fro; "Well, it surprises me," he said; then, after a pause, "I have been
accustomed to think both celibacy and marriage good in their way. In the
Church of Rome great good, I see, comes of celibacy; but depend on it,
my dear Reding, you are making a great blunder if you are for
introducing celibacy into the Anglican Church."

"There's nothing against it in Prayer Book or Articles," said Charles.

"Perhaps not; but the whole genius, structure, working of our Church
goes the other way. For instance, we have no monasteries to relieve the
poor; and if we had, I suspect, as things are, a parson's wife would, in
practical substantial usefulness, be infinitely superior to all the
monks that were ever shaven. I declare, I think the Bishop of Ipswich is
almost justified in giving out that none but married men have a chance
of preferment from him; nay, the Bishop of Abingdon, who makes a rule of
bestowing his best livings as marriage portions to the most virtuous
young ladies in his diocese." Carlton spoke with more energy than was
usual with him.

Charles answered, that he was not looking to the expediency or
feasibility of the thing, but at what seemed to him best in itself, and
what he could not help admiring. "I said nothing about the celibacy of
clergy," he observed, "but of celibacy generally."

"Celibacy has no place in our idea or our system of religion, depend on
it," said Carlton. "It is nothing to the purpose, whether there is
anything in the Articles against it; it is not a question about formal
enactments, but whether the genius of Anglicanism is not utterly at
variance with it. The experience of three hundred years is surely
abundant for our purpose; if we don't know what our religion is in that
time, what time will be long enough? there are forms of religion which
have not lasted so long from first to last. Now enumerate the cases of
celibacy for celibacy's sake in that period, and what will be the sum
total of them? Some instances there are; but even Hammond, who died
unmarried, was going to marry, when his mother wished it. On the other
hand, if you look out for types of our Church can you find truer than
the married excellence of Hooker the profound, Taylor the devotional,
and Bull the polemical? The very first reformed primate is married; in
Pole and Parker, the two systems, Roman and Anglican, come into strong
contrast."

"Well, it seems to me as much a yoke of bondage," said Charles, "to
compel marriag