as if she might in both places displace England.
Pitt, however, selected good leaders and planned a comprehensive
method of warfare against France, both in Europe and in the colonies.
Between 1750 and 1760 Clive was making Great Britain mistress of the
vast empire of India. The French and Indian War (1754-1760) in America
resulted in favor of England. In 1759 Wolfe shattered the power of
France in Canada, which has since remained an English colony. England
was expanding to the eastward and the westward and taking her
literature with her. As Wolfe advanced on Quebec, he was reading
Gray's _Elegy_.

At the beginning of this century England owned one half of the island
of Great Britain and a few colonial settlements. Not until 1707 were
England and Scotland united. In 1763 England had vast dominions in
North America and India. She had become the greatest colonial power in
the world.

The New Religious Influence.--England could not have taken such a
commanding position unless the patriotism and morals of her citizens
had improved since the beginning of the century. The church had become
too lukewarm and respectable to bring in the masses, who saw more to
attract them in taverns and places of public amusement.

When religious influence was at the lowest ebb, two eloquent
preachers, John Wesley and George Whitefield, started a movement which
is still gathering force. Wesley did not ask his audience to listen to
a sermon on the favorite bloodless abstractions of the
eighteenth-century pulpit, such as Charity, Faith, Duty, Holiness,
--abstractions which never moved a human being an inch heavenward. His
sermons were emotional. They dealt largely with the emotion of
love,--God's love for man.

He did not ask his listeners to engage in intellectual disquisitions
about the aspects of infinity: He did not preach free-will metaphysics
or trouble his hearers with a satisfactory philosophical account of
the origin of evil. He spoke about things that reached not only the
understanding but also the feelings of plain men.

About the same time, Whitefield was preaching to the miners near
Bristol. As he eloquently told them the story of salvation he brought
tears to the eyes of these rude men and made many resolve to lead
better lives.

This religious awakening may have been accompanied with too much
appeal to the feelings and unhealthy emotional excitement; but some
vigorous movement was absolutely necessary to quicken the spiritua