ven our greatest divines differed from each other in many
respects; nay, Bishop Taylor differed from himself. It was a great
principle in the English Church. Her true children agree to differ. In
truth," he continued, "there is that robust, masculine, noble
independence in the English mind, which refuses to be tied down to
artificial shapes, but is like, I will say, some great and beautiful
production of nature,--a tree, which is rich in foliage and fantastic
in limb, no sickly denizen of the hothouse, or helpless dependent of
the garden wall, but in careless magnificence sheds its fruits upon the
free earth, for the bird of the air and the beast of the field, and all
sorts of cattle, to eat thereof and rejoice."

When Charles came away, he tried to think what he had gained by his
conversation with Mr. Vincent; not exactly what he had wanted, some
practical rules to guide his mind and keep him steady; but still some
useful hints. He had already been averse to parties, and offended at
what he saw of individuals attached to them. Vincent had confirmed him
in his resolution to keep aloof from them, and to attend to his duties
in the place. He felt pleased to have had this talk with him; but what
could he mean by suspecting a tendency in himself to push things too
far, and thereby to implicate himself in party? He was obliged to resign
himself to ignorance on the subject, and to be content with keeping a
watch over himself in future.

CHAPTER XI.

No opportunity has occurred of informing the reader that, during the
last week or two, Charles had accidentally been a good deal thrown
across Willis, the _umbra_ of White at Bateman's breakfast-party. He had
liked his looks on that occasion, when he was dumb; he did not like him
so much when he heard him talk; still he could not help being interested
in him, and not the least for this reason, that Willis seemed to have
taken a great fancy to himself. He certainly did court Charles, and
seemed anxious to stand well with him. Charles, however, did not like
his mode of talking better than he did White's; and when he first saw
his rooms, there was much in them which shocked both his good sense and
his religious principles. A large ivory crucifix, in a glass case, was a
conspicuous ornament between the windows; an engraving, representing the
Blessed Trinity, as is usual in Catholic countries, hung over the
fireplace, and a picture of the Madonna and St. Dominic was opposite