shop of Canterbury. It was
received in due form; and, after a short explanatory exordium, was read
aloud to the Patriarch, first in English, and then translated into
Greek.

"And who," quoth the Patriarch of Constantinople, the supreme head and
primate of the Greek Church of Asia--"who is the Archbishop of
Canterbury?"

"What?" said I, a little astonished at the question.

"Who," said he, "is this Archbishop?"

"Why, the Archbishop of Canterbury."

"Archbishop of _what_?" said the Patriarch.

"_Canterbury_," said I.

"Oh," said the Patriarch. "Ah! yes! and who is he?"

Here all my English friends and myself were taken aback sadly; we had
not imagined that the high-priest before us could be ignorant of such a
matter as the one in question. The Patriarch of the Greek church, the
successor of Gregory Nazianzen, St. John Chrysostom, and the heresiarch
Nestorius, seemed not to be aware that there were any other
denominations of Christians besides those of his own church and the
Church of Rome. But the fact is that the Patriarch of Constantinople is
merely the puppet of an intriguing faction of the Greek bankers and
usurers of the Fanar, who select for the office some man of straw whom
they feel secure they can rule, and whose appointment they obtain by a
heavy bribe paid to the Sultan; for the head of the Christian Church is
appointed by the Mahomedan Emperor!

We explained, and said that the Archbishop of Canterbury was a man
eminent for his great learning and his Christian virtues; that he was
the primate and chief of the great reformed Church of England, and a
personage of such high degree, that he ranked next to the blood-royal;
that from time immemorial the Archbishop of Canterbury was the great
dignitary who placed the crown upon the head of our kings--those kings
whose power swayed the destinies of Europe and of the world; and that
this present Archbishop and Primate had himself placed the crown upon
the head of King William IV., and that he would also soon crown our
young Queen.

"Well," replied the Patriarch, "but how is that? how can it happen that
the head of your Church is only an Archbishop? whereas I, the Patriarch,
command other patriarchs, and under them archbishops, archimandrites,
and other dignitaries of the Church? How can these things be? I cannot
write an answer to the letter of the Archbishop of--of--"

"Of Canterbury," said I.

"Yes! of Canterbury; for I do not see how he who is only a