of
romanism before the reformation went to limit in the mass of men
intellectual exercise upon religion. (2) That the doctrine of purgatory
adjourned until after death, more or less, the idea and practice of the
practical work of religion. (3) That the Roman catholic church restricts
the reading of the scriptures by the Christian people. He spoke of the
evils; I contended we had a balance of good, and that the idea of duty
in individuals was more developed here than in pure Roman catholic
countries.'

THE BOOK TOO LATE

All was of no avail. 'Scarcely had my work issued from the press,' wrote
Mr. Gladstone thirty years later, 'when I became aware that there was no
party, no section of a party, no individual person probably, in the
House of Commons, who was prepared to act upon it. I found myself the
last man on a sinking ship.' Exclusive support to the established
religion of the country had been the rule; 'but when I bade it live, it
was just about to die. It was really a quickened, not a deadened
conscience, in the country, that insisted on enlarging the circle of
state support.'[107] The result was not wholly unexpected, for in the
summer of 1838 while actually writing the book, he records that he 'told
Pusey for himself alone, I thought my own church and state principles
within one stage of being hopeless as regards success in this
generation.'

Another set of fragmentary notes, composed in 1894, and headed 'Some of
my Errors,' contains a further passage that points in a significant
direction:--

Oxford had not taught me, nor had any other place or person, the
value of liberty as an essential condition of excellence in human
things. True, Oxford had supplied me with the means of applying a
remedy to this mischief, for she had undoubtedly infused into my
mind the love of truth as a dominant and supreme motive of conduct.
But this it took long to develop into its proper place and
function. It may, perhaps, be thought that among these errors I
ought to record the publication in 1838 of my first work, _The
State in its Relation with the Church_. Undoubtedly that work was
written in total disregard or rather ignorance of the conditions
under which alone political action was possible in matters of
religion. It involved me personally in a good deal of
embarrassment.... In the sanguine fervour of youth, having now
learned s