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t such as it is, and taking all its history into account, I believe that of all the Christian churches, it is that in which the spiritual regime is best reconciled with the political, and the rights of divine tradition with those of human liberty.... I shall probably send you in the course of this year some meditations on the essence and history of the Christian religion. Europe is in an anti-Christian crisis; and having come near the term of life, I have it much at heart to mark my place in this struggle. (M173) For some reason Henry Taylor encloses him (April 5, 1837) "a letter written by Southey the other day to _a wild girl_ who sent him some rhapsodies of her writing, and told him she should be in an agony till she should receive his opinion of them." This recalls a curious literary incident, for the "wild girl" was Charlotte Bronte, and Southey warned her that "literature cannot be the business of a woman's life and ought not to be," and yet his letter was both sensible and kind, though as time showed it was a bad shot.(330) Thackeray has been asked to breakfast but "I only got your note at 2 o'clock this afternoon, when the tea would have been quite cold; and next Thursday am engaged to lecture at Exeter, so that I can't hope to breakfast with you. I shall be absent from town some three weeks, and hope Mrs. Gladstone will permit me to come to see her on my return." Froude, who was often at his breakfasts, gives him a book (year doubtful): "I took the liberty of sending it you merely as an expression of the respect and admiration that I have felt towards you for many years,"--sentiments that hardly stood the wear and tear of time and circumstance. In 1850 what Macaulay styles a most absurd committee was appointed to devise inscriptions for medals to be given to the exhibitors at the great world-show of next year. Its members were, besides Macaulay himself and Gladstone, Milman, Liddell, Lyttelton, Charles Merivale. Milman bethought him of looking into Claudian, and sent to Mr. Gladstone three or four alternative lines fished out from the last of the poets of Roman paganism. Macaulay had another idea;-- MY DEAR GLADSTONE,--I am afraid that we must wait till Thursday. I do not much, like taking words from a passage certainly obscure and probably corrupt. Could we not do better ourselves? I have made no Latin verses these many years. But I will venture. I send
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