ke cavilling at the Queen's right to
reign, on the ground that William the Conqueror was illegitimate.

One article maintained that though it would be inconvenient to change the
words of our prayer book and articles, it would not be inconvenient to
change in a quiet way the meanings which we put upon those words. This,
it was argued, was what was actually done in the case of law; this had
been the law's mode of growth and adaptation, and had in all ages been
found a righteous and convenient method of effecting change. It was
suggested that the Church should adopt it.

In another essay it was boldly denied that the Church rested upon reason.
It was proved incontestably that its ultimate foundation was and ought to
be faith, there being indeed no other ultimate foundation than this for
any of man's beliefs. If so, the writer claimed that the Church could
not be upset by reason. It was founded, like everything else, on initial
assumptions, that is to say on faith, and if it was to be upset it was to
be upset by faith, by the faith of those who in their lives appeared more
graceful, more lovable, better bred, in fact, and better able to overcome
difficulties. Any sect which showed its superiority in these respects
might carry all before it, but none other would make much headway for
long together. Christianity was true in so far as it had fostered
beauty, and it had fostered much beauty. It was false in so far as it
fostered ugliness, and it had fostered much ugliness. It was therefore
not a little true and not a little false; on the whole one might go
farther and fare worse; the wisest course would be to live with it, and
make the best and not the worst of it. The writer urged that we become
persecutors as a matter of course as soon as we begin to feel very
strongly upon any subject; we ought not therefore to do this; we ought
not to feel very strongly--even upon that institution which was dearer to
the writer than any other--the Church of England. We should be
churchmen, but somewhat lukewarm churchmen, inasmuch as those who care
very much about either religion or irreligion are seldom observed to be
very well bred or agreeable people. The Church herself should approach
as nearly to that of Laodicea as was compatible with her continuing to be
a Church at all, and each individual member should only be hot in
striving to be as lukewarm as possible.

The book rang with the courage alike of conviction and of an en