occurred, from day to day, inflaming the
spirit of religious difference. Yet this was not an unmixed evil--"The
greatest blessings have been achieved by discussions, errors suffer in
the ordeal; truth never does; the dross is consumed in the fire; the
gold comes out more brilliant, more precious, more pure."*

* Rev. Dr. Cumming's "Apocalyptic Sketches," p. 153

What was generally called the Achilli trial, early in the year,
aggravated the existing religious dissensions, and extended the spirit
of polemical conflict. Although the trial did not take place until June,
the public anticipated it with intense excitement. Dr. Achilli had been
a Roman Catholic priest; he left the Church of Rome, and devoted himself
to preach against its tenets, and the spirit of persecution which it
breathed. He produced a powerful impression both in Great Britain and
Ireland. It became exceedingly important to silence him, and the Romish
church resorted to its old instrument in such cases, defamation. The
Rev. Mr. Newman, a Roman Catholic priest, a convert from the Church of
England, who had, as a clergyman of that church, distinguished himself
at Oxford by his Jesuitical casuistry in upholding Puseyism, and
teaching that, by receiving the Church of England Articles in a
"_non-natural sense_," clergymen might remain in her communion, and
receive her emoluments, while they taught the doctrines peculiar to the
Church of Rome, publicly attacked the character of Dr. Achilli, averring
that he was unworthy of credit, because he had been expelled from the
Church of Rome for dissolute habits. Achilli took an action for libel,
which was tried in the Court of Queen's Bench, when a verdict was given
in favour of Dr. Achilli. The case assumed a peculiar aspect from the
fact that a number of women had been brought from Italy, by the Roman
Catholic priests, who swore that they had participated with Dr. Achilli
in criminal intercourse. The doctor solemnly swore that some of these
women he had never seen, and that, in respect to others whom he had
known, no accusation had ever until then been brought against him. The
mode in which these women gave their testimony, and the contradictory
character of it, left the jury no alternative but to believe the
allegations of Dr. Achilli, that the case was got up against him, by a
conspiracy of Roman Catholic priests, for the purpose of destroying his
moral reputation, and thereby preventing his effective preachin