th the assistance of a handkerchief and a little hot water,
he opened the eyes of the barbarian. So we manage matters! A pretty
church, that old British church, which could not work miracles--quite as
helpless as the modern one. The fools! was birdlime so scarce a thing
amongst them?--and were the properties of warm water so unknown to them,
that they could not close a pair of eyes and open them?"

"It's a pity," said I, "that the British clergy at that interview with
Austin, did not bring forward a blind Welshman, and ask the monk to
operate upon him."

"Clearly," said the man in black; "that's what they ought to have done;
but they were fools without a single resource." Here he took a sip at
his glass.

"But they did not believe in the miracle?" said I.

"And what did their not believing avail them?" said the man in black.
"Austin remained master of the field, and they went away holding their
heads down, and muttering to themselves. What a fine subject for a
painting would be Austin's opening the eyes of the Saxon barbarian, and
the discomfiture of the British clergy! I wonder it has not been
painted!--he! he!"

"I suppose your church still performs miracles occasionally?" said I.

"It does," said the man in black. "The Rev. . . . has lately been
performing miracles in Ireland, destroying devils that had got possession
of people; he has been eminently successful. In two instances he not
only destroyed the devils, but the lives of the people possessed--he! he!
Oh! there is so much energy in our system; we are always at work, whilst
Protestantism is supine."

"You must not imagine," said I, "that all Protestants are supine; some of
them appear to be filled with unbounded zeal. They deal, it is true, not
in lying miracles, but they propagate God's Word. I remember only a few
months ago, having occasion for a Bible, going to an establishment, the
object of which was to send Bibles all over the world. The supporters of
that establishment could have no self-interested views; for I was
supplied by them with a noble-sized Bible at a price so small as to
preclude the idea that it could bring any profit to the vendors."

The countenance of the man in black slightly fell. "I know the people to
whom you allude," said he; "indeed, unknown to them, I have frequently
been to see them, and observed their ways. I tell you frankly that there
is not a set of people in this kingdom who have caused our church so much