ons that were not marriage at all. He fears
that he has conceded too much to the papal party in not treating the
Syllabus as _ex cathedra_; in allowing that the popes had been apt to
claim dogmatic infallibility for wellnigh a thousand years; as to the
ecumenicity of the Vatican council. Among other matters he was reading
"the curious volumes of _Discorsi di Pio IX._, published at Rome, and he
might find it his duty to write collaterally upon them." This duty he
performed with much fidelity in the _Quarterly Review_ for January 1875.
He is active in interest about translations; keen to enlist auxiliaries in
every camp and all countries; delighted with all utterances from Italy or
elsewhere that make in his direction, even noting with satisfaction that
the agnostic Huxley was warm in approval. "I pass my days and nights," he
tells the Duke of Argyll (Dec. 19), "in the Vatican. Already the pope has
given me two months of incessant correspondence and other hard work, and
it may very well last two more. Nor is this work pleasant; but I am as far
as possible from repenting of it, as no one else to whom the public would
listen saved me the trouble. It is full of intense interest. Every post
brings a mass of general reading, writing, or both. Forty covers of one
kind or another to-day, and all my time is absorbed. But the subject is
well worth the pains." The Italians, Lord Granville told him, "generally
approved, but were puzzled why you should have thought it necessary."
Retorts and replies arose in swarms, including one from Manning and
another from Newman. He was accused by some of introducing a Bismarckian
_Kulturkampf_ into England, of seeking to recover his lost popularity by
pandering to no-popery, of disregarding the best interests of the country
for the sake of his own restoration to power.(323)

I have now finished reading--he said at the beginning of
February--the 20th reply to my pamphlet, They cover 1000 pages. And
I am hard at work preparing mine with a good conscience and I
think a good argument. Manning has been, I think, as civil as he
could. _Feb. 5._--All this morning I have had to spend in hunting
up one important statement of Manning's which I am almost
convinced is a gross mis-statement.... _Feb. 6._--Manning in his
200 pages has not, I venture to say, made a single point against
me. But I shall have to show up his quotations very seriously. We
have exchanged one