of Adrian IV. "the
stumbling-block and the despair of Catholic historians," he proceeded to
say:--

Are Catholics filled with perplexity at the sight of infallibility
sanctioning rapine? They can scarcely be less perplexed by the title
which infallibility puts forward to the dominion of Ireland.... But
this perplexity arises entirely from the assumption, which may be an
article of faith, but is not an article of history, that the
infallible morality of the Pope has never changed (pp. 46, 47).

It is hard to understand how a man of honour and ability can entertain
such notions of the character of the Papacy as these words imply, or
where he can have found authorities for so monstrous a caricature. We
will only say that infallibility is no attribute of the political system
of the Popes, and that the Bulls of Adrian and Alexander are not
instances of infallible morality.

Great as the errors which we have pointed out undoubtedly are, the book
itself is of real value, and encourages us to form sanguine hopes of the
future services of its author to historical science, and ultimately to
religion. We are hardly just in complaining of Protestant writers who
fail to do justice to the Church. There are not very many amongst
ourselves who take the trouble to ascertain her real character as a
visible institution, or to know how her nature has been shown in her
history. We know the doctrine which she teaches; we are familiar with
the outlines of her discipline. We know that sanctity is one of her
marks, and that beneficence has characterised her influence. In a
general way we are confident that historical accusations are as false as
dogmatic attacks, and most of us have some notion of the way in which
the current imputations are to be met. But as to her principles of
action in many important things, how they have varied in course of time,
what changes have been effected by circumstances, and what rules have
never been broken,--few are at the pains to inquire. As adversaries
imagine that in exposing a Catholic they strike Catholicism, and that
the defects of the men are imperfections in the institution and a proof
that it is not divine, so we grow accustomed to confound in our defence
that which is defective and that which is indefectible, and to discover
in the Church merits as self-contradictory as are the accusations of her
different foes. At one moment we are told that Catholicism teaches
contempt, and theref