at a loss to imagine! Punning never led to any good, and in this instance it brought about the disastrous introduction of the Roman schism into this country.

Now the action of Pope Gregory was precisely similar to that of certain Popes in the nineteenth century. In each case, bishops were sent from or by Rome, to enforce the Roman obedience in these islands. If anything, it was worse in Gregory than in Pius IX. or Leo XIII., because the Bishops then in Britain were of a kind that Rome acknowledged, whereas it does not recognise our Bishops as anything but laymen.

How therefore can certain of our own clergy claim that the Church of England is in continuity with the Church-introduced by St. Augustine!

If they can defend the conduct of Gregory and Augustine, they would find it yet easier to defend that of Pius IX. and Manning, a line of defence which they would scarcely find grateful. No, the Anglican clergyman has no choice but to side with us, claim his paternity from the Church of Lucius, and stigmatise St. Augustine as a schismatic, unless he wishes to open numberless crevices in his armour to the spears of Methodists and Manningites.

We have every reason for supposing that the British Church, in the latter part of the sixth century, was going on extremely well; yet this was the time chosen by a Pope to intrude one of his Italian bishops, in a spirit of wanton meddlesomeness. It sorely tries the patience to read

that he did this "moved by the Divine inspiration;" but this is one of those bold assertions with which the writings of Romanists invariably teem. It is this that damns them, prima facie, to the unprejudiced reader, who involuntarily contrasts them with the humble, careful, and diffident writings of Protestant historians.

And let me take this opportunity of apologising for the somewhat hesitating tone in which I submit my own opinions in these notes. In this I admit that I may be wrong; but my excuse must be that I like to offer to my readers a plain, unvarnished statement of facts, leaving them to form their own unbiassed opinions thereon. Some of these readers may possibly one day find themselves confronted with myself

as an examiner.

It will then be my

turn to judge of the unbiassed opinions so formed.

It is exceedingly painful to read that a man like Pope Gregory, when committing a grievous act of schism, should thus blaspheme, in what Bede calls "a hortatory epistle" to his emissaries.

With all possible earnestness and zeal perform that which, by God's direction, you have undertaken; being assured that much labour is followed by an eternal reward. . . Almighty God protect you with His grace, and grant that I may, in the heavenly country, see the fruits of your labour.15

F

15 Verily this is worthy of a Primitive Methodist ! There is a tone of

cant in every word of it, which is intensely repugnant to a University

man.

Augustine, being strengthened by the confirmation of the blessed Father Gregory, returned to the work of the word of God, with the servants of Christ, and arrived in Britain. The powerful Ethelbert was at that time king of Kent. On the east of Kent is the large isle of Thanet. . . In this island landed the servant of the Lord, Augustine, and his companions, being, as it is reported, nearly forty men.

the order of the

They had, by

blessed Pope