most of those wlio are thus })r()vided take care to keep away from such an office. Part of tliis may have been earned by labour, but an Irishman, who has thus collected a little hoard, will generally, if he can, beg his way home. All that is thus amnially carried to Ireland is so much English capital devoted to the main- tenance of Irishmen in Ireland. ^r. 44] IRISH LABOURERS AND IRISH BEGGARS. 95 ' To which must be added the frequent and large con- tributions made in the country to reheve Irish distress. This is, however, occasional ; tlie other is a constant, steady- drain. Perhaps, also, in s})eaking of the immigration of Irish labourers, it would be right to consider also that of Irish begijars : some who are incapable of work, some who prefer begging, some who cannot find work, at least not for a great part of their time. And they are the more freely relieved, on account of the want of poor-laws in Ireland, because a man cannot say, as to an Englishman, " Go to your parish." This is certainly a heavy evil. It is even confidently stated that the Irish who are applied to by persons in distress, have got rid of them by paying their })assage to England. May it not also be said that the Irish labourers, whose standard of decencies is so low, tend to bring down the English to the same level ? If I am an English labourer, and am outbid by an Irishman, Avlio lies on straw and lives on ])()tatoes, I must acce])t tlie same wages (unless I go to the parish), and live the same ]:)iggish kind of life. ' Xow for a point of much higher importance. Hinds thinks strongly with me, and on grounds which had not at lii'st occurred to me, that it is iuiportant not to state in this lirst pamplilct tlie specific funds from whicli Komish clergy in Ireland should be maintained, but nuM'ely defend the making of such a ])rovision (on the ground of the danger in that pai'ticular country, consequent on the peculiar inlhuMUH' which a liinnish j)riest has over his llock), and then warmly and copiously, in a future pamphlet, dwell on the two ])(»ints which you have in fact omitted — viz. : lir-t, what is the /•//////'(equitably) that the Legislature has to touch the Church endowments, and secondly, the ])riii- ciple according to which it should make a new di>tril)u- tion of them ? 96 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 ' The first question should be answered by maintaining the right (to be very cautiously exercised on account of the precedent) of Government to deprive of endowments, with a view to general utility. And remember, it is a right which extends to all, not merely ecclesiastical endowments — as, e.g.^ to the Universities, &c. ' As to the second, do not put such a disposal on the principles you have hinted at, w^hich Avill be applied in other cases wdien once the example is set, but on the peculiar state of Ireland at the present moment, I will send the MS. per coach, and beg you to look at what we have said in the blank leaves. ' The best way to proceed in such a case as this is as one does in moving resolutions, one by one, at a public meeting, which you will often bring to adopt gradually a scheme which if first proposed as a whole would have been instantly rejected ; thus here : — Eesolved, 1. That it is highly expedient that a fixed maintenance should be provided for the Eomish clergy in Ireland. 2. That we may do so with a safe conscience. 3. Tliat a committee be appointed to take into consideration the best means of providing and of managing a fund for that pur])ose (this committee is to be a second pamphlet). If you determine tliat this fund shall be the means of certain bishoprics, do not proceed on the principle that these are ecclesiastical endowments originally given to tlie Eomish Church, or that the Romish Church form a majority of tlie ])oople for whom the endowment was made. Tliis would o])Gn a door very shortly for indefinite and interminable s})olia- tion of all endowments. But put it merely on tlie ground that tliis revenue is the most easily, and with least public inconvenience, made available. You have taken as a ground of ])rocedure what sliould have been merely an answer to a cavil. When it is ur^ed that the wisdom of .'Et. 44] XO:\irXATED ARCHBISHOP OF DIBLIX. 97 our ancestors appointed the existing sj^^tem, you may fairly answer they never contemplated what now exists ; there is an end of the objection, and there you should stop.' The leisurely and speculative character of these letters from the seaside, in this the last sunniier of his Oxfoi'd life, show how little prepared he was for the event which was to decide the colour of all his future years. The vacation, spent as usual between the seaside and his relatives at Tunbridge Wells, Avas closing, as it com- monl}' did, with one of the annual family-visits to Dr. Arnold at liugby, when tlie letter from Tord Grey, oHer- ing hini the See of Dublin, reached him, havinji" been forwarded to him from Oxf ~)rd : — ' Privatr. ' Powiiiiio-streot : Sept. 14, liS.'H. ' Eev. Sir, — Having been ordered by the King to I'c- commend for his ]\[ajesty's consideration the name of a ])('rson well qualified by his eminence in tlie Chui'ch to fill the vacant Arclibisliopric of Dublin, I have, after the mo:-t diligent (■n(|uiiT. satisfied myself that I shall best aeeonipli-^h the object which his Majrsty has in \iew bv jji-oposiiig that you shouhl be nominated to tliis high situation. ' r need not point out to you tlie im])ortant duties an- nexed to it. more especially at this moment, when tlie mnst uiiremiltiug care, under the direction o( a iirm, eiiliuhiciied, and conciliating spirit, will \)c re(|uired to ])rescrv(^ the Chiireli oi' Lx'land from the dangers with which it is -urroiiiided. • All ;uixious wish to eiig:ige in this arduous ta-k the ([iiaiiri'S best lilted for its successful execution, and the Vnl., T. n 93 LIFE OF APvCriBISTIOP WIIATELY. [1831 persuasion, derived from j^our high reputation, that they will be found in you, have alone induced me to make this offer, your acceptance of which will afford me tlie sincerest pleasure. May I request an early answer to tliis communication ? ' I remain, with great respect, sir, ' Your very obedient, humble servant, ' Grey.' The sense of his merits and confidence in his powers, thus expressed by Lord Grey, could not but be grati- fying to him as well as to his friends ; but in other re- spects the announcement was one ratlier of painful anxiety than of pleasure. He received it in his usual manner. Tlic letter was placed in his hands at tlie break- fast-table ; he glanced over it, and, quietly putting it by, talked at breakfast of indifferent subjects ; no one sus- pected that it contained matter of so much interest to all present. ' He had a short struggle,' ]\Irs. WJiately writes in her Eeminiscences, ' in making up his mind to accept an ofTK^e which to him involved mucli personal sacrifice. He liad to resign a mode of life to which he was much attached, with duties in winch lie took a great interest, and among friends whose society was both dear and agreeable to him: while on the other hand, great and painful responsibilities, duties as yet undefined, and difficulties little known, must inevitably meet liim in Ireland. To balance all which, he did not possess cvcmi the ordinaiy love of place or desire of distinction, in the vulgar sense of tlie word. Xor did he want wealth, for we enjoyed a competence which met our wants and wishes. l)Ut the (H)iivi('lion that an important line of duty was opened to him, decided his acceptance.' * That Whately's lofty character, and high reputation as yEx. 44] KEASONS FOR HIS ELKVATIOX. 99 a sc'liolar and a divine, fully justified his elevation was admitted by all. But there was much speculation, at the time, as to what especial reason could have occasioned an ap[)ointment so much out of the conunon run, open to cavil from so many quarters, and so little ' safe ' in the ordinary ministerial sense of the word. Whately had neither family nor personal interest, nor connexion with Ireland ; he was entirely detached from all party, religious or political ; he stood alone, in the insuhition of a sin- gularly ])roud as well as independent mind, ^ye have Lord Grey's testimony (given in his lordship's evidence before the Committee appointed to enquire into National Education in Ireland, lSo7), that when he offered him the archbishopric, he had never spoken to, written to, or to his knowledge seen him.* ' When he was appointed to the archbishopric,' says his friend and (at that time) almost inseparable companion, ]ji>ho[) Hinds, ' his 2corl\ its importance, its dilliculties, and its responsibilities, absor])ed all his thoughts. lie said to me, again and again, " jMy brain is written within and without, lamentation, and mourning, and woe;" and aj)plied to lumself those lines of Vii'gil — l']t )in\, qucm diulmii iion ulla injicta nidvcljant 'I'cla, (iiiuii's trrrciit iuii';i', .soiuis excitat oiiiiiis. 'The external cireum-^taiuH's i^f his elcN'ation. instead of ])eiiig in an\' way compeii-atory, were not even a set-oil" against tlie sacM'ifice of the free and indepcMident habits of his life hitherto. 'Vho gilding of the pill sei'ved oidy to make it harder to swallow. The Oi-der of Sr. Talriek, when he Ava:^ obliged to ^\■ear it. Iiung round his neck as a thing that wa-^ in his wav, and which he would gladly, if he could, lia\'(.' taken into a coi'uer. On his lirst \isit to Toiidon. lie jH'esented himself at William the Fourtir-^ le\-(''e wit]i»>ut it — not de-igncdiy. but -iinjily becau-^e he i-f ■- 100 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1831 had never thoiisfht of it. The Kmir said to some one near him, " Is the Archbishop of Dubhn ashamed of his Order?" The remark was repeated, a message sent to Dubhn for it ; and after a long search, and breaking open of some locks, it was found and despatclied to him, in time for liis being duly equipped in it on his next ap- pearance at Court. ' He went to dine one d;iy witli the Lord-Lieutenant, and on this occasion the Order was not forgotten ; but, in freeing himself from some annoyance it caused him, it became sadly misplaced. Lord Anglesey stepped to him and said, " Pardon me. Archbishop, but will you permit me to put your Order right ? " and proceeded to do so, the Archbishop goodnaturedly saying, " If I had earned mine as your Excellency has yours, I dare say I sliould think more about it." ' Another trait, cited by Dr. Hinds, of his manner of re- ceiving tliis first announcement of his new dignity, is equally indicative of the same feeling. His love of exliibitins the chmbino- feats of Ins dos^ in Christchurcli meadow, lias been alluded to by Mr. Boultbee. On tliis memorable visit to liugby he had taken the dog with him. On the morning in which he had received Lord Grey's letter, Dr. Hinds writes ; ' A visitor arrived who was a stranger to him, and was asked out to see the feats of his climbing dog. The animal performed as usual, and when he had readied his liighest point of ascent, and was beginning his yell of wailinix. Wliatelv turned to tJie stranger and said, "What do you think of that?" Visitor: '• I think that some besides the dog, when they find themselves at the lop of the tree, would give the world they could get down again." Whately : " Arnold has told vou." Visitor : '• Has told me what?" yEr. 44] CIIAXGI-: IX HIS MODE OF LIFE. 101 Whatebj : " Tliat I have been ofTcred the Arclibi.shopric of DiibHn." Visitor : " I am very happy to hear it, but this, I assure you, is the first iutiniation I have liad of" it, and when my reuiark was made I liad not the remotest idea tliat the thing was hkely to take place." ' These recreations indeed were never entirely given up ; but the Whately of Christchurch meadow was changed — those pleasant chapters of his earlier life were closed for ever. A life of anxious toil, disappointment, misaj)})re- hension — often fruitless labours, only repaid by obloquy — philanthropic elForts met with suspicion — the sickness of heart of frequent failures— all this and more awaited him ; fame indeed, and sometimes brilliant and gratifying tributes to his endeavours, valued friendships, too, to cheer him under trial ; but the rest and the freedom of his old life were gone, and on earth there was little that could replace it. But he laboured for no earthly reward, and through all tlie years of toil and trial whicli were now to fall to his lot, he never seems to have repented the decision he had made, conscientiously and deliberately, at the call of iiufi/. 'J1ie words of his old friend tlie Bishop of Llandafl'will fuithcr illustrate the spirit in which he entered on his new oflicc. • J)i\ Whately,' writes the Bisii()[), ■ acce})led the arduous station propo.-ed to him, })ur('ly, I believe, ironi })ubHc >pirit and a sense of duty. Wealth, honour, and [)ower. and title have no charms for him. He has great enei'gv and intrepidity-- a hardihood wliieli sustains him against obloquv, when he knows he is diseliarging a duty, and he is genei"ous and disinterested ahnost to u fauh. His enlarged views, liis sincerity, and liis freedom from ])reju(lice, are more tlian a compensation for his \vant (»t' coneihatiuL:,- manners. AViien his character is understooiL 102 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 he will, I think, acquire more influence witii the Irish than he would with the English.' ^ A similar tribute was given to his character by liis friend Dr. Arnold, some time later : — ' Now, I am sure that, in point of real essential holiness, as far as man can judge, there does not live a truer Christian than Whately ; and it does grieve me most deeply to hear people speak of him as a dangerous and latitudi- narian character, because in him the intellectual part of his nature keeps pace witli the spiritual.' And again : ' In Church matters they (the Government) have got Whately, and a signal blessing it is that they have him and listen to him ; a man so good and so great that no folly or wickedness of the most vile of factions will move him from his own purposes, or provoke him in disgust to forsake the defence of the Temple.' * At the same time (and this appears to be the proper place to notice it), the appointment was one which gave great dissatisfaction to a large class of the religious as well as the political Vv'orld. AVliately's strong opinions (though lie had never been so active as many others in urging tiiem) in favour of Catholic Emancipation were, no doubt, the fundamental cause of much of this oppo- sition. Mere politics, unconnected with religion, had also a good deal to answer for in the matter. But there were niunbers, also, wlio honestly looked on him as a dangerous man, and all but heterodox in opinions. To us of this jzeneration, who have to take oin* side in religious battles fc ' lie said in tlie House of Lords (Aug. 1, IS;"!:*), tliat on the first commu- nication Avhicli lie recti vcd I'rom Lord ('rev, lie made a spontiineous oiler to con-ent tu tlie (limiinitioii of tie' reveiun-s of the see duriiiLT liis nwii ]i!V, provided it should appeal' that the general interests of the Protestant religion could be benefited thereliv. ^r. 44] OBJECTIONS MADE BY HIS OPPONENTS. 10;] of far more searcliing importance — wlio are accustomed to see men, high in tlie confidence of respective church parties, assume 'the boklest hcense in a[)proacli towards Komanism on the one side, and nationalism on tlie (^ther — it seems ahnost out of date to notice the special grounds of disqualification which were then urged against Whately. These were— his views on the Sabbatarian question, and certain doctrinal statements of his respecting the cha- racter and attributes of the Saviour, which Avere reirarded as verging on Sabelhanism. On tlie first of these sub- jects, religious opinion in general, in the Church of Eng- land at least, has ])retty nearly ccmie round to liim ; the second is of an order which it would be out of ])lace to discuss at length in these pages. Enough to say, that the liostility engendered by it is long ago Ibrgotten, except by a very few champions of rigid verbal orthodoxy, who tliink it sin to make any allowance for the various forms under which Truth, on certain ver)^ abstruse sul)jccts, ])rcsents itself to dilferent minds, each equally determined to abide by it. 'To which of its members,' says a critic of some years later, ' is .the Chuivh — or the country — more indebted than to Archbishop AVliately? Ihit bc'cau-e \\c. ventured to deny that the J'\)urth Connnand- metit i-> slill binding, and J'eminded his logical jjupils tliat the ^vord pt'i'-^mid means not an in(ii\idual but a cha- i-actcr. he is belie\'ed l)y tliou^ands to be a '" dangerous man." An attack on the appointment seemed tlua'cfore so popular an eiiterpri-^e, that the ablest of the clerit'al opponents of .Lord (ircvs go\'ernnieiit si'ized at once upon the occa-^ion. The Hishop e)l" I'lveter said, in llie 1 louse of Lor(k : — M )f the Archbishop of Dublin 1 will say. that 1 nc^•ca■ 104 LIFE OF ArtCIIBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 knew a man of greater powers, or of a more richly cul- tivated mind. I never knew a man more strenuous in the pursuit of truth — more fearless to wherever that pursuit might lead him. In sliort, if ever I knew one man, more than another, who could be called a lover of truth, that man is the Archbishop of Dublin ; and to say of any man that he is a strict lover of truth, amounts to saying that he is one of the best of men. But having said this, it w^ill not be imagined that I speak invidiously when I say, that this very ardent love of truth, in one who liappens to have erred in tlie pursuit of it, only makes him more unsafe as a guide, much more as the absolute arbiter of the opinion of others.' In shoit, my lords, I must not be afraid of saying that the known opinions of the Archbishop of Dublin, upon an important theological question, are opinions which in a great degree disqualify him for the situation to which lie has been appointed. His opinions denying the sacredness of the Sabbath ha\'e been put forth to the world, and for that he is answerable to the world. I perceive, from the demeanour of some noble lords around nie, that they think this language is invidious. My lords, I disclaim any such intention : I mean nothing invidious.' '^ *T]ie Bishop of Exeter explahied that his objections to the views of Wliately on the question of the Sabbath, were founded on the fifth essay in the 'Difficulties of St. Paul,' first edition : but in the second edition, he found that the Archbislioj) had guarded his opinion more carefidly. Tin; Ijishop of Llandaff on this occasion spoke well in support of liis old friend, and Lord Grey justilled his appointment.* ' We must not oiilicit^e parliamentary liiniruao-e too closely : but did tlie Bishop mean that an untruthful man would he less unsafe as a titiide r « Hansard, r^Iarcli 2-2, 1822. /Ex. 41] Ills POSITION AMOXiJ CIIL'IJCIl PAl;TIi;s. lOo * On tliis subject — as on otlier religious suhjects — Whately's opinions, early thought out for hiniself, under- went little change or modification, in the one direction or the other. Generally speaking, Whately occu[)ied an intermediate position throughout life, between the high dogmatic school in the Church, and the school \vliich refines away dogma into mere sentiment. Xeither suited his positive turn of mind : the iirst, because most of their doctrines seemed to him to rest on mere assumptions; the second, because a religion without distinct doctrines was in his view impossible. The articles of his ci'ced were therefore few, but they were adhei'ed to with great steadiness ; and. it may be added, not without some ten- dency to de[)reciate those minds whidi could not rest satislied with his ' connnon-sense ' view (as some dis- paragingly called it) of Christianity. Those, ])articularly in his younger days, who were in constant search after novelty and 'progress' or ' develoj)ment,' in matters of iaith — whose IJcli^iou seemed intendeil For notliiug' else but to be mended — assumed a contemptuous attitude towards him, wliich [\t nuist ])(' confrsst'd) he was not disinclined to I'eturn. ^\'itnes< the following characteristic criticism on him, though of a somewhat later period than that witli which ^ve are now concei'iied, by a disciple ot" the Ti'actai'ian school in the davs of its luxuriance: — •Since his change to his present [josition, eleven years lia\"e i)assed over our heads — the most momentous. perha])s, ill J']ngli>h hi>tory since the lieformation ; Avhat ellect lia\(' the e\ents of these years luul on tins writer ?-- Iiow far ha\'e tluy enlarged the s])here of his mental \ision ^ He has sent f )rtli from Dublin the \-ery same stMitiment-^. the same arguments, nay the same r|uotalions. whelher 100 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 from heathen authors or his friends' writings, which liad been heard from the University pulpit.' ^ * The letters that follow show further the spirit in which he entered on his new sphere of duty, and also the affectionate concern he felt for the country parish Avith which he was now fmally to cease all official connection. One of his earliest cares was to recommend to the notice of Ministers his former curate, Mr. Badeley, who was appointed his successor in the incumbency. To his early friend and tutor, Bishop Copleston, he could open his whole mind as he could to few beside ; and the letters addressed on this eventful autumn to him, throw more light than any others could on tlie struggles, the misgivings, and the aspirations with which he entered on his new sphere of work : — < Greens Coffee Ilou.e: Sept. 21, 1831. ' The infirmity you complain of, of liking details of matters concerning your friends, is one without Avhicli friendship could hardly subsist. A man might be a philanthropist without it, but could hardly have private attachments. ' You may guess how nnich I was gratified to find you express wishes wliich had been anticipated. Lord Grey's letter and my answer are important documents ; he made not only no stipulation, but no mention or hint, relative to church rcA'enues ; and 1, in my answer, volmiteered, not an offer, but a declared intention, to divest myself, in some way oi- other, of ])art of my ]-evenues, to be a])plied to some purposes connected with religion. 'Senior is now at Brussels, and I have not seen him since the pamphlet app(.^ared. As far as I can conjecture from what I Jiave heard him say,! sjiould tliink lie would ' -JJi-iti.sli Critic,' 1S42. ^T. 41] LEGAL PROVISION FOR THE ROMLSII CI-KIKIY. 107 partly coincide ^vitll and partly difler from your lordship's remarks. He certainly entertains strong expectations tliat Eomanism,'so far from being strengthened, would be much weakened by a legal provision for the Komish clergy. At the same time he would. I think, recommend this measure equally, even if he had no hope of llomanism dying away ; for he woidd say, we should be at least no 7cor.se olT than we are ; experience shows that the religion irill liourisli in the shade ; we cannot fix it more firmly than it is fixed under the present system. ' The corner which 3"our lordship's argument goes to thrust him into, I think he would step into of his own accord. lie would say tliat lie does consider the object of an establislimeiit to be ''not the ])ro})agatioii of truth,"' but the " preservation of quiet ; " tliat he has in view a ])o- litical, not a religious object ; that the proper object of a church, as a religious community, is the promulgation of truth, however unpopular — /. c^Avhat we believe to be tru(^ (for, as Aristotle says, the object of pursuit is uTryuhg [xlu raya^ov, sxaTTu) Of, to ooxoDv) ; but that the legislat(>rs of a ciril community are neither bound nor authorised U) giv(^ a ])refem)ce to their own religion (in their legislative capacity) over that of their subjct'ts. If indeed a ivligion l)e jinHticiilhj (lesti'm-tive, it ought not to be endorsed ; but neither ought it then to be t'llerotrd; the obscene or bloodv rites ol" Cotytto or ]\L(jL)ch ought not to be supported, either by goxernnient or by pri\'ate subscrijjtion. 'lie would, however, deny that it /'■■^ intended by his scheme to suppoil a ialse religion, lie would sav that he is not for -ending out Popish missionaries: but there /.v the religion; tiie priests are maintained ; the only (juestion is whellier the poor Irit ])olato A\'ith tiie i)i-iesl, slunild be I'eliewd from a burden tlicv can ill bear. 11' vou were to aive a 108 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 poor Irisliman a bushel of potatoes you would not be charged with supporting Popery ; and yet probably the money he would have paid for the potatoes goes to pay the priests' dues, and the money, which in that case would have paid the priest, goes to buy clothing or some other needful article. Whether government bestows a certain quantity of provisions on the poor Irish, and thus saves them from being half-starved to pay their priests, or pays their priests and thus leaves them money to buy provisions, in eitlier case it is the people that receive the relief: the only difference is, that you have in the one case, and not in tlie other, the political danger arising from a priesthood dependent on the zeal of their flocks, and, consequently, zealous to keep them true to their Church, and at the same time ready to truckle to their passions. Such, as nearly as I can conjecture, would be Senior's views. ' I myself am alarmed at liis scheme on anotlier ground : I fear the Dissenters tliroughout tlie empire clamouring for their share of endowments, and saying tliat 10 men have as fair a claim to 10 loaves as 1000 to 1000 loaves, and that they ouglit no more to be burdened with tlie maintenance of their religious teachers than the Komanists. ' The case is one of great diiFiculty, and I do not see my way through it. Lupuni auribus teneo. There are strong- objections to e\ery step tJiat can be taken: only let us not forget what strong objections there are to standing still and taking no steps at all. 'I should have observed, that when I spoke of S — -having hopes of the Eomish religion dying away, I do not know tliat he calculates mucli on proselijf/sm to our Clnu'cli, but looks to a reform or modification of the doctrines of those Ii'ish wlio are now lioman CathoHcs. Your lordsliip is aware, I dare say, of the movement taking place among a consi- derable portion of the Frencli (so-called) Gallican Cluircii .Et. 44] INDEPEXDEXCK OF flirKCIIES ESSENTIAL. K)0 Avlio, clinging to the name of Catholic, have renounced subjection to the Pope. And even those who shoukl not in words renouiice their connection with the Church of Home, may yet be far from relying with implicit detV'i- ence on its authoi'ity. With no greater inconsistency than one sees practised ever}- day, they may make their sul)jec- tion merely nominal, like that of the ]\[aires du Palais in Paris to the ancient kings. 'J^ut I would even prefer seeing the Irish reform tlieir Church, and bring it as lar as possible to a state of purity, without its coalescing any more with the Church of Eng- land than those of Thessalonica, Philip])i, and C(M'intli, which I imagine were perfectly friendly and yet peii'ectly independent. If a Liturgy, Articles, Pubric, and a system of discipline were to bo devised, by the most consummate wisdom, for England, for Ireland, ibr the West Indies, and for Canada, I have little dou])t that there would be somewhat different in each ; and I think this sort of varia- tion is so far from breaking the l)()nd of peace tliat it is the best pi'oservative of it. A numljer of neighbouring families living in {)erfect amity will be thrown into dis- cord as soon as you compel them to foiiu (nic familv, and to ob like- tlu' windows open, and another shut ; and thus, bv being brought too close together, they are drixen into ill- will l)v one being pei'petually forced to give wav to another. Of the same character are tlu' dissensions Avhieh (/rose nhough they subsequently assumed a diU'erent eha- i-aeter) about chui'cli-nuisic, the ])osition of tlie communi- cants, the colour of a minister's dress, the time of kee})ing I'.aster, Ovc. l^-c. ' Pelieve me, ever vours most aflectionatelv, 'P. WlIATKI.V." 110 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1831 The following letter to a valued friend was written at this time, and has reference to the imputation of Sabel- lianism, to which allusion has already been made : — ' Albau Hall : Sept. 25, 1S31. ' Dear Madam,— Having in the last (4t]i) edition of the " Log;ic," recast and enlaro;ed the article " Person " in tlie Appendix, I had a few copies struck off separate, for the use of such of my friends as possessed (which is probably your case) the earlier editions. The other articles relating to the same subject remain unaltered. I have, as you may suppose, little time for writing, but, if I had more, I could not presume to attempt a full explanation of so mysterious a subject. Part of what Scripture declares to us we shall, perhaps, be only able to comprehend when our facul- ties are enlarged in a better state. I agree with most divines in this, that they set out by admitting the nature of the Deity to be inscrutable ; what I differ from them in is, that most of them proceed in the same breath to give a metaphysical explanation of it. I recommend you by all means to study Hinds' " Three Temples of the One God," ^ aiid, I may add, all the works of the same author. ' My present appointment — a call to the helm of a crazy ship in a storm — is one which nothing but an overpower- ing sense of duty would have induced me to accept. Let me hope for your prayers, that I may be su])ported in my appalling task, and enabled to bihig at least some frag- ment of the wreck into tlie haven. 'Believe me, dear madam, yours very faithfully, ■Pi. AVlIATELY.' To The Lady Mary Shepherd. ^ ' Three Temples of the One True Ood contrasted," 18-")0. .Et. 44] ARRAXfJEMEXTS FOR REMOVIXG TO DUBLIX. Ill To the Bisliop of Llandaff. 'Sept. 28, 18:31. ' My dear Lord, — You forget that wlien ^Eiieas was re- quested to give the details of liis adventures, lie had, for the present, got through them, and was ])laced comfortably on a sofa over a bowl of wine ; whereas I am just launched on the stormy sea, and too intently thinking of each par- ticular before me, to have leisure to look back. lUit I hope to have half an hour's comparative comfort soon, and to talk (n'cr matters with you by word of mouth, ' I am designing to start for Dublin the begiiming of next week, and hope to be back soon, to liel[) in the ar- rangements for removing my familv ; for we are despe- rately hui'ried to accomplish our departure tolei'ably early in autunm. I could not think of moving a delicate wife and five young children in winter. ' You have known me too long not to know how harass- ing it is to mc to have to make up my mind on a hundred diflbrent ])oints every day, instead of concentrating my mind on a single pursuit, which is to others the severest kind of laboui'. What is properly called business is the spccilic poison to my constitution, and 1 ap[)reheud will cunipli'tcly wear m(^ out in a very lew vears, especially from tlie want of long vacations to I'ccruit. And what is most provoking is, that what is dcsigm'd to be, and generally is. the appropriate reward (the ;x<h living, he would violate the law, and that the penaltv would 1)(^ the forfeiture both of the ai'dibi-^hnprie and llic * ll is cliaraoteri.-tic tliat wlim writing to old and iutiniati' I'rit'inl.- lio ;-ign 'il hiiii.-fir tliruuL;li lilc- -' 11. W .' Vol.. I. 1 114 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1831 living, and also (if I recollect rightly) the being rendered incapable of holding any other ecclesiastical preferment either in England or in Ireland. It was, of course, neces- sary to postpone his consecration.' This delay obliged Dr. Hinds to return to Oxford with- out waiting for his friends. The ceremony took place in St. Patrick's Cathedral, and immediately afterwards tlie ■whole party returned to England. It may easily be supposed that he left the scene of so many years' labours and interests with feelings of pain. 'The year 1831,' writes my mother, 'had been physically and politically disturbed througliout the whole of Europe. The cholera had just reached England, and gave an addi- tional feeling of uncertainty, in parting with our friends, whether we should meet again.' A journey to Ireland was a very different tiling then to what it is in these days of express-trains and swift-sailing steamers. To a family party it was, necessarily, a slow and rather anxious undertaking ; and in this case it had nearly been a very eventful one, the Archbishop being twice preserved from imminent danger in tlie course of it. The travelling-party was a large one, Mr. Sherlock Wilhs and Dr. Hinds being included, the latter in the capacity of domestic chaplain. At Birmingham they had an alarming proof of the excited state of public feeling. The bishops, liaving generally voted against the EeforniBill, AY ere exceedingly unpopidar; and when tlie family stopped at an liotel, tlie carriage was surroiuided by a dense mass of squalid and lowering faces, ready apparently for aiiy violent act. Some of them began to rub off the mud whicli concealed tlie coat-of-arms on the cari'iage ; for- tunately, it was an old family one, with no e])iscopal in- signia ; otherwise the Arclibi>liup, who had always voted JEt.U] letter to bishop COPLESTOX. 115 for Reform, would in this instance liave probably fallen a victim to anti-episcopal feelings ; but the conviction of the mob, that a prelate must travel with the disthictive marks of his rank, saved him. Two or three days later he had an escape of a different kind at Holyhead. On stopping for the night, he sallied forth, according to his custom, for a late stroll with Mr. Willis ; the pier was then in progress, and being ill-lighted, they came unawares on an open quarry. Mr. Willis, who was foremost, had just time ' to cry 'Stop!' while himself in the act of foiling. He was taken up insensible and severely hurt, and ten days were spent at Holyhead before the travelling party were able to complete their journey and land at Howth, in the end of November. The letter which follows, to Bishop Copleston, is sufli- ciently explained by this account : — 'Dublin: Nov. 19, 1831. 'My dear Lord, — You will, I dare say, be glad of a hasty line — though I have no time for more as jet — to say that we have arrived safe. Willis has a tedious wound in the face, but is in no danger, and is able to go about. j\Iy wife has borne all her trials, including severe sea- sickness, better than I could have lio[)ed. I do think the wanton disregard of life shown by leaving open a deep pit, quite unfenced, close to the footway in a street, apprtxiches near to nuirder. It was a dark night, and he a step or two before mo, when I saw him suddenly vani-ii, and heard a heavy fall, followed by a groan, whieli 1 thought was probably his last. When drawn out, his fir>t Avord, (^n recovering his senses, was to e.\pi-e<-< his joy llint \l had not happened to nie ! Tliesi' arc tlic occa-ion-^ e was chielly oflieial, for morniug visits and evening parties wei'e alike distasteful to him. Ihit it was ini])ossil)le to live in Dubhn and not to be undei' a continued pre-sure ; and the result might ha\t' been \'erv serious to his health, had he not engaged a country place ( l^'de■^dal^■), about four miles from l)u!>Hii, whi(di was luaiceforth his (diief abod^', lili within ihice years of his death. 120 LIFE OF APvCIIBISIIOP WHATELY. [1832 'That charming country residence,' wTites one who was with him at the time, 'afforded just the kind of repose and relaxation which he required. There he could stroll about liis garden, and, without the same oppression of spirit, think or talk over what required de- liberation, while he was budding, pruning, turning up the earth ^vith his spade, or making some novel experiment on tree or shrub. The easy distance from Dublin enabled him to be at the Palace for transacting business, between breakfast and dinner ; and he always returned home witli a holiday feeling, whatever work he might liave to do there in thinking or writing. To the last, however, the receiving and giving of entertainments was a service of duty.' The chief part of the year was then passed by the whole family at Eedesdale. His habits were now pretty much as they continued through life. He rose between seven and eight, and employed himself while dressing in meditating the subjects of letters, sermons, or literary undertakings ; he then spent an hour, less or more, in his garden. He took delight in performing the ordinary gai'den operations with his own hands, sometimes work- ing hard at digging, lopping bouglis, or felling trees ; at other times engaged in the hgliter occupations of budding and grafting, in whicii he displayed much skill and ingenuity. 'His observation of nature,' writes a friend who kiiew him well, 'was most universal and accurate, and nothing rare or monstrous in the works of nature escaped liim. His remarks on, and explanations of. any ])lieuomena in natural history were most acute and ingenious. His botanical knowledge was considerable, and his acquaint- ance with practical gardening far snpciior to that of tlic generality of gardeners. He delighted in expei'iments on Aij. -lo] GENERAL TOPICS OF CONVERSATION li>l tl-te culture of plauts and trees ; in budding, graftinrr, in- arching, and other modes of })ropagating phuits. Ilis fond- ness for arboriculture indeed was a constant resource and agreeable relaxation ; and his com]3inations of one species of plant with another on the same stem, by "ap])roacli- grafting," made lii^ grounds at Eedesdale a very chaos of wliimsical curiosities. 'Nee loiifrum tempiis, et ingens Exiit ad cciiluni ramis folieibus arbos, Miraturque novas frondes, et uon sua poma. Jiri/. Gcorg. ii. 80. ' The grounds of the friends with whom he stayed bear marks, to this day, of his enchanter's hand and kiiile ; and his friends cherish these diversions of his nudtiform genius with careful I'emembrance, recalling his wise ob- servations or ingenious conjectures, as he tried his ex- periments or perpetrated his varied outrages on nature. ' lie was particidarly fond of books (^f natural histoiy and gardening, and was well versed in old Gerai'd's Herbal. He rarely forgot anything worth recalling in his vai'ied reading. He had an Irish gardener at Ivedesdale at one time who was clever and skili'ul, and as conceited as if lie had climbed to the very sunnnit of the tree of knowledge. One day, as he was relating some of his boasted achievements in gardening, his master asked him, ironically, wlu^tlier he had ever raised ])lants by cdpHhini (ittradiou ? To which the gardener, totally nnconscions of the joke, replied uidiesitatingly, "Oh! snrdy. my lord." ' His love of animals of all kinds was a striking featuix^ ill his character ; there was scarcely a living creature^ wliether high or low on the scale of animated nature, wliicli h(^ did not take a ])lea^nre in taming and watching. ] Ic could not walk round his meadow wit hout stopping to lure the cows to (bUow him to be led with branches; 122 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1832 and even the habits of a frog or a snake would be watched with interest. To him these pursuits were never fri- volous ; the smallest incident that could illustrate the wonderfid adaptation of the habits of animals to their safety and welfare, was brought forward by him, and illustrated with the simple clearness of Paley in his 'Natural Theology.' 'Do you know,' he would observe, 'why a doer never lies dow^n till he has turned round and round three times ? It is manifestly an instinct given him in reference to his wild state, in which he would require to clear a space for his lair in the midst of grass or brush- wood.' He breakfasted late and irregularly, but he liked to have his family and friends sitting with him to con- verse, and this was often the time when his thoughts would flow forth most freely to others ; sometimes throwing; out in conversation the rouo;h draft of some future work — sometimes giving a young person present a lecture on Logic, or Greek, or Mathematics, or Political Economy. The range of subjects on which he took a lively interest w^as a very wide one. But those which concerned the condition of mankind, whether mentally, socially, or politically viewed, were his favourites. Aris- totle's Ethics was a textbook from which he loved to teach. Another standard favourite was Thucydides. There were passages from the History of the Plague at Athens, of the Corcyrosan Sedition, &c. wliich he would quote almost verbatim, and witli tlie most animated and en- thusiastic dehght. One passage relative to tlie character of the Athenians as a nation, to their dauntless couraL''e and unflagging perseverance in war and conquest, is identified by all who were much in his society with his peculiar manner and voice. It always used to inspire him, he would say, with emulation, as beins; iEx. 4.jJ HIS FAVOURITE AMUSEMENTS AND BOOKS. 123 the very picture, mutatis mutandis, of a noble Christian pubhc spirit. None who were often in his society- were hkely ever to forget the earnest enthusiasm with whicli he would repeat : — ' Whatever good appears to be within their power to attain by exertion, to leave it un- attempted seems to them to be like losing their property (olxzicov a-TsfisaSai) ; if they fail in any enterprise, they set up some fresh hope of some otlier compensating advantage, and take the requisite steps to meet the present emer- gency. When successful, they of all men advance tlie furthest ; when defeated, they fall back the least ; they reckon it a holiday — a day of festival, recreation, and rest — to perform some service for their country : tluis they proceed through their whole life, in toils and perils, so tliat one might rightly describe them as born to have no repose themselves nor to allow any to others,' &c. &c. ' Xow they do it to obtain a corruptible crown.' The middle of the day was devoted to business and literary labours, but when in tlie country, half-hours were snatched for rambles or gardening. Xor were tliese sea- sons of exemption from mental toil, for, as his friend has o])sc'rvcd, it was his habit, while apparently absorbed in some cx[)eriment on shrub and tree, to meditate over the sermons or essays he had in hand ; and often he would remark, that almost every tree and bush in his shrubbery- walks was associated in his mind with the subject of some one of his various works. In the early ])art of the evening, when with his family, he generally read to himself, and enjoyed listening at the same time to nnisic. lie knew lillle of the art, and cart'd little or nothing for the classical oi' scientilic ; but anv marked and sini])le melody ])lease(l him, and he had a remarkably accan'ate and ivtentive memory I'T hivourite tunes — asking for them a^ain and ;m'ain,and e\en 124 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1832 recollecting tliem when played to him in his last illness. He played well at chess and backgammon, and often found it a recreation after the business of the day : but reading was his most usual evening employment. He read with great rapidity, and had a remarkable power of seizing and retaining the cream of every book he took up, even those which he had seemed to ' skim through.' For tales and novels, except a few old favourites, he cared little ; his favourite light reading was in the way of travels, natural history, arts and inventions, and books of stirring adventure — especially descriptions of savage life, and of characteristic manners and customs in various countries. He retired, however, at an early hour to his study, and was generally engaged in writing till late at night. The recreations we have mentioned, needful as they were to enable him to keep up his strength, were after all but short and interrupted ; the amount of labour on which he had to enter was immense and varied, yet no subject which came before him was dismissed without acciuate and close consideration. The first letter of this year is to the Lord-Lieutenant, on the much-vexed question of Tithes : — < Jan. 14, 1832. ' I enclose a paper which your Excellency has probably seen, because I wish to offer some remarks on the verbal explanation of it which I have received, and the verbal answer I have given. The object, I am informed, is to appoint a general agent, from Scotland, at a suitable salary, wlio, with the assistance of otliers, shall collect tythe or composition, or, in default of payment, distrain and convey the cattle from one previously-fixed station to another, till they shall be either sold in Ireland, or trans- ported to Scotland for sale. Sufficient protection for the persons employed in this duty is to be obtained, partly JEt. 4r,] LETTER TO LORD-LIEUTEXANT OX TITHES, 125 from such a force as Governinent may supply, and, wliere that proves insufTicieiit, by persons paid for tlie purpose out of tlie Church Conservative Fund. 'My reply was, that I declined subscribing to this fund, for the present, till I could ascertain whether Government would adopt any measures for taking the matter into their own hands, or some such })lan as that I lately had the honour of submitting to your Excellency, which I con- sidered as less likely to kindle a civil war ; and shoidd tliat be unavoidable, likely to give a less dangerous cha- racter to the struggle ; but that I would certainly come forward as a contributor if I found no other resource left. ' My reason for returning such an answer was, tluit I conceive the proposed })lan to involve, I will not say the fir>!t step, but a step in a civil war. If men are employed in the protection or recoveiy of their property, and are assailed by a force against which Government cannot or Avill not afford them adequate protection, they naturally, and allowably, hire men to protect them, and increase the niunbers and equipment of these as the increasing pressure of the emergency requires: from a dozen men armed with sticks, they ])r()cced gradually to a lunuh'ed and to a tliousaiid. armed with guns and swords, and regulai'ly or- ganise'd, dillrring from soldit-rs only in name, and in the command under wliicli tliey serve. Tlie o})i)osile ])arty to tliis [:[<■ it may he termed) anti-political imion. are readv organised and active, and will increase their aetivity in ])roj)ortion as they see need. Every mo\e made on one side will be met by a counter-move; we advance' a bishop, and they a knight ; and move and mow of the pawns on each side will be ])ut in m(~)tio!i. till from pelly sl-;ii-iiii>he< we come to pitched battle^ ami regular ^iege^. "Ami all this lime is ( Jovernmeiil to stand by ami lei il< subjects fight it out between them-el\es? — oi' rather will it 126 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1832 not, ipso facto ^ cease to be a Government ? That to which men look for protection is the virtual Government. It must take not only a part, but a leading and principal part, or it is virtually dissolved. And now is it better that this should be done at last or at first ? ' If a civil war is unavoidable, is it not better that it should be between the legitimate Government and its re- bellious subjects, than between two parties of its subjects, both setting Government at naught ? ' For these reasons, I have urged Government to take on itself altogether, at once (without any fear of the un- popularity, which in fact is already incurred) tlie office of taking those steps which, we now see, will eke be taken by individuals. But I have promised to unite witli those individuals if there is no other resource, just as I would hire and arm private watchmen if no police could be had to defend my house.' The next letter gives a general view of the state of Ireland as it appeared to him : — To the Bishop of Llandaf. 'Palace : January 19, 1832, ' My dear Lord, — I liave sent to the Archbishop of Can- terbury a proposal, wliich I have been pressing on the Government here (I should like you to see it), for re- lieving the present distress of the clergy, and giving assu- rance to all parties that Government will vigorously assert their rights. If adopted, it will briiig on a crisis at once — i.e. it will eitlier put down and nip in the bud the spirit of resistance (and that, I think, is tlie more likely rcsuk), or it will force the agitators, instead of waiting till their schemes are ripe, to commit themselves prematurely airainst the Goverinnent. If there ?.s' to ])c a civil contest, I would nuicli rather sec it at once l)etween Government /Et. 45] LETTER ON THE STATE OF IRELAND. ll>7 and subjects, than between two parties of subjects. It will be the sooner and more eiTectually put down, and will leave less disastrous effects. ' I think it not unlikely that the Orange party-spirit, if called into action in the manner you speak of, may crush the opposite party for a time : but the permanent paciri(\a- tion of Ireland, through the Orange party, can only take place by the total extermination of the Eoman Catholic p()])ulation. This is not so generally acknowlechjed liere as it is in reality known ; and in England it is not understood. There are many instances on record of a conquering and a conquered nation or faction quietly amalgamating t(\ize- ther ; but then, that is by the exercise of some degree of moderation, fninncss, and jniidence on the part of the victors. Xow, in all three of these requisites we are re- markably deficient. The English apply all they hear of the Irish national character to the lloman Catholics, and imagine that Protestants — men of their own Church — are much such men as themselves ; whereas a Eoman Catholic and an Orangeman (with, of course, individual excep- tions) are nuich more like each other than either of them to an Englishman ; the chief difTerenc^e, in respect of the ])resL'nt point, is implacability. The English are turbu- lent, violent, and unjust when their passions are roused; l)ut they would not go on year after year, and generation after li'eneration, tranii)lin!j; on. insulting, and tormentin*'" a lalleii foe. Here pd/rcre ,'
      j('c/is is unknown. They are never weary of tyrannising over the conquered. The veiy name of Orangeman is a sign. It is chosen on jn/i'- jiosc to keep up tlie memory of a civil war, wliich every friend of humanity would wish to buiy in oblivion. It is (li)ing what [uuong the heatlien was reckoned an accursed deed.- keeping a tro])liy in n'jxi/'r. Tlie l']iig]i-^1i would have too much, if not of Christian feelinir, at lea^t of in ; this also is implanted for a good pni'pose ; but it does not teach us /lo/r and irlwre puni.-hnient is to be apprehended, or how to escape it. lievelation here conic's in again and tells us, that '•(Jod hath (ipiio'nih'd d (hni in which He will judge the world in righteousness." If any one in>ists on temporal retribution, or would ha\'e peopK' li'ft in that belief, though reason is against it, on the ground that they are following an in>tinct ^vhich is im- planted lV)r a good purpose, 1 should answer, not that VOL. I. K 130 LIFE OF AECIIBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 the instinct is bad, but tliat lie is not applying it aright — that he is not asking it, as it were, the propei^ question. I would deny tliat he is properly led by Nature — he is led by a part of his nature, instead of the whole ; just as if he should justify image-worship on the ground that the idolater is complying, as he certainly is, with an instinctive tendency to veneration, implanted for a good purpose, and therefore ought not to be disturbed in his worship by being tauo-lit that reason is a2!:ainst it. In fact, I have no doubt that this procedure is very common among Eoman Catholics, many of whom must have the sense to perceive that some of their practices will not bear the test of reason, but conceive that in such cases we oui>ht not to call in reason at all, but be led by the feelings which God has implanted instead. ' I have been preaching for the Association for Discounte- nancing Vice, &c. (answering to the Christian Knowledge Society) ; the cliurch was immensely crowded, by people who came, I find, to hear what I had to say relative to the Education Board. I preached a sermon delivered seven years before at Bungay, and again, as you may remember, at Abingdon, when 1 took your place before tlie Christian Knowledge Society.' The Archbishop's charge, delivered this year, exposed him to serious animadvei'sions. The Asiatic Cliolera was for the first time raging in Ireland, and the dism^iy and excitement were general. At such a time, he felt the impoilance of pointing out certain dangers and errors, to ■\\hich men were tempted under so new and alarming a state of things. Especially he believed it his duty to protest against the prevalent tendency of declaring this allhction to be a national judgment, and not only tliis, but a judgment for the sins of the Ministry ; whicli ied men often rather to take coanisance of other men's sins yET. 4oJ IIIS CHARGE TO HIS CLERGY. LU than their own, and, instead of 'humbhng themselves under the miglity hand of God,' to pass judgment rashly on those of whose pohtical or otlier o})inions they disap- proved. In thus protecting against a tendency peculiarly likely to prevail at such times, it was impossible the Archbislio]) could escape running directly counter to a large number of those about him, whose views on this subject differed widely from liis own. Nor was this all : the practical part of his charge dis- pleased some, as much as the theoretical part did others ; and as the remarks he then made as to the duty of his clergy in times of pestilence have been grossly misrepre- sented, it is needful to allude to them here, lie has been accused of discouraging the clergy from visiting Cholera patients ; and this has been ascribed by some to undue terror of the disease, and by others to a desire to make himself popidar with his clergy ! To those Avho knew him, it is needless to observe that neither of these motives could have the smallest influence with him at any time, as he was incapable of liarbouring them ; but the fjict is, what he did say has been niisi'epresented. As long as a man was in a state to be benefited by ])astoral exliurta- tiou — as long as liis soul might really be stirred up to repent and turn to his Saviour — tlie Arclibisho]) would al all times have been the last to discourage the visits of his clergy to the sick. What he did dej^recate, was tho well-meant but useless devotedness of those who wt'ut to ])ray and read to patients already delirious or insensible ; whose minds could not be roused, or consoled, or in- structed, and with whom, therefore, no lites Jidministered could be of any avail, in the estimation of I'l-otcstaut Christians, Avho consider that the benefit of" prayers and sacraments must de})end on the stale of mind of the 132 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1832 iccipient. To administer the Lord's Supper to one so enfeebled and prostrated, by pain and disease, as to be unable spiritually to enter into the blessings of the ordi- nance, the Archbishop regarded as a profanation of the rite.-^ The following letter to Dr. Pusey will explain his views on National Judgments, and appears to have been written at this period : — ' My dear Pusey, — I have read your sermon, and the note on National Judgments. Of the latter, I cannot be sure whether I agree with it or not ; because, to confess tlie truth, with a friend's freedom, I cannot decidedly make out what your meaning is ; whether from the indis- tinctness of your expressions or of my own head, which is tired by great variety of business, I cannot tell. ' You draw clearly enough the distinction, which all I suppose must acknowledge, between natural and super- natural (or miraculous) connections : as, e.g., temperance with health and intemperance with disease, good faitli and benevolence with confidence and good repute, and treachery and oppression w^ith discredit and disquiet, &c. &c., are things connected generally, though not in- varial)ly, with each other, according to the ordinary course of nature- On the other hand, there was a super- natural or miraculous connection between trust in God's ])romise, and the retiring of the Eed Sea — between idola- tiy and wl]oredoni \Ai\\ Midian, and a plague — between the sin of asking for a king, and an unusual and solemnl}'- aunouiiced thunderstorm — between refusal to worsliip an idol, and deliverance from the furnace at Babylon, (kc. ^ 'I feel sure,' are bis words, ' that no sense of personal danger will deler you from doing your duty as Christ's ministers, on any occasion where you can be of real service to the souls of men ' JEt. 4o] letter to PUSEY ON NATIONAL JUDGMENTS. 1;]3 Some talk as if tliese last were more the works of God tliaii the other, though I suppose they would not deliberately speak so ; but the dilTereuce between the two cases plainly is not in relation to God, but to u.s'. In the one the con- nection, being according to the ordinary course of things, can be easily perceived ; in the other it cannot, witliout a special explanation, i^-'.y., there was no perceptible connection, according to the usual course of nature, be- tween the fact of askhicf a kinii; and the occurrence of a storm; but SannieFs prophecy explained and established this connection, i.e. made the storm a si(jn. Tlie con- nection of })Overty with negligence and prodigality is no less a Divine appointment, but it is perce[)tible from experience by tlie light of reason. ' Xow that, besides the natural, there Averc also super- natural rewards and punishments, of a temporal character, sent to the Jews, both individually and collecti\ely, all allow. The only question seems to be, whether tliis system extends to us or not. If so, we may, from the moral good or evil character of an individual or nation, anticipate prosperit}' or advei'sity, respectively, in regard to such things as have no more mere natural comiection with those ])oiiits of morality than rain or dronght ha\'e Avitli piety and impiety. .Vnd, again, we mny reason back', so as from prosperity and a(l\'ei'sity to pro\"e good or bad moral conduct. Thus, under the (>ld Dispen.sition, tlu' (U'ath of the ten spies who bronght up an ill-rcpoi't of the Ti'omi^ed Land, and the deli\'erance of Caleb and Jo^hna, Avas a f.iir proof, accoi'ding to the then sA-stem, that the ibrnier had done wrong and tlie latter right. In our Tord's time, lie would not allow the application of this knid of reasoning in the ca-(; ol" the man boi'ii blind, of those on whom the towei' fell, iS:c. Xt_)W tin- meaning Avhich seems to nie to be conxi'V^'d in your note (tliou'jh 134 LIFE OF AECIIBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 I by no means feel sure that I understand you aright) is, that temporal judgments are still awarded to nations for their sins (even sins which have no natural connection with the sufferings), as to the Jews of old ; only with this .difference, that now we cannot decide what sins they are sent for. But this seems to nullify the whole character of the system. A sign which has no signification, or (which amounts to the same) whose signification must be un- known, seems a contradiction in terms. " If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, wlio will prepare for the battle ? " That there is sin among us, and that all sin is offensive to God, and that if we repent we shall obtain Divine pardon in respect of the next life, is very true, though nothing that Christians have to learn ; and if these truths (not intermingled with errors) are impressed on the minds of any by the daily mortality around them, this is matter of rejoicing. But are we also to understand that these nations or generations which have suffered most from famine or pestilence, are " sinners above all " the rest ? or that on our repentance we shall be surely delivered from these temporal sufferings — sufferings, remember, of which Christians and the Apostles so largely partook ? or are we thus to learn what particular things are displeasing to God ? One man, in a sermon which some friends of mine heard, attributed a wet harvest to the passing of the Eo- man Catholic Eelief Bill ; some, in this countiy, attribute the Cholera to the superstitions of the Church of Eome, and the infidelity of tlie present Ministers ; anotlicr, a chaplain of Lord Brougiiam's, ascribes it to the Tory opposition to the Eeform Bill, itc. &^c. To interpret events in this manner is as idle as to consult the riiK'in"- of bells, which sound to each just wliat each thinks. God speaks some things to us plain!}', in tlie ordinary course of His providence, and has taiiglit us othei's in zEr. 4o] LETTER TO PUSEY ON NATIONAL JLDGMENTS. 135 a well-authenticated Revelation ; but whenever Ue sends us a special message, He will surely not leave us in doubt whether it be such or not, and what is the purport of it. * It does seem to me not a httle presumptuous to l)c perpetually giving out tliat " The Lord hath said .... wlien the Lord hath not spoken ;" and there seems to be a great error in the ground on which it is usual to declai-e this or that to be a special judgment, viz. the magnitude of each event. A bowl-full of water wrung from Gideon's fleece was a sufficient indication of the Divine will, when it was clearly appointed so ; without that clear appoint- ment, the overflowing of a river would be none. But, as I have said, I am not certain of 3'our meaning. ' I am glad to fmd you keep clear of the notions which make a modern church of stone answer to the Jewish Tem[)le ; but I could not insure you from a charge of heterodoxy on tliat ground ; I sus])ect Mr. would censure you. You will find it a very nice point, indeed, to keep quite safe from all appearance of deviiition from orthodoxy, unless you adopt the one sure and compen- dious expedient (wliicli lias, however, its ol)jections), of re>olving at all events to be orthodox. You will under- stand, of course, that I do not use the word in its etvnio- lou'it'al sense, to denote that which is rcdlhj the true opinion — in which sense no man can be certain till the (lav of judgment who is orthodox ; but in the ordinaiy ac'.'e|)tation of words, when we speak of orthodoxy, we are understood to mean whatevcn- is conunonly accounted such — \iz., the doctrine maintained l)y the lUiijority of the most inlluential among theologians. I'hese should ht' nuide the standard; their mode of study copied, tlieir interpretations ado[)ted, by one who is bent on being (>i-tJio(lii.r. lie whose great object is to be S(-i'ijitiii'>i!, 13G LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 should study the Scriptures with all the help, indeed, of every kind that he can obtain, but with a thorough devo- tion to his object, and a resolution to sacrifice, if necessary, anything or everything to that. Each may thus come as near to his own object as the imperfection of the human faculties will permit. And let everyone choose his own standard ; but let no one aim at the unattainable and in- consistent object of serving two masters. Let him not say that the orthodox and the Scriptural are not adverse, like God and Mammon. It is not because they are neces- sarily hostile that no man can serve two masters, but simply because they are two and not one. It is like seeking to make both gold and silver the standard of currency. Their relative value varies but seldom, and very slightly ; but the slightest variation throws all accoimts into confusion, if we attempt to make both a standard. In proportion as pure religion prevails in any age and coimtry, the ortliodox and the Scriptural approach towards coincidence, and the adlierents of each approach in re- spect of the doctrines themselves whicli they maintain ; but still they go on different principles, like one man going by the clock and another by the dial. And he who aims at conforming to each of two standards is a " double-minded man, and will be unstable in all his ways." ' My heterodoxy (and tlie same, I think, will apply to Hinds) consists chielly io waiving a good many sul)tle questions agitated by various " ans " and " ites " and " ists," and i]i keeping clear of sundry metnph^^sical dis- tinctions relative to the mode of existence of the Divine and the human mind, which are beyond my comprehen- sion, and wliich I am disposed to think would have been brouglit down to tlie level of it by Scri[)ture, had they been necessary points of a saving faitli. jet. 4o] the orthodox and the scriptural. 137 ' I am, however, ready to stand corrected, I trust, when any of my views can be proved unscriptural ; and your opinion, in particular, will always have great weight with nie, whenever you pronounce on any work of mine read jyrevioushj to your making up your own mind. In the present case, mine and Hinds' views were not judged by you till afterwards. And, though I do not say that your opinion is therefore to be disregarded, I cannot but remember that it is a task of the utmost difficulty to take the same unbiassed view of any work, after you have both formed and written your own opinion, as you would liave taken before.' It can be easily seen, even thus far, that the Archbishop was now placed in circumstances of no ordinary difficulty and trial. As has been observed, he had to encounter Drejudices of many kinds : first, as an Englishman and an Oxford scholar ; then, again, as the appointment of a Wliig Ministry — this being, in the eyes of many in Ireland at that time, sulTicient to imply at once reckless Liberalism and encouragement of Popery. Then, again, rumours had reached tliein as to his religious o})iiii()ns, oi" wliicli very little was known in reality, and much conjectured which was snlliciently remote from the truth. lie did not 'wear the regulation iniitbrm,' or expix'ss hiinscH' as they had been accustomed to hear orthodox divines express themselves ; and therefore many hastily concluded he must be heterodox, though how and in what way they, peihaps, would hardly have been able to ex- plain. \'ague rumours that he was a Papist, a ^ocinian, one who taught universal scepticism, i.^-c. c'vic, were cir- culated and believed by many who had never heard him speak, or read a line oi" his works. \\\\\ this was not all. An event occui'i'ed within \\\c [\v>[ vearot'his installation which tended, more than alnio-t 138 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 any other could, to increase this prevalent spirit of hos- tility against the new diocesan. This was the establish- ment of the celebrated system of National Education, introduced chiefly through the instrumentality of Mr. Stanley (now Earl of Derby), then Chief Secretary for Ireland.^ The question was one of absorbing interest in the country ; and the feeling, when the outline of the plan was made known, was one of general dismay among a very large body both of the clergy and laity. It was then and afterwards affirmed, that Dr. Whately had been sent to Ireland for the very purpose of carrying out the system. It is not the fit province of a work like this to give a detailed history of the operation of this system in Ireland. The letters here given will show what the Archbishop's part in it was. The full and complete history of the whole undertaking must be left to better-qualified pens and later times. Perhaps it is scarcely possible till more years have passed, and the freshness and vehemence of personal feeling have subsided, tliat the whole should be viewed, as every transaction ought to be viewed, witli the eye of an historian, and not of a partisan. That the Archbishop entered on the undertaking witli tlie most earnest and single-minded desire of extending the blessings at least of civilisation and intellectual cul- ture, and, as far as he thought practicable, Scriptural knowledge likewise, as widely as possible among liis adopted countrymen of all creeds, no one wlio knew ^ In Sept. 1831, tlie system established by the Kiklare-street Soci'.'ty having fallen into disfavour as too exclusive, -\Ir. Stanley moved for and obtained the sum of 30,000/., to be applied for educational objects in Ireland, and a Board was created to superintend the distribution. Such was the com- mencement of the system in question, in the very month of Dr. Wliatelv's appointment ; but the writer of this memoir can bring the Arclibisliop's own riipeated declarations in testimony that he was never cunndted ab(_)iit it till after his settlement in Ireland. yET. 45] THE NATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM. 139 hiin could for a moment doubt. It was mainly throu^jh his instrumentality that a considerable portion of tlie Scriptures — a work of his own on the Evidences of Christianity, and a volume of Sacred Poetry — were intro- duced. For years he laboured diligently to carry out the system in its integrity ; and it was only when, as it ap- peared to him, the system had been infringed, and the public broken faith with, by the withdrawal of books deliberately sanctioned by the Directors, and to whose circulation they had pledged themselves, that he witli- drew from a work he could no longer conscientiously carry on. How the system would have worked, and whether its success would have been greater as a mixed system, had the great body of Protestant clergy and laity in Ireland generally supported it, it would now be vain to enquire. Tliat the results would have been different from those which liave taken place can scarcely be doubted ; but irhat those results would have been is anotlicr question. Whetlier a mixed system of education (really and not noininalhj mixed, as has been the case in some instances), can ever work elTectively in a country where diilering r^'ligious systems are lield with sucli intensity as in Ireland, as ill itseU" a question not easily or quickly answered ; and wliat the elTect would he on the ]'ehgious life of either side, C(^ul(l it really and lairly be carried out, it might even be harder to decide. ]5ut these pages are not the ])lace for such discussions, and, probably, they may be nioi'o faii'ly and clearly viewed many years licncc. For the actual history of the struggle as it did take ])laee, we must refer the reader to the letters before us; tli(> ol)ject of this work being not to chroirule political or social changes, but, as much as possible, to let its sulijcct speak for hini-elf 140 LIPE OF AECHBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 It may suffice then to observe that on this point — one which at the time engrossed much of the general interest and attention — the great mass of the Irish clergy and their diocesan were in direct antagonism ; and the result of this could hardly fail to be a painful estrangement and mis- understanding, which, though softened in later years, could scarcely be fully overcome. Many truly conscientious men on both sides — who perhaps, under other circum- stances, might have seen that the differences which separated them were less really deep-rooted than appeared at first — were led into a position of permanent antagonism, which prevented co-operation even where they miglit have laboured together with mutual advantage. Other circumstances occurred which tended to keep up the separation. On the subject of National Judgments, as we have already observed, the Archbishop's views differed widely from those of leading men among his clergy ; and he was not one to compromise what he held to be trulli, or to pass lightly over what he esteemed mischievous and erroneous. Several otlier matters, which need not here be enlarged on, tended unfortunately to increase the same estrangement. To all the array of prejudice against him, the Arcli- bishop brouglit a resolute mind, an uncompromising love of truth and determination to carry out thoroughly all lie felt to be right, and manners which had more of tlie ease and freedom, and perhaps abruptness, of tlie Oriel Common-room than the cautious, stately, and measured courtesy generally expected in liigli dignitaries of tlie Church. The true elements of courtesy, in its highest sense — a delicate regard for the feelings of others, and a disinterested benevolence whicii has seldom ])een equalled — he did, hideed, possess. But the remains of the old shyness, added to the somewhat didactic tone naturally iEr. 45] ANTAGONISM OF THE IRISH CLERGY. 141 acquired by a college-tutor and lecturer, left a certain peculiarity of manner, which was often mistaken by those who knew him little. To those w^ith whom he was now brought into contact it was wholly unintelligible, and they misjudged him accordingly. Many truly good men never through life fully understood the real character of him with wIkmu they had to do. He was unlike any they had been used to meet ; and his profound reserve on the subjects on which he really thought most deeply (while open, even to transparency, on others), led them to form the hasty con- clusion, that the sentiments which were not expressed as they had been accustomed to express them, did not exist. 13ut if it were thus possible even for conscientious and ])ious men so utterly to misunderstand their diocesan, it may easily be believed that in their train followed many of a lower stam[) — many to whom a single-minded and con- scientious man was alike unintelligible and hateful — many who aljused liim, without knowing why, merely to ])lease those whom they thought it their interest to conciliate ; and the [jopular journals of the day poured forth articles, ill the most vehement and often scuitHous language, oj)[)osing all the measures, ])riuci})les, and practices of their new diocesan in umneasured terms of bitterness. lie met all this opposition cnhnly and iirnily. lie ii(\er swerved a hairbreadth from the course he had laid down. Ijut opposition was p.iiuful to his disposition. His earlier life, as we have remai'kecl, had been spent among attached iViend-^, and adinii'iug and re.-pectful ])iipils ; the contrast could not but l)e bitterly fch, e\-eii by a nature endowed with less deep and acaite feelings tluiii his. He ])a>sed through the iiery ordeal with all tlie natural courage of his character. l)Ut he did iKjt restrain himself, either in his speeeho 142 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WILVTELY. [1832 in Parliament or in his correspondence, from complaints which showed how severely this trial wrought on his sensitive nature. He might, no doubt, have been more reticent on this subject, and have shared with other public men the amount of obloquy and misrepresentation which forms the ordinary allowance of English public life. But he was by nature, undoubtedly, a little prone to indulge in feelings of mortification of this class ; and it must also be remembered that liis case was pecu- liar. Most public men are connected Avith others by the strong ties of party. On men so linked together, the storm of contumelious assault bursts comparatively harm- less. 'Defendit numerus, juncta^que nmbone phalanges.' To attack one is to attack all. Every one is certain, in his hour of need, not merely of generous but of in- terested and almost instinctive support from his political clansmen. But Whately stood alone. By his firm and deliberate choice he had severed himself from all party connexions ; he lost, therefore, all the advantage of party sympathy and support. Of course he was not abandoned, either in debate or in action ; he had a few attached friends, and he was also defended on necessary occasions by his immediate chiefs, of whom Lord Grey, according to his nature, was among the most generous. Still, gene- rally speaking, he was left alone in the unpopularity which circumstances forced on him : and this must ha borne in mind, if his complaints on the subject appear at times to indicate that he was not ' tetragono ai colpi di Ventura.' * In this year (1832) Archbishop Whately founded the Professorship of Political Economy which bears his name in the University of Dublin. This was an enterprise attended with considerable dilficulty, owing to the general ignorance of the subject hi the University. It was hard to prevent ^T. 45] FOUNDS A CHAIR OF POLITICAL ECONOMY. 143 those to wliom the science was new from imagining that it had something to do with party pohtics, which, in his own words, 'liad about as much to do with poUtical economy as they Iiad with manufactures or agricuUure.' The estabhshment, liowever, of this Professorship, and tlie distinguished talents of the eminent men who liave succeeded each other in the cliair — of whom the first three were Isaac Butt, Esq., jM.P. ; James A. Lawson, Esq., Sohci- tor-General ; and tlie Eight Hon. Judge Longfield — could not but produce a considerable eflect in leading to a clearer comprehension of the aims and objects of the science. When, fifteen years later, the Dublin Statistical Society Avas founded, the Archbisho]) thus alluded to tlie subject, in his address at the conclusion of the first session. I quote the report : — ' Wlien lie spoke of the satisfliction he felt on this oc- casion, he could not but advert to the attention, zeal, and exertions of the University Professors in assisting in the cultivation and diffusion of this important science. To tliem the Society owed much of its success Let them look back on the state of things previous to the establishment of the Professorship of Political Economy ill their University. Very few thought at all of the sub- ject, and the few who did think of it entertained fallacious jind erroneous notions relative to it. As for himself, as in couuection with the subject, he considered himself but as TeiuoN'ed from the University of Oxford to that of Dublin ; and when, on leaving that })lace, he retired from the chair of Pc^lilical Economy, he was of opinion that a chair should also be established in the Dublin University. . . . Ibit at that time the ])revailing want of generally diffused knowledge on the sul)jeet — and this he said to the credit of the University for creating a Professorship of a seieiice of \vliii'li there was no cultivation — was such, that he 144 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 hardly dared hope to succeed in finding a person well qualified to fill the office.' . . ' The matter,' continued the Archbishop, ' was left to me, and I consented that it should be so, on condition that I should submit certain questions with reference to the science, in writing, to the several candidates, who were to reply under symbolical names, I being in perfect ignorance of the names of the candidates. This was clone ; and to my surprise I found that there were no less than three candidates at the fii'st election, whom I found perfectly competent to undertake the duty, and fill creditably tlie chair of Political Economy. I said to my surprise, because I knew that this science did not form any part of the collegiate course at this time. I pursued a similar course at each subsequent vacancy, and the difficulty was found to be not whether any of the candidates were competent, but which was the most com- petent. I may add, I did not know if there were Englishmen or members of an English University among the candidates ; but it is certain that Irishmen were elected in every case, though Englishmen were nut excluded.' This was not the only respect in which the Archbishop's infiuence was beneficially felt in Trinity College. It was principally to his exertions (combined with those of a few distinguished members of tlie University) that it has owed the increased attention and care bestowed of late years on the study of tlie Greek Testament. But wliile ever ready to turn his attention to questions like these, the Arclibisliop continued to labour in liis diocese as he had laboured in his parish and college — reforming abuses of long standing, and carrj^ing a spirit of diligent and unwearied activity into every de])artn}ent. The rite of Confirmation, which had not been administered I'or many years in tlie diocese, was revived ; he adopted the plan of ^T. 45] CONFIRMATION AND ORDINATION. 145 holding confirmations alternately in different cliurclies and districts regularly in every other year, sometimes oftener, requiring a very careful preparation for it. He made the ceremony a deeply impressive and touching one, not only by the solemn dignity and deep feeling with which he performed it, but by the custom, to which he ever adhered, of beginning and ending it by a short but impressive ad- dress to the young people, and following it up by the administration of the Lord's Supper. This he considered especially important, as affording the candidates an oppor- tunity of partaking of a privilege which might otherwise be long delayed or altogether neglected ; and he strongly upheld the principle that Conllrmation sliould ever be regarded as a iireparation for the Lord's Table, and tliat tlioso who are unfit for the one are unfit for the other. The ordinations were likewise conducted in very different manner from what had been practised before. Listead of leaving the task of examination to his chaplain, he took this oflice into his own hands ; but to avoid the painful alternative of himself dismissing a candidate, or accept- ing one wlio might be unlit, he caused them all to pass tliroiigli preliminary examinations conducted by his chap- lains, soiiK'tinies frequently re[)eated ; the cha])lains being cliaiged to allow no one to come up to the Arclil)isho[) ibr [\\v jhidl examination, unless he was certain to pass. llis weekly levees wei'e another distinguishing featiu'e in his diocesan work. All Avho wished to set' him on busi- ness attended these lev('es, and tluy were often inatea(ly for a few years, always oljtaiiis his libcrlv. and can then eai'u very high wages. •It mav be said, you have uolhiiig to do with legisla- tion out of }'our cnvn depai'tmcnts ; l)ut surely you are conij)e(ent and bound to state the inii)e(liiiieiils to such a svsteni as 3'ou on the whole recommendecl, when those impediments are such as an act of the Legislature can remove. ' I wrote to Hinds tlie sanie day as to you. Tt may, ])erl;aps, be worth while ju>t to notice in two sentences ;i (lidicultv 3'ou suggested in the aj)plication of his schniie lo colonies haviiiLi' much wasteland- namelv. tli;it a iulto 152 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 would prefer squatting on an uncleared spot to working for hire. If, however, all the land in the colonies were appropriated by the local government, no negro would be able thus to take possession of land in the immediate vicinity, at least of the settled parts, without paying for it a price, which might be handed over as a compensation to his master. ' Some, indeed, might retire far back into the wilds ; but few, especially of the more civilized negroes, and such as would be likely to obtain freedom the earliest, would like to banish themselves far from the estate they had been used to regard as their home, unless very ill-used, 'I understand that their local attachments are very strong. ' I wish you would get your brother to wind up his novel,^ or else publish first one volume ; and if that should be well received, it would be a stimulus to com- plete the rest. This last idea I wonder had never struck me. I like it the best. ' Ever yours truly, 'E. Whately.' The following letter to Lord Grey on Church matters explains itself: — ' Dublin : May 2, 1832. ' My dear Lord, — If in what I am about to say I am guilty of impertinent presumption, your lords] ii})'s ap- pointment of me, and the manner in whicli it was made, must plead my excuse. ' How much soever your lordship may be tliouglit to 1 This was the talc alluded to before, written as a kind of vehicle for description of Colonel Senior's experiences in the ~\Vest Indies and South America, on which he had collected much interesting and valuable inforniu- tion. It was published many years later, under the title of ' Cliarles Yernon.' ^T. 4o] LETTER TO LORD GREY ON CHURCH MATTERS. 15.3 have overrated my qualifications, no one can doubt tlie truth of what you professed, that you were infkienced by no personal or party motives, since in fact none could have a place, but purely by a desire of appointing one who might be fitted to meet the dilli(^ult and momentous crisis of the Church. ' That a most extensive ecclesiastical reformation (or deformation, as it may turn out) will ere long take phu^e I cannot doubt. When and by whom the change will be introduced, and of what character, and with what results, must depend chiefly on the conduct of the leading mem- bers of the Establishment. 'The sagacious forethought — the mildness combined Avith firmness — the boldness gidded by discretion — tlni thorougligoing and disinterested zeal, without any Avild enthusiasm — all the qualities, in short, which such an emergency calls for, are seldom united in one man ; and yet one man possessing them all in the highest degree, could do but little unless there were others on the Bench to co-operate with him. ' But some very good men think themselves bound to resist, to tlie last, all alterations, even should they ])e certain of ultimate defeat; some, again, are strongly blind to llie slate of tilings; ;iiid some are alarmed indeed, but alarmed like a hor>e in a stable on lire, which cannot be brought to submit to be rc-cued. 'In ])i'esuniing to jjoint out, ritlicr now or on any future occasion, anyone to your lordsliip's notice as (jualilicd to till hereafter a place on the i]encli, I beg to be understood as adhering to ni}' resolution, of nevei- asiyiiuj anything, either for m3'self or my friends ; wliich I could never do, even if I had, which I have not, anv claim ui)(»n a Minister. However ])resuniptU(nis and however erroneous any recoyninendafiini of mine may be. 154 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 I pledge myself never to make any except on purely public grounds.' Extract of a letter to Mr. Senior on Ecclesiastical Government. ' The following remarks apply to all governments, whe- ther civil or ecclesiastical, though I have in view at present only the latter : — ' Most governments have in them, somewhere or other, an absolute power, one which may make any enactment whatever, and consequently may subvert the existing con- stitution. E.g..^ an Act of Parliament might pass which should give to the Eoyal Proclamation the force of a law, and thus invest the King with despotic power ; or again, which should reduce him to the condition of a Doge of Venice. ' Some newly-formed states have dreaded to intrust to any man or body this unlimited power, and have in the original scheme of the constitution fixed certain funda- mental points as out of the control of the legislature. This is the case with the United States of America. Tiie government is limited by the original constitution, and if the Congress should pass any Act encroaching on that, no citizen would be bound to obey such a law. The dis- advantage of this is, that it places the present generation under the control of their ancestors, and provides no legal method for their throwing it off, even should they unanimously wish to do so. Should a great majority of the citizens of the United States acrree w^th the legislature in wishing for such a change, we may be sure they woidd effect it, though they would not do so regularly, ' The problem is to devise a mode of esca})ing hoth dis- advantages ; and this can only be effected by providing for /Et. 45] REMARKS ON ECCLESLVSTICAL GOVERNMENT. I-m the calling in, from time to time, some new poAver, distinct from the ordinary legislature, and authorised to introduce changes from which the other is restricted. The lloman decemvirs and dictators were something approaching to such a provision, but the cliief error of those contrivances was the allowing these provisional governments to suj>er- sede the ordinary, and to engross the whole power of the state. Hence they led to tyrannical usurpation. They should have had uo other power thau that which was peeiflitir to them. ' The best contrivance of the kind is, I think, the con- stitution of some colleges in respect of their cisitors'. The Master and Fellows, &c., govern and make bye-laws under certain restrictions ; but, with respect to alterations of fundamental statutes, have no power exce})t to call in the Visitor, who has power, when thus a})pealed to, to alter the statutes, and having done so retires, and leaves the ordinary government in the same hands as before. 'It is on this plan I should proceed if I were employed to frame for any comnnmity, civil or religious, a consti- tution of government. ' The principle is equally appli(^aV)le to all forms, Avhe- tlicr monarcliical, aristocratical, popular, or in anv way mixed. I'rovision should l)e made for calling in wliat miglit be called a visitdtiniinl power on extraordinary emeigencies. Tlie constitution origiiiallv laid down should bind the ordiiKtnj go\'ernment, which should adniini>ter, under these limitations, the alfairs of the conniuniity. It should have uo power to alter any of the fundamental rules of the constitution, but should be authorised, when- ever its menibei's thought lit, to sunnnon tlu^ exti'aor- diuaiy as<(Mnl)ly (or whatever it might be called), for which provision should have l)een made. And tliisa^^eui- bly should have no [)0wer exce[)t to delil)erale and dei-ide 156 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 on the points proposed to it by the ordinary legislature ; it should not supersede or interfere with their authority, and should be dissolved at any time, even re infectd at their pleasure. In short, it should be precisely the regu- lator of a watch. ' It is, I think, thus and thus only that we can avoid the two opposite evils — of too strict a confinement to the deci- sions of our ancestors, when, even if originally the best, they may have ceased to be suitable ; and of rasli and ruinous changes of constitution, an evil which is very apt to succeed the other.' Letter to Lord Grey. 'Dublin: May 19, 1832. ' My dear Lord, — I fear your lordship may think that the kindness with which you liave listened to me has encouraged me to be obtrusive ; but I cannot forbear, under existing circumstances, interceding in behalf of my clergy, and begging that the Eelief BilP may proceed. Some of them, it must be owned, are more disposed to complain that more is not done for them than to avail themselves of what is offered ; but many, I am certain, will gladly accept what they can get ; and many, even of such as had flattered themselves they should obtain great advantages from a change of Ministry, will nou:^ after finally abandoning tiiat hope, gradually adopt more reasonal)le \iews. ' If such an arrangement of the executive government is completed, as I fully anticipate, it will be a difficult l)iit a great and glorious feat for your lordship's Ministry to ^ The measure for advancing to the Irish clert to llie ('hancelli)r, but T know not whether his lurdship's avocnlions allowed him to [)ay attention to it. Ami, at all I'vent-^, the state of things is iiow diHerent from what it was when the ])aper was di'Mwn u]), about a vear aii'o ; and, as it seems to me, far more favourable to the ' S.'.> pp. St -Si), ' Proposal fur tlio (Jradiial Abulilioii of Shivrrv." 158 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1832 accomplishment of the object. If matters take such a turn as I fully anticipate, the Ministry would have no need to apprehend defeat or difficulty in bringing in such a Bill as suggested. In fact, they will be able just at this crisis to do almost what they will. And what a glory, and an appropriate glory, would it be for the same party who formerly succeeded in making the slave-trade illegal, now to adopt a measure wdiich will effect what I am satisfied no other could — sap the foundation of slavery, and finally extinguish it, not by ruining but by relieving the dis- tressed planters, and not by leaving the negroes in the state of barbarism, as at Hayti, from which they may not recover for ages, but by preparing tliem to endure and to enjo}^ liberty! Generations yet unborn would, I am sure, bless the memory of tlie men who should solve this great problem, which the most mature delibe- ration has convinced me can be solved in this way, and in no other. ' If your lordslup thinks fit to communicate on the sub- je(;t with my fric]id Senior, he is fully master of the plan, and agrees with me in thinking it dictated by consunnnatc wisdom. lie and I are much connected with West Indians, and familiar with their affairs. The writer is a native of Barbadoes, and a man of clearer judgment or more free from every bias of prejudice I never knew. ' The additional members which it is proposed to add would, I think, be rather an advantage than not to the House. ' Tliey would have, like others, their prejudices and party feelings, ])iit quite distinct from those of tlie I'csl. They could not be suspected as adding to the wcMglit of the democratical or of the aristocratical interest. In mail}' questions which call forth mu(h sell-interested ])reju(lice, they, though })erlia[)s equally prejudiced in /Et. 45] LETTER ON liEFORM. lo9 their own way, would bo impartial j udges. Contemplating the matter in all its bearings, it does seem to me that an opportunity ?i(>i6' oilers itself which may never recur, ot" saving a large portion of the (half) civilized world from sinking, after scenes of uns[)eakable misery, into a state of perhaps permanent barbarism. ' Acce})t my apologies for thus intruding on your lord- ship's valuable time, and believe me, &c.' To the Bltiltop of Llamlaff. 'Dublin: May 14, 1S:!2. ' Here, as well as elsewhere, we are of course in a state of much anxiety about the \i\W and the Ministers. I my- self shoidd be very glad to have a refoi'm considerably different from the proposed one, but I feel a little doubt that the time for it is irrecoverably past. The people have no confidence (nor can I blame them) in those Avho opposed all reform as long as they could, and now are pre- paring their vaccination when the sinallpox has broken out. If the Bill had been thrown out in the Commons, there would liave l)een a liope ; but wlien it ha-< j)a-^scd an ////reformed House of Conunons, and one, it may l)e said, ck'L'ted expressly for the |.urpose of trying tlie (juestion, the people will never. I think, endure the vole of the koi'ds. If a Toiy ]\Iini>try should come in, aiul dis- .-olve tlie Ilou^e, I shall anticij)ate the late scenes in I'aris. And the wor>t of it is, whatever tni'n things take, 1 can see nothing that l)odes well to the Church Establishment. I fear its days are numbered. ' Hy-the-bye, lias replied, I iiiid (in (•oii\eM--a- tion), to my letter, by taxing me "with ine()n-i>UMii'y. ' Tlu'UL'l'unn ]5ill. 160 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1832 in saying that this attack, even if true, would have been inexpedient, whereas I have maintained in my works that expediency ought not to be preferred to truth. This, I suppose, is meant as a jest, by way of casting ridicule on my whole notion of recommending a scrupu- lous adherence to truth ; for I have often remarked the bitter scorn w^ith which this is perpetually alluded to by that party. According to him, I maintain, it seems, that anyone who may chance to have an ill opinion of his neighbour is bound to proclaim it on all occasions, and without any occasion at all, without regard either to ex- pediency or common decency. Xeither he nor anyone else can really believe me to have said anything so absurd. It is no compromise of truth to keep silence on some occasions ; but I do maintain tliat to take advantage of a man's absence to misrepresent him, because it appears expedient to lessen his influence, is an unjustifiable com- promise of truth, and in the present instance I think it was an unwise one. ' I have not the least doubt, however, of tlic sincerity of liis commendations of me, which I am so far from think- ing inconsistent with his attack on me, that I believe his good opinion of me had a great deal to do with it. An independent man, hrmiy keeping clear of all parties, is, if not deficient in ability or in activity, much more formid- able to a regular politician than even a partisan of the op- posite side, especially if less conscientious. The politician woidd esteem less, but would also dread and dislike less, one whom he might have a prospect of hereaiier enlist- ing on his side — one weak enough to be deluded, or (•()\vardly en(3iigh to be bullied, or dishonest enough to be bi'ibed by personal consideration, into an ab^uidoninent of his principles.' JEt. 45] LETTERS TO MISS CKAirrUEE. lOl The next letters, on a very different subject, are liijilily characteristic. They are addressed to a former parish- ioner, with wliom lie maintained through hfe a corre- spondence which was vahied and enjoyed by both parties. He was at tliis time anxious to induce this friend to em])loy her talents in writing for the young; and tliis forms the chief part of the two letters before us, wliicli we have placed together for this reason : — 'Dublin: June 29, 1^32. ' ]\Iy dear Miss Crabtree,— I send you two sketches, whicli I have not time to fill up, and one or both of which may set you agoing. There is difference enough between them to give scope to different turns of mind. Write just as yoin* own taste prompts, departing as far from the sketch as you please, for you will never write well if shackled. I am inclined to think you may make a good writer for children and the lower orders — the most impoi'tant and not tlie easiest department. You may learn "enough of medicine to cure a little child," but remember '• ytni must spoil before you spin." You must havt' the ])atience to write and not ])lease yoursell", and try again and again without being dishcartencMl, or you mu>t not calculate on ultimate >uccess ; at least T know what ])ains it co.-t me. IJut never think oi" writing well while you ai\^ about it ; Avrite rapidly after ha\ing thought niatnrely. and then lay it by foi' a day or two. and try to in!])ro\e it. You have no idea ol" the ])atient modesty with which I have always laboured to profit by the crili- ci-~ms ol" friends and enemies, without l)eing discoiu'aged. rerha[)-^ you despise allegory. !:^o do I. It is not for philosophers, but there is nothing like it for the \iilg'ar and children. Thank yon for a most interoling letter. ' ^'en(l me your iirst attempt soon.' vol.. I. .M 162 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1832 ' Dublin : Sept. 20, 1832, ' My dear IMiss Crabtree, — You may have thought I had forgotten you, but I have seldom a day or an hour to spare. It will do you much more service to correct and recast your own composition than to have it done for you ; and as you have learnt to draw, you will, I trust, feel no mor- tification or disappointment or impatience at rubbing out and retouching, again and again, every stroke till it is quite right. Xo one will ever learn to draw or to com- pose well who will not submit to this drudgery. But in composition there are many who are ashamed to own the pains they have in fact taken, because they wish to be thought to owe everything to native genius. There may be such geniuses, but I at least am not one. I shall make some use, I cannot yet say what, of the " Settlement ; " the other I send back for the reason above given, with some remarks to guide you in recasting it. The species of composition, though when well done it seems very easy, is one of tlie most difficult, but I tliink you will succeed in it if you will take pains. The usual source of failure in everj^thing of an allegorical nature, is not keeping up the allegory, but letting " Snug the Joiner " peep through the lion's neck and tell the company he is not really a ]\on. You may find mnnberlcss instances in that most popular allegory, tlic " Pilgrim's Progress," in which the travellers talk about sin and a Christian life while they are marching along the road and bear burdens on their backs ; the author forgetting that the sin had already been repre- sented by the burden, and the Christian life by the road. The difficulty of steadily holding on the mask, is what no one hardly coidd believe who has not tried. And, after all, Avhat a " mean " em[)l()yment of the intellectual powers, to Avrite for the instruction and amusement of the vulgar and (liildren — that is, for three-fourths of mankind, and for .Ex. 4.5] LETTER OX SECONDARY rUNISIlMENTS. 103 lialf the remainder ! I continue as "well as I ran expect to be, considering the liarassing business I liave to go tln-ougli. I expect to be in London the ensuing winter, to " liglit Avitli Avild beasts " in rarhanient. All tlie stonns I have hitherto encountered are nothing to what I expect will then rage against me ; but I beheve the crisis of the Chur<-h to be at hand, and that my Master calls me to tread the rairing waves.' To X. Senior, Esq. — On Secondai'i/ PunisJiments. ' I)u])lin : July 2. ' I wisli you woidd get me the reports of tlie Tithe Committee. I have none of tliem. ' I should like Chadwick to turn on his mind this additit)n to his suggestions : At Alban Hall, where I was at a loss ll)r secondary ])unishments, I used to enter a deliiKjuent's name in a black book, where he stood as a kind i){ /i/. 2nd. Iiidii-ectlv, the number who would e.xert themselves to save their hair is bevoiid belief. One of our maids is ill of a fever, and we have alnio-t been driven to force to make her part with her hair, though her life i^ in danger. T am certain >he would liave clieerfully worked and fai'ed hard l«>r an\' len'jlli of time to >ave ii.' 1G4 LIFE OF AECIIBISHOP WIL4TELY. [1832 To the Hon. Mr. Stanley, Secretary for Ireland. 'Dublin: July 8, 1832. ' My dear Sir, — I will trespass so far on your kindness as to beg you to transmit the enclosed memorial/ together Avith an application from myself. ' I shall be thought, perhaps, to make more stir than enough about a trifling matter. The proposed sacing is indeed a trifle, but it is possible for a great deal of good-will, and far more of ill-will to turn on a very small sum. ' That the present Government look with an evil eye on the clergy of the Established Cliurch, and wish to stint, discourage, and depress them in every way, is a notion which, among violent party-men indeed, no reasonable measures could at once remove ; but this is far from being a reason wliy, unnecessarily, anything like just grounds should be afforded for such a complaint, by cutting off* from a poor, a very much-respected, and very cflicient person, a sum too trifling to Government to be an object to tlierii, but of great consequence to liim. Several influential persons, who l^now his deserts and his circumstances, regard his case as one of great hardsliip, tlie more as he is inflrm in health, disqualifled for many situations, and yet, as I can testify, exceedingly eflicient where he is. ' I have no personal interest in him whatever, and speak only on general grounds. " Then if the Arclibisliop tliinks so much of the matter," it will perhjqis be answered, " wliy does lie not pay the odd £25 out of liis owii })0cket, and not tease us any more about it? " ^ On a .special case, iu which a part of a chaplain's salary had been cut off. ^.T. 4o] LETTER ABOUT A CLERGYMAN S SALARY. 1G.> ' Xow, this is precisely tlie point I iiin coining to, and to whicli the apphcation I have to make relates. ' I am ready to pay the money myself; but iftliis is dont; <7.9 from myself, though the pe(Huiiary distress of ]Mr. Avill be relieved, the sense of icrowj cannot be removed from his mind, and from that of the governors wlio are interested in his behalf; and the unfavom-able impression res])ecting the procedure of Government would be rather lieiglitened. If I were a "Conservative," I don't know that I could think of a better step than to pay tliis defab.:ution of salary, assigning the cause. ' J/y request, therefore, is that the Commissioners will accede to Mr. 's application, ;uid allow me to pay over to them the annual £-5, saj'ing nolhing about the transaction, which I will take care to conceal. These ai'e not times in which, even if I were hostile to the Adminis- tration, I should like to gain credit at the expense of Government, wdicn all its credit and all its strength are wanted to keep the country from civil war. I Avill not therefore complain, whatever may be the result of this a])plication, though I must feel, in the event of its being rejt'ctcd, tliat I shall have been uncoiu'teously used; since I am ready to sacrilice not only my own money to saw an individual iVom hard-^hij), but to sacrilice my own credit al-o (which many would prize still more) to save the credit oi" rJos-ernment. ' r.S. — rerniit me to expi-ess the great satisfaction T feel in reading the I'eports of your speeches, which appear to me more unifoi'mly the result of strong senliow you. or connnunieate to vou.the su])stance of my corre-^pondcMice la-^t winter with the Arehbi-lioi) of ( antei'buiy ? It relates to a matter whieli more and more oecupies my thoughts as mv ap])earanee in Tarlia- ment a])pi'oaehes. 'Jhe (.'hui'ch \\\\< been for one hundred years Avithout any government, and in >\\r\\ a stormv season it \\\\\ not go on much longei' without a rudder. 1 eariie-tlv wish, on ewi'y aeeouni, that he. or el>e smne other l)ishop. could be induced to sa\'e me from coming forward in a manner mo-t distre--iiig to mv feehng-. a- 1 nni-l do il" others will not. ' The \\'\. .1. lUarn-o \\h\U\ S,.,.!,. 17s. 168 LIFE OF APtCIIBISIiOP WHATELY. [1832 To Lord Grey. 'DuWin: Sept. 19, 1832. ' I dare say yoiir lordship has formerly often met with persons who, when you asked the question whether it is or is not desirable that some reform in Parliament should take place, have replied by asking, " Why, ichat sort of a reform would you propose ? " and when you went into particulars, some valid or plausible objection might be raised against the details of any conceivable plan. ' Now, it is my own private opinion that a considerable reform in many points is wanting in our Church ; and that by obstinately refusing even to listen to any proposal of the kind, we fail to avail ourselves of the advantage Protestants possess over the Eomish Church, which is hampered by the claim to infallibility, and cannot mend a fault, because she dares not confess it possible. We are preparing for ourselves a similar downfall ; for supposing our foults to be, as I fully believe, of fai' less magnitude, they will be reckoned doubly inexcusable if we persist in them, while we all along profess not to be infallible. ' Nevertheless, I shall not proceed, in the first instance, to propose any specific reform, or even any reform at all, but merely that tlie Church should have a government — viz., a certain body of men, whose acknowledged business shall be to legislate in ecclesiastical matters ; not neces- sarily to introduce changes, but to declare dehl3erately, and with authority, that such-and-such changes are or are not needed. ' At present tliere is none such. We are in fact at this moment imdcr tlie government of our earlier Convocations, of men wlio were dead and buried above a century ago. One may often liear men say, "It would be a g(3()d tiling if so-and-so could be introduced, or if that and that could ^T. -l-j] LETTER TO LORD GREY ON CHURCH REFORM. 109 be niodified or laid aji^ide;" but everyone seems conscious that there is no one to do it. Our ancestors locked tlie door, and the key is lost. Some suppose the King in Council to have this power. But he is in all causes, ecclesiastical as well as civil, supreme ; and as in the one, so in the other, his proclamation has not the force of a law. His supposed prerogative accordingly is never executed except in small matters, where I su])pose it is not thought worth while to dispute whether its exercise is sti'ictly legal or not — such as the appointing of occa- sional forms of prayer, &c. But if he w^ere to take upon him to introduce heterodox prayers, or even a prayer iov the Education Board in Ireland, we should fnid his prero- gative disputed. Now, can that be called a government which is submitted to only in matters tliought too insigni- ficant to be wortli disputing about ? It is a rein whicli snaps the instant it is pidled. ' Some, again, consider the King and Parliament to be tlie proper legislature of tlic Church. The power tlioy certainly liave, because they have all power. Tiieycv^/A/ frame statutes for any of the colleges at Oxford, or pass an Act regulating the pul)lic examinations for degrees. i>ul ncitlicr those matters, nor the ecclesiastical concei'iis of tlie Cliiirch, do they seem ever to have regarded ;is t lie prt ipcr business of Barliament. ( )ur ancestors, though tluy n'(|uired tlie sanction of rarliameiit i'or anytliiiig that was to be made part of the law of the land, seem to have I'egarded ecclesiastical matters as the [)i"o[)er province of CoiiNocation. ' But I neither wish for the revival of the old Convoca- tion, just as it formerly existed, nor will T pi'opose aiiv s])eciric form oi" Church government. I shall onlv advocate the appointment of Connnissioners, to devise, dige^l. and submit to rarliameiit some form of si-overnment. 1 alwavs 170 LIFE OF ArtCIIBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1832 find that a measure is the better received for being (to use a homely metaphor) cut into mouthfuls. ' First, let us inquire whether it is desirable that the Church should have a government ; next, who shall pro- pose a plan for that purpose ; then, what form of govern- ment shall be adopted ; afterwards, whether the govern- ment should introduce any changes into our Articles, Liturgy, &c., &c. ; and, lastly, what those changes should be. If the most perfect scheme that man or angels could devise should be brought forward at once, there would be endless cavils about the manner of baking the bread, before the corn was sown. ' Parliament will probably be jealous of any appearance of a wish to encroach on its powers. To the suggestions of such jealousy I shall be prepared to reply, " Take and exercise, if you think fit (though you have never done so hitherto), this power yourselves ; if not, choose persons to whom you will delegate it ; but do not play the dog in the manger, and stickle for retaining power and an office of which you make no use at all." I myself should prefer a legislative body (call it Synod, or Convocation, or Assembly), consisting of a mixture of lay and clerical members (as in the Scotch Kirk), with not more than two-thirds of either description. And I should prefer a federal government, like that of the United States, witli as little as possible left to the central, and as much as possible to the diocesan or archidiaconal Synods. I have always found that the less uniformity is enforced in minor ])oints (whicli are tlioso in wliich uniformity is of no consequence), the more concord tliere will usually be in s])irit and in essential points. Men agree best, in common life, wliose princi])les, education, and general charactei^s coincide, l)ut Aviio are not strictly confined, as by living in the same luaise, to the same hours for risiiiix and diniiio", the same yEr. 4o] ON TRANSPORTATION TO AUSTRALIA. 171 diet, the same temperature, &c. ; for in tliese matters men are almost sure to have some clifTerence of taste, which lead to irritating annoyances and quarrels. As I have said, however, I will not jniblicly commit myself on any matters of detail. It is my earnest wish and hope to be spared from coming forward in this matter at all, exce[)t as the sup])orter of the proposal of some senior member of the Bench ; but of this I am convinced, that if the Church is to stand, it must be brought forward, and that very soon, and by a Bishop. If we do not begin within the Establishment, a beginning w^ill be made for us from without ; and, if it is, I fear our days are numbered. To set fire, like the Indians, to the grass before us, is the only way to prevent the conilagration overtaking us.' *The o})inions and the exertions of Archbishop Whately, in the matter of Secondary riniishments, form a distinct and important chapter in his life, and shall tlierefore re- ceive a compendious notice at the outset. The subject has for the ])resent lost its popular interest ; but it is one which in tlie ordinary course of events the exigencies of society are pretty sure, at some futiu'e time, to bring to the surface again. When the Archbisho])'s attention Avas drawn to the topic, trans])()rtation to New Soutli Wales Ibr various terms, {\-(m\ 'life' down to 'seven vcars,' was the oi'dinary secondary ])unishment for all serious ()lTcnce< Ik'Iow capital. On their ai'rival in the colonv, the criminals wei'e either employed on public works, or (and in the majority of cases) 'assigned' as laboui'ers to i'vcc. settlers, and engaged chielly in pastoral occu- ])ation. ]\lu*'h coni])laint reached the niother-countiv, wliicli cliieily bore on the inequality of this kind of ])uni>]nnent. It was alleged that it pressc^l Avilh \cry (hllerent sex'eritv i>n dillerent classes : while inaiiv led \cv\' v:\<\ live^. and l)ecanie pro>per()Ur? and I'ich. others 172 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1832 were subject to severe and oppressive discipline ; others, again, wasted life in mere discontented idleness. Many schemes were suggested for the improvement of the system. Whately's clear and dissecting logic stopped short of nothing but its total abolition. He persuaded himself that it was, of all punishments, the least deter- rent to the offender here — the least reforming to the person undergoing it. He thought it also calculated to produce enormous evil, by peopling w^ith a criminal race a new and attractive region of the Avorld. He considered that under this system, Government at home, and its agents abroad, had to accomplish what he denominated two inconsistent objects — the prosperity of the colony, and the suitable punishment of the convicts. His opinions can be studied in his publications on the subject, and in his evidence before the Transportation Committee of 1838, which was appointed mainly in consequence of the pubhc feeling produced by his appeals. They are everywhere urged vigorously, and with that single-hearted honesty which was the mainspring of his power. But — as his nature was — he looked but little at other sides of the question ; his works may be consulted for plenty of evidence and argument against transportation, but will afford little assistance to those who are endeavourino; to devise substitutes for it, or to solve the great general j^roblem of secondary punishments. At the same time it may be observed that Whately (in tlie ' London lleview,' 1829,) was the hrst to suggest that notion of sentcncini>; convicts ' to a certain amount of labour, instead of time,' which was afterwards taken up by the prison reformer Maconochie, and which is con- sidered l)y some to form the basis of tlie mucli-adniired system of discipline of Irish prisons under Sir Walter Crofton. /Et. 45] LETTER ON SECONDARY PUNISHMENTS. 173 Tlie immediate result of the efTorts of liimself and tliose wliose energies he directed was, however, only a reform in the system. Assignment was partially abolished — other devices in the way of employment and punishment substituted. The ill-success of these, and the flow of free emigration into Australia produced a general dissatisfac- ti(m in the colonies with transportation under any shape. Fi'om 1851 to 1851 the question was much and acrimo- niously debated between them and the mother-countr)\ Tlie gold discoveries then contributed to render its con- tinuance impossible. It lasted a few years to Western Australia only, and is now abolished.* To Sir T. Denmaii (tlien Attorney General). — On Secondarj Punishments. ' Dublin : Oct. 9, 1832. ' Sir, — I beg you to be assured that I am much flattered at fmdiiig that my late publication^ has attracted so nuich of the notice of so many eminent persons, including your- self. It is also gratifying to find that in so many impoitant })()ints we are fully or very nearly agreed, even in some Avliere you seem to su])p()se otherwise: t^//., it was never my design to advocate an erjjiality of juinishment for all olli'iukTs, or a dilll'rence depending solely on the dilliculty of ])i\'V('iition; I always meant the importance of ])revent- iiig each ofleiice to be taken into account. If we were to prevent rol)l)ing of oi'cliards by roasting ali\e every one convicted of it, Ave should ])urcliase the ])reservation of fruit too dearly. In the two cases you suppose, of a starving man stealing a loaf, and a profligate ix'duciiig a Avorthy man to beggaiy, there is as nnich dilTererice in the ^ 'On St'Cdndiiry Puni.'^linient/ l6o2. 174 LIFE OF AECIIBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1832 public evil of tlie two offences as in the moral tiu^pitude of the offenders. 'When I spoke, however, of the theory of punishment as being for prevention and not for retribution, I was not unaware that a certain degree of conformity to existing prejudices (which operate like the friction, resistance of the air, &c., in mechanics) must be admitted, in order to obtain the necessary sanction of public opinion. We must, like Solon, give men not the best law^s, but the best they can be brought to receive. Still we should, as far as the case will admit, strive gradually to wean men from hurtful prejudices ; and I know of few more hurtful, in a moral point of view, than that which tends towards the apportionment of punishment to the moral guilt of tlie offender, for it leads of course to the converse error of estimating the moral guilt by the punishment ; and thus a most false and mischievous standard of morality is set up, inasmuch as there are so many important duties which human law cannot enforce, so many odious offences wliich it cannot at all, or more than very inadequately, piniish — such as ingratitude, meanness, selfishness, seduc- tion of youth into vice, &c. ' I am convinced that to the error in question may he traced almost the wliole oi rehgious persecution. No one Avho believes in iiis relio-'ion can well avoid reo\ardino- it as a moral offence to reject, or at least to impugn or to corrupt it. But as men advance in intelligence they become by degrees more and more capable of apj)roacliing to a right view of tliis suljjert. Even the progress of langu;igo sliows tliis. The ancients did not speak of i}[iiictin(j puu- ishment and siijjering punishment, but of taking ven- geance, paying a penalty, cKlc. ; it was dare ])(;cnas — lucre ■ — solvere — and ulcisci, as a deponent (i.e. middle verb) t(_) taice^ for oneself, satisfaction ; and tlie de[)o]ient [>uni/'^ JEt. 15] LETTER ON SECOXDAliY PUXISiniEXTS. 17r> was softened down afterwards into tlie transitive pnnir'' ; so Oouvat hixr^v — Ti[x(of>iav Tra^acr^siv. A mere sava. and in other ])arts of the same article; the topic of '"getting I'ld" of criminals, in ]). 84, and again in p. liO; that of the overcharged ex])cctations of comfort and ]>ro>pcrity in Xew Sonth AVales, in pp. 70. 1 ■](», ^.^c. ; and the total inconqxifiliilitii of the several objc^cts. to combine which is the probhan proposed to a Govei'nor of Xew ^^onth Wales, is touched on, though not so strongly a-; it might and sliould have been, in ])p. 88-1)4. To goN'ern in the best manner, witli a \'iew to the convicts, so as to make the penally of transportation answer the end proposed (which is the most iiiijiort<(i)t poinl\ and to gn\crii in the be^t manner, with a \iew to the pmsncriiy (»1 the colniiij (whicli is the [)oint a Uovernor is naturally 176 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1832 the most likely to aim at), are two objects eacli, separately, difficult of attainment, but altogether inconsistent and opposed to each other. ' There are some of your remarks in which I fully coin- cide, but which tend, I must confess, to strengthen my previous impressions. E.g.^ I have no doubt that many (though I believe a smaller proportion than some suppose) are driven to commit crimes by distress ; and that when this distress can be traced, as it often may, to injudicious legislation — to poor-laws, corn-laws, or the like — the nation is bound, not only to provide for the amendment of the bad laws, but for the relief of the distress residting from them. But I would not have a man left to commit a crime to entitle him to this relief. It would be not only kinder and more just, but, I am convinced, clieciper also, to provide for the emigration of five or six poor men before they had been driven by distress to crime, than to transport one of them as a criminal. In the latter case you must take into account, besides his transport and outfit, all the loss and inconvenience to society from liis depredation before detection, and from the depredations of the rest who finaUy escape detection, the trouble and expense of his capture and trial, and, lastly, the circum- stance tliat he is probably altogether spoiled for an in- dustrious settler. ' I agree with you again in believing that some persons of tolerably decent character, but not proof against temp- tation wlicre no risk is incurred, may be deterred l)y tlie dread of mixing ^vith a herd of aljandoned re])robates during the middle-passage. Doubtless those of them who do suffer tliis undergo great misery, so great that I should say it would be an allowable mercy to liang tliem instead — nay, to let them die; on tlie rack. Xo ])liysical deatli can be so Ijad as the moral death whicli is likely to ensue. In yEx. 45] LETTER ON SECONDARY TUNISIIMENTS. 177 proportion as the corruption of tlieir moral cliaraotor in- creases, their suffering from tlie contamination diminislies. The punislnnent is one wliicli causes more mischief tlian it does pain, and which is the more severe to eacli in proportion as he is less of such a charac^ter as to be deserv- ing of it — i.e.^ incapable of restraint but from fear. Now these two are among the things most to be avoided in punishment. Still sundry persons may be in this way de- terred, and this is a good as far as it goes, but the remedy seems to me far worse than tlie disease ; for the proposed advantage rests on the supposition that the great majority of the convicts are profhgates, to whom bad company is little or no penance, and who fester in their own cor- ruption for four months, till by mutual contamination they shall have got rid of any renmants any of them may have of morality or decency. ' When Sliakespeare makes some one remark to Parolles, " If you could find a ccnmtry where but women were Avho ]i;ive undernfone so mucli shame, you miixht beniii an, tin- pudent nation,'" he little thought, probably, that the experi- m.ent of beginning such a nation wtndd be sei'iously tried, and from not having quite enough of sliameless women we slionkl be sending out cargoes of girls to supply the drticicMU'v. I shall beg your taccej)tance of a sermon in which 1 imvc ti'eated of the moral mischief resulting from scttiiiii- up the law of the land as a standard' vol.. T. 178 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1833 CHAPTER VI. 1833. Rev. J. Blanco White resides with the Archbishop, and is appointed tutor to the Archbishop's family — Letter to Mr. Badeley on the Clerical Society — Letter to Miss Crabtree — Letter to the Howard Society on the penalty of Death — Letter to the Anti-Slavery Society — Letter to Mr. Senior — Takes his seat in Parliament — Speeches on Irish Education and Irish Emancipation — Letter to Bishop of LlandafFon the Church Temporalities Bill— Xotes on same subject — Retirement of Dr. Hinds, and appointment of Dr. Dickenson as his successor — Associated with Archbishop Murray in Commission of Inquiry on Irish Poor — His independent conduct — Letter to Mr. Stanley on the establishment of a Divinity College — Letter to Mr. Hull on Church aflairs — Letter to a friend on religious diffi- culties — Letter to a young clergyman — Fragment on the Sabbath question. The year 1833 opened on tlie same course of indefatigable labour as the former one bad done. The Archbishop's home-circle had been increased "within the last year by the arrival of the Eev. J. Blanco White, who came from Oxford to superintend the education of the sons of his friends, the Archbishop and Mr. Senior, under the roof of the former. Mr. Blanco White was a Spaniard by birth, an exile from his coimtry on account of his abandonment of Biomish princi})les. He first visited Oxford about 1817. An honorary degree was awarded him, for the services which he Avas considered to have rendered in the contro- vers}' with Home ; and he came to reside at Oriel in ] 820, Avhen his close intimacy with the Archbishop l)cgan. Each of the two Avas a liearty admirer of tlie other. Blanco White had been chiefly occupied witli literary pursuits yET. 40] LETTER TO THE REV. J. BADELEY. 170 Avhile in Enjijland, his licalth not admittinf^ of liis offiriatin*' in the Cluirch, It may be well liere to observe, tluit the little work called ' Second Travels of an Irish Gentleman,' written as a kind of answer to Moore's book with a similar title, was the production of his pen about this time, and was written with the sanction and under the su})eriii- tendence of the Archbishop. Tliis work, unpretending as it is, contains valuable matter for those interested in Protestant controversy, and deserves to be better known. The following letter to Mr. Badeley was probably written in this year, and is worth inserting from its valu- able suggestions on the formation of clerical Societies : — To tJte Rev. J. Badeley. ' I have just time to suggest two most essential rules for your Clerical Society, without which it will be all that you fear, and worse — a theatre for the display of polemic oratory and spiritual mob-oppression. ' 1st. Xo one to stand up to speak. ' 2nd. Xo decision to be made of any disjnited ])oint ; but each to state his o])inions, aiul go home and ivtain them oi' change tliem as he likes best; but no rufiixj, no resolutions, kS:c. ' I speak IVom experience.' To Miss Cnihtvee. ' I)u])lin: Jamiavy 7, ]fi'-]'-^. ' Youl' tale is very nnic/i ini])i"()ved, and I am now con- ^■in(•e(l you may turn out a very useful writei', since you can bear and ])rofit l)y severe criticism. It has as yet been only seen l)y my children, wlio were much plea-ed with it. I am not yet able to say what else 1 sliall do witli l)otli of tliem. ' \'i>n ai'e now able to swim without coi'k^, and I dare 180 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1833 say would even write better on a plan of your own de- vising. Perhaps the sort of thing most wanted now for cliildren and the poor, is some plain instructions in Politi- cal Economy. In the " Saturday Magazine " ^ you will see some attempts of mine which I am going on with. If you could work up some such instruction into familiar tales and dialogues, you might diffuse much useful know- ledge. The above lessons I have tried on my own chil- dren of nine years, and fmd them quite intelligible ; yet one who has learned them is in possession of much that many grown people, even in the higher classes, want. Miss Martineau is an admirable writer of tales on the subject, and leaves only one thing to be desired — viz., a correct view of the subject. She servilely follows McCulloch and Eicardo, and is right or wrong where tliey are. Her tale on the Workhouse is very good — that on Ireland perhaps the worst : I mean in Political Economy, for as tales they are all good. Her principal errors are these : — ' 1st. Pent has not (as she represents) anything to do with different qualities of land. If all the land in the country were exactly equal, still, if its quantity were limited, men would })ay a rent for it, simply because they cannot get it without. ' 2nd. In her first tale she represents a man, in a back- settlement in Africa, which has communication with Cape 'J\)wn, as finding money of no use. It would clearly be vahial)Je, as it might l)e sent to Cape Town to buy goods for the settlement. ' ord. She is'nuolved in confusion about '"liigli and low," as ap})lied to watjes and to profit; foi'getting that wao'es ' ruhlisliod first l)y the C'liristian Kiiowledfre Society, and tlien, indepen- dently, by .1. W. I'urker, \\'est Strand. It existed inr several years after the dale of this letter. yEr. 4(5.] LETTER TO MISS CRABTIIKE. isl are reckoned at so mueli per day^ and profits at so imicli per cent. 'Dist^inction between })roductive and unproduc- tive labour is all fancy,* ^ ' 4th. She supposes po})ulati()n to be continually Li'aiii- ing ground, or I'lkebj to gain groinid, on subsistence ; a-^ if our wealth were not now much greater in [)r()p()rti()n to our population (increased as that is) than in the time of the Ilepttu'chy. ' 5th, She regards tithes as a ])ayment, Avhicli they are not, in the same sense at least in which you ])ay a labourer. In a certain sense, / ])ay my tradesmen's bills; and in jinother sense iiiij hatler pays them — /.('., the money goes through his hands, but it uerer ica.s Iiis. 'You will find these and several other ])oints explaimnl in the second edition of my Political Economy Lectures, just published with additions. 'AH ]\liss Martineau's tales are very amusing, and may serve as models in ])oint of form. From yon T should ex- ])ect a little more reference to I'eligion. She is, I believe, Unitarian, ' I fear I shall be called on to take a ]~)i'ominent ]^art in tlie awl"ul crisis of the C'luirch wliich is approaching. I'lay lor my being suppoilcd in a task which calls tor moi'c than human wisdom and firmness,' The next letter, addressed to the Howard Society, who \ fodtinan produci's clcdti s/kks I'nnn dirty mu'S. r A fodtinan produci's r/cr/w s/ioc- L A cook produces a pi/ddi//;/ out ^^ J A sliofuiaker shoes out of leather. "La baker h)aves out of llour. )rihiur. Siirelvall these are alilie productive hihoun^rs; the distinction is oidy in lie iimdr 111' juii/uiij tlieiu. Xo. 1 are ]iaid by tlie iri(l< or //'nt\ 182 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1833 liad written to request his co-operation, needs no fLUllier explanation : — To the Secretary of the Hoiuard Society for Removing the Penalty of Death. ' Feb. 15, 1833. ' Sir, — I am most desirous to remove not only the penalty of death, but any penalty for which a sufficient substitute can be devised. Nor would I hmit this to the case of offences where personal violence is absent. No offence should be visited by a more severe penalty than is necessary for its prevention. Nor does the absence or presence of personal violence seem to me sufficiently to draw the line between offences which it is the less or the more difficult and important to prevent. An incendiary, for instance, who should burn down fifty stacks of corn , or a burglar who should enter the houses of fifty indus- trious families in their absence, and strip them of their all, could not, in any point of view, be compared to ad- vantage with one who should beat or even kill another in a quarrel. ' The only effectual mode, as it seems to me, in which the Howard Society can promote their benevolent objects, is by setting themselves to devise such effectual secondary punishments as shall do away with the necessity of severe enactments. Any reasonable suggestion of this kind I shall be most ready to advocate ; but ivithout this all petitions against this or that mode of punishment will be utterly vain, as they will be met by the ready ans^ver, "What is to be done?" and reccmimendations "to mercy," in general terms, will only elicit the remark, that to leave crime unre})ressed, is mercy to the wicked only, and cruelty to the unoffending. No legislative measure has as yet occurred to me for the " relief of the poor and .Ex. IG] IIIS VIEWS ON CAriTAL rUXISHMEXT. 18.J destitute of Dublin and its vicinity;" but I sliall L^ladly lend my support to any tliat may ])e devised wliicli shall tend to increase, or at least not to diminish, the source from whicli, after all, must flow the ^n^eatest part ol" iIkj comfort, the respectability, and the mitigation ofcalamily among the j)oor — viz., habits of steady industri/.j'rut/dllfi/, a spirit of independence, ])rudent forethowjht, and nuitual kind}ie.ss towards each other. Any measure which goes to destroy, repress, or prevent these, creates ten times more distress than it relieves. And such, as I know from experience, has been the eflec^t of every legislative enact- ment that has hitherto been tried.' A letter to the Anti-Slavery Society contains a fui'thcr explanation of tlie views already put forth in ISoI^: — ' ll.-) Sloane Street : Feb. 28, 18:].^. 'Gentlemen, — I think myself 1)ound to acknowledge the address which has been forwarded to me, as I liave ])aid much attention to the question ivlatiug toAVest Indian affairs, and liave ha])pened to enjoy greater advantages towards acquiring a knowledge of thcni than most persons who have never \isited the Colonies. 'I perfectly concur with you in thinking the i>xi-~ten(H' of Sla\"ery in our eni])ire a national >in. and that jn^lice demands, thei'etbre, that we should all he readv to bear our fair proportion of the mils conse([ueiU upon it. 'Though this, howt'ver, is the case /V'/////, the persons most closelv connected with the sinful act will often nji- pear the chief oi" the sole perpetrators. One who has plainied. for instance, and authorix'd a nnirder. will often iancv liini-elf innocent, conipareil with him wlio^e hands were actually imbrued with blood. And it is gralityinir at ' Si'c pp. 81 -c. 184 LIFE OF AUCIIBISIIOP WHATELY. [1833 once to our humanity and love of justice on the one hand, and to our selfishness on the other, to shift the blame and the punishment of a crime on to one's neighbour. ' Thus the ancient Eomans, when they did not like to observe a treaty, salved their conscience by delivering into the enemy's hands, to be dealt with at pleasure, the ambassador who had concluded it. ' For this reason I would prefer iu"ging the misery likely to be inflicted on the negroes themselves by a rash emancipation, rather than the loss unjustly inflicted on tlie planters, who are less likely to meet with sympathy. ' Most of those who swell the cry for immediate eman- cipation are ignorant of the chief evil of slavery — viz., its making and keeping the slave unfit for freedom, by com- pletely separating in his mind the two ideas habitually associated in the minds of free labourers, properly so called (not parish paupers), of labour and mainte- nance. ' The greatest of ancient moralists lays it down, that a man is naturally a slave as long, and only as long, as he is unfit for freedom — ^.e., incapable of taking care of himself, and requiring to be guided like a child. Unhappily for the application of this excellent princi])le, tlie person who alone is well qualified both to know when a slave is fit for freedom, and to train him to that fitness, is the very per- son who is interested in keeping him a slave. ' If any way can be devised whicli can make it the niayter.^ interest to free liis slaves, that, it ap])ears to me, and tliat alone, will solve the difilculty. And the only way I can conceive in wliicli this can be effected is, to take off a portion of tlie duties on colonial ])r()ducc, to be replaced by fin equivalent tax on slaves ; the tax to be ad valorem, the })rice of each slave to be fixed l)y the waster, and each slave to l)e redeemable at the \w\cg yEx. 4G] LETTER TO THE ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY. ISo fixed. Thus the slaves best qualijied to become inde- pendent labourers for wages, being the most costly, would be those the master would, for his own interest, be the most anxious to set free ; and it is probable he would be ready himself to lend such a slave the pri(*e of his freedom, allowing him to work out the debt at a stipulated rate of Avages. Such an intermediate state between slavery and freedom would, I think, prove the best preparatory to an independence advantageous to both parties. ' Many inconveniences in detail must be encountered in tliis mode, or any mode of getting rid of so enormous and inveterate an evil ; but I never heard of, nor can imagine any other, which would not both bring nnich greater inconveniences, and also afford httle ho})e of ultimate success. ' Of course, in prop(~)rtion as this ])lan succeeded, the I'eveiuie from tlie West India Islands would for the present diminish. Tliis I would reckon as one of its advantages, as relief would thus be afforded to a class pecuharly in need of it. And if the English people grudged a trifling and temporary defalcation of revenue for the accomplish- ment of such an ()l)ject as tlie gradual extinction of slavery, in the only way in wliich it can be efiected witli- out cruelty to the negroes tliemselves, it is j)laiii their clamour in the cause of liumauity nuist be the grossest liVj)ocri-y. If ol)jections should be I'aised to direct taxa- tion without re[)resentation, I should, in agreement with Adam Smith, strenuously support so equitable a measure as the representation of the Colonies, whic^h might, I am <'onvinced, be so arranged as to produce the greatest l)enefit to l)oth ])arties. ' If tlie idea which I have hinted at (whidi was sug- gested to me by an experienced and intelligent ^\'est Indian) >liould be tliought worthy of further attention, I 186 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP AVHATELY. [1833 shall be happy to communicate with any member of the Committee on the subject.' The following letter to Mr. Senior appears to have been written about this time. The question of Tithes was greatly occupying the public mind : — 'My dear Senior, — The worst of applying to Parha- ment for an explanatory clause is, that though probably this^ or any other former Parliament would not hesitate, there is no saying what the new Parliament may think fit to do. Ministers are like the magician's companion, who conjured a broomstick into a water-carrier, and then was half-drowned for want of knowing how to conjure him back again. As for the other suggestion, of charging ad- ditional reserved rent equivalent to the tithe-commission, it seems on the face of it fair and easy, but in practice is beset with difficulties. E.g.^ my tenant-in-chief is A; he occupies part of the land for which (under a new lease) he would be tithe-free after November 1833 ; part he has let to B under a "toties quoties" covenant [i.e. engag- ing to renew to him as often as he renews with me) ; tlii'i land continues burdened with tithe-commission as before, because it comes under Clause XIY. ; part again he lias let to C under a lease, without any covenant, of which, say, four or five years are unexpired. C is, during the continuance of the lease, burdened with tithe as before, but as soon as tlie lease expires, the tithe (as I apprelieiid) falls on me. Now, how am I to renew under tliese cir- cumstances? The obvious way would seem to be to agi'ce for an increased reserved rent, the increase not to be ])aid exce})t when and as far as the tithe l)ecomes cliai-geuble on the bisliop ; but the tc^nants are in sucli alarm and uncertainty that I fear few of them will consent. The /Et. 40] LETTER TO MR. SENIOR ON TITHES. 187 college, I understand, has adopted this plan; but tliough such a corporation has much more hold on its tenants than a bishop, I understand only six out of sixty have con- sented to renew ! ' It is curious that, having been poor all my life, I never knew wliat absolute distress was till I became Archbishop. ' Can you learn (wliat I have not yet been able to do) wliat tlie views of Ministers are with regard to Churcli pn)[)erty, and whether they are likely to adopt my })lan of corporations? ' It is imj)ortant tliat I sliould be enabled to try wliat I can do towards conciliating the other bisliops, especially as I am in ftict the only i-epresentative of the Church here in the next session, the others being infirm. ' I am not very likely to have time for \vi'iting tlie article on Proverbs, but if they could engage a good liand, I should be willing to give liim a rough sketch of wliat I had designed to say. ' Do you see in the " Globe" an extract from a book to prove that transportation is an excellent punishment ? It is 1)y a Colonist^ and the ])resum])tion is that he is a rogue. I think they ought in fairness to insert as an antidote some extracts {vo\\\ my article. They have in- serted none of that, only some of the letter to Earl Grey. I think we should confine ourselves to the testiiiKmy of disinterested and respectable witnesses. — Ever yours, 'E. WlIATELY.' In this year (188.3) the Archbishop took his seat in Parliament for the first lime. Ilis friends in England naturally rejoiced to see his powerful mind brought to bear on English questions. Put every year of" his attend- ance in Parliament increased his conviction that little ^(hxI 188 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1833 could be done unless that attendance were constant ; and that the periodical alternate sessions, though not sufficient for real usefulness in England, were quite enough to hinder his work in his own diocese ; and his steady and deter- mined resolution to keep aloof from all party, could not conduce to popularity or to parliamentary influence. He usually avoided the ordinary work of the House, only speaking when the subject involved questions concerning Ireland or the United Church generally. *It was on Marcli 19 in this year that he for the first time addressed the House of Lords, the subject being the Irish Education question. One part of his speech is memorable, as a manifesto of his own deliberate view of the part which he meant to take, and to which he ad- hered, with unswerving firmness, throughout his public life. ' It was of little consequence,' he said, 'whether such a person as himself was attached to any party or not ; but if he was worth mentioning at all, he was worth men- tioning with truth. He did not mean to impute wilful falsehood to those who made these accusations against him. Perhaps they judged from their own experiences ; perhaps they had never knowm, or seen, or heard of a person who w^as not attached to some party. All who knew him, knew that it had ever been a rule with him never to attach himself to any party, ecclesiastical or political. He was an independent man, and w^as entitled to be considered as an independent man.' *One other of his fev/ speeches of this session is worth noting, on account of the light which is tlirown on some of his peculiar views. It was on the project of Jewish emancipation (August 1, 1833). It is unnecessary to say thatWhately, ever thoroughly consistent in liis opposition to political disabilities on account of religious opinion, supported this measure unreservedly. But, in d(jing so, A^T. 4G] TAKES IIIS SEAT IX THE HOUSE OF LOKDS. 180 lie gave vent to liis ftivourite opinions on tlie subject of the emaneipation also of the Church itself, and of reliLriou in general, from State control. Not only Jews, he thought, ])ut Dissenters, should be restrained frc^m legislating on Church questions. ' Everything relating to the spiritual concerns of the Church should be entrusted to a commis- sion, or to some body of men, members of that Churcli, having ])ower to regulate those concerns in such a manner as may be most conducive to the interests of religion, and to the spiritual welfare of the people.'* To the Bishojj of Llandaff. 'October 10, 18.^-1. ' I am anxious that you and all others concerned sliould fully embrace and steadily keep in mind the distinction, in respect of my plans, between civil and ecclesiastical mat- ters. That many cases arise that are of a mixed character, and also tliat the two liave been entirely blended together for above a century, and almost entirely befoi"e, are cir- cumstances wliicii make it the more difficult, but not the less important, to keep them distinct in our minds. ' Xow to titiition of Cliurcli property, such as commutation of tithe-', I I'ully agree Avith you in thinking it sliould oriiiinate with the laity, and be su])ported only by the bishops: wliercas in respect of any ecclesia>tical rcfonn, such a^ (I will not say a chn)hje in the government of the Church, foi' it has none to change, l)ut) the in>titu- tion of a Church government for ecclesiastical matters — . ///'//, T think it most essential, should conu' from the bishop-, hynlu'i- our Article:^, IJible tran>lation<. Cate- chi>in. Liturgv and other services, and our Discipline, need allcriiig. or tlicv do not : in cither case, it i^ e([ually es-eiilial that there should be some person or body >|)ecially 190 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1833 appointed to legislate, and either to make the requisite alterations from time to time, or to pronounce authori- tatively that none are needed. As it is, each man gives his own private opinion on these points, and there it remains as his private opinion : he might as well give his opinion on the affairs of the Turkish Empire. It is nobody's business. Parliament will not, and I think should not, legislate on these matters. And nobody else can. ' Now I do maintain that it would be most dangerous and disgraceful to let the first proposal for the remedy of this defect come from any but ecclesiastics. This should be moved by a bishop, and supported by the laity. It is our proper province. Other cases are analogous. If there be a question from what funds the army or navy should be supported, the discussion of it should arise with those who are 7iot in the army or navy ; but if the question be as to the stations of ships or forts, and the internal regu- lations of them, who so proper to bring tins forward as experienced professional men ? ' Again, in respect to the Eoyal authority : I tliink, in respect of temporalities, the King (that is, " by and with the advice of both Houses of Parliament ") should have tlie entire control ; but in respect of matters purely ecclesias- tical, I should prefer having the King a party to all deci- sions, by the same kind of arrangement by which he is considered present in a court of justice — i.e., by deputing a suitable person to preside in his name. AYe all know that what is actually placed in the King's decision, is really left to be decided by the Ministry for the time being ; and I should be ratlier jealous of tlieir liaviiig unlimited control in spirituals. As for cases, such as I iiave above alluded to, of a mixed nature (between secular and eccle- siastical) or of a doubtful character, the ci\ il authorities /Ex. 40] HIS OPINION ON CHURCH TEMPORALITIES. 191 should be left to decide how far each case conies under their own proper province. Some people understand me to be more jealoUs of the encroachment of the State on tlie Cluirch than of the Church on tlie State ; but, accord- ing to my view, tliey, viz. each encroachment, are both one and tlie same. I can seldom get people to under- stand my meaning in this ; because they ivill suppose that by the Church I mean the clerg}% and by the State tlie laity. But I mean no such thing. I mean the two kingdoms, one of this world, and the other not of this world. I mean two societies, all the members of each of wliich may happen to be the very same, man for man, but which are not the less two societies, distinct in their respective objects, and distinct in their means of attaining them. It is plain, therefore, that whatever goes to blend the two togetlier may ])e called, with equal propriety, an encroachment of either on the other. ' I do not think this is at all hard to be understood, tliough there may be occasionally a nicety in applying it in some mixed cases. But the thing is, men's heads have been long and thoroughly confused by the intermixture of secular and ecclesiastical matters ever since tlie time of Constantine ; and the partial gleams of truth which have broken in from time to time since the Refoi'mation — like streaks of partial daylight straggling into the midst of a I'oom lighted with lamps — have only increasrd the confu- sion of thought. For the false principles t/ien ])revailing liave never been abandoned; only, here and there, some true conclusion, at vai'iance witli them and insulated, has ])een admitted. It is like attem])tiiig to mend an incorrect map by inserting here and there ])atches from a correct one, which would nr)t fit the other. ' A'.//., all that oiu; hears every day about a '• national religion " is an instance (»f this confusi'2C>) i.- pn.l.aMv llK'iUlt. vol.. I. o 194 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1833 worth while to point out that there is a want of such agreement. For an author will sometimes be proceeding on an assumption which neither his readers nor himself are aware of. And it is very possible, I think, in this case that neither Mr. T. nor his readers are conscious of denying that money is a real tangible commodity. To point out, then, that an author is in fact proceeding on such a denial, amounts to a sufficient refutation. ' As you are an amateur in etymological antiquities, can you tell me how the stone called asbestos came by that name.'^ I have nothing for it but conjecture.' The following notes, found among the ArchbisliO])'s paj)ers, relating to a publication of considerably later date, throws further light on the views and conduct of the Archbishop on the Church Temporalities Bill of tliis session (see p. 23G) : — ' Mr. W. Palmer's " Narrative of Events" connected with the "Tracts for tlie Times," is a very curious and important document. The extracts from the "British Critic" com- pared with preclictions put forth several years ago by several persons — among others in the " Pastoral Epistle of the Pope" — exceedingly curious. There was an outcry at the time against throwing; out even a hint of tlie r)()ssi- bility of what has since come to pass. When he printed that address to King Wilham lY., which was signed by most of the Irish prelates, and not by me (wliich circum- stance he notices), he ought to have appended to it the })aper I printed and circulated ; stating (jbjcctions to the address as it stood, and pointing out what alterations I conceived wanting. Several, who liad previously signed the address, openly declared they would not have done so if they had hrst seen this pa])er. As it is, the ])ublic are left (not to say led) to infer, that as an address expressing attachment to the Church was not signed by JET.iG] THE CHURCH temporalities bill. 105 me, I did not feel as miicli of that attacliment as the rest. ' 111 justice to Lord Stanley, I never lieard of any design of Government to suj)press a greater number of sees. The Tiimate — to wliom tlie phui ^vas first com- numicated, and wlio assented to tlie general princij^le — Avisliod tliat a smaller number sliould be suppressed, on tlie ground that, as he calculated, a suflicieiit revenue for church-repairs, Ov:c. might be raised (it was all a question of compulation) from a smaller number. The scantiness of the funds of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, as it is, must have long since convinced the Trimate that his com- })utation was erroneous. What I suggested as preferable, was a diminution of the revenues of the bishoprics, instead of the mimber, since rereime was the thing wanted, and must be raised somehow, unless the churches were to be left to fall to ruin. Ikit he cut me short, by an assur- ance that none of the bishops would hear of such a thing. It is to be supj^osed that such is the o])inion of ^Ministers now, since they have decided that it is better to merge Kildare into Dublin, than to keej:) up the see witli a revenue of 800/. or 1.000/. ])cr annum. I re- member being struck at the time with tlie enthusiastic reception of the rriinate at ( )xfor(l, by the verv ])ersons who were i'e\iling llio>e who had \'ote(l tor the f'inn'ch Teinpoi-alities Dill— the principle of which had received his sanction — before it had e\'er been coinmunicated to tlio-e who voleil foi' it (he was not then in rarliament). •■('lie man may better steal a hoi'se, than another look o\cr a hedge.'' ' In this year the Archl)i-hop had the trial of losing tlie siM'\ic(,'s of his valued tVieiid and Doineslic Chaplain, J>r. Hinds, who was compelled, from ill-lK'alth, to re>iirn his ollice and return to I'liglaiid. Hi> place wa-^ >uj)])iied o -2 196 LIFE OF AECHBISIIOP ^\11ATELY. [1833 by one who now became the Archbishop's most efficient coadjutor, and his vahied and trusted friend — the late Dr. Dickinson, afterwards (in 1840) Bishop of Meath. From this time to liis death, in 1842, he was truly the right hand of the Archbishop ; and among his letters and papers are frequent testimonies to the affection and confidence with which he regarded this friend. The beginning of their acquaintance, the year after the Archbishop's arrival in Dublin, had been characteristic. Dr. Dickinson, who was then cliaplain of tlie ' Female Orphan House,' an institution still existing, had been con- sulted as to a curtailment of the expenses of the estab- lishment, and suggested a diminution of his own salary as chaplain. Tliis was repeated to the Archbishop, who was struck with the trait ; but it was somewhat later when he found the Chaplain examining his young pupils, and was so much pleased with liis manner of drawing out their minds, as to enter into conversation with him and seek his further acquaintance. His appointment as Domestic Chaplain soon followed, and his services were most valuable ; his qualifications being precisely such as Avere most needed in such a capacity. ' His despatch of business,' writes the Archbishop, in a notice of his friend which he drew up after his death, ' was wonderful. He was never in a bustle : he would seem to a bystander to be " taking things easy," and, as it were, lounging tln^ough what he had to do ; but few could do in two days as much business — some of it deli- cate and difFicult business — as he could get through, and do admiral )ly well, in one ' Though genei'ally liked as an amiable, and esteemed as a witty and intelligent innii. he was I'c- markably destitute of dazzliiuj qualities; and therefore /Ex. 40] HIS ESTIMATE OF DICIvIXSOX'S CIIAUAfTKn. 107 lii.s liigliest excellences, intellectual as well as moral, wor(\ in a great measure, lost (as far as admiration ^^i)vs) on all except those wlio had something congenial thereto. He was not, nor I tliink ever would have been, a brilWiut speaker ; but he had great })ersuasive powers, and ])rac- tised that truest eloquence with great success, whicli is not perceived to be eloquence. Even interior kinds of men, altliough they did not much admire him, were un- consciously nuich influenced by him ' Xo one was ever less likely to be taken by siu'prise, or to be frightened ; and if ever an occasion did occur in which it was necessary to decide on the s])ur of the moment, no one ever had greater readiness in doing so, or had, as the plii'ase is, his wits more tibont him. Yet he never des[)ised cautious (k'liberation, and re- deliberation, when he had an opportunity for it. lie was not hke those generals, who, when an oppoilunitv oflers for a sudden advantageous attack, or when a sudden march or other evolution is requisite for getting out of a diniculty, Avaste tlie time in deliberation which should be bestowed on action, and wait making preparations till the time is past, or are at a loss which way to turn on some sudden cnicrgt'iicy. Xor, again, was he like one of tlio<(i ^vho, when left mniiolc^ted for an\' length of time, will not think of axailing themseKcs of the ad\an- tage 1)\' improN'ing their po>ition, collecting reinfoice- ments, ^^c. If yon left him lei^-nre. he al^va^■s threw nj) liel(l-\voi'ks, and did all to make his position nnas>;iilal)le. 'lie was in all points remarkabiv good in in^trnction. in conveying what he wished in a >imi)le and clear way to the mind-^ of otln'rs. And the nnion of his didactic power with such extraordinary (jnickness of ;ip- prelu'n>ion as he pos--e:-sed, constilnted a \'ei'v rare phe- nomenon. For, usually, those remarkably (juick in 198 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1833 learning are ill-qualified for teachers, at least of those who are not equally quick ; and those who are rather slow than not are usually the best teachers, because they are hot tempted to hurry their learners over the ground, but are accustomed to view all the steps dis- tinctly that are to be taken, and also all the difficulties in the path. ' Dickinson was, however, one of the few exceptions to this rule. . . . The sort of conversational eloquence he possessed was peculiarly suited to liis situation under me, in which it was often in his power to say, with great advantage, what could not have been properly said by me. E. g., the cases are numerous in which one is at a loss to decide whether such and such an attack, rumour, etc. sliould be repelled, or let alone ; wlien, if unanswered, it may do considerable mischief, and if noticed by my- self, it may thereby gain importance. In these cases his services were invaluable.' In September of this year the Arclibishop was associ- ated with Dr. Murray, the Eoman Catholic Arclibishop, and eight lay-commissioners, in a Commission of Inquiry into the condition of the poor in Ireland, with a view to recommend measures for a system of relief. The Com- mission made its Eeport in 183G, but its principal re- commendations Vv-ere not adopted by the Government ; which, on the contrary, introduced and carried, in 1838, a measure of exclusive workhouse relief, contrary to the opinion of the Commission. The Arclibishop laboured assiduousl}^ and anxiously, for about two years, to accomphsh the objects for which the Poor Inquiry Commission was odensibbj ap})()intc(l, and to ])rcvent the ruinous measure (in his estimation) wlii^'h the Ministry were l)eiit on cariying. All these labours were vain. But the history of the whole transaction, ^T. 4G1 THE ENGLISH AND IRISH POOR-LAWS. 190 as lie often observed, afTords a useful lesson to tliose who, like himself, felt the evil of the law which was idtiuuitely passed. 'I remember,' he said, 'receiving a pretty broad liint, once or twice while tlie inquiry was going on, what Go- vernment expected us to report ; and I re))lie(l at once, and I think also communicated straiijht to the Yicereiral Court, that I, for one at least, should make no report l)ut just what seemed to myself the best ; for which of coin^e n(^ne of tliose in power liked me at all the better ; and ultimately they set aside the report of the commissioners chosen by themselves, and brought in a Bill quite in the teeth of our recommendations. ' Thei'e was a very great desire,' he continues, in some notes he took of those transactions, ' among many persons in England, to assimilate the two countries, as far as regarded poor-laws ; and in their most })rofound ignoi'ance about Ireland, tliey supposed that because the reformed ])oor-law was a good thing for England, there- fore iust such a law would be a good thing for Ireland. ' Xow, hrst, the two countries were difl'erently circum- .-tanccd in all the ])oints most essential to the question ; especially in this, that the want of employinent Avas ri'IFE OF ARCIIBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1833 the other members of Government, and to invite your consuUation of the best informed and most judicious both of the clergy and laity of the Establishment. — Believe me to be, dear sir, most faithfully yours, ' E. Dublin.' Tlie following; letter was written in answer to one from the Eeverend Mr. Hull, of Lancaster, on the subject of some alterations in church matters : — To the Reverend Mr. Hull of Lancaster. ' 1833. ' Eeverend Sir, — I sympathise very sincerely with yoiu' scruples ; but you must be sensible that neither I nor the Archbishop of Canterbury have any more power than yourself to afford relief, except in our capacity of Mem- bers of Parliament. It behoves you, therefore, to consider maturely and deliberate among yourselves, whether you would wish either of us to rise and move for a P)ill to remedy the grievances in question ; or in what other way you would wish us to proceed, ' It is true, we must each of us act, ultimately, accord- ing to the dictates of his own judgment and conscience ; but these cannot be altogether independent of the views supposed to be entertained generally by the clergy. If, for instance, the Archbishop were, in compliance with your supposed desire, to procure an Act of Parliament directly and specifically for altering the Prayer-book, and if you should happen to be of opinion (as I am) that this is not the best mode of proceeding, you would rej^roach yourselves as haviiig in part incmTed the responsibihty of a course you disapprove. 'I will briefly state what occurs to myself; but I wish to know the general feelings of the (iergy ; as I Avould yEx. 40] LETTER TO MR. HULL ON CHURCH AFFAH^.S. 205 ratlier advocate the second-best course with their con- currence, than the best in opposition to them. It ap{)ears to mo tlien, 1st'. That every comnumity ouglit to have a legishative (not merely an executive) government : 2ii(l. That tlic Cluir(>]i we belong to has none ; the King, the bishops, the ecclesiastical courts, &:c. having no ])ower to alter laws, but only to administer them ; and Parliament having never appeared to regard purely ecck'siastical matters as foiling within its own jiroper ])rovin('e, as indeed our Reformers never had any sucli desiirn : 3rd. That all alterations or regulations of eccle- siastical matters should be made by a regular legislative government of tlie Church for wliicli they are designed : ■kli. That the hrst step, tlierefore, in sucli a case as the present, ouglit to be, to apply, either to the King or to rarliament, for some government of tlie Churcli, or for some kind of commission to make inquiries and oiler .■^nggestions with a view to the constituting of a govern- ment ; and tliis once established and in activity, there would be a body competent botli to make regularly such nkcration^ as miglit be deemed requisite, or (what is liardly U'ss impoilunt) to pronounce authoritatively what alUTalions are not called for. ' Tlu'-c ai'c the pnints T would suggest foi" youi' consider- ation; and T Avould I'econnnt'nd your consulting tlu' fol- lowing pamphlets and books: — " lic\ic\v of ^\ ritei's on Cliurch Reform ; "" ako, the works referred to in the above — a- niaiiv as are mentioned Avitli a])prol)alion ; and •• Ke\i-ed Liturgy,"' by liev. 11. Cox, second or third eiliiion. 'In I'egard to myself as a repi'e Arcli(lioee>e or IVoNince ol" Dublin alone — except in re-pcct of any cpiotions Avhich concern that pro\ince exclu-i\elv — but, in conunon with the bi-lit)])-, of tlie 206 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP WHATELY. [1833 United Church generally, I shall always feel myself bound to attend to, and consult with, my constituents. — I am, Eev. Sir, your faithful humble servant, 'K. DUBLIX.' Fragment of a Letter to a Friend on certain relifjlous dijffieulties. ' All I have time or space for is, some general remarks, which, if you develope them in your own mind, may lead to a satisfactory conclusion. ' First, read attentively, with an express view to your present subject, my fourth essay (being " Secret Tilings ") and the sermon which C has copied on " Things Hard to be Understood," and " We sec Through a Glass," and King's Discourse ; then consider and unfold the fol- lowing maxims : — ' 1st. There are, properly speaking, two distinct doc- trines, each called the doctrine of the Trinity, and thence often confused together : the one speculative, concerning the distinctions in the Divine essence ; the other practical, concerning the manifestations of God to man. They are as different as a certain opinion respecting the sun, from an opinion respecting the sunshine. A peasant has need to know the effc^cts of sunshine in ripening corn, &c. &c., which lie may do witliout forming any notion (jf the magnitude of di.'^tance of the sun, or of the tlieories of Ptolemy and Copernicus. The former is wliat I iindorstiuid to liave in view ; and I agree that, as it relates t(j a matter confessedly incompreliensible, it is l)etter not to l)e dwelt on, lest we be bewildered and misled ; it is one of the " secret things that belong unto the Lord our God." Tiie other is wliat 1 have h;ul all along in view, and M'liicli I hold to 1)0 among the things that '•belong to us, tliat we may do," ^kc. Unfortunately, by beiiig confounded JF.T. 40] LETTER ON SOME RELIGIOUS DIFFICULTIES. 207 with tlie otlier, it is in general swept away from people's thoughts, as a speculative mystery better kept in tlie background ; whereas it is the corner-stone of tlie Christian faith (the doctrine into which we are baptized) and of Cln-istian practice ; since, if God stands in three relations to us, we are bound to act and feel suitably to the three relations in which we stand to Ilim. ' 2nd. A very indistinct notion may suflice of such an article of faith as this last, even as a blind man act-t every day on the imperfect knowledge he has of the power of sight possessed by others. ' 3rd. Apparent contradictions are means employed in l^cripture for C(Miveying practically useful tliough indistinct notions of things not directly comprehensible. Hence, every statement will be in seeming o])positi()n to some ])art ot" Scripture, if it be agreeable to the whole of Scrip- ture. The seemingly contradictory statements in sermons are intended to modify and check each other. The hedge on the right side of the road is not the road itself, nor will it guard us against a ])reci])ice on the left side ; the same may be said of the hedge on the left ; we nuist pur- sue our course between them. You may find luuuher- l(-> applicalious of tliis. IKaice, St. John is l)olh lhc> nio-t iu>tructive and therefore the most dangerous of iho sa(a\'(l wrUcr^. ' ■"hiL Ucware ot" the conunon (M'rors o(" altributnig place ami tinic to the Deity. AW say, in conformitv with our own powers of thought, that God is excrywhere and alway-; but. in ti'uth, a spirit is in no place at all, and an luernal and Onniielf." It uiay be that " God the Son was luiited with Juiman nature ; " but yET. 40] LETSER TO A YOUNG CLERGYMAN. 209 it is said that " in ^m\ dwelctli all the fulness," kc. It may be that Jesus Clirist is called the Son, not in respect of Ilis human 'nature, but of some mysterious filiation in the Divine nature, which makes God and the Son equal, and distinct. But it is said that He is " caUed the Son of God " on account of the miraculous conception, and that at the end of the world the Son shall be subject to the Father. It may be tliat it is a distinct Divine Person wlio dwells in the hearts of the faithful; but it is said, ""We (I and my Father) will come unto him, and make our abode with him," &c., &c.' Extract from a letter to a young Clergyman. ' Do not begin by devoting your chief attention to those who seem to want reformation most ; select the best in- Ibrmed and best disposed — improve tliese, and use them as your instruments in reformino; their neic^hbours. If you had a promiscuous ])ilc of wood to kindle, where woidd you ap[)ly your light, to the green sticks, or to the dry ? ' I understand the disease which you call self-righteous- ness ; tliougli llie Avord is hardly yet good English, and is of anomalousiormation, and rather belongs to the })rovince ot" Cant, tluni to the one in which you are. It is very hai'd to cure, since most of the sins you would j)ress on their notice they eitlier do not own, or do not atlmit to be >ins. This, I think, is tlie l)esl couise : ask a man wliether he feels more desire foi' heavenly ha])piness than ibr tliis woi'ld's goods — more gratitude to Christ than to any eaulily iViend ; wlietliei' he estimates more highly ///.s' goo(hu'ss who did and suflered all foi' the benefit (ex- clu>ively) ol" others, or his oirn^ who by his good conduct i^ beneliling hini>ell"; whether he would ]iot think liini- seir >uliiciently repaid for liis Nirtuou> exertions hv lw(» ol' threi' Inmdred year- ol" happiness; whether he i-- VOL. I. 1> 210 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1833 duly grateful for having an eternity of happiness offered ; whether he is grateful for the spiritual aid from wliich all good conduct must proceed. ' Beware of offending him too suddenly, denying the goodness of his conduct ; bring him to feel and act as a Clmstian in any one point, and the rest Avill perhaps follow. In some dispositions self-abasement must be the last effect produced ; in others it is the first. ' The same doctrines must be taught to all, but not in the same order ; you must cleave the log according to its grain. Let not yom^ sermons be avowedly hortatory, nor begin with exhortation ; let your apparent object be ex- planation. Ignorance is not the greatest, but it is the first evil to be removed ; it is also the one most in your power to remove, and it is one which people will not be in the outset so much disgusted to be told of. And do not tliink anything irrelevant, however remote it may seem from Cluistian practice, that tends to interest them in Scripture studies and rehgious topics. ' I think there Avould have been no difficulty as t(i Paul's meaning in Eom. vii. if people had always read a portion of Scripture continuously (witliout chapter and verse), instead of taking detached passages interwoven with the context of some human treatise. This, which I call making an anagram of Scripture, often leaves a man ^vell acquinted with every part of the Bible ; but no more notion of the icliole of any of the books, tliaii he would have of a tree from seeing a house Ijuilt of its timber. ' The sentences in question, taken l)v themselves, may certainly bear either sense — viz., as spoken literally of the individutil Paul nt tliat moment, or, l)y a figure of spcecli very connnon in all languages, as spoken indefinitely of "a man generally" in some suj)p()sed situation. yEr. 40] LETTER TO A YOUNG CLERGYMAN. 211 ' The context in each case generally makes it clear, to a reader of common sense, which is meant. In this very letter, e.g.^ I have used this very form of speech, and I dare say you have had no doubt of my meaning. Xow if you look to the context (especially in the original, though the translation is pretty clear) of the whole passage, in- cluding the beginning of the next chapter (and remember- ing that Paul did not make chapters), you will see that he is contrasting the condition of a man under the Law, wliich gave tlie knowledge of right and wrong, and of one under the dispensation of the Spirit, which supplies the power to ilo riglit and avoid wrong : the one brings mere remorse, llie otlier reformation ; the one sliows a man his '• con- denmation," the other the means of escape from it. ' Xow take the literal sense, and the whole becomes as absujxl and self-contradictory as the Eomanist's interpre- tation of '• Tliis is my body." ''Wretched man, who sliaJl deliver me from the body of this deatli? I tliank Gxod," ikr. What does he tliank God for? For leaving liim itii- (k'Hvered — wretched — condenmed to deatli ? Just tlie re- verse. '• For the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Clirist liath made lue free from the law of sin and deatli : for what the law could not do," c^'c., cK:c. " That the rigliLeousnt'ss of llie law might be fultilled in us who walk not after the \\vA\. but afler the Spirit. For tluw that ai'e after the iK'-h (\^^ mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after {\\v Si)iril the things of the Spirit." • A-- for the inward disapprobation of sin and admiration of gDiidness, Ovjc, which Faul desci'ibes, it is ex.acllv what he meant it to be — a desci'iption of an unreiuvved sinni'r: for how could a man be a sinner at all if he had no notion, either l"rom reason or iievehition, of the siiperiorilN' of \irlne over vice? You might as well call a brute .-iiiful. •• \ ideo nieliora [)rol)0(|ue, deteri()ra >e(|Uor,"" are thi' worcb 212 LIFE OF AECIIBISHOP WIIATELY. [1833 of a heathen, not certainly intending to describe a renewed Christian. ' It is not, however, in all cases equally important to fix the true meaning of a passage ; but in the present instance the misinterpretation is ruinous in practice. Should you preach all your life the soundest doctrine, and the purest morality in all other points, yet insist on this one error, your hearers, when they came to the personal application, would consider themselves safe if they were but as good as Paul, whom it would be presumptuous to think of excelling ; they would feel secure therefore in substituting the admiration of goodness for the practice, and in living habitually in the neglect of any known duties, and the practice of any known sins, so they did but acknowledge their sinfulness. You would be building a strong hedge, and then breaking a gap in it.' The following fragment, on a different subject, will in- terest some : — ' I asked Dr. Wolff, the missionary, his opinion (witliout any suggestion or hint of my own) as to the A])ostolic de- cree in Acts,^ viz. : 1st, What is the meaning of tto^vziol m that place ? and 2nd, Why it contains no allusion to the observance of the Sabbath P His answer appeared to me sufficiently interesting to induce me to beg liim to write it down : — '"The translator of the Armenian Bible, Mesrop, and of tlie modern Chaldean in Koordistan, and the Syrian Church around Mosul, as also some of tlie Gennan Bibli- cal scholars, translate Tropv-ia. " swine's flesli ;" and I really believe thiit this is tlie sense. ' " Witli regard to the Sa1)bath, there is evideiilly nu mention made to tlie Genlilcs, fui' they were not 1 Acta XV. 20, 29 & xxi. 25, yEr. 40] FRAGMENT ON THE SABBATH QUESTION. 213 commanded to keep it. But the Lord's-day was cele- brated among the early Christians. ' " That the Sabbath and the Lord's-day are not the same, or rather, that the Lord's-day was not substituted for the Sabbath-day, in clear from 1 Cor. xvi. 2, which is a custom among the Jews till now — viz., to make the col- lection for the wants of the Synagogue on the first day of the week ; for on the Sabbath they are not allowed to touch money." ' 214 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [18:34 CHAPTEE VII. 1834—1835. Letter to Mr. Senior on a 'Statistical Dictionary' — Letter to Bishop of Llandalf on the Divinity College — Letters to Rev. J. E, Tyler and Dr. Blomfield illustrative of his magnanimity — Letter to Earl Grey on University Reform — Letter to Dr. Hawkins on Church matters — His tender regard for the feelings of men — Letters to and from Dr. Xewman respecting their differences of opinion on Church matters — Paper on Church Temporalities Bill — Letters to Mr. Senior on Church affairs, &c. — Mr. Blanco White, embracing Socinian views^ retires from the Archbishop's family — Grief on this account manifested by the Archbishop, who subsequently pensions Mr. White. The first letter in 1834 is on tlie snbject of a proposed Statistical Dictionary : — To N. Senior, Esq. 'January 11, 1834. ' Look at the Book of Ecclesiasticus in the Apocr}^iha, chap, xxxviii. ver. 32, and you will see very old autho- rity for the law of settlements. Verses 24, 25, and 33 would apply to a statesman you know of. ' Could not one of the most popular modes of introduc- ing knowledge on the subject be a " statistical dictionary,'' professing to give, not of course a knowledge of all focts, even in any one country, l:>ut the sense or senses of eacli. term used, tlie principles of calculatic^n in reference to it, and a lev/ statements by way of specimen ? Ejj. — ' Wcujes — Senses in whicli used, by this aud tiiat wjiler ; lliree or four statements of rates of wages, in moiiey or .Ex.47] LETTER ON A 'STATISTICAL DICTIONARY.' 215 oommodities ; in England, now, and in otIuM' parts ; and ditto, in four or five other remarkable peiiods. ' Population — Per square mile, in five or six places ; i-ate of increase in five or six periods and countries. See Marriage and Mortality. ' Duties — Proliibitory ; fniancial ; centralising ; four or five s]K'('imens of each, now; ditto, in other times. '• Rau- Prtulnce — Si)ecimeiis of countries ; importing and ex})orting princi[)al]y ; what kinds. ^ TcLves — What; species of ; eiTects of ; amount in Great Britain, &c., &c. ' I think forty or fifty terms of this kind, thus ex])lained, and, though called a dictionary, forming rather a ///v/////?^^?^ teaching the parts of speeeh of the science, and the declen- sions and (Conjugations, might be ctiliition of a Divinity College, as an exten-^ioii of an endowed lil)rary (Marsh's), originally a part of the old Ai'chl)i>hnp"s l\il;u^c ; the rest of which, now the pro])erty of riovcrnment, he proposes to give up for lecture- rooms, c'vc. The object is to ()ccu[)y the interval, now so often wasted, Ix'tween a'raduatin^ and becoininu^ candidate for ()r(lcr> — often two or three years — in ac<|uiring that additional knowledge of the Scri})tures and of Eccle- siastical llistoiy, together with skill in im[)arliiig that kiiowlcMlge which I have so often found lamentably wanting. 'T propose to endow it with part oi" my own rcvciuic. and I have reason to hope some of the bitand oi', rather, mi>i\'pivsent nic. J]ul to take any trouble about tlieni would do neillic'r of us any good. If not noticed, tlie gi'caler part of tlu'ni will in time ciy themselves to slec]). \\\\\ I wish my friends to r(^llect,more tlian perhaps some of them tlo, liow many and various causes are at work to ])reju(li('e diilerent description-^ of persons against me: and also, that a> nlo■^t of lliese cau>-es arc such as the person-^ tlieni-el\es Would never aekn()wle(Igc\ even to lliem^eh'es. and lU'e probably even unconscious of, lieiice it would be V^A 220 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1834 labour to meet the objections which they do allege, but which, in fact, are but a pretext. It is but lopping the branches, while the root is concealed underground and untouched. Truth and justice have in themselves enemies enough, but these rarely confess, or even know, them- selves to be such. " Marvel not," says our Lord, " if the world hate you " — " because ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you." And till that which is in name the Christian world shall have become much more so in spirit than it has ever been yet, this descrip- tion will still apply to a large portion of it. But those who ,are in sincerity labouring in the cause of Christ will not be hated avowedly for that reason. Satan knows better how to " transform himself into an angel of light." ' All circumstances considered, the degree of success with which I have sustained and partly mitigated the tide of obloquy has been far beyond what I could possibly have anticipated. And, indeed, I believe I owe not a little to the very excess of violence with which I have been assailed. The proverb says, " Slander stoutly and some- thing w^U stick ; " but I believe it is possible for a slanderer to overdo his work — to excite incredulity by boundless extravagance of calumnies, and to disgust by too open a display of injustice and mahgnity. And the more bitter and assiduous the attacks made on anyone who does but take care that they shall be undeserved, the more will they produce one benefit to him, which ought not to be overlooked. All the watchfulness sharpened by malice — all the ingenuity, the perseverance, and the unscrupulous audacity, wliich have been put in requi^^ition against me, from several different quarters, by men of almost every party, for a good wliile ])ast, and most especially since I came hither, have failed in bringing any charge against me that was not either founded in ^vr. 47] HIS INDIFFERENCE TO PUBLIC OBLOQUY. 2i'l falsehood or in gross misrepresentation, or else rather creditable in the eyes of good judges than the rontrary. Now, that iny 'character is really luiimpeachable, my friends have long since done me the honour to believe ; but it was my enemies alone that could completely prove it. ' It is a trial indeed to human nature, to meet with so nuich injustice and ingratitude from those we are seeking to benefit, as everyone must expect if he imitates our lleaveuly Father, " who is kind to the unthankful and to the evil." But the usefulness of such a discipline may easily be perceived. If we generally obtained tlie jiraise of men for our good actions, we coidd not even ourselves be sure that it was not that praise we were aiming at. And thougli (me who aims in singleness of lieart, not at obtaining, but at deserving, men's a]:)probation, will in the end, oftener than not, obtain it (if he chance to live long enougli), it nuist be liis own fault if lie then ])rizes it too liiglily ; lie will have learned from the earlier ])art of his experience what bad judges of mind men usually arc, and he \\\\] lia\"e been trained to refer to an luierring Judge. IK' will lia\c been liai'dened against the intoxication of" ])()pul;irity when it does come, by having seen how uiiju-'lly it i-> otten bestowed and denied. The I'aN'our of men is lo be nought as a means, though not as an end, a< far a-- we can conciliate them without turning out ofoui' own >traight course. l>ul lo swim with the stream, lor fear of incin'ring odium, is to sa<'i'ilice the end to the mean-. 1 wouM be coiUent on many occasions to do a lillle goo(l. rallier than bv aiming at too much to fail of all. lUil we mu-t carefully watch ourselves while proceeding on this p!;ui. and remember that we mav. for the -ake of pre>er\iug unanimity, or the a])pearance of it. in the Church, for iuslaui-e. fall into the ei'ror of the 222 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1834 Eomanists, whose corruptions accumulated through their dread of a breach of unity. To oppose nothing that a considerable number of churchmen advocate, because opposition Avill lead to division, and division is to be shunned, is in ftict, we should remember, to deliver up every community to the uncontrolled guidance of the most forward ; not necessarily of the wisest and best, or even of the majority, but of those wdio on each occasion happen to have the start, and who are the most violent and pertinacious in insisting on having everything their own way ; for the more unreasonable and domineering they are, the more danger there is of discord resulting from any o]:)position offered them. ' There may l)e occasions, indeed, to be judged of by each man's own discretion, when it is better to sit still under some mhior evils, than to risk greater in the attem])t to remedy tliem. But I would not, even when I did act on that principle, clioose that occasion for referring to the precept, " In your patience ])ossess ye your souls," because I think it dangerous and hardly reverent to apply any passage of Scripture to a purpose foreign from the context. If what we mean to recommend is taught in other ]:)as- sages of Scripture, ihose ought to be the ones adduced ; if again, without being expressly taught, it is agreeable to Scripture and to reason, let it rest on those grounds. But a misapplication of a Scripture text, tliougli it may be harmless in some particular instance, affords countenance to a most pernicious practice. ' If you look to tlie context of tliat passnge, j'ou v/ill see tliat, iiowever proi)er neutrality and acquiescence may be on s<.)me occasions. Our Lord was relerring to an occa>ion of exactly the opj)osite kind. lie was exJiortijig His dibci])les to ])atient perseverance, under tlie obloquy and opposition they would have to encounter in labomhig yEx. 47] Ills INDIFFERENCE TO TUBLIC OBL()(iLY. 2l>;3 to cfTect tlic greatest innovation that ever was bnniplit about ill tlie world ; patience in stemming tlie tide of popular prejudice, and in bearing the reproaches of those most nearly connected with them, for their ])erseveriiig effort to overturn what those held most sacred; patience in enduring, among other things, to be stigmatised as "pestilent feUows" and "movers of sedition," as being the (KTasions of that "division" and family disunion and enmity whicli their Master foresaw and pix)phesied. ' Whatever the occasion may in fact be, on wliich it is most advisable to let things take their course, the ])resent crisis of the Church is clearly not one of those. Tliere is a general stir in men's minds in relation to Church matters, both within and without the [)ale of it ; such that tliose who think it both possible and desirable that everything should remain just in tlie state in which it has been for the la:^t century, are just as much required to come forward and advocate that continuance as the ])]'oposers of any change are to advocate such change. However reluctant we may be to take any decided ste|), we should remember thai in such times as these to sit still (like some who in the (Ireal licbcllion "waited ibr the Lord") i^, in I'act, to lake one of the most decided steps of all; it is to put onr>elws at the absolute di>posal of those who are rc'-olveil utif to -^il still.' To l/iJ' J)ts/n>p of Li I in I on {l)r. lilo'iiijichl.). 'l)ul)liu: Miirch ;;0. I-.", I, '?ilv deal" I.or(L - [iKlepeiideiit of the deiereuce (hie to your lor(l-hii)'s judgment, and to your op])ortunities ol' a-fct'laining the >!ate of the pubhu- mind in J'aighuuh I shouhl he di-|)()-ed. e\-en iVoin I'elK'ctioii on the clrruni >lance> ot ihe ca>e alone, to decide on the (.■.\|iedirni-y I'i 224 LIFE OF ARCIIBISIIOP WHATELY. [1834 deferring all steps relative to tlie internal regulation of the Cliurcli, till the questions pertaining to the temporalities shall have been disposed of. ' There is likely to be much excitement, alarm, and angry feeling occasioned by each^ and it is better if possible to avoid encountering the two difficulties in combination. It is also important to avoid, as far as possible, mixing up secular with ecclesiastical questions, or leading any to impute, either through confusion of thought, or from malicious design, to such as do not dis- cern the imputation, schemes for restoring to the clergy the right of self-taxation, or for encroaching in some way on the civil power. Though I have no hope that these difficulties can be entirely avoided, there is a chance that they may be somewhat mitigated, by waiting till the agitation connected with tithe-commutations shall have somewhat subsided. ' Some impatient spirits, I doubt not, there will be, who will deprecate any procrastination, apprehending tliat fresli-and-fresh excuses for sitting still will always Ijc forthcoming from time to time. And they are so far justified in that apprehension that there always, no doubt, will be, as tliere always liave been, persons who, wlien- ever the public mind is in a state of agitation, say, " Do not stir, but wait for quieter times." And when the agitation subsides, say, " You liad better let well alone ; do not distm-b those who are satisfied." AVlien the l^ed of tlie torrent is dry, in short, tliey urge that a l^ridge is not wanted ; and wlien tlie stream comes down, that it cannot l)e l)uiU. But to tlie wise "tliere is a time foi- all things," and thougli we nmst not ho})e to satisfy eitlier those who never fmd a time to act, or those wlio ne\'er acknowledge; a time to ])atisc, it may l^e possible to satisfy tlie mo.'^t reasonable in any class, by stispending ^Et. 47] Ills VIEWS OX UNIVERSITY REFORM. 22.J proceedings, not indefinitely, but till another question \vhicli (whether rightly or wrongly) has actually the precedence shall have been disposed of. In the meantime, I am glad that some of the leading men among my clergy have so t d^cn up the matter as to^show that they at least are not de- sirous (and would rather discourage any who may be so) of setting at nought the judgment and feelings of their English brethren, or of witholding all deference from the bishops. ' There is a medium — and I think there are many among the most influential of the Irish clergj' who ])er- ceive and aim at that medium — between allowing, on the one liand, an absolute i^eto, in respect of questions vitally important to the whole Church, to any individual, how- ever entitled by station and character, to precedence ; and on the other hand, not even asking the advice and co- operation of anyone who holds such precedence. It is time enough to take steps independent of, or in opposi- tion to, tlie Archbishop of Canterbuiy, or anyone else lioldiiig a high staticm in the Church, when he shall rii'>t have l)een consulted, our reasons listened to and re[)lied to, and our co-operation sought in vain.' Tiie i'ollowing extract from a letter to Eai'l Grey shliop"s views on tlie sul)ject of Univci'^ity IJctorni, ill inmRMJiate I'ctcrencc to a ' IfiU to remove certain l)i>^abililies which prevent some classes of His Majesty's Mi1)jecfs (1 )iities,' Introduced in April this year. His new and pre<>Iiig avocations luul not in anv degree cooled his atlachnient to Oxford; and through life his intei'ot in the welfare of tlie University was deep and strong : — '.inly. ls;!l. ■ My dear Lord, — AVlieii ] was la>t in town,! had ^onic lilile coiivei'salion willi v<»ur lordship relative to the \"!., I. ,, 226 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WILVTELY. [1834 proposed changes in our Universities ; but I did not pursue the subject, as I understood no steps were hkely to be taken this year. ' Since, however, the question has come on, I will take the liberty of making a few enquiries and suggestions relative to it, which I trust will not be thought presump- tion, considering that I was actively engaged in various departments of the business of the University of Oxford for above a quarter of a century. ' By the reports of the debates, I should be led to sup- pose (but I suppose this is an error of the reporter) that there is a design of compelling heads of houses to admit Dissenters. ' This would be giving the latter a most unfair advan- tage, for there never has been yet at least any obligation on a head of a house to admit any member of the Esta- bhshed Church. ' It has always been left to the arbitrary decision of the governor of each college to admit or refuse (as a com- moner) anyone who offers ; and I am convinced that to take away this arbitrary power — though, like all power, it may be liable to abuse in some particular instance — would be total ruin to the University. ' I, for one, would sooner have been governor of a parish workhouse than Principal of Alban Hall, had I been obliged to admit on demand anyone who presented hhnself, unless I could estaljhsh some legal disqualifica- tion against him. ' But then, it may be said, if the heads of houses are merely released from a restriction, and permitted to re- ceive Dissenters, this will afford no relief to tlie complain- ing parties if the heads should form a combination to refuse them. Xow the obvious remedy for this, and Avhich would also be in other respects a great benefit to ^Et. 47] HIS VIEWS ON UNIVERSITY REFORM. 227 the Universities and to the piibhc, would be to I'e.store the Universities to tlieir original condition, by doing away tlie monopoly gradually acquired bytlie now-exi.sting C()ll(>g(\s and halls. A master mason, shoemaker, &c., &c., has a right as such to take apprentices. ' And that a master of arts had originally a correspond- ing right, is plain, not only from analogy, and from liis- torical dc^nnuents, but from the very formula in whicli the degree is conferred. lie is expressly admitted as a teacher. ' Every M.A. therefore was originally, and should be now, entitled to demand of the University authorities (unless good cause could be shown against him) a licence to open a hall on his own account ; of which there were formerly at Oxford, and I believe at Cambridge, a very great number. It was ])artly under the reign of Eliza- beth, and partly under that of Charles I., that the monopoly was introduced, under which the colle(jes have, in fact, swallowed up the University. ' I cannot but think that some weight is due to my Judgnieut in reconmiending the restoration of the Univer- sities to t1iat, their original state, from the circumstance that wlieii I myselt" Avas one of tlie monopolists, as head of a hall, I alwavs was an advocate for the indefinite nnihiplicatioii ol' hall^, which Avould in tact have been ri\"als to my own. I have always approved ol" a wholesome and I'riendly competition inider due ]Vgula- tion-^. ''J'his measni'e (which, like most I'etbrms. is, in fact, not an inno\ation, but a restitution) wonld ensure the admis- sion ot" Di-senters at one hall il" not at another. 'At Oxlbi'd there would be this objection: tliat as llic rni\-er I endcavoui" to do myself, on the dictates of an inihia--ed con-science, and am so far from recpiiring tliose coiniected witli me to profess or do anything tliev think wrong, in compliance to me, that I should scoi'n anv- one I thonght capable of" sncli condnct ; still I know there is a large ])ortion of tlie public so inea])able of even concei\ing such ])i-inciples as tliose I act on, that tluy taki' it for granted I must have in view some ol))(M't of ])rivate ambition or intert'st, and nnist be lal)oni'Ing to iorni a party, con>isling of men (.'([nallv nnprincij'led. 'And by tliis time my [)ersecutoi's mnst l)e biginning to learn that on myself none of their calumnv and in-^nlt 232 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1834 have any influence ; so that they are driven to try whether they cannot deter others from co-operating with me. ' I can well conceive that it may be a severe trial to yoiu"self or to some others to sustain all tliis obloquy, from some perhaps whom you may have been accustomed to look up to, or to act with. And my present object in writing tliis is to declare to you distinctly, that if you find your situation as my chaplain — a situation through wdiich I meant to engage you not in my service but in that of oiu" common Master — exposes you to more ill-usage than you are prepared to endure, you are perfectly free to re- sign it, without any quarrel between us being the result. I know that you have much to undergo, and I camiot tell how much more you may have, from the unrelenting ani- mosity with which I have no doubt I shall continue to be assailed. I wish you, therefore, at once to count the cost of your connection with me : if you find it best not to con- tinue it, the sooner it is broken off the better for all parties ; and be assured that, in that case, I shall feel for you compassion unmixed with resentment. If, on tlie contrary, you are disposed to the opposite conclusion, I wish you to recollect that I have given you fair warning, and that you must make up your mind to endure such treatment and such language, from persons professing an ardent zeal for Christianity, as would be enough to make a tolerably civilised heathen ablior the very name of Cln^istian. ' For myself, I am resolved, by God's help, tliat, as notliing ever yet did, nothing ever shall intimidate or ])ro- voke me, or in any way divert or deter me from pm-suing the coui'sc which ni}^ own judgment and conscience prescri1)e. ' I should add, that I foresaw from tlie first, and fully made up my mind to encoiuitei", such a sea of troubles in yEr. 47] CORRESPONDENCE WITH NEWMAN. 233 my present situation, as no temporal ol)jects could have induced me — even witli a greater certainty of attainment than any temporal objects can have — to encounter, even for the two yeai's and a half that I have already been here. I fully resolved, therefore, to put my hand to the plough, and not to lookback ; and I fully trust that I shall be strengthened to persevere, " througli evil report and good report," as long as it shall please Providence to spare my life and faculties. ' I have spoken thus much of mj'self, contrary to my own taste and practice, on account of the connection now sul)sisting between us, that we may fully understand each other, and that you may be pre[)ared to make your deci- sion with as distinct a view as I ctin give you of all the circumstances of each alternative.' The correspondence with Dr. Xewman, which follows, needs no ex})lanation. The general rule obsei'ved in this work has been to insert no letters but those of Archbishop Whately ; but, in this case, Dr. Xewman's answei- to his fir>t letter could not be omitted without makinr*; the whole ap[)ear confused : — To Rev. J. 11. Xeivman, B.D. 'DuWiii: Oct er), 1S;]1. ' My dear Xewman, — A most shocking rcjxjil concern- ing you lias reached me, which, indeed, carries such an improbability on the face of it that you may perhaps wonder at my giving it a thought ; and at iirst I did not. but finding it repeated i'rom dillei'ent quarters, it seems to me worth contradicting for the sake of your character. ' ^onie Oxford undergraduate-;. T lind, openlv rc'port that when 1 was at C)riel lest spring you absented yourself 234 LIFE OF ARCPIBISHOP WHATELY. [1834 from chapel on purpose to avoid receiving the com- munion along with me, and that you yourself declared this to be the case. I would not notice every idle rumom-, but this has been so confidently and so long asserted that it would be a satisfaction to me to be able to declare its falsity as a fact, from yoiu* authority. I did indeed at once declare my utter unbelief, but then tliis has only the weight of my opinion ; though an opinion resting, I think, on no insufficient grounds. I did not profess to rest my disbelief on our long, intimate, and confidential friendship, which would make it your right and your duty, if I did anything to offend you, or anything you might think ma- terially wrong, to remonstrate with me ; but on your general character, wliich I was persuaded would have made you incapable, even had no such close connection existed between us, of conduct so unchristian and in- human. But, as I said, I should like for your sake to be able to contradict the report from your authority. ' Ever yours very truly, 'E. WlIATELY.' ' Oriel College : Oct. 28, 1834, ' My dear Lord, — My absence from the Sacrament in the College Chapel on the Sunday you were in Oxford, was occasioned solely and altogether by my having it on that day in St. Mary's ; and I am pretty sure, if I may trust my memory, that I did not even know of your Grace's presence there till after the service. Most cer- tainly such knowledge would not have affected my attendance. I need not say, this being the case, that the report of my having made any statement on the subject is quite unfounded ; indeed, your letter of this morning is the first information I have had in any shape of the existence of the report. /Er. 47] NEWMAN'S VINDICATORY RErLY. 235 ' I am liappy iu being thus able to afford an ex[)lanation as satisfactory to you as the kind feehngs whicli you liave ever entertained towards me could desire ; yet, on honest reflection, I cannot conceal from myself that it was generally a rehef to me to see so little of your Grace, when you Avere in Oxford, and it is a greater relief now to liave an opportunity of saying so to yourself. I have ever wished to observe the rule, never to make a puljhc cluirge against another behind his back ; and though, in the coiu'se of conversation and the urgency of accidental occurrences, it is sometimes difficult to keep to it, yet I trust I liave not broken it, especially in your own case : i.e., though my most intimate friends know how dec})ly I deplore the line of ecclesiastical pohcy adopted under your archiepiscopal sanction, and though in society I may have clearly shown that I have an opinion one way rather than the other, yet I have never in my intention, never (as I believe) at all, spoken of your Grace in -a serious way before strangers ; indeed, mixing little in general society, and not over-apt to open myself in it, I have had little temptation to do so. Least of all should I so forget myself, as to take undergraduates into my confideiico in a such a matter^ 'I wi>li I could convey" to your Grace the mixed and vi'iy painful lecliiigs which the late history of the Irish Ciiurch has rai-ed iu me — the union of her niemljcrs with men of heterodox views, and the extinction (without eccloiastical sanction) of half her candlesticks,^ the wit- nesses and guarantees of the Truth and the trustees of the Covenant. I willingly own, that both in my secret ' r>v til" Iri.-li ("Iiiircli 'rcin|in;-;ili'Lii's Act (passed AuLMist 1-1. isn.",). \\\-o ni-rlilii-litiiirics w-tu ]n'os]ifclivi']_v aliMli.-liiMl, and tln' sutlVaiJ-an bisli(.]iiics ri'diK'iM.l liv ciiiisolidalioii l'ri»m ciiiliteuii to ten. 236 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1834 judgment and my mode of speaking concerning you to my friends, I have had great alternations and changes of feehng — defending, then blaming your policy, next praising yoiurself and protesting against your measures, according as the affectionate remembrances which I had of you rose against my utter aversion of the secular and unbelieving policy in wliich I considered the Irish Church to be im- plicated. I trust I shall never be forgetful of the kind- ness you uniformly showed me during your residence in Oxford, and anxiously hope that no duty to Christ and His Church may ever interfere \^dth my expression of it. However, on the present opportunity, I am conscious to myself that I am acting according to the dictates both of duty and gratitude, if I beg your leave to state my per- suasion, that the perilous measures in which your Grace has acquiesced are but the legitimate offspring of those principles, difficult to describe in few words, with which your reputation is associated ; principles which bear upon the very fundamentals of all argument and investigation, and affect almost every doctrine and every maxim by which our faitli and our conduct depend. I can feel no reluctance to confess that, when I first was connected with your Grace, gratitudS to you and admiration of your character weighed strongly upon me ; and, had not something from wdthin resisted, I should certainly have adopted view^s on religious and social questions, such as seem to my present judgment to be based on the ])rido of reason and tending towards infidelity, and which in your own case nothing but your Grace's high religious temper and the unclouded faith of your mind have hcGn able to withstand. I am quite confident tliat, however you may regret my judgment, you will give nie credit not only for honesty, but for a deeper feeling in tliiis laying it before you. yET.47J IIIS ANSWER TO NEWMAX. 237 ' May I be sufrered to add that your name is ever mentioned in my prayers, and to subscribe myself, ' Your Grace's very sincere friend and servant, ' John U. Newman ? ' ' October, 18.31. ' My dear N., — I cannot refrain from writing again, to cxj)rcss llie great satisfaction I feel in the course I adopted, which lias, eventually, put it in my power to contradict — as of course I shall — a report which was more prevalent and more confidently upheld than I could have supposed possible ; and which, while it was, perhaps, likely to hurt my character with some persons, was injurious to yours in the eyes of those of a more Christian temper. ' For what idea must anyone have had of religion — or at least of your religion — wlio was led to believe there was any truth in the imputation to you of such unchari- table arrogance ? ' But it is a rule with me not to cherish, even on the strongest assertions, any belief, or even suspicion, to tlie })reiudice of one whom I have any reason to think well of, till I have carefully enquired and dispassionately heard both sides. And I think, if others were to adopt the same rule, I should not myself be quite so much abused as I have been. I am well aware, indeed, that one cannot ex[)ect all, even good men, to thiidv alike on every point, even after tliey sliall have heard both sides, and that we may expect many to judge, after all, very harshly of those who do diller from them ; for, God hel}) us, what will become of men if they receive no more mercy than they sliow to each other! Ikit, at least, if the rule wcmv ob- ^er\"c(l. men ^\■^)nhl not condemn a brothci- on mere x'M'Juc popular rumour about princii)les (as in my ease), '• dillicult 238 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY, [1834 to describe in few words, and with which his reputation is associated." My own reputation I know is associated very extensively with what are in fact cakimnious impu- tations, originating in exaggerated, misrepresented, or absolutely false statements, for which even those who circulate them admit, for the most part, that they have no other ground than popular rumour ; like the Eoman Jews, " As for this way, we know that it is everywhere spoken against." For I have ascertained that a very large proportion of those who join in the outcry against my works, confess, or even boast, that they have never read them. And in respect of the measure you advert to, the Church Temporalities Act (which, of course, I shall not now discuss), it is curious to see how many of those who load me with censure for acquiescing in it, receive w^ith open arms and laud to the skies the Primate, who was consulted — as was natural, considering his influence and his long experience in Irish affairs — long before me, and gave his consent to the measure, differing; from Minis- ters only on a point of detail — whether the revenues of six sees or of ten should be alienated. Of course every- one is bound ultimately to decide according to his own judgment, nor do I mean even to shelter myself under his example ; but only to point out wliat strange notious of justice those have who acquit with applause the leader, and condemn the follower, in the same individual transaction. ' Far be it from any follower of Our Master to feel sur- prise or anger at any treatment of tliis kind ; it is only an admonition to me to avoid treating others in a similar manner, and not to judge another's servant, at least with- out a fair hearing. 'You do me no more than justice in fccliug confideut that I sliall iiWe von credit l3oth for " honestv" and for iEr. 47] HIS ANSWER TO NEWMAN. 239 " a deepor feeling," in freely laying your opinions before me ; and besides this, you might also have been confident from your own long experience, that long since — when- ever it was that you changed your judgment respecting me — if you liad freely and calmly remonstrated with me on any point where you thought me going wrong, I should have listened to you with that readiness and can- dour and respect which, as you well know, I always showed in tlie times when " we took sweet counsel to- gether, and walked in the house of God as friends ;" wlien we consulted togetlier about so many practical mccasm'cs, and about almost all the principal points in my publications. ' I happen to have before me a letter from you just eight years ago, in which, after saying that " there are few tilings you wish more sincerely than to be known as a friend of mine," and addinii; a much more flatterinir account of benefits derived from me than I can pretend to merit, you bear a testimony, which I certainly can most heartily agree in, as far at least as relates to the freedom of our inter(^)urse and the readiness and respect ^vitli wliich you were listened to. Your words are : " Much as I owe to Oriel in the way of mental improvement, to none, as I tliink, do I owe so much as to yourself I know who it was iii-st gave me heart to look about me after my ekM^ion, and taught me to think correctly, and . — strange odice for an instructor! — to rely ii])on myself jSi"or (^an I forget tliat it has been at your kind suggestion that I luive since l)een led to employ myself in the con- sideration of several subjects which I cannot doubt have been very beneficial to my mind." ' Tf" in all this I was eri'oneous, if I liave misled you or anyone else into the ''pride of reason," or anv other kind ol' pride, or if I have entertained, or led other--- to 240 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1834 entertain, any erroneous opinions, I can only say I am sincerely sorry for it. And I rejoice if I have been the means of contributing to form in anyone that " high re- ligious temper and unclouded faith" of which I not only beheve, with you, that they are able to withstand tenden- cies tow^ards infidelity, but also that, without them., no cor- rectness of abstract opinions is of much value. But what I now mean to point out is, that there was plainly nothing to preclude you from offering friendly admonition when your views of my principles changed, with a full con- fidence of being at least patiently and kindly listened to. ' I, for my part, could not bring myself to find relief in avoiding the society of an old friend, with whom I had been accustomed to frank discussion, on account of my difTering from him as to certain principles — whether through a change in his views or (much more) in my own — till, at least, I had made full trial of private remon- strance and free discussion. Even a man that is a heretic, Ave are told, even the ruler of a Church is not to reject till after repeated admonitions. ' But though your regard for me falls so short of what mine would have been under similar circumstances, I will not, therefore, reject what remains of it. Let us pray for each other, that it may please God to enlighten wdiichever of us is in any point in error, and recall him to the truth ; and that, at any rate, we may hold fast that charity with- out which all faith that can subsist apart from it (though enough to remove mountains), and all knowledge, will profit us nothing.' In connection with the principal subjects of these letters, we may here quote some remarks found in the Archbis]io])'s notebook on the Church Temporalities Bill, which had so greatly aiaiined English High Churclnnen : — iET. 47] THE CHURCH TEMPORALITIES BILL. 241 ' On Church Temporalities. ' I, ill common witli all tliose who luid voted for the CliuR'h Temporulities Aet, were cried out against as traitors, by those wlio got u[) tlie tracts as the organ of those that de[)recated tlie " extinguishing of some of the hunps of the Clnu'ch !" — tlie su})|)ressi()n of some of the Irish sees. Tliese very men knew, if tliey took tlie trouble to make even the slightest inquiry, that this very a(^t was framed by the then Ministry, under the sanction and aijprobation of the Primate, long before I had ever even heard of it ! But then he did not vote for it in the House, as I did, because he was not then a member. I remember when Dickinson was at Oxford with me — the only t;me he was — he and liad some conversation about that act, which had then recently passed ; and said it was an unjustiliable thing to pass it with- out the consent of the Chiu"cli. This, miless he meant that the lirst step should be to give the Church a representative government, which would be more desirable than ])rac- ticablc, beingjust a declaration that no act relative to the Church should ever be ])assed ; for it is manifest that, as things now stand, the consent of the Church cannot possi- bly be obtained, or even (isktul. We obsiTvcd. in reply, that, lirst. tlic attempt to continue le\ying churcli-rates was vain ; secondly, that to go without them im})lied letting the churches I'all to ruins, unless tlu> English would make a grant of money to supply the want. Ihit they only contributed line spee(hes and tracts. Bishop spoke* ibr lour lioui's, and others were very eloquent also, and the Tractites ^\•l■()te about the remo\ing of candlesticks ; but as for eonung down with the i/io/u'i/, noboch" tliouL^lit ot that. It was cheaper to declaim against the lioiTihie enormity of su})pressing l)ish()[)rics and taxing henelices.' vol.. I. K 242 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1834 To N. Senior, Esq. On an Article contributed to a Bevieiv, and curtailed by the Editor. ' Dublin : Wednesday, Nov. 21, 1834. ' That a suit of clothes does not fit me, I should find out by experience of not being able to get them on ; Ijut I may catch cold in the meantime. And Agamemnon incurred a worse fate by not knowing beforehand that he could not get his hands through the sleeves. ' We three are agreed that the article is (however mutilated) not only one of the best-written we ever saw, but calculated to be of great use, by letting people per- ceive at 07lce^vhsit they may else have to learn by trouble- some if not dangerous experiment. We therefore advise its being published (uncurtailed) as a })amphlet, which may be circulated among some who do not take in the " Morning On^onicle," and wliich also may be laid by, by those who do not file papers, for it is often a great search to find a newspaper of even a few days l^ack. They are, like Jargonelle pears, very plentiful, but don't keep. ' I tliink, as soon as the Tory ministry is formed, the Education Board should apply, peremptorily, to kno^v whether the system shoidd go on, and will be supported ; since we should be parties to a fraud in encouraging people to estabhsh scliools in expectation of aid, wliicli we sliould know tliey could not calculate upon. TJiey will then be compelled either to avow (if tliey dare) tlieir dcriign to abandon tlie })hin, or else to give it tlieir sanction, which will be great good. What think you of this ? 'If the change of ministry, as it Ikh i)cen l)rought about, be a scheme, it i.- a most iui\vi>e one, ibr it tends to indicate the late Cabinet to have luid niojv strcniilh JEi. 47] OPINION'S ON THE NEW MlNISTllY. 243 tluui most supposed it had ; for if you are sure a man is dying of consumption, "wliy should you strangle him H ' 'Dublin: Doc. 6, 18:!i. My dear Senior, — I send you, as you inquire about the Irish Clnu'ch, an article, signed II. W., by a clergyman in very high re[)Ute, rather o})[)osed to the late Ministry, and whose letters to me I referred to in my evidence. I also sent to several of tlie ministers a pamphlet of his in the form of a letter to Secretary Stanley. I should add tliat he finds tlie majority of his own admirers alarmed at his views. ' I believe, however, that (before the late change) very many of the clergy de})l()i'ed the rejection of the Tithe l)ill, which, though a hard measure, they had come to think was better than anything else they had to expect. A^oo-^ a large portion of the Protestant ascendancy party among them are wild with exultation, and many of them, not the less, 1'rom the ])ros[)('ct of a civil war. But the state ol" public ieeling is the more alai'ming, inasmuch as it" the new ^Ministry sail on the o))e tack, there is to be iippii'lu'iukMl a union of AVhigs and ulti'a-liadicals ; if on llu' otln'i', ot" ultra-luidicals and Orangemen. . . . For tliox' la-t are (li-])o-ed to be nuich more (les])cratc than e\ri' bcfor*', if aiivthiiig like Whig measures ai\' pursued by a ToiT -Mini-try; thus taking away the hope on which they had hitherto led, of a change of measiu'es iVom an exciiliial change of nlilli^trv. . . . Thei'c has been, indt'ed, for >onu' time a degree of llii'tation going on between the extreme' K'ade|-s of both those j)artie-<. The ibllowing straw may serve to show how the wind sits. A cei'tain lilerary society, professing nu-rely literary object^, bnt cDii^i-ting \-ery nuicli ol" men of strong radical xiews, oU'ei'ed ine(ju>t after the late change) the honour of being R 2 244 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1834 one of tlieir vice-presidents, wliicli I declined. The truth is, I did not wish spontaneously to place myself in a situation in which I might be called on to act with Mr. O'Connell (who is a V.P.) as my colleague. Whereupon they conferred the honour on Mr. " Then said the olive-tree, ' Shall I leave my fruit and my fatness, which rejoiceth God and man, to go and be king over the trees?' " etc. And so some have given him the sobriquet oi Bramble B. ' The apprehension does not seem so strong here as in England, but still it is very considerable, that the high Tories A\dll be disappointed in the measures of the new ministry, and that whoever takes charge of the seals will become a Proteus. ' Should a different set of men shortly succeed, I think it would be madness to accept office again, under the dis- lieartening condition of playing with a pack of cai'ds picked and sorted by an opponent. An infusion of new peers first, and, subsequently, the former of my two sug- gestions (the latter shoidd be left to soak several years) ouglit to be indispensable ; so should yours. It is a])surd that a member should lose his seat l)y accc])ting office ; but besides this, I think every minister should have a seat as such (and so also every member of a commission, when matters connected with that commission are debated), and a right to speak, though not to vote imless a member. And the dissolution of a Parliament on tlie occasion of demise is a most mischievous absui'dity. ' A new king being at ]il:)c'rty to dissoh-e Parlinnicnt if he see fit, wh}- force him to do so, wlieu it is likely to be peculiarly inconvenient P' ' My dear Senior, — I understand that i< pertina- ciously resoh'ed, in case the pi'cscnt ministry >taiids. lo /Et. 47] HIS AVERSION TO PAIITY CIIAXOES. LMo resijiii liis plare, sayiiia" lie caniiot liold ofrire under a Tory iiiinistiy, and that he is sure they will (•ri|)j)k' all our operations. This last is a ])roplieey very likely to lead to its own fulfilment; for if the ministry ])er('eive that he (and, by-the-hye. Mi-. ]\Iore OTerrall also) con- sider the whole eonimission as a party s<-heme, they arc likrly to ;irt aecordinu'ly ; and wliatever evils ensue, the blame will rest with those who strike the first blow. If we were all to g(^ on quietly till some impro])er iiiter- iereiiee is attem])ted, ])erhaps — I should say ])robal)ly — none will be attem])ted ; but at anv rate the blame of breaking up the eonnnission (which otiiiht to l)e, and always has been, as far as my influence could u"«* u\\- connected with party) cannot be shilted from ministers to us. ' I wish any friend of could pei'suade him not to favour so mischievous a system as that of makinu; every measure. ])lan, institution, cK:c., break up and come to nothing- in every chaiiiiC oi' ministry. He talks of I'eturn- iiiiito his situation shouhl a A\ \\hji ministry be I'eplaced ; l)ut I think it would l)e a very bad ])recedent to readmit him. al'lcr he had I'e-^iii'iicd it on party ^'rounds. • As for holdiiii;" ollicc '■ under Tories,'' he miji'ht as ^\•ell expect a commander of a ship to ri'sisiii his commis- >]n\\ on each chaiiu'e of mini>tiT. I suppose when llie IcidicaN come in they will exact an oath of alleu'iance to them-cKes from all public scr\aiits, on pain of dismissal. *• What I lia\e been wriliiiL!' need not !)e kej)! secret. • I wrote you two letters to Jjowood. 1 ha\e since seen ])ers()iis who ha\'e more hopes of the formiuij' of a broad bottomed administration that shall t)btain Lii'iieral coiilideiice.' 246 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1834 'Palace: Nov. 30, 1834. ' My dear Senior, — There certainly is force in the ob- jection against your being known as a pohtical writer ; and this will always remain in force. Indeed, I never contemplated a deferred publication ; if it could do any good, it would be by nipping in the bud the present attempt. ' As there are times in which one does not know what opportunities or emergencies may arise, I will lay before you two suggestions which, if I could engraft on some clever young semi-radical to throw into a pamphlet, the public miglit ruminate upon, till perhaps they might be applied : — ' 1. We have often discussed the problem how to keep a constitutional check on the House of Lords, without so crippling as to render it useless as a drag-chain ; which I should be sorry to do, rumbling down-hill, as we have been, and are. Now I think one single vote of tliat House might place a rule on their books which should settle tlie matter. Let it be made a standing rule that the dissent of the House of Lords is given beforehand, and shall be duly signified by the proper officers, to any bill which shall not be certified to have passed the House of Commons under the following circumstances — viz., that it shall so have passed the House of Commons the former session, as Avell as again the present ; secondly, that special notice of this sliall have been given, and a s])ecial call of the House of Commons previous to its being tlie second time proposed; thirdly, that the Lords, on tlirow- ing out, wholly or partly, any bill brought from the Com- mons, sliould be at liberty to enter a protest (as the minority of tliem are now), wliich should be read in tlie other House previous to the bill being again brouglit on ; ^':t. 47] SUGGESTIO^•S ox THE HOUSE OF EOKD8. 247 and foiirllily, tlial an ahsolnte majority of tlie li-lnde House of Connnon.s should liave voted for the bill tlic second time. These points being duly certified to the nouse of Lords, the bill to be considered as passed, with- out any debate. ' This miiiht be called, but very unfairly, a limitation of the power of the House of Lords. It is, in truth, only a more decorous, and less humiliating and less trouble- some and dangei'ous, mode of intimating to them, what every one knows is the case, that if the Lower House is deliberately and fidly resolved, the Upper mitst give way. It is stop])Uig the House by a woo-ee, instead of a shar]) pull of the curb, l^ut that a haMy resolve of the Houuing se-sion ; lillhly, if report i'a\-onr- ;ible to >U'-li remoxal. that renio\al may be pi-o])t)sed, l)ut Ak\\] not ])e considered as carried exce])t by the Vi)tes of an ahsniiifc majoril)' ; sixtlily, if so cari'ied, the law is still in foive. 1)ut liable to I'epeal. like any othei' non-fmida- menlal ; -e\-enthly, the same proce-s re(|uisite for ])lacing any exi-ling law on that li-t. I suppose you know the nalnre and the important u,->e of a ilywlu'cl ; this is my mode ol' -npplying the want ol' one in our conslitutioii. "A- to the I'jhicalion IJoard, Lord lios->]yn"s goo(b\ill would noi a\ail mde-s >upj)orted by the Trea-^ui'v. 1 do 248 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1834 not myself tliink that if a Tory cabinet is formed tliey will venture to supply such a topic of agitation as the suppres- sion of the Board would furnish. It might cost His Majesty as much as half-a-crown. But if they stay in (as is most likely) not more than two or three months, they may, when out again, plague us as much as ever, and boast of what they would have done ; whereas, let us once get their sanction, and their mouths are stopped ; the chief benefit of which will be, that many Protestants will join the plan who are now intimidated. ' R. W.' The winter of this year brought him a deep and un- looked-for trial. His valued friend Blanco White suddenly announced to him that he had embraced Socinian views, and that, in consequence, he thought it best to give u]) his residence in tlie family and remove to Liverpool, where many of his new friends resided. It may easily be imagined that this was a blow of no ordinary kind to the friends with whom he had so long lived as a brother. The Archbisliop's steady and unswerving faith in the atonement and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ ; his deep sense of the vital importance of that doctrine as the groundwork of the Christian scheme, and of the impossi- bility of any honest interpretation of the New Testament without admitting it, were such as to make him moiu-n liis fi-iend's defection with heartfelt sorrow ; but tlie circinn- stances attending it were of a more than usually painful cliaracter. For many montlis previously he had been in a state of excitement and irritability of nerves, with occa- sional incolierency^ which could not but cause much alarm to his friends ; tlie mental struggles which he had under- gone tliroughout a life marked by trials of no ordinary ^T. 47] BLANCO WHITE EMBRACES SOCINIAN VIEWS. 249 kind, liad evidently unhinged his mind and sliaken to the utmost his always sensitive organisation. It has frequently been alleged that the friends of this afflicted man ' gave him up ' on this declaration of his change of sentiments, and in particular that the Arch- bishop did so. S<^ much are the true facts the reverse of this misre])resentation, that, perhaps, seldom has a be- wildered and tried sufferer been the subject of tenderer or more thoughtful care from his nearest relations, than this solitary exile received from those who were bound to him by no ties save those of friendship. His own feelings and wishes made it impossible for him to reside among them, and such an intimate association could have been productive of nothing but pain on either side; but from the time of his removal to Liverpool, to his death in 1841, he was sup[)orted partly by a pension fi-om the Arch- bishop, and ])artly by one from another friend. lie main- tained an affectionate and frequent corresj)ondence witli the family at liedesdale, as well as with most of his other friends. Whenever any of the Archbishop's family were ])assing tln'ough Liverpool they visited him; and a note dictated from his deathbed, and showing the same affec- tionate svmpathy and confidence in them all, is now in the writer's possession. ]5iit tlie letters which follow will s]^eak for themselves, Foi' couwuieiice' sake, we ha\'e ])ut those together which were addressed l)y the Archbishop to Mr. 13. White on this j)ainl'Lil subject. 250 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 CHAPTER VIII. 1835. Letters to Rev. J. Blanco White on his Unitarian views, and con- sequent secession from the Church. •' Dublin : January 15, 18.35. ' My deae Friend, — When you arrange your style of living, pray make use of that formula which is so much praised and so seldom thought of in practice, of consider- ing what you would wish me to do, if we were to change places. You will then, I am sure, recollect, that since each mutton-chop you eat does not cost me more now, than when you ate it in my house, and since it would liave been certainly no gratification to me then, tliat you should eat a chop the less from regard to my ])ockct, so neither can it be so now. It is true there are persons from whom you would accept an invitation to dinner at their houses, from whom you would not accept anything else ; but I am not in that list ; and from him from whom you will condescend to accept a sixpence you need not scruple at a shilling, on any other ground than a belief that lie could not afford it. ' I liave suggested to Mr. Zulucta,^ in a note accom- })anying the l^ooks (and from wliat I Iiave seen of iiis letters, struggling with an im])erfect command of Englisli, he strikes me as a most uncommonly connnon-sense man), tliat perliaps a translation into Spanisli might be worth wliile, witli a view, if not to S])ain direct, at least t(j tlie ' A Spanisli friend of Mr. Blanco AVIiite, yEr. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 251 colonics. I am inclined to think that the sun of rit one), in abstaining from the discus- sion of the sul)ie('ts alluded to, with AVilson, Dickinson, myself. ^Vc. ; and it is almost superihious to add, that ]\Ir. Armstrong, or anv one else oi" his school, thongh he m;iy be I'ight and I wrong, camiot be deser\ing oi" more of your confidence than yoni' iViends here. 'Then why should I mention at all what seems so obvious? ])e<"iuse vou are a lion ; and it is but th(^ ])nrt of a friend to warn you of the ti'aps, however well (juali- fied Vou niav bc^ to take care of your own sti'ps your-elf. which are set to catch a lion for a show. Wlien lirst you (juitted the lionii^h Church vou wei'e made a rrotcslaut lion of: nnd vou have often laughed at tiie " no-popeiy folks here who talked of '' briuLiiuii' ovei' 1). A\ . to ljo 252 LIFE OF AECHBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1835 about as a missionary, &c. But they would not have talked in the same style to you, if they had, at that time, made a serious effort to catch you. You would have been assailed by — what is, I think, a far severer trial than persecution, to any one who has any spirit — that cor- dial, I will not say flattery (for it would have been sincere), but unmixed and unbounded praise and veneration, which addresses itself at once to two of the most powerful prin- ciples within us — our desire of self-complacent feelings towards our own character, and our benevolent sympathy with others ; taking in, phrenologically speaking, good part of the forehead, and most of the occiput. ' To apologize for the freedom with which I write, would not be to treat you as a friend. The least hint that any- tliing I say is taken amiss, or that what is meant as a warning against a trial is taken as in fact an imputation of weakness, will stop me at once. ' I have told Senior the tale of the two goats (do you remember it ?) who met on a narrow ledge on the face of a chff, when there was no room to pass or retreat ; and after a pause of great interest to the spectators, one goat lay down for the other to walk over. It would do for a hieroglj^ohic frontispiece. ' Mrs. Whately rather gains ground than not, but is still weak. ' Ever your affectionate, ' E. W. ' P.S. — The kindest inquiries arc made for you (;ind indeed liavc long been, tliougli I liave not reported tJiem to you) by most of the clergy.' 'DuLlin : January 20, 1835. ' My dear In-iend, — Wliat do you think F I liave written to Sir 11. l*cel, sending co})ies of my " Punish- ments," and exliortiiig him to innnortahzc lumself l)y yET. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 2o3 taking steps to remove this crying evil. If he goes out, I tliink there can be no harm done ; if lie stays in, there may be good. , 'You are, perhaps, envying us our mihl chmate, ])ut I promise you there is a g(jod Englisli frost here as you would wish to see. ' While writing, I must correct one mistake you made as to my meaning in my hist. I was very far from mean- ing to hint that you had not read (more probably, by a gi-eat deal, than are worth reading) the writers on both sides in the Trinitarian ccmtroversies. What I said was in substance, " Eead books, or hear sermons, or meditate in ])rivate, just as nuich or as little as you please, but do not discuss personally, either in conversation or by letter, any points with the one party which you do not so discuss with the other." I dai'e say I did not express myself with any great pix'cision, Ijut I Avonder at yom* not recollecting how many, many times I have said, that nothing, in my o})inion, tends so much to dispose an intelligent mind towards anti-Trinitarian views as the Trinitarian works. ' AVilli regai'd to the advice I did mean to take the liberty of gi\iiig, it might perha[)s be answered, that tho>e who li;i\'e no benelices to lose may safely be consulted, lliuugli not tlio-e who have. lUit I would I'eplv. that thei'e are many oilier i'eeling^ likely to bias a man's jndg- iiieiil !)( -ides nu're interest — >uch as ambition of taking a lend, de-ire oi" celebrity, being inlhiential in the world — thai pertinacity in maintaining a position taken up, which Thucyhdc- calls i/Aov£j>< of which ^uppor^s and consoles ascetics < if all kni(|s, ^Vc, i.Vc. •-Ml ihc-e are feeling- a- hke!\' and more -o to j)ia- -oine minds, as bodily comfort and worldly prolit other-. 254 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 ' For myself, though I presume not to say how far I am prepared to " pkick out the eye or cut off the hand that offend me," I feel convinced of this, that as far as external persuasions go, the temptations to separate from the Church are at least as strong as those towards adherence to it ; I mean to a man of my disposition. In point of wealth, the revenues of the see have made no difference (for the better at least) in my bodily ease and comfort ; state and splendour, &c., are a mere inconvenience to me. My patrimony, though not large, is enough to afford me a subsistence. If I wished to increase my income I could take pupils, who would give me probably much less trouble than those I now have. My children will probably be nothing the richer for the archbishopric ; and as for good report and evil report, I verily think I should have less obloquy to encounter than now ; for after the first yell had a little subsided, many even of the most intolerant bigots would be so glad to be rid of me, that they would be ready not only to forgive but to praise my open seces- sion. And then, wdiat an illustrious seceder, what an heroic martyr, what a valued advocate would an arch- bishop — and he an author of celebrity — become ! All the adversaries of the Estabhsliment (who are not few) would receive me with loud cheers, however tlieir own o])inions mi2:ht differ from each other or from mine. There would be the common bond of common hostility, and all friends and foes would give me credit for most magnanimous and disinterested self-devotion ; for whatever feelings of vanity, ambition, love of glory, or resentment. I might be iullu- enced by, these are never called interested motives. On the other side, I ha^'C to endure opposition, insult, caliu}my,sus- })i('ion, contempt, hatred, from the violent, the thoughtless, the weak, the worldly, the parti>ans of [ill side> ; and what (in a worldly point of view) is niy reward ? To wear lawn- .Et. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 255 sleeves and be called "Your Grace !" — ornaments wliich, however honoiuiible, are not at all less so to him who voluntarily lays them down, than to him who wears them, I strive and pray to take an imbiassed com*se of duty ; but, as far as external inducements go, the circumstances tending to bias me are, as far as I can judge, not prepon- derant on the side I have as yet taken, I hope to act without prejudi(X% but sure I am the causes leading to pre- judice are not all on one side. In your case, when you were in S})ain you had nuicli more to sacrifice, and a])pa- rcntly less worldly compensation. Yet I think had I known you then, I should have paid you the com[)liment of discussing with you (supposing I had found you per- fectly ready and willing) questions involving your con- tinuance in that Church. However, I d(,) not at all mean tliat we should run tlie risk of unsettling the minds of tliose unaccustomed to study rellection and logical reasoning, by suddenly putting before them in a startling foi'in, before they " are able to bear it," the wliole of such views as, liowever just, they may not be able at once fully to t'mbi'ace. To recur to an illustration I have often used, a clown who is taught that the sun stands still, before he can be brought to comprehend and believe liis own motion I'ound the earth's axis, is nuich more perplexed than in>(rucled, and is bewildered by the alternations ol" (lay and night. Senor Zulueta will need your help in I'Jig- li-li. if not in Tolitical Economy. I am nuicli gratified to Ileal' of his design. ' E\er yoiu allectioiiate ' L. W.' ■ My dear Friend, — I understand from ^Ir. Z. that yoii are liiiiiking (»!" pnl)ri>liiiig a theological work eaiTicr ihaii 1 had aiitici[)ated. In begging you now to lei me hmk 25G LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 over the whole of the MS. before it is sent to the press, I hope and trust I am saying what is superfluous, and only anticipating an offer on your part to the same effect. In that case, I entreat you not to impute this application to any suspicion of your deliberately designing to act un- fairly towards me, l^y refusing me the confidence which I am conscious of deserving. But it stril^es me as just pos- sible — though I hope not probable — that some notion of my being too much occupied to bestow the requisite attention on your work, may induce you to think that I should not wish to look over it in MS. My avocations, indeed, are many ; but let this consideration operate only to prompt you to afford me the earliest possible oppor- tunity of reading what you propose to publish. You should not, and I trust cannot, suppose that, where the cause of religious truth is involved, I would not fnid or make leisure to attend to the subject. ' Some, indeed, of your former publications iiave gone to the press without my desiring to read tlic ^\'hole of them in MS. ; but then these were works wliose general drift and design I had beforehand been made fully ac- quainted with. For all the details of any work publislied by one who chanced to be an inmate of my house I did not feel myself responsible ; and as for tlie great funda- mental principles inculcated in them, I never liad reason to suppose tliere was any material difference between us. But the present case, as you are yourself well aware, is cpiite tlic reverse. For tlie very ground of your leaving my liouse, was your contemplating a publication on tlic principles of which we should be likely to difler widely — a publication which you conceived would have committed me im])i'()perly, if sent forth while you were under my roof, even though accompanied with a disav()^val of my concurrence. Now such a work, it is evident, ought not, ^T. 48] LETTERS TO BL.\NCO WHITE, 257 considering the terms on which we have hved togellier, to be pnbUshed witliout my liaving the opportunity allowed me of first seeing it in MS., and discussing in a private and friendly way the subjects treated of; unless, indeed, we had (which you know is not the case) previously dis- cussed them together in conversation, as we were accus- tomed to do such a variety of other subjects. ' If, on submitting your MS., as I have been so long accustomed to submit to your inspection most of mine, to a free and friendly and candid examination, I should find myself difiering from you on any point, and should, on stating my objections and hearing your answers, be dis- p(^sed to adopt your views, you (^annot Init know me well enough to be sure that I should rejoice in an opportunity of being set right; and I am bound to think the same of you, shoidd you, on the other hand, see reas(^n to alter any opinion of yours. Ikit should we both ultimately retain our op])osite o])ini(^ns, neither of us would have, after a fair and candid discussion, any ground of com- ])laint ; and you would have an additional advantage, in beiiig able to say, when you did publish, tliat your o])inions remained unaltered after you had given a fair hearing to till that could be urged on the other side, by a fiieiid ibr whose sound judgment and candour, whatever otlier^ may think of them, you, at least, have always had the higliest esteem. You might then make your ap])eal to tlu' ])ub]ic, and I mine, without any moral impropriety being imputed to either of us. ' Ikit i!", on the contrary (I beg you to understand that I am not anticipating this as probable), 3'ou shonld refuse me sucli a mark of confiden(\', the result of your publish- ing under su(di cii-cumstances Avould be, as 1 am sure cahu rethclion will point out to you, nio>t unspeakaMy unpleasant to both of u-^, and injurious to the cause ot' VOL. I. S 268 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 truth to which we are both servants. For if a work of yoiK's appeared, containing portions fundanientally at variance with what I have always maintained, without your being able to add, that we had previously discussed in private, either orally or by letter, the points at issne, and that we remained mutually unconvinced, and feeling bound each to adhere to what seems to him the truth, what inference would the public di^aw, and indeed be justified in drawing ? Evidently that I must secretly hold your opinions, and have even been privately encou- raging and fostering them, but that I was withheld by base worldly motives from an honest avowal of my senti- ments. It would be in vain for you to say that you had never discussed the subject at all with me, nor even given me any reason to suspect the turn your opinions had taken, till you actually resolved to remove from my house ; for how could any one believe that you could have any adequate motive (not dishonouring to one or both of us) for sucli a suppression as tliis, accompanied by your sub- sequently withholding from me your papers? Should you reply, that you did not like to risk " unsettling my mind," instilling doubts which I might not be able satis- factorily to ]-emove, and which might interfere with my comfort, this, it is obvious, might indeed be a ftiir reason for avoiding the discussion before you had decidedly made up your own mind, as to not only the adoption but the publication of your o]:)inions ; but after you had thus re- solved to publish yoiu' own opinions, sup]:)0si]ig yon to meet with no reason for chaiii>in2^ them, then to refuse me (it would be said) the inspection of your MS. and a discussion of the subject of it, nnist be regarded, at the very best, as beiiig on the foce of it unkind and unhandsome treatment. For whoever thinks it right to publish, evidently thinks it right to riui the risk, whatever that may be, of " unsettling the minds" of all who had Jvr. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 2.jI) previously dilTered from the doctrines he publishes. No one in his senses would pretend to feel a scru})le about unsettling the liiinds of one or two individuals Ijy state- ments and arguments which he was designing at the very same time to |)ublish, for the perusal both of those very individuals and of all others besides. This would indeed be blowing hot and cold with the same breath. It woidd be like scrupling to administer to a single patient a dose of some powerful and hazardous medicine, and at the same time impregnating with it the cisterns that su})ply water to the whole town. ' But the interpretation that will, I think, be the most generally, and the most plausibly, put on such a ])roce- dure, would be, that you had abstained from all discus- sion with me, from a secret persuasion that though I did in my heart agree with you, yet you could not trust me honestly to declare my real sentiments, and therefore did not think me worth consulting. Those, again, wlu^ did not so interpret the transaction, would be left to conclude that you had shrunk IVom ])rivate discussion with me not through fear of your unsettling my mind, but lest I should unsettle yours, and adduce objections to which you might not find a ready answer against })ositions which you were resolved at all events to maintain. 'Tlic'^e, and such as these, are surmises — indeed more than mere surmises --which it would be most unpleasant to set alloat without having any satisfactory mode of doing them away. For we must not Ibrget, that when two persons have long lived together on terms of very close intimacy, the very least suspicion ap[)earing to exist in the one party towards the other (even though nuicli r-ligliler than in the ca-e I have l)een suppo>iiig). lia-, (le~er\e(lly, more weight than the mo>t distinct ac(ai-alioiis brouglit by a stranger or mere! conuiion acipiaintaiice. 260 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WTIATELY. [1835 ( (( But what matters it," some might reply, " what will be said ? " To you I need hardly observe how little I have always regarded what people may choose to say of me, or of my fiiends, so long as it is manifest, or may be made manifest, that the censures passed on us are groundless. But in such a case as I have now been supposing, the unfavourable appearances are such as, I think, could not be satisfactorily explained. ' The public would be not only left, but led, to con- clude, that at least one of us (if not both) must be a most base and dishonourable, not to say treacherous, character. Piidet hsec opprobria nobis Et dici potuisse et non potuisse refelli. You must of course perceive, that whenever you may think fit to pubhsh, if it be anything at variance with the principles I have maintained, I shall feel called on — con- sidering the close intimacy in which we have hved — in mere justice to my own character, as well as to the cause of truth, to publish also, stating my assent or dissent. And if such a transaction should take place without your having permitted me any private discussion of the ques- tion at issue — if, in short, the public discifssion shall have been the first discussion that was allowed between us — I shall be driven, in self defence, to state publicly that this is the case : that both oral consultation has been avoided, and private inspection of the MS. denied me, without any reason that can, in my opinion, justify such a withdrawal of a confidence I had so long, and, I must think, deservedly enjoyed. 'And the imputations which tlie appearance of such a state of things could not fiil to cast on one or l)oth of us, there would be, I think no way of satisfactorily removing. ' Once more let me beg you not to suppose tliat I am yEx. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 201 taking for granted you liad meditated siieli a step as I have just described. If what I have said about it be superfluous (which I hope and trust it is), or if I luive unnecessarily expressed myself more strongly than is agreeable to your feelings, I entreat you to pardon it, on the ground of my naturally feeling the strongest anxiety on a ])oint so important, not only to me, but to yourself and the public. ' Ever, my dear friend, most affectionately yours, ' E. Whately.' ' Dubliu : March 10, 18-35. ' j\ry dear Friend, — I am glad you mean to send me the MS. of your intended work. I had, indeed, as 3'ou observe, had access, some time since, to a MS. — of which I had read but a small part — of a work which you were designing to publish ; but though I was fully intending to read the whole of it before it went to the press, I had, as 3'ou know no reason (any more than I believe y(3U had 3'oin'- self) to sujipose that there was any particidar haste al)out it. And you will also remember that I had not the smallest suspicion of its containing (which indeed I believe it (lid not) anything ini])lying separation i'rom the Cliurcli, or of your meditating such a separation. A lew additions and alterations, small in amount, may have given — as 1 sn])p()se is the case — an entirely new turn, in that resj)ect to tlie whole work. ' As for what you say of your unfitness for discussing, ver]);illy, questions of an agitating chiu'acter, I do indeed know very well that your shattered and enfeebhul state of nerves is often sndi as to rt^idei' nnich con\'eisation on such points too exciting and exhausting to you; but lhi> does not at all bear upon what I meant to sa\" in ni\' \-a>[ letter. I was not at all dwelliu'^ on any distiuclion 262 LIFE OF AKCHBISIiOP WHATELY. [1835 between words written and words spoken ; and you must well remember liow many points we have discussed toge- ther, for years past, on paper as well in oral discourse. MSS. of my own and of others, and pamphlets and books, ver}^ many, by various hands, I have laid before you to receive your remarks in pencil, and have made similar remarks in turn on MSS. of yours. ' I cannot but remark to you, my dear friend, before I close this letter, how much I am alarmed and distressed beyond the intrinsic importance of each individual case, by finding you so often appearing of late to misunderstand the meaning of my letters, where I have every reason to think I had expressed myself with complete perspicuity. In one instance you gave at large your reasons against following my advice as to the study of Bull, Waterland, and other writers in the Trinitarian controversy ; whereas Heaven knows I had never given you any such advice, or anything approaching to it, but had merely advised you against oral discussions, at present, with any one on those subjects. ' Shortly afterwards, you mistook the sense of, I cannot but think, a very simple sentence in another letter, so as not only to reverse completely the meaning of it, but to make it utterly at variance with what went before and with what followed, and thus to convert a coherent and intelligible passage into a tissue of absurdity. . . . And in your last letter, when you are alluding to the unfavoin-able interpretations which I tliouglit might be put on your conduct and on mine, in consequence of tlie publication of a work wliicli should have been witliheld fj'om me, you seem to misunderstand entirely tlie grounds I stated for my appreliensions. For you allude to wliat I miglit think it my duty to do in order to remove suspicions in- jurious to my arcliiepiscopal cliaracter. Now, I never yET. 16] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 203 said anything at all about my arcliic})isropal character, or that had any bearing whatever upon anything connected with my station,' or even with my profession. Were I a layman, in a private station, I sliould be unwilling, on the grounds I stated — as a Christian, a'^ a man of honour, I might add as a man — to have imputations cast on my character, or on that of a friend, througli any act ol' a person whom I esteemed and valued. The case was simply this, and it W(nild have been the same even l)ef()re I took orders : A man (suppose) has been living witli me for years on terms of the closest brotherly intimacy and supposed confidence, lie ])ublishes a work, we will suppose, proclaiming his sej)aration from the Church, and disap})robation of its doctrines, without in any way dis- cussing the question with me, or allowing me to see his work before })ul)lication ; but of course the public are led to believe, if he does not expressl}' declare the con- traiy, that lie did consult Avith his most confidential friend, and that I concur, or nearly concur, in his opinions, and may be ex[)ected, if I have honesty enough to avow my real sentiments, to secede from the Church also. JUit if, again, lie does declaie tliat he had never conununicated ^villl me at all on tlu; subject, eitlier orally or in writing, llien it nui-t appear that the person wh.o knows me the nm.-l inlimalely ha< the most contemptuous opinion either of my understanding, or my sincerity, or both : such an impres-ioii could not but be injurious to the t-haracler of one at li'ast. and most likely both of U'^. Such was tlie case 1 wa- stating, a^ 1 think you will see bv referring to mv letter; and it ha-< e\iaid. not on acon could liave failed, I think, to be shocked (considering the terms on which we haxe li\'cd) at my having ihe fir ()!' d,oing. and are thci'etbre bound to do. I do not grudgi' ytow on 2G6 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 you. But I am convinced you will never find any more steadily attached to you, or more wortliyof your confidence, or more prepared to stand by you under trying circum- stances, than myself. And they cannot be so well quali- fied to judge of my character as you are yourself. Do not then, I entreat you, let any one persuade you that every bishop and beneficed clergyman must be presumed to be an intolerant bigot, or hypocritical, or narrow-minded. There are but too many of this description, no doubt, in our church, as there are in every church, sect, or party, religious or political ; as there are also candid and liberal- minded men, who are, thence, the more unwilling to sus- pect others of wanting such qualities. For it should not be forgotten, that one of the greatest breaches of charity is, rashly and without cause to im])ute want of charity to another. Tlie ultra-high-church spirit, and the sectarian spirit, are but the same demon in different shapes ; the one presuming that there is nothing good out of tlie Established Church, the other that tliere is notliino- o-ood within it. There is palliation, though not excuse, for many persons who have taken for granted tliat I must needs be a party-politician, out of gratitude, forsooth, to the ministers who appointed me — that I must delight in rank and title, and station and wealth, because tliese would be great temptations to themselves, — and t1iat these temptations must bias my mind, and corrui)t eitlier my judgment or my integrity ; because tliey liave never known either me or any one not tluis to be corrupted, and tliat I must be as intolerant as those they liave been used to meet with. Those wlio judge thus are very cul- pable, certainly, in imputing to any one what they do not and cannot know to be true ; but you have had the best 0])portunity of knowing it to be luitrue. rerniit me therefore to warn you, my dear iiiend, not to judge of JEt. i6] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 207 each person's freedom from intolerance of s])irit b}^ tlic velieniencc with wliicli lie censures it, or tlie reathness witli wliicli lie imputes it. None have com})lained more of persecution than those churches which have shown the •greatest readiness to persecute when they attained the ] lower. Xor is it any proof of our moderation that we do not inflict secular penalties on those who are out of our ])ower. ]jy loading them with harsh, re])roachfid, or con- temptuous lanu'uajjfe, and expressuig what we may de- nominate virtuous indignation, we may be exhibiting that bitterness of disposition which is just what we might ex])ect would be displayed by those who are at heart dogmatical, dictatorial, intolerant, and uncharitable, wlien destitute of tlie power of displaying it otherwise than in woi'ds. I do not mean to assume that you actually enter- tain such suspicions of me as I have alluded to ; but excuse my warning you, in case you should be associating with those whose tendencies do lie that way, that you may not be led to use expressions which may be understood as (Con- veying a censure, which from you would be doid)ly inijust. ' Ever your most affectionate i'riend, 'U. W.' To fJic s;!.-,. ' Poor ! His i-; one of the iiuiiiy cases in which 1 l;ike pain-- lo remind iny>ell"how much more important it is to irv and learn from the errors ot'others than to dwell on our own suppose 1 exemption. 1 think, and 1 am con- \"ince(l anv unbias-ed judge would think, that his belia- \iour to nu'. considered in itsell'. has been bad ; but tho>e he i> surrounded A\'itli are mostly not unbiasst'd. and ihox- \\lit > arc must of course apjiear to him {\\o \v\\A rea-^iMiahK' 1 try to remind myself that it is not jieculiar t(' him to 2G8 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 approve most those who most echo our own sentiments, and that his conduct accordingly does not strike him in the same light that it does me. He is doubtless not at all aware that he is open to flattery, and has bid adieu to the true humility which consists in self-distrust, and which, once lost, leaves nothing behind that can be depended on to secure us from any conceivable excesses. ' In his case I know not, such is his morbid constitution, what may be his degree of responsibility ; but my own responsibility is the important point to myself. I wish he, and others, would always proceed on that plan recom- mended by Our Lord, and which you lately referred to, for settlino; a difference between brother and brother. Intimate as we were, he ought, as you did t'other day, and as I liave always endeavoured to do, to have endeavoured to settle it " between him and me alone," that each of us might have a chance of " gaining a brotlier." It will often happen that in this way a wound may be healed, as the surgeons say, " by the first intention." At all events it is a satisfaction not to have resorted in haste to the stronger measure of an appeal to the ecclesiastical or Christian public. ' Ever yours affectionately, ' K. w: Tlie following letter relates to a book wliic^h Mr. 1). White wjis at this time publishing, the title of wliicli has not been learned : — 'IJedesdale: April lo, ]S-'!5. 'My denr Fi'iend, — Wiien your ])acket arrived I was just about to answer your last letter, and I will therefore fniish what I was about before I look over your ])rL'race. ' I was thinking that I ought to declare to you, in respect of those persons in America wlio have assumed the a])pel- lation of Christians, that when I admitted that probably JEt. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 209 many of them might not perceive tlie arrogant and in- sidious character of such a designation, I said all that in sincerity I could sdy. The same is the case with many })robably of those who designate as Catholics the members of the Church of Eome. In either case many persons probably forget that the very use and design of an appel- lation is to distinguish one object or class of objects Irom another, and that consequently, though Chi^istian may be a very proper appellation to distinguish those who call Christ master, from Pagans, Mahometans, &c., if any one body of Christians distinguish themselves by it they cannot but be understood as claiming to be either the only Christians, or, at least, more truly and })ropcrly so than others. That " Christians " therefore is the only de- nomination they assumed in the New Testament history, would be, if a correct statement, nothing to the purpose. (IH^-the-bye, you will see on a moment's reflection that, so far is it from being correct, the term Christian never even seems to have been a])plied to them by themselves at all, only by the unbelieving Gentiles. The Jews called tlicm Xazarencs ; they themselves used a variety of appel- lations, as "Saints,"' the "Called," the "Brethren," tlie "Church," "God's re(^ple," cKic, but never " Christians." Ijiit were tlie iact otherwise, it would be notliing to tlie ])r('-('nt ])Uip(^se.) The ol)ject was to distinguish tlie io'llowers ol'Jcsus from tlie I'agans and Jews who rejected Him. Xor is it to the puipose that these of tlie '•Chri>lian (Iciioininatioii " are ready to receive any one who will join them. So are the Catholics. If indeed, in speaking of so many ])la('es of worship and so many thousand individuals of the "Christian denomination" in America, they included all who call tlieniselves Chri-tians, of whatever church or sei'i, there Would be nothing invidious in the term. liiil it i> plain they coiilliie the name to those who do join them. But then, it is said, they have no creed — no >u\)- 270 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 scription to articles — no hard conditions imposed on those who choose to join them. Well, let it be granted that their society is formed on the most liberal and compre- hensive plan ; still if any one who may chance not to like the discourses of their ministers or the prayers of their congregations should decline to join them, he would not be reckoned by them among the number of those whom they designate as of the " Christian denomination." It is plainly therefore an appellation by which they distinguish themselves, and one which I must think implies, when so employed, the same arrogant and invidious assumption with which the Eomanists are charged for using; the de- nomination of Catholics. ' Not, however, that it is correct to speak of tlicm as having no creed. The word indeed is not used ; but in that pamphlet you sent me there is an enumeration of the fundamental articles of faith held by the writer and those he represents. I admit that it is a very general and com- prehensive, and reconcilable with great diversities of opinion as to the points it touclies on ; but the Cjuestion is not whether the articles are more or less liberal and com- prehensive, nor whether they are scriptural, nor whether they are well selected. What is to the present purpose is, til at they are articles ; and though no subscription to them is required, I presume that if any teacher in one of their congregations were to oppose avowedly all those articles, and maintain doctrines adverse to all the positions laid down in that pamphlet, he would be ejected, or liis hearers would desert him. At lea^t if this bo not so — if the members of the " Christian denomination " ai'e equally prepared and equally ready to hear the vrorshlp of Christ enjoined one Sunday and reprobated as idolati'ous tlienext — to listen by turns to Unitarian doctrine, and Quakerism, and Irving'ism. and Walkerism. &:c. — then I cannot con- yET. 48] LE'lTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 271 ceive for what piii'posc tliosc doctrinal statements were put forth in the pamphlet as unfavourable to the rehgious views of the society it describes. ' But if — as one cannot but suppose — the congregations do look for some such conformity, then it is plain tliey have a creed, in everything but in name, as much as any other Christian connnunity ; how much soever their creed may be superior in rationahty. And, tliough tliey may liave in name no subscription, it is plain that, in point of iact, their teacliers do, in the discourses they deliver, and their congregations in the worship they use, subscribe to tliat creed every day. ' I liave said more than you may think necessary on a point so obvious, because it is closely connected with another on which I think myself bound to explain to you — the impression several of your letters have made on me. I am not going to trouble you with any argumentative discussion of the theological or other questions ; since, were I otherwise so disposed, you have declined entering on any questions respecting inferences, and desired me to coiifme myself to any objections I may have to make relative to matters of fact. But it occurs to me that you iiuist consider yourself as having in several letters dis- tinctly hiid before me some o(" your views on the subjects of •• orthodoxy,"' subscription to '* articles,"' (S:c. ; and tliat I have cither acquiesced, more or less, in your opinions, or else on deliberate examiiuition dissented from tlieni. Xow I think myseU" bomid to let you know that neither of these is the case, and that I am most sincerely and un- feignecUy un;ible to understand what your meaning was in the ])a^sages I allude to, and am totally in the dark as to your opinions of those ])oints. "In oiu' ol" your letters you speak witli very hii!'!! admi- ration (if a sermon you hiid heard from a Unitarian 272 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 minister, tlie excellence of wliich you in a great measure attribute to his being free from the " weight of ortho- doxy ; " and you speak, on many other occasions, of the restraint which those labour under who belong to an "established cliurch" — of the thraldom of "subscription to articles" — and of the painful trials of "beneficed clergymen of an endowed church," who disbelieve or doubt the tenets of that clmrch, and who are thus exposed to a struggle between interest and conscience, &c. Now there can be no doubt indeed that a man holding any preferment — or, indeed, any office, ecclesiastical or pohtical — is exposed to a trial, and is tempted to stifle or to disguise his convic- tion when reasons occur to liim for adopting opinions in- compatible with the situation he holds. But the whole drift of your remarks seems to imply (otherwise indeed I cannot at all understand what tlieir drift can be) that this is something peculiar to tlie ministers of an establislied church — or of an endowed church — or of a cluirch wliose ministers are required to subscribe certain articles, or a creed ; or, at least, that the same remarks do not cqiudly apply to Dissenters, or to Unitarian Dissenters. ' And yet, on the other liand, I am no less at a loss to understand how you can liave meant tliis. Dissenters must liave, though tliey may not use tlie words " ortho- doxy," and " articles," and " subscription," something answering to these in everything but name. I cannot su])pose (no one can) tliat a Metliodist congregation, e. //., woidd retain in his office a minister wiio sliould preach tlie Unitarian doctrine, or tlie Unitarians one who should preacli Calvinism ; or eitlier of them a Sweden- borgian, or a disciple of Joanna Soutlicotc. Tliej^ would say, " You are free to liold and to ])rofess wliatever opinions you please; but you are manifestly unfit to be a minister in our cha[)el if you teach doctrines at variiuice tEt. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 27.} with ours. We do not wisli to fon^e any nuiu's conscience, any more tlian tlie members of any administration in expectin<:f a resifjnation of office from one of their col- leagues wlio tliinks liimself bound to oppose in Parhament one of their measures. You are free to worsliip God as your conscience dictates, and to pubhsli to tlie world whatever you think ; but we ])ay a minister for expound- ing Scrij)ture ac(^)rding to our views." ' A dissenting minister, accordingly, who should be in the receipt of a salary of .£100 a year, which he must forfeit if he avowed a different religious ]:)ersuasion from that of his congregation, woidd be exposed evidently to the very same struggle between conscience and interest — in the event of his entertaining douljts, either of the truth of Christianity altogether, or of that form of it which his congregation held — as a curate or rector of the Establish- ment with a salary or living of the same value. The trial, ill lact, is one of those which no one in this world, ill whatever situation, can be ])erfectly secure from. Endowments and subscri])tions make no difference what- ever. A man, sii])pose, has subscribed to tlie Articles of our Church ; he has a living; he clianges liis opinions, and is conscientiously resoKed to a^'o^v the change ; lu' is free to do so ; he has only to resign his li\ing and with- draw from tlie Church. 'J his lem. the coiigregalioii are the judges, both collecti\'ely and iiulix iduallv. how tar their minister is (jualilied to retain his ofliee ; whether tln'V Vol,. I. T 274 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 designate such qualification by the term orthodox, or evangehcal, or scriptural, or rational, or interesting, or by whatever term. Instead of Thirty-nine Articles he has to subscribe to the judgments of perhaps ten times thirty-nine hearers, who are competent not only to agree together to discard him, but each one of them to withhold, or diminisli, or augment his contribution, according as he thinks of tlie preacher. There is a dissenting congregation in Ireland, who being displeased with their minister for countenancing the Education Board, agreed to mulct him of half his salary tiU he should withdraw that co-operation. In fact, all the advocates for the voluntary system that I have ever heard of, have been so far from pleading that it would give greater independence to a minister, that they have urged the very reverse — viz., the additional check that would thus be afforded on any minister who miglit be disposed to neglect or to abuse liis office. And I myself should think this an advantage, but for two circumstances which distinguish this from other cases that fall under tlie general principles of Political Economy : 1st, men are competent to judge who are the best teacliers of Frencli, e.g., or of mathematics ; and 2ndly, the knowledge of sucli things may fairly be left to those wlio will and can afford to pay tlie best teacliers. There is therefore no need to have endowed teachers of French or mathematics, unless, for any pnrticular reason, it sJiould be tliouglit a national o])ject to diffuse such knowledge among all classes. To which considerations may be added, tliat it is no dis- paragement to a teaclicr of such things to be considered as having solely liis own interest in view, Ijecause his own interest would never lead iiim to teacli tiiem in a mamier that niiglit be easiest t(^ In's pupils l)ut inrori-ert and against liis own knowledge, whereas in the case of I'e- lii<;ious teachers all these thiniis are re\ersed. yEx. 48] LETTERS TO IJLAXCO WHITE. 275 ' Tlie poorest, aiul those wlio liiive in tlie outset l)ut little care about religion, liave as niucli need as any of religious instructors ; and yet it is those whose pecuniary ability, combined with religious zeal, makes them tlie best paymasters, tliat are likely imder the voluntary system to liave the most inliuence in the appointment and suj)p()rt of a minister. And he is also exposed, however lirni his motives may in fact be, to the sus- ])icit)n, not only of professing a religious system which lie does not sincerely hold (which suspicicm a})])lics equally to beneficed clergy of the Establishment), but also, besides this, of consulting the taste and wishes of his hearers in each ])articular sermon, in order to kec}) u]) contributions. P)ut whatever may l)e the res])ective mei'its of the two systems, it is evident that the " weight of orthodoxy " cannot be taken off the mind of the preacher, ex('C])t in name, luider either. This, indeed, is so evi- dent that I cannot l)ring myself t() think you had over- looked it; noi" again, on the other hand, can I at all understand what else you coidd have meant. ' There is another ])()iiit I do not clearly miderstand. You seemed, in one letter, to be speaking of eiidowinents a-^ not inide-irable, supposing that not to be allowt'd to a ])arlicular sv>teni of I'aillis ex])res dim rent from what he hini>elf had ibrnieily taught. T 2 276 LIFE OF AKCIIBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1835 and at variance with tlie tenets of a great part of his audience. Tliey, or a portion of tliem, call upon him to resign, on the ground that the endowment is for the benefit of the people, not of the minister. He perhaps refuses, insisting that his tenets are not clianged, or are changed for tlie better, and tliat they ouglit to follow liim ; then the malcontents do not simply withdraw, as under the voluntary system, but apply to the Court of Chancery, of which there was not long since an instance ; and thus the endowments became a source of endless litigation and ill-blood in England, and in Ireland probably of down- right war. I do not see how such a result could be avoided but by giving distinctly to certain persons a summarj^ jurisdiction, the judgment of which persons would be in fact the Articles wliich the ministers would have to subscribe. ' Excuse me, my dear friend, for having so long detained you beyond what I expected when I begun. I did not trouble you with any requisition of your opinion on these points : you gave it spontaneously. Nor do I now call on you to defend your opinions, or even to explain them. But being at a loss to determine — not whether they are right or wrong, but — what they are, and appreliending that you would conceive yourself to have laid before me an intelligible statement of your views, I thought myself bound to give my reasons — not for diffeihig from you, for I really do not know whether I do or not, but for ]'emainin<>' in doubt as to your meaninsx- ' Ever, my dear Ej'iend, yours most tndy, ' E. W.' ' Eedesdale : April 2:^, 18:^5. .'My dear Friend, — I am sony- you should have Lad so nuuh trouble in Avriting yom preface, es])ocially as T find myself compelled to point out to you that it is not yEr. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 277 calculated, at least without considerable alterations (as I think you will perceive yourself on re-exaniinatiou) to answer tlie piu'pose. However, there is no hurry on my part, that need call you oil* at ])resent from your other avocations. I will only mention now the points that liave most struck me, that you may consider of them when there is leisure. ' 1. You all ah)ng convey tlie impression that the neces- sity for leaving my liouse, &c., depends on my situation as Archbishop. Xow, the case would be exactly the same were I a private clergyman, or even a layman. You could not, with any comfort to yourself even, have remained an inmate of a family of sincere imd openly- avowed piety, who had family worship in which you could not conscientiously join, children whom they were educating in opposite rehgious ])rinciples, friends with whom they were used freely to converse on such to})ics, &c. Sec. Tills calls for a very sliort and sim})le alteration. ' 2. The most important })oiiit of all is that every one will understand you to set me down as a !?al)ellian, and yourself as having tried, out of regard and respect for me, to ])ersuade yourself iulo tlie same view, till you found tliat Sabellianism is only a ilinisy veil for Unitarian- isni. I wonder llii^ did not strike yon ; bnt I am sure it will, on a re-])ei'iisal — at least it will the general reader; and anv one quite a stranger to you. and judging only IVoni the work before him, would be apt to call it an artl"ul and insidious alta'-k. Vn\\ without saying in direct terms that I am a ^abellian, it is yet so iini)lied, as not onlv to leave no doubt, but even to a- o'pen to see whether it were wortli sending at once. I see it is a book from Xeaiider, and which I made out to be dedicated to you. Thaidv you for your book. I imagine that in tlie prevaiHng political excitement, few n()n-})olitical })ublica- lious will just at [)resent excite nmch attention. Should it, some time hence, attract considerable notice, I think it likely that notice will be of a very different kind from what you seem to antii-ij)ate ; of a kind nuich morc> ])air.- f'lil to your private feelings, and for which, therefore, I think my>elf bound in friendship to })rcpare you. that you may fortify your mind against it. As for the theological (juc^tion, it would be easier to say somt'thing })lau>ible on either side of that, than to vindicate, sati>factorily to the public, your character for frankness and ingeiuious- ness ; of which, nevertheless, I mvsell", from my own knowle(lge of" you, am as firmly con\inced as e\-er. ' It will ])ro!)al)ly be asked of ni(> whether at the time wlien T was h\-ing with you on terms of the closol intimacy — consulting with you i)erpt'tually, and i-eferring to you on rcliLi'inus ((uestions, and encoui'aging mv famih' to recci\-e religiiius in>tructioii fi'om you — whether, at that time, L 282 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 was aware of, or suspected, your present notions, or believed you to profess your former ones, not from the full convic- tion of your reason, but through sympathetic feelings. ' I shall, of course, answer that I not only had no ground for thinking this, or for suspecting that you were concealing from me anything that was passing in your mind ; but, on the contrary, that you took every oppor- tunity of expressing your disapprobation, both of tlie opinions, and even of the persons also, that you now approve. I remember in particular Mr. sending, about a year and a half ago, to me and to Dr. Dickinson a sermon or tract (I forget whether it is the same you now refer to), and that, on being consulted whether it would be worth while to take any notice of it, you pro- nounced, after inspection, that he was an empty conceited coxcomb, not deserving any attention. ' And I must add, that I no more suspected your then professed sentiments to ■ be adopted or assumed tlirough sympathy with me and your other friends, against the deliberate conviction of your reason, than you now sus- pect your present sentiments to be influenced by sym- pathy with Mr. Armstrong, or any one else who has made meritorious sacrifices to conscientious conviction. ' On this or any other point, a man should incur no blame for changing his opinions, when lie sees ground for it. But the perplexing circumstance is that you profess not to have changed, but to have held fundamentally the same opinions for many years. I cannot but wisli you had been content to state simph% " My views are so-and- so;" as the public are only entitled to be told what a writer actually thinks. How long he may have tliought so, or how he came to think so, is entirely a private con- cern ; supposing he rests the defence of his views, not on his own personal authority, but on argument. As it is, I ^T. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 283 expect to be asked what I have to say in belialf of your ingenuous openness of procedure, ' As for my own disch^imer of all knowledge of your views, that will be credited by all who have even the ordinary share of candour ; because I can refer tliem to your printed works, besides manuscripts (prayers, &c.), and many conversations remembered by several persons. But, then, I shall be asked whether I consider you to have been playing the hypocrite all this time — holding one language to one person and anotlier to anotlier, and, perhaps, dissembling more or less with all. For the })rivate memoranda, they will say, in wliich you describe yourself as recording all that passed in your mind, nuist convict you of duplicity, if tliey are at variance witli what you expressed to your friends, or to some of your friends. ' I shall answer, that, notwithstanding any appearances, which to a stranger must l)e imfavourablc, I most sincerely acquit you of such a charge, and firmly believe that, liable as you may be, in common witli many otliers, to deceive yourself, you are incapable of wilfully deceiving yo\u' neiglibour. Audi shall add my own full persuasion that tlie habit of making private memoranda of our tiioughts from time to time, so far from necessarily proving a help to the accuracy of the memoiy, ma}', if especial care he not taken to guard against tlie danger, tend even to mislead the memory ; l)ecause it may o*'ca>ioii our for- getting more completely whatever we do not vwlvv in the book; and we not only do not enter everything we say or think, but are likely even to omit, in pai'licular, what- ever are, at the time of writing, our ordinarv habitual thoughts and conversations, and to record chielly what is -Iriking, tVom its having newly oc(au're(l tons. Hence, there is a dangei' of our remembrance becoming, not like a book partially defaced and torn, in ^vhich we perceive 284 • LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WII.ITELY. [1835 at least what deficiencies are to be allowed for, but more like a transcript from a decayed MS. which the ancient copyists by trade used to make ; writing straight on all that the}^ could make out, and omitting the rest without any mark of omission, for fear of spoiling the look of their copy. ' Be this as it may, however, I shall bear testimony, as for as my own belief goes, from my knowledge of you and of all that pertains to you, that you are incapable of any intentional falsehood or dishonest concealment, and would say nothing that you did not at the time conscien- tiously believe. ' " But if so " (I shall probably be told), " why should ]ie publish, when he cannot be sure that he knows his own mind ? AVhether he was under a delusion and self-deceived for several years (as he seems to give us to luiderstand), or only for some months past — which lie represents as the belief of some of his friends — on either side of the alternative, he stultifies his own work, and proclaims himself unqualified to come forward as an instructor of the pubhc. Whatever allowances may be due to the man — placed in perplexing circumstances, and severely tried by mental and bodily sufferings — whatever allowance is due to the man, does not extend to an author, who is bound to lay before his readers, if not absolute truth, at least what the author calls ' his own truth'. — his own perfect conviction; and this is just wliat, by his own sliowing, he is unable to ascertain. For wliat has ha|)pened may happen again, or may be taking ])lace now. AVe have every reason to expect that next year, or next montli, he will pu])hsli a l)()<)k declaring that he not only i^, but lias been all ah)ng unconscioush^, a Deist or an Atheist, a Quaker, a Swedenborgian, or a Papist, and that he has only just Mr. 48] LETTEKS TO RLANCO WHITE. 28o met with some one who has removed tlie llimsy veil whieh had concealed his real views from hiniseU'. It may be a duty t6 })ublish to the world what he believes to have been his long-continued self-deception, but then he oui>ht to i)ublish nothinii; else, since he can neither give or have any security that he is not equally self- deceived now. lie says, indeed, that he is conscious of no delusion. To be sure not. Who ever was ? But, at the time of his former publications, he did not give notice, nor of course feel, that he was then under any delusion. And judging of the future by the past, we ought not to be surprised if he should tell us a year hence tliat he never was a believer in Christianity at all, thougli he had persuaded himself that he was so." ' All this I cannot but fear will be said, if the publica- tion should attract notice ; and I can make no answer, except to persist in my protestations of belief in youi" sincerity and good intentions. But I have thought it best to lay this fully and honestly before you, ])ainful though the subject is to both of us, because it is only anticipating a j)ain which you Avould be likely to feel the more severely if luiexpected. ' I regret to see tlie " London lieview " going on from bad to worse. There was an article in Xo. 1 which evinced (•()nsidcrul)Ie talent, though ilhbrral and malignant in the liighest degi'ee. But one in Xo. *2 cU)es surprise me, be- cause tlie reputed author I had supposed incapable of Avriting anvtliing silly. The persecuting s[)ii-it of it 1 do ]iot at all wonder at, having long since pointed out that that is nothing peculiar to religion, and ni;iy just as nuicli l)e expected from atheists ; but the idea of the clergy gi\ing lectures on geology, mechanics, 6ic., and conchid- iiig with superintending moral dances, is I'eally worthy of the very weakest religionist that ever wrote. ^w\\ 280 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. []83o nonsense will do no harm, except to such truths as are inculcated by such writers or their associates. ' Ever yours allectionately, 'R Whately.' To Blanco White. ' Redesdale : Sept. 7, 1835. ' My dear Friend, — For such you will ever be to us, as long as it may be possible for us to contribute at all to your comfort, or at least lessen your discomfort — it is matter of regret that I should have been the means of vexing you beyond Avhat I had expected, from your supposing (as you seem to do, though I had no idea of conveying that meaning) tliat the "future reviewer " I was personating was to be myself, or some one instigated by me. You could not otherwise have considered me as lost to you, merely on account of my differing from you (as you have often done from me) in some opinion, or even as to the judiciousness of some practiced step, or giving you a friendly warning — whether wisely or not — of some attacks from others which I thought might take you by surprise, and which it did not rest with me to prevent. ' As far as my power does extend, I have, so far from meditating anything of the kind myself, done my best to prevent it. I may as well tell you now that it was not from mere conjecture of what seemed intrinsically pro- bable that I was speaking ; I had received a letter from a person who, though not a clergyman, lias given consider- able attention to religious subjects, admires your writings, and is generally considered both intelligent and liberal, suggesting (after sundry remarks which I need not repeat) that I or some one else should answer your book. ' I replied that, as to myself, if I ever did admit an exception to my general ride against engaging in contro- yEx. 48] LETTERS TO BLANCO WHITE. 287 vcrsy, the last occasion on wliicli I should do so would be with a personal friend. ' In fact, nothhig would induce me to publish in such a case, except a necessity (which I do not now see likely to arise) of vindicating my own character. ' I added also my disapprobation generally of contro- versy, es[)ecially personal, about points that should be settled by argument and not by authority. But I could not be sure that what I said would convince that indi- vidual ; or that, if it should, there might not be attacks from other quarters — attacks which I apprehended would be of a different kind from what you were prepared for. I expected, however, that an announcement of this a})pre- hension would give you some pain, and I was aware that the bearer of unwelcome tidings is apt to be, to our first impressions, himself unwelccjme. I felt therefore the same sort of reluctance to make the connnj.mication, that a parent is likely to feel in inoculating his child with a grievous disease, to save it from the probability of an attack much more severe coming on an unpre[)ared frame. ' It is not for me to say whether my resolution was a wise one. Ikit of this I am sure, and so I think nuist you be, that we are the last j)ersons in the world who would willingly give you a moment's needless ])aiu ; or, again, who W(nild shrink fi'om even incurring some transient di>])k'asure, when called on to take fuiy step that wc thought might save you eventually from a greater amount of suflering. I am sure you have no need to be I'eminded liow long we laboured to })romote your ease and happiness — not so successfully indeed as we could have wislied, but as sedulously as if that had been the main o])iecl of our lives; and this, not merely when we were repaid by the benefit and pleasure of your convei'satiou. but with even redoubled diligence when your health and 288 LIFE OF ARCIIBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1835 spirits were prostrated by illness. I am sure, you can never deliberately suspect such friends of any but the best and kindest intentions, whether the steps taken appear to you judicious or not. Nor do I think you will, on reflection, impute want of candour to those who were not prej^ared for your late declaration. I cannot but think, when you said in your last, that any one of candour who had read your works must have been prepared for that result, you must at the moment have forgotten the purport of pp. 14, 15, of the revised edition of the " Pre- servative," published last year, and also the still stronger tone of the MS. prayers — of which indeed you have pro- bably kept no copies. But, be this as it may, we give you credit, and I trust you will always do as much by us, for uttering sincerely what are at the time your real im- pressions. ' And now, having said in my last letter and in this, all that I thought, perhaps mistakenly, I was bound in friend- ship to say on the subject, and all that I think there can ever be need to say, it will be best from this time to drop the subject of our diflerences of opinion, and to correspond as friends agreeing on many points — and in none more, I trust, than in mutual goodwill towards each other. ' I send you a sermon delivered and published in behalf of a charity which I think highly deserving, not only of su[)port here, but of extension to otlier places. Tlie charity embraces people of all persuasions, and the sermon keeps clear of all points of controversy. Perhaps it might be well to send it to the patrons of some hospital in Liver- pool. ' Since I wrote last I have read some more (I cannot say all) of the first article in the second number of the " Lon- don Iveview." Pray read ]). 282, and then the ])assage in Copleston which is referred to ; Avliich it is ])lain the writer yEr. -ir^] BETTERS TO BLAN'CO \VIHT]v 289 must liavo liad before him, while it is equally ])laiii he. trusts to his rentiers not luiving it before theui. J-^vci y reader of the " Iveview " is led to suppose that it is on some point of religion or politics that Locke is censured lor "relying on evidence," the whole question being, in fact, concerning the utility of boj's' writing exercises — a ques- tion in which, as it is altogether one of 0])inion, all must admit that the judgment of experienced men, such as (luiiictilian, is an "evidence" (if that word is to be used in such a case) deserving of nuich attention. And this most impudent misrepresentation, brought in as the basis of the bitterest invective, is framed by a man who is not a>hamed to talk in high-flown language about " truth ! " All who have any notions of morality, whatever may be their religious \icws, must be disgusted with such bareness. One is not iiidei'd responsible for everything that is said in all i)arts of a lieview to which one contributes ; but I iccl sure that if you could have calculated (I am sure I did not) on the writers indulging in a strain of such deliberate and malignant falsehood, you wouhl have sliumied them as if infected with the plague. " JIa\e vou seen T.oi'd Ijrougham's •• Natural I'heologv, ' and Mr. Wallace's remarks on him!-^ I had not expecied much from anything I had heai'd of Mr. \\';illace ; but from wliat 1 liave >een, he appears to be a much sounder ])hilo-opher than Lord J). "I ho])!' this letter may And you belter than \\\o la-ee good for you, and al'ler I his life lo hriu'j' \du to \\\< eternal rc-t. is the feiAcnl and daily pi;i\i r ot' vour sincere iVielld, ' li. \\ iiATi;i,v \o|. I. U 290 LIFE OF ARCPIBISIIOP WHATELY. [1835 CHAPTER IX. 1835. Visits Timbridgo Wells — Letter to INIr. Senior on Tithes and Clnircli Property — On Public Pledges — I^etter to Marquis of Wellesley on Church matters — Letter to Mr. Senior — Letter to Lord Melbourne on National Education — Letters to Mr. Senior, &c., on Church and State questions — Report of a convei-sation with the Archbishop on various subjects — Letter to Mr. Senior on the Tithes Bill — Letter to Lord Melbourne on Tithes — Letter to Mr. Carlisle on the Sabbath question — Letter to a friend. The year 1835, which had begun so sorrowfully, was spent by the Arclibishop in his usual indefatigable labours in his diocese, combined with an amount of literary activity which to many would appear incompatible with diligence in any other department. It was varied by a summer visit to his friends at Tunbridge Wells, in whicli liis family, as usual, accompanied him. Tunbridge Wells is, indeed, a place almost identified with recollections of liim. He was always partial to the place, and his relatives there look back witli moiumful pleasure to tliose early visits. The long rambles which, in such days, he delighted to take in the beautifid country around, especially in the Bayham Woods, are associated with his memory ; and one lofty s])reading tree, ' The Monarch of the Woods,' though not an oak but a sycamore, stands cons])icuous for miles round, where his brother-in-law, the only survivor of the party, recollects their taking shelter from a snowstorm in May, with their friends, the licv. Henry Bishop and Mr. Nassau Senior — all now passed away. /Ex. 48] (X\ TITHES AND CIIUIICII PIIOPEltTY. 291 Another recollection of his sojournintrs at Tunl)ri(lL'"o Wells is connected with his visits to the Clm})el Imvc School, where, with his characteristic love of teaching, lie would delight the boys with questions, as they ])leased him with their ready and intelligent answers ; and on such occasions would indulge them, at parting, with some riddle or arithmetical puzzle, which they long remembered. But this is a digression. The question of Tithes and of Church Property at this time was much occupying the public mind. IIow the Archbishop viewed the subject will be seen in some of the letters of this year: — 'Dublin : Jaiuiary 24, IBS."). ' My dear Senioi-, — I have received a very civil answer from ISii' li()1)ert Peel, saying that he attaches great im- portance to your subject of Seccmdary runishments, and will soon turn his attention to it. ' AYe have had also a favoiu'able answer, though not in the most manly style, to the Education Board ap])lication to tile Lord-Lieutenant^ as to the designs of ^Ministers. 'Jhc ;ni-\V('r was merely a demand of our estimate for the c'X pel !-('-; of the ensuing year, which, as it would be nuga- Iniv if tluy did not mean the system to continue, ii//pl/t'.s a design to continue it; but it would luive been more open nnd lionot to s/ii/ so ])lainly. ' IjV wluit T can learn, tlie 'Mne;i'-nres-not-men "' ]);irty, or ''fail' trial "'-ites. seems to gain ground, the ])rinei])le of it >)eiiig. I c<)nceive, that the King may nowaday-- plea-e hini-elf as to Miiii>ters, since it is no longer tluy l)Ut the Uetbrnied LaiTiainent that governs the eouiitiy. A mini^lei' will no longer go out as soon as he tails to eai"ry any niea-nre. but will act the ])art of a cook at an hotel, wlm ' l.nnl Ila.l'): Ava.s t^utceeded l>y Lord .Mnk'-ravc in April. 202 LIFE OF AECIIBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 proposes a dinner, bnt oflers to send up any dishes tlie company like better. If tliis state of things be estabhshed, it will be the greatest practical result of a Eeformed Par- liament. One consequence will be, that men of the highest character will no longer take office. A minister used to be a stage-coachman, who drove at a certain fixed hour, and a settled road, those who chose to go by his coach ; now he will be a gentleman's coachman, who drives when and where his master bids him. They will only accept office for private pay and patronage. One evil resulting will be, no one responsible, unless a law is passed to make every M.P. responsible individually for every motion he makes. Another will be a sort of unsteady yawing course of the state-ship ; Mr. Ward will carry a measure to-night, and Sir Robert Peel another a week after, and Lord Stanley a different one afterwards ; so that our Legislature will be a more motley "picnic" than ever.' From the Rev. G. DicJdnson to Mr. Senior. January 30, 1835. ' My dear Sir, — The Archbishop, in a walk to-day, started some points which appeared to me of so much importance, and so wortliy of a place in your pamplilet, that I urged him instcUitly to suggest them to you. Un- fortunately, he has just now so many letters to write, that he could not do so in sufficient time, probably ; he has, therefore, })roposcd to me to write to you ; and though I shall fail in giving them the life which he can diffuse, yet I shall transmit to you the skeleton, which you can resuscitate. ' The " measures-not-men " ])arty have much that is plausible at first sight ; and at present they have ])ut themselves forward, or are likely to do so, in a maimer calculated to attract a])pr()bation. lUit, on considera- tion, it may l)e shown that this system involves the most A'lv.iS] LETTER TO THE MARQUIS OF AVEI.LEHLEV. 293 complete democracy. Those electors who demand j)ledL^es ii})oii any question, and vote in consequence, belonLi" to this party. Instead of selecting the individual to wliose dis- cretion it seems best to intrust the interests of the country, they resolve on the measures, and sui)port those who promise to maintain them. Those meml)ers are not re- sponsible, for they are boiuid by their constituents; at least their constituents can never u[)l3raid them. ' But what method can be ado])ted tostoj) the})erni('ious system of requiring pledges? This should be stopped ])y the firnmess and honesty of candidates; but it is vain to rely on these qualities. The Archbishoj) pro])()scs that a member should lose his vote and I'iglit of speaking on any ])oint when he is known to have given a ])ledge. After this he is not free to deliberate; he is no longer, on this ])oint, to be regarded as a member of a deliherdtire body, and ^hould i'orfeit his right of acting. I think you might work up both these j)oints acKantngeously. ' Believe me, yoiu's sincerely, ' ClIAllLES IJICKLNSOX.' T(i (JiC Mafqvis of Wcllcslc/j. ' Dublin : .Tan. .-K), 18;;."i. ■M\- (le;ir T.iU'd. — It is needless. I irusl. for me to cxpre---- liow liiglily iionnured I feel by llie approbaliou and cDnlldeiice of out- who ha-- had. and ha:-- known how lo n^t', >w\\ (.'Xlen:-i\'e o])porl unities oi' obsei'\ing mankinck i will onlv >;iv that, a^ the oflieial eoiuiection between \-our lor(l-]ii|)' and the Arrhl)i>liop ol" J)ul)lin i>. loi' llu' jirc-enl. at an end, I leel the more flattered by the circuni- -lance of niv being (■on>ulted in my indi\-i(lual capacilv. " I had -een and slightly glanced owr the sketch of a projccicd Church reform, a- it appeared in the i)apcr- ; ' A.-i Lord- Lit' uk'nunt ul' Ireland. 294 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP ^V^LVTELY. [1835 but it is not sufficiently definite to enable me to pronounce decidedly upon it. Various different measures, none of them at variance with anything that is thus said, might be proposed — some judicious and complete, some imperfect and unsatisfactory, and some pernicious. ' I will avail myself of your lordship's indulgence to lay before you, though in a less regular form than I coidd wish if leisure permitted, the main principles which I think ought to be kept in view in any measures relating to the Church ; but I must first — as the husbandman clears a field of stumps and bushes before he ploughs it — dispose of some of the most prevalent fallacies which form an obstacle to our arriving at just conclusions. ' The radical and semi-radical papers and speakers abound with fallacious declamations about the " workiiiu!; clergy," the " poor curates," the justice of " proportioning the income to the labour," &c., &c. Now I wish, with all my heart, I had a million per aniunn to bestow in increasing poor livings and curates' salaries ; and as it is, I should gladly see, in a few instances, small livings aug- mented at the expense of certain rich ones. But to pro- ceed thoroughly on the principle above laid down, nnd distribute the present revenues of the Clnn^ch among the officiating ministers in proportion to the work done, would be about as wise as to pursue a hke plan in respect of the officers of the army. Verhum sapienti. But many are accustomed to talk as if curates, rectors, and l)ish()i)s were three distinct species of men. I was ordained al)()Ut nine years before I ol^tained any benefice or even per- manent curacy ; the next nine years I was incumbent of a hving on which (alone) no one could live in the most frugal style of a gentleman. B^ishopi-ics, indeed, and other great ])referments, are few ; l)ut, l)esides that a few great prizes in a lottery temi)t many to take tickets, there is an yEr. 48] PLURALITIES AND NON-RESIDENCE. 295 advantage in them over and above the hope (entertained by many more than eventually obtain anything great) of possible higli preferment. A dignity is thus given to the whole of a profession. Many a lawyer, or naval or mili- tary officer, of good family and education, will even, with- out ulterior prospects, undertake toilsome offices for a remuneration less than is enjoyed by your butler, because theirs are the professions of gentlemen^ being those of judges, admirals, and generals. This consideration is even independent of the benefit of the bestowal of preferment as a reward for meritorious services — a benefit never to be l(jst sight of. In tlie Church of the Vaudois — as far as I ran learn, one of the purest and best conducted that exist — poor parishes, in rugged mountainous districts, wliere the pastor has to encoimter severe fatigue, are assigned to the younger clergy ; and from these, vacancies are filled up in the ri(!her (or rather less poor) parishes, where the toil is less, and the duties consequently more suited to a pastor in advanced life. " Shame ! " would our I'adicals exclaim ; " the harder the work the less the income ! "' Dut the Vaudois are quite right. ' 2nd. riuralities are liable to much abuse, but arc not necessarily themselves an abuse ; and if (with our ])reseut revenue) they were swept away, I doubt Avhether we should be the better off. A\//., the vicarage of AVicklow is a union, having in it three churches. 1 heartily wisji thev were endowed with 500/. per annum each; but as tliere is but that for the whole, 1 put in ^Mr. C'luuuley (whom your lordship knows), a man of experience and steadiness, to serve there by himself, and curates, junior men, who may be su[)ei-intended by him, and hei'eafter atUaneed, should they prove desei'ving. Xoav, querv. would it have been better to divide this oOO/. e([ually among tlu'ee young men (for ]Mr. C. woidd not ha\e 296 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 accepted one share), each fixed permanently as a poor vicar on 130/., instead of temporarily as a curate at 75/.? This is a type of many cases, ' Moreover, in each rm"al deanery, not containing any one good living in my gift, I should be glad to present an experienced and able man as rural dean, with two or tlKee adjoining ones, to enable him to keep curates, so as to enable him, wdien needful, to be absent, even on Sunday, to visit neighbouring churches as rural dean, i.e. as deputy bishop. ' 3rd. Non-residence is a topic of most fallacious clamour. E.g.^ I know a clergyman who has worn out his health in the labours of his parish, and has been lately made the victim of factious misrepresentation, as a non- resident, living in a house a stone's-throw out of the parish, but nearer to the church by a mile than many houses wdthin the parish. I always endeavour to enforce residence, but not with the vain expectation (often enter- tained in respect of absentee landlords also) that the advantage accruing from a voluntary residence of one who resides, because he is conscientiously zealous, can be obtained from compulsory residence of the body wdierc there is no mind to reside. I rather hope to deter by a penalty such men from accepting li\'ii]gs in wdiich they do not like to reside. ' 4th. It is a great error to calcidate the total labours of the clergy, and still more of the Ijishops, from the total number of Protestants. If j^ou could collect all the I^ro- testants of Ireland into one district, one bishop and a pro])ortionate number of clergy, and a ])ro])ortionate endowment, would suflice ; and so, in many ])arts of Ire- land, where there are twenty sho}),-, one VN'ould be enouii'li, if it were Avitliin reach of all the poj)ulation. As it is, I have rather the most trouble with those parts of mv yEi. 48] CHURCH TEMPORALITIES. l".»7 diocese in wliicli there is a small and scattered Trotcstant po])ulati()n. ' 5tli. The above faUacy, and miicli of tlie chunour against the sinecure Cluirch of Irehmd (whose revenues I really believe are not superfhious), lias partly arisen from a faUacy of the opposite side. The claims of the Establish- ment have jicuerally been rested by its advocates, not on the wants of the people, but on the truth of our doctrines. They are just as true in India as here, yet all would see the ab.>urdity of a wealthy endowment for them in India ; and l)y resorting to so untenable a plan, we raise a pre- sumption that we have none better, ' Gth. It is a ])revailinu' notion with many of all parties that the tem})()rahties of the Church are alone to be attended to by the Legislature — at least till all questions relative to that branch are completely settled. " Don't mix up questions of Ecclesiastical Iieform, such as those about the Litui'gy, Church Govermnent, &c., with ques- tions of temporahties," is the language of many who, I believe, if the truth were known, would afterwards put oil all the purely ecclesiastical questions till the oOth of Feb- luary. Xow, to ])ass uwr many othei' (in my mind) weighty rea-^ons Ibr considering the two cla--ses of (|ue--- tion-' in conjnnclion. I will only put such a ca-^e a^ this : — We are incjuiring. >up|)ose, inlo the funds of some hos- l)!lal — whether they recpiired to be aided bv guNcrnnient grant-- or a county rate ; wliether. on the conlrarv, jjart of the e-late- may fairly be alienated to (»iher pur])ose> ; \vlu_'ther the property might be more ad\'antaL!'ec»u>lv maiiageil. ^.^c. Is it, in sucli a case, whollv a matter df indilli'Tt'iicc, and ii'rele\ant to the in(juii'v, \\'helher llie Im-pital recei\'es \ariou~; sorts of ea-es, or only one de-MT;p- tion ; i> n\)v\\ to a >inall dl>tricl, or admits j)atienl^ from all ; in >hort, how it is available, or miiihl l)e made more 208 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 SO, for the beneficial purposes of a hospital ? The appli- cation is obvious ; unless, indeed, it be assumed, that to suppose the Established Church could be made, by any (not injurious) alterations, acceptable to some who are now Dissenters, would be a supposition too absurd to be worth a thought. If it be possible or conceivable that the terms of communion could safely be so modified as to embrace a larger portion of the nation, it is evident that an attempt to do this is not only to be recommended as in itself desirable, but is closely connected with questions concerning the endowments of what is called the National Church. To make it so strictly national as to comprehend all individuals of the nation (which was its original design), it would be vain to hope, without infringing on religious liberty ; but the guardians of all endowments and of all ])roperty, viz. the Legislature, are bound to inquire how near an approach they can make towards this point, while they are inquiring concerning national endowments. ' Dean Swift says, " Wliat matters it how wide you make the door, as long as there are men who take a pride and a pleasure in not coming in ? " I answer, 1st, that even in respect of these, it is important to show tliat the fault is theirs, not yours ; and, 2nd, that you cannot say, at least till you have tried, how many there may be tliat would come in. J^-fJ-i a clergyman remarked t'other day, that he liad in his parish above 800 Presbyterians, who liad no liostjlity to the Establislnnent, many of tJicm often coining to cIuutIi ; and that most of them would join it altogether if it were not for the absolute requisition of sponsors for baptisms. ' I should tlicrefore recommend, as one of tlie first steps, the a])pointment of a Coinmission to incjuire into tlie ec(;lesiastical condition of the Cluu'ch, and to rc('(^mmend such immediate alterations, and such a foiin of permanent JEr. 48] TITHES AND CATHEDRAL ENDOWMENTS. 299 ecclesiastical government by members of the Churcli, as may appear proper. I fear tlie step is too bcjld to be ado[)ted ; but wluit safety has been or can be incurred by temporizing, timid half-measiQ"es ? The Eadicals are for overthrowing the Establishment — the ultra-Tories for maintaining everything as nearly as possible just as it is. If tlie third party waver from side to side between the two, or sit still because it requires boldness to take a decisive step, they will not only incur deserved contempt from both, but will be guilty of the timid rashness of a horse in a sta])le on lire, which resolutely stands still to be burned. ' 7th. Temporalities. 1st. Commute tithes on some such plan as sketched out in my " Evidence." j\L'. Bhike had, I find, struck out a similar one twelve years ago. The coincidence, on sucli a point, between us is a strt)ng ])rcsum])tion in favour of the plan. ' lie, I find, would have placed the management of tlie funds entirely in the hands of the clergy. I objected, tliat tlie endowments ought to be under the control of both lay and clerical members of the Establishment, because they belong not to clergy alone, but to the ])eo])le. "The ]'](lucation Board," I remarked to liini (and he admitted the ju-tiiess of the ])arallel), " grants a salarv to a school- iiia-lcr. not for his benefit, but for that of the scholars." And it is tlu! same with University proies>orshi|)s, ^^c. 2\\d. Cathedral endowments to be as much as pos>il)Ie brought to what I believe; was thrir original design — places of education for the candidates for Orders alU'i' lca\ing college.-^ On thi< ])oint your lordship knows niv \icws : and it is I'cniarkable tliat thty coincide with tho-c long (professedly) entertained l)y the veiy ])er^on who chieily opposed my plan, with no objection (avowed) hut the >ile, which he would have had under the wall> ot ' Se(; rruff.s-or I'utev 'On Cutlifilrul-.' Wi'-'O (.:\'(' ji'!)()(i traiuiiiL'" for tlie office. 4tli. Social licljx iiiiuiit Ix; given, at little or no cost to govcrnmciit. Avliicli ^vould !h; a great assistance to the clergy — viz.. exemption of all glebe-lioiises and lands in the United lvaii)in' iVom ail taxes and county-rates for ever while A^v/'/ //VA- ()ccu])iod by the incumbent ; removal of the heavy and iiiconviMiicui burden of stamp duties on indcntiu'c-^ : exc'iii])tioii IVoia postage of all letters from or to a l)i-liop on pureh' ccrlc siastical matters (to be stam])ed in piint on the comis) within his own diocese, to or from his own cleigy aiid churchwardens. The revenue wonld lo-c noiliimr. a^ tiic ])asi;oral circulars which would \k- >v\\{. iciid- (»riiH|;!lr' &c., &c., to the immense increase of a !)i-li(ip"> uilii'icn! \ , are now either not sent, or sent 1)y coadic-. ' Glebedands in Ireland, charged with cxoi'ltiinni rciii - for ever, should be purchased on a \aln;!!ii>ii. ami moih'raic interest })aid on the advance. /Et. -18] MISAITUEIIEXSION OF MALTriUS" MEWS. .lOl 'Also money miirlit be advaneed (on moderate interest), secured on livinjjs, to be repaid by instalments, for build- ing moderate glebediouses, where residence is })re vented by tlie want. Glebe-houses are much more essential than churches.' 'Saturday, 18.^5. ' My dear Senior, — I want you to write a short account of Malthus' views, which, perhaps, might be subjoined to a few lines of memoir of his (I believe not eventful) life. I wish justice to be done him — 1st, against his enemies ; 2nd, much more against his professed friends, who have made him a tool for noxious pui'poses. On h)oking over his book (1st edition) t'other day, I was struck with perceiving how much ol)loquy and misapprehension he might have avoided by a dilTerent choice of words. When he speaks of war and pestilence as " ne(^essary " to keep ])opulation within the bounds of subsistence (where the preventive clieck does not operate), the better word would have been "unavoidable," and the word "tendency" should have been explained as in my Xiiith Lecture. 'lam corresi)()nding with Lord Melbourne about the Laring Clauses, ^ &c., and find him well di>p()sed. • I like what I have seen of Lord ^h)i-i)eth. I exhibited to him and Lord Lansdowne an examination at the National School in rolilical I'^couomy, which struck them a> admirable.' ' DuLlin: ^Fay 1, Is;!.",. ' ^[y Lord," — As a member, and I trust no inacli\e member, of tlu' Ivhication IJoard, to which vour lord>liip lately ad(lr(-s>ed a letter, I take the liberlv of -ubinittini!" to you some remarks in reference to the subject ol'th;il coiniiumication. I speak only as an individual, but the ' t'liiii-s iiitrn(luc,.(! this yrar liy .Mr. lliii^liam iJaiiiiL;- into tlir lii-li ('!iin-cli i;jll, liut iicu-ati\r(!. Sec tlio tullowing Irttcr. ■ Aiijiaiviuly to 1,1)1x1 .Mrlbouriie. 302 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP "SVHATELY. [1835 only two members of the Board (one not a member of the Church), with whom I have as yet communicated on the subject now before me, agree in the main with my views. ' There is much alarm felt among many Protestants in Ireland — not men of extreme party views, but liberal and moderate — as to the intentions of Government in reference to the Established Church, and the National Education Board. The course of procedure which is apprehended is in fact not merely from formal documents, but in part also from the reports of speeches made in the House, and from what appear reasonable conjectures as to the designs of the speakers. ' It is concluded, first, that in parishes where there is a very small or no Protestant population, the revenues of the Church will be either wholly or in part, as the case may be, transferred to the Education Board, as the incumbents drop, their life-interests being reserved ; secondly, that in the event of an increase in the Protestant population, such portion of the ftmds thus alienated, as may be thought requisite, shall be drawn from the Education Board and restored to the original purpose ; thirdly, that in the event of a further diminution of the Protestants, a further por- tion shall be withdrawn ft-om the Chiu-ch and applied to the purpose of general education. This last supposition is merely conjectural, but is so strictly the converse of the preceding that everyone at once concludes, and must con- clude by parity of reasoning, that it must be contemplated. Now, it will not be supposed, by anyone who knows much of the state of Ireland, that we contemplate as pro- liable any such increase of the Protestant population as to call for the restoration of a considerable portion of tlie alienated funds. In a few places, perha])s, attempts may be made, I fear with disastrous results, by some zealous Protestant landlords, to increase, with this view, the ^T. 48] ON NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND. 803 proportion of Protestants on their estates; but on the whole we neither li()})e nor fear any .such result. What alarms us, is the holding out the principle of such a system as the apportioning of the revenues of the Church and of the Education Board to the varying j)roportions of the Eoman Catholic popidation to the Protestant ; and again, the principle of making the funds for national education contingent upon the death of incumbents. The natural effect of the latter of these provisions must be to place the clergy so circumstanced in a most invidious and, in this countiy, a most dangerous situation. Xo one who knows anything of Ireland would like to reside here surrounded l)y his heirs, on whom his income was to devolve at his death. And such would be very much tlie case with an incumbent who was regarded as standing between the nation and the national benefit — viz., of provision for the education of their children. Then, in respect of the other ])()int, every Protestant who might come to settle, or re- main settled in any parish, Avould be regarded as tending towards the withdrawing or withholding, as the case might be, of the funds of the national education, and diverting tliem to the use of an heretical establishment. 'The most hai'assing ])(M"secutions, the most ferocious outrages, tlie most systematic nuirders, would in conse- fjucnce l)e increased fourfold. Bitter as I'cligious animosi- ties^ have liitlierto been in this wretched country, it would be to most persons astonishing tliatthey could l)e so nuich augmented as I have no doubt tliey Avould be by this t^ital ex])eriment. Wlien, instead of mere vague jealousy, re- venge, and ])arty spirit, to [)rompt to crinu^ and violence, tlici'e Wiis also held out a distinct ])ecuniary national bene- lit ill tlie extermination of Protestants, it Avould be in fact a piicc set on tlieir heads, or thev would he hunted down like wolves. I need not assure your lordship of my 304 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP AVHATELY. [1835 conviction that nothing can be further from your Avishes than such results. I give proof of this conviction even by making this statement, which would point out, to anyone who did entertain such a wish, the most effectual mode of keeping Ireland in a state of perpetual agitation. ' The arrangement I have been alluding to seems on the face of it, and in itself, as equitable as any that could be devised ; but in order for it to work well, it would be requisite that, in a regard for justice, in candour and liberality of sentiment, and in peaceable and orderly dis- position, the mass of the Irish population should be as much superior as I fear they are inferior to the most civihzed people on earth. ' I beg to assure your lordship that I am not one of those who deny that the endowments of the Church are to be considered as national property, and who would invest them with a sort of sacred inviolability, based, not on the wants of the population, but on the trutli of the tenets of our Church. I acknowledge that much of this kind of argument has been adduced by supporters of our Establishment, and to this cause I trace, in some measure, the excessive degree in which the wants of the Protestant population, as compared with the Church property, have been underrated. The position assumed was one whicli had no reference to those wants, for our rehgion must be as true in Hindostan as it is here ; and if our Hindoo dominions were divided into parishes, with an endowment for a clergyman in each, everyone would be forced to allow that to be a sincere Establislnnent. And if, instead of 700,000, the number of tlie Establishment in Ireland w^ere but 70, the truth of the religion would remain the same, though manifestly its equitable claims to endow- ments woidd be very difTcrent. 'But, I will add, that I am now speaking, not as a clergy- yEr. 48] ON NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND. im man, or even as a member of the Churcli, but as a member of the civil coumiimity, in reference merely to the promo- tion of public tranquillity, which would be most awfully disturbed by making the Church endowments an a})ple of discord between those of different persuasions. Better, far better, would it be to confiscate at once and for ever all the endowments held by the clergy, and leave them to be supported by voluntaiy contribution, or by manual labour. However impoverished, they and their congrega- tions would at least have security for their lives. ' Jkit the evils I so much deprecate may, I feel no doubt, be avoided, not only without abandoning the ad- vantages sought for, but even in such a manner as to secure an incivased benefit. I would suggest that it shoidd be determined at once, and fiuall}^, what amount of revenue should be left to the Protestant Establishment, and that Government should take possession of the surplus, what- ever it might be, as a reimbursement for all that has been already, or shall be hereafter, expended in grants towards nati<)nal education in the British Empire. Let the existing ineimi])ents of such benefices as it might be determined to su|)pr('ss become at once life-pensioners of Government, and let whatever gi'ants miglit seem advisable be made t(f mice I;) the Ivlucalion Boai'd, or any such institution, instead of letting the Irish nation understand that a great national adxantage must l)e post[)oned in great measure till llie death of certain I'rotestant cleigymen, and that alter all it is to be on a more or less libi'ral scale, according to the less oi- greater mnnlxn- of Brotestiuits. I can foresee one objection that may he ])]ausil)ly urged again-t Avhat I propose. If, it may be said, there is t') he a linal settlement, without any eventual restora- tinn ()!■ further diminution, how are we to meet the pos- >\\)\r alleralions liereal'ter in the ntunbers of I'rototanls y vol.. I. X 306 LIFE OF AECIIBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1835 The revenues which are fixed on as now sufficient, may hereafter become either inadequate or excessive. Now, I would observe, that an alteration of numbers, even far greater that I can at all anticipate, would not destroy the propriety of such an adjustment as might now be fixed on. I suppose, for instance, a parish in which there are now one hundred and fifty Protestants, for whose benefit a minister is maintained ; should the number be hereafter trebled, he could very w^ell attend to four hundred and fifty ; should it, on the contrary, be reduced to a third, it would not be unreasonable that even fifty Protestants should not be left without any minister ; and if they are to have one at all, there must be a decent maintenance for an educated man. And should any parishes even- tually lose the whole of their Protestant population, I can state, from my own knowledge as a member of the Ecclesiastical Board, that there are many, very many, places where the revenues of such parishes might be most advantageously bestowed in building glebe-houses and augmenting wretchedly poor livings. If, on the otlier hand, an increased Protestant population should hereafter spring up in several places, I can state, also from my own knowledge, that several instances of the kind liave occurred and are occurring in my own and in other dioceses ; in which cases endeavours have been used, with more or less success, and are now going on, to provide places of wor- ship and endowments by private liberality. At any rate, whatever dilficulties of this 'we may hereafter have to encounter, I should say, let us struggle with thein as we can, or be aided by a direct and s])ecific Government grant, without tlie least liint being dropped about the restora- tion of alienated Cluircli funds wliicli had been appro- priated to national education ; or, again, of a further alienation for the promotion of any Irish national ol)ject. yET. 48] OX NATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND. 307 The faintest surmise of anything of tlie kind would be fatal to all h()])es of tranquillity. I am indeed inclined lo believe that hints or deelarations of such intentions on the part of Government as I am deprecating, would, for that very reason, be welcomed and encouraged by some whose credit and whose interest are involved in the maintenance of perpetual agitation in Ireland. But an enlightened statesman, who sincerely seeks to promote peace, will not consider as a presumption against the expediency of any ])lan, tliat it is not so acceptable to those wliose trade is to promote turbulence. To seek to pacify Ireland by com- pHance and flivour shown to its disturbers, woidd be even worse than tlie superstitious proceihire of our forefatliers, witli their weapon-salve, who left the wound to itself, and ap[)lied their unguents to the sword which had inflicted it. ' I have trespassed much on your lordship's time and patience, but however erroneous, or however superfluous, may l)e any part of what I liave urged, I ti'ust to be ])ar- doned in consideration of my motive; wliicli is, if I know myself at all, tlie same by wliich I believe your lordshij) to ])e actuated — a sincere anxiety lV)r the public welfare. Xo other motive, indeed, would have overcome my I'eluc- tance to exchange a life far more suital)le to my own tastes and habit-, for the situation I now fill. And the same moti\'c in(hu'(;d nu? to encounter all the harassing dis(juict and toil, and to have all the ol)lo([uy, consc([uent on the ])art I ha\e taken as a mcMnbcrof the I'ducation Commis- sion. From that anhious post I havc^ never llinchcd for one moment, though of course occupying the most t'Xpo-ed and invidious point of it. And I am willing to persevere, ])rovi(led, and only ])ro\i(le(l, the Uoard is not to be sujjported by a fund that is to (luctuale and X'AVV accoi'ding to the longer or shorter hws of IVo- te--lant incumbents, or the diminution or inci'ca-H' of ilu' 808 LIFE. OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 Protestant population. But I cannot consent, and I have felt myself bound to make this declaration early, to be- come in any degree a party to a system that would tend to keep up and foster the religious animosities of this distracted country. ' I think it right to add that, in the report of a speech of Sir Robert Peel, I observed that some of the topics of this letter were touched on ; but not till after I had communicated my views on the subject to some who are now members of the Administration. ' I have the honour to be, &c., &c., ' E. Dublin.' The following playful effusion, beginning a letter to Mr. Senior on Church and State questions, is very character- istic. The Secretary was his loved and valued friend Dr. Dickinson, to whom the letter was dictated : — ' May 28, 1835. ' My dear Senior, — Don't be afraid of my communi- cating to 5^ou through my Secretary, for he is such an ass he does not perceive at this moment that I am writing to you about him. ' I enclose you a letter from Lord Duncannon and my answer. ' I went to the Lord-Lieutenant yesterday by ap]')oint- ment, and had a long conversation with him about the Irish Church. I have sent him to-day copies of my letters to Lord Lnnsdowne and Lord John Eussell ; also your pamplilet in strict confidence. I think I succeeded in ex- citing in his mind a sense of danger whicli lie did not pre- viously feel. He seemed to contemplate two measures distinctly — first, a tithe-bill, and second, a congregational system. I urged him not to di\ide a bitter })otion into two doses, but to get all down at once at one gul]). I yET. 48] ArPLICATION OF CHURCH REVENUES. 309 pointed out to him tliat measures tliemselves are the only warrant of finahty— tliat, say what you will, you camiot bind your successors. ' Yoiu's truly, ' 11. WlIATELY.' ' (Pnvate.y ' Dublin : May 28, 183^"). ' My Lord, — I shall make no apology for replying to yoiu' lordship's favour received yesterday, briefly, uncere- moniously, and freely. ' The proposed clause, though not incompatible with such an arrangement as would obviate the ai)})rehen(led danger, does not in itself at all go to meet the diflicidties. The questions which will be asked upon it are, " To what fund will the revenue of the suppressed benefice go ? And from what will the restored revenue comei'" If the answer be, " The Xational School in the parish, or the iSational Education Board, or some Irish national ol)ject," the reply will be that the provision in the clause is vain, and worse tlian vain. It is vain, because in sucli a coiuitry as this the fifty Protestants would not dare to sign the ]~)a])(.n- ; and W()rs(^ than vain, because if there were forty-five in the ])arisli thei'e would be a (les])erate combination to ])revent 1)V all po>sil)lc means the iiici'ease of their numbei's. 'The diHicullies to be encountered are these: the reso- lution iinj)lyi!ig that the supposed surplus of Church I'l'vcnuc is to be appi'opriatcd to national education.it will be understood that tin,' funds Ibj- national educatitju will be increased oi" diminished according to, iirst, the death or life of existing incumbents; seeondly, the diminution or increase of IVotestants ; and this is in fact, in a country so lawless, so agitated, and so reckless of bloodshed, to set a })i-ice on the head of eveiy* Trotestant. ' I'ruljaljlv to Lord J)iaiciunu)n. 310 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 ' I grant that it is in itself, and supposing a peaceful and fair-minded population, a very equitable arrangement ; but what is wholesome food to a man in health, may be poison to a man in a fever. We administer a draught of w^ater to clear away anything that is clioking one. In liydrophobia, water chokes. But all this, unhappily, some Eno'lish members do not understand, and some Irish un- derstand it too well, and will earnestly recommend such a course, precisely because they know tliat it will keep up a perpetual smouldering civil war. I am convinced that many of those English members, who would w^ith the greatest difficulty be persuaded to abandon an arrange- ment which seems in itself both just and tending to the allaying of animosity, wdll be as much grieved as sur- prised when they see the result of a tenfold bitterness of animosity and restless agitation. ' Add to this that the Education Board itself will become an object of far more bitter hatred and opposition than ever before, whereas it is now rapidly gaining ground in the goodwill of Protestants. Mr. Blake, who will not be suspected of Protestant prejudice, declared to me spon- taneously his resolution to withdraw from the Board if any of the revenue of the Protestant Establishment should be directly transferred to it. He said he could not bear to be put in an invidious and indelicate situation for the sake of carrying on a system whose efficiency he was con- vinced would be ruined, while interminable agitation and dissension through Ireland Avould be the ]-c-uh. I, of course, must a(lo])t a similar course, even if he did not, but I believe all the most efficient members of the Board would also withdraw. ' I am fully aware of the present diffiicult position of Government. They nnist not appear to stultify the resolution of the House of Connnons ; nor, amiin, must yEr. 48] APPLICATION OF CIIUIICII IlEVENrj:s. ;}1I tlie}', unless they would totally and finally ruin Ireland, allow even the appearance or suspicion of putting the Pj-otestant EstaWishinent and National Education in the two opposite scales. ' No feeble, timorous, half-measures will avail in a case of such extreme difficulty and peril ; nor do I think it would be desirable to divide the measures proposed, when there is at any rate so much odium and opposition to be encoun- tered. It would be })reparing two struggles instead of one. ' If I might be allowed to suggest in such a case the course which seems to me to lead to — I will not say tlie l)est, but the only outlet, I should say, let it be fixed what amount of reveinies it is thouQ-ht fair to leave to tlie Protes- tant Establishment ; then, after it has been settled, in what mode the composition, &c., should be collected. Let the endowments be made over to the Ecclesiastical Board, for tlie support of so many bishops at so nuich ; so many rectors and curates at so much ; so nnich for repairs of chiu'ches and jjlebe-houses ; the whole together not to exceed so much, and tlie overplus to be paid over to the C'DUsolidated Fund in part compensation for all that Cioveriiiuent has advanced, and will liereafter advance, for tlu,' suppoil of education. Thirdly, the revemies retained by the i^oard to be divided to the several ministers ac- cording to the wants of the Protestant j)('0[)le. without ]'('frrcn''e to the teri'itorial divisions of parishes, rourthly, ;ill lilt' incnnnbents at ])resent holding sinecurt's to be at once made pensioners on the Consolidated Fund. 'This s()unds a very sweeping measure; but what that is not a sweeping measure could have done more at anv rate than patch up matters in Ireland for a very few yeai's, even if the late resolution of the House of Commons had not been passed? And as things now stand, the mosl dilli- cult and odious parts of such a ])lan nuist be encounteivd. 312 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 And if a painful and perilous operation must be undergone, it is folly not to amputate all the mortified part at once, and leave another amputation to be undergone hereafter. ' In point of expense, I would remark that hardly any one seriously believes the expected surplus will be any- thing of great- importance in itself. The chief thing com- plained of is the sort of insult implied by the spectacle of an endowed clergyman whose flock are not of his persua- sion. All the expenses that may be incurred by provid- ing liberally for national education, and for the real wants of the Protestants ; all that, in short, can be incurred by doing all that money possibly can do for the pacification of Ireland, would not be a fourth of what was cheerfully incurred for the chance of pacification of the Sugar Islands. If, then, we should calculate very closely the dif- ference of 100,000/., more or less, in this case, we should resemble a man who should be much alarmed, and readily submit to any medicine or regimen for the gout in his foot ; but when it attacked his stomach, think much of any incovenience necessary for a cure.' The following extract is from a letter written to a friend, and giving the report of a conversation between the Archbishop and a clergyman, on the subject of this friend's views and opinions : — ' Mr. began by expressing his regret that you had withdrawn from the party 5'ou had long been connected Avith. I could not, I said, participate in tliat regret, it being always my advice to ever}^ one to keep clear of the shackles of every party. ' He said lie conceived mo to be prejudiced against the party in question, on account of the very unju-tifiable treat- ment I liad received from some particular members of it. ' I strongly protested against the charge of " prejudice" y"ET. 48] COXVERSATIOX WITH A CLEUGYMAX. 01.3 in the strict sense, viz., as a ])rc-ju(liciuni, a jiul^ment formed antecedently to knowledge. llavining them, I make great allowance for a })arty-man's acting in a way tliat would be exe("rable if he were unshackled. Having enlisted, and marching in the ranks of a ])arty, his conduct, when lU'ged on him by his associates, is though not excused, yet palliated, and is en- titled to some degree of ])ity (not immixed with contem])t), if it be such as he would, if left to himself, abhor. I^ut then, on tlie otlier hand, he is in a great degree responsi- ble inr all that is done l)y the rest of his ])arty, in the cMUsc and in the matters wlu'i'cin tluy are associated, c\"cn when he has no personal slmiv. He is allbi'ding them his countenance — " comlbiling, aiding, and abt'tting." ' yiv. said that you were of a di>])osition to need and wi>li for the support of a parly, and could not well do without it. ' I replied, that thougli some maybe nioi'e inclined tlian others to join a ])artv, I had advised you. as I do all \)vv- sons, to keep clear ol" all ; and that, holding as I do that tliis is the duty of all. T could not doubt tliat it was pos- sible, though more dillicult for some than for others. •He ^aid he had felt convinci'd thai lie could t'Oed some highly im[)ortant objects nnich l)etter by ein'olliug 314 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 himself in a party than by standing single ; and that he had therefore done so, though he disapproved of much that was done by his party. ' I said it was perfectly justifiable and right to join with any person, or any party or association, when distinctly understood to be for some specified definite object or objects ; but not to enrol yourself as a supporter, indefi- nitely and generally, of all the views and practices of those whom you do not throughout approve of. It is quite right, for instance, to join in some charitable associa- tion wdth men of various religious and political sentiments ; the nature and objects of the association being distinctly stated, you are pledged to nothing else ; the members are not pledged to each other's religious or political creeds ; they are responsible each for himself alone, in all matters not pertaining to that particular charity. So also, if I join with certain members of Parliament to oppose or to forward some specific legislative measure, I am not re- sponsible for the rest of their public any more tlian of their private conduct. So also, as on education com- mittees, I act with Eoman Catholics and Dissenters on a specified plan, for a definite object. But if I allow myself to be reckoned as one of the High Church or of the Low Church party, or any other such party as is characterised not by aiming at some one or more specified measure, but by the general tendency of their religious principles and views, everything which comes before tlie world (in refer- ence to those principles), and wliicli I do not distinctly and ]iiil3licly disavow, becomes to a certain degree my act. TJiougli not distinctly done by me, the agents derive ii'om me (as well as from eacii of the otlier individuals of the party) some of that countenance and suppojt which I in return receive from them, in fmthering such measures as I seek to promote. yET. 48] CONVERSATION WITH A CLERGYMAN. 315 ' 111 foct, this is proved by tlie very reason 'Mr. assijxiied for acting with a party, viz., the support and countenance of a party enabled him to acconiphsh the better what he reckoned desirable objects. Now it would be absurd and indeed unfair to think of obtaining, himself, this aid towards his own views from others, if they were to derive none from him towards theirs. Now this makes you, said I, responsible to a certain degree for much that you admit to be most unjustifiable conduct. Are you not therefore even more to be blamed (instead of being thereby excused) in consequence of the disapprobation you feel of that which you nevertheless so far sanction? ' Xo doubt one may, as a member of a part}', effect many good objects more fully than he could otlierwise. So lie might by turning Eoman Catholic, or Mahometan, or Hindoo : lie miglit convey some good moral lessons, and check some faults among those who could not other- wise be bi'ought to listen to him ; but would he be justi- fied ill 1)ecomiiig, on tliat ground, a member of a chiirc]i or sect whicli he believed tauglit mucli that is false and sanctions mucli that is vicious? This is clearly a case of doing evil that good may come. And it clearly makes no difference in principle whetlun' the error be one oi another; whether gi-eater or smaller; whether there be two or three or fifty errors thus sanctioned. ' If vou have no I'ight. for the sake of effecting some good object, to become a ^ilahonictaii, you ha\'e no riLlit to become a meinber of an orthodox or an evangelical ])arty, if they inculcate or practise, as a party, anything you disapprove; unless you distinctly and pul)hcl3'|)rotesL against any such act or tenet of theirs. ' l')y the bye, it is (airious to observe how 3i[r. and other nie!nl)ers of his and of other parties are themsel\cs ai'tuaUy doing the very thing for which they censure, 31G LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 without any real foundation, the education committees. You hear much clamour about our combining with Eoman Catholics — compromising principles, and all that ; and I am made accountable for Eomish theology, and for all the Eoman Catholic errors ; as Archbishop Murray is, by " John Tuam," for all that I have written against Eomish errors ; as if we were members of a party ; for all which there is no ground whatever, because we are acting together solely for a specified object — the diffusion of a certain kind and degree of instruction to the poor, and on a system of which the rules are all written and printed and published. It is just so that the members of the Dublin Mendicity Institution are acting together for tlie relief of a certain class of poor ; and thus the Irisli land- lords, Whig and Tory, are uniting to concert means of altering a certain portion of the Poor Law Bill. ' If, indeed, the object of the Education Board be a bad one — if it be better that the poor Eoman Catliolics should be left totally ignorant unless they will consent to be educated as Protestants — on that ground let us be cen- sured ; but it is mere folly, or something worse, to repre- sent us as responsible for each other's acts and tenets, as individuals : we are responsible only for wliat is regularly resolved on and ordered by the Board. But it would be otherwise if, like the very persons wlio censure us, we allowed ourselves to be considered as members of a party, formed not merely for certain specified and definite objects in particular, but for the advancement, generally, of certain religious views and practices ; and if we allowed, witliout protesting against them, certain views to be promulgated, and practices recommended, and measures ado]:)ted, by niembers of tliat party, and undc;rstood as coming from the party, while we secretly disapproved of them. This is wliat we do not do, but Avliat tliose persons do, who at ^T. 4S] CONVERSATION WITH A CLERGYMAN. 317 tlie same time impute to us the very faults they are guilty of. ' They think, forsooth, they can effect, as members of a party, some good which they could not otherwise. I think that as an Education Connnissioner I can efl'ect good objects which woidd otherwise be unattainable ; but that consideration would not justify me if I purchased this advantaLre bv a-ivinfi; mv sanction to something; which I thouglit wrong or erroneous. And why am I not giving any sanction to some error, for instance, of Dr. Murray? Xot because I tell you or Mr. , in a private conversa- tion, that I disapprove of some of Dr. ]\[urray's views ; but because I am ]i()t one of the same party witli him — not combined witli him at all, except in the specified work of carrying into effect a certain distinct plan, drawn out by Lord Stanley for a })recise object. ' But to return to my narrative. Mr. said it was very well for such a person as myself to resolve to stand aloof from all parties — that I was able and wortliy to stand single, i.K;c., but that for more humble individuals like him, it woukl be too presumptuou><, (kc. 'I said, I liad not l)een thought nuich of early in life, but tliat I had very early f )rmed the ivsohitiou to lie my.-elf to no man or party, but to listen to reason from e\-ei'V quai'tei" — to '" ])rove all things, and to hold last that which is i-ight,"' according to the l)est judgment I was able to form. And this ])l:in I laid down for mvself, not because T thought my>elf an eruiueut man, l)ut bt'causc I though.t it a Christian duty. I have faults enough of mv own to answer for; I can't allbrd to answer for other ])eople's. And yet that I nuist do, if I act at the l)i(lding of othei-s, or it' I give my implied sanction to the acts ot" a parly. It is in vain for me to throw oil' my free agciicv : 1 cannot tlu-ow oil' my responsibility. AN'hether the \\ii\\l 318 LIFE OF ArtCIIBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 of reason tliat God has given me be strong or weak, He does not authorize me to shut my eyes, and be led bhnd- fold by any human party or rabbi. ' Accordingly, I never did, said I, even when I was a person of no note or expectation, enrol myself as a par- tisan ; and what is more, I added, if I had I should now have been a party-leader. ' It was not, I said, from disdaining to occupy an in- ferior place in the ranks of a party that I kept aloof; but from objecting to party, especially religious party, as con- trary to the words and spirit of the Apostle's admonitions. When he censures as " carnal " those who said, " I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ," he does not make any exception in favour of some humbler class of Christians ; he does not say, " You that are great and eminent men ought not to be carnal, but ordinary Christians may;" nor again, when he says, "Are ye not carnal and walk as men?" he does not say that sucli con- duct is carnal in some persons, and not in others ; but lie censures and forbids parties in the Corintliian Church generally. I must conclude therefore, said I, that he meant to extend this to all Christians (till I see some reason given for an exception), and not merely to great and eminent men. It may be said, to be sm^, that there is somethino- of moral greatness of character m resolving not to follow a leader, and to show due respect indeed and kindness to all men, but to " call no man master upon earth." ' " Ay," said he, " that is just what I mean when I speak of a Gjreat man beino: siicli a one as can and sliould keei) clear of party ; it is not so nuicli intellectual as moral (greatness that is wanted for acting such a part." ' True, I replied ; Init it is ])recise]y this moral great- ness that is required of every Christian, and which he is ^T. 48] LETTER TO SENIOR OX THE TITHE P.ILL. 319 enabled to manifest. If this be a duty (as Paul distinctly declares it to be), it must be something possible. What is tlie Gospel given for? What mean the promises of Divine grace? Is tlie Christian religion not designed to elevate our nature ? And if so, and intellectual capacity or superhuman knowledge are not to be looked for by all Christians, what is the elevation of our nature to consist in, if it be not that moral greatness, which you speak of as being a thing not to be thought of by one in a thou- sand ? Are the rest, the mass of Christians, to claim, by virtue of their being God's people, the privilege of being allowed to continue "carnal?" Are these to show their humility, not by submitting to God, but by submitting to a pai'ty of men ? ' •• iJe not deceived : God is not thus mocked." ' Mime 2, 18:^,5. ' My dear Senior, — I send you an acc(nint enclosed of what I wish to have effected, if possible, by a clause in the Tithe Bill. ' On the whole, I have considerable doubts whether the Tithe l)iil can be carried by such a majority in the House ol" Commons as will enal)le them to force it through the olhei' House, unless some ])rovision be added which mav ])]ainly indicate a desire to benelit the Trotestant Church. And such a pi'ovision would be, I think, what my most rancorous op])onents now publicly admit to be the wisest and best provision — what I suggested three-and-a-half years ago — to throw the Chiu'ch pro})erty, whatever it may be thought right to leave us, into the hands of an IvH'le-iastical Doard. The Church has been sj)()ken of as if it were a body-corporate, and could distribute it-^ re- venues as might seem best on a Joint deliberatiou ; wliiK', 320 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 in fact, there being no such power of self-government in any matter, either ecclesiastical or civil, we have been imjustly blamed for excessive sinecure (or nearly sinecure) endowments, while other portions of the Establishment have been inadequately supplied. And thus a local congestion has been mistaken for a general plethora. Suppose the army was maintained by separate endow- ments for each regiment and for each fort, not to be otherwise distributed, many of them would in time become superfluous ; and yet the whole military estab- lishment might be short of what was needed. ' Whatever is taken from us, let us at all events be allowed to make the most of what is left, by being allowed to apportion it rationally. This would be a benefit to the Church ; but it would be no less so to the proposers of the measure, because tliey would thus get rid of the odiiun of the name of " abolishing Protestant parishes," " leaving Protestants destitute of spiritual aid," &c., &c. Let a board of our own have the regulation of the funds, and you may trust them not to throw away money by locating several ministers where one or two (circulating perhaps from one small congregation to another) would suffice. ' Unless some such course be taken, you should remem- ber that the party now in power are placed between two others, one of them, if not each, stronger than itself, and rather desirous of driving matters to extremity. Many, at least, of thelladicals would not dislike to see the Tories reseated, in tlie confidence of being able to drive out botli tliem, and, witli them, several of our existii)g institutions and principles ; and many again, I know, of the Tories trust so nuicli to " reaction," tliat tliey would not be sorry to see the Padicals in pLice, on the principle that an over- dose of poison may be rejected l)y tlie stomach, and so s;ive tlie patient. It is a very difficult game that tlie yET. 48] LETTER TO SENIOR OX THE TITHE BILL. 321 middle party liave to play, and their best chance, I think, is to fortify themselves, by the support of these honest hona-fide friends of the IVotestant Establishment, who are not mere political Protestants. ' As for these last, I reuard them and the Ivadicals as only two diflerent kinds of enemies to the Protestant Church ; they are like tlie Asiatic and African hunters of the ele})hant ; tlie latter wish to kill the animal for his ivory, and as much ilesh as they can carry off, leaving the re-l of the carcase as a scramble f^r hyenas and vidtures ; tlie others wisli to catch and keep him for a drudge. 'I am (-(juvinced it woidd be nuich more popular, more convenient, and more equitable, to decide in the first in>tance what shall be left for the suj)port of such a nundx'r of l)isliops or ministers, and of churches, as shall be deemed I'equisite, and then to })i'oceed to consider what shall l)e done witli any eventual siu'plus. This supposed surplus ] laving been monstrously overrated (except on the sup])oni'p!u^. P". for instances the ])ei'petuity fund (which is ibr the benefit of the Churcli) is to receive any eventual excess of the suppivssioii fund abo\e what the iMlucation JJoard may lu^ed to repay its debt-^. then the Chui'ch and tlif lloainl ai'e jjUiccmI in op])osite scales, in the \cry \\ay 1 (iej)iH'cale ; for though I do not l)ehe\"e any such excess \o|,. I. Y 822 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1835 is likely to accrue, tlie very proposal of siicli a scheme would make it tlie interest of Protestants, as sucli, to try to clieck the progress of the Education Board, in order to diminish its expenditure, and thus increase the amount allotted to Protestant purposes ; and, again, the efforts of Eoman Catholics to extend the education system would, not unnaturally, be attributed to hostility to Pro- testantism, as much as to zeal for education ; and tlie hostile collision and animosity now existing may thus be doubled, by a rivalry in the pursuit of what, after all, is probably but a shadow. And those (probably the ma- jority of all parties) who should perceive that it is but a shadow, woidd be disgusted by the appearance of disin- genuous shuffle and mystification. Those ^^■ho really wish to see Ministers disgracefully defeated, would inwardly rejoice to see a provision inserted Avhich could so well be made a handle of. ' I am sure, as I have said, that it is no more than necessary in this emergency, to concihate tlie real friends of the Church, as far as can be done without decidedly contravening the principles distinctly recognised by the great majority of the House of Commons ; but in defiance of those who are in reality like malicious furies, seeking to lead Ministers into difficulties, and then leaving them in the lurch, vanishing like an ignis-fatuus. ' Xow, suc-li a measure would be the just and j^opular one of meeting the present difficulties of the Ecclesiastical Board (per])etiiity fund), in respect of the building and repairing of (hunhes, by advancing fi'om the consolidated fund, without interest, as much as is really and fairly needed, subject to any kind of superintendence and con- ti-ol that you think right. Ejj., tlie diocese of Dublin alone (no unfair specimen), besides its calls for l)uilding and enlarging churches and chapels-of-ease to a very /Et. 48] LETTER TO SENIOR OX THE TITHE 15II.L. 323 coii^'ulorable amount, wliicli tlic Boai'd lias been ()l)lir the death of bishops or })urchasc of ])er- pt'tuities. and while the House of Connnons is deliberating how to dispose of the superlhious wealth of the l^^stab- li>liment ! The loan should be without interest, but lo be repaid to the consolidated fund whenever the per- petuity fund should become ii'reater than needed for such ])Ui'poses. ' iSome otlier little grains of sugar might be inserted to I'cnder the dose palatable to Ti-otestants, as far as coidd be done without offending lioman Catholics. For instance, it Avould l)e. ju'r s,\ desirable to cMiact — and foi' tlie abo\'e i-en^oii nio-l, especially de-irable to in-^ei't in this bill — the renrw-ioii of ;ill stani|>-duties on indentures, which ai'c a 'jMlling bui'den. and an!)rd no ade(|uale I'cN'enue ; and also 1.1 iibnlivli the neee<-ity of applying to the IVixy ('oun;'il jbi' renio\:il of sites of churclio. alli'fing di\i-ion> of pari-lie-. >.Ve.. which are t ronble-ome. oden-ive and wxa- liou^. and now incon-i>tt'nt. since the l']cclesia-tical JSoard e\i(leinly ought now to ha\c' the I'egulation of all such matter-. ^ I have mentione(l the stcj) 1 ha\"e taken I'elatix e to the building (le-igned for the 'idieological College, not l)ecau<(> 1 -liuiild like to Ii;i\"e anvihing relatiw cd nuitiiih' \n \[ in-eiled in the bill, wlii(di would do harm ; but that if Y -J 324 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 possible it should be so worded as to facilitate, or at least not impede, hereafter the introduction of such a measure. Cojjy of a Letter from the Archhishojj of Dublin to Lord Melbourne. ' (Private.) 'October 24, 1835. ' My dear Lord, — I shall not send this letter for a day or two, but I prefer committing to paper at once what occurs to me, in answer to your lordship's, just received. ' I have given much attention to the subject you advert to — the dependence and non-dependence of ministers on their parishioners. I will not undertake a wider discus- sion of the question tiian the case immediately before us calls for. Whatever may be the case in respect of parish- ioners of one's own communion, it must be allowed to be un- desirable that a Protestant clergyman sliould be dcjoendent on Eoman Catholics (as must be the case in most parts of Ireland, if he is to be at all dependent on his parisliioners), since these would be probably led by their priest, as ex- perience has often shown, to like him tlie better tlie more he neglected his duty. This one consideration is so de- cisive that I feel there is no need of dwelling on others of more general application : sucli as, that pecuniary con- nection tends to lead tlie person to attend to and conciliate cliietly tlie paying part of liis parishioners, to the neglect of those who are both the most numerous and tlie most in need of his services. ' I might add my own decided conviction, from reflec- tion and experience, that as this temptation does operate (under the existing system on tlie worst and lowest- minded persons so as to produce an evil result, so, on the best again and most conscientious, thouijh those who Mr. 48] LETTER TO LORD MELBOURNE OX TITHES. 325 would endeavour to do their duty under any system, tlieir UKJtives are liable to be misinterpreted under the existing one ; they are open to the suspicion, though a false one, of luiving tithes in view rather than duty, and thus their deserved inliuence is weakened. Those, again, of an in- termediate character — neither wholly devoted to their j)ecuniary interests, nor quite exempt from the inti'usion of inferior motives into their ministerial conduct, — these I have ahva3's foiuid more likely to assmne an air of stately independence in order to avoid all imputation of courting iheir pai'ishioners from interested views. You may often see such a man kind and condescending towards those of his pai'isliioners from whom he can look for no pecuniary advantage, while he is stiff and haughty towards those by whom he may be a gainer or loser. On the whole, I should say that making the clergy independent, in a pecu- niary view ((le])endent for a })leasant neighbourhood they must always be), of their congregations {i.e., of all their parishioners, as they now are of most), would be a great benefit in respect of the two latter classes of clergymen — the best and tlie second-best ; and in respect of the woi'st would do no evil, since it would only change one kind of fault for another, and not a woi'se — servile timidity or noxious flattery foi' insolence or nc^u'ligi'uce. Ihit the cii'v'uui-^tance 1 fii'st mentioned is so decisive, as fir as Ireland i-< concerned, that I need not dwell further on more general I'easons. •As for (he other two ol)jections, as il is nnucM^'ssai'v to lii'o\-e to youi" lordship that they are futile, so it is not. T 1 hiuk, didicult to meet them in a manner satisfactorv to all who may uige them with sincerity, and art' open to cou\ielio!i ; llu' rest may be perhaps silenced, lliough ne\er -alislie(l. ' 1-t. '1 he clergy, li'oni being stipendiaries of their 326 LIFE OF ArtCHBISIiOP VVIIATELY. [1835 parishioners, wlio are mostly hostile to their rehgioii, will become stipendiaries of an Ecclesiastical Board consisting of respectable individuals belonging to their communion. If any one can deliberately prefer the former, he must have been reading of Eomulus and Eemus suckled by a wolf, till he has come to the conclusion that a wolf is tlie very best wet-nurse. ' As for separating the ■ clergy from the land, I have really nothing to say, but that it is not fields but human beings on which our culture is bestowed. I remarked before the Lords' Committee, five-and-a-half years ago, how lamentable it was that under the tithe-system, as buildings rise up and cover what were cornfields, the revenues of the clergyman are regularly diminishing, exactly in the ratio that the services required of iiim increase. ' 2nd. The principle of conferring a benefit on each spot, in consideration of the revenue drawn from tlie inliabitants of that spot, leads to such a long tissue of absurdities, and some of them so palpable, that I think those of the widest swallows would choke at some of them. 1st. All absentee landlords must be compelled to reside, and if they have several estates, to divide their expenditure among them. 2nd. A rich grazing district, producing a large revenue to the tithe-owner, but having a very small population, must have twice as much instruction bestowed upon it as a poorer district, in tillage, with perhaps ten times the ])opulation. 3rd. Tlie bishoprics wliose see-lands are (as is tlie case in several instances) in other dioceses, nuist have th(»se lands transferred to l)ishops who, perliap-, want them Ic^s, in order, foi'sootli. that ei)i " not as vet openly re-i^ted." ]t is, and has been for above two Vi'ars, motich an extent that (to take one instance as a specimen) the be-t. or nearly the bt'-t, living in Dublin ha-, in iwo- and-a half years that the [)resent incumbent ha- lieM il. 328 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP V/IIATELY. [1835 barely covered expenses. And most of the rest are in a like condition, or worse. ' I would suggest, however, a small alteration, great in its beneficial results, and, I think, quite miobjectionable. It is placing a minister in a very unpleasant predicament to make the continuance of a tax on his neighbour de- pend on his life. Now, this might easily be avoided by fixing a certain definite time at which the payment should cease absolutely, and Government should secure the stipend to the ministers on the principle of a life-annuity, i.e. by calculating the average chances. E.g.^ the number of incumbents now living who may be expected to be alive ten years hence is , the average value of their lives is years. Add these years to the ten, and let that be the time fixed for the universal ceasing; of the tax. On this plan the total amount of ministers' money would l^e neither greater nor less; but tlie inequality would be avoided, and the odium of a tax to cease on the deatli of a certain individual would be obviated : this is most important. ' I fully approve of the total abolition, which I ajipre- hend is contemplated, of tlie system whicli leaves incimi- bents as corporations sole to manage tlieir own property, consisting of payments from their parishioners. I am glad also that it is proposed to adopt what has been called the redistributive or congregational system — viz., that of proportioning the revenues in future in some degree to the amount of the congregations, and not merely to the phy- sical extent ot" territory. So fir, thei'cfoi-e, I am for from objecting to the fluctuation ii'om time to time in the \;tlue of each single benefice, s(^ long a> the total amount of the Church revenues is kept (w^ iVoni Ihirtiiation — from any such fiuctuation, I mean, as depends not on good or bad harvests, &c., but on the proportion to the total number of Pj'otestants to Homan Catholic.-> in Leland ylvr. 48] LETTEll TO LORD MELBOURNE 0\ TlTIIIvS. ;3l>0 ' But if it be provided tliat " a sui-pliis (p. 2) sliall ai'ise on the death of existing incumbents, and tliat sur[)liis is to be greater or less (and of course the remaining revenue of tlie Churcli less or greater in all) according as Protes- tants diminish or increase, or remain stationary, such sur})lus to be ai)plied to any public institutions in Ireland,"' I feel convinced that nothing could ])ossibly have a greater tendency not only to keep up, but to augment, all the animo- sity and jealousy that has ever existed between the ])ai'ties. ' I liave before now s])oken very strongly and fully on this point in several letters, but am still in fear of not ])eing sufliciently understood, because I know there are so many in I'jigland, worthy and itUelligent men, but igno- rant of the state of Ireland — which is such, that the appli- cation they would make here of a principle abstractedly just would lead to unspeakable discord and misery. Xow, such persons are likely to sup[)ose that I am stickling for ten or twenty per cent., more or less — when it is the peace of Ireland I am looking to. If the revenues of the Church seem too great (I know that, whatever I may tliink, it is tlie Legislature; that must decide the question), take what surplus you think fair — take more than is fair; but take it ill the lump, once for all, so as not to make the riMunant a c()ntinual bone of contention. And this it will be, if a -ui'plu- for n;ilional Iri>li pui'poses is to arise on the death ot" ea<-h incumbenl, and is to be gi'cater or le-~s, ticcordiiig to the diminution of the mimbers of the rrot(\-tant^. If thi^ !■< doiK', the di-^posilion already loo prt'\'alent in each pai't\' to (lri\'e out the other, bv \vhate\'er means, will be iiierea^eil tenfold; each will have an interol. the one in di\crting. the other in ]>re-er\'ing from (li\er>ion, the re\'enue-> of t lu' Cliurch. • Al)o\'e all, the National School^ \vlll. \ hope, nol l>e mentioned or alludecj to in this bill. I'he nieiiliou ol 330 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 them in the last, and the discussion which ensued, revived much suspicion and hostihty, which had begun to die away. Still more hurt will be done by again introducing the mention of them in a Church bill ; and should it jiass in that form, not only all the benefit will be stopped which has begun to be effected, especially in the concilia- tion of the tw^o parties, but the system will become a per- fect demon of discord. I have already in former letters expressed my views, and those of the other Commissioners, on this point so fuUy, that I need not go over the argu- ment again. But I will merely add, that since, as I understand, the National School funds are not really to fluctuate with the greater or less revenue preserved to the Church, and the greater or less number of Protestants, there seems no reason for introducing any mention of tlie schools into a Churcli bill, except to indicate (what will inevitably be understood) that some idterior measiu'es may be expected liereafter- — except, in short, as a vacant niche to be hereafter filled. Out of tlie consolidated fund which is to be the recipient of the Chmx'h surplus, we are to receive 50,000/. a year — neither less should that surplus fall short, nor more should it exceed that same. Why then, it may be asked, sliould Xational Schools and Church be brought into the same bill at all, if the schools are to go on precisely as if there had been nothing enacted at all respecting the ClnuTh ? The general answer that will be given by both parties will be, that the next rarliameut, if not this — another Ministry, if not the same — will aug- ment or diminish the funds of the Board according to tlie sur})lus arising from the Church. That this suspicion will arise and |)revail, and that its prevalence, whether well or ill-founded, will convert the benefits lliat have arisen and may be ex])ected Irom the schools into a poison, is the opinion of all the Connnissioners. yEx. 4H] LETTER TO LORD MELBOURNE ON TITHES. 331 ' Alul wlicre can men be foiuul better qualified, in point of information at least, in respect of this question, and less likely to be biassed by any one prejudicx^ that can he common to all of us? We differ in country, in education, in religion, in profession, in station ; it is surely not likely we shoidd agree in any one error. ' I earnestly hope, therefore, that the clause for the provision to be made for the schools will be put into some other bill, or brought forward as a separate bill. ' In de[)recating the fluctuation from year to year of the Church revenues according to the variation in the num- ber of Protestants, and wishing that whatever defalcation may be made should be once for all, so that the bill may be, not in name only but in its nature, a final measure, I speak merely as an individual wishing for the peace and welfare of Ireland. On the other point I speak as an Education Connnissioner also, and as one who has slunvn that I do not shriidc from labour or from obhxjuy, nor am alarmed at imaginary dangers. ' The settling from time to time of the boinidaries of parishes, i.e. tiie s[)here of pastoral duties — the most important feature, perluips, in wliat has been calk'd ihe congregational system — is of eour-e a work which may l)e done eillier well or ruinou--ly ill, according to ihe macliinerv employed. And on this may hinge ihe whole dillerence of a good or a bad bill.'^ The letter which follows, to ^Iv. Carlisle, the rrobvterian Connni.-.-ionei' of the Education IJoard, on the " iSabbalh ' ' 'i'lu- Irisli 'I'ilhc qiiotinn wa.s om: of tlic fliict' hatllrl'u Ids (if ]>ailit's in \--'.',i ami 1>.'!-"J. A W liii^'' iiii'a.-ur<' ^vas iiitrddiiccil in tlir first vr:ir. a 'i'drv in tlu,' M'Cdiid, la'itluT nf wliicli pa.-scd. 'I'luir details are thei'ef n'e iiiiiiii|)i>r- taiit imw, rxcejit as elicitin;r tlie npinidiis nf tiie Aixdiln.-lmp oii Uie i[iu-.-tidii> dl'mdiiiciit wliicli tlii-y imdlwd. 332 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 question, needs no special explanation. The views given in it are the same as the writer lias set forth in other works ; but although this might seem an argument against their repetition here, it has been thought, on the other hand, that a letter which sets forth clearly and fully his whole mind on subjects which much occupied it, ought not to be withlield in a biography which has for its object to show him as he was. Of course his manner of viewing these subjects will not appear equally satisfactoiy to all ; but those who agree and those who differ will alike be ready to bear testimony to his clearness of expression, and uncompromising boldness and straightforwardness in stating his mind : — ' Xeitlier I nor, I believe, any one else, ever denied tlie moral obligation of positiv^e precepts, or supposed tliat the ceremonial law was set aside because it was ceremo- nial (else it could never have been binding) ; but that it was capable of being set aside, which a moral law is not. Ilobbes, indeed, and others have placed all duty on the ground of positive enactment ; but this, it is plain, woidd make it idle to speak of the moral attributes of the Deity. ' A man of your acutcness, or the half of it, coidd not, in candidly examining this plea of necessity, fail to perceive thot it Avould not stand good. I should not notice it, but for tVie sake of pohiting out the immense danger of calling in the aid, to serve some present turn, of an unsound principle. It is. like raising an c\'il s[)irit wliich we cainiot afterwards lay. Inralculable niis- cliief may ivsiilt from teaching your li carers to use "the tyrants plea, Jiecessity;" it is indeed the highway- man's plea, tlie plea which may be used to break a gap in the hedge of all nioi-ality. (See " Logic,"' Appendix, " Necessity.'') JEt. 48] LETTER ON THE SAliBATH QUESTION. ,'}33 ' Observe now what tliis necessity was.' Tlie bed was in danger of being stolen, in broad daylight, from a public place, on the Sabbath, wdien the thief woidd have attracted notice (as the owner did) by carrying a burden ; a smaller risk can hardly be imagined. But if the owner feared it, he woidd have had to remain near the spot to watch his property till "the going out of the Sabbath," viz. sunset, which he nnist have done at any rate if he had not been cured ; and at sunset we may suppose his friends would have come and carried him home, bed and all. To avoid the inconvenience of waiting there till then, "walking and leaping and praising Ctod," instead of lying a cri])ple on the same spot, till the same time, constituted the sup])osed necessity. ' Now, how many a hardworking mechanic with a large family might mg-e a nnich stronger plea of necessity for workino- at his trade on Sundays ! The extra shillin<<: or two thus earned might ])rovide better food for his cliildivn, or if saved u]) from week to week, might pay the dinei'cnce of a better lodging, or set him u]) in a superior set of tools, ^.^c, or buy him a bed. And a like necessity might be. and often is, urged in detence of dishonest acts, ^^c, M)h! beware, my Christian fellow-laboiu'er, how you encoui'nge your liearei'sto learn tliis too-easy lesson, and to tamper \\'itli tiieir con-^cieuce by referring to such an exam- ple as thai of the lame manV supjjosed plea oi' necessity! (See h.sMiy A'., on the "Abolition of the Law,"" in which this objection is met ; and see also I'^ssay L, on the "'Love of Truth,"" section 1.)- ' Alhuliivj to the hi.-torv of tlio impotriit man ruved l)y Our Lord (.Tolin v.). ;iinl (li>irt'tian< to ilic adnii>-ion of my \ie\vs. ai'iscs from llicir rc'hictance to a(hnil anv ])ow('i' to ])c'long to a Church, cvrii in I'c^pcct ol" ie-li\'al days, modes of worshij). and other tilings inti'in-^ieally indifUi'cnt (in thouglits). JUit Icannol think tlu'ni '• exemplary" in tlioe notions. They will obev notliing. forsooth, but the command of Scripture ; but thev obev these according to what each "conceives" to be tlu' •• spirit of tlie connnand," and tlie ])ei'manent, not the teniporarv jxirtion of it (a^ the (Quakers ])rofc-s to I'etain the sacraments "in the spirit" of them), all 336 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1835 wliicli is in fact to obey, each man, whatever he hkes or fancies. ' This formidable consequence may be dispelled as soon as the ingenious but shadowy subtlety (as I think you .must perceive it to be on the second glance, if not on the first) on which it is made to rest. Paul is manifestly speaking of the ordinances of the Mosaic law, which were " a shadow of things to come." The question about Cluristian ordinances, and whether any Church has or has not a right to establish any, was quite foreign from the whole discussion he was engaged in. You may see this by the context generally, and also by the use of the word " Sabbath," which is never (account for it as you may) applied in Scripture to the Lord's-day — indeed, hardly ever by any Christian writer whatever for fifteen cen- turies. It is plain that if Christians are " not to forsake the assembling together" for divine worsliip, the houses, places, and modes of worship (as well as the day) must be determined by some authority, for " God is not the author of confusion." ' I have bestowed, my dear Sir, as you see, close atten- tion on your remai'ks ; and it is no disparagement to you, but the reverse, when I say that their tendency has been to confirm my previous conviction. You have shown yourself, as I had anticipated, the most acute of all w^lio have taken that side, and I think you have made the very l^est of it ; and I cannot bring myself to doubt that if anv man of common intelliijence can brino' liimself to read and weigh carefidly my tract, and those strictm'cs on it, with an unbiassed resolution to decide according to tlie evidence, he must conclude tliat the Fourtli Command- ment can at the utmost be only called bindiiio; on Christians in the same sense as the law of the Passover, for instance, which corresponds to, and is in spirit fulfilled ^T. 48] LETTER ON THE SA13BATII QUESTION. 337 by, the Eucliarist — or as Circumcision answers to Baptism. For, supposing him to think that a proba])le case is made out, this (whicli is more than I could admit) amounts to nothing at alL Human legislators, indeed, do sometimes perform their work so clumsily, that a man is left in douljt till he consults able lawyers (and sometimes even tlien) what the laws forbid (,)r enjoin. But far be it from us to impute such a defect to a divine legislator, in the case of a supposed law wliich is to bind each plain Christian every week — which yet is nowhere expressly declared — and tlie very mention of which was a starthng novelty a little more than two hundred years ago. ' A probable law, whose very probability is to be es- tablished by a tissue of ingenious ai'guments of acute theologians, is an idea wliich drives us into the liomish notion of the Scriptures being a dead letter to the mass of mankind without a living infallible interpreter. Indeed, a probable law emanating from divine wisdom seems to me so C()m])lete a conti'adicticm, tliat an}' one who can admit it nuist he beyond the reacli of any argmnents 1 can tliink of. Tlie only didicidty in llie case, to my mind, is to account for so many sc'nsil)le men liaving ;ipl);UH'ntly udniilted sucli a conti-adiction. And I will (•((iiclude with remarking on some of the can>es whicli I think ha\e bronght this about. ' 1st. Though a probable law be a conlradiction and ab-^urdil V, there is none in a law loiuided on probable reasons; and thes(! two things the modern Sabbatarians are ])erpetuallv confounding. A'.y., thei'C are very good I'easons wliv wild animals should be ])reserved during certain seasons of the year. Iliese reasons would not be alone sudicient, instead of a law to constitute it an act of UKU'al tur[)itu(le tt him for teaching otlierwise. What he is thus desirous to maintain, he must very earnestly wish to beheve ; and wliat a man is verv anxious to believe, he will generally satisfy himself of. even by such means as, in any other case, he would think utterly worthless. ''J'hough I cannot but blame this sui'i-ender of the undei'staiiding to the will, especially where the doubly sacred rights of religious truth are coneerni^d, I feel for the sake of a pastor thus cii'cumstanced with his Ilock, as sincere a sympathy as for any })ossil)le case of human in- lifiuily. ]Mo-t trying is i\\o situation of a man surrounded by those whose good o})inion is ewi'v Avav mo-^t im- portant to him; who he knows will show him neiliier mercy nor justice if he takes the one side, and boundless / 2 340 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WILVTELY. [1835 favour if he advocates tlie other ; who msist on his saying something in favour of their tenet, and are ready to assent to anytliing. It is a hard task for a man to stand quite steady and upriglit, when he is strongly puslied on the one side, and has a feather-bed to receive him as he falls on the other.' The following extract from a letter to a friend bears the same date, and is therefore inserted here, though on a totally different subject : — ' Some attribute to you a certain excessive desire of independent originality, concerning which I am not pre- pared to decide positively whether it is, or is not, a part of your character. I am the worse judge, perliaps, from having— as far as I can judge from my own con- sciousness of the belief of those wlio know me best — quite a different disposition myself, being ready to give and take advice, to look out for anything worth imitating in any one's procedure, to lend or borrow freely, and instead of being ashamed to acknowledge that I am in- debted to another for any suggestion, in any matter where the public good is concerned, to feel more ashamed of not having availed myself of any opportunity of doing so with advantage. The disposition I allude to, as attributed to you, is tliat you make it a point of honour never to be under an obligation to any one for a suggestion to any- thing you sliould think, or write, or say, or do — not from an idea of j^our being wiser than any one else, but from a feeling that you would by that be degraded, as raiicli as by acre])ting a pecuniary obligation, even from one wlio was rich wliile you were poor. Just so, a iiiglnninded schoolboy would disdain receiving a schoolfellc^w's assist- ance in his exercise — not tliinking that tlie other would not write better, but from considering it shabby t(^ gain /Kt. 48] liEMARKS ON THE DESIllK OF OUKJIXALITY. 311 credit not his own, when tlie exercise was set him as a trial of his own abihty. ' And tliis is quite right, in any case wlien we consider only, or chiefly, the trial and display of our powers. One wh(j regards all liis performances — all his conduct in life — with a view to credit only, will, if he lias a nice sense of honour, take care that it shall be well-earned credit. But others there are who think, whenever the benefit of the })ublic or of one's neighbour is concerned, all selfisli feelings, wlietlier of interest, desire of glory, or ambition, sliould be as much as possible stifled. And as they expect of an lionest pliysician that lie should do everytliing lie can to save liis })atient rather tlian his credit, and should be ready to avail liimself of a hint from another physician, or from an old nurse, and be ashamed of nothing so nuicli as of leaving anything undone tliat could have been done to eflect a cure ; so they hold themselves, in the discharge of any oflice — in a ])ublication designed for instruction, or in anytliing else when tlie public gc^od is concerned — to care nothing wlio has the credit, and to be carefid only that the work done sliall be as complete as ])ossible. TIrt limit their desire of originality and dread of ])la- giarism to such matters as a poem, a Oon-iitot, or anything ol" a merely ornamental character. ' Xow, as I have said, I am not pre))ared to decide which chai'acter is yours. But you will easily see my rca>on for a[>plying to you to ask yourself the question.' In this year (1835) the Archbishop was a])pointed a member of that Commission to inquire into the state of liclaml which o[)ened the ([uestion of Ii'ish Boor Laws — a ([Uc^tion which produced so nuich of intei'e-t and i\'i^- eu>-ion dnrino" tlu? remainder of his life. 342 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1836 CHAPTEE X. 1836. Visit of Dr. Arnold — Letters to Lord Stanley on Church Affairs in Ireland — Pressed by Mr. Senior to exchange for an English bishopric — Letter to Mr. Senior on same subject — His views on the impor- tance of moral over intellectual education — Letter to Bishop of LlandafF on the Irish Church — Letter to Eev. J. Tyler on Nmtrality in case of Dr. Hampden — Letter to Mi-. Senior — Letter to Bishop of LlandafF on University Examinations — Letter to Mr. Senior on various subjects connected with Church and State. Little is to be related of this year (1836) excepting what tlie letters tell. The Archbishop spent it chiefly in Ireland. A visit from his friend Dr. Arnold, with part of his family, formed a pleasant episode. One of the yonnger members of Dr. Arnold's family writes: 'I remember the Arcli- bishop's taking the whole party to visit the Marlborougli- street Model Schools. We met Mr. Blake there (tlie Eoman Catholic commissioner for national education, for whom the Archbishop had a great esteem), I suppose by appointment, and heard him examine a large class, in which I ihmk there vrere two Jews and several Pi'otes- tants, in the Scripture lessons sanctioned by the Board of Common Instruction. The Avay in which he did it, so as to steer clear of all controverted matters, and yet elicit from tlie children the essential fiicts of the Scripture narra- tive, was exceedingly ingenious.' The two following letters, though written at an interval of some months, are placed together, as being on the same subject : — /El. 40] LETTER TO STANLEY ON THE lUISIi CIIUUCIL .343 To Lord Stanley. 'Dublin: January 28, 1 830. ' My dear Lord, — The letter of wliicli I send you an ab- stract, and that in the " Evening Post " wliich I sent yes- terday, though neitlier of them expressly designed for the purpose to wliieli I now apply them, of meeting your lord- sliip's inquiries, will, I hope, prove satisfoctory as to many of tlie points. The plan of redistribution from time to time involves, as you will see — 1st, the substitution of one board for several, since the revenues of each diocese are not proportioned to the wants of each, auy more than those of each parish ; and 2udly, the vesting of all presentations in the Bislio})s conjointly with the Board — the Board to determine, on each vacancy that may occur, what sti})end shall be allowed to the minister of this or that conj^ref^^a- tion, and the Bishop to decide who shall be that minister ; consequently the purchase of lay-advowsons and resigna- tion of crown-livings was a necessary part of B. Baring's scheme. But he was forced to propose that tlie lay- advowsons should be bought out of the church funds according to the present plan. Govei'ument could well all<)rd to ^et aside a poilion of the reveiuie accruing from tlic piircliax'd by the coni[)osiliou for the pur<-]iase Ironi time to time of the lay-advowsons, or might buy them up ior tlic Church at once. The public W(juld still ha\"e a good bargain. When we s{)eak of the revenue of the Church being unimpaii'cd, I do not mean that the clergy will I'eceive all that the law now entitles them to, but as large a ])ro])orti()n as k^ir B. IVel's bill contemplated, if not more, with the advantage of being eased of all the expeii-e and ti'oubh' and discomfort of colleding. and the whole being distributed among the clergy in a more eijuilable and uset"ul manner. If any one can hoj)e that 344 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIL^TELY. [1836 better terms than this can be obtained now at this third offer of the Sibyl, he must be made up of hope. ' It is right to add that the report of the Poor Inquiry Commission, which will be out in a few days, will contain a recommendation of that part of the plan which consists in commuting tithes for a land-tax in the hands of Government (by purchase), for providing the funds that will be required for affording relief in some of the modes which seem most indispensable. ' As for the appropriation clause in the late bill, those who may have pressed for it, on purpose to injure or insult the Church, will of course be satisfied with nothing that would satisfy us ; but there were certainly some — I trust a majority — who thought only (though perhaps too much) of lightening public burdens and of removing tlie scandal of a rich living witli little or no congregation. Those who arc of this mind I do hope may be satisfied by some such plan as the present.' Pi'ohahly to the same. 'Dublin: July 12, 18:3(3. ' My dear Lord, — It is a matter of peculiar difficulty to find a man who can be relied on in respect of tliis question. ' Suppose a man to have adopted the general principle, that the church revenues are national ])roperty, the superfluity of which may fairly be applied to other than church purposes; and suppose him to be also prepared, on certain data which have been laid befoi'e him, to appl}' this principle to the Church in Ireland : if he shall subsequently find that those data are erroneous, and that the real state of things is quite different from what he had been taught to believe, it is p(jssil)le his views may be materially altered, without any inconsistency on his ^T. 49] ON THE DISPOSAL OF CHURCH REVENUES. 345 part, and that he may consequently (supposing liim a man of })rinciple) come to a difFerent practical conclusion. ' Now, the people of England are, I conceive, for the most part, by the direct assertions of one })arty and tlie im})lied admissions of the other, led or left to suppose that there is a large, or at least considerable disposable siu'[)lus of church revenues in Ireland, beyond the reasonable wants of the Protestant population. I say " im])lied ad- mission," because when Conservative papers and debates descant on the inalienable character of church pro[)erty and the purity of our religion, Ov:c. — in sliort when they dwell on arguments which might be just as suitably em- })loyed if tlie Protestant })opulation were but one-half what it is, and the church revenues double, — the public are left to conclude that there is this surplus, and that the only question is how it should be disposed of. ' Xow I, as one of the ecclesiastical commissioners, know the fact that there are churches o;oin<2; to ruin which we have not funds to repair properly, besides many calls, to which we cannot respond, for building or enlarging chui'clies, chapels, and glebe-houses, and for endowing sevrral in places wliere a Protestant population lias recently tln'ough some accident grown up; in slioi't, that there is at this moment a reasonable call for moi'e than 200, ()()()/., to meet which we have not above 00,000/. •And >upi)osing any ont; to come to the knowledge of thi>, he may veiy well conclude that the surphis revenue of h\iiigs mav most fairly be applied, in the first instance, to meet this deliciency ; and on minuti' examination and calculation he will fnid that this alleged surplus has Iteeii miscahailated, and the utmost that can really be made ol ll would not even equal the above demand. Such a man tlierelnre may, without any abandonment of the priiici|)le he had agreed to recognise, change his })nictical conclusion. S4G LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1836 ' Nor is this any question that turns on how much is a sufficient provision for the clergy. I am wilHng to let the advocates of the principle of the appropriation clause fix this as they please, and then take the overplus to do what they will with it ; the question is not whether their calculations are correct. I wish them to proceed thus : ' The Protestant population, scattered in such-and-such a manner, requires — £ s. d. Rectors at ........ . Curates at ........ . Sextons, Churches, Glebe houses to repair, &c., &c., at . Total . ... £ Let this be secured to the Church, and dispose of the rest as national property for other purposes. ' It was w^ith this view I proposed as a final settlement the purchase of tlie whole tithes by Government for a fixed sum, to be paid down once for all, partly for the sake of a settlement, and partly because in that way, and in that way only, there would be an available surplus for Government ; and yet the Church would really, and not on paper only, retain, what it was decided it ought to retain. ' It would be impertinent to enter fmther into questions relative to the Irish Church than is necessary to show how difficidt it must be to calculate with an}^ certainty on a man's vote, without being sure of his being better acquainted tlian most people are in England of the real state of Irish affairs. ' Still a num migltt, though finding tlie case different from wliat he had supposed, acquiesce in iiarder tei'ms than he approved of, for the sake of a termination of dis- cord. But here again lie might hesitate wlien he came to know the despair of any such result wliicli prevails among ^T. 49] CLAIMS OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. 347 tlie most moderate Protestants liere, in consequence of llic declaration put forth in tlie name of tlie " Irish peo})le" by their representative, that it is not a peace, but only a short truce, that is to be hoped for ; so that though for the ])resent they do not claim so-and-so, as soon as ever the bill shall have passed, fresh claims will immediately be made. If this is not the right interpretation, it is, at least as far as my knowledge goes, the one universally made, and tliat is to the present purpose. In fact, I have no hope whatever of permanent peace till the Irish clergy are maintained by Government. And as the spohation of the revenues of the Roman Catholic Cluu'ch was an act of the King and Legislature, so it is the part of the naticm — the United Empire — to rectify the wrong, and that at the ])ublic expense ; not leaving half the wrong unredressed, and throwing the burden of redressing the other half on the successors of those who ha])})ened at the time to rc:i[) the profit. As in the case of tlie West Indian planters, a wrong in wliich the nation was a party, should be remedied by the nation at large. To remedy an injury to oiu' party l)y doing a like injustice afterwards to another ])ai'ty, is like tlie jockey's way of curing a lame horse by laming him on the opposite foot. Ihit unluckily John IJuH's love of justice is apt t(^ go so far only as ])nt!ing his hand into another's pocket and not his own. Theonlv thing to be done i-^ to point out the danger of a civil wai' — to >lio\v how mnch clu^aper priests are maintained than sohhers — and to remind the English of the horse in the fable, who would not bear a part of the poor ass's bnrden while aliv(,', and had to bear the whole ot" it when the pi)i)r beast was dead, and the hide into the bargain.' The following letter was written by the Archbi>ho|) in an>wer to a >im"u"e>tion of his friend Mr. Senior. He. in 348 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY, [1836 common with others of the Archbishop's Enghsh friends, felt painfully the opposition and contumely he had to encounter in his diocese, and earnestly desired to see their friend in a sphere which they conceived would be more congenial to him, and would supply a more fruitful field for his powers — especially by enabling him to attend constantly in Parliament, and thus to acquire that perma- nent influence in the House which alternate sessions would not admit of. With these views, Mr. Senior pressed him to apply, or to consent to others applying for him, for an exchange to an English bishopric. The answer speaks for itself : — To N. Senior, E.sq. ' Marcli 9, 1836. ' I had meant, but was too much hurried, to answer your last by return. Of course you know it is against my principles to ask Ministers for anytliing. But to say the truth, should tliey offer to let me retire (it woidd be a retirement) on an English bishopric, I should refuse. It may be that the state of Ireland is hopeless, but it never shall be said that I contributed to make it so. It would be thought (in my opinion justly — but at any rate it would be thought) that I had retreated from being hopeless of any adequate success, and being wearied out with o})position and obloquy. And this suspicion (I think it would be more than suspicion) would not only embitter all my future life, but would greatly cripple my exertions in an English diocese. If I were in an Englisli diocese, and were offered Dublin, I should think twice l)ef()j-e I accc])ted it, foregoing a situation in wliicli I should have been actually doing good ; l)iit to " take up a fresii posi- ticm" (as beaten generals call it), connnodiously situated in the rear of my present, would bear, I think, but one in- terpretation. I wonder this did not strike you, especially .*:t. 49] IMrORT.SJfCE OF A MORAL EDUCATION. iUO at such a crisis for Ireland. It sccnis to mc tliat to accept advancement to an Englisli arclibislioi)ric would be a very different thing ; but shoidd I find that this also would be interpreted in the same manner, this also shall be refused. ' If you still differ from me, no more need be said ; but if you fully adopt my views, and would write some- thing to that effect that I could read or show, it might be of use.' The fragment that follows is to a friend on the educa- tion of his son, a youth of considerable promise, in whom the Archbishop was much interested. Ilis views on the importance of moral over merely intellectual education were always very strong : — ' I warn you not to trust to intellectual powers for forming a moral character ; at least till you can find, wliich I never coidd, some one instance of success. It is a great paradox, but it is true, that though honesty is the ])est pohcy, no one ever yet did (thougli in this or that ])articular case he may) steadily act u])ou it, witliout moral sentiment. The fact is, tliat it is only by long ex])ei-ience the trutli of tlie maxim can be fully brought liome to eacli man's own understanding; and long l)efore tliis expei'ience can liave been acquired, tlie moral chai'acter is so lai- formed llial the liabits are nearly inveterate. ]\biny a sensualist in like manner comes to understand that tcm- ])ei'ance insures the greatest amount of bodily enjoyment, but not till after he is an incural)le sot and debauchee.' To the Bishop of IJandaff. ' Dulflin : S,"pt. I, 1S;!(; 'My dear T.oi'd. — T write a sera}) to you, ironi time to time, as 1 ached tlie ' l?anipt(in Lectures' in 1S:'.2. In ls;',t') lie was ajipKinted, by the ^\ hig (loverninent, Retiius Rrot'essur of l)i\i- iiity. A .'•trnn^'' feelinj^ of opposition was excited Ijy the apjiointniriit, in (•(insi'^vifiice of the allfgcd tendency towards Rationalism of some jiassaucs in tlu'sr lectures, which led to violent proceedings in ("onvoration, V(tL. I. A A 354 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1836 approbation you have received from others. Neither yon nor I can, as you observe, be sure how far motives of this kind operate on any one. We can only be sure tliat though human applause or censure do not make a thing right or wrong, they often make us think it right or wrong ; that accordingly men are generally disposed to exercise a rigid scrutiny, in respect of this point, on the motives of each other ; and that we ought to exercise a very, very rigid scrutiny on our own. The " temptation " (to most men at least) evidently is to be too much in- fluenced by dread of reproach, reviling, and obloquy from furious party-men when vehemently excited. ' When, therefore, you say that you were " strongly tempted to go and protest against the proceedings," allow me to remark that what is commonly called temptation lies, in such a case, entirely on the opposite side. It is this that has probably constituted the chief trial — more than the dread of mere bodily pain, of pecuniary loss, or of death — to most of those martyrs and confessors who, at various periods, have stood forward to bear their testimony to truth and right, in defiance of the rage of a prevailing party. It may be caUed a moral martyrdom — a sort of fighting with beasts — to encounter the fierce words and looks of a great number of enraged men, inflamed by rehgious or political entliusiasm, especially w^hen, as in the late case, they are at once exidting and mortified : exulting in a local and temporary triumph, and at tlie same time bitterly mortified by finding themselves defeated generally, and in their main object. It is observed tliat soldiers are usually the most cruel when, after having been beaten, they fall in with some small detachment which they can overpower. This moral martyrdom, then, being so very trying to our fortitude, we should be tlie more distrustful of our own motives when we feel inclined to Avt. 41)] LETTER ON THE HAMPDEN CONTROVERSY'. n."> slirink from it. Tlie " temptation " to face it is at least not likely to be strong. And certainly, as a general rule, all would, I su])pose, admit that we are called upon to face it when occasion arises. The presumption — the plain })rima fac'w rule of duty is, when in any important matter the body we belong to is committing a flagrant wrong, to come forward and o})pose it. Even if tliere is no chance of (Hu- ultimately preventing that particular act, much benefit may hereafter arise from our having done our best to show that it was not perpetrated " nemine dissentiente " (since that is always, and not without reason, made a matter of great boast) ; and at any rate it is doing great good, as far as we are ourselves concerned, to be able to say with truth, "■ I had no hand in tliis ; it was done not only without me, but against my protest." ' Such, I say, is tlie general rule. Should any one doubt tiiis — which I suppose very few woidd deny — let him con- sider the general tendency of the o])posite rule. If when- ever a ])arty of furious bigots liave gained a majority in f;i\'our of some extravagant or imjust measure, all wlio are nnl of tliat ])arty shoidd make it their rule to stand neuter till the violent ])assi()ns had cooled, the result would jjlaiiily be that the most violent and irrational would be likely in encli bodv to bear rule unresisted. Whenever they could \)v>i o\erawe some (as they always must do) into joining them, they would be secure, as long as they wei'c but sudiciently violent, of being unopposed by the ]v>t. '• Inland out of our way, for we are intoxicated, and it" we are opposed we shall be mad," is an argument which would be continually brought into play, if men luiiverstilly weri> thus to yield to it. 'Ol'tlie general I'ule, then, there can I think be no doubt ; but I will not ])re>ume to sav there can be no ca^es of exception, though \un\o ha\e in this instance A V 2 350 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1836 come to my knowledge. A man may fairly be called on to sliow cause (perhaps lie may be able to do so) why he should not go to protest against any wrongful act com- mitted by the body of which he is a member. That he can do more good by not going is indeed a plea very much to the purpose, when proved ; but it needs to be proved — not taken for granted — before it can be admitted. And if after mature deliberation there remains a doubt, the decision should clearly be on the side of the simple general rule, of protesting against injustice and aggres- sion. Now, you may recoUect that in your first letter you adverted to two considerations only that directly bear on the question, and both of these were against the neutral source : — first, tliat the proceeding of the Univer- sity against Hampden is utterly unjustifiable was a prima facie reason for protesting against it ; and secondly, that you did not yourself consider Hampden as the best quali- fied for the office was a stronsr additional reason. For when we differ from a man in any of his views, it is the more inciunbent on us to allow him fair play, and to demand it in his favour. Any one who had been known as a strenuous advocate of Hampden's theological opinions might perhaps be considered as having already in some measure recorded his protest against the prosecution of them ; but one wlio differs from him in opinion is the more called on to make it quite clear that he disclaims all unfair proceedings against him. The opinion of us Protestants as to the proceedings of the Inquisition against Protestants may be taken for granted, and so may that of the Irish Cathohcs as to the penal code ; but I never let pass any suitable occasion of testifying my abhorrence of tliat penal code, precisely because I am o])posed to the Pioman Catholic religion. And if the revival of tliose laws or any other persecuting mcasuie were proposed in the House yEr. 49] LETTER ON THE HAMPDEN CONTIlOVEliSY. :',r>7 Avliile I was a member, I should not think it enouirh t'> take no part ; for if on the one hand I might be reckoned less guilty, as being neutral, than those actively advocating the persecution, on the other hand it might be urged, ;is a set-off against this, that I had not, like them, tlie plc;i, such as it is, of erroneous belief. " They miglit really think they were doing God service," and might be })crpetrating what they believed to be right, while I should liave been conniving at what I knew to be wrong, ' Tlie considerations, therefore, wliich you adverted to are, I think, very strong in favour of the course of tliose who went to vote against the statute. They seem to me sudi- cient (in the absence of any strong reasons on the o])posile side) to put an end to all doubt on tlie question ; thougli wlien a dou])t does remain, the presumption remains, as I said, on the side of the general rule, and on tlie side against wliicli we are tem})ted by the weakness of our nature. But there are other considerations, besides, tend- ing the same way, which, thougli comparatively much weaker, are such as I think would Ije in themselves dcM-i- si\e. For instance, the j^roceedings, in(le})en(l('iitlv of all other views, wc!re of a decidedly schismatical chai-artcr. A member, and still more a ministei', of our I'^tablishnicnt is calhMl on to ])rotest against them, not oiilv as a nioi-al man and a Christian, but also distinctly as a Churchinan. If some faction had been raised on political grounds against a lay ])rotessoi- of law, for instance, or of chemist rv, ;ind had proceeded in a like unjustiliable way, CNcrv ii])right member of the Univei'sity who saw the injustice would have been called on, I think, to come forwai'd and ]»rotest against it. 15ut when a cleigyman is (lenouiiced a> heretical by his own brethren, who n't'use to call on the })isliop or any ecclesiastical authority to decide the cau>e, 358 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1830 and bind themselves together hke the trades-unionists, or any other unauthorised combination, to fix on him a pubhc stigma affecting his clerical character — and this, not after having received a decision contrary to their wishes, but after having declined any such reference to Church authority — it is plain that their conduct, even supposing Hampden guilty of all the heresies imputed, is most emphatically schismatical. ' What becomes of a civd community, or of any com- munity, if the members of it (some of them, while others stand still and let them have their way) take upon them utterly to set at nought all the constituted authori- ties of the community, and proceed as plaintiff, judge, jury, and executioner, all in one, to right themselves, or wrong their neighbour, at their own pleasure, and, without reference to any regular magistrate, to punish by taking away liis property, or by banishment, death, &('., any one they might think deserving of it ? Why, surely, supposing the man did deserve it, these persons would be justly regarded as striking at the very root of civil government and social order. And so also, in a Church, a corresponding procedure goes to subvert the very idea of an orderly Christian community. It is accordingly exactly what Paul so solemnly denounced in those Corinthians who took upon them to form parties at their own plea- sure, and to excommunicate their brethren without rea'ular ecclesiastical sentence. Such a course is also, I think, in direct violation of Our Lord's own express commands, and strikes at the root of Church union, order, and peace. Our ordination-vow accordingly binds us, I conceive, not only not to take part in any such schismatical proceedings, but, when they do arise, to take part as occasion shall offer against them. ' The other considerations are indeed nuich stronger, but yET. 49] LETTER OX THE HAMPDEN CONTROVERSY. .V^O this last appears to me to be in itself very strong indeed. And perliaps tliere are some who do not as yet perceive that their conduct is unjust, unchristian, and inhuman, who yet may be made to understand that it is schismatical. ' But still, as I said before, I wnll not venture to say that there may not be some good reason in favour of neu- trality ; and of this you may be assured, that it would afford me the highest gratification to find that you had obtained by it power and influence and opportunity, ;iiid that you came forward manfully to avail yourself of the advantage — to do some essential service to tlie cause of truth, and to the Church, and to the University. ' I do not apologise for the length of this letter, because you must very well know that I could worse spare time for writing it, than you for reading it ; nor for anytliiiig unpalatable in the matter of it, because you must be sure that I have been performing an office far less agreeable to myself, as well as to you, than if I could liave bestowed unqualified approbation. You will naturally be inclined to listen more favourably to those who commend than those who disapprove your course, especially as the stc]) is already taken. And I might on that veiT ])lea have excnised my-^elf, by saying to my conscience, "'J'liere was no good to be done." I5ut though I did not feel bound to obtrude either my advice before, or my judgment afte' wards, unasked, I felt that when I was a])plied to, and that too by an old friend, with whom I had so often consulted, I should not liave ])een justified, either in point of friend- ship or of rectitude — I slioidd not have been clear of giving my sanction to what I think wrong— if I did not state nij" own views fi'ankly and ])lainly. It is at anv rntc doing some good to be able to say, Liherari ani/iKini iniiuii. ' Very sincerely yours, 'II. J).' 3G0 LIFE or' ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1830 Extract of a Letter to Mr, Senior. 'Dublin: Oct. 2, 183G. ' My dear S., — A great proportion of those who come to Ireland to see things with tlieir own eyes, and then declare the opinions they have formed of " Ireland, its evils, and their remedies," might just as well have stayed at home, since they come to seek, not conclusions, but premisses. 'They bring with them ready-made theories and plans, and then declare that everything they have seen and heard in Ireland has confirmed their convictions ; which is true enough, because tliey come to listen to tlie "bells," and everything tliat they meet with is viewed through the medium of their own prepossessions. " As the fool thinketh, so the bell clinketh." Now some of these plans and theories may be very riglit, and at any rate they may be right in assuring the public tliat siicli is their sincere conviction ; and it ma}^ be true also that it has been formed in Ireland, though this might have taken place while they were flyfishing in the Lake of Killarney. The abuse of the public is in pretending that their opinion is, wlien it is not, derived from what they have observed here. " Oh, but they have seen the state of things! " They have seen, that is, that there is distress and dirt and drunkenness — just what nobody in or out of Ireland doubts. But that on which the doubts exist, viz., Avhethcr this or that mode of remedy for those evils would be safe and eflectual — have they seen this ? or do they ex])ect to see it before the trial is made? ••' In my mind's eye, Horatio." They often, I believe, deceive themselves, as well as others, in tlie same way as tlie believers in ghost .and fairy stories. A man goes and sees the Eiklon Hills, with three tops, and is told it was done by Michael yKx. 41)] 'LISTENING TO THE BELLS.' ;3C1 Scott's demon, and returns with a confused notion as to what it is that he is competent to bear witness to. ' I have seen ■ , who is gone on a tour throuliop who at all attempts to do liis duty finds somethiiiLf of the saiiu' inconvenience. Why, then, do they not meet, togelhcf. and agree to submit some j)lan to the Legislature ? Ik'cau-^c tlu'V i'rar tlu'V sliould not 1)i' listened to? Tcr- luip> not ; but at least tluy would feel tliat tluy had done ihi'ir ])art. And I own I am mystified to see the bisho])-^ onlv coming loi-ward when some (juestion of tem])oraIitics is discussed, and in what relates to their own episcopal functions, taking no ])ublic step, even when theii- j)i-i\ate oj)inii>ns are most decidi'd. If you would take tlit^ lead in this matter, I do think many would follow: one you may be sure of, as I am in rarliament. ' 1 am sure V(JU know me too well to attribute to me 302 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. l18SG \vliat is in triitli tlie worst kind of credulity — hasty prejudice against an honest man, or one who may be honest, founded on the detection of a knave. But you may recollect that I only pointed out the necessity (and that, by-the-bye, Mr. 's case does prove, were proof needed) of careful inquiry and examination, even when a man brings such high testimonials as might seem to supersede the necessity of it. Examination wrongs no one. Genuine coin is not damaged l)y the test, and counterfeit deserves detection. And my experience would have convinced me, had I doubted it, that some zealous Protestants are so eager for a convert, that they hastily take for granted a man's being a sincere Protestant if lie does but echo all tliey say, and answer leading questions to their wish ; when perhaps he is, as I have found in some cases, too ignorant (to waive all suspicions of dehbe- rate falseliood) to be properly called either Roman Ca- tholic or Protestant, from his knowing, I may say, nothhig of either the one religion or the other. Mr. , for instance, I foiuid more ignorant of the Bible than you would suppose any child of twelve years could be in a tolerable charity-school. He set up, moreover, for a classical and mathematical tutor, and was believed on liis bare word, till I found liim unable to construe correctly a plain Latin sentence, barely knowing the Greek letters, and not knowing what a triangle is. To prevent mistakes, I gave him a bit of paper, and told him to draw one which he did thus Y- Yet he had been engaged as tutor in a gentleman's family ! ' Several professedly-converted priests have applied to me for pi'cferment, and in the meantime for license to officiate in the diocese. I always received them cour- teously, and gave them credit for perfect sincerity, as I always do to every man when unconvicted ; but I always /Ex. 41)J IGNORANCE OF CONVERTED PUiESTS. :'m examined tliem, and though they varied in tlieir degree of knowledge, or rather of ignorance, I Iiave never yet met with one whx) even approached such a point of quahfication tiiat I could conscientiously admit him to even the humblest office in the ministry. I do feel fussm'ed, therefore, that I was riglit in submitting them to examination, which, though it will not always (it will sometimes) detect a cheat, will at leiust detect an igiio- ranuis. One of these was a Mr. , who has been making a figure a.s a controversial pamphleteer. On being, after examination, remitted to his studies, he went to one of my cha])lains to borrow a Greek Testament, and sat in his rooms half an hour, aided by him in making out a few verses ; on whi(di he entreated Dr. to rejK)rt to me that he had been studying the Greek Testament under him, and had made good progress. From this man him- self I elicited a history of his own conversion, which certainly miirlit be called in our lan<2:uai>"e^ a "conversion l)cr accidens," totally at variance witli the account given me of it by . ' But Mr. "s ca^e is n(^t necessarily unfavourable to the character of the })riests, since tliere is great reason to doubt his being one. Of the second ^h\ thi-re is little or no doubt, there being about as nuidi })roof as a negati\e can have tliat he is no priest. That he is a nio>L iiiij)U(leiit cheat was proved above two years ago, and is so well known to almost evi'ry clergyman in Dublin, that one can haixlly believe those who are putting him forward can be ignorant of his chai"arter ; at least they certainly ha\'e abundant evidence within their reach of his lia\ing produced a forged letter, and otlu'r such tricks. Thesis things so far surpass the boundaries of hjiglish auila-ily, ' Tluit of .VUh-icli'.- F-M.'ic. 6G4 life of archbishop WHATELY. [1836 that people in England are lotli to credit them. And I do not ask any one but old friends, hke you, to believe them on my word. But I never say anything I cannot bring evidence of ; and as for qualifications in point of knowledge, I only recommend people to examine, and then judge for themselves. There is another Mr. , whom I examined ; and finding him knowing nothing of Greek, very little of Latin, and not much of English, refused him permission to ofiiciate. I understand he has obtained a preferment in England, which I must needs suppose is on the strength of testimonials (of which he brought me abundance), and not of examination. I do not wonder that some persons of this description should now betake themselves to such as proceed on a different plan from mine ; but I defy any one to say — and you, I am sure, will testify to my being incapable of it — that I ever manifest a prejudice against one man fi'om what I have detected in another.' ' Wednesday, Nov. IG, 1S3G. ' ' My dear Senior, — I have received both yours. L 's views seem unreasonable, but I tliink more of your pro- phetic powers than his, wlien I remember the confidence with whicli he anticipated, in spite of your warning, the permanence of the late Ministry. ' The only door open, tliat I can see, to settle the ques- tion of the appropriation clause, so as not to clash witli tlie opposite pledges, is that suggested in the petition })resented last session from fifty of the clerg}' here — -vi/., tlie Government buying the tithes (at sixteen years' pur- cJiase) for a sum of money (borro^ved at about fifty years' })urchase) to be made o\'er to an ecclesiastical board, ])y which means there could be a sur])lus without anything Ijeing lost l)y the Church. /Et 49} POLITICAL ANTICIPATIONS. wr,. ' I dread the session, expectinjx I shall do more harm tlian good, tliroiigh the prejudice of botli extreiiu^s against anything coming from me. I sec fresli proofs every day of tlie jealousy with which the agitating ])arty watch against any restoration of the influence I once had with Government ; and the jealousy of the opposite side is as iierce as ever. I must come over, as staying away wilfully would do more still ; but if any unavoidable accident kept me away, I believe things would go on better. ' Suj)posing your anticipations well-founded, it is hardly ]in)bable to avoid going a step further, if, at least, the Tcjries profit as little by experience as they have hitherto. Your antici])ated position of Peel and Co. next November is quite analogous to that in which they were seven years ago, when they held out as long as they could, and then siu'rendered at discretion for fear of a civil war. ' I hear that Ministers — some of them — are disposed to listen to proposals for paying the Eoman Catholic ])riests. Can you think of any detailed plan for it ? It is on detail tliat the success or failure must depend. Xo ])rinciples, I think, should be recognised that would alarm the English. There is now an allowance from Government to priests attending prisons, and they are seeking it for regimental Eoman Catholic chaplains. 'Mr. Drummond concurs with me as to the Transpoila- tion system, and laments the increased abuse to which it lias lately led — viz., detaining convicts in a crowded prison-ship five or six months previous to the voyage.' 3CG LIFE or ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1830 Extract from a Letter. ' Dublin : Friday, Dec. 9, 1830. ' Be assured, my dear friend, of the grateful affection with which I always receive your sympathy and kindness. What you suggest about a public expression of my zeal in the cause of Protestantism, would perhaps come well, if judiciously managed, from some of my friends here or in England, provided it were so done as not to indicate too much respect for contemptible slanderers. For me to say anything myself that could be even construed into anything like a reply to newspaper attacks, would, I am convinced, multiply them tenfold, and would be hailed l)y them, not unreasonably, as a kind of victory. He wlio Avrestles with a chimney-sweeper is sure to be smutted, whether he fall over or under. They have many and great advantages in a controversy : having no character to lose, having no scruples about truth or decency, being sure of a crowd of willing hearers among their partisans, and obtaining what with the vulgar is the test of victory, the last word — which they always will unless a man consents to give up the rest of his life to a paper ^var. But those who are really wise and good will soon see, when they take time to reflect, how silly as well as wicked it is to credit accusations without evidence, on the bare word of avowed enemies, whose language and whole conduct, moreover, are such as to show plainly wliat they are. And as for those who are not wise and good except in pretence, it is in vain to communicate true information to them, because they are only contriving liow to conceal and distort the trutlis they do know. E.g., the Primate, a few years ago, with very good inten- tions, raised a fund by collecting subscriptions from many j)er,sons, among tlie rest some of the English bishops, for .Er. 40] TACTICS OF THE ANTIrEPISCOPAL PAUTV. ru;7 tlie support of Roman Catliolic converted priests : a j^ood deal of money was raised, and a niunber of c'ou\erts received ; and all,' or nearly all, of tliem turned out such a disgrace to tlie Church that he alxmdoned tlie plan, and t'other day refused an application made to him (as well as tt) me) for joining a society formed for such a pin-pose. lie now prefers (as I have already done) doing everything of that kind in private, and holding out no proclaimed bonus for converts. All this I had from himself a few days ago, and I know and could prove that it is perfectly well known to the very persons who are attacking me for pursuing the same course. But not a word do they say against him ! Ilis turn is not yet come. 'The party which may be called the anti-episcopal under- stand well that ])art of tactics which consists in attacking an enemy in detaik If the divisions do not support each other, the victory is certain. They show their skill also in ])L'ginning with me, with the one the most likely to be left unsupported, like Uriah the Ilitite, to be slain with the sword of the Ammonites, because of the personal and party jealousy existing against me for being an ]''ngiish- niau, for refusing to join any })arty, for having been ap- pointed by an obnoxious Minister, and other reasons. Hence the Radical pa[)ers have for some time cea-ed their attae-ks. ^ome time ago one of them began a series of letters attacking my "vl'.rrors of liomanism," but suddenly stopped short — I have no (loul)t upon receiving a hint that there were rrot(,'>tauts doinif their work for them nnich better, and tliat it was worse than a waste of [)()wder to lire at one who was cannonaded by their o})[)onents. Hence it is, I have no doubt, that the anti-episcopals single me out for atttick on })oints where they well know tliat other bisliops ap[)rove and have done the same things, which in me are re[)robated, but in others pa^>ed S63 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1836 by. Who would suppose, for instance, from their news- paper attacks, that I had not been singular in issuing an inhibition ? Who would guess that several clergymen of this diocese (whose names are among those signed to the " memorial ") have been actually inhibited by the Primate from preaching in his diocese ? But when through my sides they shall have given a stab to episcopal authority, see whether they will stop there ! ' " Woe, woe for England ! not a whit for me." I my- self have had no more to encounter than I always calcu- lated upon, and no more than I always felt I could have avoided, either by joining a party, or by remaining inert. But alas for the Church ! If none come forward to make even a demonstration in my cause, which is equally their own, I, though I hope I shall never flinch from my duty, shall be quite unable to maintain the post alone. ' " Tua res agitur paries cum proximus ardet " is in- deed a very true maxim, but it seldom operates in practice : an honest, generous, and courageous character is always before it — the mean, timorous, and selfish usually behind it ; i.e., he perceives the danger of letting his neigh- bour's house burn, only when his own has caught fire.' /Ex. 50] TO A CLERGYMAN OX RELIGION. 009 CILirTER XL 18:}7. Letter to a clorprymaii on Religion — I^ettors to Rev. .1. Tyler on Invocation of Saints, Sec. — Letter to Dr. IJickin.son — Letters to Risjiop of Norwich on Irisli Church questions, &c. — Letter on ' Evidences of Christianity ' — Letter to Blanco White, and generous concern for liis welfare — Letter to Dr. Dickinson on Abolition /// t'> a h'tter wriftiii Ay Ji'un. ' iMbruary. 1>^."7. ' t^U] )])()!i<)iild s;iv. to V(»u and to all anIio are I'X- perienciiig a similar awakening, that what you have mo-~t to guiu'd agaln--t is im|)atience. He wh.o has lost a great deal of time. ;nid is anxious to repair the loss, is apt llr-t t.) /'■/.iird), a |)rt»p(>rti(tnall\' I'apid progress in recovering his lo>t ground. And the em I Vob. I. B B 370 LIFE OF AIICIIBISIIOP WHATELY. [1837 commonly is, that he either grows soon " weary in well- doing," or else, in seeking a short cut, strikes into a wrong path, and goes irrecoverably astray. The error is not by any means peculiar to the case of religion and morals. A man in travelling has lagged behind, and then gallops on impatiently and knocks up his horse, or strikes across fields and loses his way. A man has been idle at college, and seeks to make up, just at the last, by reading fourteen hours a day instead of seven, because, forsooth, he has twice as much to do as a steady student ; but his wants cannot give him corresponding powers ; his former idle- ness makes application the more, not the less fatiguing, and also the less available in point of progress. And I liave often seen such a man either lay himself up l)y illness, or, by hurried and superficial study, fail of tlie advancement he might have made. Tlie same thing may be seen in those wlio are in a huriy to recover strength and flesh after an illness, and in a midtitude of other cases, 'A man who is in any respect reforming should 1)e cautioned, not indeed against being too earnest and diU- gent, but against being impatient. You must warn such a man to make up his mind to meet with much greater toil and difficulty in pursuing the path of duty than tliose who have long pursued it, and yet with all his exertion to find himself for a considerable time falling short of tliem. The poorer a man is, the more iiard will lie have to labour for small gains, inferior to wliat a richer makes witli less labour. Tliis is very mortifying, l)ut a poor man wlio will not make up liis mind to tliis will never l)CC0]ne ricli. ' Even the " conviction of sin " (wliicli is tlio favourite plirase of certain religionists) is not to l^e administered with efiect, as some spiritual quacks do, as a first dose, to ])e ylvr. r,o: HINTS ox SELF-REFOKMATIOX. .-jn gulped down all at once like a bolus. You must warn the self-reforiner that if lie is really iu the right wtiy, and keeps to it, he will have much more of genuine convic- tion of sin a year hence than he has now, because his standard will have risen, his moral and spiritual taste improved, as he advances. As the light gi'ows brighter he will see uiore and more of the stains, and will find himself, when considerably advanced, really backwarder even than he had fancied himself at starting. All this (ihough he ought to take itasa good sign) is humiliating, and will ])i'ove, if it come unexpectedly and without previous warning, disheartening. lUit it is the appoint- ment of Providence, and it is of no use to attempt to disguise it, that humility is the only road to im])rovement ; that a double ])ortion of patient and humble labour is necessaiy for those who have lagged behind ; and tliat humility is an alterative medicine wliich nuist be swallowed drop by dro]), without seeking to evade its bitterness in miy way if it is to operate rightly. ' AVarn men against ho])ing for and seeking a short cut to Christian pcrlVn-tion Ix'cause, ibrsooth, they wish for it and iKH'd it. Those are mere quacks wlio pi'ofess io\\-;i>]i awav the efli'cts of a life of intemperance by a few draughts ol' th(Mr balms and elixirs ; they give a delusi\-c slinnilus to an enfeebled constitution, and hurry their deluded ])atieut to the gi'ave. And those spiritual (juacks who teach men to di>})ense with a ''patient continuance iu u'ell-doihg,"' and Hatter to his ruin the wretclied duj)e, who turns away impatiently fi'om sound ad\isers — from ^ueh as prescribe, to one peculiarly aver>e to (because uu- aeeu-tomed to) all exertion after })raetical liohue». th;it (ltray lamb returuiug to the fold is iutereept< d b\- these woKes iu sheep's clothing. j» II "2 372 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1837 ' The usual result is, that while for a time some evils are corrected, others and worse come in their place : for instance, for thoughtless and reckless confidence is substi- tuted sj)iritual pride under the guise of humility ; for a mixture of malignant envy with veneration felt towards better Christians, a still more malignant contempt ; for utter carelessness about God, a familiar and most de- grading and injurious idea of Him ; and ultimately, very often a return, and more than return, to the " world and the flesh," in addition to the devil ; with the addition of a hrm belief that they are still accounted righteous on account of Christ's righteousness being imputed to tliem and reckoned as tlieirs. The evil spirit returns accompa- nied by seven worse, and "they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than tlie fmst." In this year (1837) the Archbishop was again in Parlia- ment, taking an active part in all that could bear upon Irish affairs. The principal object on wliicli lie was en- gaged in this session, was that of bringing before tlie Goverimrent the results of the inquiries made into tlie working of the new educational system. The Archbisliop was examined as a witness before a committee of the House of Lords on tliis subject. The letters to his friend Mr. Tyler, the Eector of St. Giles, which appear as among tlie earliest of this j^ear, arc on points which he regarded as of deep importance — tlie Saints' Invocations, and the deprecation of appeal to evi- dence in the Iiomisli Church : — 'DuLlin, Mravli ]7, 1S37. ' My dear Tyler, — . . . Of course I should never have thought of retaining any allusion to my own confirma- tions. But what a pity it is that the administration of the /Er. .>0] OX THE IXVOCATIOX OF SAIXTS. ;17;) Eiicliarist does not always accompany the rite! It does, to be sure, gi'eatly increase my labour, ikit when I be- come too feeble to bear the fatijzue, I shall withdraw after the Confirmation, but still leave the clergy to celebrate the Communion. If you were to ask my clergy, including many wlio have not even yet shaken off their prejudices against me, you would find nearly all of them agreed that the number of habitual conmiunicants is about doubled, or more, since I came, and that a great portion of this increase is from the rule of not leaving the yoimg people to wait till " a more convenient season." An}" additional ver])al alterations or omissions you may make at your own discretion. ' I (juite agree Avith you that the greatest practical cor- ru})tion of the unreformed churches (for the Greek is on a level with the Eomish in that) is the Invocation of Saints. It is a most insidious error, because it creeps in under the guise of luunility. A man of any modesty would not push himself at once into the ])resence of the (Jueen, but would lather apply to some of her servants, unless ex- pressly f )rbi(l(leii. ' The ultimate result is tliat omniscience and omni- ])re-en(,-e are attributed to saints, and what really amounts to worship becomes conniied to creatures. If you, or some one i'nv v<)U. would put iiito the ibrm of a jiopiilai' tract voiir book on ,Mariolatry. and add a simple proof that the >ate >i(le (foi- that i-< the stronghold of the saint-invokers) is not for but against it, I think it would be very usetiil as a '• tract for the times." ' '• The horse," says a Fi'eiich proverb. " is not qiiit(> es- ca])ed v,ho drags his halter." Xow tlie halter of our Church in tlii- matter is the retaining of the title ol" saint-- in a dillereiit sense from that in which it is iii\arial>]y n-ed bv the Scri[>tui'e writers. In their seii.-e the hnnibh'-t 374 LIFE OF ArtCIIBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1837 Christian is just as truly a saint as Peter or Paul. Thence comes the idea that a less degree of personal holiness will suffice for the salvation of an ordinary Christian than of an inspired man, or one who has performed sensible miracles. Thence we are led to think of admiring at a distance their personal holiness, without dreaming of being so presumptuous as to imitate it. Thence comes, again, a hope of their intercession ; and thence, ultimately, worship.' To the same. ' April 22, (probably) 1837. ' Your reviser is very likely not aware of tlie extent to which, in Ireland at least, the notion prevails and is inculcated, that it is a most desirable thing to Ivcep as many as possible from inquiring after any kind of evidence, and that those are to be most macarizcd wlio acquiesce witli tlie most com])lete satisfaction in whatever they are told. That this slioukl be the case Avith five- sixths of our population is not perliaps much to be won- dered at ; but I find the same views prevailing to a wonderful extent among Protestants also, including the most zealous anti-Papists. I am most desirous to witli- draw any censure I may be supposed to have cast on any wlio walk, as well as they can, in the best light or twiliglit they can find ; the censure is for those wlio designedly leave or keep tlieir people or themselves in darkness or in twilight, in preference to clearer liglit, and wlio wisli tluit while people are (and will be, whether Ave choose or not) advancing in the exercise of their faculties, nud in knowledge in all other departments, tliey should be l)ronLi'ht down to a lower level ol' contented iiiiKjrance in /Kt. oO] UNBELIEF IX OL'K SACRED BOOKS. .-JTO religion tliaii was deemed siiflicieut even for slaves and seniibarbai"ians 1800 years ago. ' If any })opul;u' proofs which are wanting can be snp- plied of the genuineness and authenticity of the sacred books, I shall rejoice to see it done. But it is going too far to presume that no one needs to have it sliown that there are proofs accessible to ordinary men of the exist- ence and antiquity of Greek and Hebrew writings. ' A man of great learning and ability may chance to have never met with anyone who had any doubts on that ])oint ; but this hardly warrants the assertion of the nega- tive, unless at least he had conversed (as I have) with ])ei"soiis who have been present at tlie debating-clubs in tlie neighboiu'hood t)f Manchester, &c., and who have had iiiter(\)urse with the members of those clubs. If lie had, he would have found, I think, reasons for a diflerent conclusion. Among the educated classes, indeed, there are })robably few luibehevers who do not admit the anti- quity, and deny the authenticity, of our sacred books ; but it is not so with tlie uneducated. And in this I stand alone: I will undertake to say there are nniltitudes who do admit the existence of those aiKMeut books, but who believe this only — and are coidident that it can be believed oiilv — oil the very same ground on which they admit the aiiHu'iiticity both of those books and likewise of all the Icgciuls and traditions oi" the Romish Church. — \i/.. the woi'd of their i)rie>ts, who neithei- can no]- will gi\e them anv other i'ea>on. Terhaps all that rt'lates to the Komish Church maybe thought of very little moment in reference to the publications of the Society for l^i'omoting Christian Xnt)wledge. lUit the fact is, a great number of IJomaii Catholics are now beginning to I'ead — and, to lUsliop Macilale's extreme alarm, to read the Evidences ! ' 37G LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1837 To Dr. Dickinson. ' Kensington : 1837. ' My dear D., — I start at six this evening. We had a most crowded house, especially of bishops.-^ ' The Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London told me I had said nothing but what they fully concurred in. The Bishop of Norwich laid himself open to tlie answers of a most skilful debater, who had also the ad- vantage in his cause of all that made for him, right and wrong, on the surface and agreeable to the politics of tlie hearers, and all that made for the other side requiring close examination. The Bishop of Norvrich tliinks of publishing a pam])hlet. ' I tJiink a pamphlet is wanted on my side also, in the form of a letter to the bishops, urging them to undertake in earnest what they liave professed and promised, re- minding them that the matter has been six years before them from myself, and reminding them also of my liaving consulted them by a circular on a most important point, on which, tliougli the majority decided with me, one decided against me, and a consideraljle numl)er could not (I am bound in coiu^tesy to suppose) make up their ]ninds. ' I saw Lord Xormanby^ yesterday. He could say nothing against my proposal of an island on the British coast, except the supposed greater dread of distant banish- ment.' The two letters wliich follow, addressed to the Bishoj) of Xorwicli, are on a subject at this time deeply engTossing ^ Tlie referoncc apparently is to the debate in the Lords of May 8, 1837, on the Education Loan! — in ^vhich the ArchI)ishop look part. '^^ Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland from ]May Is:!.") to April ls;51). The pro- posal in question had probably reference to some transportation scheme. yr']T. 50] LETTERS TO THE BISHOP OF NOIIWICII. 877 the Archbishop's mind. lie was now engaged in the second of lliat series of ' Easy Lessons,' wliicli were car- ried on at intervals throughout his life, and which, small and unpretending as they a})peared, he regarded as of more real importance than his larger works. The first of the series, ' Lessons on Money Matters,' had been an endeavour to bring the leading principles of Political Economy within the comprehension of the young and unlearned. Tlie second, which he was now commencing, was on a subject of higher importance, ' The Evidences of the Truth of Christianity.'^ He Avas desirous of placing Avithin the reach of the mass of the people clear and com- ])rehensive views of the religion they profess — such as might enable a liumble and nnxlerately-instructed Chris- tian to ' give a reason of the hope that is in him : ' — To the Bishop of Norivich. 'Upper IJrook Street: July 21, 1S.",7. ' ]\ry dear Lord, — I called to mention to you the })re- scnt coiulitiou of my long-meditated Dio(;esan Theoloirical h^emiiuiiy' at Dublin, wliicli wants to Ijc set going by a Loyal Charter to enable me to endow it. 'This tlioix' was a difliculty in obtaining during the late reign, whicli I hope may not be l"ound in this. ' Any particulars of it that may interest you, I shall be most happy to submit to you. ' In brief, it is designed to occupy profitably the two years usually either wasted, or not elFectually employed, between the degree and oi'dination. ' If in the numl)er of the '■• l:^aturday ]\lagazine " vou (ind anything of which you suspect tlie autlior, prav conceal ' I'lr>t piibli.-lied in the ' ."Saturdiiy Alaga/.iiie.' 378 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1837 your suspicions till the whole shall have been out, and in the Dublin Eeading-books, else the object would be very likely defeated. ' I have not been able to forbear stealing two copies of an address which, I observe, is not to be had for money. ' By-the-bye, when you are about confirming, you may possibly find a use for a popular tract of mine (which Fellowes has) on " Confirmation," which has been widely circulated, being a little altered, with a view to clearness, from the Christian Knowledge Society. ' Ever, my dear Lord, yours very truly, ' E. Dublin.' To the Bishop of Norivich. ' Leamington : Julj' 25, 18."]7. ' My dear Lord, — .... I am very glad you approve of the attempt. I am beginning to give an outline of the Evidences, chiefly for the benefit of the lioman Catholics, who are in great danger from the sudden influx of light ; and yet we are neither authorised nor able to keep them any longer in darkness. If, first, education be spread ; secondly, universal scepticism be "uarded ao;ainst, which is the dano-er of the transition state ; thirdly, Maynooth be reformed (of wliicli there is some hope) ; fourthly, if the payment of the priests can be brouglit about ; and fiftlily (last l)ut not least), if the Sovereign can be brought to visit L'elaiid — not once for all, like George IV., but as a resident for r.t least a montli or two every year or two — Ireland may become a really valuable portion of the Britisli Empire, instead of a sort of morbid excrescence. In some of these objects you have been ;i most valuable aid, .Er. 50] OX THE ' EVIDENCES OF CIIRISTIANirY.' ;J7"J and perhaps may be in more ; besides which, I ho[)e both for 3'our advice and exam})le in that important cliange — tlie introduction of a professional training for the clergy. ' I hope you will deserve and obtain, besides liigher rewards, the glory of being valued by those whose praise is a real credit, and hberally abused by those whose abuse is the only glory they can confer.' The following letter to a friend (date unknown) may be inserted here, as bearing on the same subject : — To on the ' E vide aces of Christianitij.'' ' I see wliat I should have inserted in the passage where I speak of miraculous evidence as needed to establish a religious truth not obviously revealed in Scripture. I should have said that " without such evidence it is not to be preaclied as an essential part of the Christian Eevela- tiou." Of course if you prove to a man that so-and-so is contained in tlie Bible, he will, as you observe, believe tliat it is so. Ikit the danger is that he will be apt to believe more — viz., that he nnist set it forth as a necessary p:ii't of the; Christian faith. Xow, if it be something which whole ehui'ches for whole gcnei'ations may have never f )inul in llieir habitual study of Scri{)ture, we are not justi- fied in so regarding it. So, ('.//. there are many who think that an intermediate stale of consciousness is declared in Scripture and some a state of unconsciousness ; but 1 think each of them unjustifiable in making either an essential article of faith. If, indeed, God designed that certain privileged ])ei'sons should be the depositaiies of (hi-pel icvelation, and that the mass of Chri--ti;nis were to I'eceive implicitly whate\er these taught, pro\ ided 380 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP ^^'IIATELY. [1837 these could show Scripture warrant (i.e. what they decided to be such) for their doctrines, then indeed the sliglitest hint that would be understood by these initiated few — a " word to the wise " — would be a sufficient revelation. And here lies, as it strikes me, the great danger from the traditionists. It is in vain that they disavow, however sincerely, all right to teach anything not contained in Scripture. I would not care a straw to have such a right if you would but allow me to teach whatever I can con- firm from Scripture ; making tlie slightest hint serve for that purpose, and reserving to myself the right of deciding wdiether that hint in Scripture does serve tlie purpose or not. I can hammer out the Bible (or any other book) into leaf-gold, and gild over with portions of it any assign- able amount of tradition or of conjectural speculation. ' It is in this way that sundry ships in our service boast of being the very vessels taken from the Frencli. It is true they have undergone a tliorough repair, only one beam of the original ship remaining, and the rest being British. ' I remember a learned Jew assuring me tliat the pro- hibition tliey observe against eating flesh and butter at the same meal, was founded on the Law of Moses; and so it is, if you allow his traditional interpretation of the Law. But I would give any biblical scholar a year to find out the passage.^ Xow supposing his interpretation (instead of l)eing a mere fancy) had been correct, I say it was not so obvious as to be insisted on as an article of faitli, witliout miraculous evidence coming in — if I m;iy use an illustration from secular matters — like a decla- ratory Act of Parliament. The call of tlie Gentiles and the termination of the Jewish IJispensation is (obscurely) ' It was Exodus xxiii. 10. .Er. oO] OX THE 'EVIDENCES OF CIIRISTIAXITY.' ;1-<1 contained in tlie Old Testament and in tlie discourses of our Lord, but not obviously as to make the belief in that doctrine an essential part of the Jewish faith. This is a case, therefore, in which, on my view, miraculous evidence Avas requisite ; and it was given. ' Then if any one chooses to cavil about what is or is not sufficiently " obvious " — a thing which admits of in- dcfniite degrees — I "will be content to refer him to the old books of Logic, in which he may amuse himself with the puzzles of the " Calvus " and the " Acervus." ' Your other remark I do not well understand. I almost think you nnist have been mixing up in your mind M'hat I said Avith what you guessed me to be thinking of. If you will look again at the passage, you will see that I do not charge any one with holding the " double doctrine;" I only allude to the existence of it, as a thing notorious. If any one does not hold it, let him, if he will, disavow it, and I will not contradict him. But if any of those who do, justify themselves on the plea tliat tlu)ugh they do not set tnrtli '' all tlie counsel of God *' — though they conceal, iVom such as tliey do not deem worthy, a. part of the Chri>tian rchgion, yet tliey do not teach anything that tliey do not believe — I do think it my duty, and yours, and every honest man's, to protest against such a })lca. You may make anything out of anything, if you are allowed to siipi)ress what jjarls of it you pK-ase. I ha\e heard it remarked that tiie statuary doe's not make but only disclo>e>]iis statue — that the^Iedicean \'enus exi>ted ill the l)lot;k of marble, and that the artist only removed the sii[)ei'lluous pralion of the block. Xow what should I think of a man's ])leading that such an image i< not conlenii)lat(jd in the r^econd Comiiuindineiit bec;iu-t' it i-^ not '• made," as it' it had been moulded or cast out of materials brou'jht toa'clher h 382 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1837 ' I dare say you have seen — most ladies have it in their album — a copy of a supposed letter from a young married woman to her schoolfellow, submitted perforce to her husband's inspection, and describing his merits and her happiness. She slipped in a P.S., " read every other line,'' which done it appeared a reversed picture.' The success of the Archbishop's attempt to bring the evidences of our religion within the comprehension of the unlearned has been attested by the widespread circulation of the book in question, not only in English, but in most other modern languages ; but proofs more interesting and touching may be cited of its effect on individuals. Two instances have come before the writer's knowledge of hardened infidels (both intelligent men of the artisan class) who have been convinced of tlie truth of Christianity and led to the study of the Scriptures, and ultimately, as it appeared, to receive the truths into their hearts, by the agency of this little book. One of these lived, laboiu'ed, and died as a missionary teacher in a foreign land ; tlie other did not long survive his conversion, but gave every evidence of its being a real one. These are but two isolated instances out of many wliich will doubtless be known in the day when all secrets shall be revealed. The following letter, to his friend Mr. Blanco AYhite, is interesting, as showing the constant and generous coiicer]i for his welfare and comfort, which no differences of opinion could for a moment slacken : — 'Leamington: August ls.'!7. ' My dear Blanco, — Eemind Mi-s. W., in case slic sliould foiget, of the books from Senior, Avliicli s]ie is bringing you. He has Ijcen writing for a conveyance for tlieni. ' And pray consult with jier on tlie subject wliicli I .'Ex. 50] HIS GENErtOUS CONCERN FOR BLANCO WHITE. 3-3 treated on some time ago — the question of your fixiiiLi' yourself in a warmer spot thanwliere you are. Liverpool is not in point of latitude what one would fix on for a native of Spain peculiarly sensitive to cold, but I am led to believe it is a cold and dam[) atmosphere, even for its latitude. And it does seem to me you have sufiered from it much that you might have had a chance of avoiding in Devon or Cornwall. Only do not wait to form any plans till the Avinter is just at hand, but think of it while the warm weather has some time to last. ' And surely I need not say the trifling ex])ense attending a removal, if otherwise desirable, is not worth a thought,' At this time the Archbishop was also nuich engaged in an earnest endeavour to do away with the oaths adminis- tered by him, as Chancellor of the Order of St. Patrick, to those wlio were installed. His petition to the Queen, ^ will show his views in de- siring this cliange, better than any ex[)lanation could do ; and the letters whicli follow, to his cliaplain and friend ])r. Dickinson, and to Earl (then Lord John) liussell, will furtlier elucidate them : — To Dr. IJickhison. ' Leaniin;2ton : August 10, 1S.")7. ':\ry dear D., — I send by tlie Castle to-day the 7th lesson. You ought to have had tlie two preceding on Sunday, tlirough the Irish Oilice, London, to which wi'ite, ii' not arrived. The enclosure reached London on Fridav. ' I am very well satisfied about the oath. It is just in lliat way tliat tlie })enal laws, test acts, Ov:c., were gradually got rid ot". 'Does Sir W. L. mean that " (piis separabit " rehites ' l'(»i, p. lor,. 384 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1837 to the legislative union, which was not the law at the time when the Order was founded ? or to the non-deprival of the King of any part of his dominions ? In that case the oath of allegiance affords the requisite security in a more distinct form. Or if any further oath is needed, it should be taken by all Her Majesty's subjects. It is not merely the Knights of St. Patrick (thank Heaven !) who are bound to maintain the royal rights, or else they would be in a bad way. ' Ever yours affectionately, 'E. W.' ' N.B. — I myself am ever ready to vote for abolishing superfluous oaths, and this alone would oblige me not to lay myself open to the charge of continuing contentedly to administer any without asking to be relieved. To the Lord John Russell. 'Dublin: August 28, 1837. ' My dear Lord, — I am just arrived, and lose no time in acknowledging the favour of your lordship's letter, apprising me of Her Majesty's gracious compliance with my application, in reference to the oaths administered to the Knio-hts of St. Patrick. o ' I wish your lordship to convey to Her Majesty, if you should see any occasion on which it woidd be suital)k', the expression of my sincere gratitude for the con- descending readiness with wliicli my request has bec.i listened to. ' It is a source of additional gratification to me that tlie I'elief afforded has come not in the sluqjc of a special dispensation to myself individually (which is all that I could myself presume to apply foi-), l)ut in a mode which yEx. 50] LETTER TO LOPJ) IIUSSELL OX OATHS. 885 seems more distinctly to recognise the reasonableness of the principle by wliicli I have been actuated. ' I liave long ^nce been accustomed, at Oxford, to lend my aid to those "wlio liave been labouring — and ultimately witli considerable success — to get rid of the multitude of needless academical oaths. The ill-effects of these on the minds of the members of the University and on the whole character of academical bodies, I have for many yeai's had ample opportunities of observing. I shall always be })repared t(3 adv(x;ate in Parliament a corresponding course ; but in so doing I might have been justly cliarged with inconsistency if I came forwaixl to propose legislative measures for diminishing superfhious oatiis, wliile at the same time I used no endeavours for diminisliing those which could be dispensed witli Avitliout any ap[)lication to rarliamcnt, and in w^liich I w^as myself a party concerned.' .... The following jeu d''e>pect : — Lrll/ r fiii'iii, tlic. A rr]>Uifur-elves with grief nnd indignation, since, as the ])roverb s;iys, "What is the use of })atience if we cannot find it Mlien we Avant it >"__•' IJc Av]:o gives way 1o; aiigei' ])i!])i-:l: "The scalded cat," says the pro\-ei-b, " fears i-i)hl water." and "Ih' that i-> bitten by a seipent."' as tln' prtixTib v;i\-<. •• is afraid of a rope." JUit. as the proverb ^a\'-. '"To run away i-^ to run a i-i>k." I do not mean ii:al anylliing can be ])i'oposed which is not o])eii to ob- jection. '' A Ibo!,"" a^ tl)t' jirovcrb ^ays. " can ca-ily lind i-iult- wliicli a wi:-e man cannot ea-ily mend."" lUit tlie (|ni-lion i> to find out what course is open to the least li! .icdion. ioi' we should remember, as the proverb says ■• Ihill' a lotif i- 1,'eiter than no bread,"" and again, ;!- the ^ loNt'il) -;i\'-. ■■ .V nia.n vith a ^voo^!cll Icl' uoe> die betti^r 388 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1837 for it." We must not seek for tlie best tiling we could imagine, but for the best that is practicable, and, as the proverb says, " Drive the nail that will go." " If w^e cannot alter the wind," as the proverb says, " we must turn the mill sails." We have found by experience what can be expected from those who express great regard for us. Many of them are, as the proverb says, " Good friends at a sneeze ; one can get nothing but God bless you!" and some of them have given us good reason to say, according to the proverb, " Save me from my friends — I care not for my enemies." Some of them arc, as tlie proverb says, " As honest as any man in the cards when the kings are out." It is time, therefore, that we look with less distrust towards those who do not make such high professions, for, as tlie proverb says, " An ass that will carry me is better than a horse that w^ill throw me," and again, as the proverb says, "Better an ass that speaks right than a pro])het that speaks wronii;." And if we will not learn this in time, we siiall find, as the proverb says, " As we brew so must we bake." But though all this, to me, seems very much to the ])ur- pose, you will, perhai)s, think it tedious and vapid, be- cause, as the proverb says, " Wise men make })roverbs, and fools repeat them." Eemember however that, as the proverb says, " Though fools learn nothing from wise men, wdse men learn much from fools." ' It was in this year (1837) that Dr. Whately's spe(:ialenbrts for the abolition of transportation, in connection with Sir William ]\lolesworth's Committee of Inquiry, were com- menced.- Tliis committee had sprung from one foiiiied in 1835, for the puipose of examining into [lie state of the cohmies, and clearing them li'om abuses. The Archbishop of Dublin's interest in the sul>iecl beiiiir Mell known, his co- JEr. 50] THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON TlIANSPOlil ATIOX. 389 operation was earnestly song! it. Ills views and opinions on many subjects dilTerecl widely from those of several of the leading members of this committee, bnt he always fi-lt it right to unite in the furtherance of a common ol)ject with any who w^oidd work with him, however widely their o])inions might differ on other points. Ilis brother-in- law, the liev. Henry Bishop, was examined in this year before the committee, and in the following year the Archl)isho})'s letter to him was published in the Minutes of Evidence of the Select Committee on Transportation. It was about this })eriod also that the movement at Oxford which commenced with the violent opposition to I )i'. Hampden's appointment as Bampton Lecturer, in 18o4, and subsequently became identified with -what is now called ' Tractarianism,' was in full force. Some remarks which the Archbishop frequently made in conversation, res])ecting this movement, will ex[)lain, better than any notices by another would, the manner in which he viewed this celebrated movement : — Table TdJl: — On T radar kuiisra. ' '' The Pastoral Ei)isile," (by Dr. ITickinson) was reviled as uiiju.-t, and derided as ab-urd, for ])oiiitiiig out and foiTtclling just what afterwai'ds came to jja'^s; and yet, what is >lill stranger, we are looked down upon even now a-< only half enlightened, by ])eople wIk^ congi'atulate tlicm-rlves on not having gone the whole length of the 'iract- — oiilij the first two volnmi's, whieli are the veiy ones iVoni which he drew his ])ro|)liecy ; and these gifted indl\'idnals, who could not see their tendency even when pointed out, nor understand the grounds of the pi-opheiy- e\cii at'UT it is fullilled. hug themselves with the thouglit thiil t!uy never cultivated stinging-nettles, only the nettle- .390 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1837 ' He perceived, with me, that the Hampden perseciitioii was the first outbreak of Tractism, and its success the great strengthener of the party. The combustibles were ready indeed, and some other spark, if not that, woukl have kindled them ; but the support the party received at the time of that persecution, from those who did not really belong to them, but opposed Hampden from poli- tical or other motives, gave them a great lift. ' In Hampden's case, it must be owned I did not antici- pate any outbreak so monstrous as did ensue, and, wdjat is more, if I liad remained head of Alban Hall it would never have taken place. This is quite certain, for my successor was one of the most violent of the persecutors, and the measure passed the Board of Heads by one vote. But most of my Oxford friends have assured me that the thing would not even have been attempted ; that those disposed to it would have shrunk from encomitering tlio exposure they would have had to expect at tlie Heb- domadal Board ; and that those who w^ere led a\vay would have found the better sua:o'estions of their minds fortified. *• It is thus that, as many of my friends assure me, I exercised a considerable influence at Oxford — not great on any one individual, but a little on a great number. Certain it is, at least, whether accidentally or not, that Oxford is a widely different place, and has long been so, from what it was while I resided there. There liave l)een, perhaps, other persecutions as unjust and as cruel (none more so if we take into account tlie times and cir- cinnstances of each; for burning of heretics is unsuited to the present age, and moreover was not in tlie power of the Hampden persecutors ; tliey did all tliat tliey could and dared, and so did Bonner), l)ut for inijuidence I Jiever knew tlie like. To find out. tiiree years after tiie Baiiip- yEr. nO] Ills OPINION OF THE HAMPDEN PEUSl-.CETION. 8'.>1 ton Lectures bad beeu delivei'ecl, and two years after tlioy had been published, that they were dangerously hetero- dox, tliough they had passed at the time not only lui- answered, but with higli a])plause ! Tiiere never was a more lame and palpably false pretence so shamefully brought forward. ' I used often to remark, while it was c!;oinQ: on, that the instances continually displayed in it of combined folly, cruelty, and baseness were startling even to one who, like me, liad not anticipated much greatness or goodness fi-om Inunan nature. But there is no telhng, wlien a pond seems clear, liow much mud there may be at the bottom till you stir it up.' The following letter shows his lively interest in plans of colonisation : — To N. Senior, Esq. ' Dublin : November S, 18-37 (Saturday ni^trlit). 'TTinds has written to mo, and sent mo a book about a pr()p()S(^d colonisation of Now Zealand, and I think ho oillior had a])pliod or meant to apply to you. Tray lak(> an ()|)j)()ilmiity of asking Stephen ^ whotlior ho has hoai'd of the })lan, which I think he must, from Lieutenant Gray. 'The coiuitry certainly seems to have many advan- tages; and as for the act of colonising, if anything is to bo learned irom past errors, we have no want of instructions. ' ]]y-tho-bye, what a })ity it is, and yet the evil is ^ rn!lcr-S(>cr(!tarv for tlio Colonies. Si^vornl publicniions npiii\'ireil. in llii- aiul lln- rulliiwiuL;' v^avs^ vcspcc-tiiiu' tliat ]il;iii of coloiiis.itinii wliicii ^s,•l> iilliiii;i!''ly (■;tn-iril into p;iitial L'X(X'u(ioii 1>\ llic New Ze:;I:iiiil < '"in]\iii\ . r,-,tabli,-li.,'d in Is 11. 392 LIFE OF ARCHBISIIOr WIIATELY. [1837 unavoidable, that in so many cases (as that in the suppressed evidence) the public are led to false results by the sup- pressio veri, &c. Tlie only thing to be done is to give a very strong declaration of the horrible character of what is suppressed. But this is very insufficient, when on the one side you have " details," and on the otlier merely " totum." The horrors of one campaign — of one capture of a city, if detailed, would create such a horror of war as nothing else could, and such as the reality justifies. This cannot be done. But, then, the worst of it is, all the brilliant parts of the war ai^e discussed — the skill and valour displayed, the enterprise and excitement, everything that can render war attractive ; we have a fidl display, as it were, of the beautiful head and bosom of Milton's " Sin," while a decent veil is tlu^own over the monsters that spring from her waist. It is a pity tliat we should thus whiten the sepulclire ! If I liad receivx'd your letter in time to-day, I would have answered it l)y return, that you might have had something to sliow Lord Lansdowne. I hope you showed liim tlie letter to Bowood. You do not say wliat instructions Sir G. Gipps takes out to New South Wales.' The alterations in the Poor-Law were now pending, and the design of the Government, of adapting tlie Englisli law to Ireland, was occupying tlie minds of the Arclibishop and Mr. Senior. *By way of introduction to tlie large portion of liis cor- respondence which relates to tliis subject, tliiis mucli may be prefixed. Arclibishop Whately, in coml)ination with his brother the Eeverend Tliomas Wliately, Yic^ar of Cook- ham, and liis friend Mr. Senior, had early directed no small portion of liis energy and abilities towai'ds the rel'orm of the Eimlish Poor-laAV. The views wliieli lie entertained on iEx.SOj HIS OrrOSITION to POOR-L.VSVS for IRELAND. 30.3 tliis subject were well known, and exposed him in his day to no common share of unpopularity with some classes of his fellow-countrymen. He had early ])er- suaded himself of the evils botli of indiscriminate cJiarity and of legal provision for the able-bodied poor. With his masculine, imwavering tendency to follow out principles which lie deemed the correct ones, he never turned to the right or to the left in his deliberate exer- tions to arm men's minds ao:ainst yieldimj to those weak- nesses which in his belief had engendered both. lie, wliose whole life was a series of acts of cliarity and liberality, passed, and from a strong sense of duty pui'posely allowed himself to pass, as the apostle of a hard doctrine, which few minds have the vigour to embrace, and still fewer to avow. AVhen he came to Iieland, the English reform had as yet hardly begun to operate ; and he threw the whole weight of his authority and arguments on the side of those who opposed the inti'oduction of Poor-laws into Ireland. In order to enable the reader to follow the Archbishop in nuich of the next ])art of his correspondence, it is to be remembered that the subject of a Poor-law for Ireland, then entirely without such an institution, was 0])ened by jMicliael T. Sadler in lSo2, and continued from that lime largely to occupy the minds of public men and writers. "'J'liere was no subject,' says j\Iiss Martineau, ill licr • lli-loiy of I'jigland during the Peace,' 'on which ( )"( 'oniicll vacillated more than this; and there can be no doul)L his vacillation was real.' And the great power which he then exercised in Ireland rendered his co-opera- tioii almost neccssaiy. lie opposed it, liowevei", uj) to IS;',!'); ill that year, the di>closures made by the ' Poard ot" liKjuiry,' of the utter destitution of so laig'e a ma-s of the' Iri-h ])eople, seem to have aflected his resolution. 394 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1837 111 August of that year, Mr. (since Sir George) Nicholls, Commissioner of English Poor-law, was sent on a tour of inspection. After an inquiry of little more than six weeks, he prepared a report (often alluded to in these letters), which facilitated the introduction of the new law for the establishment of a system of national relief. It passed in July 1838. The terrible catastrophe of 1847 so completely and permanently altered the economical state of things in Ireland, that it is almost an obsolete inquiry whether the Archbishop was or was not right in his opposition to the original measure.* Many subsequent letters are on this subject : — 'Dublin: Nov. 13,1837. ' My dear Senior, — I am much alarmed by what you say of the approbation hkcly to be felt of the " simplicity and practicability " of Mr. 's schemes, as contrasted with the complexity and onerous machinery of those of the Commissioners. ' It is, unhappily, but too probable that many of our legislators may fail to perceive that tliis can only arise from his having overlooked most of the difficulties, and left many dangers unguarded against. Nothing can exceed the simplicity (even in the most complex and difficult matters) of bad legislation, except, perhaps, the simjylicity of those who admire it. In barbarous nations govermnent is a very simple matter ; it is usually a simple despotism, and the despot appoints a cadi or pasha to judge all causes that may arise, and decide at his own dis- cretion ; just as Mr. 's English Commissioners are, with a very imperfect knowledge of what is going on in Ireland, to transmit directions, at tlieir discretion, to per- sons in Ireland, who neither would if tliey could, nor could if they would, execute them. The nice and knotty yEx. 50] THE CO.MMISSIOXEliS OF roUK-LAWS. r,'X, points of chancery, or common-law, wliich it requires y(.'ars to study, interfere witli the sim[)hcity of Persian or Tartarian government. We are a little advanced from tliis, and perhaps some time or other may become, in this respect, worthy of the name of civilised ; but at present the exclamation is still ap[)licable to us, "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity P" Nothing is more simple than the mode in which a butcher would amputate a limb ; instead of a complex apparatus of lancets and other instruments, and a tedious process of taking up the skin and tying the arteries, he would chop oil" the liml) with a cleaver, and leave the patient to die of hemorrhage or of mortification. ' ]\'/lature will throw the blame on the I'Jigh-'h Connnissioners, and they again on tlu> Iri-h r.uar(liaii-< ; when, in ("act, the Legislature it\isi()n for the :il)!rl)odicd, in app'ro\ing of some relief lor the inij)oteiit, ;nid cannot at least object to the making of this a separate and a preliminary measure. "I cannot coneeiNe how any one can wnture to object lo ihis c(tur>e, without a\'owing that his object i-- to remedy our e\ils at the price of half a ci'own.' To I he ■''(11 1 If. ' DuLlin: TiK'sdny, X..v. 2^, \^:)7. 'There is a strong temptation — and it is be-t lo warn a IVieiiil again>t any leni|itation before \'oii pei'cei\(' him Lo lia\e once decideijly yiehk'd to it — iheie i-- a >irong 398 LIFE OF ArtCIIBISTIOr WIIATELY. [1837 temptation, to pci^sons in public life, to this sort of clieat- the-devil procedure, when one may forward some end one has in view by saying what is literally true, and no more, when you know that the suppression of something else will be likely to leave a false impression ; and when, by simply holding one's peace, one may gain the favour or escape the enmity of some one in power, who finds it convenient to his purpose to put forth half oi what one has said, and conceal the other half. ' ISTow I am about it, I will also suggest to you tliat there is a friend of yours, whom you justly admire for his talents and agreeable qualities, and who certainly is not to be reckoned a man of bad principles, and whose example is the more liable to draw off a man gradually from straiiihtforwardness, from the circumstance that there is one point of simplicity about him- -viz., his avowal, and indeed display, of the shifts and contrivances by whiclih.e manages to reconcile to his conscience pious frauds of various kinds. It seems to me that he is so amused v/itli his own ingenuity as to prefer having sympathy with that amusement, and admiration for that ingenuity, to tlie attainment of the highest point of art — celare artem. lie reminds me of a kniglit at chess, which always goes one step straight, and one oblique, and never can have his course blocked up so as to prevent his moving. Now a com])lcte hypocrite docs not sot an exanij^le of hypo- crisy, but of the frankness and openness whicli he seems to ])ossess. A book of Jesuitical casuistry, or a Jewi.-li MisJma, are much more seductive. ' Dn1)liri : Tucsdny. "• ]\Iy dear Senior,.. — I ajjprelurid K, wislie- ij.aAin-ra ^xh to ])e seci-etary to the Central Hoard tliat w'lW proixiljlv be Citablished ncfe ; si 'il'c /xr' the Eiigli-Ii appoiiituicnt. I auree /Et. oO] DISTINCTION OF 'RENT' AND • I'KOFIT.' nno with you that lie is hke fire; and he is a fii'e liarder now tliaii Ibiinerly to be kept witliin bounds. He would thereiore ])rol)ably produce in England partial damage, and here universal ruin. So that I do not know what is to be done, considering his claims to remuneration, which in these days of economy can only be made by putting a man into some ofllce. Extremes meet. If Caligula lived now, he would find himself /c';'€Y(/ to uiake his horse consul, as the only way in which he could provide him an extra feed of corn. ' I did not mean to decide the question gencralbj al)()ut ivnt and [)rofit. But in a popular elementary treatise I felt sure I could not draw so nice a distinction clearly enough to be properly understood. For, 1st, the word I'eiit must be established in a technical sense, so as to ex- clude rent of lum.^cs, >;sid Id li\'e on die n'lit of lii:- land, \\ on tlu; 'iiilcvi'sl^ (' on i!ic /'/''////; l)Ut all ihret-' ai'e said to have invested dicir rc>|'<'ctive cuiaUds.' ' Mv dear Scaiior. — I enclose a Icllei' from bady Ibny, ■ lud uiy au-\vcrJoit. which ^a\s thai il wtaild iioi he jiiopL-r for lue to lake aiiy pari in a publicalicn on ^ucli a 400 LIFE OF AECIIBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1837 subject, while I am chairman ; but that if she will put it into your hands, you, or somebody you will commit the office to, will give an opinion as to its being published or suppressed. The ftict is, it is tlie sort of thing that may conceivably do great good or great harm. ' This is a momentous question, and as regards (besides other matters) our Commission, all your labours in England will have been of no avail, if rash measures are adopted with respect to Ireland. For the dead corpse will poison the living body ; in fact, if such a system of pro- viding food and employment at the public expense [i.e. of the empire) for all who want it in Ireland, as some advocate, be adopted, I, for one, shall have nothing to say against repeal. It will be steering away from a ship on fire. By the help of Wriglitson and Blake I liope ^ve may avoid such extremities. Can you not write some- thing in the " Globe " to help our cause ? ' ' DuUin : Monday. ' My dear Senior, — Yours received on Satiu\lay. I have been writing to Lord Morpeth, at his desire, tlie sidjstance of a conversation with him on the plan I men- tioned in my last ; and I have entered furtlier into tlie calculations, and referred to the report (Committee on Irish Cluirch Property, 1832), wliicli recognises one of tiiemain })rineiples — tlie buying up of tithes. I propose to buy up even what may be called suppressed tilhe — i.e.^ to regard tlie tithes of tithe-free land as tlie pr()])erty of tlie laiidoAvners, and buy them along with tlie rest, in order to avoid tr()ul)les()iiie distinctions in the imposing of any land-tax which might be substituted. The composition being valued on the estimate of that report at sixteen years' purchase (usually letching but liiteen),and the sum ^x. 50] niOPOSAL TO BUY UP IRISH TITHES. 401 paid for tliem^ beinj^" raised by sale of government annui- ties, at perliaps thirty years, tliere would accrue a gain of from 3()0,000/.- to 400,000/. per annum to Government — a far greater surplus than what was lately the bone of con- tention, yet leaving the Church at least as well oiT as under Sir E. PeeFs bill. It wcjuld be a vast gain to do away a point of diflerence between men, who have many of tliem no other reason against acting together, by giving each ])arty even better terms tlian were sought. And I know not liow it can be expected that either " goat should lie down ; " or that the government of the empire can go on without some adjustment between ])arties so nearly balanced. ' So strong is tlie prevailing sense of tlie dilUculty, that some ex])ect no tithe-bill at all will be proposed, and that Ministers will be satislied to retain oflice without even an attempt to embody in a law the principle on the success- ful maintenance of which they came in. I mention this only to show what a stale-mate it is thought we are come to.' The contemplated introduction of the Irish Poor-law still occupied the Archbishop's mind most painfully. Ail liis L'llorts to bring English legislators to luiderstand the true state of the case in Ireland, according to his view of it. Were unavailing. * Those with whom I attem[)ted to argue on the sub- ject/ lie would remark, ' used to say that '' sometliinu' must l)e (loiic for Ireland,"' and something, tlierefoi'e. be it irood or bad, they rc-olved should be done. remarked to nie, when the Outdoor Pelief Pill was ])assinu'. that the te(Tnig of the fjigli>li was a mixture of j'evenu-e, coni- ])a<-ion, and selCdove. Tluy pitied the sull'ering poor of Ireland; they had a fierce resentment against Irish land- ' Sir. VOL. 1. I) I) 402 LIFE OF AECHBISHOP WHATELY. [1837 lords, whom they hastily judged to be the sole authors of tliose sufferings ; and they dreaded calls on their own purse. When men decide and act under the strong in- fluence of passion, especially three passions at once, they are usually not very wise in their measures. ' It was much like Swift's recommendation,' he would add, ' to the lady's-maid, when sent to open a drawer or box, and unable to find the right key ; she is to force one of them into the lock, and wrench till she either opens the drawer or breaks the key : " for your mistress will think you a fool if you come back and have done nothing !" And such a mistress did the Commissioners find the British public' The recommendations of the Archbishop and his colleagues were — to take, at all events, no step of irre- trievable risk ; to proceed gradually, and be content rather to leave some evils unremedied for the present, than pro- duce other and greater ones by rashness ; and to begin ^ at least, by conferring such benefits, however small, as tliey could be reasonably sure would be such — as institutions for the blind, deaf and dumb, &c. But no : ' something must be done for Ireland,' and 'there is no making it ivorse than it is,' were the cry of England ; and the Arch- bishop frequently observed, that many in England were really under the impression that it would be desirable to take such measures as might prevent the periodical immi- gration of Irish labourers to England for the liarvest-work, ' to take the bread out of the mouths of the Encdish labourers,' and ' to carry away with them English money into Ireland' — as if it were not plain tliat if the work tlicy did were not worth \\\orc than tiiat money, it would not be worth any one's wliile to employ them. ^'^T. 50] EXGLISIl IDEAS OF IRISH WANTS 4m To X. Senior, Esq. ' Palace : September 21, ]8o7. ' Wliat I would suggest relative to Poor-laws is, that 3^011 sliould avail yourself of this opportunity to couie over here and see a little for yourself. I do not mean that you should in two or three weeks pretend to be a better judge of tlie actual state of tilings than those who have spent years heie, and then go home and write a " report statuuj that no reports are to be relied on,'' and that actual ins])ec- tion is necessary ; but there are some things worth seeing. ' I have sent Bishop, for your use, a copy of a letter to Lord J. liussell on Transportation, on which, as well as on Irish tithes (not on poor-hiws), he had consulted me. Bisho}) will forward it or keep it, as you may desire. It is curious that this unlooked-for comnumication from Lord J. It. came along with an announcement that the Queen had acceded to my request about the oaths most fully, liaving substituted a declaration for an oath, I ])L'lieve, in all the orders.' 'DuWio: Oct. ,31, 18^,7. ' My deal' Senior, — I wonder who is the writer of an ;il)le article in the "• Ldinburgli lieview," just out, on Irish I'oor-laws. I sliould think it would be worth whiK' foi- oni' l.egishitui'e to consult with him personally. I am Ncry glad of tlu' article a])[)earing jn>t now, and not the los that the writer is a severe, and (as is natui'al ibr nu; to think) an unfair critic of some parts of our repoi'ts. • Thi^ takes away the sns])icion of partiality towards our \ iew-, which exists so nuich against onrselves. For il x'cnis to Ikiac l)een \t'ry conunonly taken for granted, that we approw'd ol" certain mea-^ures because I hey had I) 1) 2 404 LIFE OF AECIIBISIIOP WHATELY. [1837 been recommended by ourselves, instead of our recom- mending them because we approved them ; and that we disapprove of the workhouse system because it is rejected in our report, instead of our rejecting it because we dis- approved it. ' It will often happen, indeed, that vaccination or some new medicine or mode of treatment is disapproved of at first b}^ the most eminent practitioners, because not dis- covered by themselves. But in the present case we had heard of such a thino- as a workhouse. ' I have often observed, however, that those who labour for the public, unpaid, are supposed to have some favourite hobby that they wish to ride, or some secret scheme to further; while there is a strong sympathy Avith those who have an avowed and obvious personal interest. Thus, there was in many minds a stronger feeling in favoin^ of one of our education inspectors, who was most deservedly dismissed, than in favour of the Commissioners, who had been doing and bearing so mucli gratuitously. It seemed to be the habitual feeling of many not in the ranks of the adversaries, that the Irish Education was a sort of favourite scheme of our own, and that the Houses of Parliament were entitled to our gratitude for giving any share of their attention to it, and for not absolutely condenming us unheard. ' Another reason why tlie Poor-law Inquiry Com- missioners are listened to with so mucli prejudice, may ])erliaps be, that persons wlio have paid but little attention to such a su])ject are apt to hope for all that they wi^h, and for much more than is possible, and thence to be dissatisfied with those who have examined too carefully to be misled by false expectations, and who are too honest to ])romise what they know camiot be ])ei'('oi-med. To all this must be added a hasty ap])lication of the exam])le .^vi.r,0] PREJUDICE AGAINST POOR-LAW COMMISSIONERS. 405 of England, whose situation lias been so much improved by the reformed Poor-law that many are apt to forget how far that situation is from wliat is absolutely desirable, thoufjh it is so in romi)arison of tlie former state. A man Avho has scrambled halfway out of the slough is in the same place indeed, but not in the snme situation, with one who has fahen halfway into it, es[)ecially if he be one who, like Irehmd, lias " an alacrity in sinking." ]\Ir, I'arrington has drawn up a report of his " Mont de l*iete,"' which seems to have answered admirably in IJmerick, and which he wants to try in Dublin. What think you?' The following petition to tlie Queen is on a subject mentioned before, that of the oaths administered by the Cliancellor of the Order of St. Patrick : — ' To tJte Queen'' s Musi Excellent Majesty. ' May it [)lease j'our ]\hij(?sty, ' I presume to approacli your Majesty, in a strong hope lliat the conseientious scruples of anv of your ^I;iie--tv"s suliji'cts will be considered not un(le>erving ot" vour royal notice, and that your Majesty's ia\'oui' will be graciously extended to tlu' relief of any one of them from whatever may be felt as a griex'ance, wlieri' such relief can be all'orded with no detriment or inconvenience to other-. ' The case which I beg ])erniission huniblv to submit to your Ma_je>ty's consideration, is the following: — • A-< Archbishop of Dublin. I. am odiciallv C'liau'-ellor of the mo-t illustriou-- ( )r(ler of St. Patrick, and in that ca])acity am called on to administer, from time to time, the oaths to th(_)se created kniu'hts. 406 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1837 ' This oath (of which I enclose a copy) is merely a matter of form, and not intended or felt as imposing any restriction or duty which the candidate might have been likely otherwise to neglect. It is, in fact, merely a part of the ceremonial, designed for the increase of the antique splendour and dignity of the order, and of all that is con- nected with it. ' Now, the scruple I feel in respect of oaths of this kind turns on this very circumstance. It seems to be admitted by most Christians that oatlis are then only justifiable, and exempt from the charge of profaneness, when called for by necessity, and (as the 39th Article of the Church expresses it) " in a cause of faith and charity," and that all others must come under the description (in the same Article) of " vain and rash swearing." ' I have not only subscribed tliat Article according to the above interpretation, but, in common with the rest of the clergy, I have been accustomed thus to explain and inculcate the duty which it appears to me to convey, and which I conceive to be also implied in the proclamations issued by your Majesty and your illustrious predecessors. The thoughtless and unpremeditated manner in which some persons introduce the most Holy Xame in familiar conversation, however insufficient as an excuse, is at least no aggravation of their fault, as compared with a de- liberate use of that Name uncalled for by any important object. ' My humble request, therefore, to your Majesty is, tliat by virtue of the supreme authority unquestional^ly vested in the Sovereign of the Order, your Majesty may be pleased to dispense with the oath above referred to. ' I beg leave to submit that a similar dispensing power has been exercised from time to time in matters more important in reference to the iiistilutioii. as Ijeing more .Et. oO] petition to the queen on oaths. 107 calculated to strike the public eye, and adding to the solemn splendour of the ceremonial— such as the proces- sion to St. Patrick's Cathedral, and occasionally even the wearing of the mantle at the time of investiture. ' It has appeared to me that the occasion most suitable for laying before your Majesty such an application as this, and the least inconvenient for the discontinuance, should your Majesty deem it advisable, of an ancient practice, is at the auspicious commencement of a new reign, before any candidate has been actually admitted of the order. ' Permit me to subscribe myself, with the most pro- found respect. Madam, your JMajesty's most devoted and most dutiful subject, ' PiiciiARD Dublin.' 408 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1838 CHAPTEE XII. 1838. Letter to Dr. Arnold on the London L'niversity — Letter to Mr. Senior on colonising Xew Zealand, &c. — Letter on various subjects — His practice regarding anonymous letters — revisits Oxford — Letter to Mr. Senior — Letter to Bishop of Norwich — Letter to Mr. Senior on Irish Education — Misrepresentations from the Stationery Office and others respecting the Education Board. The first letter of this year which comes before us is in answer to some questions of Dr. Arnold/ on the subject of the then newly-founded London University : — * Dublin : January 5, 1838. ' My dear Arnold, — Tlie Ijest way, perhaps, in which I can thro^v" light on the questions you refer to me, will be by adverting to some matters which have come under my own experience, especially when that experience has been counter to my previous expectations. ' Six years ago, or more. I should have been ratlier inclined to doubt the possi]3ility of having any instruction or any examinations in Cluistian Scriptures, that all various denominations might peaceably partake of. ' AVhen Lord Stanley Ibrmed the Education Board, lie had no such thought. And wlien first Mr. Carlisle [)ro- posed drawing up Scripture Extracts, I partook of tlie same expectations with Bishop Phillpotts. tliat no selections could be introduced, witli the concurrence of all ])artics, ^ It is the only letter to Dr. Arnold -which lias been preserved. .'Ex. ol] SUCCESS OF THE 'SCRIPTURE EXTRACTS.' 400 sucli as sliould be of any utility. But I was as willing to have the experiment tried as he was anxious to j)revent it, and as much' rejoiced as he was mortified and ])ro- voked at tlie unex[)ected success. I do not even now think my apprehensions groundless. The obstacles were incomparably greater than those to any analogous plan in ]']ngland.^ 'The lioman Catholics do not, like the Dissenters, use tlie same version of the Bible as the ChurchuKHi ; they do not permit tlie free and indiscriminate use of Scripture ; they do not make Scripture their sole standard of faith ; they do not appeal to the authorised version, or tlie Cireek original, as their standard of Scripture, but to the Vulgate ; and they had been recently engaged in con- troversies with the Kildare Place Society on those very questions. j\Ioj-eover, large and fierce mutual persecu- tions had embittered the two parties against each other; and most of the Trotestant clergy and many of the laity made it their study to excite dissensions relative to our >clioo]s. And lastly, a large ])roportioii of the priests, being themselves very slightly acriuainted with Scripture, could not !)e ex[)ected to look with a favcnirable eye on the >tu(ly of any part of it by their llocks. ]\[y ai)pn>- hensions therefore were, I still think, rpiite reasonable. The resull. however, was complete sueeess. All the eilbrt to rai-e jealousy in reference to the Scripture h'xtracts have, ^\■itllin llie schools theniseb'es, totally failed. ' Tlicv ai-e read with delight and profit by almost all the children ; and 1 and other Trotestants, as Bishop Stanlev know<. ha\'e examined the children of all denominations. ' In (■ iiinrctiuii witli tliis ,
        icc1. it may ln' (jl)Si'i-vot tliat it was in l>-".7 th It l!i" .\iTlil)i>li(ip prniliictMl tht' ci'j.'ljraliMl tract, ' V.:\>\ l.rss hh .mi Cliri-- li.m l'.\ iiliiici s," at'liT\\arils adniilti-d iiiln tln' nii.xrd sflitiiil> hs I >r. .Murray, and liiially (ilijiTti'd t() l)y Dr. Cnllen in is',;;. 410 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1838 without knowing to which each child belonged, raising no jealousy, and finding them better taught in Scripture than most gentlefolks' children. Of course Mr. Spring-Eice will remark, when this is laid before him (which he already knows), that, first, I was prepared to go on Avith the system, even if no Scripture Extracts had been received ; and secondly, that the use of them is only recommended, not enforced. This is quite true ; and I am glad that in tlie few schools — they are but very few — wdiere no Scrip- ture is read, the children at least learn to read, write, and cipher. ' And I would not scruple to have certificates made out, if any were required in such cases, that such-and- such a boy had been diligent and orderly, had read such- and-such books, and passed an examination in arithmetic. But I would not grant a certificate that the boy had gone through a course of education suitable to his station ; that would imply that I considered a knowledge of the very first outlines of Clnistian History as improper or superfluous for a peasant. If any one said, " He is free to receive that knowledge from his priest," I should answer, " Very well : I do not declare that he has not I'cceivcd a competent education, or that he might not if he would ; but I cannot certify that he has. I can only certif)^ if you please, that I do not know to the contrary, and that he has been left to take his chance." Now, to a child brought up in our model school, or in one similaj' to it, I coidd grant a certificate (analogous to a degree), stating that he had received a regular course of instru(^tioii, sufficient to qualify him to be generally a member of society in a Clu'istian country, with reference to his station in life — not, indeed, instiiiction in the peculiai'ities of any particular Church, oi" in the professional points of any particular trade, but in that which evcjy one (of .Ex. 51] SUGGESTIONS ON THE LONDON UNIVERSITY. 411 whatever sect, and of whatever occupation) ought to be acquainted with in common, in order to deserve the title of decently educated. ' But had the phm gone no furtlier tlian Lord Stanley at first proposed and expected, I should not have con- sidered it as furnishing education, but only a portion of education ; and I should have been glad to fin-nish even a small part of that portion, if no more could have been admitted. If there had been a scruple against teaching anything beyond the alphabet, I should have been glad to have even that taught. ' From what I have actually done and thought and seen, you may pretty well conjecture how I should be likely to act in respect of the London University. In the lirst })lace, I slioidd ])oint out, first, from the experience of a far, very far more difficult trial, the perfect feasibility of having the historical books of the Bible as a ])ortion of the studies and examinations ; and secondly, the im- portance of this as a portion of general education, on the ground that Christianity is the prevailing religious profes- sion of the country. I shoidd call for no signing of articles — no profession of faith; but I should point out that in tliose [)ortions of the empire whei"e the ^hdiometan reli- gion prevails, it is essential that those who are to reside among the ]\Iussulm.ans and hold official situations should lia\'e some acquaintance with the Koran. ' To say that a man can havi' gone through a course of li!)cral educ^ition in this country, totally ignorant of the outlines of Christian IIi>toiT, i> to iuiply not merelv that the Christian religion is imti'ue or bad, but that it is in-ignificant and unworthy of sci'ious attention, excc|)t from iho-c who ha\'e a i'ancy for it- as is the ca-e with the mythological antiquities of the Anglo-Saxons, or the dreams of astroloiiv and alcheniv. And if anv one 412 LIFE OF AECIIBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1838 should say, " You need not doubt that the students do acquire this knowledge in other ways," I should say, " Very well ; I do not say to the contrary. I will certify, if you please, that they may, for aught I know, have gone through a suitable and complete course of education ; but I will not certify, by conferring anytliing in the nature of a degree, that they have done so, unless they shall have given proof before the University, as sucli, that they have." But if I was answered that the conductors of the University despaired of the possibility of conducting any examinations or lectures on the Greek Testament, so as to avoid jealousies and contests, I should consent to obtain what benefit w^e could — reckoning even half a loaf, or half a quarter of a loaf, better than no bread. But nothing w^ould ever induce me to call it a whole loaf. ' If objections are raised to examinations in Plistory — and it would be very easy so to conduct these, or so to represent the conduct of them, as to raise religious objections and jealousies — and if similar scruples extended to everything except Euclid and Chemistry, I shoidd say, "Tlien let Euclid and Chemistry be taught, and let a student have a certificate of having attended these lectures and passed an examination in tliem ; but let not this certificate be con- founded witli a degree, or with anything certifying that the student had gone through what was, in the opinion of the Governors of the Institution, a sudicient course of liberal in- struction." For if such a certificate related partly to instruc- tion, supposed to have been received at home, whicli the Governors of the Institution did conceive to l)e essential, but wliich tliey did not tliemselvcs either supply or a>cer- tain, tlien tliey miglit inwardly believe, but W(3ul(l liave no right to certify publicly, the completeness of the educa- tion ; if, again, they did reckon the course of instruction given within the Institution to be complete, they would yKr. ol] THE STUDY OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY. 41'] 1)0 riijrlit in certifying that they tliouglit so ; but I sliould liave no ri<_rht to express a coiicurreiice in tlieir views. Many, I believe, would be scandalised at the ground on which I c(jntend for a knowledge of Christian History as an essential part of a course of liberal education — viz., not the ground of its truth, but of its iui})ortant place in society. Ihit I am taking the onl}' ground on which I conceive it can be with justice in any manner requii-ed. It has been the common practice for ages, in most States of Christendom, to require a i)rofession of belief, but not knowledge. A man was required to profess himself a Christian Trinitarian — an Anti-Trausubstantiationist — a Xicean, &c. ; but he might, if he })leased, remain ignorant whether Christ came before or after Mahomet — was born in Asia or Eui'ope — was descended from David or fi'om Xebuchadnezzar. ]\[y views are quite the reverse of these ; and, whether riglit or wrong, they are most deliberate and well-weighed. ' Ever yours afTectionately, 'E. WlIATELY.' The subject of Colonisation was one in which the Arch- 1)i-liop had alwavs taken a lively inti-rest. lie was often ac(ni-toincd to I'overt to the wiser and sounder principles on wliirh the aiirieut colonies were iounded, their plans being sv^lematicallv carricMl out, not K'ft to cliance ; the colony Ix'ing allowed liberty of self-govei'nment. and encouraged to becdine independent, whili' the tie of attachment to the niDlliei'-counlrv was ne\'er wholly ellacinl. It Nvris with close atleution, therefore, that he watched tlu> I'orma- tii»n at this time of the then new colony of Xew Zealand ; and the letter which follows, and some ()thers which occur later, are mainly on this subject : — • 414 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1838 To N. Senior, Esq. ' January So, 1838. ' My dear Senior, — I learn from Hinds that you have seen the little publication about New Zealand, and are disposed to think favourably of the plan. Considering its proximity to New Holland, and its manifold superiority, I think a colony tliere might deserve to be called New Byzantium, as being (according to the ancient oracle) placed " opposite to the city of blind men." ' The Macedonians, however, and all other blind men are far outdone l)y the constitution at least of our abominable penal colonies. 'I quite agree with Hinds as to the importance of appointing a bishop for the new colony. If this be not done, there must be either no episcopal church there, or else a connection with tlie Bishop of New Soutli Wales. Both of these, I think, would be great evils, and the latter the greater of the two. I should much deprecate any shadow even of a connection with New South Wales. And I think the idea is now nearly done away, that the Church is more degraded by liaving a bisliop without a coach-and-six than by having one too distant to be a real " overseer." ' What a curious Acteon-like fate would it be if O'Con- nell were to be murdered by a mob ! He has been in no small danger. In liis speeches on Poor-laws, and mucli more against the combinators, he has shown his usual skill, but a courage which he certainly never displayed before. I shall be glad to hear of the ariival of a parcel sent you about a fortnight since by a Government frank — a review by Willis of the expedition to New Holland. 'There has been published in Dublin a pam])hlet of extracts from mv works, as a mode iu which the com- yEx. 51] DIVISIONS WITHIN THE CHURCH. 415 piler purposes to let tliose wlio cannot wade tlirougli many volumes, judge for themselves of the truth of the charges against rtie. It is producing very considerable effect, being by no means ill-done. The compiler I have lately learnt to be a man with whom I had a very slight acquaintance. ' We are (dl ])retty well ; Edward gaining ground better than in tliis severe weather could have been lioped. ' Ever yours, ' E. WlIATELY.' Tlie letters which follow explain themselves : — To the Bisltop of Norv:lch. 'Dublin: August 20, 1838. ' My dear Lord, — ]\rany thanks for 3X)ur kindness in remembering to send me your Charge, Avhich I have ventured to read before acknowledging it. It seems to me an admirable union of " suaviter in modo, fortiter in re." ' The remark on the divisions within the Church, as a cogent reason for not being l)itter against Dissenters, struck me as peculiarly happy. Wwi thongh I do not wi-li tht' terms of connnunion to be made narrow, I never mi-^s ;ni opportunity of protesting against that most em- phaticallv schismatical conduct — the denouncing as hetero- dox of one clergvman by another of tlie same Church, whieii is precisely that which regularly-constituted autho- lities ;ili>ii(,' have a I'ight to do; and Avhie-h, therel"oi'e, Aviien (lone by self-constituted judges, goes to subvert the whole structure of an ecelcsia-^tical conununity. in the same nnumer as Luddites, \^'hite-feet. Kockite-^, and otluT 416 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY, [1838 self-constituted judges and rulers in civil matters, go to subvert the foundations of civil society. I said this in a letter, of which a copy found its way among some of the Hampden persecutors of Oxford, and they seemed to feel very sorely on the subject. Xo wonder, for they are so vehement in their declamations against schism, and so occupied in censuring Dissenters, that it never occurred to them that they were guilty of the greatest possible act of schism themselves. Something of the same kind is going on in the Christian Know^ledge Society. A minority, though a large one, have printed a remonstrance, Avhich they have sent to me, and which I presume you have also seen, which I have answered (through Dr. Dickinson) — not touching on the particular points in question, but only on the schismatical character of the proceeding, if they do not apply to, or for tlie appointment of, some regular tribunal, duly authorised, to decide wliether the charge of heterodoxy is established. I have a co[)y of tlie correspondence, should you have a curiosity to see it. ' What you say of anonymous letters reminds me to mention my own practice, and its success. It has long been my rule to look hrst Ibr the signature, and imme- diately to burn, unread, every anonymous letter. ' The first half-year I was here, I dare say I received above 100 ; but as it became generally known tliat I never read them, the number rapidly diminislied, and still continues to diminisli ; and now I liardly ix'ceive a dozen in a year. 1 may have lost some va]ua])le infor- mation, l)at I suspect not nuich, as people always find some other avenue when they find that one is closed; and it is a gi'eat evil to encourage the ])ractice by being known to read all, which you nuist do if y()U I'cad any.' yEr. 51] REVISITS OXFORD, HIS ^VLMA MATER.' 417 Part of the autumn of this year (IS.jS) was spent by tlic family at Oxford. It was tlie last time tliat Dr. Wliately made any considerable stay in this the scene of his earliest labours and lia[)piest years. A change had come over the old city, which made it, for him, very different from tlie ' Alma Mater ' of his eai'ly days. The band of old friends were scattered, and among those who remained, conti"oversy had brought painful disunion. A blight seemed even to have fallen on the brilliant literary reputation of Oriel ; and to him, regarding the whole subject as he did, Oxford was now a place full of very painful associations. When a])proaching it he has often said, ' I feel as if I were beholding not only the dead face of a dear friend, but his nioulderinii; and decaviu'!; corpse.' At this time, however, it was ' long vacation,' and the renewed recollections of the past Avere less vivid. And a sister-in-law, much beloved by him, having now, by her marriage with his old friend IVofessor Powell, become fixed at Oxford, gave the ])lace a more cheering aspect in his eyes. His stay in Oxfoi'd this year natui'ally drew liis attention uuich to tlie controversy still I'aging, on the subjt'ct of Dr. Hampden's lectures. The following letter was written to ?Ii. tSenior on his way home : — '].'u-l)y: ()cU)hvY 10, 1S:1S. '^Ivdrai" St'iiior, — Here we are on our retui'n home. \V(i ha\e been two months in I'jigland, for J.'s luMlth, wlio is better, though i;ir IVom stout. AVe were most of the time at Oxford. Xot niauy there, of course, in k:^e[)- teinber. but the Powells were the chief attraction. ' 1 veiy nuich doubt between Oxford and Oaui1)ri;lge i'<)V my boy. Oxford, which I should otherwise [)re;er, V()i>. J. i: !■: 418 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1838 on many accounts, has, at present, two-thirds of the steady reading men Eabbinists, i.e. Puseyites. ' I am led to expect to find, on my return, the Educa- tion Board all at sixes and sevens, and shall probably have to resign. I know no particulars, but I hear that was there in his late visit to Ireland, and if he did not meddle, I can only say it will have been the only matter I know of in -which he has not meddled. " Oh, let me play the lion I " ' O'Connell, you may have heard, has recommenced agitation, having got up an association of " Precursors," commonly called, for shortness, cursers. ' I think the town of Oxford seems improved in some respects. The defeat of 's attempt to keep his men from Hampden's lectures is felt as a sore defeat, and there is a talk about repealing the persecuting statute ; and the heads who last year appointed , apparently for the express purpose of crying up tradition (which he did so extravagantly that he does not venture to publisli his Bampton lectures), have elected for next year Congreve, expressly to preach on the other side. ' I may bring home any memoranda of what you learn respecting education and educational books. I do not mean to leave the Board (if I leave it I must) in liostility, but to continue avowed advocate of the system. See also what you can about prisons and secondary punisli- ments. Sir William Molesworth is still labouring in tlie cause, and public attention is so far beginning to be roused that a provincial paper lately published tlie wliole of my Avi'itten evidence, sent in the form of a letter, last session.' yEx. ul] Ills CLERICAL LABOURS. 419 To the Bishop of NorvAch. ' Cftstlc : Doconiber 22, 1838. ' ]\ry dear Lord, — I snatch a few minutes before the meeting of a Privy CoimciL 'You may guess liow pressed I have been with business wlien I tell you that I have liad a sermon in hand six weeks, and have but just finished it ! ' I*art of my labours are what may seem very strange to some of m}^ brethren — viz., examining candidates for an ordination (to-morrow), and writing a sermon for that occasion. The latter is what I almost always do — the former I never omit, nor ever will ; even when I shall be too infirm to take part myself in examining, still, I will have it in my presence. I am convinced it makes a vast difference. 'Were I inclined to l^e spiteful, I should feel a malicious satisfaction in your coming in for a share of the obloquy, of which I have had to stem such a tide for so many years. But I grieve tliat the Clnu'ch in England should be doing so much to involve itself in the dangers to which that in Ii'eland is exposed. ' All tilings considered, I am disposed to wonder and be grateful at having so far improved, as I have, the tone of the clei'gv here ; a great ])roportion of whom — tliough I ha\(' IxH'ii here ])Ut >(i\(}\\ years — were ordained ])y myself, or nppoiiitcil in my time. Any pai'ticulars of the modes I have adopted and am labouring to iiiti'oduce, foi' elTect- iug sucli iinj)r(>venients, I sliall be hap])y to connnunicate. '^Ir. Tarkcr, I understand, is resolved on l)ringiug ' Tioudoii tracts' in ]X'nny muubers. I eannot learn wlio i> to bi! tlie ])riuie mover. Powell does not like it ; ])r. Hinds does. — In great haste (and in the dusk), ' Yours very truly, 'II DlBLIX.' j; K -1 420 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1838 ' December, 1838. 'My dear Senior, — You may now send, me, or I to you, ever so large or small a letter. When I tell you that I have been above a month at a sermon (for an ordination for to-day fortnight), and ha^e not quite finished it, you may guess what a pressure of business I have had. I will write to you a scrap at a time as I am able. The Education Board is in a doubtful way. Dr. Murray's letters related to the principle of the system, about which I never had any doubt. The difficulties have been in details. I have written to Spring-Eice very fully on tlie subject ; and I should like you to put yourself in the way of seeing and hearing what he may have to show or say, if he is so disposed ; and if not, I shall be glad to know how he receives your allusions to the subject, and I am ready to give you my account of it. ' To speak generally, the difficulty is that Parliament, including the supporters of the present Administration, seem to have a great distrust of the capacity of tlie Commissioners for conducting national education ; and we in Ireland have the most utter distrust of theirs. They expect us, by a skilful system of inspection, to keep up a supply of excellent schoolmasters all over Ireland, at a cost of from 10/. to 15/. per amium apiece ; and tliey grudge to afford even the necessary cost of that. Tliey are quite ready to lay on us all the blame of eveiy deficiency or abuse that does or tliat does not (for they believe witliout inquiring anytliing that is said of the kind) exist, and to our representations and ])roposa]s tliey turn a deaf ear ; in short they " strike, l)ut do not lie.ar." And Government seem to want either the power or the will, or both, to support us. 'To take one exam})le out of many; a Mr. , of the Stationery Office, sent in a re[)resentation to the ^r. 51] THE EDUCATION BOARD MISREPRESENTED. 421 Treasury of our haviusj; disbursed iu a certain item ten pounds or so beyond what was necessary ; I forget tlie exact sum, but 1 know that the alleged excess of expendi- ture was beyond tlie total of real expenditure — the whole statement being a series of gross blunders. This statement (from a ]:)alj)ably interested quarter) was credited by Government, instantly and certainly, witliout tlie least inquiry. And this and similar falselioods are circulated on both sides the Channel, among those who never dream they can be contradicted. ' This may give you a slight notion of the state of things, under which I cannot of course continue to act. I coidd do no good by attempting it. If Goverimicnt would take up the matter in earnest, I think they may yet save tlie system, which is in a })recarious state, and must be renovated in some way, soon, or never. The Commissioners are about to propose some measiu'cs, one of Avhicli, and I should think an essential one, will be the adding of the Irish Secretary and Chancellor as ex- olficio members to the Board, so as to bind up the system firmly with Government.' 422 LIFE or ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1839 CHAPTER XIII. 1839. Letters to Rev. Baden Powell on Lis work ' Tradition Unveiled ' — ■ Letters to Mr. Senior on Irish Education, Relief, &c. — Letter to Rev. Dr. Dickinson — Starts on a Continental tour — Visits the field of Waterloo — Conversation with the King- of the Belgians — Letter to Dr. Dickinson on Switzerland and Italy — Makes the acquaintance of M. Sismondi — Letter to Mr. Senior on '■ Travelling ' — Disappointed at the failure of his scheme for a new Divinity College — Misrepresentations of the scheme — Returns to Dublin — Letters to Mr. Senior on various subjects — Urged by his friends to attend Parliament — Letter on the subject — Letter to Miss Crabtreo — Madame Fabre translates the '■ Lessons on the Evidences of Christianity ' — Letter to M. Fabre on the translation. The first letter in 1839 we shall give, is to the Eev. Baden Powell, then engaged on his work, ' Tradition Unveiled : ' — ^ March, 1839. ' My dear Powell, — Provost S., a man of great acuteness, remarked that you seemed to place tradition too low. Have we not, he said, 1st, the Sacred Scriptures by tra- dition ; 2ndly, the inspiration of them by tradition ; ordly, many practices and many interpretations from tradition ? ' The first I admitted ; remarking, however, that if a letter from a friend was brouglit me by a messenger of a tolerably fair character, intellectual and moral, wlio also reported to me (at first, second, or third liand) my friend's oral remarks on tlie same subject, I sliould attach yEr. 52] LETTEll TO BADEX TOWELL OX TUADITIOX. 423 very dilTcrciit degrees of weight to the letter and to tlie rejxnt. I iiiiglit tliiiik the man incapable of forging the letter, and yet might suspect, eitlier that lie luid j)artially misunderstood the conversation, or tliat tlie intermediate re[)orters liad, or that it was coloured hy their prepos>e>- sions; or,histly,that my friend, by not inserting so-and-so in his letter, liad designed it only for those he was speaking to, or had meant it to be left at my discretion, not as a direction to be insisted on, like his written directions. Hereupon it was remarked that the tradilionists (including tlie Eomanists) may urge that it is a mockery to talk of the infallible certainty of the inspired Sacred Scriptures, if we are to exercise our own confessedly fallible judg- uK'iit in deciding the question as to their authenticity ; for since no chain can be stronger than its weakest link, if we rest our religious l)elief on the Sacred Scriptures, and refer to tradition for the assumption that they are the Saci'ed Scriptures, our belief must rest, ultimately, on tradition — a tradition, indeed, which we thiidv more worthy of credit than some which the Eomanists hold, but which still we admit only on the decision of oiu' own i;illil>le ju'lgnieiit as to the evidence by which it is >u[)porte(l. 'All this I admit, and more. C)ur belief in any ])oiiit foi' which we refer to Scripture^ must rot on the con\ ic- tioii of our own judgment, not only, l>t, a-^ to the evidence tbrthe -ale and unaltered traiisnii->ion (tradition, if any one choo-e-; to call it so) of the books ; but also, liiullv. as to the e\"ideiiee ibr the authors of tlu^-e books having been reidly divinely cominis-ioiieil ; ;uid again, -'h'dU-, a< to the evidence for the sense of the pa-uch as we understand it in. Hence. 1 olxiTxcil, our certainty is only a hypolhetical certaiutv, dependent on the correctne.-s of our judgment on e\"erv one of the-e three points. The weaknos of the chain, a^ far as 424 LIFE OF ARCIIEISIIOP WHATELY. [1839 fallibility is to be called weakness, is in three of the links, and not merely in one. And the result also I fully admit-— viz., that I am faUible, which I should not be if I were infallibly certain of infallibly following an infallible guide. ' But if another person were to take my word implicitly (or that of Irena3us or Jerome, or any other bishop, ancient or modern) for the conclusion I had thus drawn, taking the word of somebody else for its being my conclusion, this would evidently be only adding a fourth doul^tful link to the chain. His choosing to entertain no doubt as to this being my opinion, and as to the correctness of my opinion, would leave him indeed in a state of very com- fortable certainty, but would not afford any additional ground for certainty. ' But the vulgar are deceived sometimes into rejecting at once all religion, on the ground that infallible certainty cannot be obtained (forgetting that, by their own rule, they ought to make out an infallible certainty of its being false) ; sometimes into resolving that they will reject all doubt ; sometimes into preferring some system which has only one weak link in the chain, to that which has several — leaving out of tlie account the degree of weakness. ' Once grant that Swedenborg, or Southcote, or the Pope, is God's vicegerent or ambassador, and there need not be a shadow of doubt as to anytliing else. ' Secondly, tlie tradition of the inspiration of tlie Sacred Scriptures 1 admitted to exist, Init denied it to be decisive, tliougli it may be confirmatory. ]]ut if you admit, ('.//., Paufs epistles to be genuine and not the work of a fool, a madman, or an impostor, he nuist have been inspired, because he says so. ' As for the third point, I admit — and so, I said, I con- ceived you to do — tiie tradition of various ordinances, cVc, whicli are thei'efore to be considered witli respect, and not yET. 52] LETTER TO BADEX TOWEEL ON REVELATION. 425 liglitly rejected, but yet not put on a par witli revelation. The ])roof is less strong of their being, 1st, really apos- tolical ; and 2n'dly, supposing they were, of their being meant by the Apostles to be of universal obligation. ' The Provost seemed to acquiesce in what I said. I do not fnid that others were struck with the objections he made, but it may be worth your while to turn it in your mind. 'Dr. Wilson was mightily pleased with my calling the traditionals the " Children of the Mist." The title of " ^\'iled Prophets " he thought a little too severe.' To the same. 'I should like joii to explain and modify some of your positions in that volume. I agree with you, that to assinne the truth of the Pible as a basis for natural theo- logy is to argue in a circle ; but I cannot admit that we either rcfpiire or can establish a complete demonstration ol" the being and attributes of a Deity, before we can })ro- cced to inquire whether there be a revelation. (I allude es])ecially to a note in which 3'ou, justly, censiu'e tliosc; who are for entering on tlie study of Xalural Theology with tlie Pihle in their liand — like begiiuiing Euclid with ^«"^\vlon's Principia for a guide.) It is enough if you can e-tabh-h it as a strong probability that tliere may be a (iod. and tliat not necessarily such as we call God — the sole Author of all things; but sini|)l3' an unseen intelhgent Pcing, exercising ])()wer over this world. And wlien it is but admitted lliat there may be such a P)eing, thei-e is no absurditv in proceetling to in(piii"e what ])ro()ls there ai'e of Hi- having directly conununicated with man. AV'licn this is e-tahlished, we may justly infer, from such His re\elations, His having probably done soand-so, and 426 LIFE OF AECIIBISIIOP WHATELY. [1839 being so-and-so ; ofwhicli again we may find confirmation by inspecting more closely the other volume — the created universe. Is not such the historical state of the case ? The first Christian preachers went about among the heathen, who were all, in a certain sense, atheists, i.e. not believers in an Eternal Creator, but worshippers of certain Sso/ wdio were superhuman, immortal (though not eternal), intelligent, and powerful beings. But the Apostles taught them, you wnll say, that we are all the creatures of the one God. True ; but how did they prove this ? By reference to the miracles which Christ Avrought and enabled His followers to work, which proved that He was a messeno-er from the One who had control over Nature, and who was therefore to be believed when He called Himself the Author and Governor of Nature. 'And even now, when we teach children and clowns that God is their Maker, they are usually led on to the study of sacred Scripture before they are even mentally capable of taking in natural theology as an independently- proved basis for ulterior reasonings. True, you will per- haps reply, they take our word in the first instance, both for natural and for revealed rehgion ; and afterwards, if properly trained, they go over the same ground again, and verify the course of argument. They do ; but in this process of verification it is not necessary that tliey should have completed the proof of the behig and attri- butes of God from the contemplation of nature, before they begin upon the evidences of revelation. Having fairly satisfied themselves tliat tliere is no contradiction or impossibility in conceiving a great Spirit to exist, and to reveal Himself to man, they may fairly proceed to examine tlie evidences of some such Being iiaving done so ; and when satisfied that He had, tliey may next inquire what He has taught us respecting Himself .Ex. 52] CONSCIENTIOUS SCRUPLES. 427 'It was, perhaps, some vague and confused idea of this ])rocedure (a procedure which does not appear to nie at all illogical) that was in the mind of those who speak of studying Nature with the aid of the Bible.' To N. Senior, Esq. ' You must endeavour to meet rather more at large the conscientious scruples which many will feel, and many others profess, at givhig support to a religion we regard as corrupt. There are several difTerent cases (which it is important not to confoimd) of allotting money to sucli a reliiiion : — ' 1. To send out a Ivoman Catholic missiim, or establish ])riests, chapels, &c., where there woidd otherwise have Ix^en none. ' 2. To furnish the means of education in the Eoman Catholic ministry, for a su])ply of priests to parishes which would otherwise have priests educated elsewhere. ' o. To transfer to oiu'selves from the congregation the maintenance of the priests actuall}" ofllciating. ' 4. To fui'nish to lioman Catholic children a neutral (■(Uicalion, teaching tliem neither any part of their [x'culiar >v>tcm, nor again anything at variance witli it ; but suj)- j)lviiig coiiuiion instructions, and leaving them to the pric,-ts for particulars. "5. To give relief of any kind t(^ a ])oor lioman Ca- tholic, for a >hare of all his cx[)cn(hture finds its way to the priest ; and il" you ever give him an old coat, the next money he gels will pay ibr a mass instead of a coat. CM' all the-e it may be said, in a certain sense, that they are eiicoiiragiiig the lioman Catholic religion; but the ca-es are of viiy diirerent complexion^, and a man might con- -i-tenllv MTUple at one and not at another. 428 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1839 ' No. 1 is not thought of ; 2 is Maynooth ; 3 is what you propose ; 5 is very hke it, and is what no one has any scruple about ; 4 is the system of National Education, and also (according to their distinctly professed design) of the Kildare Place Schools.' ' Eedesdale : Marcli 21, 1889. ' My dear Senior, — I quite agree with you that there ought always to have been an interchange of Irish and English bishops and clergy ; nor do I think it at all too late now. I should like to see some Dublin curate preferred to a Government living. Nor would there be, I think, any objection to removing an Irish bishop, supposing him fit, to an English see. The reason, I believe, it has not been done is, not that it would have seemed to take a man from an arduous to an easy station (quite tlie contrary), but because it was thought anything was good enougli for an Irish bishopric. But if it liad always been the practice, this would not, I think, make any difference at all in my case at present, because a removal from a liigher dignity to a low^er (a thing which in my view is nothing, but which is much thouglit of) — and that, too, at such a crisis for the Irish branch of the Church as, ])er- liaps, never occurred before — would not have fiiiled to be interpreted as a desertion, just as much as it would uoav. ' This is all I wash to add to what I wrote last. In all the rest I agree with you, and you may use your discretion. ' You must not judge too hardly of me in respect of any defects in tlie report, for if I could have had but one month uninterrupted, I sliould iiave had more cliance of doing at least my best than I liave liad in two years and a half, without even any one day unbroken by other pressing and distracting business. .'Ex. 52] STARTS ON A CONTINENTAL TOUR. 429 'Wlien Ca3sar wrote, read, listened all at once, he did all three, no doubt, as ill as any dunce. Pray let nie hear more about Hampden after your return from Oxford. ' Ever yours, ' 11. W. ' P.S. — Some reasons for not recommending compulsory relief for all who are in distress are just drawn up, and will be forwarded to Mr. Blake.' The following letter to Dr. Dickinson, written when he was starting for the Continent with his family, is charac- teristic in reference to his favourite old pursuits in Natural History : — To Dr. Dickinson. 'Ban -or: May 18.",0, 'My dear D,, — Passage rather rough, tliougli not tedious. All very sick, including myself Starting at that time in the morning suits me ill. The " Sun," wliicli we have seen, states positively that Peel has been looked at and sent back, and Lord ]\[elbourne sinnmoned again. Is Peel manreuvi'ing to kee]) among the bowlci's? wliich he plainly likes bettei' tlian batting. is men- tioned as among the part}' at Peel's ; and like a rat with- out a tail, I'll do, I'll do 'Pray le:ive word at tlie Palace of cnu' safety. When you are lixed at Killinev, I'emember to ask ]\rrs. CoU'inan for yom' ducklings, that is, if your bairns like them. AN'lien I was of their age I liad two, which I used to cai'ry about the garden on the ])alni of my hand, and liold them to any bougli that liad caterpillai's on it. They liavclled a> 'juietly as passengers on the to[) of a coadi.' Tlic continental journey, alluded to in >ome of tlie>c 480 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1839 letters, took place in May of tliis year, on account of tlie health of one of his family. Where the welfare of others, and especially his children, was concerned, he spared no effort ; but, as has been observed, travelling afforded him in general but little pleasure. The ordinary objects of sightseers in continental towns had little or no charm for him. He visited the field of Waterloo, and during a stay of some days at Brussels became acquainted with several dis- tinguished literary and political characters, both among Belojians, and in the circle of eminent Italian exiles who were then residing in that city. He dined with the King of the Belgians on this occasion, at his palace at Lacken. Walking next morning in the park with his brother-in-law, he observed, 'I rather startled his Majesty by an observation I made to him — viz., that he set a bad example to the States of Europe.' ' No wonder,' replied his companion ; ' but how did you justify the remark ? ' ' I added,' he resumed, ' that his Majesty afforded the best specimen possible of the value of an elective monarchy.' From Brussels the party proceeded, by the Ehine, Frankfort, Heidelberg, and Baden, to Switzerland. At Frankfort, where a few days were spent. Dr. WJiately formed an acquaintance — it might almost be called a friendship, brief as their intercourse was — with the Syndic Sievekiiig of Hamburg, in whom he found one wiiose powers of mind, high cultivation, and enlarged views, were peculiarly fitted to appreciate his own, and in whose society lie enjoyed an intercourse most congenial to him. Tlie correspondence to which tliis meeting led was continued at intervals as long as tlie Syndic lived. The two letters which follow give, the one, his general .Ex. o2] HIS IMPRESSIONS OF SWITZERLAND. 431 inipressious of wliat he saw of Switzerland and Italy ; the other, of ti-avellinix in treneral : — To Dr. Dicl'inson. 'Varenna, on Lake Como : June 24, 1830. ' jMy dear D., — 's attack at Zurich kept us there but a few days. Fortunately, we found there a pliysician whom we both thought very well of. We had a severe day's journey on Friday, crossing the Splugen pass, which w\as rather too much for her, but she is now recovering from it. Think of the amusement of pelting each other with snowballs on the 21st June, at G,500 feet elevation. lih(Kl()(lendrons in OTcat beauty at tlie edcje of tlie snow — • no heath in tlie higli parts, and hardly a bird to be seen. ' Here the weather is very lu^t ; several nightingales in full song, which is very late for them ; a garden full of orange trees ; but tliere is no other place to stir out ex- ce})t the dusty road skirting the lake. IMountains come down close to the water on all sides, which I don't like so well as a mixture of mountain and plain. The Alps, of coui'se, l)eat everything in the Ihitish Isles, but the lake itsrlf, tlioiigli very beautiful, does not, in niy mind, near equal Killai'iiey : it wants tlie islands. The country is ein-li)sed beyond the neighbourhood of Dublin. Xothing but narrow paths between vineyards and olive-yards. To- morrow we [)ropose starting for Como, and '[-?(*) J")h\ M/Id)).^ staving a few davs, I was going to say, if found equal to descriptions ; but on arriving last night (by >tt'amcr) we found it so dull and cloe tlu^ rliildi'cn would not like to be so near a celebrated cily without seeing it. 1 have ordered any letters that may 432 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1839 arrive (I have had none) to be forwarded to the places on our route, which will be by Lago Maggiore to the Sim- plon and Geneva. ' is decidedly better. The passage by steamer on the lake is just the thing for her. I am glad to be relieved from the everlasting valleys, Swiss and Italian, though this is a dead flat, and has no beauty but that of full cultivation. ' I had no idea the ancient sculptors were so correct in their oxen. You recognise in the ox of this coinitry exactly the peculiar face of their sculpture. ' We propose to start to-morrow for Baveno on Lago Maggiore. The cathedral is the most gigantic idolatrous temple I ever saw. I need not describe it, as books do that so much better. It is a pain to me to visit such places. The chief idol is the Virgin and Babe. I marvel at those Protestants who admire the devotion of Eoman Catholics, and their stepping in at any liour of any day to say their private prayers in the churches, Avhicli are always open. It is the very essence of their error, in making a temple of a Christian synagogue. I hope yoiu' book is going on well. If you do not repeat again and again that the main point is the double doctrine, and yet from the natui'e of the case the least prominent cliaracter- istic of the party, you will have said too little. I slioukl almost be inclined to use as a motto (at any rate introduce it somewhere), " portaque emittit eburna." ' After a few days in Northern Italy, the ]^arty crossed the Simplon, and made a short stay at Geneva, where they made an acquaintance, not less interesting than their former ones, with the celebi'ated historian h^ismoncii and liis accomphshed Avife, and at liis liouse VvXtc introduced to several litei'ary characters of note. yET. 52] HIS VIEWS ON TRAVELLING. 483 Tlie following extract from a letter to Mr. Senior shows his feelings with respect to travelling in general :— 'Geneva: July 18.'». ' Travelling itself, or rather being from home, is to me very dull, for want of something to do. I have been too long an actor, in very stirring parts, to be interested as a spectator. T have outlived the power of ])eing amused, for above a day or two at a time, with the mere ])assive process of seeing sights. The thing is, I have been so long habituated to be among persons and institutions de- pendent on me for many important benefits, and with a view to wliom I am daily taking measures, that I lind it Hat to be surrounded by mere objects which are nothing to me, nor I to them, and without any ol)ject to accom- ])lis]i. Considering how nuich I am usually overlooked and too painfully intei'ested, it miglit l)e expected that tlie most com])lcte contrast would be the most refreshing ; and so it would be but for two circumstances, — 1st, that the ab-ciicc of employment is concentrated instead of being (ii!ill till niv rt'tnrn : my vessel is not laid u]) in |)oil, but is not only still at sea while I haxc the I'udder, but is a.-sailed 1)V IVe^h storni< from that wvy cause ; for all my opponents [/.r. all violent partisans of all sides) waleli their opl)ortunitv to ])lot as soon a'^ my back is turned ; and though thev ne^•er (iud D aslee[) on his ])o>t, ihev ahvay- Irv what they can do. ' We ho])f to l)e in bondou tln' 27th inslanl. '1 he ])ropheev of -Ust May is not, lilei'ally fuhilied. l)u( I -lill vol,, I. r F 434 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1839 think it likely it will be in substance. For Ireland, the Whigs make a bad Government, and the Tories, I fear, a worse (from the want of confidence in their good inten- tions, and the experience of their yielding to threats) ; in England, probably, vice versa. I wish, but hardly dare hope, for a Government w^hich should employ, without feelings of jealousy, men of superior talents as well as in- tegrity, instead of trusting exclusively to " iron-witted fools and unrespective boys," and making unscrupulous- ness a primary recommendation.' While this letter was being written, a piece of intelU- gence was on its w^ay to the Archbishop, which could not fail to bring him deep disappointment and mortification. As has been observed, he had long been desirous of establishing a separate college for Divinity students, not in opposition in any way to Trinity College, but to supply the need — acknowledged at that time by leading persons in the Irish Church — of a more systematic and distinctive course of theological training than was practicable in a college in which this was not the sole object. That many leading members of Trinity College misap- prehended the plan, and imagined that it would interfere with the working of the older institution, was, perhaps, not to be wondered at, though to be regretted. As they were unwilling to have it in connection with Trinity College, the Archbishop took steps to procure a charter independently of it. The funds were to be sup- plied from a portion of the see property, and the old palace at Tallagh was fixed on as the site. Tiie Queen's letter was signed, conuuanding the charter to be drawn up and the Great Seal affixed (the Archbishop saw it after- wards at the Castle) ; and he went aljroad with the most distinct assurance that all was done, and nothing remained yEi. 52] HIS SCHEME OF A DIVINITY COLLEGE FAILS. 435 to complete the work but the mere forms of engrossing and affixing the seal to the charter. As soon as lie was on the Continent and out of reach — for in those days rail- roads and electric telegraphs had not become sufficiently general to admit of that rapid communication which is now practicable even with far more distant localities — the pers(3ns opposed to the scheme, and even some who had appeared its friends, immediately availed themselves of the opportunity to set on foot an opposition, which proved a successful one, to this plan for the improved education of the clergy. Eemonstrances were poured in to the new Lord-Lieutenant,^ full of misrepresentations of the whole scheme ; and he, not understanding probably the true state of the case, promised at once to stop the measure. It was while at Geneva that the Archbishop received the painful and mortifying tidings that the plan he had laboured, at the expense of personal sacrifices, to promote was dashed to the ground ; and this in a way which could not but awaken feelings of disgust as well as mortilication at the manner in which the opposition had been con- ducted, and the want of straightforwardness and manly U])riglitness shown by those who, if conscientiously opposed to the plan, might at least have remonstrated wliik' its promoter was still on the s[)ot, instead of waiting till his absence left them the power of working without his knowledge. Llie plan was never revived, but some good arose even after its ultimate defeat. Those who liad lieen most strongly opposed to it, still felt that some ellorts must be made to improve the education of the clergy. The tutors turueil their attention to giving lectures on the (irerk irravt' in April 18:39. F F '2 436 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1839 Testament ; and from this time a decided improvement was to be observed in tlie candidates who presented themselves for examination. Thus tlie Archbishop's efforts, though in part failing, were not altogether fruit- less as regarded the object he had in view. Early in September the Archbishop was again at his post ; and the first letter after his return shows the pecu- liar difficulties with which he had to contend : — 'Redesdale: September 11, 1839. ' My dear Senior, — Yours only reached me yesterday. We came by Liverpool, — a very smooth passage ; and having breakfasted on Monday morning at your house, we had rather an early breakfast here on the Tuesday. ' I am going to reprint " Whately on Shakespeare," and have cribbed some extracts from your review for an ap- pendix. Dreadfully wet and sometimes stormy weather, but it is said not to have been quite so bad in England. The harvest, however, must have suffered much. Potatoes a large crop, though not of good quality. Lord Lansdowne is said by the papers to have reached Frankfort, and I suppose has delivered my introduction to Sieveking. What think you of tlie changes in the Cabinet ? O'Connell has addressed a letter to the English people (clever), to exhort tliem to turn Eoman Catliolics. I don't feel cer- tain of his motives. Is it to gain the credit of religious zeal ? or does he hope to strengthen his party by actual converts ? — Burke on the Sublune has some very just ob- servations on Tragedy. A well-written article in the " Edinburgli," I should tiiink in tlie year 12 or '13, lias still better, mostly borrowed (thougli without acknowledg- ment) from Burke, but improved, and admii'al)ly expi-essed. I foro-et whether it was in an article on Crabbe, or on yEr. 52] SUGGESTIONS FOR A PRIZE ESSAY. 437 what.^ Beattie, in liis essay on Composition, though far from satisfactory, has on the whole tlie best remarks in Comedy. In pointing out for Nassau'^ tlicse books, whicli are open to every candidate to consuh, I am doing nothing unfair. It woukl be otherwise if I gave him privately (sujiposing I were able) some valuable thoughts not accessible to others. But in truth the subject (or rather subjects) is very difficult, and therefore ill- chosen.' Extract fro) It a Letter to the Same — jjrohahly about the same time — on attendance in FarHariient. ' If any regular attack is made in the House, it must ])c, I suppose, with suflicient notice to enable me to come over on purpose ; but as to continual presence on the spot, here or in England, I have found by experience tliat (in respect of the Board) I am much more wanted Iiere. It has hardly ever lia})pened but that sometliing has gone wrong when I was away. And I say this not as any Ixtast ; for it would be much more to my credit if I could, both ill that and in otiier departments, put things on sucli a footing as to go well without me. But though l)ickiiisoii is all I could wish, and has actually j^reveiited uiauv c'vi!< which no other man that I know of could have pi'evcuted. there are many who will listen to no one l)ul the Arclil)i>hop himself; so that I am forced to do a great (leal by lettei's, and that wry im])ei'tectly, Avhicli he could do quite as well, it he could but ])ersonatc! me. As inr the A'//;///W/ education question, if ^Ministers were to ask ' 'I'lx' rrvicw alliidi'il lo was one of ('ral)l)t>, hy T.ord JotlVey, and ■will 1)1' I'miiihI ill his (•(illi'ctt;(l wurli.s. '^ .Mr. N. Sfiiiur, \u< IVii'nd'.s son, wlm wa.s tlicii wriliii;.'- lur a prize at Kin-",- (;(.llc-.'. 438 LIFE OF AllCIIBISIIOP WHATELY. [1839 my advice on it, it would be, to beg all their friends who were connected with tlie Irish Board to keep out of the ivay. I cannot thinly it possible but that they would ex- cite or keep up the jealousy, already felt by so many, of a design to transfer, by degrees, the principles of the Irish system to England ; a suspicion of which, whether well or ill-founded, would be fatal to both. It is as much as Ministers themselves will be able to do to get people to attend to explanations of nice distinctions between the circumstances of the two countries, such as make that which is suited to one unsuited to the other, ' Whether Government does or does not design ulti- mately to identify the two systems, it is essential that all idea of such design should be kept out of men's minds. If it shall appear that much business in which I can profitably take a part is coming on nearly at the same time, I must submit to bring over my family ; but in the two sessions in which I did sit, I am inclined to tliink I could have done all the good I did (and avoided the evil) — I mean, sitting on that committee — in a fort- night. I trust I do not feel more than I ought the personal sacrifice ; though it is something considerable in addition to the increased labour to myself, that each time I could only get a house Avhich greatly injured the health of my family ; but in respect of the diocese the sacrifice is great, as I have always found something wrong as sure as I am away, thougli not always to so great a degree as on the occasion of my two last ab- sences ; and, after all, it seems to be for no object, or next to none. I always either come in or go out in tlic middle of any important matter in whicli it is conceivable I might elTect something. One who is in rarliament every session may indeed do nothing, or notliing good ; but lie has liis chance of a trial. The plant that is constantly mown JEt. 52] HIS NON-ATTENDANCE IN TARLIAMENT. 439 down in flower can never bear seed. Had I ten times the talent for business, and the eloquence, and the influence that I have, the utmost I could expect would be that either I should be obliged to draw off my forces just as they were following up a successful charge, and see every- thing retaken, or else bring them up just when every part had been carried that I could have defended, and when the battle was irretrievably lost. By a party-man, or one whose successors woidd follow up his views, something might be effected alternate sessions, but with me the reverse is the case. ' You do not say who is to be the new bishop, I wish you could call the attention of Government to the Penitentiary under Mr. Brabner at Glasgow, which by all I could learn would be a model for such as miglit be established generally, so as to supersede all other secondary punishments. His prisoners, even for the longest term, are kept the whole time for a less expense than the mere transport to New South Wales costs, without reckoning the expenses there. They reformed, it seems, more or less in every case tliat affords any rcason- al)le hope of it ; and, in one word, the effects seem to be all one could reasonably wish. He came over here in- specting our gaols, and has written a report on tliem, wliicli is printed (a very inifavourable one), and I also liad mucli conversation with him. ' Ever yours, ' E. W.' Of the following letters to IVIiss Crabtree, one is an answei" to a questi(3n of hers, on a report spread that Pr. Arnold liad become ' Puseyite ' or Tractarian ; the other concerns a translation made by Madame Fabre, wife of one of the principal pastors of Lausanne, of the 'Lessons on the Evidences of Christianity.' The Archbishop took 440 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1839 a lively interest in the foreign translations of his works, and in many instances contributed a part or whole of the expense of the printing : — ' November 9, 1839. ' My dear Miss Crabtree,— I had thought there was no fabrication about Dr. Arnold (or indeed myself) so mon- strous as to raise any surprise. If they were to say he had turned Swedenborgian, or Mussulman, or (as one man said of me) an Antinomian-Armenian, I should not have wondered. But a Puseyite ! it is " beyond all shouting." Eead the article in the " Edinburgh Eeview," on Dr. Hampden and the Oxford malignants, wdiich came out soon after the beginning of the Hampden persecution, and you will see pretty much what his views are of the Puseyites. He hardly dares to think (as in my case also) of sendino; a son to Oxford, for fear of beinu' infected with this Protestant Popery. ' In great haste, yours very truly, ' PlCUARD WlIATELY. ' Kindest regards to your whole party.' On the same subject he writes thus to M. Fabre, the husband of his accomplished translator : — To Monsr. Fabre, Pasteur at Lausanne. ' Dublin : December 12, 18-30. ' Reverend Sir, — I address you in the only language I am master of, being certam that you, or at least your lady, will [)refer good Englisli to bad French. 'It was with heartfelt gratitude to the Giver of all good that I heard of tlie projected translation of tlie tract on Evidences. I am most anxious not onlv to difluse as widely as possible religious knowledge and faith, but also to draw more closely the ties wiilcli t)ug]it to bind to- gether Christians of all nations and lauguaLres, •■ as fellow- ylvr. 52] FAlUU-rS TRANSLATION OF THE ' EVIDENCES.' 441 subjects of that eternal kingdom in whi('li tliere is neither Jew nor Greek, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free." Witli this view, a daughter of mine liad begun a translation of tlie tract into French and also into Italian, and lias com- pleted nearly a third, with the assistance and correction of two (native) French teachers. But you will have mucli superior facihties in diffusing the work, at least througli Switzerhuid. 'I will transmit to you the sum of 21/. (as soon as I can learn through Miss Crabtree in what way I can do so), to cover tlie expenses beforeliand ; and when the work is pubhshed, you may send me fifty co[)ies for tlie present, that I may try how far they will be accept- able in France, Belgium, and Canada. The rest of the 700 I will send for hereafter, if I find them wanted ; and if not, I will let you know, that you ma}' dispose of them y(^in'self. From the specimen you have sent, it has been ])n)nouiiccd, l)y better judges than myself, that Madame Fabre's translation is likely to prove an important benefit to the French ])ublic. One or two small corrections have been suggested, which I really did not think worth notice. IV'rhaps >1k' may, in some places, a little improve the con- neclioii of the sentences, so as to avoid what is expressed by the French word '• de(M)usii." I take for gi'autcd that JMatlaiiic Fabi'e is ojH'U to tlu,' most I'igorous crilicisni, anxious only for the piil)!ic good of the Christian world, and ready to take ])ains in making what is good >lill better. T judge by mysell", having been rathei' a vohiminoiis author, and having laboured more at l\\v stvle oi" that little tract than thjil ol' any volume lever ])ul)lishe(l. The whole was subjected to the most careful revision of friends, and written over three or four times. • ir you think it worth while to send over a co])y of the whole manuscript, 1 will ixn'ise' it. with the a<-i-tan<'e of 442 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP "VVHATELY. [1839 my daughter and her masters, and point out any correc- tions that may appear needful ; but the translation (judging from the specimen) is so good as it is, that I do not suppose this would make any important difference. ' I have sent to Miss Crabtree some books for you (by different authors), such as I thought likely to be new to you and interesting ; and some of which, or portions of them, might succeed in a French translation. I have already appeared twice in French : at Liege was published, " Notions Elementaires sur I'Economie Politique," which is a most excellent version from my original, by M. Vischer. It is sold for 25 centimes, and is widely cir- culated, I understand, in France as well as Belgium. At Paris you can procure also " Doutes Historiques sur Napoleon," a translation of a little work which has also, I hear, appeared in German, having of late attracted much attention from its serving as an answer (thougli written long before) to Professor Strauss's theories. I wish I had heard of you from Miss Crabtree before I passed througli Lausanne last summer. Her recommendation would liave induced me to seek the pleasure of your acquaintance. If there arc many of your countrywomen equal to her in worth and intelligence, you are much to be congratidated. ' Believe me to be, with much respect, ' Your sincere well-wisher and fellow-servant, 'E. WlIATELY, ' Archbishop of Dubhn.' Extract from a Letter. ' December 18,39. ' The " twaddlers " to w^hom it seems I have introduced you, however intrinsically despicable, derive great impor- tance from circumstances. Theirs is the last new fashion. ^T. 52] THE ' TWADDLERS.' 443 As the fine gentlemen of Queen Elizabeth's times delighted to exliibit themselves in masks as " salvage men," with wreathed boughs round their loins, so it is in vogue among a certain set of educated men to declaim against evidence, reason, science, argument, learning, and all, in short, that they denote by the title of " pride of intellect," and to cry up the purity and the pious faith of our worthy fore- fathers, and of unsophisticated peasants ; and as the costume of the above-mentioned makebelieve salvages was ad- mired because it was known that they liad handsome clothes in their wardrobes, so these irrationahsts are listened to with wonderful favour in their " babbling o' green fields," because it is known that many of them do themselves possess the intellectual cultivation which tliey decry.' 444 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOI^ WHATELY. [1840 CHAPTEE XIV. 1840. Letter to Dr. Hinds on ' Tradition/ &c. — Letter to BisHop of LlandafF — Attends Parliament— Letters to Mr. Senior on his Par- liamentary attendance — Letters to Dr. Dickinson — Introduced to M. Guizot. — Letter to a clergyman soliciting for a parish — Hints to Transcendentalists — Visits Tenby — Letter to Dr. Hinds on Church Historj' — EeneAved intercourse with M. Sismondi — Letter to INIr. Senior — Letter to Lady Osborne on her praying for the Archbishop — Appointment of Dr. Dickinson to the Bishopric of Meath — Letter to Bishop of Norwich — Letter on the elevation of Dr. Dickinson — Dissolution of Parliament — Letter to Mr. Senior — Letter to Bishop of Norwich — Letter to Dr. Hinds on ' Absolution ' and on Fairy Tales — Letter of advice to one troubled with reli- gious difficulties. In 1840, we find tlie Arclibishop writing to Dr. Hinds on the then mnch-vcxcd questions of tradition, reserve, and the gradual teacliing of Gospel truth by Our Lord and His Apostles, on which tlie Tract party tlien so strono-lv insisted : — ' My dear Hinds, — If you were asked to reconcile, " I have called you friends ; for the servant knoweth not," &c.,^ witli " Ye cannot bear tlieni now ; wlien He, tlie Spirit of truth, sliall come. He shall teacli yon,"- &c., what should you say ? ' The Gnostics are apt to say tliat Jesus did not reveal ^ John XV. lo. ^ J(jhn xvi. 12. ^T. 53] OPINIONS OF TfiE TRADITI0NIST8. 445 the Gospel, and taught little else than the Jewish Law, leaving the Gospel to Ilis Apostles ; and the ^[ystics say that the Apostles did not reveal it in their writings, since these contain only what already had been (though ob- scurely) hinted by Jesus, and that therefore the main part of the Gospel must have been left to the Church's tradition. ' Do you agree, on this point, with Hawkins's tradition ? ' I should like you to make the acquaintance of Dr. Taylor (Camden Town), the writer for the " Athenaeum," and for Parker of West Strand. lie is engaged now in a work suggested by me, the " Xatural History of Man, Savage and Civilised." He would receive a pupil of mine WMth open arms. I think you might serve one another. ' Ever yours allectionately, 'E. WlIATELY. ' Seventli edition of '" Loaic " iioing to press.' 'January 2ti, l.^-iO. ' My dear Hinds, — Tlie use made by the Traditionists of those pa-sages is this : tliey Ihid, tliey say, a pi'omise of Jcu<, and that even of that He had given many hints, not indeed meant to be understood at the time, nor excii aftiTwai'ds sudicient for their eoinplete gnidanee. but only enough to identify His teaching \\\[\\ that oi" the Holy Spii'it, to slkiw that the call of the (ieiitiles wa> ii(.)t. as 446 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1840 infidels suggest, an afterthought introduced by PauL And as for all other matters, the teaching of tlie Spirit was only a development and explanation of what Jesus had shghtly and obscurely taught. ' Now for another point : " The scribes, &c., sit in Moses' seat ; whatsoever therefore they bid you," &c. Now this cannot extend to precepts which " make the word of God of none effect ; " it must apply to the settling and fixing of things intrinsically indifferent. Does the authority here conceded to those scribes differ at all from what Jesus gave to Peter and the other Apostles in His Church — viz., " Whatsoever ye shall bind," &c. ? If the authority of the Jewish and of the Christian elders be the very same in kind and in degree, have we not an exact key to the latter ? ' I see a New Zealand journal advertised, but no editor or conductor's name. Do you know of it ? It will never take unless supported by some known names.' To Bishop Copleston. ' Dublin : February 15, 1840. ' My dear Lord, — I cannot engage myself to any sermon, as my residence in England this spring will be for short intervals, determined by circumstances not under my control ; else I should be very happy to lend my aid to a school. For it is only by making the rising generation rational beings, and not mere unfeathered bipeds, that Socialism and all other such poisons can be effectually counteracted. The law — not perhaps in these regions, but in despotic countries — may guard the people against the " arrow that flieth in the noonday," but not against the greater danger of the " pestilence that walketh in darkness." ' I am pressed to come over to take part in storming JEt. 53] LETTER TO BISHOP OF LLAXDAFF. 447 the breach tliat has been cflerted in tlie Transportation system, for it seems Ministers will not wholly destroy the abuse without a little external pressure ; but public atten- tion having been a little directed to the subject, all the other parts of the task are comparatively easy. " It is proved already that you are stark knaves, and it will go near to be thought so," is Shakspeare's (unconscious, as I believe) description of what takes place in the most important matters every day. When a just and important })rinci})le has fought its way through opposition to a general acceptance, it is enrolled on the list of un- deniable and admirable truths, and placed, as it were, in the heaven of Epiciu'ean gods. " Ascribi quietis ordinibus patiar deorum," it is assented to by the understanding, but takes no hold of the feelimrs and habitual course of thought ; it is somewhat in the condition (I dare say you remember the occurrence) of the 47tli Euclid in the mind of the pu})i], who, after expressing his satisfaction with the demonstration, added, " But it is not really so, is it ?" " True in tlieory but folse in practice " is another ex- pression of tlie same thing. A slight step beyond this is to admit that so-and-so would have been very good if it had been originally establislied, but that it is too late to introduce it now; or that it will be very good at tlie Millennium, but that it is too early now, ' All this time the truth in question is but an undeveloped bud ; but at lengtli, after it has long been " proved,"" it conies to be '^ thought," and at length practically a])plied, ' IIow I wish they could bring the tube and wire undrr the sea, across the Irish Channel ! I do not despair of its being done, thougli not in my time. I could then make my nioti(jn in the House of Lords witliout quitting my post here, wliere I am peculiju'ly wanted just now.' 448 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1840 This year (1840) was that of his session in Parha- ment, and his Enghsh friends, as usual, and especially Mr. Senior, were anxious to press on him the importance of more constant and regular attendance than he had of late given. But he was more and more impressed every session with the belief, that the good he could do in such periodical attendance was small compared with the evils which prolonged absence from his diocese ne- cessarily occasioned ; and though he resided in London for a time, on three or four occasions after this, and at other times came up on any special call for a few days, he frequented the House less and less. His views on the subject are given in the accompanying letter : — ' Dublin : January 28, 1840. ' My dear Senior, — What joii say about attendance in the House of Lords struck me at first as very reason- able, and the more I reflect on the subject, tlie more inclined I am to think you quite in the right, and to act accordingly ' The business of a member of the Legislature is certainly, as you say, a business, but such that a man should have no other business, at least during session. I should only make such modifications in and what you say as are necessary for the application of it to my own particu- lar case. E.f/., when you speak of the necessary reading in the morning, in order to prepare oneself for the debate, as about an liour and a half's easy work (viz., for you). I iniderstand by tliis about three lioiirs' most Iiaiassing and exhausting labour to me, on account of the ex- ti'cme difficulty I liave in turning my course of tliouglits from one subject to another. I am (in this respect, tliougii not in others) like a steam-carriage, whicli you iiiay Jiave observed to take usually as many minutes as an ordinnry JEt. 5.3J IIIS PARLIAMENTARY DUTIES. 449 cart does seconds in getting into a new line of road. Be- sides tlie reading and the attendance in the House, wliich would not occupy perhaps, on the average, above five or six hours, the whole thoughts of the rest of the day must be as nearly as possible engrossed with the same subjects. I say, as nearly as possible, because even with the most in- adequate attention to the diocese, such as would leave the weeds to run to seed most copiously, still I could not quite throw that business overboard, or prevent its being a heavy addition to parliamentary business : 1st, because so much tliat would be dispatched in a few minutes' conversation requires the reading and writing of letters ; and 2nd, because the moment I am out of the way, plots are laid, dissensions arise, &c., and, in short, the occasions for my personal interference are multiplied threefold, notwith- standing tlie utmost discretion and vigilance of those to whom I entrust the care of affairs. ' Proceeding, then, on such a course, it is not unlikely — supposing I did not completely break down under tlie excessive fatigue — that in time I might acquire, as you observe, such a familiarity with parliamentary business, and hold on the attention of the House, as would even-, tuallv give me some inlluence. Jiut this '" time " would be far longer in my case, as an indepeiuh'nt member, judging of each question on its own meiits, than for one who joins a party. A stick that would make a very re- spectable addition to the bundle, nuist take several years to grow up iht(j a substantive tree. People have to learn all one's o[)inions one by one instead of referring at once to tlie general creed of a certain school or party. Put pei'haps, by great exertion and good luck, I might by the end of the session be so far advanced as to have a pro- spect of exercising some little inlluence in the next; but tli('ii I am iiiit^ and a year and a half after I should have vol,. I. Ci ical we can make il, the sooner it will be rejected. A strong do>e of niedi- 456 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1840 ciue may carry off with it a smaller portion of morbid matter, which a weak constitution could not else get rid of. Extol religious faith, as independent of evidence and opposed to reason. This will accustom men to the idea that their faith will not stand the test of evidence. We indeed know this already ; but it w411 greatly accelerate the process to have this habitually impressed on men's minds, by strenuous advocates of their religion, before they are sufficiently enlightened to come to the conclusion by a reasoning process. Their prejudices too are shocked by calling on them to reject their faith as irrationaL Since we find men prejudiced, let us begin by enlisting their prejudices, where we can, on our side. Discourage the study of the Scriptures. The half-enlightened, as expe- rience shows, cannot be always brought at once to see them in the right light, and are often confirmed in their faith. But discourage it — not, as some unwise philo- sophers have done, by decrying, but by extolling. 1st. Eepresent them as mystical — too sacred for prying curio- sity — as parabolical throughout — as likely to do harm, &c. 2nd. Bring up to a level with them an enormous mass of other works — those of the fjithers, liturgies, traditions, &c. You may effectually do away the nobility, by conferring it on every one. T]ie anc;ent warriors took a city, whose walls they could not beat down, by a mound outside. (So also with miracles ; make everything such.) 3rd. Eaise other writings a little higher as the completion of wliat the Evangelists began. As John gave a new Gospel (beyond the first three), so, a newer yet by his successors. 4th. Make these writiiigs (more than any man can read) a necessary interpreter of Scripture : men will not care much to study wliat tliey cannot understand without a commentary that is inaccessible. ' Another advantage from this course is, that you may ^Et. 53] HINTS TO TRANSCEXbENTALISTS. 457 thus burden tlie faith with an indefinito mass of absurdi- ties, wliieli will at length break the back of credulity. Just observation of Paley, that the lleforiners did service to Christianity in the matter of Transubstantiation, because " they relieved Christianity of a weight which sunk it." (Your plan, therefore, must be to add on weights.) Ee- ])resent the insufficiency of Scripture to establish without other aids the doctrines that people profess to derive from them. Thus, those other aids will be called in (and let them be left indefniite), to prove, or to explain away, ain'thing whatever. This makes the very foundation of faith somethino: floatim:^ and unstable. 'Next, hint that there is a secret doctrine, according to which the initiated understand in a peculiar sense many articles of the vulgar faith. If any one lets out enough of his secret interpretation to shock the prejudices of the vulgar, repudiate and condemn him, and declare that his is not the secret ; but never let it be understood that you or any one else has truly declared what the secret is. 'Engage a number of writers, not only real philoso- phers, but also s(Mne sincere l)ig()ts, to advocate your views; but never let any one commit you to a roponsibility for what he says. Let your writers of pamphlets and treatises be what the Cossacks were to the Tiussian army —to break the enemy if they could, or, if r('})ulsed, to disperse as tlu'V could, without falling back on the main body. Tro- cet'(l as a general does with the outwoi'ks of a ibrt : as soon as one is taken by the enemy, he iires ujion it fiom the main works. Let out the ])hilosophical explanations of Deity, Ti'inity, Incarnation, \'c., but always have some one at hand to repudiate this. The Xile iloods all l^gypt, but conceals its course.' Tlie Art'hbishop's stay in town was this year very 458 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP AVHATELY. [1840 short, and he soon joined his family-circle at Tenb}^ where he remained for a time busily engaged in compil- ing from the newspaper reports of his speeches a general one. Of this the letters which follow treat, with some digressions : — To Dr. Hinds, on Church History. ' Dublin : May 5, 1840. ' My dear Hmds, — We (my family and the Powells) shall set out on TJiursday, they going on to Tenby, and I turning off to London, which I may reach either on Satur- day or Monday. I expect my motion to come on on Thursday, the 14tli. ' Your sermon is, I conclude, waiting for me in Lon- don. I rather regret your having, as you say, omitted all reference to your theory of deacons. It might have come in very briefly, and though not in itself essential, it is con- nected with some very important views. 1 did not knoAV it had been controverted. ' Most persons, indeed — I among the rest, — had been accustomed to take for granted tliat the seven deacons mentioned were the first, merely from the question having never been raised ; but as soon as it is raised, your account seems so obvious, and the opposite so utterly impro]3able, that a man who should contend that the seven Grecian deacons are to be regarded as the onh^ ones, niiglit be expected to maintain that the cakes which Sarah 1)aked for the strangers were the first bread ever made, because the hrst mentioned in the P;ible. I have said tliat your account is connected witli an im]X)rtant })riiici])le : if, as appears manifest, tliere were Hebrew deacons before, whose appointment is not recorded, and if, as I think every candid and intelhgent rcfider must perceive, tlie appoint- ment of the seven is mentioned only incidentally, on account .'Ex. 5;}] in:MAKKS ON CllUItCII CJOVERN.MllXT. 4.V.) of Stephen and Pliilip, this portion of narrative a})pcui's of a piece with all the rest of the New Testament, in wliich there is no distinct record of many institntions, ordinances, forms, practices. Sec, which yet we ai'e sure must have; existed with the sanction, and some of them by the ap- pointment, of the Apostles themselves. As is remarked concerning Creeds and Liturgies in my " Essay on Omis- sions," so also in respect of Church-government: it was evidently designed that cacli Church, in every age, should be left to its own discretion — a serious and considerate discretion — not an 2?Kliscretion — as to these points ; con- sequently the sacred writers not only do not lay down any injunctions as binding on all Christians in all ages but were not even allowed to make such a record of Avhat they did institute, for the time, in particular churches, as wonld have practically operated as an injunction. As you have tindy observed in another place, when some tradi- tional institution, system, creed, &c., has come down to us, of which great part is probably of apostolical origin, we ai'e to take the whole as a human ordinance, though de- sci'ving of attentive and respectful inquiiy ii'om its anti- (juity, and as not designed (else tliis Avoidd have been dis- tinctly stated) to bind all Cliri.-tians absolutely. If I had, in fact, not the lea-t doubt as to the use of leavened or of U!ilea\('ned bread by tlie Apo--lles in the Eucharist, and as to the ])ostui'e in Avhich the conniuniicants received it, I sliould not b(3 bound to confbrni to their jiractice. nor to celebrate their love leasts, tK:c. In I'espoct of Cluirdi-go- A'ennnent. this principle is most jKM'uiciouslv lost siglit of; h'piscopalians and Tresbyterians agi'eeiug to light out tlieii' battle (for a battle they make it, in ])laiii defiauce of the ])lain principle of '" f )ll()wing after peace"") on the (piestion whether the one oi" the otlier ibi'ni of go\ci'unieut was establi-hed in each church which the Ajostles founded : 460 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1840 the first and main question being whether they meant that form, whichever it was, to be " an ordinance for ever," and a model to all Christian churches, and this without delivering any injunction or giving any description relative to it, except the general ones of "orderly" and "edifying" submission to " those that bear rule in the Lord," and harmonious concord among one another. ' On opposite sides the same error prevails, with equally baneful effects : in the Presbyterian, when he maintains that "Prelacy is as bad as Popery;" and in the Tractarians, when they disallowed the title of clergy to those not episcopally ordained, excluding each other from the Church of Christ from a supposed non-agreement Avith the practice of the Apostles in matters Avherein they not only did not enjoin conformity in all future ages to their practice, but (supernaturally withheld, as it seems to me) do not even distinctly record what their practice was : but indicated, as plainly as it could be indicated, that while the great doctrines and the spirit of Christianity were to be received always and everywhere as of divine injunction, those other matters of ordinance, government, form, &c., should be left to the discretion — the responsible and careful discretion — of each church in each age and country. ' By-the-bye, I do not think you ever gave me any opinion on my last volume (perhaps out of modesty, as I quoted so largely fi'om you), which I sent you. I shoidd like to know whether you think that portion of it which is especially directed against the Tractites is likely to do any good. That is now the most rapidly spreading pesti- lence, and when it has swallowed up, as it is rapidly doing, the Low Cimrch or Gnostic party, commonly called the Evangelicals, will be, for its appointed day, truly for- midable to genuine Christianity. ^T. .'5.3] THE EDUCATION REPORT. 4(51 To Dr. Dickinson. ' London : May 20. 'My clear D., — I received yesterday your tw^o of Fri- day and Saturday, and I start on Thursday for Tenby. I was at tlie Birthday Drawing-room yesterday with the Bisho}) and address. Tlie Queen reads beautifully ; I wisli she would teacli some of my clergy. The l^isliop of talked to me spontaneously about the Tractites ; and if you had heard him, you would have thought, but for the voice, that it was I who was speaking. I should not wonder if he were to oppose me to-night. Mr. Ward is to correct the press for me, and furnish notes on the penal colonies. Great attention seems excited to the subject. ' Wiiat sad dawdling about the Education Keport ! It is now about two months since it was completed, and more than three since it was announced as just forth- coming. Lord Plunket will arrive in Dublin as soon as this. Could you not collect the clergy to a tea-party on Wednesday week? Arnold wants to have the law altered which pi'ohibits deacons from secular occupations, in oi'der to have something like our })arochial visitors. I sliould think the way to break the ground would be by a ])amplil(.'t in the form of a letter to the bishops. But I shall talk again to the Bislio}) of Xorwich about it. You say nothnig of health in your last. I have good accounts from Tenby. ' Ever yoiQ's affectionately, ' II. D.' During his stay at Tenby he renewed his inter- course with ]\r. de Sismondi, who was then staying with ] lis wife's family in the neighbourhood; and those who survive to I'emeniber the pleasant social meetings of that 402 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1840 summer, cannot fail to do so witli interest. Secondary punishments were mucli discussed between the two poh- tical economists and philanthropists ; M. de Sismondi being inclined to be a little biassed by his own recollec- tions of various imprisonments in Geneva and Italy — first as an aristocrat in the old Eevolution, then as a democrat by the Austrians ; while the Archbisliop held steadily to his main principle, that the end of punishment is, primarily, simply the prevention of crime ; though as subservient to that, of course, every means should be used to reform the criminal. M. de Sismondi had, from his own recollections, a pecu- liar horror of solitary confinement, and the various systems tried and pursued in different countries were often made subjects of discussion. ' June G, 1840. ' My dear Senior, — I am working hard, but advancing slowly. I find the compiling from the newspaper reports — including the incorporating of the Eeply — slower work than original composition ; and I have also to collect and arrange several notes. To fill up the slight heads, which in many places are all that the reporters give, and to im- ])rove the arrangement and expression, is a delicate task. I have accordingly resolved not to interrupt myself in it, but to keep at it steadily (bating, of course, the unavoid- able interruption of Irish letters) till finislied. With my intellectual constitution, if I were to break off and come to town to speak about corn-laws, I should make but a poor hand of thaf, because it would take more time than would be allowed me to bring my tliouglits into a new train ; and then, there would be much time and difficuUv in bringing them back again to my present work, and I should either perform fhi^ badl}', or delay it till the public interest had died away-most likely both. I am really .Et. 53] THE CORN-LAW REPEAL ACIITATIOX. 4t5;l sorry not to liave been able to lend a liand, slijiht as tin; advantage would pj'obably have been, against the Corn- laws. And I had designed to come up, after having iinished, as I had hoped, the work before me. But I lind this quite impossible; and it is better to have a chance of doing one thing tolerably well, than to attempt two at once and fail in both.' 'Tenby: July 4, 1840. '^[y dear Senior, — I propose to start for Waterford on Thursday or Friday morning. ' Sismondi is here, Avith his Avife and her very agreeable} sisters. Of course I have crammed him with penal colo- nies. I have resolved on stealing your copy of the " K^Statesman," unkjss you particularly want my ])encil- inarks in it, in which case I will restore it from Dublin, I little antici[)ated so long a job in the speech ; but I am pretty well satisfied with it, Jis fai* as I can judge from a manuscript. Did the division on the Corn-laws equal your hopes? ■ A\'eather wet, windy, woi'ul.' The first letter we find after his return to Ireland, is a fragnu'Ut to Tady ()sl)()rne, a])pareiitly in reply to one of hers, exi)re-sing a fear that he would look on her praying for him as a mark of enthusiasm. The reply gives very fully hi.-> views on the subject : — • To Laj (Jshoriie. ' I Tow could vou.mvdear madam, suspect that T slunild cen-^nre you for enlhusi;ism foi' remembering me in your ])i';i}ei's. tmd for praving that T mav obtain the approba- tion and -Mpjiort of sincere Christians ? ^\'e are by no nieaii< re>li'ietei|. in our })ri\'ate devotion-, to the words or 4G4 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1840 to the topics of the Liturgy ; but are we not, even there, expressly taught to pray repeatedly " that all professed Christians may agree in the truth, and live in unity and godly love " ? It is with hesitation and qualification that we venture to pray for anything that is entirely uncon- nected with our own exertions, such as fair winds or fruitful seasons, &c. I do not know that there is a single petition in the Lord's Prayer which is not to be accom- panied with efforts of our own. But while you are pray- ing for mutual love and concord among Christians you are also labouring to promote it. ' Thank you for what you are so good as to say about Sismondi's book ; but as I am now in the midst of book- sellers, it will be the least trouble to procure it here. When I read a good many Trinitarian writers, I sometimes wonder that there should not be more Socinians than there are. There is much scholastic metaphysics afloat which I would put into the hands, by choice, of any one whom I wished to regard the doctrine of the Trinity as an absurd device of the schoolmen. By-the-bye, a lady w^ho had been a Socinian, accidentally read the disserta- tion on the word^' Person" in the Appendix to the ""Logic," which changed her views, and she is now a member of our church. I wish you could get Sismondi to read Hinds' " Three Temples." It is the most scriptural work on the subject that I know.' To the Bisliop of Norwich. 'Dublin: October 4, 1840. ' My dear Lord, — I returned last night from a con- firmation tour in Ferns and Lcighlin (the bisliop being incapable), in which I confiiined, at eleven places, 1843 persons. Pretty well for our sinecure CIuutIi ! ^T. 53] DICKINSON BECOMES BISHOP OF MEATH. 465 'I shall order a great cargo of your pamplilets for distribution among the clergy here. It was an unexpected pleasure to me to receive it, as I feared you would rest satisfied Avitli the publication of the debate in the two pamphlets (Mr. Hull's), and the " Appeal for Church Government;" both of Avliich, by the by, I suppose you have seen. Both are well written, and I have been giving them what circulation I can, as I wish people to see what is said by others as well as by myself. ' Your lordship's publication seems to me a model of dignified forbearance. While you were cannonaded at a distance with generalities, you appeared to have the worst of it, to such an audience as the House of Lords, but on coming to close quarters — entering into particulars — your victory is complete ; and yet there is not a sign of that acrimony with which you were assailed. It is the very picture of the Lacedemonian phalanx, enduring an almost overwhelmini>; shower of missiles, crushini; all resistance when they come within pike's length, marching calmly to the sound of the flute, and scorning to pursue a routed enemy. ' Ever, my dear Lord, most truly yours, ' li. Dublin.' The next letter refers to the promotion of his valued friend and cliaplaiii. Dr. Dickinson, to the bisho[)ric of ]\leath. This pi-omotioii, though one which gave the most lively i)leasure to the Archbisliop, was not, as was geiicially supposed, the result of his application. The licv. Dr. West succeeded as the Archbishop's chaplain. 'I dare say,' he writes in a notebook, in which lie occasionally recorded his tlioughts on passing events, ' most people supposed, and perhaps many do still, that I had been urgently pressing his claims on Government, and VOL. I. II II 4G6 LIFE OF ARCIlBISIIOr WIIATELY. [1840 Avriting and speaking to everyone concerned, to get him raised to the Bench. How httle such persons know me or him ! Of course if I had been asked to recommend, I should have done so ; but they could have no motive for this, latterly at least, as they could not doubt whom I should fix on. And that being the case, my urging his claims would have been asking a personal favour — a thing I never did, nor will, from any ministry. For as soon as I should have contracted an obligation to a minister I should have put it out of my power to act rightly ; I must then either have sacrificed my independent judgment, and all the iniluence fairly arising tlience — advantages for which I am responsible — or else I must, by acting occasionally against the minister, incur tlie imputation of ingratitude and treacliery ; and not altogether unde- servedly, inasmuch as I could not deny knowing what it is that ministers, when they confer an obligation, expect in return. Tiiey regard the man, in short, as bought, on whom they confer a favour. He who knows or believes this to be the case, sells himself when he accepts one ; and he who has sold himself has thenceforward only the alternative of being a slave or a clieat. "Dame qui prend, tout se rend." ' But though the Arclibishop was thus hrm and consistent in the course he liad laid down for himself — never to ask ])romotion, even for the most valued friends — he never- theless was always ready to give tliem op])ortunities of recommending themselves by making known tlieir abilities and p!)wers, and afloiding them occasions to bring these into l^lixy. A friend remembers ac('om])anying tlie Ai'cii- bisliop arid Di'. Dickinson — a few years earlier than tlie date before us — to tlie Irish Office, where the Archbishop was soon engaged in close conference with two of the ministry who hap])ened to be present, while Dr. Dickin- .Et. oO] PvECOMMEXDS DICKIXSOX at the IRISH OEFJCE. 4.;7 son aiul tlie narrator remained in anotlier part of tlie room, rresently the Arclibisliop cried out suddenly, ' Wliy, liere we are talkino: of Irisli affairs, and tliere is a person in tlie room who knows more of them than all of us put toi/ether ! ' and he called on l)i\ Dickinson to come forward, and enp:aged him in the conversation Avlii.'h was going on, so as to give him an o])portunity of showing his thorough acquaintance with tlie subject. The address of congratulation to Dr. Dickinson on his appointment was originated without the Archl)is]io])'s knowledge, and signed by a very large majority of the clei'gy of the diocese. To the Bhhop of XoiVivh. ' Dul.lin : November I'l, 1810. ' ]\lv drar Lord, — I cannot refrain fr(^m thanking you ior vliall feel more and more the gain of an aliy on the Irish InMich. 'Independently c,f that, howtwer. I were mo-t sclli-h not to rejoice in the fx-nelit to tlie C'liureli. of seeing >iie!i ;i man ])ut in \\\< propei' place, precisely beenu-e it is \\\< proper ])];ice. If bishoprics were to l)e had lor a'^kinL!'. and not witlnMit. neillier he noi' I -hoiild have been where we ai'e. ■Tlie api)ointment is geiiei'ally a])plaude(l. I'.veii the a Urrsaries of the I'Mucation lioard have no I'aull to fnid A\i!h him. except that he is not one: and il i^ not ^o >tr.in'je that inini>ters should no^v and then api)oinl a man II II 2 468 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1840 who supports their most important measures, as that they should ever have done otherwise. ' It ouglit to be known that Lord Morpeth acknow- ledges he had long had Dickinson in his eye ; so that we may conclude he deserved a large share of the credit. And it should also be known that he spontaneously offered the living (Dr. D.'s) of Anne's (in my gift, but of course claimable by Government) to Mr. West, the curate (now my chaplain and secretary) to whom I had pro- mised it. ' This is like himself. With kind regards, ' Ever, my dear Lord, yours most truly, 'E. Dublin.' A dissolution of Parliament had brought roimd his turn again to be in London, on which he wrote as follows to Mr, Senior : — < November 30, 1840. ' My dear Senior, — We shall most gladly receive your party and at Dublin, more especially as we do not think of coming to London for the session. I may perliaps come over by myself for a week, if any question should arise that especially calls for me ; but there is so little done in a single session that it is by no means worth the sacrifice. As for the Education Board, that will be far better defended by Lord Morpeth than it coidd by me, even if I were constantly in the House ; because he is a member of the administrative fund, and he has been since his appointment as commissioner a very regular attendant. No greater improvement could have been introduced into our Constitution. For want of it the whole question has l^een considered more as a contest bewecn myself and rhill})otts, than as one in which Government were fully embarked. John Tuam is very active against us, and lias ylvr. r,;5] Till': I'OPE AND THE EDUCATION I'.OAIJD. -109 gained over, I iiii(lerstaii(l, the Cardinals ; but still I have no great Tears of the system being formally disallowed by the Pope, even by a future Pope, who shall be one of those very Cardinals, but who will hesitate to take so strong a step as Pope. I think the system will go on and take more and more root in the minds of the people, till the Tories come in ; but then I fear confidence will be with- drawn from it, and John Tuam will carry his point. I have heard from Sieveking, who has sent over copies of the Latin treatise he got printed at Frankfort. You can get a copy of Pellowes. Of course you will send him, or anyone else, copies of "Whately on Shakspcare," of which you are iirmly entitled to as many as you wish. Lord Plunket is greatly interested by your part of the work. 'Your account of your tour is indeed most cheering. ^Ve have not resolved on anything for next summer. All will depend upon what the medical men say of . If com])elled to go abroad, it Avill perha])s be as good or better for her to remain fixed in one place, if we could fmd one that would suit us ; but I don't tliink in all our travels we saw any place where we should at all like to I'emain. To me it is indilferent, provided we do not stay ill a rdlli'ji — the only situation that disagives with me. I have n(^ objection to the act of travelling; what I miss i> something to do, some; "i^y^y to accomplish. I have outli\('d the ])ower of being anuised, jxissirchj. foi" more than a day or two at a time. I have been too long an actor to endure being a spectator lonij, together, however splendid the scenes, and excellent the pertbi'niance. Perhaps it" I were no longiM" Archbishop. 1 might si)eiid my time very hap])ily in writing books; but 1 must have somethmg U) tir<-(>i//j)//s/i. else I should t'ccl much as Xa])oleon did in h^t. Helena, and as lie irniihl have e(|ualiy telt had lie had the whole woi'ld \u 470 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1840 wander over, supposing he could have been effectually bound to continue a mere spectator, with nothing to do but to see, read, converse, &c. The difference between him and me, of his seeking glory and power for himself, and I some public benefit, does not affect the present question. But it adds to my discomfort when abroad to be always suspecting (as experience has lately shown, not without reason) that something will be going wrong in my absence. Dickinson made a speech at the Lord Mayor's, at a meeting respecting emigration, dissuading settlers from the penal colonics ; and the report of it lias reached Frankfort, Lond(jn, and Edinburgh, and has called forth angry letters, of which the publication is threatened, from persons interested in those delectable regions. A spark seems to have fired tlie train I have been so long laying. The demons begin to cry out, and we may hope will be t^'ected,' Extract from a Letter to the Bishop of Norvjich. ' Dublin : December 19, 1840. ' I am glad you seem to entertain those cheering views in the midst of your discouragements, which I endeavoured to express in my last two charges. ' Some consider me (though my temper is the reverse) as very sanguine, because I always attempt whatever has even a slight ])i()spect of success, and am never disheartened l^y failure. But the fact is, I never do iail ; for my orders are, not to conquer, but only to fight ; and whenever I do liappen to conquer also, lliat is so much over and above. 'Though you might su])pose me to be overflowing with leisure, from my bestowing so nuicli of my tedious- ness on you, it is only because, having pen in liand, I do not like to leave unsaid what occurs to me ; but I ha\e yEr. o:{J THE SECRET OF HIS SUCCESS. 471 now two sermons in tlie stocks, besides an examination for orders. I liave not time therefoi'e to read, exce[)t by proxy. Mrs. W. has been reading Gladstone tor me. She says he begins in a moderate and rational style, pro- ceeds to some startling and revolting conclusions, and then (like the doctor who ordered the ice to be warmed) concludes by neutralising all he had been saying, and leaves you just as wise as before you opened his book. I am meditating a very important work, in which, as it will be a work of many hands, you may pcn'haps fuul me some assi rants. I am proposing to set several persons to work to compose an Index to the Oxford Tracts, including the remains of Fronde, Xewman's Arians, and other avcjwed ])ublications of the avowed I'ractites. It is quite right that the whole series should be brought up l)efoi'e the tiibunal of the public as a whole. Their policy is, to obtain for each tract whatever influence it may derive, not only from its intrinsic merits, but from its being p:ut of a series, coming out under the sanction of a certain committee, or whatever it may be called (which is quite fair); but then (which is (piite unlair). if the tract be refuted or objected to, to disown it, as "' the W(H'k of a ver\' vouiig man,"" fjr whicli no one is at all res})on--i- bk; but the individual atithor, and otu* judgment of which is not at all to ath.'ct the general character of the tract-. Now this may be called "■playing fast and loose."' ' Th(_' '" L(,'sson^ (.)n I'^'idences"" have been tr,rn>lated into French bv a lady at Lausanne, and Fellowes has some c(i])ie- i\n- sale. It is very well done. There is an Italian version just about to be printed at Ih'ussels. Ferhaps vonr son can learn wlu'ther anv could be usefullv con- vcyed to the (ireek Islands." The following lettei"(to IM'. Ilinds) allude- to the Arcli- 472 LIFE OF ARCHBISIIOr WHATELY. [1840 bishop's views on tlie mucli-disputed passage, 'Whoseso- ever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them,' &c. He always considered this passage as relating to offences punishable by the religious community, the Church, not to sins against God. At a later period he developed these views more fully in his work, ' The Kingdom of Christ.' The postscript relates to a literary effort which, though trilling in itself, was interesting to him. His fondness for fairy-tales and fairy mythology, a branch of romantic literature generally despised by all but the very young, w^as characteristic of his mind. A good fairy-tale never lost its charm for him ; and the outlines of the pretty little stories which occur in Mrs. Whately's tale, ' Eeverses,' were furnished by him. The ' Tales of the Genii ' had been old favourites of his youth ; he would often repeat from memory striking passages in them, which illustrated special truths he was explaining, and he had always resetted that the book was one whose character in D some respects made it objectionable for young people. It was at his suggestion, therefore, that Mrs. Whately under- took to revise and alter the tales so as to make them lit for the perusal of young people. This \vas done in so successful a manner, that some good judges considered the literary merit of tlie w^ork increased ; but being, un- fortunately, published under the old title, which did not imply any alteration, this little book has been less known than it deserved. He was always ready to answer the scruples of many excellent persons against fictions, by observing that .the imagination has been given us by God, and that as He has seen fit to bestow it, it must assuredly be intended to be employed ; and the very examples of the use of parables in Scripture show that fictitious narrative is sanctioned by Him : that a judicious .'Ex. o.}] THE TRUE AND FALSE FAITH. 473 selection is at all times to be preferred to a system of ex- elusion, and that young persons, if too severely restrained from gratifying so strong a natural taste, may indemnify themselves, when older, by an indiscriminate and hurtful indulgence of it : — . < December 2o, 1840. ' My dear H., — I have been to-day slechje-hammenng your idea about Simeon into a sermon. It does well. ' I think you have come round very nearly to my view about remission — i.e.^ not absolute remission of sins (though they are sins against God) as sins against God, but as excluding from the Church. ' rS. — Do 3'ou know the purified " Tales of the Genii," edited by Mrs. W. P (not with her name).' The last letter we give for this year is one whose date is uncertain, but may probably be referred to this period ; it is an answer to one who wrote to ask the Archbishop's advice on some points which troubled his mind : — ' The promise of Christ to be with His Church always, and that His Spirit sliould lead them into all (the) truth, might naturally have led to the expectation that no errors should ever fmd their way into any Christian Church. And when, after the departure of tlie Apostles, various dillerent opinions prevailed, of whicli some nnist be folse, this miglit have sliaken men's faith in Christ's ])roinise, and led them to think He had deserted them, or had all idong deceived tliem, sii[)p()sing no such varieties had arisen while the Apostles were on eartli. But we know tliey did, in opposition to the eflbrtss o{ the A|)Ostles. Of c()urse this proved tliat the promise of Clirist did not extend to the ])revention of all inroads of eri'or ; and tliat, as in the Aj)ostles' time, so afterwards, false noti(jns were to be expected. Xow in tlieir time the appeal to tlieir 474 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WPLiTELY. [1840 miracles proved tliat tliey were riglit, and their opponents wrong. In after-times a lil^e appeal lias been set up by many. They are quite consistent in requiring assent to such evidence : When I see anyone work miracles, I will believe him. ' But setting this aside, what was the test, when the Apostles were gone, which was the true, and which the false faith ? The decision of the Church, to be sure. And what is the Church ? Evidently the majority. All questions were canvassed in councils, and the decision was tliat of the majority, like a vote in the House of Commons. In fact, the Eoman Catholics, since they exclude the Greek Church, are but a small majority ; but I admit that the cliief part of tlieir doctrines and practices are, and liave long been, those of a great majority of professing Cliristians. And now, how are we to know that the majority are always right? Orthodox, in tlie common acceptation, they cannot but be ; for tlie opinion of tlic majority will always be right, i.e. orthodox, in the ej'cs of that majority. But how do we know that this will be found orthodox at the day of judgment? The majority of the Israelites were for the golden calf — five out of six of the spies brought up an ill report of the Holy Land. The majority of the Jews (hicluding most of their fathers, who declared wliat they said had always beeii the received right interpretation of their Scriptures) rejected the claims of Jesus. And the Mahometans outnumber tlie Christians. And all this is natural. A religion framed or perverted by man is likely to be more popular than one which is calculated to improve and change our nature. A coat made to measure sits easier than one which is read\'- made, and requires the body to be fitted to the coat. ' What, then, are we to be left to ? Private judgment. Is each to examine Scripture for himself, and decide for /Ex. 5;l] AVIL\T IS THE CIIUKCIIP 475 himself what is the true interpretation of each part ? Do you not see liow weak and faUible human reason is, since learned and able men have differed from each other, tliere- fore some of them, at least, from truth? Surely it is the part of Christian humility to disparage our own judgment and our powers of reasoning — of sifting evidence — and of interpreting Scripture, and to embrace in faith whatever the infallible guide, the Church Catholi(% has decided. ' Yeiy well : I will renounce all reliance on my own ])()wers, and resign myself to the infalHble guide — when I can find it. But bring me no texts of Sci'iptnre to prove that the llonian Church is so ; no ap[)eals to the fatliers — no historical proofs — no reasonings of any kind. You have told me I am incapable of all this ; that my reason- ing and judging powers are not to be trusted. To put aiguments before me, is to show a book to a blind man. It is to send me a long voyage in search of a compass, because I cannot sail witliout a compass. Nothing but a sensible mii'acle exhibited to myself can make me or any- one else, consistently, a lloman Catholic. 'Accordingly, the tliinking part of them usually believe merely that their religion is the most convenient lor keep- ing the vulgar (juiet ; but as for its truth, they einl)race thesi' two fundamental [)ropositions : 1st, that God never would (or indeed could, pro[)erly s])eaking) give a refla- tion without gi\ing also an iiii'allible guide for its riu'ht interpretation, always at hand, and acceptable to all. as an indi.-pen-able remedy for the weakness of our faculties and unceilainty of our judgment ; loudly, that thert'lbre we ought not to reason, eiHjuire. Judge, oi', in short, employ our own laiailties at all in deciding any religious (]ue>lion, but I'ely wholly on an inCallible guide. • kroni these two positions, which are I'undamenla!- of Uonuii:i-ui, folluws the destruction of till tlie re-t. That 476 LIFE OF AECIIBISHOP WIIATELY. [1840 Church saws off the bough she stands on. For it follows inevitably (and this is the belief of the most intelligent members of the Church) that God never has given a revelation (unless to any who may have experienced a sensible miracle), and that He never can, unless proved by a miracle to each individual who is to receive it. For as to the evidence of miracles having been displayed to others, that is a matter of judgment (by hypothesis) in religious matters. ' This view goes to the root of the matter, which is what few Protestants understand, and hence they are often worsted in controversy, and often write Eomanism without knowing it. And this explains (what I learned from B. Wlhte) why so many Eoman Catholics who are deists or atheists never tliink of enquiring into the evidence? of any form of Christianity. The above propositions prove a priori that there cannot be a revelation.' .Et.o;3] the -^IEKITS of two anonymous PEK.SONAGES. 477 CILVrTER XV. 184L Letter to Mr. Senior on tlie merits of two anonymous personages — Letter to Bishop ot" liLindatl' — Letter to Miss Crabtree on a mathematical question — Accident to ^Irs. Wliately — Letter to Bishop of Llandatf — Letter to ^Fr. Senior on 'Tract No. 00' — Liter- view witli Dr. I'usey — Death of his friend Blanco White — \'isits Ems witli his family — Letter to Dr. ^^'est — Letter to Bishop of Norwich — Betiirns to L'eland — Letter to Mr. Senior on Lish Educatiim — Letter on same sulyect. The eavliest letters on our list for this year need little or no explanation. The lively description of two personages, on whose merits Mr. r^eiiior liad been questioning the Arelibisliop, is truly eharaeteristic. The letter to Miss Crabtree (February 2o) is apparently (»u some mathematieal ({uestioii she had put Ijefore the Ai'clibishop. lie always shrank IVom giving an authori- tative decision on matters of tliis kind. To K, S''n ((/}', I'J.-<<1. ' Palace : .Tanuary 4, ]^i\ . * ^ly dear S., — Tt is very curious tliat. oi' all possible mis- take-, the butriiiitij n{ and the activity of sliould be cth'brated in I'Jiglaud ; the remarkably illitc>rate clia- i-actt'r of the one (who does not even pretend not to hate the verv sight ol a book), and the ai)atlieli(' sluggishness of the other, l)eing here a common joke. is a ///r//^Aoard ; but he has not, that I can learn, made any vigorous exertions in its favour. 'lie i<. like the other, a good-humoured character; ;ind likes, when he can, though not so unblushinglv, to say iuid do at the moment whatever is likely to be acceptable to the ])ersoiis ])i'eiu-e where conscientious ])i-in(aple intt'i'- feres. and self-interest or love of ])o])ularity may exerci-e a like inltafeieiice in the ca--e i)f the others.' To P>if. 1-11. ' . is accounte(k by the mo'-t conipi'Ient ]u i-es liere, an author rather to be referi'e(l to than read, beinu' 480 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1841 chiefly an indefatigable searcher in books ; a man pretty strong in "simplex apprehensio," weak in "judicium," and stark nought in " argumenta." I have not read him or on this subject, though the latter appears, from what I have read, to be decidedly clear, only eaten u]) with conceit. is a man who first makes up his mind (soon made up, as being very small), and then seeks for reasons ; of course, if he chance to stumble on a good one, not rejecting it ; but he is not implicitly to be trusted, even in his statements of facts. I do not mean that he w^ould absolutely fabricate ; but I have known him put forth (when on his own side) the greatest misstatements, which he could easily have ascertained to be such. In religion he is, in all essential points, a Papist ; only, like Henry VIII., he would like to be himself Pope. The most offensive doctrines, including persecution, he does not disavow. Though a bitter enemy of the Poman Catholics, he is yet one degree more bitter against all Pi'otestants, including many members of his own Churcli, Avho do not coincide with his views. Of course it would not suit their views to go to the root of the controversy, which lies in those points common to the Church of Pome and the Oxford Tractites ; a party whose origin I partly foresaw and foretold, with a delineation of its characteris- tics, in the " Errors of Pomanism." ' To Miss Crabtree. 'Dublin: February 23, 1841. ' My dear Miss Crabtree, — Thank you for the letters, I shall consult again, or some other who knows the subject well. I mention this — and I mentioned it before— - to clear myself of tlie presumption (which I think it would be) of making decisions on any subject wliicli I do not .Er. .-,4] A MATIIEMATICAI. QIESTIOX. 481 I)r()fes.s to be a proficient in. And you, I tliink, would not infer from this that I consider niatlieniatics as a subject in wliich questions are to be " decided by autliority!" I dare say you are even in the habit of consultinLC tlie ahnanac to know wlien tliere will be a new moon, without tlie least idea tliat the motions of tlie heavenly bodies are not susceptible of exact calculations, or that questions of astronomy are to be decided by " authorit}'." ' At present, having had no time for a very slight glance, it strikes me that the way I and everybody else judge of the probability of a conclusion, is just the same, as far as we have data to proceed on, as insurance offices use. For instance, " of men that have such-and- such symptoms, on the average, so many ])er cent, have the ])lagu(','' and so many per cent, of plague-patients \\r\i argument^, leading to tlie same eoiielusioii, are, (ogelher, of no greater force llian one of lliem alone. 'J'lien >ni'e]y there Jiui>l be a nu^de of computing their jonil I'oj'cr/ The letters which follow alliule to a '-lAcre accident ot Mi-. \\ hately, who was Ioiil;' laid up in conse(jueiK'e ol a \<>\.. I, I J 48-2 LIFE OF AllCHBISIIOP WIIATELY. [1841 compound fracture of the leg, which threatened serious effects on her health. This anxiety suggested the follow- ing characteristic letter to Bishop Copleston :-- ' March 7, 1841. ' My dear Lord, — Mrs. W., I am happy to say, is going on as favourably as we could venture to hope, but of course has suffered and must suffer much. It was a fortnight before she could be hfted out of bed to have it made. ' Once before I had Avorse news to give of her, when for about three weeks she was wavering; between life and death in the typhus-fever at Halesworth ; " And wliethcr she'd live or die, why tlie doctors didn't know." She has suffered less than I had feared, of her old enemy, palpitation, which always comes at tlie back of every, other assailant, bodily or mental ; like the Helots of old, who were sure to make an insurrection when there was an eartliquake, or a foreign war, or any other trouble at hand. ' What a strange thing it is, that there are so many different kinds of bodily suffering, and some of them among the most severe, which we never call pain ; and yet there are different kinds of pain too ! What can be the differentia tliat belongs to all tliat Ave call "pain," and Avhich is absent from these other sensations, which no one calls pains, but yet very disagreeable : e.{ this splice in my chai'acter ; but this 1 niav sal'ely say, that if any one whom I conceived to be of ju-t, such a constitution as mine, l)ut who had no thought oi" belief of another world, wei'e to consult ine whelher, with a vii'w to woi'ldly objects alone, it were worth his while 484 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WIIATELY. [1841 to attempt the conquest of timidity, irresolution, bashful- ness, sensitiveness to public opinion, and other such dis- positions, and whether, if he achieved this conquest, and made a creditable and thoroughly prosperous career in some public station, he would be repaid for his efforts and suffering, I shoidd answer at once in the negative, and should recommend (supposing, all along, tlie present world alone to be considered) that he should take the " fallentis semita vitas . . . nunc veterum libris, nunc somno et inertibus lioris," &c. The process of mental case-Jiardening^ I should tell him, is more pain than Aladdin's lamp and ring would repay.' It was just about this time that tlie appearance of 'Tract Xo. 00' had created a universal excitement among all in any way interested in theological controversy. He writes to Mr. Senior on the subject : — ' Dublin : April 2, 1841. ' My dear Senior, — The Bishop of Xorwich has sent me a very able and weh-written pamphlet by Prebendary Wodehouse, on Subscription, and in fovour of Church Government, and he is anxious to have it reviewed. I should think, in conjimction witli the Bishop of X.'s own speedi and tlie •• appeal," an article miglit be made on it, wliicli would be very interesting at this time, when all Oxford is in a ferment about Tract Xo. !J0. lie suggested to me to ap])ly to you thereupon. If 3'ou think tliere is any hope of getting an article li'om yourself, or from anv one you know inserted in any review, ])erlia])s you had better see the Ijisliop about it. Just at tliis crisis a good hard thrnst might thoj'oughly overthrow the party. ' l^ver yours, ' li. AVlIATElA-.' ylvr. r,4] TUAXSLATIOX OF THE " EVIDKXCKS." 4Ho Tlio next loiter is in answer to a request for an articli', probably on the same subject, lie was still enuajieil in superintendinjjc translations of the ' I^vidences ' in diHei-ent laniruau'es. lie hved to see it in twelve or fourteen : — 'April 10, 1.^41. ' My dear Senior, — I coidd not trust 's directions, but 1 will try to uet an article by a l)etter hand, if you think you can make interest to get it inserted. 1 shall try Hinds iirst, and some othei's if he refuses. It is curious that the very day after yours arrived, I received a letter iVom a clei;uynian at Pisa, suu'gesting an Italian version of the "Evidences," for which he thinks he can give circulation. It is provoking that there should be a demand and a supply, and yet they cannot be brought to meet. 'I do not know to what extent Government have inter- fered in respect of pooi'-law ollices here, but I suppose neither ministers nor commissioners could refuse to favour in the appointments those who took a prominent part in the contest about the bill. 'It is one of the evils of any measure (sup[)osing it ever so good in itself) that is carried by such means as that was. that you in great measure ])ri'clude yourself from employing creditable instruments. 11' ihe truest religion is propagated by force, reprol)ati' dragoons and their com- pmiions nnist be vour missionaries; if you snuiggle in the best conmiodities, the dealers will be reprobati' sailors and riidians. i.^-c." It was in lliis vear that he had an inter\ iew \v\\\\ Dr. I'ux'V. at l)rightoii, which, as it has been gros^lv mi>re- presente(l, and stated a-- ha\ ing taken placi' under (hlU'renl 486 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1841 circumstances and at a much earlier period, may need to be explained here. They met as old college associates, on the most friendly terms. Dr. Pusey, in the course of the interview, asked the Archbishop's permission to preach in his diocese. The Archbishop told him, candidly, he dreaded his introducing novelties. ' Not novelties,' replied the other. ' Well, if you ^vill, antiquities,' said the Archbishop. Dr. Pusey requested him to name some examples of these ' anti- quated novelties,' and he instanced the practice lately introduced of mixing water with wine at the communion. Dr. Pusey excused the practice by observing that at the early communion complaints had been made that the wine affected the heads of the communicants ! The Arch- bishop exclaimed, 'Oh! Pusey, you cannot be serious;' and at last he added, in his own account of the conversa- tion, ' I fairly made him laugh.' It was about this time that the news reached the Archbishop of the death of his friend Mr. B. White, an event which could not be unexpected to those who knew how long and severe had been his bodily sufferings for years. In the summer, Mrs. Whately being sufficiently re- covered to travel, the family removed first to Brigliton, and then to Ems, wdiosc waters had been prescribed for some of the party. The narrow and confined, thougli picturesque, valley of the Lahn had, however, an un- favourable effect on the Archbishop's health, and at the end of a fortnight he returned to England, leaving his family to follow when the ' cure ' was completed. The following letter to Dr. West (now his cha})lain in Bishop Dickinson's stead), describes his impressions of Ems : — .Er. 54] NOTES OF GOSSIP FROM GERMANY. 4^7 To Dr. West 'Nassau: July 21, 1841. ' My dear West, — I send you a view of our " lia})py valley." It is very pretty — I dare say as mucli so as llasselas's ; and I would, if I had enough bodily energy left, dig a hole in the mountain, like him, rather than li\e in a valle}". I do not think, however, that I have as yet sufl'ered quite so much as I have in others. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Taylor are liere, as agreeable as I had expected. She is beautiful, and very pleasing. lie has read the "Bishop," and thinks it very clever, but not agreeable in style. He says Bishop Stanley was much taken with it, and had been inquiring of all the bishops to fmd out the author. Senior also has read it, and with approbation. The chief censure I have heard pronounced on it is, that if a man does not know better than to need such advice, he must be incapable of profiting by it. Xow, as the same may be said of nearly all the advice that ever has or will be given — e.g., all sermons, charges, &c. (including Paul's to Timothy ; for one miglit say, could Timothy u'cint to he told tliat a bisliop ought not to be a brawling drunkard P) — this is a matter for serious consideration ; not least for me and my brother of Meatli. Shall we spare ourselves (I this year, and he next) the trouble of writing charges? If not, pray turn in your mind (and in his) what I shall say, as the time draws near. The com- pany mostly go and return to church and everywliere else on donkeys, which are in vogue for all ranks and sexes. Tliere was mounted on another ass. It is the (iueen of Greece (not Ivussia) that is here. There are nuiltitiides here of huge oran-e tliat it related to the Educational Board ; ■\vliicli I suppose he had been taught to regard as a matter tliat would keep cold, and which he might settle by liimself witljout con- sulting the Englisli Government. If so tiiey did not in- ^ Lord Alelbouriie resiirned, and Sir If. l\el bi^ciime Prime Minister, in Se])tember 1841. The latter retained (jlHee until June 1840. ,Er. 54] THE EDUCATION .SCHEME. 4>!) struct liiin well in the requisitions of liis odice. While in England a rumour reached him that I intended to resign, on which he wrote to deprecate the step, and to state what is above. I sent him a co})y of my letter, which lie answered by saying that Ministers had not had time t(3 make up their minds, &c., all in the cautious style which has jirocured the title of " The Veiled rro])het." I replied that I had no wish to urge Ministers to any })remature decision as to their approval or disap[)roval eitlier of the system in itself, or of myself as one of its administrators, but that it was important there should be as little lumecessar}' delay as possible, because agitating doubts and suspicions would till the pul)lic mind and gain strength every day. And so ]'ests that. But , when I dined there t'other day, ojienly and sj)ontaneously questioned me about the system, evincing a favourable disposition. The c]]a])lains are a curious medley, and foui'-fifths of them agree (while agreeing in hardly any- thing else) in having been strenuous opponents of the Uourd. On the other hand, I hear it said that Lord has declai'ed that he will not endure any tani[)ering with it by Oovei-ument, and this seems prol)al)le. "The ISishop and Clergy of have ])resented a eulogistic address to tlie Trimate, begging his advice as lo what steps they should take relative to Xational ImIu- catioii and he in reply entreats them to lake none, but lea\'e matters in the hands of Minislei's. Il' he snys this witlioiii ha\iiig had any CDinniuiiication with ]\Iiiiitein, which was ungodly and mischievous when acted with a Whig ministry, may bec^ome wi-^e and gnod wlu'ii joins the Tories; but il" it b(- that he speaks as having had communication Avith Mini:-ters. and that they mean to tani[)er with the system so as to sati-l'y 490 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP WHATELY. [1841 its former opponents, it is all over with it. If they pro- pose the smallest alteration (however insignificant in itself), that will be the signal not only to McHale, but to the crowd of other agitators who are waiting for occasions to oppose any ministerial measure, but are ashamed to oppose the Board which they had so long supported, as long as it remains exactly on the same footing. Any such attempt, therefore, I shall regard (especially after the warning I have given) as my dismissal.' 'Palace: November loy 1841. 'My dear Lord, — Many thanks for your kindness in executing my commission. ' You are quite right in what you say of the Tractitcs. " The horse is not quite escaped who drags his halter." Our Churcli, in breaking loose from Eomish corruption, carried off a piece of the halter. Their object is to get hold of the end of the halter, so as to lead off the horse captive, not back to his old stable, but to one of their own, much like it, in which he is to be hoodwinked and grind in their mill. ' My object is to disengage his neck from the halter, without (as some reformers have done) tearing it off so roughly as to tear off hair, and skin, and flesh with it. ' Our Church is at present like the feet of jSlebuchad- nezzar's image, partly of iron, and part (though by no means half) — only a small part — of clay. I would sub- stitute iron for the clay, and the clay for the iron. ' I have not seen the notice of the Bishop of Winches- ter's charge. ' The has been much lauded by some, for one of his ; in which he censures Xo. 90, yet says that tradition is the a])])ointed interpreter of Scripture. I don't know Avliat the Tractites would desire more, for tliev will take ,Et. o4] THE TIIACTITES. 4!>1 good care to make themselves the judges of what is tra- dition. ' How much more just to say that the Christian Scrip- tures were the appointed interpreter of tradition ; coming after it ; the books were written from the very Churches which had already embraced Cliristianity on oral teach- ing, and designed to clear up what was doubtful in it, to supply what was deficient, and to guard against error which might creep in, " that they might know tlie cer- tainty of those things wherein they had been instructed.'' ' END OF THE FIRST VOLUME lONIlOV rKINTKn Tl V S 1-1)T1 I N\\ f)() I> K A N 11 m W-tTHKllT bliUAUJ!