YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

THE RIGHT REV.

SAMUEL WILBERFORCE, D.D.

VOL. II.

Now Ready, FIFTH THOUSAND of
THE FIRST VOLUME OF THE LIFE OF
SAMUEL WILBERFORCE, D.D., late Bishop of
Oxford and Winchester, with Extracts from his
Diaries and Correspondence. 1805-1848. Edited
by the late Canon Ashwell, M.A. With Portrait and
Woodcuts, 8vo. 15J.

IB IS IE CD IP WttILIgIEmff®I^(SE

From. aJtfutqgrapk iy .Bills &Sav.ndcrs.

LIFE OF
THE RIGHT REVEREND
SAMUEL WILBERFORCE, D.D.
LORD BISHOP OF OXFORD AND AFTERWARDS
OF WINCHESTER
WITH SELECTIONS FROM
HIS DIARIES AND CORRESPONDENCE

BY HIS SON
REGINALD G.^WILBERFORCE

IN THREE VOLUMES— VOL. II.
lortrait anir f iaa Illustrations

LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET
1881

LONDON : PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE
AND PARLIAMENT STREET

PREFACE.
The lamented death of Canon Ashwell at the time
when the concluding pages of the first volume of this
work were passing through the printer's hands, has
made it necessary to find a new Editor for the sub
sequent volumes. Having in the event been obliged
to undertake the task which he left unfinished, I feel
that I ought to state the reasons which induced me
to incur so heavy a responsibility. Doubtless, as
a general rule, a son is the person least capable
of writing his father's life. Accordingly, in conjunc
tion with Mr. Murray, I endeavoured to discover a
writer in whom the various conditions necessary for
carrying on the work were approximately satisfied ;
but to every practical suggestion that was made some
objection occurred which in the end proved fatal. My
next step was to consult a few of my Father's trusted
friends, and particularly some of those who had ori
ginally suggested Canon Ashwell's name in connection
with the work. They insisted that I must do what
I could myself, and they generously offered me their
counsel and assistance. Without such substantial en
couragement it would have been impossible to have
entered upon, and still more impossible to have per
severed in, such an enterprise.

VI PREFACE.
It is hoped that in this volume the lines traced by
Canon Ashwell will not have been departed from,
and that the effort to present the reader with a true
picture of the Bishop's inward and outward life will
not altogether have failed of success.
In such a connection it is natural to recall the
classical language of a great writer of Church history :
Mais le fondement de l'histoire est la verite ; et ce n'est
pas la rapporter fidelement que d'en supprimer une partie ;
un portrait flatte n'est point ressemblant. Tels sont d'ordi-
naire les panegyriques, ou Ton fait paroitre un homme
louable en ne relevant que ses bonnes qualitez. Artifice
grossier qui revoke les gens sensez et leur fait faire plus
d'attention sur les defauts qu'on leur cache avec tant de soin :
c'est une espece de mensonge que de ne dire ainsi la verite
qu'a demi. Personne n'est oblige d'ecrire l'histoire, mais qui-
conque l'entreprend s'engage a dire la verite tout entiere.1
Canon Ashwell's notes respecting the letters and en
tries in the Bishop's Diary which he thought it desirable
to insert have been scrupulously adhered to wherever
it was possible to do so ; the writer not thinking him
self at liberty to endanger the unity of the work by
neglecting hints which since their author's death had
become almost directions.
Extracts from the Bishop's Diary have been in
serted without any change : no words have been
inserted with a view to making the meaning clearer ;
and if the sentences are somewhat abrupt and elliptical,
it will be felt that they are not on that account less
characteristic. 1 Fleury, Hist. Eccles. vol. xvi. p. xviii.

PREFACE. vii
It is material to observe that the Bishop only
resumed the practice of keeping a diary in the year
1853. It had apparently been interrupted since the
first year of his episcopate ; but there is a daily record
of a foreign tour in 185 1, to which reference has
been made in this volume.
Another important source of information is the
Bishop's precis of discussions which took place at the
periodical meetings of the Episcopate. Although, as
a rule, this record furnishes only a condensed summary
of each speech, it is sometimes clear that the exact
words of a sentence, remarkable for its interest or
importance, are recorded in full. Wherever this is the
case the words are indicated by the use of inverted
commas. Especial prominence has been given in this volume
to the Bishop's theoretical and practical attitude to
wards the grave subject of Confession. That subject,
indeed, occupied his attention more or less throughout
his ministerial life, and it is believed that no sub
stantial variations are to be discovered in his recorded
opinions about it. It maybe necessary to say as much
as this, since shortly after the Bishop's death a
pamphlet was published which professed to contain his
last utterances on the subject, but which is in reality
only a partial report of what he said on the occasion
to which it refers.
If to those who remember the Bishop only when
he had reached the height of his moral and mental
stature the picture which is suggested by these pages

Vlll PREFACE.
should be in any respect disappointing, it will be
borne in mind that this volume refers to an earlier
stage of a character which was growing, up to the
last moment of life, and that its true interest consists
in showing how my Father came to be such as they
remember him.
It is here my duty to proffer my most grateful
thanks to all those dear friends of my Father who have
given me their valuable assistance in editing this
volume ; and among these, the Lord Bishop of Ely,
the Right Hon. Sir R. J. Phillimore, and the Ven.
Archdeacon Pott have especial claims to be mentioned
here. The Lord Archbishop of Dublin has on various
occasions allowed me to refer to him for counsel and
advice, which have always been most willingly ren
dered. My brothers, the Rev. E. R. Wilberforce,
Canon of Winchester, and the Rev. Basil Wilberforce,
Rector of St. Mary's, Southampton, and Hon. Canon
of Winchester, wish me to express their cordial sym
pathy with the work, the proof sheets of which they
have read, though the pressure of their various duties,
parochial and other, have hindered them from taking a
more active part in its production.
My thanks are also due to the Right Hon. W. E.
Gladstone, the Rev. Dr. Pusey, Sir Charles Anderson,
the Honourable Sir A. Gordon, and the Rev. Canon
Butler for so kindly allowing me to publish their
letters. . R. G. WILBERFORCE.
LAVINGTON : March 1881.

PREFACE.

IX

It may be useful to subjoin a table of the Bishops
who filled the English sees during the period embraced
in this volume : —

Archbishop of

Appointed

Canterbury

John Bird Sumner . . . ' .

1848

York

i Thomas Musgrave . . . .
1 Charles Thomas Longley .

1847

Bishop of
London .

i860

( Charles James Blomfield .

1828

1 Archibald Campbell Tait .

1856

/ Edward Maltby ....

l836

Durham .

\ Charles Thomas Longley .

1856

V Honourable Henry Montagu Villiers
i860
Winchester
Charles Richard Sumner .
1827
Bangor .
1 Christopher Bethell .
1 James Colquhoun Campbell
1830
I«59
Bath and Wells
( Honourable Richard Bagot
I Robert J. Eden (Lord Auckland)
l845
1854
("Honourable Hugh Percy .
1827
Carlisle .
i Honourable Henry Montagu Villiers
1856
I Samuel Waldegrave .
i860
Chester .
John Graham ....
1848
Chichester
Ashhurst Turner Gilbert .
1842
Ely .
Thomas Turton ....
l84S
Exeter
Henry Phillpotts
1830
Gloucester anc
I James Henry Monk .
1830
Bristol .
1 Charles Baring ....
. 1856
Hereford .
Renn Dickson Hampden .
. 1848
Lichfield .
John Lonsdale ....
• 1843
Lincoln .
1 John Kaye 
1 John Jackson ....
. 1827
• 1853
Llandaff .
Alfred Ollivant ....
• 1849
Manchester
James Prince Lee
. 1848
Norwich .
1 Samuel Hinds ....
1 Honourable John Thomas Pelham
. 1849
• 1857
Peterboro'
George Davys ....
• 1839
Ripon
1 Charles Thomas Longley .
I Robert Bickersteth .
. I836
. 1856
Rnrhpstpr
f George Murray ....
1 Joseph Cotton Wigram
. 1827
L\ULJH-JlVl
. i860
St. Asaph
Thomas Vowler Short
. 1846
St. David's
Connop Thirlwall
. 1840
Salisbury
f Edward Denison
I Walter Kerr Hamilton
• 1837
• I8S4
Worcester
Henry Pepys ....
. 1 84I
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
(1848-49.)

PAGE

Letter from Archdeacon Randall on Diocesan Organisation — Meet
ings of the Rural Deans — Confirmations — Letter to Sir Charles
Anderson — Letters to Miss L. Noel — Literary Breakfasts — The
Chartist Agitation — Verses — 'The Doctrine of the Incarnation' —
Letter to Archdeacon Wilberforce — Extract from Lord Carlisle's
Diary — Correspondence with the Rev. T. W. Allies — Dr. Lush-
ington's opinion — Baron Alderson intercedes — Mr. Allies re
ceived into the Church of Rome  1

CHAPTER II.
(1850.)
* Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury ' — Meeting as to Great Ex
hibition — 'The Dignity of Labour' — The first Mission in the
Diocese — Account of Mission at Banbury — The Gorham Judg
ment — Letters to Mr. Butler and Sir Charles Anderson — The
Bishop's Speech on Bishop of London's Bill — Letters to Arch
deacon Berens and Mr. Cowan — Sunday Observance — Letter to
Rev. C. Barter — Correspondence between Mr. Gladstone and the
Bishop as to Archdeacon Manning — Reasons for the Archdeacon's
Secession — Visit to Scotland — Mrs. Sargent — Death of Mrs.
Ryder — Papal Aggression — Meetings at Reading and Oxford —
The Bishop's Speech at Oxford — The Counter Protests — The
Bishop's reply to them — Circular Letter to all the Bishops— Dr.
Dallas and the Bishop — The Bishop vindicates himself 'as no
Party Man'— Letter to his Brother on Ritual — Letter to Lord
Ashley  28

Xll CONTENTS.
CHAPTER III.
(1850-52.) PAGE
Adapted Roman Catholic Books of Devotion — Confession and Abso
lution—Letters to Dr. Pusey and Rev. C. Marriott— Private In
hibition of Dr. Pusey — Correspondence with Mr. Keble — Letter
to Archdeacon Wilberforce on the Real Presence — Dr. Pusey de
termines not to republish the adapted Roman Works — Formal
Inhibition threatened — Extract from the Bishop's Charge of 1852
— The Private Inhibition finally removed  7°

CHAPTER IV.
(1851-52.)
Speech on the Ecclesiastical Titles Assumption Bill — Defence of the
Bishop of Gloucester, and Bristol — Tour Abroad — Descriptions —
The Bishop's views on Continental Religion — Letter to Mr. Butler
on Teutons and Celts — Correspondence between Mr. Gladstone
and the Bishop — View of the Situation — Meeting of Convocation
— The Bishop moves an Address to the Crown — Dissolution of
Parliament — The Swindon Meeting — Letters to the Archdeacon
of Bristol — The Archbishop and Mr. Gladstone — Mr. Gladstone's
Answer — ' The Times ' and S. G. O. on the Revival of Convoca
tion — Chancellorship of Oxford University — The Bishop's Letter
to the Duke of Newcastle — Meeting of Convocation for Business —
The Address to the Queen — Committees appointed — Letters to
Mr. Gordon and Archdeacon Wilberforce  117

CHAPTER V.
(1853.)
Mr. Gladstone's Election for Oxford— Letters to Prince Albert and
Mr. Gladstone— Convocation — Difficulties on every side— Letter
to the Archbishop — Correspondence with Mr. Gordon — Conver
sations with Prince Albert and Baron Stockmar on Convocation
— House of Mercy at Clewer — Letter to Dr. Pusey — Important
Conversation on Convocation — Opposition in the highest Quarters
— The Bishop on Church Government through the Bribe of
Patronage—Canada Clergy Reserves — The Bishop's Speech 
Lord Derby's attack — Baron Stockmar's opinion — Colonial

CONTENTS. xiii

PAGE

Church Government Bill thrown out in the House of Commons —
Letter to the Archbishop on Convocation — The Archbishop's Dis
approval — Correspondence with Sir J. Stephen — Professor
Maurice — The Bishop's Efforts at Reconciliation — Letter to
Maurice— Conditions of the World to come— Decision of the
Council of King's College — Letters to Mr. Gladstone, Bishop of
London, and Professor Plumptre— Attack of the ' Record ' — Letter
from the Bishop to the Editor — Conversation with Dr. Dollinger
— Ride with Mr. Carlyle  157

CHAPTER VI.
(I8S4-)
Convocation — Attempt at Prorogation — Lord Shaftesbury abuses the
Bishop — Successful Meeting of Convocation — The Bishop's
Speech— Death of Bishop of Salisbury — Ditcher v. Denison — The
Bishop acts for Bishop Bagot — Letter to Archdeacon Wilberforce
— A Sunday at Lavington — Conversation with Prince Albert —
Opening of Cuddesdon College — Mr. Bright on Church Establish
ment — The Bishop in South Wales — His opinion of Bishop Thirl-
wall — Archdeacon Wilberforce — The 'Roman Jezebel' — The
Archdeacon resigns his Preferments — Correspondence between
the Brothers — Sermon at Lavington — Letters to and from the
Archdeacon — Mr. Gladstone — The Bishop of London — The Hon.
R. Cavendish — Archdeacon Wilberforce joins the Church of Rome 228

CHAPTER VII.
(1855.)
Convocation — The Archbishop urges prolonged Session — Defeat of
Lord Aberdeen's Government — Church-rates — Conversation with
Mr. Gladstone — 'Court Favour '^Lord Aberdeen and Prince
Albert on the Bishop — Prince Albert's opinion of the Bishop —
His Reasons — Letter from the Bishop to Mr. Gordon, as to Pre-
ceptorship of the Prince of Wales — Lord Aberdeen's opinion of
the Bishop — Conversation with Baron Stockmar — Installation of
Napoleon III. as Knight of the Garter — Conversations with Lord
Aberdeen and the Bishop of London — Count Strzlecki's Stories —
Account of French system of Catechizing — Conversations with
MM. Thiers, Guizot andMignet — Herbert's Illness — The 'Whigs
afraid of you '  267

xiv C0NTEN7S.
CHAPTER VIIL
(1854-56.) PAGE
Herbert Wilberforce — Appointment as Lieutenant — The Bishop's
Letter of Advice — Lieutenant Wilberforce goes to the Black Sea
— Volunteers for the Trenches — Return to England — Sails for the
Baltic — Returns to England — Illness — The Bishop's apprehen
sions — Letter to Mr. Cavendish — Torquay — Herbert's Death —
Letters from the Rev. H. E. Manning and Mr. Gladstone — Letter
from Archdeacon Randall  297

CHAPTER IX.
(1856.)
Conversation with Mr. Henley — Confirmation of the Princess Royal
— Bishop Blomfield's Illness — Divorce Bill — Diary Extracts 
Ordination Story — The Bath Declaration — Correspondence with
Mr. Gladstone — Letter to a Clergyman — Letter to Mr. Butler on
Dr. Pusey's Protest — Tour in Scotland — Conversations with Sir
James Graham — Lord Aberdeen — Mr. Gladstone — Descriptive
Letters to Sir C. Anderson  ,,4

CHAPTER X.
C857-59-)
Death of his Brother Robert— Literary Fund— Mr. Dickens and the
Bishop— Conversation with Sir James Graham— Divorce Bill-
Private Meeting of the Bishops— Bishop carries Amendments-
Defeated on third Reading— Letter to Mr. Gladstone— Railway
Collision — The Bishop's Speech on Clause 53— Visit to Man
chester—Conversation with Mr. Cobden— Work at Wantage-
Clergy Discipline— Letters to and from Mr. Gladstone— Discus
sion in Private Meetings of Bishops— A Day's Work— Summary
of Year— Correspondence with the Rev. C. P. Golightly on Cud
desdon College — Mr. Golightly issues a Circular Letter — Mr"
Gclightly's Charges disproved— Resignation of the Principal of the
College— Letters to Mr. Butler— Resignation of the Rev. H. p
Liddon  ' • • • • 338

CONTENTS. XV
CHAPTER XI.
(1858.) PAGE
Lord Shaftesbury's Bill for Special Services — Private Discussion of
Bishops — Convocation Breakfasts — Private Meeting of Council of
Colonial Bishops — The Bishop of London on State-Bishops —
Speech on the ' Political Services ' Motion — Speech on Church
Rates— Tour in Wales for S.P.G.— The Boyne Hill Controversy
— The Bishop on Confession to a Priest — Mr. Gresley appointed
to Boyne Hill — 'The Times' attacks the Bishop — The Commis
sion appointed — Dr. Hook wishes to join Lord Shaftesbury —
Letter from the Bishop to Dr. Hook — Letter of Thanks from
Wesleyan Methodist— Sir James Graham defends the Bishop's
Action — Judgment of the Commissioners — Meeting for S.P.G. at
Bradford — Letter to a Friend as to English Services on the Con
tinent — Conversations with Lord Brougham— Persigny and Lord
Aberdeen  375
CHAPTER XII.
(1859O
Conversation with Lord Aberdeen — ' Facts and Documents ' — Ad
dresses of Confidence — The Bishop's Answer to the Clerical
Address — A Week's Work — Speech at Oxford on Oxford and
Cambridge Mission — Meeting at Cambridge — Honorary Degree
of D.C.L. — Extracts from Lord Carlisle's Diary — Diocesan Cor
respondence — Specimens of Letters to Rural Deans — Letter to
Churchwardens who complained of their Clergyman — Letter to a
Lay Patron who made a similar Complaint  414
CHAPTER XIII.
(i860.)
Lord Macaulay's Funeral — Reading Mission — Convocation and the
29th Canon — Correspondence with Mr. Gladstone — Missionary
Bishops — The Rural Deans at Cuddesdon — Retreat — The
Bishop's Speech on Alteration of the Prayer Book — The British
Association at Oxford — The Bible in India — Supreme Court of
Appeal (Ireland) — Education 'Conscience Clauses' — Correspon
dence with Mr. Gladstone — Meeting at Brighton — Extracts from
' Charge' of i860 — Lord Aberdeen's Death — Funeral. . .435

LIST OF PLATES TO VOL. II.

Portrait of Bishop Wilberforce from a
Photograph  Frontispiece
Lavington Churchyard  To face page 312
Cuddesdon Palace  „ 434

LIFE OF
BISHOP WILBERFORCE.
CHAPTER I.
(1848-49.)
LETTER FROM ARCHDEACON RANDALL ON DIOCESAN ORGANISATION — MEET
INGS OF THE RURAL DEANS— CONFIRMATIONS — LETTER TO SIR CHARLES
ANDERSON — LETTERS TO MISS L. NOEL — LITERARY BREAKFASTS —
THE CHARTIST AGITATION — VERSES — ' THE DOCTRINE OF THE INCARNA
TION '—LETTER TO ARCHDEACON WILBERFORCE— EXTRACT FROM LORD
CARLISLE'S DIARY — CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE REV. T. W. ALLIES —
DR. LUSHINGTON'S OPINION— BARON ALDERSON INTERCEDES — MR. ALLIES
RECEIVED INTO THE CHURCH OF ROME.
This volume begins with the year 1848, a year with
no leading events to chronicle and during which the
Bishop was almost exclusively engaged in ministerial
work and in perfecting and carrying on the organisation
of his diocese. How this was done there is no record.
The results are sufficiently apparent. But how dif
ferent schemes were started, how worked out, the active
brain through which they passed alone could tell.
Archdeacon Randall, the Bishop's right-hand man in
all practical and legal matters, in reply to an invitation
to write this part of the Life, after saying how glad
he should be to contribute anything that would set
permanently before the Church and the world what was
vol. 11. b

2 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. i.
the work of his dear Bishop and friend, continues :
' But I really have nothing to communicate beyond
what everybody knows. His plans were his own, the
execution of them was his own and what enabled him
to execute them was the marvellous power he possessed
of making everybody enter into his feelings and help
to carry out his views. His Archdeacons and Rural
Deans were an admirable machinery but if that ma
chinery was not absolutely of his own creating, it was
he who put it together and brought it into working
order. He was the motive power and his was the
guiding hand, always felt and always acknowledged.
No Bishop ever had a staff more devotedly attached both
to his person and to his objects, while at the same time
they were quite independent in forming their own
opinions and free in delivering their judgment upon
every matter that he laid before them. The periodical
meetings of this council, in which the principal clergy
of all parts of the diocese were brought into contact
with each other, were, I think, the chief means by which
the three counties were welded into one united diocese.
The life and spirit of these meetings circulated after
wards through the ruri-decanal chapters and though
in these, as well as in the Cuddesdon gathering, there
were various shades of opinion and free expression of
them,- yet all felt that there was a bond> of sympathy
between them and that the objects which they pursued
in common were greater and more valuable than those
on which they differed.
' The meetings of the three Diocesan Societies,
Church Building, Spiritual Help and Education of the
Poor, afterwards increased to four by the addition of
the Society for the Augmentation of Poor Benefices
were intended to produce and to a considerable extent

1848. DIOCESAN ORGANISATION. 3
did produce a like effect in bringing the laity of the
three counties into contact and relation with each other.
The constant presence of the Bishop at these meetings
was the magnetic attraction that held all together and
was felt throughout the diocese ; while in every part
of it in turn his immediate personal influence was
brought to bear at Confirmations, Church Consecra
tions and Church openings and at the Lent Missions
which he held yearly in one or other of the great towns
in the diocese.
' Some of these institutions were altogether new,
though they have since been beneficially introduced
into other dioceses ; and even those which already
existed were made new by the fresh spirit and energy
which our Bishop infused into them.
' The two great training institutions, Cuddesdon
for candidates for Holy Orders, Culham for School
masters in National Schools, were brought into being
and upheld mainly by his exertions in their behalf.
He was persuaded that they were necessary to the
proper working of the diocese and therefore, though
some of his most attached supporters doubted the ex
pediency and others despaired of the possibility of
setting them up and maintaining them, he resolutely
called upon the diocese to make the effort. The
requisition was answered, and the result has shown
both how great was the confidence of the diocese in
his designs and also the value of the work in which he
pressed for their aid. Indeed, one of the great secrets
of his successes was his determination never to acquiesce
in the supposed impossibility of obtaining the means of
carrying into effect any really desirable object. Hence
the almost universal restoration of neglected and ruined
churches of the diocese. Their state often seemed
B 2

4 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. I.
hopeless ; there was little inclination and as it seemed
little power, in the congregations to do anything. Still,
by continual application their spirits were moved ; and
in the end they often said, as I can bear witness, that
they were most thankful that such urgent pressure had
been put upon them.'
The machinery, as the Archdeacon says in the
above letter, was there indeed but it took a long time
to set it in motion. Seven years elapsed before the
first collective meeting of the Rural Deans. At first
the Rural Deans of each county came separately, then
Oxfordshire and Berkshire together, at last, in 1852,
the three counties met and the full council was formed.
Of these later meetings, Archdeacon Pott, who was
the honorary secretary, thus writes : ' There was no
controverted subject, social, ecclesiastical or theological,
that we were ultimately afraid to approach ; subjects
such as the Gorham Controversy — Observance of
Sunday — Court of Appeal — Methods of dealing with
Dissent — The Ornaments Rubric — Convocation —
Divorce, &c. The Bishop used to say, ' Never be
afraid of bringing together men of so-called opposite
parties — never be afraid to discuss to the full questions
on which you think you disagree.' One of the leading
Rural. Deans, a man whose theological views differed
widely from those of the majority, says, ' I have learned
here that spirituality of life is in no way confined to
one section of the clergy.'
The Bishop's manner of administering the rite of
Confirmation has been described.1 The following
letter written by Sir James Graham about this time
further illustrates those remarks :
1 Vol. i. p. 392 et sea.

1848. CONFIRMATION STORY. 5
I have read with attention and with great satisfaction
your admirable Charge delivered to the boys at Eton after
Confirmation. I had heard from my son how deep was the
impression produced by it at the time. I have given the
copy which you so kindly sent to him, and I pray sincerely
that it may not be the good seed which has fallen by the
wayside or on stony places. It is a great privilege of your
high office, which must compensate for many cares and
disappointments, to be enabled to address with effect such an
audience of young hearers,, and to place before them not only
the hopes but the means of salvation.
The difference between the old method of adminis
tering this rite, (Confirmation) and the new one intro
duced by the Bishop is illustrated by the following
story. At a certain large town a local publican pre
sented a petition to the Bishop, asking for pecuniary
compensation for loss of trade. He stated that his
was the principal inn in the town ; that Confirmations
used to be held only occasionally ; that when they
were held, hundreds of young men and women used to
come into the town, remaining there all day and com
ing at night to his house — the girls in their white Con
firmation dresses ; that he there gave a ball, which
was always very largely attended ; and that owing to
the changes which the Bishop had introduced he had
lost the profits he had been accustomed to make.
An instance of the power which the Bishop exer
cised over those who came under his immediate in
fluence, even in these early years of his episcopate, — a
power largely felt and recognised afterwards, — is shewn
by this anecdote of one who was amongst the first
admitted by him to Holy Orders. ' I hardly kaew the
Bishop, but he ordained me and I stayed at Cuddesdon
at the time with the other candidates. I remember most

6 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. i.
distinctly the impression he made upon us and how
one evening as we were talking together after one of
the addresses, one said, " Well, all I know is, that if
the Bishop were to say, ' I am going to the Cannibal
Islands to-morrow : who will go with me ? ' I would go
directly," and each of us said, " So would I," and we
would have gone gladly with him. This strong per
sonal influence which we all felt was quite independent
of similarity in theological opinion.'
In January the Bishop, who was at Cuddesdon,
thus writes to his friend Sir Charles Anderson : —
We are here, thank God, all together (except my beloved
Herbert) and all pretty well. Last night we had a real
Christmas revel ; a meat tea at five, hosts of children and all
sorts of games, a Christmas tree, acted charades, electric
shocks and a great Yule log put on to close all. How I wish
you and yours had been with us.
Letters to Miss Noel contain the only record of this
period ; some of them follow here in their chronological
order. The first that is quoted was written just after
the announcement of the appointment of Dr. Sumner,
Bishop of Chester, to the See of Canterbury. Arch
bishop Howley had d.ed on February ii.
The Bishop of Oxford to Miss Noel.
February 20.
I am very glad it is Chester, not the others. Now about
myself : I feel that if it had not been for the Hampden con
troversy I should very probably have been put there. Now
when I think this I have rather a sad feeling, as if /had
made a great mistake, and thrown away a great means of
usefulness. But this is only a feeling. I know that God
has ordered all, and I really do not believe I would have it

1848. LORD CARLISLE'S DIARY. 7
otherwise, and I am sure it would have been a most trying
position for me. Is this what you wanted to speak of
to me ?
On March 9 he writes : —
I have had a very pleasant visit from Robert, full as
always of affection and truth and energy, and less really
depressed than his letters say he is. Henry came up one
night ; slept, &c. ; to breakfast at a literary breakfast I
got up for Robert. Hallam, Mahon, Macaulay, St. David's,
Sir R. Inglis, M. Milnes, Milman, and Bancroft the American
Minister. Breakfasts such as the one just mentioned were at
this time much in fashion ; in fact, this period might be
termed the age of breakfasts. Of the great literary
Clubs, Grillions — The Club and Nobody's the two first
breakfasted as well as dined together on certain fixed
days and many members of these clubs, among others,
Macaulay, Rogers, Hallam, Lord Carlisle and the
Bishop continued this custom in their own houses.
The private diary of Lord Carlisle, from which, by the
kindness of its editor, extracts are allowed to be taken,
contains many entries of breakfasts given by the
Bishop at which he was present ; one of these, in
1852, is thus characteristically described: —
Breakfast with the Bishop of Oxford, Hallam, Macaulay,
Milman, Argyll, Ashburton, Bunsen, Murchison, Milnes. Ex
tremely agreeable, and would have been still more so but
there was a tendency to talk very loud and all at once. It
was at first a little too polemical for the party, running on
the strong division against Bennett the night before in the
House of Commons, and how near the doctrines of Purgatory
and practices of Confession a clergyman of the Church of
England might go to. I think almost all were against re
stricting liberty by legislation.

8 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. i.
Other entries give the names of those present with
a line at the end, such as, ' It was very pleasant.' ' A
good company and it was most agreeable. The Bishop
and I fought a mesmeric and electro-biological battle
against the scornful opposition of all the rest.' Among
the ' rest ' were Macaulay, Whewell, Lord Overstone
and Sir G. C. Lewis. Another entry finishes by say
ing, ' I think the conversation was rather etymological.'
Again, in March of this year, 1848, having heard
that Miss Noel had been ill, the Bishop writes : —
. . . This weary world will soon turn into the brightness
of His presence and the sunlight of His countenance will
gladden all its waste places ; and be they bodily afflictions or
spirit conflicts, they shall flee away, and it shall be to us as
the morning spread upon the mountains. You ask about
Wantage : it was quite a pleasant visit. I got there about
4 P.M. We had a large gathering of neighbours, clergy. Tea
and then to a meeting of Church of England missions. Next
morning service at 10. It is a noble red cruciform church,
and the chancel all nicely restored by the present vicar. It
was crowded by a most attentive people. I preached to
them on ' The sufficiency of God,' and I never saw a congre
gation more hushed into earnest and devout attention. All
through the Ordination there was the deepest attention. I
administered the Holy Communion to 160, amongst them a
large number of young people whom I confirmed here last
year. We went home to dinner at 3 — a party of clergy, some
from Oxford, some from the neighbourhood. At 4 we went to
afternoon service and Archdeacon Clerke preached. At 7 we
went to an evening Litany and sermon and I preached to them.
We had some talk in the evening, an 8 o'clock prayers next
morning and after breakfast I came away. Butler is working
his parish with admirable diligence and, at present, success.
He seems to me more to combine the good of the Evan
gelical party with the devotion of the High Church than
almost any young man I know. His only danger is on the

1848. THE CHARTIST RISING. 9
latter side. It has been a busy week. I have been on a
sub-committee to settle terms for the National Society with
the Privy Council : The new Archbishop, Lord Harrowby,
Lord Redesdale and the Bishop of Sarum being the other
members. I dined one day at Bingham Baring's, and met
Lord Lansdowne, C. Buller, Thackeray, Carlisle, Emerson,
the Castlereaghs, &c. : it was a very interesting party.
Emerson is very little Yankee, tall, thin, with no atrabilious
look, rather silent. This morning I got up early and finished
a sermon I had sketched out yesterday after keeping the
subject in my mind all the week, which I find quite the best
way. Now it is late and all are gone to bed and I am
greatly tired.
The year was memorable in European history : it
witnessed the Revolution which dethroned Louis
Philippe. This Continental disturbance made itself
felt on our shores in the shape of the Chartist demon
stration. The following letters refer to the threatened
rising. April 13. — Nothing can be added to what the papers
told you about Monday. It was a day to be ever grateful
for to God. Nothing could exceed the perfection of the old
Duke's provisions, if things had issued otherwise. Having
been asked to name an officer to command, he said like him
self, ' I can only name the Duke of Wellington.' How
horrible if he was to be slain in a street riot, after pacifying
Europe and conquering Napoleon.
I wish I could convey any idea of Lord Brougham's
speech on Tuesday, the great uncorking it was of the oddest
boftled-up experiences, spiritual and intellectual, during the
process of his journeying through revolutionary France,
though indignation against all things there seemed plainly to
predominate and have the sway. I have been to-day preach
ing for the London Hospital, having been very busy in the
morning writing the sermon. I am now writing at the
Hospital, having to go in presently to dine with the Lord

IO LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. I.
Mayor to meet Lord Harding on occasion of his receiving
the freedom of the City. I have just been round the hospital
and a striking sight it is. Its exceeding cleanliness, and the
air of care for the afflicted which so palpably pervades it, is
such a practical proof of what Christianity has done for us in
raising the standard of all.
On April 17, the Bishop writes : —
I am asked to present two Socialist petitions and almost
think of doing so in order to get an opportunity of saying
something on the great Social question. I am so afraid from
what I see that last Monday is quite misconstrued ; that so
many regard it as a proof that all is right, instead of seeing
that the trust of Englishmen in those over them setting right
what is wrong, is not yet worn out. I am very much afraid
of injuring this great truth, so that I shrink from starting it,
though I feel sure that if it was started and I was forced to
speak, I could utter upon it some part at least of that which
ought to get said.
A postscript to a letter written a month later says : —
Partly want of time to master at all the subject, partly
waiting to get others to speak, has delayed the Socialist
petition. Do make them read to you Lord Brougham's cor
respondence about his naturalisation. Only the day after
saying he wished to be naturalised to show his countrymen
his full confidence in the new order of things at Paris, he told
us in the House of Lords that he had in it ' no confidence at
all.' Van de Weyer (the Belgian Ambassador) says, ' Yes, he
wrote as a French citizen with full confidence : he spoke as a
Peer of England with no confidence at all.' A travestie of the
address, ' Fils de Saint Louis, montez au Ciel,' addressed to
Louis Philippe, 'Fils d'EgaliteV montez en Fiacre.' Lord
Brougham in coming back to England not only had much of
his luggage stopped -as he came out of Lyons, as being too
much for a good citizen but three times between there and

1848. LETTERS TO MISS NOEL. 1 1
Paris was forced out of his carriage to salute ' Trees of
Liberty.' Conceive his face under the last operation.
The next letter refers to H.R.H. Princess Louise. May 18.
The Royal Christening was a very beautiful sight in its
highest sense of that word beauty. The Queen with the .5
Royal Children around her, the Prince of Wales and Princess
Royal hand in hand, all kneeling down quietly and meek at
every prayer and the little Princess Helena alone just stand
ing and looking round with the blue eye of a gazing inno
cence. I have been, since I began at the Ecclesiastical Com
mission writing this, at a meeting of the Society for the
Improvement of the Condition of the Working Classes, the
Prince in the chair. He spoke really excellently : not at all
like a learned-by-heart speech : very thoughtful, and the lan
guage very good indeed.
June 8. — I was very busy yesterday with a most stormy
meeting at the National Society. The high ' Mountain '
party attended in force on a summons sent round by Mr. G.
Denison : they were most furious, dissatisfied with Govern
ment and the National Society, and Denison moved that no
plan for receiving Government Grants on condition of any
Management clauses, could satisfy the Church. The Arch
bishop and the Committee requested me to answer him and
move an amendment. I never spoke, since I addressed the
Newport Radicals, to so hostile an audience but through
God's help and the truth of my cause, I so won them over
that the motion was withdrawn. I had much gratitude from
my Brethren, &c. and thank God humbly for having prospered
me. The following letters are of a different type : the
two first are specimens of work as well as of activity :
the other tells its own story and needs no introduc
tion. April 20. — I am just goingtothe Ecclesiastical Commission,

1 2 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. I.
and then to the Bounty Board, then to the National Society,
then to the House of Lords, and then home to tea and even
ing. July 7. — On Monday I was all day full of business, at
the National Society, Committee of House of Lords, House
of Lords and dining with the Archdeacon brother at Lord
Morpeth's. Tuesday I was up at 4 to write a sermon I had
been thinking through the week, and at \ after 7 was in
the carriage on the way to the consecration of Bradfield, near
Reading, a most beautiful new church, built munificently,
instead of an old one ruinous, at the sole cost of the incum
bent. I reached there a little before 10 from the Pangbourne
station. Had the service, preached and administered to 280
communicants. The service was over a little before 3, and I
at once went back to Pangbourne : found the train in which
were my guests : the Guizot party : the Goughs, Calthorps,
Hallam, Lord Harrowby and Aldersons : we came on to
Oxford — lionised it and out to Cuddesdon, very late to din
ner. Yesterday morning early breakfast and in to Oxford to
Commemoration, &c, finished lionising Guizot over it.
November 25. — You will like to hear a few words of
E  's 2 and my doings. On Monday I went to Oxford, had
a nice Confirmation of young academics, some showing very
deep feeling, saw my hunting and other clerks, and got on to
Col. North's, Wroxton Abbey, quite the northern end of my
diocese, to dinner. It is a fine old abbey house, with many
North portraits, &c. There we slept, and drove on the next
day over Edgehill to Warwick, saw the Castle, E  being
much interested in it and on by rail to Burton-on-Trent, where
Anson's royal carriage met us, and we trotted on to Need-
wood. There we found only the Ansons and his cousin Lady
Waterpark and her little girl. The next day after breakfast
wrote letters, &c, and then had a ride, E  , Anson and I,
about the Forest. It is very beautiful in parts : from the
beauty of hanging woods and most magnificent hollies
sprinkled freely about in the most picturesque situations
2 His daughter.

1848. ANNIVERSARY OF CONSECRATION. 13
amongst the larger trees. Wednesday we had a large party
of Foresters to dinner ; a grandson, (Guy) inter alios of old
Mr. Gisborne's and old times seemed strangely to come back
upon me. Thursday morning being beautiful, after many
business letters we had a walk and after luncheon a ride
to Bagot's Park. There are the noblest oaks in England and I
suppose therefore in the world. One the Queen of the Forest,
majestic in height, as well as girth : one the Beggar's Oak,
of an almost unimaginable extent and multitude of branches.
Friday morning the school service and sermon in poor Ryder's
old church, where 1 5 years ago I had preached for him, he
even then greatly mistrusting my doctrine, and beloved
Sophia 3 being, I well remember, quite melted under sounds
which spoke to her of other days and her Father's church.
Then followed a luncheon at their old Vicarage (the congre
gation and collection were abundant). Then a walk in the
Forest, and no one to dinner, a very dear little girl of Lady
Waterpark's of 5 being there. This morning at \ past 7 we
started and very cold it has been. I am now nearing the
end of my railroad journey and hope to see the brougham
and home news in a very little while. I do not at all think
that I have lost now all hope of keeping my Nov. 30 * quite
quiet. I could not do so this year. But I humbly hope that
last year I had far more of entire withdrawal into secret
communion with God, and self-searching, than perhaps you
may conceive possible without a more formal and apparent
removing from others. I believe it is one advantage of a
busy life that it generates habits of introversion and quietness
and aspiration in business, and to such a blessed end the
prayers, I doubt not, of my dearest sister, from a sick room,
have ere this helped me.
Binfield, December 20. — We had a happy service yesterday
and a large clerical communion — no less than 152/. in the
offertory. It is very cheering to me to see church after
church thus revive in its material fabric, and to know that,
almost without one single exception, the restoration of the
* Mrs. Ryder, the Bishop's sister-in-law.
4 The day of the Bishop's consecration.

14 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chaP. 1.
building has accompanied a more earnest or an earnest
living ministry. This is a very nice family. Randall, my
chaplain, was a lawyer, and has all the lawyer's intellectual
acuteness carried off into the pastor's honesty and tenderness.
You never said a word about my Torquay letters or the
verses I sent you :
The sea breeze breathes as softly as it did breathe of old,
The ships are gathered, as of yore, within their ocean fold,
The bluff rocks breast as proudly the mad waves' war and surf,
The streamlets steal as gently throughout the emerald turf ;
The little waves still leap upon the sparkling sand,
And cast, with hissing murmur, their burden on the strand :
All is as when we looked on it : the lanes through which we walked,
The turret stairs we mounted, the banks on which we talked ;
Flowers, bright as those we gathered, spring where our wild flowers
sprung,
And still the birds sing sweetly, as if to us they sung ;
But thou hast left me here alone, and oh ! my heart is sore,
And from these eyes the bitter tears now cannot choose but pour ;
For when silver waves are murmuring, and flowers are gleaming
bright,
And when soft airs are sighing, in evening's rosy light,
I miss thy fond hand's pressure, and the music of thy voice,
And the deep light of thine eyes, which made this heart rejoice ;
Till oft I long in sadness to break the weary chain
Which binds me to this earth, and be with thee again ;
But then a still voice near me, falls on my inmost heart,
Still whispering to me, ' Faint not, nor from thy burden start ;
In love I did appoint it thee, and I am ever near
To share thy hidden anguish, thy stifled sob to hear :
Look to My Cross and Passion, and dare to follow Me,
Nor say that earth is barren, whilst I am there with thee. ' 5
The publication of Archdeacon Robert Wilber-
force's work on the doctrine of the Incarnation was an
event in the theological life of the English Church.
This work was, in fact, an expansion of or commentary
on those great chapters on the subject in the Fifth Book
6 The Bishop was at Torquay with his wife in 1826-27.

1849- THE 'DOCTRINE OF THE INCARNATION: 15
of Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity, which are themselves
a condensation of the teaching of the greatest of the
Fathers as shaped in a later age by the mind of Aquinas.6
As directing attention to this — the noblest theological
portion of Hooker's great work — as well as on the
grounds of its intrinsic beauty — the Archdeacon's book
was particularly welcome to the Bishop and it was
free from features which are discoverable in some of
its gifted author's later writings and which marked
his gradual movement towards the communion of the
Church of Rome. But, in the earlier portions of the
' Doctrine of the Incarnation ' there is a dissertation,
conceived in a realistic sense, upon the actual unity of
types in nature ; and it is to this philosophical element
in his brother's work that the Bishop refers in the
following extract : —
The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
January 29, 1849.
My dearest Brother. — I am reading your book with great
interest, and am at page 300. I am not yet clear about
' Nature,' but shall say nothing till I have read more. What
seems to me at present a difficulty, is this : why should not
all the phenomena from which you deduct an actual commu
nity of something be accounted for, without supposing any
thing traditive, or therefore 'common,' by the Creator's will
having imprinted the law, that from like like should spring,
though that like be new ? Then I see not how you are to
maintain tradition for the lower parts and Creationism for
the soul. But I wait awhile.
I have had a most kind reception at the Castle. No
cloud visible. Your ever affectionate Brother, g OXON
The following extract from Lord Carlisle's diary
• Hooker, Ecc. Pol. v. 50-58.

1 6 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. I.
also refers amongst other things to Archdeacon Wil-
berforce's book : —
September 30, 1 849 ( Woburri). — The Bishop of Oxford
preached on the blighted fig tree admirably well. I thought
his doctrine of fruit — good works— so very right. The Bishop
conversed theologically : he thinks the extreme Evangelical
doctrine tends — after being originally held by excellent and
pious men — to the same results as Pantheism and Rationalism ;
it only looks to the individual soul and entirely omits the influ
ences of the Mediatorial kingdom which God has established
in His Church. He admires his brother's book very much,
and thinks it may have great use in counteracting this ten
dency, but he laments its obscurity. He describes great dis
satisfaction as existing in our Church, at the appointment of
dignitaries without adequate qualifications.
The following letters were occasioned by the pub
lication of a book called ' Journal in France, &c.'
written by the Rev. T. W, Allies, a young High
Church clergyman whose conduct had been on a
former occasion severely censured by the Bishop.7 It
is necessary to mention this correspondence 8 because
the Bishop was much blamed for not proceeding against
Mr. Allies. The letters show (1) that the Bishop
attempted to obtain from Mr. Allies some retractation
or explanation of the opinions advanced in his book ;
(2) that on failing to do this he determined, acting on
the opinion of Dr. Lushington, to take legal proceed
ings ; (3) and that the Bishop abandoned the course
he had determined on in consequence of the interven
tion of Baron Alderson and others who insisted that
if this came before the Courts, the Church would be
the sufferer. Baron Alderson and his friends obtained
7 Vo1- i» P- 4°5- 8 Vide Introductory Chapter, vol. i. p. 23.

1849. LETTER TO MR. ALLIES. I J
a declaration from Mr. Allies ' that he adhered to the
Articles of the Church in their plain, literal and gram
matical sense,' and a promise not to publish a second
edition. This declaration the Bishop circulated among
the clergy of Oxfordshire. The sequel shows that
the estimate of Mr. Allies' tendencies formed by the
Bishop from his perusal of the book was correct, as
Mr. Allies resigned his living and was received into
the Church of Rome.
On March 8 the Bishop wrote to Miss Noel :
I am reading Allies' of Launton ' Journal in France,' very
painful, vety interesting. I am studying it to see if I must
notice it. It is the most undisguised, unblushing preference
for Rome I almost ever read. But a very able view of Rome
at work against infidelity in the very empire of infidelity.
Fighting it partly by prayers and intercessions and truth, and
partly by pasteboard weapons of lies and superstitions and
gallantry put instead of devotion.
The Bishop of Oxford to Rev. T. W. Allies.
March 17, 1849.
Reverend and dear Sir, — It is with great pain that I
address this letter to you ; but it is a duty from which I dare
not shrink. I have this day finished the careful perusal of
your recent volume, and I must call your most serious atten
tion to the variance which, in my judgment, exists between
its language and the dogmatic teachings of the Church of
England. No particular extracts can, as it appears to me,
fully exhibit this contradiction, because the general tone of
your volume is more at variance with the teaching of our
Church than those particular extracts themselves to which I
must call your attention. Thus, for instance, your language
throughout as to the celebration of the Mass and as to the
Eucharist, seems to me to contradict the explicit teaching of
our Church in her condemnation, in the 28th Article, of the
VOL. II. . C
-6\ —

1 8 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. I.
Roman dogma of Transubstantiation. Thus, again, your
whole tone as to the Church of which you are a minister,
seeming as it does to me depreciating and even insulting,
implies, more than any special passage, your complete aliena
tion from her, and your addiction to the Roman Communion ;
whilst your contrast between this language and your unbounded
eulogies of the Papal system, and your feeble and diminishing
disclaimers of her peculiarities (limited, I think, in your latter
journals to her claim of exclusive jurisdiction for the Pope, to
her use of prayer in a foreign tongue, and to her denial of the
cup to the laity, and expressed feebly and doubtfully as to
these), brings my inind painfully to the same conclusion.
Yet whilst these are, in my judgment, the worst features
of your volume, there are, besides these, special declarations,
which I deem directly contradictory of the language of the
39 Articles ; and prepared as I am (believing it to be the
righteous intention of the Church) to grant to individual minds
a large latitude of statement, it will I am sure be evident
to you, that I cannot allow this liberty to extend to a cate
gorical denial of our dogmatic formularies. I inclose you,
therefore, a few of these which I have extracted, and as to
each of which I must require from you either such explana
tions as shall show that I have mistaken your meaning,
and that they are reconcilable with the language of the 39
Articles ; or, failing that, their unqualified retractation.
Failing one or the other of these, nothing will remain for me
but to call upon you solemnly in the name of God to discon
tinue that ministry and to renounce those emoluments which
you exercise and enjoy on the condition of holding articles of
religion which you publicly contradict. I shall deliver this
letter to you, God willing, on Monday, rather than send it
before, since it would make your meeting me at the Confirma
tion, before I have received your answer, painful to us both.
I remain, Rev. and dear Sir, yours very sincerely,
S. Oxon.
Mr. Allies' answer being, in the Bishop's judgment,

1849. THE BISHOP PRESSES FOR A REPLY. 1 9
unsatisfactory, the Bishop wrote to him again on
March 24, pressing for a direct reply :
It gives me much pain to be obliged to say to you that
your reply to my last letter has been most unsatisfactory to
me. Before I wrote to you I had carefully noted all the
passages to which you refer me ; and had formed my estimate
of the real tone of your work with them in my mind. They
seem to me to amount to no more than assertions of your
affection to the Prayer Book, if it is interpreted according to
your own opinion. The part of my communication which
needed the most direct reply you have left almost untouched,
under the allegation that my letter closes with a threat. I
think that if you look again at it, you will perceive that it
contains nothing but a declaration that if you cannot show
that your statements do not contradict the Articles, and will
not retract them, I shall appeal to your own conscience
as to whether it is honest to maintain your position as a paid
teacher of doctrines you formally deny. To this part of my
letter I must then recall your attention. I have laid before
you a set of passages expressing your own conclusions which
appear to me to contradict the dogmatic teaching of the
Articles. You reply only as to two of these. As to the first,
I gladly accept your assurance that you meant nothing more
than is meant by the expression ' pure ' or chaste ' Virgin '
in our Collect. I only regret that your language should have
been such as to suggest to my mind a wholly different sense ;
or what in a recent encyclical letter is called 'The pious
opinion that the Blessed Virgin was conceived without the
original stain.' Your answer to my second objection quite
misses the point really in question. I quote words of yours
which seem to assert a bodily presence of our Lord in the
Holy Sacrament, and these, without further explanation, you
allege are justified by the assertion in our Catechism of His
Spiritual presence. To my quotations of passages in which
you justify (i)the adoration of the Holy Sacrament, though
it is distinctly condemned in the Articles and in the dogmatic
statement appended to our Communion Office ; (2) the invo-
c 2

20 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. i.
cation of saints ; (3) the use of relics, &c, you say nothing.
You cannot, I conceive, acknowledge the authority of my
office, without allowing that you are bound on my requiring
it, as again I do, to explain, justify, or retract distinct passages
in your published work against which I except as directly
contradicting the letter and spirit of our Articles and Formu
laries. I now require once more from you such explanation,
justification, or retractation, and I require you to deal directly
and honestly with my charge. You must, I think, perceive
the difference between condemning others of idolatry of which
you speak as if I required you to do that, and justifying your
own adoption for yourself of these statements though those
statements are condemned by our Church. Nothing but
Truth is dearer to me than Peace ; and I shall therefore be
heartily rejoiced by your freeing yourself from the imputation
which your published words seem to me to cast upon you.
I am, Reverend and dear Sir, very truly yours,
S. Oxon.
On April 2 the Bishop writes as follows to Miss
Noel :—
I have great trouble with Mr. Allies ; he has given me
most evasive answers to the questions I have been obliged to
put to him. He wishes to make out that he may hold all
Roman doctrine except the Pope's supremacy, and remain
with us. I am now taking an opinion whether his words
make his meaning plain enough for me to proceed in the
Courts against him.
Dr. Lushington to the Bishop of Oxford.
April 8, 1849.
My dear Lord,— I felt that you would be anxious to have
my opinion upon Mr. Allies' case with as little delay as was
consistent with a due consideration of so grave a question, so
I determined to give my time to it as consecutively as pos
sible. I will proceed step by step. 1. I apprehend it to be
an Ecclesiastical offence for a clergyman to publish anywhere \

.1849. DR. LUSHINGTON ADVISES PROSECUTION. 2 1
doctrines inconsistent with the Articles. 2. That the Bishop
of the diocese within which such clerk holds preferment may
prosecute the clerk for such offence (3 & 4 Vict., ch. 86, sect.
13), though that sect, is not quite reconcilable with sect. 3.
3. The Arches Court must take for its guide the Articles and
Liturgy, and expound the meaning according to the Direc
tions contained in the Declaration preceding the Articles.
So construing the 22nd Article, and having read the whole
book and several times the passage referred to, I cannot
entertain any reasonable doubt that the book does impugn
the doctrines of the Church as contained in the 22nd Article,
and as that Article would be legally interpreted. 4. I have
come to the same conclusion as to the 28th and 31st Articles.
5. I think that the whole tenor of the book and its effect is
to disparage the Church of England as compared with the
Church of Rome, and that not — as is insinuated — in its
practice at this day, but in its constitution. This I deem in
a clergyman to be an Ecclesiastical offence. On the whole,
therefore, I have satisfied my own mind that a prosecution
would be attended with success. I cannot say beyond all
doubt, because a good deal must depend upon the manage
ment of the case, and especially the proper shaping of the
charges. With regard to other considerations I have always
felt, and do unfeignedly feel great reluctance to recommend
a prosecution against a clergyman. In many cases I have
thought it better for the true interest of the Church to pass
over errors in conduct and discipline. I should be inclined to
follow the same view in some cases of doctrine, and my
reason would be the evil consequences which always result
from the agitation in courts of law of such questions, the
inevitable tendency to widen the breach between the two
extreme parties of the clergy, to exasperate existing feelings
of antagonism, and by these means to shake the peace and
concord which, when it can be secured without the sacrifice
of principles, is above all price. So strongly am I impressed
with these sentiments that, if I thought the evil to arise would
be confined to the readers of the book, I should pause before
I concluded a prosecution to be advisable. But there is

22 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. i.
another view of this question. The author is an incumbent
in your diocese : to apprehend that he will disseminate
Romish doctrines within his cure is not suspicion, but a
reasonable probability from his published work ; hence very
serious mischief may arise. A very few years since an
incumbent went over to the Church of Rome with no incon
siderable portion of his flock ; the probable effects in the
vicinity must not be left out of view. Again, the publication
Of this book is matter of notoriety. It has not only come
to your knowledge, but you have taken notice of it ; if evil
consequences should arise there are some certainly who would
attach blame to your Lordship, and as this undoubtedly
would be a mischief, so ought care to be taken to avoid such
a result. For these reasons I am compelled to come to the
conclusion that a prosecution is the lesser evil, but I would
pray your Lordship to weigh the reasons that I have assigned,
for I have stated them more fully that the conclusion I have
come to may be rejected if the reasons are not sufficient. . . .
I am very sincerely yours, s> LusHINGTON.
Unwilling, however, to trust solely to his own judg
ment, the Bishop had sent copies of his letters with
Mr. Allies' answers to Dr. Kaye, Bishop of Lincoln,
who, in his reply, says that he entirely agrees with
the Bishop and rejects Mr. Allies' explanations. ' It
leaves no doubt of the animus of the writer, he is only
looking for authorities to justify him in adopting
Romish opinions and practices, while he still continues
a beneficed minister of our Church.' Bishop Kaye,
however, did not concur in the proposal to bring Mr.
Allies to trial. Acting, then, upon this advice the
Bishop wrote the following : —

1849. THE BISHOP'S OFFER TO MR. ALLIES. 23

The Bishop of Oxf or d to the Rev. T. W. Allies.
April 9, 1849.
Reverend and dear Sir, — It gives me much pain to be
obliged again to express to you 'my dissatisfaction with your
last letter. It would not, I think, be difficult to show that the
passages you have quoted in justification of your own state
ments either do not apply to the matter before us, or taken
in their full context do not fairly bear the meaning you put on
them ; or are from writers who are of no authority on this
subject. But I take a higher objection to the line of defence
you have adopted. My charge against you is that your words
most directly contravene the plain letter of the Thirty-nine
Articles. A catena from other writers is no answer to this
charge. The letter and grammatical meaning of the Articles
themselves is that to which your statements must be referred.
I therefore deem it useless to enter further with you on the
subject in the way of argument. But you will, I think, see
that I cannot with a clear conscience allow doctrine which I
judge directly to contravene the Articles on important points
to be publicly put forth by one of my Presbyters without my
taking notice of his conduct. At the same time I am most
anxious to avoid, if possible, the scandal and the pain of calling
you into a Court of Law. Neither do I desire myself to dog
matise. I therefore make you the following offer. Will you
engage to submit yourself to my judgment in this matter
if on referring your book and the letters which have passed
between us, either to the Archbishop of the Province, or if you
prefer the judgment of your brother Presbyters, to the Regius
Professors of Divinity, Pastoral Theology, and Ecclesiastical
History in the University of Oxford, with the request that
they will give me in writing their judgment as to the fact,
whether your statements do or do not contradict the Thirty-
nine Articles or any of them, F receive their written confirma
tion of my own judgment upon this point ? I am, Reverend
and dear sir, yours very faithfully, g Oxon '

24 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. i.
On April 23 the Bishop again wrote to Mr. Allies
pressing for an answer to the above letter. Mr. Allies
wrote on April 25, declining the reference on the
ground that no individual could decide such a point,
because any such decision would fix a sense upon the
Articles which he contended was not necessarily or
confessedly the true one.
After Mr. Allies' answer of April 25, the Bishop
had no course left open to him but to take the case
into the Court of Arches ; he therefore determined to
do so and retained counsel on his behalf. Two days,
however, after the apparent termination of the' corre
spondence it was reopened by Baron Alderson. Baron
Alderson was a friend of both parties : and his letter,
which is given below, led to important results;
Baron Alderson to the Bishop of Oxford. April 28, 1849. "
My dear Lord, — A very great affection which I have long
felt and still feel for Allies must be my excuse for troubling
you about him. I was sorry for his book, with which. I indi
vidually do not agree. Indeed, if I had been consulted by him,
I should have advised a great portion of it to be omitted. I
agree with you that there are parts very objectionable, but
I think it will be very difficult to lay the law's finger upon
them. But this is not the point. Supposing that after a long,
tedious and acrimonious discussion, in which points of minute
heterodoxy are ventilated in the Ecclesiastical Court, a suc
cessful issue is obtained and judgment given against Allies, a
problematical result I conscientiously believe, yet at what
expense and danger of schism will it be obtained. These
Oxonians, whose tendencies go towards Rome, as others who
have gone towards Geneva, will die out if judiciously left to
themselves. They will in the end do good. Wesley woke up
the Church from her lethargy and breathed into her an Evan-

1849- BARON ALDERSON'S INTERVENTION. 25
gelical spirit. With this great good he did some great harm
also. These are correcting the harm by introducing a more
Rubrical and formal spirit into the Church and reviving her
discipline and drawing attention to the real value of her
Sacraments and Order. They, like Wesley, are doing harm
by running into the opposite extreme. I will only add one
word more. I do really believe, and that from good authority,
that this proceeding against Allies will produce probably a
schism and will drive out some whom we all and you espe-
pecially would wish most ardently to retain within our Church.
And as to Allies himself, I admit his errors, which I agree are
errors, but I would set against them a self-denying life, a
liberal spirit to which money is really as dross, an unim
peachable morality, a great mass of learning, and the having
written one of the best books 9 against the vital principle of
Rome — her supremacy. That was a great help to our Eng
lish Church in the pending controversy. Is it desirable to
drive out of the Church such a man ; or is it not desirable by
a wise and kind abstinence and by showing him kindly his
errors, or letting them expend themselves noiselessly and
without mischief, to retain within our own Church one of its
most learned and holy — even if erring — members ? With
many apologies for this letter, believe me in all true affection
y°urs' E. M. Alderson.
This was followed by a second letter, saying that
he had seen Mr. Allies, who was
Quite willing to say that you having expressed an opinion
that scandal had been justly given by the publication, a con
sequence he did not contemplate and one which he deeply
regrets, he is anxious to prevent it in future by making no further
publication of the book. May I venture to entreat for myself
that you will be kindly satisfied upon this to adopt the con
clusion I urged on you in my former letter, which you so
kindly and readily attended to ? I have seen Manning, Pusey
' The Church of England cleared from the Charge of Schism.

26 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. I.
and Richards since I talked with you, as well as Edward .
Coleridge and his brother the Judge. They all certify to me
that they certainly know that the discussion of this subject
will unsettle many minds which for the sake of the peace of
the Church it is desirable to keep quiet, and that an extensive
schism would be likely to be the consequence of further pro
ceedings. I do myself believe they are right.
The result of this intervention is shown by the fol
lowing letter to the Archdeacon of Oxford accom
panied by Mr. Allies' declaration of his adherence to
the Articles.
The Bishop of Oxford to the Archdeacon of Oxford.
London, May 18, 1849.
My dear Archdeacon, — I have received the inclosed letter
from Mr. Allies, expressing his regret that there is anything
in his recently published work which has brought upon him
the censure of his- Bishop, withdrawing it from future circula
tion (the first edition being now sold), and pledging himself to
teach and preach in future in the plain, literal and grammatical
sense of the Articles. And after consulting the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the Bishop of London, who have looked with
me into the case in all its bearings, I have resolved to abstain
from originating legal proceedings against him for this publi
cation and to accept this submission, which I request you to
make known to the clergy of my diocese. I am, my dear
Archdeacon, ever most truly yours, Q n
o. V_/XOJN.
The Ven. Archdeacon Clerke.
The Rev. T. W. Allies to the Bishop of Oxford.
Launton, Bicester, May 15, 1849.
My Lord, — I regret that anything in the book that I'have
published should appear to my Diocesan to be contrary to the
Articles of the Church of England, or calculated to depreciate

1 849. MR. ALLIES JOINS THE CHURCH OF ROME. 27
that Church in comparison with the Church of Rome ; and I
undertake not to publish a second edition of the work. I de
clare my adherence to the Articles in their plain, literal and
grammatical sense, and will not preach or teach anything
contrary to such Articles in their plain, literal and grammatical
sense. I have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's
dutiful servant in Christ, THQg w_ K^^
The Lord Bishop of Oxford.
The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. T. W. Allies.
August 27, 1849.
Reverend and dear Sir, — Owing to my not being in the
habit of seeing the Tablet newspaper, I have only just become
aware through the Oxford paper of the existence of a letter
stated to have been addressed by you on the second of June
to the editor of the Tablet newspaper, containing the following
words : ' I adore (at the celebration of the Eucharist) with the
adoration due only to God the Lord Jesus Christ, truly, really,
personally and substantially present under the species of
bread and wine.' I shall be obliged by your informing me if
that published letter is to be attributed to yourself, and if you
adhere to the doctrinal statement contained in the words
above quoted, and if so, whether you consider them as recon
cilable with the doctrine of the Prayer Book and the Articles
of the Church of England taken in their strict literal and
grammatical sense. I am, very sincerely yours, ^ /-» vni.-
To this, no answer was given, but on September 3
the Bishop received a letter from Mr. Allies, apprising
him of his intention to resign the living, and requesting
the Bishop to provide for the ensuing Sunday services.
Mr. Allies, within a short period, was received into
the Church of Rome.

28 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.

CHAPTER II.
(1850.)
' LIVES OF THE ARCHBISHOPS OF CANTERBURY '—MEETING AS TO GREAT EX
HIBITION — 'THE DIGNITY OF LABOUR' — THE FIRST MISSION IN THE
DIOCESE — ACCOUNT OF MISSION AT BANBURY — THE GORHAM JUDGMENT —
LETTERS TO MR. BUTLER AND SIR CHARLES ANDERSON — THE BISHOP'S
SPEECH ON BISHOP OF LONDON'S BILL— LETTERS TO ARCHDEACON BE-
RENS AND MR. COWAN— SUNDAY OBSERVANCE — LETTER TO REV. C. BAR
TER — CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN MR. GLADSTONE AND THE BISHOP AS
TO ARCHDEACON MANNING — REASONS FOR THE ARCHDEACON'S SECESSION
— VISIT TO SCOTLAND — MRS. SARGENT — DEATH OF MRS. RYDER — PAPAL
AGGRESSION — MEETINGS AT READING AND OXFORD — THE BISHOP'S SPEECH
AT OXFORD— THE COUNTER PROTESTS— THE BISHOP'S REPLIES TO THEM
— CIRCULAR LETTER TO ALL THE BISHOPS— DR. DALLAS AND THE
BISHOP — THE BISHOP VINDICATES HIMSELF ' AS NO PARTY MAN ' — LETTER
TO HIS BROTHER ON RITUAL — LETTER TO LORD ASHLEY.
In the January of this year Mr. Bentley, the well-
known publisher, requested the Bishop to undertake
the task of writing or rather compiling the work, after
wards entrusted to Dr. Hook, of the ' Lives of the
Archbishops of Canterbury.' Mr. Bentley's proposal
was, that a gentleman who had made the subject a
matter of special study should contribute the result of
his labours and that the Bishop should then undertake
the editorship of the work. The following letter to
the Rev. W. Christmas, the gentleman referred to,
shows that for two years after Mr. Bentley's proposal
the Bishop seriously considered adding this to his
already greatly increasing labours ; it also gives the
Bishop's reason for ultimately declining the proposal.

1850. SPEECH AT WILLIS'S ROOMS. 29
The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. Christmas.
Cuddesdon Palace, Jan. 9, 1852.
Rev. and dear Sir, — I have delayed thus long replying to
you in the hope that I might be able to give an affirmative
answer, not to your last but to your penultimate offer. I still
fear that I should not have time to do the work as it should
be done. But I am willing to make the attempt thus. If
you will send to me the rough materials of any one life I
shall be able to judge how far I can hope to execute the
work. I could not agree with any one to such a proposal,
because it would, in my judgment, greatly savour of putting
my name to what was not really mine. Perhaps you will
communicate this to Mr. Bentley. I am, Rev. and dear Sir,
ever very truly yours, s< qXON.
On February 21a public meeting of the inhabitants
of Westminster was held at Willis's Rooms, the High
Bailiff being in the chair, on the subject of the proposed
Industrial Exhibition : Lord Carlisle, the Bishop of
London, Lord Brougham, the Chevalier de Bunsen,
the French, Belgian, and American Ministers being
among the speakers. The Bishop moved the second
resolution, which was seconded by Lord Ashley and
supported by Lord Canning ; it was to this effect :
' That this meeting is of opinion that all consumers,
especially the working classes, will be materially bene
fited by such Exhibition as that of 185 1, from the ten
dency it will have to bring into general use the best
productions.' The following letter bears upon the
speech the Bishop made on the occasion : —
Colonel Phipps to the Bishop of Oxford.
Buckingham Palace, Feb. 23, 1850.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — The Prince has commanded
me to thank you, in H.RH.'s name, very much for your

30 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.
•
attendance at the meeting yesterday and for your speech, which
he considers by far the best that was delivered upon that
occasion. It has been considered so judicious, so eloquent
and so likely to prove effective in the country, that it is in
tended to print it for circulation among the working classes
and in this circle of society it is believed, and the Prince fully
concurs in the belief, that ' the dignity of labour ' will be
come a proud and a valuable watchword. It is proposed that
this should be followed up by the establishment of a com
mittee, partly formed by working men (with a view of forming
similar Committees in different parts of the country), and I
am directed to enquire whether you object to be upon and
assist in this Committee.1 It is proposed to ask the co
operation of people like Lord Ashley, Mr. C. Dickens, Dr.
Southwood Smith, and those most frequently in communica
tion with the best of the working classes. Very sincerely
y°urs' C. B. Phipps.
The following account of the first mission held in
the Diocese of Oxford is taken from ' The Guardian.'
It forms a striking contrast to the missions of the
present day.
Having seen in your paper of the last two weeks a short
notice of the ' Lent Mission ' lately undertaken by the Bishop
of Oxford in some of the large towns of his diocese, it may
probably be interesting to your readers to have a more full
account of a work so new in its character and, so far as it has
yet been carried out, so successful.
The importance of a work of this kind must not be
measured by the immediate effect produced. It is the be-
1 The Committee was formed, Mr. Cole being the Secretary. The Bishop
appears to have taken a leading part in inviting diflerent persons to help in this
work. Some refused because they did not think the Exhibition would benefit the
working classes. One of the answers the Bishop received is worth preserving.
'John Bright begs lo inform ihe Bishop of Oxford, that he declines to have his
name on the Committee intended to interest the working classes in the Exhi
bition of 1851 ; his many engagements rendering it impossible for him to give
any attention to the subject. '

1850. MISSION TO BANBURY. 3 1
ginning of a movement not merely in the Church but of the
Church in one diocese, to adapt herself so far as existing
laws allow to the altered circumstances and pressing needs of
her children. It is the first step towards a more energetic
and united action in dealing with the souls of men — an
endeavour to break through the trammels of traditionary
rules, which left the clergy to cope single-handed, or nearly
so, with great and overwhelming difficulties. For the first
time, I believe, for centuries, an English Bishop has been seen
giving to the earnest parochial clergy of his diocese active
personal assistance in rousing the lukewarm, or reclaiming
the erring children of her Church and for this purpose bring
ing to bear on a particular point the full weight of her divine
organisation. For a long period the Bishops of the English Church have
been too much regarded as Episcopi, or overlookers, of the
clergy only ; or, according to the idea of one of our leading
statesmen, as merely ordaining, confirming, Church-consecrat
ing functionaries.
The mission began at Wantage, moved to Farringdon,
and afterwards to Banbury. In this large and important
town the effect was most striking and most successful.
The Bishop arrived at Banbury at eight o'clock in the
evening of Saturday, attended by his chaplain, and two of
the clergy of his diocese selected for the work. He pro
ceeded immediately to the parish school-room, where were
assembled the communicants of the parish, about two hun
dred in number. To them, after some short time spent in
prayer, he explained the object for which he had come among
them and called on them to aid him in the work by their
prayers, and by inducing any whom they might know to be
living in impenitence or worldliness or to have fallen back from
their first earnestness to attend the services and sermons of
the mission.
Sunday morning brought before the people of Banbury a
spectacle of a new and impressive character. The Bishop
had made arrangements for holding his Lent Ordination in
this place. At ten o'clock a long procession formed of

32 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. II.
sixteen candidates for holy orders, in surplices and hoods,
followed by twelve clergy of the diocese, also in surplice,
hood and stole, and lastly by the Bishop, moved slowly and
in silence from the vicarage to the church, preceded by the
churchwardens. The church, though a building of a bad
style, has an imposing character from its great size and
massiveness and was in its form singularly well adapted to
the purposes of the mission. It contains seats for two thou
sand seven hundred persons, and was full, and the chancel
being of due proportions afforded ample room for the clergy,
who were ranged kneeling in two rows on either side. It was
probably the first time that the great majority of the people
present had witnessed an Ordination, or had any clear idea of
the way in which the clergy of the Church receive their com
mission to teach and to minister Christ's sacraments. The
holy communion was attended by more than one hundred
and fifty persons and the whole service lasted five hours. Yet
at three o'clock the Church was again full, when about one hun
dred and twenty young persons of Banbury were confirmed,
the Bishop addressing them at some length and with much.
force and earnestness. And at seven another vast number,,
nearly three thousand, were assembled in the church, wheiv
the Bishop set before them a vivid heart-stirring picture of
the sinner in death and judgment, with earnest exhortations
to repentance. On the following morning at half-past seven nearly one
hundred and sixty persons partook of the Holy Communion
and were addressed by the Bishop from the altar steps on
fellowship with Christ in His death, and that clear, fervid
setting forth of the great doctrines of the cross of Christ left
an impression which will not lightly pass away from the
hearts of those who heard it.
Immediately after this service the Bishop was obliged to
leave the mission for a day to attend the important debate
on the Ecclesiastical Commission. In the meantime the
mission work was carried on by the clergy appointed by him.
The service at eleven o'clock v/as well attended ; in the after
noon the church was filled with children of the various

1 850. MISSION TO BANBURY. 33
schools, including those of the Dissenters, who asked leave
to be present, when an address was delivered to them on the
holiness of childhood and in the evening the large building
was again filled, when the need of conversion and its nature
formed the subject of the preacher's sermon. On Tuesday
many of the townspeople again assisted at the early celebra
tion of the Lord's Supper and the number present at the
other services continued to increase.
The clergy from the neighbouring parishes sympathised
heartily in the work, and the procession from the vicarage
included men of every school, anxious to show, by conform
ing outwardly to the vestments and order prescribed by the
Bishop, that they were willing to join with him confidingly
in a spirit of unity and love. On the morning of Wednesday
six-and-twenty clergy were assembled, of whom the greater
part were drawn from the adjoining parishes. The number
at the early communion had swelled to two hundred, and at
the eleven o'clock service the vast Church was again filled,
containing probably upwards of 2,500 souls. The Bishop
then preached the concluding sermon on Perseverance.
Earnest, eloquent, and full of wise, holy and affectionate
counsel, it must have gone home to many a heart among the
thousands present. And, as the long procession of the
Bishop and his clergy swept forth from the Church for the
last time, numbers of all classes were seen standing in de
tached groups, scattered here and there over the broad open
space before the Church, gazing, as it seemed, sadly in the
thought that they might never again hear the deep stirring
words of their Bishop, or join *in those peculiarly solemn
services. There may have been many there who mourned
that, according to the law of God's dealings with his creatures,
to which the Bishop had touchingly alluded, occasions of
repentance and calls to conversion, or to a higher state of
grace, sweep by us in life and while men are not rejecting
hut not accepting the call, intending but still lingering, they
are gone.
Yet there is no doubt that the mission did not pass from
Banbury and leave it as it found it. There were signs of a
VOL. II. o

34 LIFE OF BISHUI" wiLuj^Ki-utu,^. uw. n.
stirring of the heart in many : and some few availed them
selves of the offer of special guidance and counsel from the
"Bishop or the clergy of the mission. The Church had
exhibited herself before the people in her true character, as a
divinely-ordered society, set up on earth to win and train
souls for heaven. Her Bishop had become known to them
as a preacher of repentance and of the Gospel of Christ,
warning, exhorting, pleading, with all earnestness, and ready
to receive in private, and guide and encourage with ghostly
counsel, the meanest sinner in his diocese. The long and
ordered stream of surpliced clergy, which passed continually
during each day in reverent silence to and from the Church, was
felt to be no mere outward show. It was but the seemly order
of a real work, marking its true character. The long hours
passed in united prayer in church, the few minutes spent in
earnest supplication with their Bishop in the vestry before
and after each service and the daily partaking of the holy
communion, must have had a lasting influence for good on
the clergy who responded so readily to their Bishop's call.
And the counsel and example of the Bishop and the sympathy
of many brethren must have left the earnest vicar of the
parish strengthened and encouraged to carry out the work
begun with increased energy, as with enlarged prospect of
success. The immediate establishment of a weekly com
munion at an early hour was but one proof that the mission
would leave on the parish a permanent effect. Neither was
the surrounding neighbourhood without its share in the benefit
of the mission, for at six adjoining parishes the people were
called together to special services and sermons on repentance,
conversion, death and judgment, preached by those whom
the Bishop sent forth for this purpose to crowded churches.
On March 8 the long-expected judgment of the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the Gorham
case was delivered. In order to understand after such
a lapse of time why this judgment caused so much ex
citement as it did, and before showing how the Bishop

1850. THE GORHAM CASE. 35
treated the matter with reference to his own diocese,
it is necessary to give a short account of the case
itself. The Rev. J. C. Gorham, a beneficed clergyman in
the Diocese of Exeter, was presented by the Lord
Chancellor to another living in the same diocese — the
Vicarage of Brampford Speke. Before proceeding to
institute' Mr. Gorham in his new preferment, the
Bishop of Exeter (Phillpotts) proceeded to put certain
questions upon the Church's teaching with regard to
the Sacrament of Baptism. One of these questions
was, ' Does the Church hold, and do you hold, that
all infants duly baptized are born again of water and
of the Holy Ghost ? ' Mr. Gorham's reply did not
satisfy the Bishop, who then refused to institute.
According to the ecclesiastical law, when a Bishop
without good cause refuses or unduly delays to admit
and institute a Clerk to the church to which he is pre
sented, the Clerk may have his remedy against the
Bishop in the Ecclesiastical Court, as the patron may
in the Temporal Court.
This remedy the Clerk obtains by a form of pro
cedure entitled duplex querela ; according to which if
the Bishop refuse to institute, there is an appeal to the
Archbishop ; if the Archbishop refuse, to the Judicial
Committee of the Privy Council, which has taken the
place of the old Court of Delegates. Mr.' Gorham had
recourse to this proceeding, which, though it had fallen
into practical desuetude, still legally existed. The
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council reversed the
sentence of the Dean of Arches, and they said —
After the litigation had thus commenced, and Mr. Gorham
had called upon the Bishop to state why institution was
refused, it became evident that the reasons must be con-
d 2

36 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. II.
sidered upon legal principles, and it was perhaps reasonably
to be expected that both parties would require a strict and
formal proceeding in which what was the particular unsound
doctrine imputed to Mr. Gorham would have been distinctly
alleged which constituted his alleged offence.
Unfortunately this course was not adopted. The Bishop
proceeded by act on petition ; and in his act he stated his
charge against Mr. Gorham, and alleged ' that it appeared to
him in the course of the examination that Mr. Gorham was
of unsound doctrine respecting the great and fundamental
point of Baptism, inasmuch as Mr. Gorham held, and per
sisted in holding, that spiritual regeneration is not given or
conferred in that holy sacrament — in particular that infants
are not made members of Christ and children of God— con
trary to the plain teaching of the Church of England in her
Articles and Liturgy, and especially contrary to divers offices,
of Baptism, the office of Confirmation, and the Catechism,
severally contained in the Book of Common Prayer and
Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Cere
monies of the Church, according to the use of the United
Church of England and Ireland.'
In part supply of proof of the premisses the Bishop referred
to a book written and published by Mr. Gorham, containing
amongst other things the several questions put by the Bishop
to Mr. Gorham in the course of the examination, and Mr.
Gorham's several answers to the same questions. The incon
venience of this course of proceeding is so great, and the
difficulty of coming to a right conclusion is thereby so
unnecessarily increased, that in our opinion the judge below
would have been well justified in refusing to pronounce any
opinion upon the case as appearing upon such pleadings ;
and in requiring the parties, even at the last moment, to
bring forth the case in a regular manner by plea and
proof. The case comes before us in precisely the same state;
and although the counsel on both sides have used their best
endeavours to remove the vagueness and uncertainty found
in the pleadings, as well as in the examination, and have

1850. THE DECISION NOT UNANIMOUS. 3 J
thereby much assisted us, they have not been able entirely to
remove the difficulty. 'i
It was a most peculiar case. What was the exact
view which Mr. Gorham held is very difficult to dis
cover. The doctrine which the Privy Council extracted
from his answers given to the Bishop was this : —
That Baptism is a sacrament generally necessary to sal
vation, but that the grace of regeneration does not so neces
sarily accompany the act of Baptism that regeneration
invariably takes place in Baptism ; that the grace may be
granted before, in, or after Baptism ; that Baptism is an
effectual sign of grace, by which God works invisibly in us,
but only in such as worthily receive it — in them alone it has
a wholesome effect ; and that without reference to the quali
fication of the recipient it is not in itself an effectual sign of
grace. That infants baptised, and dying before actual sin,
are certainly saved ; but that in no case is regeneration in
Baptism unconditional.
This case, therefore, will be found on examination
not to support the view sometimes, but erroneously,
entertained of it, as deciding that it is competent for a
clergyman of the Church of England to hold without
qualification, that infant children are not regenerated
by virtue of the Sacrament of Baptism.
The Court which delivered this judgment was not
unanimous ; the dissentients were the Bishop of London
(Blomfield) and Vice-Chancellor Sir J. Knight Bruce ;
the majority included the Archbishops of Canterbury
and York (Musgrave).
The Privy Council remitted the case to the Court
of Arches, before which tribunal no further steps were
taken, and the Dean of the Arches therefore acting
* Sir R. Phillimore's Ecclesiastical Law, vol. i. pp. 443, 444.

38 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. li.
for the Archbishop of Canterbury, instituted Mr. Gor
ham to the vicarage of Brampford Speke. The Bishop
of Exeter then applied for a prohibition to each of the
Courts in Westminster Hall on technical grounds, but
without avail. He further wrote a letter to the Arch
bishop, which was printed, in which he declared ' that
if he obeyed the Queen's monition he (the Archbishop)
was a favourer and supporter of Mr. Gorham's heresies ; '
and finished by saying ' that I cannot without sin — and
by God's grace I will not — hold communion with him,
be he who he may, who shall so abuse the high commis
sion which he bears ; ' he also told his clergy that he
' renounced communion with the Archbishop.'
The Bishop, writing to his brother the Archdeacon
, on March 26, thus refers to the Bishop of Exeter's
printed letter : ' The Bishop of Exeter's pamphlet
will damage our position considerably, showing a
temper in Churchmen inconsistent, in the eyes of the
Laity, with the exercise of dispassionate legislative, and
still more, judicial functions. The judgment only
affirms that the Evangelical body are not to be ex
pelled.' The extent and bearing of the judgment were
greatly exaggerated and misunderstood, by men un
accustomed to weigh accurately the phraseology of
decisions of Courts of Law. Many clergymen had
supposed that the plain language of the Catechism
and the Baptismal Office must be distinctly upheld by
any fair Church Tribunal and that such a question
could not be left open. Doubtless great diversity of
opinion had been quietly tolerated as to the strict
interpretation of theological terms, but a strong impres
sion prevailed among those clergy who held the formu
laries in their literal sense, that if a formal decision

1850. THE ROYAL SUPREMACY. 39
were ever given it must be distinctly on the side of
what they believed to be the plain, literal and gram
matical sense, and tolerating no other. The issue,
however, was at variance with this expectation. The
judgment appeared to say, 'We must find a modus
vivendi for those who deny the plain sacramental
teaching of the Prayer-Book ; we must allow a latitude.'
Considerations of policy instead of law seemed to have
guided the decision, and the whole sacramental teaching
of the Prayer-Book appeared to be in danger. This,
however, was not all : attention was called by the
judgment to the unsatisfactory character of the
tribunal itself, through which the Royal Supremacy
was exercised on appeal in matters ecclesiastical. It was
stated, on the authority of Lord Brougham, that when
the old Court of Delegates was superseded in 1833 by
the Judicial Committee it was forgotten and not con
templated that questions on Church doctrine would
ever come before this new tribunal.
The principal subjects over which the Ecclesiastical
Court exercised jurisdiction were secular matters, such
as testamentary questions, the law of marriage and
divorce. When questions of the interpretation of
rubrics came before the Court, matters of doctrine
became indirectly involved in their interpretations.3
Discussions took place as to what was meant by the
Supremacy of the Crown in Ecclesiastical matters, and
the question arose, Can anything be done to prevent
such cases as that of Mr. Gorham being again deter
mined by a Court having no distinct Church character
and in which, for that reason, Churchmen can have
• The Editor is allowed to state that on the part of this chapter which deals
with the case of Mr. Gorham he has had the advantage of the supervision of the
Right Hon. Sir R. Phillimore.

40 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.
no confidence ? Bishop Wilberforce, though wishing
for a change in the composition of the Final Court
of Appeal, thus expresses himself in a letter to his
brother the Archdeacon : ' If you put anything forth,
I hope you will strongly assert the advantage of the
Supremacy of the Crown properly administered. I am
very anxious that in every move this just Supremacy
of the Crown should be maintained. Till we are a
Republic it ought, ' me judice,' to be, and nothing could,
I think, be more impolitic than to go against it.'
In his Ordination examinations it was the constant
practice cf Bishop Wilberforce to put leading questions
tending to draw out the teaching of expressions in
the Prayer-Book or in the works of Hooker, which
bore upon the doctrine of Baptismal Grace. In
preaching, in Confirmation addresses, he used to dis
tinguish between Regeneration, Conversion, Renewal,
show the danger of confounding them and point out
the necessity of all three to the Spiritual Life. And
so, while from old associations as well as from the
largeness of his own sympathies, he would have been
one of the very last to desire the exclusion of any
section of Churchmen from the fold of the Church, at
the same time he was keenly alive to the evil of a
judgment supposed to call in question what he be
lieved to be essential truths, and yet more to the danger
of trifling with plain words so as to make them mean
anything or nothing. The two following letters of the
Bishop's, the first to a clergyman in the diocese, the
second to his friend Sir Charles Anderson, give his
opinions on this question as they were at the time.
To the Rev. W. Butler he writes : —
That this is to be treated as a mere state decision. 2. That
practically it leaves the matter where it found it. 3. That it

.i8so. CHURCH OF ENGLAND NOT COMPROMISED. 41
only decides that to hold infants need some preparatory grace
analogous to that which works Faith and Repentance in
adults for them to be due recipients of the grace conferred in
Baptism, is not so plainly repugnant to the Church of England
as that the Court would be ' rigid ' in excluding the holder of
such a view. Now I do not see that this leaves us in any way
tainted with heresy. It is very likely to mislead and we must
of course strive for a better state of things.
To Sir C. Anderson he writes : —
I saw Prevost yesterday, at the National Society meeting :
he does not feel that the Church of England is compromised
by this vile judgment, and many of our best Churchmen are
quite staunch. I believe that in the end God will bring
good out of all this evil ; we must wait dearest Friend in
faith. The present has ever seemed the darkest to those in
it, and dark times make friends' voices and friends' love closer
and more welcome than ever.
Apart, however, from the direct issue involved, was,
as has been mentioned, the further question of the Supre
macy of the Crown. Many then, as now, denied the
right of any Court of Parliamentary origin to settle
Church questions.
An attempt to allay this feeling was made by the
Bishop of London (Blomfield), who introduced a Bill
into the House of Lords which provided that all cases
affecting doctrine should be removed from the Judicial
Committee to the Upper House of Convocation. A
Declaration by the Bishops in the shape of a petition
to Her Majesty had been mooted, but fell through
owing to a want of unanimity as to its terms. The
Bill came on for second reading on June 3 but was
thrown out by a majority of 33, the numbers being 84
to 5 1 : most of the Bishops remained neutral, including

42 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. II.
the Archbishop, four only voting for it. Bishop Wil
berforce supported the Bill on the ground of its being,
in his opinion, ' the only safe move at present.'
Speaking on the question he said : ' Purely spiritual
questions ought to be left to purely spiritual judges.'
He pleaded ' for the same justice to be shown to the
Church of England as was accorded to the Kirk of
Scotland and to every sect.' He argued that the oppo
sition to the Bill proceeded from a fear that the Gorham
judgment might be reversed if this Bill passed. He
said, ' If this were such an admirable judgment, surely
there was no reason for such a fear. Unless there
was some secret lurking belief that the judgment might
be upset if we had a good Court, there would not have
been this uneasiness.' And concluding he said : ' Do
not alienate from you as a party finally and for ever,
the whole body of the English Church, by showing
them that at your hands they must not look even for
justice. Deal more liberally and justly with her, listen
to her complaints, do not rudely repulse her when she
comes to you for redress ; and seeing that her purity of
doctrine and teaching are more valuable than earthly
possessions, hasten to 'remedy her wrongs.'
The letters which follow were written within a few
days of the debate, when it was evident that nothing
could at that time be done either by Declaration or
Legislation. The first letter was in reply to an address
forwarded through Archdeacon Berens and signed by
1 1 6 clergy of the Archdeaconry of Berkshire ; iii it
they affirmed their own unshaken belief in the doctrine
of the Prayer-Book. The second letter was in reply
to a counter address, signed by 520 laymen at Reading,
who, amongst other statements, alleged that * the
Tractarian party, with whom the 116 clergy of Berks

1850. ADDRESS FROM ' 116 CLERGY. 43
were supposed to sympathise, had no other intention
than that of the unprotestantizing of our Church and
country.' The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Ber ens.
61 Eaton Place, June 15, 1850.
Dear Mr. Archdeacon,— I have just received from you an
address signed by yourself and 116 clergymen of your arch
deaconry, expressing their ' deep concern and anxious appre
hensions at the dangers ' you dread from the recent judgment
in the case of the Rev. J. C. Gorham, ' the effect of which '
you understand to be ' that the denial of the remission of
original sin to all infants in Holy Baptism is not inconsistent
with the declared doctrine of the Church of England, and is
no bar to holding a cure of souls within her Communion.' I
need not assure you that I have read such an address with the
deference due to the opinion of such men, and with hearty thank
fulness for the zeal towards the truth which it evinces. If the
effect of the judgment to which you refer be what you appre
hend, I agree with you in the fear that it represents ' the
authoritative doctrine of the Nicene Creed in its natural sense
as a matter of opinion and tends to destroy the authority of
Our Articles : ' for I am fully convinced that the Church has
received and taught as a matter of revealed truth, that
original sin is remitted to infants at their regeneration in
Holy Baptism. I cannot, however, but hope that this judg
ment does not absolutely impugn this doctrine. If it be found
to do so I cannot doubt that its authority will be wholly set
aside by future decisions. For so plain and explicit do I
deem the language of our formularies as to this doctrine, and
with such increasing faithfulness do I believe it to be held and
taught by the great body of our clergy, that I trust, (if it shall
please God to give us patience, tenderness and boldness) we
shall see even our present dangers turn out rather to the
furtherance of the Faith. I have already been engaged with
the other Bishops of the Church, in considering the steps
which should be taken at this juncture and this question will,

44 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.
I believe, again occupy our most anxious consideration. In
conclusion let me express my earnest hope that we and you
may join in fervent and continual prayer to the great Head
of the Church, that He may enable us according to His will
to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. I
remain, dear Mr. Archdeacon, your faithful friend and brother,
S. OXON.

The Bishop of Oxford to Charles Cowan, Esq., M.D.
June 20, 1850.
Sir, — Having received with your signature as Chairman,
what is termed a counter Protest, &c, I beg to acknowledge
to you the receipt thereof. As this document is in no way
addressed to me as Bishop of the Diocese, but is, as I gather,
sent to me merely as a matter of compliment, I might hold
myself excused from the necessity of expressing any opinion
upon its contents. Nor would its authoritative and dogmatic
assertions much incline me to suggest anything to its writers :
yet feeling what I do concerning it, I do not like to leave it
wholly unanswered. Let me say then, that for many reasons
I deeply lament the tone of your protest. I believe that
nothing can more deeply wound our reformed Church, than
that men should be led to explain away on any side formu
laries which they have solemnly subscribed. It is in a great
measure the fear of this danger which has led the vast majority
of the clergy of Berks to sign the protest of which you com
plain. I grieve that you should have been led to use language
so directly opposite, as it seems to me, to that ' Charity which
thinketh no evil ' as to impute to those who, being as zealous
for the reformed faith as yourselves, are striving to maintain
the necessity of what they deem the plain language of our
Church, a concealed intention of bringing back the darkness
of Popish superstition. It is not, believe me, by casting such
imputations, or nourishing the spirit from which they spring,
that the cause of God's truth can be maintained. I beg to
remain faithfully yours, „ „
' * S. Oxon.

1850. OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY. 45
The following, written nearly a year after to Sir
Charles Anderson, is .given here as bearing on this
question.

The Bishop of Oxford to Sir C. Anderson.
May 28, 1851.
Dearest Anderson, — Alas ! all is very dark around us.
But I am still hopeful. I fear we shall lose some of our very
best men and my heart bleeds at every pore at the prospect —
specially mine. But I firmly believe in the vitality of the
Church of England and that it will throw off the evil of such
a loss of best blood as that and still live to God. I see all
the evil of the j udgment recently given ; but I cannot believe
it will ultimately do anything else than raise the standard of
doctrine as to the Baptism question. I never saw my can
didates so uniformly well up on the Baptism question. There
was not one out of 37 who did not satisfy me. Dearest Ander
son, I think troubles around us and within only draw our
hearts closer to old friends. I am sure I feel it so to you and
yours. I am ever yours very affectionately, ~ pvvn„
The following extract from a speech of the Bishop
on the ' Post Office Arrangements (Sunday Bill),' and
the letter to Mr. Barter, one of his Rural Deans, further
illustrate the Bishop's views on the observance of
Sunday already referred to.4
' I do not wish to make people religious by Act of
Parliament. I do not wish to stop the railways on
Sundays, but I do feel bound to do all in my power to
protect those who wish to spend their Sundays re
ligiously.' The Bishop had argued, in reply to the objection
that the non-delivery of important letters on Sundays
* Vol. i. p. 377.

46 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. II.
would cause great inconvenience, ' that any very im
portant letter would be forwarded by rail.'

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. C Barter.
Aylesbury, 1 8 Feb.
My dear Barter, — With regard to the observance of the
Sunday, I certainly could not join in, or promote any petition
resting the obligation of it upon the 4th Commandment,
because I do not think that Commandment applies to us
in the Christian Church. But I am fully prepared to do
my utmost to maintain the observance of the Sunday on
the footing and to the extent on which it stands at present.
For I consider the question we have now to determine,
to be, whether we shall have our Sunday a day of rest
from labour, and of religious exercise, or, as it is on the
Continent, a day of amusement. While we preserve it for
rest and religion, we are, I believe, upholding one of the
main defences of religion and morals : if we let it be secu
larized, we throw away that defence. And the first break that
we suffer to be made in it, is a virtual and will soon be followed
by an actual abandonment of the whole. I could not, there
fore, consent to any opening of Museums, or other public
exhibitions on that day, however plausible may be the
arguments for so doing ; for these, even if we admit them to
be in themselves ^lerable, would be precedents that would
soon be intolerably abused to the destruction of all reverence
for and religious employment of the day. At the same time
I am ver}' sensible of the mischievous exaggeration of the
puritanical view of the subject ; and greatly fear that through
it occasion will be taken to loosen what hold the English, or
more properly the Christian Sunday still retains upon the
minds of our people. Your ever affectionate ~ ^
S. Oxon.
The letter from the Bishop to Mr. Gladstone which
follows, refers to the apprehended secession of Arch-

1850. ARCHDEACON MANNING, 47
deacon Manning from the Church of England. The
letter here printed was in reply to one of Mr. Glad
stone's which was written on September 8, in which
Mr. Gladstone reminded the Bishop of a conversation
which had taken place between them, in the course of
which Mr. Gladstone had pointed out that if the great
majority of the bishops had immediately after the pro
mulgation of the Gorham Judgment openly in com
bination declared that they would uphold the doctrine
of the Church as regarded Baptism, even though such
declaration was net of the nature of a corporate action,
such a step would have held secure to the Church not
only Archdeacon Manning but many others who, like
him, were longing for some authoritative declaration.
The Bishop's answer further shows that Mr. Gladstone
thought that Archdeacon Manning would ultimately
form his decision equally on past historical grounds
as on future anticipations.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Lavington, Sept. 14, 1850.
My dear Gladstone, — My stay here has let me see much
of Manning. Never has he been so affectionate, so open, so
fully trusting with me. We have been together through all
his difficulties. But alas ! it has left on my mind the full con
viction that he is lost to us. It is. as you say, the broad ground
of historical inquiry where our paths part. He seems to me
to have followed singly, exactly the course which the Roman
Church has followed as a body. He has gone back into those
early times when, what afterwards became their corruptions,
were only the germ buds of Catholic usages ; he has fully ac
customed his mind to them ; until a system which wants them
seems to him incomplete and uncatholic and one which has

48 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.
them is the wiser and holier and more catholic for having theni)
until he can excuse to a great degree their practical corrup
tions and justify altogether their doctrinal Tightness. All this
has been stirred up and rendered practical in his mind by our
own troubles but the result of all leaves me very hopeless of
the issue.. Few can at all understand what his and my brother's
present state are to me. I believe you can ; the broken sleep,
the heavy waking, before the sorrow has shaped itself with
returning consciousness into a definite form ; the vast and
spreading dimensions of the. fear for others which it excites ;
the clouding over of all the future. It has quite pressed upon
me and I owe, I believe, to it as much as to anything else a
sharp attack of fever which has pulled me down a good deal.
I am going, after my Ordination, at my doctor's desire for a
fortnight or three weeks' tour and I think of going to Scotland.
I know not if I should be near you or if Sir John Gladstone
could have me if I were ; but if it were so I should be very
glad to see you. I thank you sincerely for telling me about
yourself. Such assurances are like the voice of a true com
rade in the stifling mist. May it please God to bless your
travel. I am very sorry that you will be away this winter,
but trust that you as well as yours may return to us strength
ened by your absence. I am ever, my dear Gladstone, affec-
tionately yours, s QxoN
In reply to this, Mr. Gladstone wrote to the Bishop
on September 1 7, from which letter it can be gathered
that Mr. Gladstone thought, from his personal know
ledge of Archdeacon Manning, that even before the
Gorham Judgment the Archdeacon's mind had become
so imbued with the Roman Catholic faith, that he had
ceased to struggle actively against these new convic
tions. The conversations which took place and the
letters which passed between Mr. Gladstone and the
Archdeacon, created an impression on Mr. Gladstone's
mind that, though the Archdeacon was convinced of

1850. THE REASONS WHICH DECIDED HIM. 49
the authority of the Church of England and believed
in her mission, yet he could not disguise from himself
that there were things in the Roman Church which he
preferred. Mr. Gladstone, therefore, attributed the
decided attitude of the Archdeacon to the result of the
refusal of the Bishops to propagate a declaration that
the Gorham Judgment was neither the law nor the
faith of the Church of England.
The Bishop was at Lavington in September, and
while there had long interviews with his brother-in-
law ; the correspondence with Mr. Gladstone men
tioned above, took place during the Bishop's stay in
Sussex. Although the Gorham Judgment was the osten
sible reason for Archdeacon Manning's secession, he
had been for a long time hesitating, and it is perhaps
doubtful whether any action of the Bishops, either
' corporate or combined,' would, as Mr. Gladstone
imagined, have really kept him secure. In 1841 he
had made up his mind that unity was a first law of
the Church of Christ, and that therefore the position
of the Church of England was tenable only as an
extreme and anomalous case ; he had also refused
in any way, either by word or deed, to do anything
hostile to the Church of Rome, and writing in 1850,
he admitted that his teaching was nearer to that of
the Roman Church than to the Church of England
of that day. For many years he had felt himself to
be prohibited from all sympathy with Protestantism,
and what he termed the compromises of the Refor
mation. The opinions of 1841 had strengthened year
by year, and each year had found him further removed
from the living English Church ; he believed that
what he had supposed to be the theology of the
vol. 11. . e

5o

LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. u.

English Church was only the opinion of a School
beginning with the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign,
and neutralised at the Revolution. The Church which
claims to be One, Visible5 and Infallible, fascinated
him as it has many others, and the idea that a civil
court could settle a point of the Church's doctrine
finally decided a question which was already trembling
in the balance. All this is to be clearly gathered
from letters written to the Bishop, but which for
obvious reasons are not printed.
On September 27 the Bishop thus writes to his
brother Archdeacon Wilberforce :^~
My Lavington residence proved anything but a rest with
all my anxieties about Manning ever recurring and augment
ing and by my doctor's advice I am making a run through
Scotland to shake off some little remains of a feverish attack
which pulled me down at Lavington,6 but care and anxiety
are close and obstinate attendants whom it is difficult to shake
off by distance.
The next visit to Lavington, after Archdeacon
Manning's secession, which took place in November of
this year, is thus alluded to by the Bishop, showing how
deeply he felt the loss which not only the Church,
but which also he himself had sustained.7
5 In an article in the 'Quarterly' on Mr. Keble's Life, written in 1869, the.
Bishop on this point says : — 'A very large proportion of the leading perverts had
been bred up in the Evangelical school, and the vision of which Keble speaks of
the one Catholic and Apostolic Church had dawned upon them with all the
startling grandeur of a new discovery. Intoxicated with this glory, they were
unable to bear an^ delay of their longings or any contradiction of their theories-;
and as the Sorceress of the Seven Hills promised them the instant fulfilment of
their dreams, they drank of the cup of her enchantments, and some at least shared
the fate of those who quaffed of old the draught of Circe.'
6 The Bishop had been confined to his bed for four days.
' Archdeacon Manning was Rector of Lavington for 17^ years.

1850. THE BISHOPS SORROW. 5 1
The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. R. Cavendish.
Lavington, June io, 1851.
My dear Cavendish, — We came here yesterday and
return (D. V.) to-morrow. It is a sad visit. The glory of
our beloved little church is departed. The heavens weeping
over us, and the trees dropping round us, seem acted parables
of our thoughts. Twenty-three years ago to-morrow, and
the sun shone on me as I came out of that church the most
blessed of bridegrooms, having won her whom I had loved,
as few love so young, ever since the vision of her beauty
enchanted my early boyhood. How has wave followed wave
from that day to this ! Oh ! and how has mercy and loving-
kindness and forbearance and compassionate forgiveness
been multiplied and abounded upon me year after year.
My address till next Monday is to be, Bradfield, Reading,
Then 61 Eaton Place. I am ever yours, my dear Cavendish,
affectionately s> Qx0N>
The following letter bears on the subject of the
Final Court of Appeal in Ecclesiastical causes ; it was
written, as the date shows, in the train on the journey
north, where the Bishop went by the doctor's advice
to try and shake off the illness mentioned in the letter
to Mr. Gladstone of Sept. 14. The letter next in order
was written to Mrs. Sargent on the return journey.
He had just left Glenquoich, where he had been stay
ing as the guest of Mr. Ellice.
The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
Nr Carlisle, Sep. 28, 1850.
My dearest Brother, — I have spent two days at Broug
ham, and been most hospitably received. I have had a
large talk with Brougham, &c. Gorham and Co. He is
thoroughly awake to the necessity of doing something
e 2

52 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. II.
speedily to meet the requirements of the Church. I proposed
(i) to take away all appeal from the Archbishop's Court to
the Crown in any point involving doctrine as distinct from
law. (2) To allow of a new trial on such points being ordered
in the Archbishop's Court, the Chancellors of London and
Chichester sitting with the Dean of the Arches. This would
save the origin of authority. Brougham is favourable. He
is going to try to frighten John Russell into a sense of the
necessity of doing somewhat and to try and get at the press ;
he is quite in earnest about it this time. Send me your
views. I went yesterday to Lowther Castle and thought of
our dear father's visit. I am now going to Carlisle to be
sponsor for the little deaness or dean (I know not which),
but dean I believe ; then on to Drumlanrig for a day or two.
... I had a lovely day at the lakes, since stormy. Brougham
very beautiful. I am ever> my beloved brother, your warmly
lovlnS S. OXON.
The Bishop of Oxford to Mrs. Sargent.
Steamer, Monday, Oct. 14, 1850.
My dearest Mrs. Sargent, — It is very pleasant to have my
head turned homeward again and to get into the land of
letters, for they have been uncertain in coming and most
uncertain in going of late. At Mr. Ellice's, in the traveller's
book of the young Mrs. Ellice, the hostess, you are requested
to enter your day of arrival, departure, profession, busi
ness in Scotland, and some complaint. Here is mine, as
far as I remember it, of this morning :
Arrived. Departed. Profession. Business in Scotland.
Oct. 8. Oct. 14. Man of letters. To be unlettered.
Bidden with murmilrs this fair sheet to stain,
' Then I obey,' and thus complain,
That never man was yet ill treated
As I within this glen.
On nags, in boats, on carriage seated,
And dragged o'er flood and fen ;

1850. MRS. SARGENT. 53
Then crammed in mind and body
With talk and singed sheep's head ;
Made to take whisky toddy
And Dover's dust in bed ;
That my letters still kept coming
Like flakes of mountain snow,
And (what nightmare more benumbing?)
That they would not, would not go,
That weird women still were weaving
Their spells by night and day,
Till at the time for leaving
I scarce could break away ;
That so was I hag-ridden
That, in spite of all this pain,
If I again am bidden
I shall surely come again.
The Dover's powder was for a little cold in my throat, which
is nearly gone.
Many who read this letter will remember the
beautiful old lady to whom it was written, and will
recall the chivalrous and deferential manner with which
the Bishop always treated her. Her affection for him
is charmingly described in one of her letters : ' Indeed,
I must ever feel that his tenderness is one of the best
blessings I possess : it is quite impossible for anyone
to know how I prize it, and what a balm it has often
been to my bruised heart : surely the sight of him
is " gude for sair een." ' For twenty years 8 she lived
with the Bishop, superintending his household and
taking care of his children, who found in her care and
love a second mother.
The following extract from a letter to Archdeacon
Wilberforce refers to the death of Mrs. Ryder, the
Bishop's sister-in-law. » From 1841 till her death in 1861.

54 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.
March 26, 1850.
Perhaps you have not heard of the blow which has fallen
upon us and very specially on poor G. D. Ryder and beloved
Mrs. Sargent, who has now only Mary left of that lovely family
of seven, with whom God enriched that happiest of parsonages,
Graffham. Dearest Sophia's removal was strangely sudden. . .
I only got home yesterday evening, meeting this intelligence
at Wycombe and set off" at once. We got there between 2
and 3, saw our dear sister's already wasted form and are
at this moment at Rugby on our way back. Dearest Mrs.
Sargent is, as always, calm, resigned and perfectly submissive
to God's holy will but the blow was very severe at first. . . .
Newman was at Ryder's but I thought it best not to see him ;
I heard that unmistakeable voice like a volcano's roar, tamed
into the softness of the flute-stop, and got a glimpse (may I
say it to you ?) of the serpentine form through an open door —
' The Father Superior.'
On September 24, in this year, a Papal Bull was
issued, establishing a Roman Hierarchy in England,
and although Cardinal Wiseman wrote to Lord John
Russell expressing the regret caused by the issue of
the Bull and explaining that it only invested himself
and the Bishops under him with spiritual functions,
yet the storm raised by the so-called ' Papal Aggres
sion ' was not allayed. A second Titus Oates fever
seemed for a short time to have seized the nation. It
must be remembered that Cardinal Wiseman had
assumed the title of Archbishop of Westminster, and
also that the Government had conceded titular rank
and precedence in Commissions and other public acts
in Ireland as well as in the colonies to the Romish
ecclesiastics. Meetings were held all over the country
to remonstrate against the same rule being applied to
England as to Ireland and to petition Her Majesty
against granting any titles.

1850. PARTY FEELING IN READING. 55
A meeting at Oxford to petition Her Majesty was
summoned by the Bishop for November 22. On
Tuesday, November 19, he writes to his brother the
Archdeacon : —
I hope to make Friday's protest a sort of Diocesan Synod.
I have some apprehensions from the Low Church Party but
trust in God. I believe Lord John will do nothing but try,
like a cunning little fellow as he is, to puzzle the scent of his
own trail, by turning out Tractarianism as his bagged fox. I
am to take the chair at Reading, at a meeting of the Church
men of the county, on requisition of the magistrates, a large
number of the clergy and laity. I rather expect to be blown
up at that. If not, I go on to Sussex on Tuesday the 26th, to
preach Wednesday, at the Consecration of West Lavington
Church. A sad time, for I hardly dare hope to have Manning
again with us. Could not you come to that ? have Thursday
quietly with me at Lavington and come back with me to
Cuddesdon on Friday.
Before however the Bishop consented to preside
at the Reading meeting, which was one of those called
for the purpose of presenting an address to the Queen,
by not only the magistrates but a large number of
clergy as well as laity ; having regard to the excited
feeling of the country, and especially of Reading, the
Bishop had written to say that unless measures such
as he advised were taken to ensure an orderly meeting,
he must decline being present. They were that admis
sion should be by ticket. The tickets to be issued by
the signatories of the address to him ; that these tickets
should not be transferable and that they should declare
the bearer to be a member of the Church of England.
As an instance of party feeling in Reading, only a few
weeks before four clergymen had refused to meet the
Bishop at the house of Mr. Yates, the vicar, previous

56 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.
to a Confirmation. Here follow the Bishop's words in
a letter to them. ' You refused to unite with your
Bishop in preparatory prayer, lest you should aid
the delusions of Rome by walking with him into
church.' The following story furnishes a proof of the Bishop's
tact in dealing with men who wished to become noto
rious for conscience sake. A new church was about
to be opened by the Bishop and a number of neigh
bouring clergy were invited to be present at the
ceremony. Arrangements had been made for the
clergy to walk into the church in procession in sur
plices, the Bishop last. The procession was formed,
all was ready, when the Rector came to the Bishop
saying, ' All will be spoilt ; two clergy are come in
black gowns ; they declare they will wear them in the
procession ; they are come for the purpose of thus
openly showing their Evangelical principles.' The
Bishop replied ' All will be well, they will go in sur
plices.' The Rector assured the Bishop that this was
impossible and that any remonstrance he might make
would only cause a disturbance. The Bishop, after
again reassuring the Rector, said to the clergy, who
were formed two and two, ' Gentlemen, are you ready ? '
and receiving a reply in the affirmative, he stepped along
the rank and accosted the first black-gowned clergyman
with ' Good-morning, Mr.  Will you have the kind
ness to read the first lesson for us this morning ? ' Then
passing to the second, with the request that he would
read the second lesson, the two fled to find surplices^
and the procession went into Church with the two
clergy clad as the others.
The meeting at Oxford was held on Friday,
November 22: it had been summoned for Merton

1850. DIOCESAN SYNOD AT OXFORD. 57
College Hall but the large numbers of clergy who
attended and who kept arriving while the Bishop was
speaking rendered an adjournment to the Sheldonian
Theatre necessary, in order that all should be able to
take part in the proceedings. A letter from one of the
senior clergy in the diocese written a few days after
the meeting shows what impression was left on the
minds of some of those present ; after saying how suc
cessful he thought the meeting had been, the letter
goes on : —
'I think with continually increasing admiration of the firm
ness, temper and adroitness, with which you mastered and
guided that great assembly, as a fine horseman subdues to his
will the spirited animal which no brute force could have ruled.
I believe that hundreds of your clergy who did not before
know you are most deeply and favourably impressed. I have
heard our Oxford proceedings termed the hardest and " truest
blow that has been aimed against Romanism." I wish the pro
test could be read from every pulpit.'
As this letter shows, there were in the meeting
discordant elements. Some of these found vent in
the counter protest which follows here and some in
interruptions during the Bishop's speech. One of
these episodes is given as remarkably illustrating one
of the Bishop's greatest powers in public speaking, the
power of turning the meeting he was addressing
against the interrupter.
' I will ask any honest man in this assembly of honest men,
to answer me this question : supposing that there was amongst
us at this time, bearing English Orders, so base, so infidel a
villain as to have a secret league with Rome when he was
a professed Protestant — (Great cheering ; a voice : There are
a hundred of them). I must beg you, my brethren, to remember
that the first introduction of anything like disunion, as it is an

58 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.
offence against unity, is a sin against God. (Oh ! and cries
of no, no !) Not a sin against God to introduce discord into
such a meeting as this ! (Hear, hear.) My reverend brother
who says " No " must himself on reflection see that it is so.
Why ? are we not met for a truly religious purpose, to stand
up for the truth ? Surely, then, the introduction of anything
which will cause discord on such an occasion and at such
a time must be sinful.'
The opinion of the Bishop of Salisbury (Denison)
on this meeting and the Bishop's speech is as fol
lows : —
I have read your speech with great interest and admira
tion, and consider that this kind of thing is what we ought to
have done by common council and consent. I cannot say
how vexed I am with the Archbishop. ... I am very glad
that I wrote, very plainly expressing my dissatisfaction.
Though I wrote two letters, adding some further criticisms in
my second, his Grace has not made any reply or taken the
slightest notice of my letters.
A counter Protest was got up by some of the Buck
inghamshire clergy of an extreme school, who, in fact,
took the line taken by Lord John Russell in his pub
lished letter to the Bishop of Durham, viz. that there
was no danger to the Church of England by reason of
the Papal Bull, but that the real danger lay in the
existence of concealed Popery within her fold : they
therefore avoided the true question and assigned their
reasons, or, as one of them expressed himself, ' delivered
their consciences ' in a counter Protest : one reason
being (and this is given as showing the ruling spirit of
the whole), ' Because we believe that no protest made
at such a time by the Bishop and clergy of the Diocese
of Oxford ought to satisfy our lay brethren, or would.

1850. REPLY TO COUNTER PROTEST. 59
reassure those whose confidence in the Church of
England is at present shaken, which does not distinctly
acknowledge the encouragement which has been
specially given to all the Romish aggression by depar
tures from Protestant faith amongst ourselves and
which does not at the same time distinctly denounce
the spiritual treachery of those who have been and are
still teaching Romish doctrines and ceremonies and
practices within our Church and of whom so many
have openly seceded to Rome ; nor do we believe that
without such acknowledgment any protest of so solemn'
a character and issuing from such a body would be
approved by Almighty God.' The Bishop's reply is
addressed to the Rev. W. R. Fremantle, the Rural
Dean, who had forwarded the Protest.
My dear Fremantle, — I have received your reasons for not
signing the protest agreed to on the 22nd of November with
the respect due to many of those whose names you have sent
me. At the same time whilst allowing your perfect right to
your own opinions, I must explicitly state that I see no force
in your alleged reasons. There can be no doubt that the
great objection to the Papacy is not its schismatical character
but its false and da?igerous doctrines and practices. But
against these we have no more ground of protesting on the
22nd of November than on any other day. Those doctrines
were just as pestilential when taught by the mouth of the
Bishop of Melipotamos as by that of the Archbishop of West
minster. What we met on that occasion to protest against
was the new aggression and the special point of that was the
intrusion itself, and not the doctrines to spread which the in
trusion was made. The protest, therefore, in my judgment
ought to have put that forward and then to have stated as it
does the protest of the Church of England against Rome,
its deep and undying opposition to the false doctrines
with which now as heretofore Rome is infected. The same

60 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.
required the 2nd assertion to which you object, viz. we
are THE apostolic Church of England. This is the ground
taken by all our Reformers and I am not afraid of sharing it
with them. The same reason required the third assertion : of
course we appeal primarily to God's word ; but as against
Rome this appeal would not suffice, because she professes to
have God's word on her side too. Consequently we appealed,
as did again all our Reformers to that judgment of the Uni
versal Church, which could be had in primitive times and can
not be had now, as heing with us and not with her. It is an
utter misinterpretation to say that this protest deals only with
the Ecclesiastical question it states. We are the apostolical
Church of England holding the truth as contained in God's
Word and explained in primitive times by the Universal
Church : you are an intrusive and corrupt communion, having
no business here at all and teaching what is repugnant to
God's Word and primitive antiquity. I should not deal can
didly with you if I did not add that I fear that some of the
opponents of the protest acted from the lowest party motives
and in entire forgetfulness of their ordination vows : one at
least who in a Dissenting newspaper attacks his Bishop, signing
himself one of ' 14.'
The following refers to another Protest from a
different part of the diocese. Cuddesdon, Jan. 21, 1 85 1.
My Reverend Brethren, — I have read your reasons for not
subscribing 'the Protest' agreed to by the clergy of this
diocese with the attention to which such a document so
signed is entitled and I feel it due to you to state as briefly
as I can why these reasons appear to me to be insufficient to
justify your refusal. I. Your first ' reason ' is that the Pro
test is insufficient ' in Scriptural teaching ' to instruct ignorant
Protestants, to confirm waverers or convince Romanists. To
this I must reply that it was not the object of the Protest to
convey Scriptural instruction but to make a public protest on
behalf of this portion of the Church, II. Your second reason
is that the schismatical character of the late act rather than

1850. 'UNITY NEXT TO TRUTH.' 6 1
the corruptions of Rome were put primarily forward. I reply
that it was against that schismatical conduct and not against
the deep corruptions of Rome that this Protest was primarily
directed. The corruptions of Rome had been the same when
supported by the Bishop of Melipotamos, as they are when
supported by the so-called Archbishop of Westminster ; our
Protest then being called forth by the schismatical act must
primarily address itself thereto. But having done this, it
spoke in no flattering terms of Roman corruptions ; for first
it embodied and repeated the whole Protest of the Articles of
the Church of England ; next it stated the teaching of the
Church of Rome to be on many points of faith ' contrary to
God's Word ' and thirdly it declared her ' practices ' to be
' idolatrous.' I cannot understand how any one who had
read these allegations could conceive the doctrinalcondem^
nation of Rome to be so insufficient that they could be justi
fied in violating the great law of unity by refusing to sign it.
But, III., you object to the reference to the judgment of the
Universal Church if it could be obtained, and you endeavour
to justify this objection by saying that a General Council may
err. There is no reference to a General Council for this very
reason in the Protest, which refers to such a judgment of the
Church as would include the first four centuries to which our
Church specially refers. This objection, therefore, is not to the
Protest but to that which was carefully excluded from the
Protest. IV. You object that the Protest does not acknow
ledge that Romish leanings amongst ourselves had encouraged
the Papal Aggression. Had we been writing a history of the
aggression, and therefore tracing its causes, I should not
differ from you. But in a Protest against an aggression from
without, I feel such a statement of causes would in my judg
ment have been misplaced, whilst since to be complete it must
have included the acts of the Government which had tended
to invite the aggression, it would assuredly have introduced
division, where Unity was next to Truth and Charity of
supreme importance. V. Your last reason is that in training
your flocks to yield no obedience to these so-called Bishops of
new sees, they are urged against the schism of such an act

62 LIFE' OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ii.
rather than against the doctrinal corruptions to which such
conformity would expose them. This objection would have
much weight if this warning stood alone. But as in the pre
ceding sentence the Church of Rome has been stated to teach
as a matter of faith what is contrary to God's Word, and to
practise what is idolatrous, I can see no objection to warning
them in this paragraph against the schismatical act which
would expose them to what we have already declared to be
corrupt in doctrine and idolatrous in practice. For these
reasons I am led to the conclusion that you had no sufficient
grounds for refusing to join with your Bishop and your
brethren in common action against the common enemy ;
thereby weakening the effect of the resistance made in this
diocese to Popish usurpation ; tending to divide those who
ought to be united and so giving strength to the watchful
enemies of all religion in their warfare against Christ and His
Church. You would, I am sure, my Rev. Brethren, be the
first and amongst the most earnest to deprecate, what yet has
been, and I fear must be, the result of your mistaken move
ment. I have further only to say that I pray God to avert
from us these and all other evils to which our human infirmity
exposes us and to have us and our work for Christ's sake in
His Holy keeping. I pray you to strive earnestly for the
common Faith and withal to follow after Charity. I beseech
you to remember the blessedness of being of one mind ; the
grievous sin and danger of harsh judgments, intemperate
words and a lack of love ; and may the blessing of God rest
upon you. I am, my Rev. Brethren, your faithful friend and
Brother, _ _
S. OXON.
PS. — I request you to give the same measure of publicity
to this answer which you have given or may give to your
' Reasons.' The following letter, with a copy of the Protest, was
sent round to every Bishop belonging to the Anglican
Communion in all parts of the world : —

1850. CIRCULAR LETTER TO THE BISHOPS. 63
Right Reverend Brother, — I herewith transmit to you a
copy of a Protest solemnly adopted by us, the Bishop and
clergy of this diocese synodically gathered in this our
cathedral city of Oxford, on the 22nd day of November 1850,
against the late usurpation of the Bishop of Rome, whereby
he assumes the right and power of dividing the territories of
this ancient Church and nation into new provinces and sees,
and thrusts new Bishops into them.
Our protest has been deposited, in perpetuam memoriam,
in the archives of the diocese, and at the request of the
assembled clergy, as well as by my own desire, I now forward
a copy of it to you and to all other my Most Reverend and
Right Reverend Brethren, the Archbishops and Bishops of
Sees in recognised communion with this See ; and that you
may know how far this Protest expresses the opinions of the
clergy of this diocese I now subjoin the following state
ment of our numbers and our signatures.
The Diocese of Oxford contains at this time about 591
benefices with cure of souls, which are served by 547 in
cumbents, who are assisted by 261 curates. Of this total
number about 40 incumbents must be left out of calculation,
as being prevented from taking part in such an act by in
sanity, extreme sickness, absence, age, or other ascertained
causes. There remain 507 incumbents ; of these 393 have signed
the Protest, 43 have declined to sign it, and have stated to
me their ' reasons,' which are such as these : —
1. That in it this act of the Roman See is protested
against as schismatical, not as ' anti-Christian.'
2. That to embody, as it does, all the doctrinal protests
of the English Articles is an insufficient protest against the
corrupt doctrines and idolatrous practices of Rome.
3. That the English Church is in it declared to possess a
succession of Orders from the Apostles.
4. That the Protest does not contain sufficient Scriptural
or doctrinal teaching to instruct ignorant Protestants.
5. Because it does not set forth corruptions and divisions
which exist among ourselves.

64 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. ir.
6. Because it claims as on our side the judgment of the
Church Universal.
Adding, then, the 43 who for some or all of these ' reasons'
have declined to sign, and subtracting those before men
tioned as incapacitated, there remain unaccounted for from
the whole diocese 71 incumbents. The Protest has been
signed by 242 curates, and other clergymen resident and
officiating in the diocese: in all by 632 clergymen. 18 curates
have not signed, for the reasons above referred to.
Since the Protest was adopted and made public, a large
number of lay communicants and other laymen have sub
scribed and are subscribing their assent and consent to the
Protest of the clergy.
For this our Solemn Protest, then Right Reverend
Brother, on behalf of the clergy and subscribing laity of
this diocese and on my own behalf, I heartily desire your
approval and concurrence, 'and praying God even our Father
for Christ's sake to have you evermore in His Holy keeping,
I remain your faithful friend and servant in the Lord, S. OXON.
The following letter from the Bishop to Dr. Dallas,
a well-known Evangelical clergyman, in reply to one
reproaching the Bishop for having forsaken the Evan
gelical party and ' thrown his influence into the opposite
side, is given as a sample of many such letters.' The
letter of Dr. Dallas was written in December and it
contains one curious sentence. ' If you were to inhibit
Dr. Pusey from preaching in Mr. Marriott's Church
you would show us that your sympathies were not all on
the side of Tractarianism.' As the next chapter shows,
the Bishop had done this a month before he received
the letter of Dr. Dallas. The letter shows that in the
recent troubles the Bishop took the side, as to doctrine,
which he believed to be true, while throughout he con
stantly protested against any attack on the Evangelical

1850. THE PARTY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 65
party. The Bishop thus describes his position as to
the two parties in the Church : ' I am for the party of
the Church of England and nothing narrower.'
The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. Dr. Dallas.
Dec. 28, 1850.
My dear Friend, — I have read your letter with the deep
interest which your affection and its subject must inspire. I
will answer it in the same open-hearted way in which you
have written. My dear friend, it is utterly untrue that there
has ever been any change in my opinions, or that I have
encouraged, promoted, or protected Tractarianism (properly
so-called), or that I do not see its tendency towards Rome,
or that there has been any uncertainty in my course. I was
a Church of England man of the school of Hooker, Beveridge
and Andrewes, and so I am now. I always held the doctrine
of the Apostolical succession, vide my first sermon before
the Bishop of Winchester ; of Baptismal Regeneration, vide
my sermons before the Queen. I always held the great
Evangelical truths as the life of my soul ; I always opposed
real Tractarianism, i.e. the putting tradition into the place
which Holy Scripture alone can occupy, ceremony in the
place of substance, giving to the Sacraments the character
belonging only to our Lord, craving after confession and
absolution, &c. as sacramentals. I see, if possible, the evil of
these things with increasing plainness and witness against
them. I have never ceased to protest against them, but
because I have had dear friends who were Tractarians,
because between angry parties, I, God helping me, have held
and will hold what I esteem the truth of both and the party
violence of neither, I am reviled as uncertain. It is hard to
bear and as my heart craves after sympathy and trust above
all other gifts, the temptation has often beset me to cast off
the burden by the easy course of adopting party cries, but I
dare not do it. I am affectionately yours, - „
VOL. II. F

66 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. II.
The following letter to Archdeacon Wilberforce
introduces a new phase in the High Church movement,
namely, the first prosecution as to Ritual, which hence
forward, with one exception, was to be the subject of
contention between the two parties. Mr. Bennett
resigned the perpetual curacy of St. Paul's, Knights-
bridge, on November 27, and in consequence of this
resignation the case never came into the courts of law.
The letter is important as showing the view the Bishop
took of the legality of the acts of ritual which were
then complained of. Fulham, Dec. 29, 1850.
My dearest Brother, — When we spoke together of Mr.
Bennett's doings, you said that the Rubric with the Injunction
of Ed. VIth seemed to you to justify him legally in burning
candles on the altar at the celebration of the Lord's Supper.
I have just seen a letter of Mr. Vogan's to Mr. Bennett which
seems to me to advance a very strong argument against that
view, and wishing to keep a mem. of it I write the heads of
it to you on this copying paper. He reasons, in brief, thus : —
' Before the Sacrament ' is a preposition of place, not of time,
and means ' before the Host,' not ' before administering the Sa
crament.' His argument is this. At the time of the Injunction
votive candles were commonly (as now amongst the Papists)
burned before images, altars, pictures, &c. King Edward's
Injunctions prohibit all these lights, but bid the priest to
suffer two lights to burn before the sacrament on the High
Altar, to signify, in contradistinction to all these images, &c,
that Christ was the true light, &c. Now when this Injunc
tion was issued it was, and for some time after, the custom
to reserve some of the consecrated elements on the altar
(he quotes Wheatly, edit. Oxon. 18 19, p. 326). Before these
elements, then, so reserved, partly in condescension to the
remaining weakness of his parishioners, partly to difference
off the glory of Christ from all images of the Virgin, &c„
the priest was to suffer two candles to burn. But since the

1 8 so. LONGING FOR UNITY. 6 J
abolition of Reservation this has become impossible, for there
is no pause allowed for lighting them between consecration
and consumption, the only time now when they could burn
' before the Sacrament.' The force of ' suffer ' is not to be
lost, showing that it was a permission of the priest to a
desire of others. That this is the meaning of ' before ' is con
firmed by the preceding words, ' no torches or candles, tapers
or images of wax, to be set before any image or picture, but
only two lights upon the High Altar before the Sacrament.'
This seems to me quite convincing. I should like to have
your view of it. The Bishop is corresponding with Mr.
Bennett, but nothing is yet decided. Oh, how one's soul
longs for unity, for agreement amongst those who do desire
above all things else to serve our dear Lord, and to be at
last one with him. May God keep us, beloved brother,
together as far as may be. It is like ice in my heart when
I see in you anything which seems to me as if it implied what
might grow into a practical disunion. Surely the great body
of the Evangelicals differ from you only in this, that whereas
you see that there are instruments divinely appointed for
conveying Grace and dwell specially on that, because the
unbelief of the present day denies it, they are so afraid of
any notion of these instruments acting as a charm, without
the faith and desire of the recipient bringing him into com
munion with God, that, whilst you seem to them to make
the Sacraments material means of salvation, they seem to
you to deny the reality of the Kingdom of Grace in which
we are ; and that full, candid, and believing explanation of
what each does mean, would therefore adjust all matters
between you and them. Ever believe me your most affec
tionate brother, g Oxon.
The following important letter to Lord Ashley (now
Lord Shaftesbury) shows how earnestly the Bishop
was striving to hold the balance between the two
parties in the then excited state of opinions.
F 2

68 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. II.
The Bishop of Oxford to Lord Ashley.
Cuddesdon Palace, Dec. 3, 1850.
My dear Lord Ashley, — Seeing that you are to be Chair
man of Thursday's meeting at the Freemasons' Hall, I trouble
you with this letter. Your kindness to me whenever we
have met leads me to hope, that I am not, in doing so, taking
any liberty with you. I am anxious to do so, 1st, on my
own account, 2nd on account of the Church. I. For myself.
At all similar meetings the conduct of the Bishops has been
(as is natural) considered, and / have been very generally
blamed for encouraging Romanizing opinions. The alleged
proof has been mainly my toleration of Mr. Allies. Such an
impression is quite natural but it is quite untrue. So long
as Mr. Allies acted under the engagement he had formed with
me, I felt bound to bear this unjust suspicion in silence, but
now I believe the interests of the Church require and circum
stances allow of my justification. I believe my power of
justification to be complete. I have written down, therefore, a
short statement of the case ; and I trouble you with it, with
the request, that if the charge is again made you would con
tradict it. My request is that you would state the facts, not;
that you would read my letter, as if I stood on my defence.
You are of course at perfect liberty, if you deem it needful to
satisfy yourself from other quarters of the accuracy of this
statement. I know of no other allegation which can be made
against me of carelessness as to these matters. My clergy well
know how firmly I have set my face against such views as those
of Mr. Allies. It is, however, natural, perhaps unavoidable
that with such a press as we have at this time, with my poor
brother's 9 notorious course and with my own distinctly High
Church opinions, that I should labour under the unfounded
reproach of holding secretly that I have always opposed. And
this brings me to my second head. You will be more than
any one able to direct the current of Thursday's meeting ; to
settle whether it shall set against bond fide Romanizing
9 Henry Wilberforce.

1850. THE BISHOP PLEADS FOR TOLERATION. 69
tendencies in the Church (by which I mean the revival of a
system of auricular confession, sacramental absolution, the
sacrificial character of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper,
the denial of Justification by Faith, &c. &c), or whether it
shall be a mere attempt to brand as Romanizers all those in
the Church who are of the school of Andrewes, Hooker
Beveridge, &c. Of this school I am a member. I make no
secret of it. I have as I believe dropped no one truth of my
Evangelical education, but I hold those truths in a more con
sistent and therefore a firmer grasp. But the question I am
anxious you should let me suggest for your thoughts is this :
Can it strengthen us as a Church against Rome, against
Latitudinarianism, against irreligion, against Socialism and
our frightful social evil, to drive out or render suspected all
the earnest-minded and I will venture to say spiritually
minded men in this our day of exceeding need of every aid ?
I am, my dear Lord Ashley, most truly yours ^ /-\vnN
To this Lord Ashley replied that at the meeting
he was not only most anxious to avoid personalities
but that he would do all in his power to prevent them.
He explained that the object of the meeting was to
prevent Tractarian dogmas which, as he said, drove
whole congregations to Dissenting chapels and which
were rapidly turning the Church of England into a free
Church.

70 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iii.

CHAPTER III.
(1850-52.)
ADAPTED ROMAN CATHOLIC BOOKS OF DEVOTION — CONFESSION AND ABSOLU
TION — LETTERS TO DR. PUSEY AND REV. C. MARRIOTT — PRIVATE INHIBITION
OF DR. PUSEY — CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. KEBLE— LETTER TO ARCH
DEACON WILBERFORCE ON THE REAL PRESENCE —DR. PUSEY DETERMINES
NOT TO REPUBLISH THE ADAPTED ROMAN WORKS — FORMAL INHIBITION
THREATENED — EXTRACT FROM THE BISHOP'S CHARGE OF 1852 — THE
PRIVATE INHIBITION FINALLY REMOVED,
The ensuing correspondence with Dr. Pusey, which
began in the November of this year, was not ended
till 1852. During this period of two years Dr. Pusey,
though not under a formal inhibition, did not, in ac
cordance with the Bishop's request, officiate in the
diocese. A brief history of the leading points of the
controversy seems necessary in order to make the
letters clear. The Bishop's letter of November 9,
1845, to Miss Noel, quoted in the first volume, shows
the mistrust which the Bishop had of the effects of
Dr. Pusey's teaching ; a letter of the same date to Sir
Charles Anderson, while recapitulating what has been
already printed, touches more fully on this particular
point. The Bishop says, ' I am fully persuaded that
there is great danger to the personal religion of each
of us in the tone of Pusey's teaching, with all the
partial excellence by which it is marked.' The occasion
of this letter was a meeting at Leeds convened by
Dr. Pusey in opposition to the known, as well as ex-

1 8 So. DR. PUSEY'S POSITION. J l
pressed, wishes of Dr. Bagot (then Bishop of Oxford).
Dr. Pusey held an independent position in the diocese ;
he was not, as Canon of Christ Church or Regius
Professor of Hebrew, subject to the Bishop, as Or
dinary. It it important to remember this, as well as
the fact, that after Mr. Newman's secession to Rome,
Dr. Pusey became by the force of circumstances the
head of the High Church party ; the state of feeling
at the time must also be borne in mind. The
famous Gorham judgment, the excitement consequent
on the Papal Aggression already referred to, had
stirred up a feeling amongst Churchmen, clerical as
well as lay, which we, living in these quieter times,
can scarcely imagine. In entering into controversy
with Dr. Pusey, the Bishop drew down upon himself
the whole strength of that party, of which Dr. Pusey
was not only a representative but the leader. In
the May of this year, Mr. Dodsworth, Vicar of Christ
Church, Albany Street, Regent's Park, issued a
pamphlet calling in question the wisdom of Dr. Pusey's
action in adapting for English use certain devotional
books of Roman origin. These had been published
in 1848, and the silence of Dr. Pusey to this challenge
gave the Bishop an opportunity of which he was not
slow to avail himself. Before, however, writing to
Dr. Pusey he consulted his brother, the Archdeacon^
telling him the course which he was intending to take.
That letter is unfortunately not in existence ; but the
next one, in reply to the Archdeacon, who disagreed
with the Bishop, is given.

72 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iii.
The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
November 19, 1850.
My beloved Brother, — I do not quite see with you that it
would be unfair to inhibit from preaching a man against
whom there was not ground for deprivation. It seems a
discretionary power of a lesser kind purposely vested in the
Bishop for lesser instances. Again, what have you in this
matter in common with Pusey? Those who come under
your influence do not therefore go on to Rome, nor under
Keble's ; whereas it is the effect of Pusey's influence. Your
words about Mr. Greatheart going back for a new bevy to
conduct over have rung in my ears ever since, reproaching
me with slumbering, when I ought to be banishing and driving
away strange doctrines from my diocese.
The following characteristic letter from Archdeacon
Randall, who was also consulted about this matter, is
too pertinent to be omitted.

Archdeacon Randall to Bishop of Oxford.
November 14, 1850.
My dear Lord, — I have thought a good deal on the
matter of our conversation about Dr. Pusey, but I do not find
my power of giving an opinion much increased by cogitation.
But, as far as I am able to judge, I continue to think the
course you were proposing to pursue is the right one. The
recommendation of Romish books of devotion to the use of
members of our Church is, in my view, a most dangerous pro
ceeding and highly to be reprobated. The danger of using
such books in their original form is self-evident, and I suppose
would not be denied by Dr. Pusey himself. But if such
could by any editorial process be weeded of all that is false
in doctrine, or objectionable in tone, spirit, and manner
(which is hardly conceivable), it would then be made sub-

1850. THE DANGERS OF ADAPTED ROMAN BOOKS. J^
stantially a different book, and the recommendation of it
under the original author's name would be wholly unjus
tifiable. The author would be misrepresented, by having his
name affixed without his consent to a publication designedly
suppressing his sentiments on material parts of his subject,
and incautious readers would be deceived into a belief that a
book bearing the name of a distinguished member of the
Church of Rome might be taken as a fair specimen of the
doctrinal system of that Church, and that the system was
not really open to the objections commonly taken to it by
Protestants, nor the Roman Church chargeable with such
errors in doctrine as we might impute to it. And it is plain
that such a misconception as this must greatly smooth the
way for transitions from our Church to that of Rome.
Although Mr. Dodsworth's strictures of Dr. Pusey's
adaptations were, as has been said, the occasion of the
Bishop's first -letter, yet in the course of this long
correspondence other issues were, as might naturally be
expected, raised. And here it is as well to pause for
a moment to look at the attitude of the two parties.
The way in which the Bishop regarded Dr. Pusey
must be borne in mind ; he yielded to no man in his
admiration for Dr. Pusey's personal piety, and he so
far agreed with Dr. Pusey's theological views that he
over and over again in the course of these letters said
that there was no ground for proceeding against Dr.
Pusey for heresy. Also, when Dr. Pusey asked for
categorical questions on doctrinal points, similar to
those sent to Dr. Hampden, the answer was, ' I
gave Dr. Hampden propositions because he was
accused of holding heretical opinions ; therefore formal
propositions are the way to try him. I accuse you of
a mode of teaching which leads to Rome, though you
admit all the propositions of the Church of England.'

74 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. in.
The charge therefore was, ' Your teaching leads men to
Rome ; therefore I, as the responsible head of this
diocese, wish to limit your teaching as much as I can.'
Dr. Pusey answered : ' I do not exceed the liberty
allowed by the Church. If I do, prove it by trying
me in a court of law, to whose decision I will submit.
Why prevent my teaching because, unfortunately, after
being under me, some go to Rome. This is not my
fault, because when they come to me their minds are
already made up ; besides, if I am to be stopped, why
not stop others whose teaching is leading men to
Latitudinarianism.' The practical answer was this. Men and women
who had followed Dr. Pusey did go to Rome, while
there was as yet no witness that from the teaching of
the opposite school men had embraced Latitudina
rianism. As might have been expected, the question
of Private Confession was one of the questions which
almost immediately followed ; a letter of the Bishop's
to the Rev. Charles Marriott, one of Dr. Pusey's sup
porters, was the occasion. Here the Bishop brought
definite charges against Dr. Pusey, founded on the
evidence of other clergymen, who stated facts of
their own knowledge. Dr. Pusey's answer was denial,
and a request that he might be furnished with the
names, in order that he might deny again. As the
names were given in strict secrecy, this could not
then be done and cannot now. As will appear in the
sequel, the Bishop then withdrew these definite charges
against Dr. Pusey; he, however, founded questions
upon them which are referred to in a letter to Mr.
Keble. Another question arising out of these books
was the nature of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.
On this point Dr. Pusey found a strong supporter

1850 THE EFFECT OF DR. PUSEY'S TEACHING. 75
in Mr. Keble, and later on another, a volunteer in
Mr. Justice Coleridge. As the Bishop's reply to the
latter sums up the case as it then stood, it will be found
in its place. One of the Bishop's principal confidants
and advisers throughout this correspondence was the
Bishop of Salisbury (Dr. Denison),1 whose letters
show not only how much he was consulted, but how
thoroughly he agreed with Bishop Wilberforce in the
course taken by the latter.
One letter, which is referred to in 185 1, was in print.
The Bishop describing it says, ' it grew so bulky under
my hands that I thought best to have it printed.'
It was, however, never issued. The proofs were sent
to Dr. Pusey as well as to Bishop Denison and others,
but only as a letter. It may be mentioned here that
on this same ground, viz. (Mr. Dodsworth's charges),
the Bishop of London (Dr. Blomfield) desired Dr.
Pusey not to preach in his diocese. Dr. Pusey in a
published letter to the Bishop of London refuted these
charges ; and other matters having been explained,
this informal inhibition under which he had been placed
was removed. It is as well once more to repeat — as is
indeed clear from the fact that in after years Dr. Pusey
was often one of the preachers in the Lent Missions,
and that he sometimes with others assisted the Bishop
in the arrangement of the subjects for the sermons —
that the Bishop from first to last never brought any
charge against Dr. Pusey of heretical opinions ; but
only that the effect of his teaching, an effect wholly
unintended by Dr. Pusey himself, was to incline those
under his influence towards the Church of Rome.
The following letter, although not belonging to the
1 Bishop Wilberforce's letters to Bishop Denison were unfortunately for this
part of the history destroyed.

76 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. hi.
correspondence between the Bishop and Dr. Pusey,
bears directly on one of the points at issue. It was
written in reply to a series of questions put by a lady
in a long letter. This letter, together with the Bishop's
reply, which as requested was returned to him, were
found amongst his papers, endorsed ' Confession. 1850.'
The names had been cut off from the letters : — ¦¦

Bishop of Oxford to Miss  .
Cuddesdon, January 14, 1850.
In the whole paper two things appear to me to be mixed
together, which must be severed for any clear answer. They
are, the benefit of (1) Confession to a Priest, and of (2) Abso*
lution. Is there then any efficacy in (1) the Absolution of a
sinner by a Priest ? I cannot doubt that there is. The
words of Scripture, ' Whose sins ye remit, they are re
mitted,' and the universal consent of the Church, clearly can
mean no less.
But then what is the efficacy of Absolution ?
The whole Ministry is a ministry of Absolution. The
minister of Christ performs by Christ's commission, on Christ's
behalf, certain acts, which acts have in virtue of Christ's
appointment the effect of parting the sinner from his sin.
He is empowered to do these acts, and the promise is that
when he so does them, as he is empowered, the currents
of God's grace shall flow at his word, and that which ac
cording to God's will he does here on earth shall be accom
panied by corresponding acts in the unseen World which
shall give reality and spiritual effect to what he has done.
This promise applies to the whole Ministry. The act'
of Absolution is only one point, though a culminating point;
in that whole system. But what is the spiritual efficacy
which accompanies Absolution ? Can it alter the objective
fact of the sin of a given sinner being retained or forgiven?

1850. WHAT IS THE VIRTUE OF ABSOLUTION? 'JJ
Can it be applied at the will of man so that when pronounced
it wipes out a score which, but for its being pronounced,
would remain uneffaced ?
I answer, in my judgment, certainly not. These are
not the benefits of Absolution. Absolution is, I believe, in
every case, and must be, declaratory. To take tke~Tiighest
case : When our Blessed Lord in His earthly ministry said,
'Thy sins are forgiven thee,' did He declare a fact in the
unseen world, or did he alter a fact in that world ? Doubtless
He only declared a fact. It was impossible for Him capri
ciously, or by volition, to forgive the zV^penitent. He did
but declare to the penitent the blessed fact in the unseen
world, which hung upon the laws of eternal truth, that she,
a penitent, was forgiven. But whilst the act was in its
essence thus declaratory, was it no more than a mere declara
tion ? It was, I doubt not, in many ways far more. As
He spake the currents of Grace flowed to that soul. There
was given to it a perception and appropriation of God's
forgiving love ; a sense of reconcilement, a childlike trust
which no unauthorised declaration could have given ; so that
hereby the declaration of the fact in great measure caused
the fact ; even as, when He said ' Stretch forth thy hand,'
and the withered arm was stretched forth, His word caused
what His word announced ; the secret currents of grace
moving at His supreme word. Now this is the virtue of
Absolution. One 2<«commissioned may declare God's for
giveness of the penitent's sin, but he declares it only to the
intellectual apprehension of that hearer. The hearer probably
apprehended it intellectually before. But it was not the
intellect which wanted enlightening : it was the eye of the
soul which could not look up to God in Christ as a forgiving
Father, because many sins had dulled and clouded it. Now
when the commissioned minister of Christ declares this for
giveness to one in whose soul penitence is even beginning to
stir, he opens the floodgates of Grace, and the gifts of God's
Spirit accompany the act which He has appointed should be
so done, and the work of parting the sinner from the sin
which burdened him is carried mightily on.

78 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. in.
Now then, here is a real efficacy in Absolution. But for
this, sincerity and reality in the recipient are essential : they
in their first beginnings being thus carried on into penitence
and pardon in the worthy receiver under the Grace of Abso
lution. Now, Confession is the part which belongs to him
who seeks this Grace. He comes to confess his sins unto the
Lord. He has some sense of sin, some desire of pardon,
some belief in God's forgiveness through Christ, some yearn
ing after the working of the Spirit which is to undo the evil
of many sins, and to quicken the eye dulled by many infir
mities. He therefore comes to confess, not as he would, but
as he can, and so confessing he is absolved, and all these
currents of Grace are let loose upon his soul. Hence Con
fession and Absolution precede the receiving of the Holy
Eucharist, that the penitent and believing soul fresh cleansed
by Grace within may draw near to feed on Christ.
But all this applies, you will see, to Confession general 'as far
as concerns man, and Absolution general as far as concerns
God's minister. Now, in what way does private Confession and
special Absolution differ from these ? In their essence, I
believe, not at all. There is no more efficacy in them so far,
nor any, either necessity for them on the part of the penitent,
or power of enjoining them on the part of the priest.
Their advantage in certain cases, I think, is twofold.
I. Where some sin burdens a conscience, and either from
its intricacy or its weight keeps it perplexed, there are twc
advantages about private and special Confession and Abso
lution : (a) It gives the opportunity for joining particular
ghostly advice to the act of Absolution, so introducing a
special direction for the perplexed conscience ; (b) It aids the
conscience in casting off its burden when there is the sentence
of Absolution pronounced, the pronouncer knowing the full
extent of the sin.
II. Where the sin is against man as well as against God,
it facilitates that restitution without which (where it can be
made) penitence cannot be sincere. This, I take it, is the
whole meaning of the abused text, ' Confess your sins one to
another,' i.e. your trespasses against another to him, &c.

1850. A STRONG CORDIAL FOR A TIME OF SICKNESS 79
Thus, private Confession and Absolution
I. Are only fit for certain cases.
II. Should never be enjoined as a necessary condition.
III. Are very dangerous as the rule, as (1) tending to
defile the soul by forcing it to dwell upon, put into words,
and speak to another, what is far better rejected as a whole
with loathing ; (2) tending in other cases to cause habitual
prevarication and holding back ; (3) tending in others to ease
the mind wrongfully, by the mere act of confession to
another ; and (4) tending to place the priest instead of
Christ, instead of making his office lead on to Christ, and yet
IV. May be blessed assistances to a soul craving for them
when used sparingly, as medicine to the sick, when a soul is
(1) involved in the intricacies of past sin, or (2) crushed by its
burden, or (3) wants awakening to restitution.
The great principle, therefore, seems to be that private
Confession and Absolution, like Direction itself, are strong
cordials provided for a time of sickness, not ordinary diet for
the soul's health.
The first letter to Dr. Pusey, which is given below,
was submitted to Bishop Denison amongst others
before it was sent. His remark on it is as follows : —
' Your letter appears to me to express very clearly and
very well what I believe to be the real truth about
Pusey's teaching. There is not a word in it with which
my judgment does not accord.'
Bishop of Oxford to Rev. Dr. Pusey.
Cuddesdon Palace, Nov. 2, 1850.
My dear Dr. Pusey, — You probably remember that a
communication which I received many months ago from you,
at the hands of Mr. Crawley, led me to express plainly my
conviction that your adaptation of Roman Catholic works of
devotion, &c, was tending to the spread of Romanism
amongst us, and that this conviction forced me to maintain

So LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. III.
towards you the coldness of which you complain. Subse
quent events have deepened my conviction that the effect of
your ministry has been in many cases to lead those who
follow your guidance to become dissatisfied with the pure
Scriptural teaching and services of our own Church, and to
join the Roman Schism. I do not impute to you any inten
tion of producing such results. Nay, I know that you have
often fruitlessly striven, in the last stages of their course, to
retain in the Church of England those who under you, as I
believe, had learned to distrust her. But giving the fullest
credit to your intentions, this, I am convinced, is the actual
result of your teaching. Recent instances of perversion have
brought this conviction home to me with a force that
compels me to be no longer silent. Yet I speak with the
deepest pain, for I have a sincere reverence for your personal
devoutness, and I know that anything that touches you may
wound, and seem to reproach others who, as far as I can
judge, act and teach within the large licence allowed by our
Church, who do maintain her tone, and the fruit of whose
teaching is not to lead others to Rome. Still, if, as I firmly
believe, the influence of your personal ministry does more
than the labours of an open enemy to wean from the pure
faith and simple ritual of our Church the affections of many
of those amongst her children whose zeal, tenderness, and
devotion would, if properly guided, make them eminent
saints and her especial instruments in God's own work in this
land, how dare I any longer hold my peace ? What I charge
upon your teaching is stated broadly and in such detail in
Mr. Dodsworth's published letter to you of May 7, that I will
not repeat the several points here. Some of these appear to
me to be directly condemned by the judgment of the English
Church, and altogether plainly form a whole entirely unlike
the teaching of Hooker, Andrewes, Bramhall and Jackson, with
a host of worthies who, whilst they maintained as firmly as
you can the sacramental system of our Church, were not afraid
of speaking plainly of the grievous errors of the Roman
Communion, and rejoiced in the Reformation because, it gave
us back the primitive faith free from those corruptions. The

i8so. A PUBLIC EXPLANATION DEMANDED. 8 1
result of this difference seems to me that, whilst they formed
devout Church of England Christians, you nourish amongst
those whom you guide religious principles and practices for
which the Church of England affords no warrant, but which
belong, and so ultimately surely lead, to the Church of Rome.
Had you been under my jurisdiction, I must before this time
have brought this matter before you. Your occasional exer
cise of your ministry in my diocese, with my conviction of its
results, forces me now to address you, and to call upon you
to give some public and distinct answer to Mr. Dodsworth's
charges, as well as such an assurance that there shall be such
material changes in the practices you encourage, and in the
tone of your teaching, as shall satisfy me that they will no
longer lead any of the flock committed to me as Chief Pastor
of this Diocese to the corruptions or the communion of the
See of Rome. Yours very faithfully, - f-.vnN
Dr. Pusey in reply complained that the Bishop had
judged him in a preliminary way upon presumptive
evidence ; he also stated that his letter in answer to
the Bishop's of November 12, was one written to an
adviser, not a judge ; he therefore wished to recall the
letter and to remain suspended from preaching in the
Diocese of Oxford until he had had time to write and
publish carefully. He also requested the Bishop to
receive his daughter for Confirmation on his recom
mendation, as they were extra-parochial. The Bishop
then replied as follows : —
The Bishop of Oxford to Rev. Dr. Pusey.
Cuddesdon, Nov. 23, 1850.
My dear Dr. Pusey, — I return you your letter, according
to your desire, and wait for your public explanation : leaving
matters in the meantime on the footing you propose. At
the same time I would wish that — at least, until that later
VOL. II. G

82 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. hi.
period — what has passed should not transpire ; because I
would not add anything to the bitterness of this present
storm, for I can assure you it is with the greatest grief that I
add anything to the sorrow which present events must bring
upon you. I am, most sincerely yours, <- qxon
I shall gladly receive your daughter. May God bless
her. In pencil, at the bottom of the copy of this letter, is
added by the Bishop,
Saw Marriott at night, and commissioned him to say to
Dr. Pusey that it was from all public ministrations in this
diocese I restrained him, except at Pusey in Berks, if he
should be there, believing that there his ministry would be
innocent.2 Dr. Pusey wrote the next day, saying that he had
no idea, until Mr. Marriott's return last night, of the
full severity of the sentence passed upon him, and
again protested against being condemned unheard.
The Bishop replied, allowing him to preach at Little-
more, the sermon having been promised before he
received the letter ; and saying further, that he, the
Bishop, removed all inhibition from him, relying on his
not preaching as he knew the Bishop's wish on the
subject. Before Dr. Pusey wrote again, Mr. Marriott
wrote to the Bishop asking certain questions about
Confession, and though the answer is to a certain
2 As an instance that the question of Direction had engaged the Bishop's
thoughts for some time, an extract from a letter to the Archdeacon (R. I. W.)
is given, Jan. ii, 1849. 'Have you thought at all about the limits : ist, In the
Church and man's nature and the rule of conscience and God's Word and Bishop
Butler of spiritual direction ; 2ndly, How far it is encouraged in our Church ;
3rdly, Its limits as to parental rights and the Parochial System ? I should much
like your mind's workings.'

1850. DIRECTION IN PLACE OF CONSCIENCE. 83
extent similar to the one already quoted, yet, as it in
fact introduced the next part of this controversy, it 'is
given in full. That Dr. Pusey saw this letter (if
indeed he did not suggest Mr. Marriott's questions),
his next letter, which follows the reply to Mr. Mar
riott, clearly shows.
The Bishop of Oxford to Rev. C Marriott.
Cuddesdon Palace, Nov. 23, 1850.
My dear Sir, — I shall be glad to receive your candidates
to-morrow at the confirmation.
It is difficult to speak shortly on the subject of Confes
sion, but I will try to answer your question as briefly as I
can. There is no subject on which the difference of our Church
and the Roman Communion seems to me more important
than this : no religious practice as to which it is more dan
gerous for our clergy to trifle with Roman tendencies.
The difference, as I apprehend it, lies here.
The Romanists altogether in fact, and very largely in
theory, supersede Conscience by the Priest. They believe
that none can safely manage their own conscience ; that the
state, therefore, of religious health is to practise Confession
to the Priest, and receive from him Absolution and Direction,
and I believe that no single part of their debasing system has
produced such deadly fruits as this. I believe it to be injurious
to the moral and spiritual nature of Christians thus to accus
tom them to substitute confession to man for confession to
God, a Priest's direction for the voice of Conscience, and the
act of Absolution for true returning to Christ.
The teaching of the Church of England on this point I
apprehend to be this :
Christians ought to be so directed by God's Word and the
ordinary ministry of His Ministers that they can guide them
selves, and in this self-guidance their Conscience will be
strengthened ; the habit of opening all their souls to God,
c 2

84 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. nr.
and of returning to Christ for Absolution after failure will be
formed, and the sense of His presence with them will be
strengthened. The Confession and Absolution of the Daily
Service and of the Communion Office ought to be enough for
the spiritual necessities of such persons, and if they are living
with any watchfulness, under a ministry of any life, this
would be the state of spiritual health. Christ our Lord,
through the public ministrations of His Church, as well as in
their secret approaches to Him, would hear their confessions
and would be their Absolver. Their conscience, instructed
by His Word read and preached, and quickened by His
Holy Spirit, would be their Guide.
But there are cases of spiritual sickness as well as health
for which the Church has to provide ; and for these the
Church of England recommends further aids. If anyone
cannot quiet his own conscience, she lets him go and open
his grief in Confession to some discreet minister of God's
Word, and receive counsel and Absolution. But here lies the
difference. This is not the ordinary regimen, but an extra
ordinary provision for sickness. One, therefore, who has
really imbibed her spirit will always have before his eyes the
purpose, not of forming in this soul the habit of so opening
itself to the priest, and so craving Absolution, and so request
ing minute direction and absolute command, but the very
opposite, of exalting this soul again to be at peace, opening
itself only to God, and receiving strength from Him through
the common provisions made for His Church.
The question, to whom the troubled soul is bound to go,
seems to me of less moment. I do not think the Church of
England confines him to his parish priest ; though there
should be sufficient reasons for not acting on each of God's
appointments, and so for going beyond those who are our
most ordinary aids. But I suppose that every spiritually
minded clergyman, of whatever party, would feel fully at
liberty to seek to relieve any troubled soul who thus sought
his aid. And I think he would do right. Whilst he ought
also to discourage to the utmost that morbid fancifulness
which leads to this man or that becoming general director

1 8 so. A POPISH BUT NOT CATHOLIC SYSTEM. 85
for those with whom they stand in no ordinary relation of
Nature or Grace. But the principle, I think, is what I have
stated above. Is Confession to be used as a means to restore
health, or as the normal condition of a healthy soul ?
And here the subject of your letter of the 20th leads me
to your letter of the 21st. I had not heard of any report of
Dr. Pusey being appointed lecturer : nor did I even know
that he had preached for you when I wrote to him the letter
which I perceive you have seen. The letter, in fact, had been
written for some days, but I was unwilling to send it until,
if possible, this present storm had passed. It is most painful
to me to do anything which appears like attacking him at
such a time. But with my convictions of the effects of his
influence in implanting and nourishing these spiritual ten
dencies, which have ultimately led so many to Rome, I have
no alternative. This painful subject has during this summer
been brought before me with a clearness which has left no
doubt on my mind. The effect of his teaching on Confession,
his encouragement of persons seeking to establish the relation
of director, or guide and penitent, as the regular and normal
condition ; the minuteness and details of his direction, &c, all
seem to me to belong to the Roman school, and not to the
teaching of the Church of England. The effect of this
system, as I have seen it, is this : at first the subjected soul
seems to grow in holiness, &c, leans on its director abso
lutely, and rejoices to find that the Church of England allows
of such helps. But this is part of a system which is Popish,
and not Catholic ; and so after a time the soul under this
treatment begins to thirst after other parts of that system,
and to fret under the system of the Church of England. Dr.
Pusey (as to whose conscientious attachment to our Church I
have no shadow of doubt) begins to get alarmed ; he tries to
retain these souls to the Church of England, but in vain. He
has given the impetus, and he cannot stop them. He has no
deep horror of the Popish system ; none has been infused
into the early beginnings of their awakened spiritual con-
ciousness; they have practically been set by him on a Romish
course ; he was all to them so long as he seemed part of that

86 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. hi.
ensnaring system into which he has brought them ; but, so
soon as he begins to thwart them, his influence is gone ; they
begin to pity him (they have said to me, ' Poor, good Dr.
Pusey ! ' and the like) ; they pass into strange hands, and then
to the Romish priest. My conviction is that if Dr. Pusey
were not as good as he is, as conscientiously convinced him
self that he ought to stay with us, whilst yet his doctrine and
system are essentially Romish upon many points, and as to
many of his. practices, he could not have led over so many as
he has. It is precisely the case of the decoy bird, who leads
others into the net he is not himself the least thinking of
entering. I do not mean that he intends any such thing : I
am quite sure that he does not. I do not mean that his true
place is among the corruptions of Rome : God forbid. I am
speaking only of the conviction which has been forced on me
of the practical effects of his ministry. And with this con
viction what am I to do ? I have resisted the conviction to
the utmost. I have (having no jurisdiction over him) only
abstained in joining with him in anything. But the events
of this summer and autumn have brought new facts and
stronger convictions before me ; and I see not how I can
remain in future merely negative. At the same time, I
am most anxious to take no public step whilst the present
excitement lasts, to do nothing now which could add to the
present storm which breaks on Dr. Pusey, and therefore I have
mentioned this matter only to a very few intimate friends, for
their advice in confidence. Your having at once seen my
letter leads me to suppose that Dr. Pusey has not exercised
the same caution. If so, the publicity of the prohibition' will
be the consequence of his act, and not of mine. No present
reason need be given for the pausing of his ministry in this
diocese. I am, my dear Marriott, ever yours, c qxon

1850. DR. PUSEY EXPLAINS HIS PRACTICE. 87

The Rev. Dr. Pusey to the Bishop of Oxford.3
Nov. 24, 1850.
My dear Lord, — I beg to thank your Lordship for saving
me from the intense pain of being the occasion of distress and
perplexity to minds who, in a way which I do not deserve, hang
upon me, and think themselves condemned and disowned when
I am. I cannot help it, but it is the only ground I have to
care what is thought, said, or done to me. If I can exchange
my turn of preaching before the University, I will, in order
to write this statement. Else the subject on which I wish to
preach, 'The faith once for all delivered to the saints,' is
one which requires so much care that I ought to give all my
time to it. I have now no occasion to preach, or to officiate,
except privately, so I can easily and gladly comply with your
Lordship's wishes. Your Lordship's letter to Mr. Marriott
makes me think that you have been very much misinformed
as to my private intercourse and what is called guidance.
I might in a few words state my practice. 1. I never send
away anyone who comes to me to ask me about his soul, but
give him the best advice I can. 2. If a person comes to me,
or writes to me, saying that they wish to open their griefs, or
use Confession, I receive them. 3. I never induce or recom
mend any person to come a second time. I was terrified
when first I found a person propose to come again, and put
him off. People coming again for Confession is wholly their
own doing, not mine. 4. Whatever I said in my University
sermons was the result of eight years' experience. It was
against my will sorely at first, and then a matter of necessity.
I could not refuse people when they came and told me they
wished to relieve their minds. 5. All habitual Confession is
of people's own seeking, and I see them very much less fre
quently than they wish. Some who used to come to me
* I think it right to state here, that all Dr. Pusey's letters which follow have
been submitted to him, and he has consented to their publication. The letter of
July 2, 1851, is not quoted in full, but Dr. Pusey consents to the omissions which
have been made for the sake of brevity.— Ed.

88 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. III.
went to another, because they could not see me so often as
they wished. 6. When I see persons I give them such
general advice for conquering besetting faults, as I know from
experience to be useful. And these sometimes (if they wish
it) take the form of rules. But I do not recommend anything
to interfere with domestic life. They would be rules how to
subdue ill-temper, egotism, self-consciousness, and the like ;
or, in other cases, how to resist great temptations. 7. A few
persons apply to me habitually in all their difficulties ; and I
always help anyone when I can. 8. There are persons who, if
it were not for me, would join the Roman communion. I am
very sorry that they depend upon me, but I cannot help it.
/ cannot change their minds. God only can. 9. I never, I
believe, encourage dependence on myself. 10. I do not
profess to undertake their ' guidance.' I was quite surprised
when I saw in your Lordship's letter to Mr. Marriott so much
mention of it. People come to me, then read books of con
troversy or Roman books of devotion which I know nothing
of, and should prevent if I knew of it, and then it is all put
down to me. 11. I think that there are very few indeed who
are what would be technically called under my guidance ;
and anything of this sort has grown up accidentally, i.e. they
have applied oftener, and so had more of advice than others.
But the only way in which I could really explain this to your
Lordship would be by seeing you at some time, if you would
speak confidentially to me, give me your impressions, tell me
facts, or supposed facts, at some time when you should have
leisure to see me for a full explanation. I have known some
persons say, ' I never do anything without consulting Dr. P.,'
of whom I might truly say that they would act much better
if they did not. They fancy they act upon my judgment,
because I give them advice when they ask it, and then do
things which I am very sorry for, when I happen to hear of
it. I have been told, e.g. ' Such an one who is under your
guidance does so and so,' when perhaps I have seen her three
times in my life, and know nothing of what is done. I have
seen a great number of souls, but have for the most part
given them general advice from time to time. I have not

M

1850. WHAT THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND ALLOWS. 89
time for guidance. I am continually reproaching myself
with being unable to attend to people's real needs, so far from
giving them minute guidance. I should be very glad to
explain to your Lordship anything of this sort hereafter
which your Lordship may wish to know. I beg to remain,
your Lordship's humble servant, -p- „ pITcFV

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. Dr. Pusey.
Nov. 30, 1850.
Dear Dr. Pusey, — I gladly substituted the expression of
my wish for an inhibition. First, because circumstances pre
vented my giving you longer hearing. Secondly, and still
more, because I was glad of the least which would secure what
I felt bound to obtain, because I should be most unwilling to
do anything which, in the present angry state of men's minds,
would stir up any greater bitterness against you. I shall
wait the necessary time for your answer to Mr. Dodsworth
under our present arrangement. But in the meantime, as
it may in some degree direct the course of your answer, I
think it due to you to state with all frankness that your letter
of last Sunday by no means satisfies me. In my letter to
Mr. Marriott, which I understand you to have seen, I have
pointed out distinctly what seems to me to be one especial
difference between the Church of England and the Church of
Rome touching Confession. The Church of England allows
it in cases of spiritual distress where the sick conscience can
not find peace through the ordinary ministrations of the
Word and Sacraments, as a special remedy for a special
disorder, and as a means of restoring the soul to a state in
which such remedies will be no longer needed. The Church
of Rome regards Confession to a priest, and consequent
Absolution, and still further, Priestly Direction, as the only
safe habitual state. Hence in practice : The Roman com
munion, 1, enforces Confession; 2, enforces its repetition ; 3,
uses all means to make it minute and detailed, and so runs
the fearful risks (1) of polluting the soul of the questioned by

90 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. in.
the prurient imagination of the questioner ; (2) of fixing in
words passing temptations which are best averted by flight ;
(3) of violating family relations ; (4) and what I rank even
above all these, of destroying in time all true responsibility
by passing over to the priest the charge which God has com
mitted to the conscience of each and every soul. I have said
that this is one chief difference between the systems of
Rome and England. I am bound to add another. The
Church of England seems to me to treat such private Con
fession purely as a relief fitted for the nature God has given
us. The Church of Rome invests it with a sacramental
character. I think it plain that, here as elsewhere, the Church
of England follows the model of the Primitive Church, which
on this principle allowed confessions to be made to laymen
or clergymen indifferently at the choice of the burdened soul.
Now your letter leaves me painfully apprehensive that your
system is in this matter more nearly allied to Rome than to
England. That you trembled when you began it ; that it is the
people who come to you for these purposes, and not you who
seek them ; that your intentions are the purest ; that there is
much secret impurity abroad ; that you do not actually enforce
Confession — all these allegations of yours are, I doubt not, per
fectly true, and yet the fact remains : you seem to me to be
habitually assuming the place and doing the work of a Roman
Confessor, and not that of an English clergyman. Now I so
firmly believe that of all the curses of Popery this is the
crowning curse, that I cannot allow voluntarily within my
charge the continuance of any ministry which is infected
by it. There is a broad difference between advising penitent
sinners concerning their souls, and either assuming, or having
forced on you the office of confessor or director. It would
be difficult to bring home to one who sought to evade it the
charge that his ministry is conducted on the latter and not on
the former principle ; but it cannot, I think, be difficult for
an honest mind dealing closely with the question, to appre
hend with perfect distinctness, and to make manifest to
another, on which set of principles it is acting ; and on this
subject of Confession nothing would satisfy me short of an

1850. DR. PUSEY EXPLAINS HIS TEACHING. 9 1
assurance sufficient to convince me that there is no danger of
your acting in fact as a Romish confessor in the orders of
the English Church. I am, very sincerely yours,
S. OXON.

The Rev. Dr. Pusey to the Bishop of Oxford.
Dec. 6, 1850.
My dear Lord,— I have entered upon the subject of Con
fession in my letter to Mr. Maskell, which will be out very
soon, and probably your Lordship, if you read it, or at least
parts of it, would find occasion to put more definite questions,
or perhaps may be dissatisfied with it altogether.
I can only say generally that I have sought honestly to
act as a priest of the Church of England. I believe that the
evils of the Roman system are the result of the compul-
soriness, but I think that authorities in the English Church
certainly leave it entirely free. If I may say so with respect
to your Lordship's office, I have never seen any authority in
the English Church until the present day who has not rather
left Confession open to all who wish to use it, in whatever
degree they wish it. ' We do not object to any manner of
Confession, public or private,' saving compulsion, seems the
language of all. I thank your Lordship for giving me these
hints on which I may frame my public letter, but the answer
to Mr. Maskell is already printed off. But I think it might
modify your Lordship's opinion of me if I were to ask you,
' What ought I to do as an English priest, if persons ask me
from time to time to allow them to open their griefs, and
would not be at peace without so doing ? ' If your Lordship,
looking at the Prayer Book and our English divines, such as
I have quoted in my letter to Mr. Richards (p. 121-126), and
in the postscript, answers this affirmatively, I can honestly say
that this is all that I do. But, more definitively, I do not
believe or teach that Confession to a priest, and consequent
Absolution, is the only safe habitual state. Priestly direction
is altogether independent of Absolution. The 'director' in

92 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. III.
the Roman Church is often a different person from the con
fessor. It is not considered as necessary even there. Of the
characteristics, many of which your Lordship gives, of Roman
Confession, the two first points — (i) enforcing Confession, and
(2) enforcing its continuance — can have no place among us.
As to details, I have often been consulted on the subject of the
sort of thoughts to which your Lordship alludes. My answer
has always been, ' Unless you have deliberately consented to
them, or dwelt upon them, they are not yours, but the Evil
One's. Turn to some other subject as quickly as you can,
and if it has been through any fault of your own that they came
to you, say, " Lord have mercy," or the like, and do not dwell
upon them.' I have been, in this way, enabled often to
remove painful scruples, and to tell minds (as your Lordship
thinks also) that such evils are most safely averted by flight.
I know that the most scrupulous care is necessary as to
asking any questions relating to the seventh commandment. I
could only say generally : (1) I have asked no questions,
except at the wish of the party ; (2) I have never conveyed any
knowledge of evil to anyone ; (3) such questions would only
be put once for all, and would not go so far as the questions in
our own books of self-examination ; (4) I could avoid questions
altogether by putting such a book into a person's hands. I
hardly know what your Lordship means by ' interfering with
social ties.' There have been cases, certainly, when persons
grown up have felt Confession to be necessary for the peace
of their consciences, and when they could not quiet them with
out it. But their parents have been prejudiced against Confes
sion, and I have received them. But I need hardly say that the
effect of Cohfession, in every case in which it has been used,
has been to draw the ' social ties ' closer together, increasing
the love, obedience, and tender affection of the child. With
regard to ' throwing responsibility off self,' I believe that the
only case has been that of continuing in the English Church.
When people have been frightened, bewildered, and did not
dare stay on their own judgment, I have let them act on
mine. Your Lordship has probably not seen such cases,
when people are so panic-stricken that all reasoning is useless,

1851. MR. KEBLE DEFENDS DR. PUSEY. 93
but they can feel ' you know better than I, and if you think it
safe and right for me, I can stay with a quiet conscience.' With
regard to Absolution having a sacramental character, I entirely
believe that the 'Homily on Common Prayer and Sacraments'
teaches it. I mean it teaches, I believe, that it is a means of
grace with an outward sign ; but on this I am writing more
fully. I thought it due to your Lordship to answer in some
measure your Lordship's letter. I hope more fully to answer
it in the published letters. I propose that you should permit
me at some time hereafter to call and explain personally,
because I believe that that is more satisfactory than letters.
It was precisely because I wished to be perfectly explicit
with your Lordship that I proposed it. I am sure that your
Lordship could not be thinking of myself when your wrote,
' It may be difficult to bring home to one desirous to evade
it ; ' certainly, in all my communications with your Lordship,
I have shown no wish to reserve anything. I have now only
wished to defer explanation until you can have the whole of
the case before you. Your Lordship's faithful servant,
E. B. PUSEY.
At this .point Mr. Keble comes in.

The Rev. J. Keble to the Bishop of Oxford.
Hursley, March 11, 185 1.
My dear Lord, — Dr. Pusey has told me in a general way
what has lately been passing between you and him. I under
stand your impression to be that, without any conscious
unfaithfulness to the English Church, he nevertheless has
got into a way of teaching which tends naturally to turn
people's hearts away from her, and towards Rome ; that this
result is so certain and so fatal as to make him one of the rare
exceptions to the latitude commonly allowable in our Church,
in respect of permission to officiate ; and that it depends in a
great measure on these two points : Confession, as taught
and ministered by him ; and the view which he takes of the

94 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. hi.
Eucharistical Sacrifice. I believe I am right in supposing that
for these or some such reasons Dr. Pusey is at present with
held from even assisting at Holy Communion in S. Mary's
Church, by private intimation from your Lordship. Now, to
one who feels for the Church of England as I wish at least to
do, and who knows besides what I know (more intimately
than perhaps anyone else) of Dr. Pusey's true mind and
teaching, this state of things is almost heartbreaking. It
cannot last long as it is ; already the questionings are very
difficult for him to parry, when he is asked why he no
longer assists at S. Mary's. And when it shall come to be
known that he is virtually under suspension for the above
reasons, see what the result must be. Persons like myself,
who sympathise entirely with Dr. Pusey on these two subjects
[I omit others of no small consequence, in which I also believe
that I agree with him entirely ; but on these two especially I
have read with some care all that he has written, in proof,
and I have offered many suggestions, which he has generally
adopted, and am as responsible as anyone beside himself can
be] — persons, therefore, like myself would feel themselves
touched by such a censure, quite as much as he is. I cannot
see how, supposing them to be priests of the Church; they
could submit to any such inhibition on the part of their
Diocesan ; how they could admit the view on which it
proceeds, how they could accept or retain cure of souls, in
which they might not at their own discretion recommend
their parishioners to open their griefs to some one of Christ's
ministers ; how they could wait upon an altar where they
were forbidden to believe and teach that our Eucharist is
indeed a sacrifice, in the sense in which it is so called in all
the Liturgies of the Undivided Church. From my heart I
believe that the sentence thus passed on Dr. Pusey touches
all our old and true theologians, and that, if authoritatively
adopted by any body of Christians, it would go near to sever
that body from the Catholic Church. This feeling, I have
reason to know, is shared by persons as remote as possible
from a controversial undutiful spirit — the sort of persons, I
am sure, wc should all of us most desire to sympathise with.

1851. PLEADS FOR REMOVAL OF INTERDICT. 95
Thus much for the substance of his teaching ; but it is thought
that the manner of it has that sad Romanising effect : for
which opinion there is just thus much to be said. That a
larger number, possibly, has seceded to Rome from under
his special teaching than from that of any other individual
now among us. Against this, in all fairness, must be set
the facts : First, that more persons have sought his guid
ance than have come to anyone else for that purpose, so that it
is no wonder that his losses are more numerous. Secondly,
that many, on Newman's going, were by force of circum
stances transferred, as it were, to Pusey, a great proportion of
whom, being then disposed to follow Newman, have been by
Pusey kept back for a long time ; his teaching, instead of
causing them to go, was the one thing that hindered their
going. He was (as Newman once said of himself) like
a hen with a brood of ducklings : no fault of his that they
took to the water at last. And thirdly, the popular impres
sion concerning him being once formed, those who had such
leanings before would be most apt to seek him out. But of
one thing I am quite confident, that if more have passed from
his teaching to Rome than from the teaching of any other,
more also, by very many, have been positively withheld from
Rome by his teaching than have been kept back by any
other. That his heart is with the Church of England, I trust
you do not doubt ; at any rate, I am quite sure of it, as sure
as I am that my own brother's heart is so, or Sir George
Prevost's. I cannot well say more. And do you not think what
he has written, done, and suffered in our cause, only since
this time last year (he was once made very ill by his labours),
is likely to weigh a good deal with all generous and candid
spirits, however they may demur to some of his opinions ? If
I might take such a liberty, I would earnestly entreat your
Lordship to take off" your interdict for the present, at the
least, so far as to allow him to assist in Holy Communion at
S. Mary's. As times go, Bishops, it would seem, are very
little, if at all, committed by tacitly allowing persons to
officiate in their dioceses ; but inhibiting a particular person
or line of instruction, immediately adds a fresh significance to

96 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iii.
the silence kept in other cases ; and a person in authority
may find himself in a manner committed to extremes which
he little contemplated at first. Such a slight concession as I
have now indicated would give time for full consideration of
the whole matter— time most desirable to be gained, if the
subject be half so important as I own it appears to me.
Supposing us ever so wrong, surely under all the circum
stances it is a case rather for refutation by reason and learning
than for simple authoritative censure. I am sure your Lord
ship will forgive my taking this liberty, which I feel to be
great, yet not too great for the share I personally have in the
matter. I find that I should not be at rest if I did not in
some way apply to you. I am made so very uneasy by
this and similar proceedings elsewhere ; but by this most
especially, because I say to myself, ' Here are two persons
who really ought to understand one another ; and it seems
quite a judgment upon us that they cannot act together on
our behalf.' Believe me, my dear Lord, faithfully and affec-
tionately yours, } Keblk

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. J. Keble.
Cuddesdon Palace, March 14, 1851.
My dear Mr. Keble, — Your letter has reached me in the
midst of an Ordination, which must make you excuse a short
reply. I assure you that I never could feel any letter from
you to be an intrusion. My position with regard to Dr.
Pusey is, and -has long been, deeply painful to me. I am fully
convinced of the loyalty of his own feelings towards the
Church of England. I have no suspicion whatever that he
will desert her. I believe that a great part of the outcry
against him arises from his firmly holding great truths which
the Church of England teaches. I revere his devoutness.
With such a man I long to be able to work freely, and to
share his reproach. With men so far agreeing with him I
have worked in my own diocese, and have rejoiced in the
late storm to stand by them, shelter them, and bear many of

1 8s i. MATTERS REMAIN IN STATU QUO. g?
the blows aimed at them. I mean such men as Butler of
Wantage, Stephen Hawtrey, &c. Indeed, that no fear of
reproach keeps me apart from Dr. Pusey, I think my silence
as to our relations, when one word would have stilled the
storm raised against me of late may show. But here is my
difficulty : —
I. I believe that Dr. Pusey's ' adaptations ' have grievously
injured our Church. Dr. Pusey knows and has known my
mind on this matter, and yet has published more.
2. I believe that the tone of Dr. Pusey's spiritual direc
tions, and even of many of his own publications, tends not to
uphold amongst us Catholic truth, but to create and foster a
tendency to Rome. To answer Dr. Pusey's writings as you
suggest, seems to me the duty of those who have leisure for
theological writing. My call is to action. I see a great
danger of a very peculiar form, if young men, some very
slightly instructed, some struggling out of gross sin, some
loving novelty and excitement, were brought under his
spiritual guidance. What, in such a case, can I do, though
sore at heart at saying so, but say that I do not wish him to
exercise his ministry in my diocese ? I believe that his
influence tends as directly contrary to Prevost's (whom you
name) as possible.
What seems to me my duty now is this : to study thoroughly
his recently published statements of his own position and
doctrine (in this I am far advanced) ; to consider the bearing
of them on his adaptations, and then to give him distinctly
and in writing my conclusion. This I will do as soon as the
press of business allows ; and in the meantime I think that
matters ought to remain in statu quo. I am, my dear Mr.
Keble, affectionately yours, c Oxon
The following from the Bishop of Salisbury refers
to the printed letter alluded to.

VOL. II. H

98 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ut.
The Bishop of Salisbtiry to the Bishop of Oxford,
Salisbury, April 26, 1851.
My dear Bishop, — Your letter, or rather volume, came to
me yesterday when I was pressed by many letters, so that I
have not been able to give it the attention I should have
wished to do ; nor have I here Pusey's letter, or the books
you refer to, so that my criticism will be even of less worth
than it might under other circumstances. But I am afraid to
keep your letter, and I must therefore send it back with the
mere expression of my general opinion, and such little more
than verbal criticism as my slower faculties will on such a
perusal allow me to venture upon. I will say then that I
entirely concur in the general view you take of the character
and results of Pusey's teaching. The argument from cases
like that of S. Saviour's appears to me conclusive, and I do
not doubt that you correctly join with this the others to
which your fuller knowledge of their circumstances enables
you to refer. I think, too, you have been remarkably suc
cessful, far more than I should have anticipated, in tracing
out the causes of this, and that your letter exposes a larger
amount of error in his publications than I should have
expected to find there. It appears to me, therefore, very
desirable that you should complete your letter and send it.
But it is so important a step in its possible consequences that
you cannot be too careful in guarding every position. If I
understand right, the matter now rests in that state in which
you wish it to be. Pusey is, by your private request, not
preaching ; and I confess that I prefer this state to that of a
formal prohibition. Ever most truly yours, -p. cART71w
The Rev. Dr. Pusey to the Bishop of Oxford,
May 23, 1851. •
My Lord, — When I was in London last week I heard the
report of some measure which your Lordship was said to be
about to take against myself. I deeply regret, for the sake

1851. ADAPTED WORKS 'OUT OF THE MARKET.' 99
of others, that your Lordship has refused my repeated request
that you would allow me to explain myself to you, if after
your Lordship should have read my printed letter to the
Bishop of London, you should still remain unsatisfied. As
your Lordship intimated to me that you intended to examine
my adapted books, and I do not know on which, if any, your
Lordship's intended step (if it be so) may be founded, it seems
right now to mention to your Lordship that some of them (I
know as to the two works of Avrillon) are out of print, and
the bookseller says, ' out of the market,1 and that in the
' Spiritual Combat ' I altered by a cancel one expression, as
soon as I saw that it might be understood in a way which
I did not intend.
I do not write this as not being prepared to defend in an
Ecclesiastical Court what I have published. Your Lordship's
humble servant, E. B. Pusey.
The next day he writes again. May 24, 1851.
My Lord, — I beg to thank you for your kindness in
sending me the proofs of what you have thought it right to
write against me. I have only just opened it, but I see that
the references are chiefly from books out of print. I can say
absolutely nothing, writing these few lines with one in the
room who has come to consult me about his difficulties.
But I wished to ask your Lordship, since Mr. Keble feels
himself equally affected by everything which is directed
against myself, whether I may be allowed to show the proofs
to Mr. Keble. I said the less yesterday because I did not
know what the course might be which your Lordship meant
to take. I must still hope that your Lordship's difficulties
may be removed. But I should think that, if the suspension
were continued, the only satisfactory way to the Church
would be ' to try in ' the Ecclesiastical Court whether I had
committed an offence against the Church. Your Lordship's
humble servant, pr g Pusey
H 2

IOO LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. hi.
The Bisliop of Oxford to the Rev. Dr. Pusey.
May 26, 1 85 1.
My dear Dr. Pusey, — You are quite at liberty to show
Mr. Keble. the proof which I have sent you. I shall not
expect to hear from you till you have taken time enough to
do what you wish in this respect ; and as you had not read
my letter when you wrote, I will not enter upon your further
remarks till I hear. I am, sincerely yours, - QYnN
The following passage referring to Dr. Pusey's
letters is taken from a memorandum in the Bishop's
handwriting : ' As Dr. Pusey is ready to defend what
he has published, it makes no essential difference
whether the works from which I have quoted are, or
are not, out of print. But as a matter of fact I have
just purchased a copy of one, in which the strongest
language on which I have remarked is contained.' Also,
' that as Dr. Pusey has no cure of souls within the
diocese of which he is deprived, there is no need of
referring the questions between us to the decision of
the Ecclesiastical Courts.'
The following letter from Mr. Keble, and the
Bishop's answer, will be read with interest. The part
of Mr. Keble's letter which has been omitted contains
arguments about the personal matters in respect of
which the Bishop gave way for the reasons stated
previously, and also arguments in support of Dr.
Pusey's supposed teaching on the Holy Eucharist. As
the Bishop was satisfied with Dr. Pusey's doctrine on
this point, it seems needless to print these passages ;
besides, as has been often stated, the Bishop never
called in question Dr. Pusey's doctrine, but pointed out
the practical effect of his teaching.

iSsr. MR. KEBLE 'S SECOND LETTER. ioi

The Rev. y. Keble to the Bishop of Oxford.
Hursley, June 13, 1851.
My dear Lord, — I should ill repay your kindness in allow
ing me to write to you on these matters, if I did not deal quite
frankly with you, and this feeling compels me, having seen your
last letter to Dr. Pusey, to say that I am greatly disappointed
with it. I mean especially with regard to personal matters.
... I do hope that your Lordship will not enter on this
course of suspending for mere tendencies, which no judicial
mind can approve, and which is but too likely (considering
our common frailty) to be made instrumental to feelings of
dislike, such as ought not to be indulged in that way. And
this the rather because here also you decline to give par
ticulars, such as alone could bring this matter of tendency
to a fair judicial issue. You speak of ' many instances in all
ranks, &c. ; ' but when Pusey offers to go into detail, you take
no notice of his offer. Now surely a few cases might be
gone into as a specimen. My own conviction is, as I told
your Lordship before, that he has been the greatest drag
upon those who were rushing towards Rome ; that such an
abuse being inevitable, under our circumstances, whenever the
attention of thoughtful persons should be generally drawn to
wards the doctrine of the one Catholic and Apostolic Church,
Pusey was raised, as it were, for this very purpose, to hinder their
defection, as by other ways, so especially by showing them that
all their reasonable yearnings are sufficiently provided for in
the English system rightly understood ; that it could not be
but that, under such circumstances, Pusey would appear to
superficial observers as smoothing men's way to Rome, as
anyone else would who was the most efficient person in a
move opposed to Puritanism ; but that the more the matter
was looked into, the more it would be seen that he was the
great check on their going ; eg. the temptation arising from
Hampden's being made and acknowledged Bishop would
have been more keenly, more extensively felt, had there been
no Pusey among us. It is no answer to this to say, that

102 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ms
a great many of those who go attribute their going to Pusey
and his teaching ; they must do so for the credit of their logic ;
it is but another manner of saying that Antiquity led them
that way. And some of them, I believe, make it a point of
duty to drive him up, if they can, into a corner, expecting
that he will be forced to follow them. But whether I am
right or wrong in these opinions, it is plainly unjust and cruel
to inflict such a disgrace and disability upon him without
giving him the chance, so far as it may be done, of clearing
himself. It is not so much on his account that I write. I
have my own opinion, founded on tolerably intimate know
ledge, of the effect likely to be produced on himself by this,
or anything else that he might suffer in the cause to which
he has devoted himself. But it will be a bitter grief to see
the encouragement which such a step on your Lordship's
part will give to 'the various enemies of the good cause ; and
no small addition to that grief to be obliged to hear what
they will say of you, without being able boldly to speak up and
justify you. Do you remember, my Lord, what you kindly
said to me when the Hampden distress was thickening on us?
' I do not intend in any sense to throw the promoters over
board.' Now, I fear that you will be doing that very thing ;
but God forbid. • My dear Lord, I speak the more earnestly
because I cannot but perceive, in your whole tone towards Dr.
Pusey, a disfavour which can only arise from some strarige mis
apprehension. The printed letter appeared to me quite the letter
of an advocate making the most of everything in the way of
accusation, and glad to catch it up. And this is what I meant
in speaking of the tone of that letter. You do not seem
aware (what of course I should not dwell upon to him) how
very near you have gone to charging him with direct false
hood, At least such is my impression from memory, that
you have expressed belief in the opposite anonymous state
ment 4 rather than his. I am very sorry to add in any degree
to the pain and anxiety which these times have brought on
4 It is as well again to mention that the statement referred to was not anony
mous ; it was made by a well-known and most respected clergyman, belonging
to the High Church School ; but his name cannot be given. •

1 85 1. THE BISHOP'S REPLY TO MR. KEBLE. \Q>1
your Lordship, far more than in common with most of us.-
But it came before me as a sort of sacred duty, and personally,
I am sure, you will forgive me. I beg leave to remain, your
faithful friend and servant, T v-_m -

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. y. Keble.
June 16, 1851.
My dear Mr. Keble, — I thank you for your kind letter,
received this morning. I will thoroughly weigh its argu
ments. But I would at once say to you what appears at
first sight to me about it. 1. I have entirely dismissed from
my mind, so far as action, word, or judging estimate of the
case goes, all that has come to me privately, and to which I
cannot refer Dr. Pusey so as to get his answer. 2. I do not
charge Dr. Pusey with falsehood. There is room enough in
the diverse estimate formed by him and others of the appli
cation of principles he has avowed, to account, with the not
unnatural forgetfulness as to all their details of one much
engaged in such works, for the difference between them. For
he allows (1) that he thinks a parent's control in such matters
very limited. (2) That he has advised concealment on such
subjects when he was sure that speaking would only give
the parents pain, &c. ; and these heads will really include
all that I have said. But (3) that which affects me most is
this : so far from being able to believe with you that Dr.
Pusey is the great hinderer of Romanising, my judgment is
still convinced that no one has done more to bring our best
people into that state in which their Romanising is inevitable.
I entirely believe that he then tries to prevent them going
over ; but I think he has done very much to bring them into
the neighbourhood of the overpowering attraction, and the
proof of this is, I think, in his published writings. You speak
of my having sought to find grounds, &c. Indeed I have
not. I have merely looked at them with all the impartiality
of which I am capable, to see what their true tone is. I have
not altered any charge. I do think that in the passages \

104 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap, iii/
have quoted Dr. Pusey has accustomed his readers to state
ments as to the Holy Eucharist, and to devotional tastes,
which must incline them to Rome. He says the books are
out of print. But (i) I have myself had from his publisher
one of the books from which I chiefly quote, which I sent for
since I began to examine them now ; and (2) as he says he
adheres to everything in them, what real effect on the
question would such an accident of being out of print have ?
If he could in answer to my letter, however guarded (and I
would gladly guard it, leaving out all mention of direct in
hibition, &c, if it could draw such an answer), reply to me
publicly by saying, (1) That he does feel chiefly the dif
ferences between Rome and ourselves. (2) That he sees that
expressions and tones of devotion, &c, which he inserted in
his adaptations, may favour Romanising tendencies, and that
he therefore recalls them ; and if any such answer could reach
far enough, and enter enough into details, to prevent this
mischief which I fear, something might be done. I am con
vinced that real R. Hooker Church of England religion is
at stake. My own hands, and the hands of all who would
uphold these truths, are thus utterly weakened, and this is what
moves me. Pardon me for saying, (1) that it seems to me that
personal affection prevents your seeing this danger as I do ;
and (2) that I cannot see in any way the bearing of the pro
moters of the Hampden case position on this. Believe me that
I have never forgotten your kindness thereabout, and that I
would do anything but shrink from an inevitable duty now to
hold inviolate your kindly and well-judging estimate. I shall
gladly hear from you, if you will suggest anything. Indeed,
it is a bitter time— one as to which, so far as my share has
gone, the bitterness and anxiety could not very easily be in
kind increased. I am, my dear Mr. Keble, affectionately
yours,
S. Oxon.
The following refers to the printed letter, showing
that the Bishop had submitted it to his brother's judg
ment, who, as may be gathered from a former letter,

1851. R. WILBERFORCE SIDES WITH DR. PUSEY. 105
was a supporter of Dr. Pusey's views. It is quoted
here on account of the passages referring to the Real
Presence.

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
Near London, June 24, 1851.
My dearest Brother, — I am very glad you have got
comfortably through your charge, though sorry that you
think there is anything in it as to which we should not agree.
Oh, may this difference never be widened, I most earnestly
pray God ! I shall be very glad to examine any passages in
S. Ambrose you will point out. I have found none in the
' De Mysteriis,' &c, which did not seem to me to be explained
by the simple fact that he contemplated the elements as
always connected with their administration and reception.
This seems to me wholly different from speaking of the
' Presence ' as the result of the faith of the receiver. It merely
says that they contemplate a receiver as the necessary com
plement of the act of consecration : so that, if the elements,
after consecration, were consumed by a beast, that beast
would consume only natural bread. Therefore, viewed irre
spective of the receiver, there is no warrant for adoration, &c;
whilst to the intending receiver you may use the strongest
words as to the Real Presence. I have recast most of the
passages you mainly objected to, if not all, so as to remove
many of your objections ; and I shall be sending Pusey a
revised proof in a day or two.

The Rev. Dr. Pusey to the Bishop of Oxford.
June 26, 1 85 1.
My Lord, — I have just returned for the press the last
sheet of the sermon of which I wrote, although incomplete
without the appendix. A copy will be sent to your Lord
ship. I have been waiting for the revised statement which your

¦lo6 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP.- lit*
Lordship proposed to send me, and meanwhile for any con
fidential statements upon the second question, upon which I
am sure that your Lordship is very greatly misinformed — the
number of those who have left the Church of England who
have been under my guidance, and the degree of that guid
ance. Does your Lordship think that there have been more
than twenty such who have ever confessed their sins to God
before me ? and of those twenty does your Lordship think
that above half have been to any great degree under my
guidance, and the few, who were really under my care with
out strong counteracting influences which I could tell your
Lordship of ? I am, your Lordship's humble servant,
E. B. Pusey.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. Dr. Pusey.
June 28, 1851. .
My dear Dr. Pusey, — I have within the last few days had
a long conversation with Mr. Keble, who has represented to
me that I might discharge what I apprehend to be my duty
in this matter with less that would be personally painful to
you, if, whilst matters were to be left on their present footing
as to your officiating in my diocese, instead of publishing my
letter, which I have just received from the printers, and which
I have been waiting to send to you, I spoke in my coming
charge of the dangers I apprehended from certain lines of
teaching, and threw my special remarks on your adapted
works into an appendix. This would, moreover, give time for
the publication of your sermon, and for fully considering
whether you could hereafter express to the Church any sense
of the danger which attends the use of such devotions as
those to which I so strongly object. I am convinced, from
your asking me to enumerate the cases, that you are not
aware of what has really resulted from accustoming the minds
of our people to such modes of thought. Since I wrote last to
you, I have been applied to for help by another clergy
man whose wife's sister has been brought to the verge of

1851. TONES AND TENDENCIES. 107
Romanising by the use of Dr. Pusey's adaptations. I am,
sincerely yours, s< QxoN_

The Rev. Dr. Pusey to the Bishop of Oxford. July 2, 1851.
My Lord, — If Mr. Keble shall think it would save scandal,
Or hinder harm to the Church or to people's souls, that I
should silently acquiesce in being suspended by your Lord
ship from all public functions in your diocese, except at
Pusey, I shall thankfully repose in his judgment. For
myself, it seems to me quite clear that there are only two
satisfactory terminations — that your Lordship should give
me a distinct hearing as to doctrine and practice ; and if your
Lordship was satisfied that I do not go against the doctrine
of the Church, that you should leave me as free as I believe you
do every other priest in Oxford (except one). I mean, my
Lord, that if tones and tendencies are not regarded in the
one way ; they ought not, in justice, in the other. Germanism
is (as the Bishop of London, too, thinks) a far greater and
more imminent peril than Romanism. I have lately had a
letter from a clergyman imploring me to furnish a friend of
his (once a member of this College) with arguments to meet
the Pantheistic sentiments and opinions which he continually
meets with in educated society in London. I believe myself
that  and his school are preparing far more directly for
Pantheism than I can be alleged to be for Romanism. The
history in Germany is distinct evidence for this. Pantheism
sprang out of much sounder divinity than  's, and in this
place whatever ground Germanism has gained has been since
those principles which I believe to be those of the Church of
England have been discouraged. It is easier, my Lord, to
pull down than build up. For myself, I would most thank
fully have retired long ago from every office of responsibility,
and sought peace, and left the struggle to your Lordship, had
I dared. Most thankful should I have been to have been set
free from this weary strife, but I dared not. I have seen for

108 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iii.
twenty-six years that Neologism was the peril which was before
the English Church, and that the course which Evangelical
theology (like the Pietism of Germany) shall take, would have
much to do with the issue. But I must not digress. If I and
my friends were to retire, I believe your Lordship would see
whether we have been keeping people within the Church of
England, or leading them from her ; whether we have been
opposing Rationalism successfully or no. I do not retire,
because I dare not, and I believe that your Lordship would
have reason to regret in both ways if I did. This is my
apology for persevering. But, since I must stay here, I ask
at your Lordship's hands the same measure you mete out to
others. You do not (as far as it is known) suspend others
on account of tendencies. But I claim that this should end in
one of two ways — restoration or prosecution ; not a half
measure which (as I ventured to say before) will irritate some
and satisfy nobody, and which must end in my publicly
calling upon your Lordship to substantiate, if you can, in a
court of law, the charges upon which you proceed. If your
Lordship would be hindered by the expense (having so many
other calls upon your income), I would offer to pay your
expenses, were you to prosecute me. If I have taught any
thing contrary to the Church of England, I have no wish
to avoid being convicted ; but I do deprecate any extra
judicial condemnation. . . .
I shall communicate this letter as well as your Lordship's
to Mr. Keble, and do what he advises, although my own
opinion is strongly against informal suspensions. In this
state of the English Church I should think that an open
prosecution would be less injurious, and might, in the end,
even tend to clearing our difficulties, which the other course
would but aggravate. Your Lordship's humble servant,
E. B. Pusey.
The Bishop had already replied to Dr. Pusey on
one of the points mentioned in the above letter, namely,
that of his different attitude towards theologians of an

1 8s i. THE BISHOP REFUSES TO PROSECUTE. 109
opposite school. It was unnecessary to quote that
letter in its order, as it principally dealt with other
matters ; therefore the Bishop's reasons for not acting
as Dr. Pusey thought he ought to have acted, with
regard to those teachers, follow here.
. . . Again, you name to me Mr.  and others, as
equally deserving of the same treatment. I can only say,
that if I saw the same definite and distinct dangers about
their teaching, I should esteem it my clear duty to adopt
the same course of treatment with them.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. Dr. Pusey.
July 4, 1851.
My dear Dr. Pusey, — I shall wait to hear again from you
when you have heard from Mr. Keble, before I touch on the
question of your officiating in my diocese. But there are one or
two parts of your letter which I will answer at once. ist. I
am not blind to the threatening evils of Neologian teaching,
but I know of no person situated with regard to me at all
similarly with yourself who appears to me at all as definitely
chargeable with spreading it as I have believed you to be
with the preparing of men's minds for Romanising. 2nd. The
danger I have apprehended from your adaptations is, not
that they should lead persons to ask how there can be so
much good amongst Roman Catholics, and so be disposed
to join them ; but that, by the use of such devotions, their
own minds should unconsciously assume a Roman Catholic
attitude. Of this, of course, they would be themselves un
conscious ; and so, however truly your adaptations had been
the cause, it would be far more apparent to others than to
themselves. 3rd. I ought not to pass over what you say as
to prosecution, and your offer as to its expenses. The
expense of such a step has had, and could have, no weight
with me, if I thought it for the good of the Church. But I
am clear that it would not, be. There may, I think, be

HO LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. in.
grounds which would not warrant a prosecution, which would
justify a Bishop in privately expressing his wish that a pres*
byter with no cure of souls in his diocese should not officiate
therein ; and this, and no formal inhibition, my last letter
proposed. I am, sincerely yours, g Oxon
Dr. Pusey wrote on July 9, saying that, as the
question was reduced to the adapted books, that he
had determined long ago not to reprint ' Avrillon,' the
one from which the quotations were made, and also
saying that he doubted whether he should ever publish
any more adaptations or not, because of the feeling
against them evinced by certain people. He further
said that he thought some of the clergy in the diocese
would refuse to officiate except under a declaration
that they agreed in doctrine with him. This was
beside the point. The Bishop had never impugned
Dr. Pusey's doctrine. The following letter shows how
Dr. Pusey's appeal for restitution (which was also con
tained in this letter) was entertained.
The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. Dr. Pusey.
July 18, 1851.
My dear Dr. Pusey, — What I meant to say I will now
repeat as clearly as I am able. (1) I believe that the circulation
of your adapted Roman devotions has been one prominent
cause of the Romanising leaven which has been for years
working, and still works, amongst us. (2) I believe that
there has been a tendency in your private ministry to lead
several whom it has reached into such a state of feeling
towards Rome and Roman uses, as that they have, to your
great grief, passed on to Rome. I believe, therefore, that your
ministry, if exercised in full accordance with your adapted
books, is likely to help forward that Romeward tendency
which, in many minds, is our present especial danger. , Mr,

1851. HIGHLY RESPONSIBLE POWER OF A BISHOP. 1 1 1
Dodsworth's specific and heavy charges tended greatly to
confirm me in this view. Under these circumstances I
intimated to you that, until you had to my satisfaction
answered Mr. Dodsworth, I wished you not to officiate in
my diocese (I excepted, for reasons personal to yourself, the
small village church of Pusey), and, if need were, I was
prepared to enforce this by inhibition. You have now
answered Mr. Dodsworth, have published a sermon bearing
on some of the points under discussion, and have given me
many private explanations. I think your position so far
improved that, taking into account the large liberty allowed
on the other side, I do not feel that it would be just to
require your silence on pain of inhibition. But, on the other
hand, I cannot with truth say that I am satisfied as to the
effects of your ministry ; nor can I be, so long as what appear
to me the unwarrantable statements of your adapted works
remain undisavowed by you ; and I cannot, therefore, but
tell you that it is my wish, as Chief Pastor of the diocese of
Oxford, that you should not officiate therein without thus mani
festly separating yourself from what tends to aid the Ro
manising movement in its earlier stage. But, having told
you this, I leave you to act as you think it right to act, with
that knowledge. I purpose, God willing, in my next charge
to express my opinion freely on these subjects ; and I think
it would be on all accounts desirable that, until after the
visitation, matters should remain in statu quo. There are
some passages in your last letter which I read with great
regret, and though they do not make me alter the decision
at which I had arrived, yet I think it right to point them out
to you. Now, as to these statements, I must say, ist, that
I deny that I have not heard you. I have invited any
written communications you may wish to send me. I am
ready to receive more. And as to the 2nd, I have already
stated that I do not think that the highly responsible power
now possessed by a Bishop, of preventing in his diocese
ministrations which he deems injurious to the Church, by
one without cure of souls in it, ought to be limited to cases
of heresy and false doctrine, capable of punishment in the

1 1 2 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iii.
courts of law. To this view of my duty I adhere, and upon
it I shall act. You use language concerning declarations
which you expect from some clergy of my diocese, as to their
not officiating except under protest of their agreeing with
you— which is far too like a threat. You state that I am
meditating 'punishing you without hearing you,' and you
intimate that in the event of my acting, you shall call publicly
upon me, by the most formal appeal, to sustain my decision
in a court of law, instead of punishing you in an arbitrary
way. And, since you have recourse to such a threat, I can
only say that, until it is withdrawn, I distinctly and formally
prohibit your performing any ministerial act in my diocese,
under pain of formal inhibition. I am, my dear Dr. Pusey,
very faithfully yours, s> 0xQN
In reply to this letter, Dr. Pusey explained that he
had not meant to say anything as a threat ; and also
that he could not accept restitution as the Bishop
offered it, as it would be impossible for him to preach
against the wish of his Bishop.
On July 1 6, Mr. Justice Coleridge wrote to the
Bishop. He commenced by confessing his ignorance as
to the cause of difference, as well as to the course the
Bishop intended to take. Whether the groimd of com
plaint was the adapted publications, or a sermon, or what,
he said he always had thought the books open to com
ment ; but he considered that, even if it could be proved
that the use of the books had led people Romeward-^-
nay, further, if it could be proved that it was the inten
tion of the publisher that such should be the result — in
his opinion, that was no ground for proceeding judicially.
Then follow his opinions on the duties of a Bishop.
After these comes the real point of the letter: 'I
firmly believe that nothing would so unsettle the
minds of a large number of people, at present quite

i8si. MR. JUSTICE COLERIDGE'S INTERVENTION. 113
loyal to the Church, as to see a Bishop engaged against
Dr. Pusey.' Again, that although it would not satisfy
him with Rome, yet it would dissatisfy him with the
Church of England, did he believe that that Church did
not sanction Dr. Pusey's opinions. He also adopted
the same line of argument as Mr. Keble, viz. that
1 people, after reading Dr. Pusey's books, do go on till
they end in Rome ; ; still that he is ' satisfied that both
by his conduct and his writings Dr. Pusey keeps, and
has kept, many from Rome.' The letter concluded by
urging the Bishop not to suspend him from preaching
or to proceed against him.
The Bishop's reply shows how the case then stood.
The Bishop of Oxford to Mr. yustice Coleridge. July 19, 1851.
My dear Mr. Justice Coleridge, — First, let me thank you
sincerely for your letter to me in all its parts. Next, let
me assure you that I feel deeply what you urge, and shall
still more carefully weigh what has already cost me most
anxious and painful thought, from the manner in which you
have pressed it on me. The whole matter is too large to
enter on here. I firmly believe that all, and more than all,
you say in praise of Dr. Pusey is true ; still I believe (1) that
his adapted books have eminently aided, and are aiding, the
Romanising movement ; (2) that there are elements in his
private ministry tending the same way ; (3) I believe that
there are passages in his adapted works actually censurable
in a Church court. If Dr. Pusey would allow such faults and
dangers, and so consent to withdraw the sanction of his name
from the employment of such books, my course would be
easy. At present he is silent on the private expression of
my desire ; so I am contented to remain, and, at all events,
I do not wish, unless he compels me to so, to take any imme
diate step. I shall in my charge (D.V.), in the third week
VOL. II. I

114 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. in.
in October, state my views on these matters. I will only
add that I shall always thank you for giving me your opinion
on any such matters. I am, ever most truly yours, S. OXON.
In October 185^, the Bishop delivered his Charge,6
which was one of great length, occupying two and a
half hours in delivery. In that Charge he quoted
selections from the adapted books.
The passages from the books were reprinted in
the appendix of this Charge, but are much too long
for quotation. A single instance, however, is given.
The Bishop said, referring to the books, ' forms and
modes of expression, which, however originally ortho
dox, have in the course of time become absolutely
identified with leading Roman corruptions, have been
freely used. These seem to the reader, who knows
no more, directly to favour that corrupted form of
faith.' Again : ' I believe that the use of Roman
Catholic books of devotion exposes men grievously to
this danger.' [A note in the Charge says | ' The Ro
manists are well aware of this. A recent writer of their
communion, referring to " Dr. Pusey's adaptations,"
says : " For one whom our books of controversy have
brought round, twenty at least have yielded to the
power of our devotions." ' [The Bishop goes on]
' Even if all direct statements of Roman error were
excluded, yet they are alien to the sober teaching of
the Church of England.' [The appendix then gives
the passages :] ' On the second day thou wilt' offer
homage to the Heart of Jesus, lying as an infant in
the stable ; on the third to His mouth, on the fourth
to His eyes, on the fifth to His hands, on the sixth to
s Published by J. Murray.

1851. DR. PUSEY SET FREE. 115
His feet, on the seventh to His flesh.' [On which the
Bishop says :] ' We address prayers to our Blessed
Lord, who is a Person, and can hear prayer ; but,
even if it be lawful, it is a question whether it is
expedient to address prayers to separate parts of His
body, which are not persons, as if they were capable
of hearing our prayers, and consciously co-operating
in the work of our redemption.'
On April 18, 1852, Dr. Pusey wrote to the Bishop,
saying that, with Mr. Keble's approval, he requested
liberty to preach with the Bishop's sanction, urging his
recently published University sermons, and the latitude
allowed by the Church of England. To this the
Bishop replied on May 6, as follows : —

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. Dr. Pusey.
May 6, 1852.
My dear Dr. Pusey, — My relations to you have, as you well
know, long been a matter of deep anxiety to me. I have
dreaded doing injustice on the one hand to you, on the other
to the Church. On the one hand, I have feared to interrupt
the good which your earnest ministrations are so well calcu
lated to effect in awakening the careless, and on the other I
have dreaded encouraging that fatal tendency towards Rome
which has so beset us of late, by allowing the exercise of a
ministry of the tone of your adapted books of devotion. Whilst
Mr. Dodsworth's charges remained unanswered my course
seemed to me to be clear, and I acted upon it. I have since
stated publicly in my charge what the errors are which appear
to me to pervade those books, and I have noted all the
dangers I should fear from your ministry. With these state
ments before you, you apply to me to set you free to exercise
your ministry by preaching in my diocese ; and- looking
I. At your recent sermons before the University ;
II. At your private assurances to me of the strength of
1 2

Il6 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. in.
your convictions, and the earnestness of your labours against
Roman doctrine ;
III. At the large liberty allowed to our clergy, who
seem to me to go to quite as great length in the opposite
direction as you in yours —
I do not feel that I can do otherwise than reply to you as
I now do, that I set you free as you request. I am, very
sincerely yours, S. Oxon. '

1851. THE ECCLESIASTICAL TITLES BILL. 117

CHAPTER IV.
(1851-1852.)
SPEECH ON THE ECCLESIASTICAL TITLES ASSUMPTION BILL — DEFENCE OF
THE BISHOP OF GLOUCESTER AND BRISTOL — TOUR ABROAD— DESCRIP
TIONS — THE BISHOP'S VIEWS ON CONTINENTAL RELIGION — LETTER TO
MR. BUTLER ON TEUTONS AND CELTS — CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN MR.
GLADSTONE AND THE BISHOP — VIEW OF THE SITUATION — MEETING OF
CONVOCATION — THE BISHOP MOVES AN ADDRESS TO THE CROWN — DISSO
LUTION OF PARLIAMENT — THE SWINDON MEETING — LETTERS TO THE
ARCHDEACON OF BRISTOL — THE ARCHBISHOP AND MR. GLADSTONE — MR.
GLADSTONE'S ANSWER — THE ' TIMES ' AND S. G. O. ON THE REVIVAL OF
CONVOCATION — CHANCELLORSHIP OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY — THE BISHOP'S
LETTER TO THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE — MEETING OF CONVOCATION FOR
BUSINESS — THE ADDRESS TO THE QUEEN— COMMITTEES APPOINTED —
LETTERS TO MR. GORDON AND ARCHDEACON WILBERFORCE.
The events in the first of these two years which
this chapter chronicles, are nearly all comprised in the
preceding chapter. In the second, the Bishop was
occupied principally in the work of the revival of Con
vocation which is here recorded. Two matters, uncon
nected with either of these leading subjects, are too
important to be passed over altogether. They both
took place in 1851, and are as follows. The agitation
of the previous winter induced the Government to
bring forward ' The Ecclesiastical Titles Assumption
Bill.' It was referred to in the Speech from the Throne,
and was passed in the House of Commons by over
whelming majorities. On July 29 the second reading
of the Bill came on in the House of Lords. An extract
from the Bishop's speech is given, showing that,

Il8 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. Iv. •
although he thought legislation on this matter was
necessary, yet, if the Government passed the Bill
merely to allay public feeling, and then allowed it to
become a dead letter, harm instead of good would be
occasioned to that Church, the protection of which, was
the ostensible reason for passing this Bill.
There were circumstances — and those not unknown to many
of their Lordships — which rendered it very painful for him to
approach this subject. If he had not the fullest belief that if
he gave a silent vote on this subject it would lead to the
misconstruction or misconception of his motives he would
have been well content to remain silent ; but there were high
grounds which rendered it incumbent that he should come
forward and explain the reasons why he gave his full, hearty
and rational assent to the Bill. The first reason was : that as
we are the authorities of the Church in this land, to whom has
been committed by the law of the land and the people of the
land the spiritual superintendence of the education of the
poor, we are bound, on two distinct grounds, to protest
against this aggression of the Bishop of Rome ; first, because
it is the introduction of false and fallacious religious doctrine
into the land, and secondly, because it is a systematic intrusion
of a rival Church, into the ground already occupied by the
Protestant Church of England as by law established.
The Bishop further said : —
that he believed the real desire for a Romish hierarchy in this
country; was not for the administration of spiritual affairs but
to increase and encourage conversions, those conversions
which had saddened and made mournful the face of the
Church of England. The Bishop, before concluding, earnestly
begged the Government not to pass the Bill and not enforce
it ; such a course he said would be ' an insult to those by whose
strength it was carried and a direct encouragement to new
acts of aggression.' The Bishop of Rome said : 'You talk,
I act. You go on passing resolutions but I go on founding

1 85 1. PROMISES MUCH— PERFORMS LITTLE. 119
sees ; you go on getting a law passed, I proceed with the ordina
tion of my bishops.' The mere passing of this Bill may
produce calm and quiet, but it may be a deceitful calm and
we may repose in fancied security till all is lost. I cannot
look upon this as a light or trivial matter. I believe that,
with the maintenance of our faith, the interests of humanity
are at stake. I believe that the dearest rights of the human
race are involved in the Reformed faith of the Church of
England. I believe that Church is the battle-field upon which
the conflict has been and must be fought. You have a subtle
enemy and a powerful foe to contend against : a Church
which has existed for 1,300 years through 40 generations of
men — a Church which is wary and incessantly watchful,
most able in carrying on this struggle — a Church full of the
traditions of her victories and of the successes of her councils,
which has in her communion many of the noblest and ablest
men — a Church which spares no pains in the training of her
priests, to fit them not only for her ministry, but for the
making of converts — the Church of Rome understands the
value of our Church and the resistance of our people to her
pretensions She fears our Church, because she knows it is the
true Apostolic Church ; and it is because she entertains those
ideas that she is incessant in her endeavours to supplant or over
throw the Church of England, that some of the dearest ties of
domestic life have been most mercilessly sacrificed. Knowing
as I do it is for this she has sent out a new order of friars to
preach a holy crusade against the Church of England ; that
she has newly instituted and sent out Oratorians to harangue
and Jesuits to intrigue ; and being aware of all this I say that
if you pass a measure which is to leave us weaker in the
conflict, because it is to be a measure promising much and
performing little, you will have done evil service to the
Reformed faith of this land.
A note in one of the Bishop's almanacks, which
then supplied the place afterwards filled by the diaries,
•is as follows : — ' fuly 23. The good Bishop of Glouces
ter much moved by my defence of him from Hors-

1 20 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap, iv,
man.' The occasion to which this refers is as follows.
Certain members of the House of Commons made
themselves conspicuous by their unceasing attacks
upon the Bishops. In this particular instance it came
to Mr. Horsman's knowledge that a large sum of money,
in the shape of a fine for renewing a lease, amounting
to 1 1,500/., had become payable to the Bishop of Glou
cester and Bristol (Dr. Monk). It is unnecessary here
to enter into the detail of Mr. Horsman's attack on
Bishop Monk for receiving this sum. Bishop Monk
was absent from England, being ill, and having been
ordered abroad ; he therefore wrote to Bishop Wilber
force explaining the facts of the case, and asked him
to publicly state them in the House of Lords. They
were very simple. Some years before, Bishop Monk
had advanced the sum of 5,000/. out of his private
means for the purpose of establishing an educational
institution in Bristol, on the understanding that this
amount should be repaid either to himself, if living ; if
not, to his children, out of the fine, whenever it fell in,
and the balance was to go towards the endowments of
small livings in Bristol.
The papers necessary for giving Bishop Wit-
berforce full information on the subject had been
promised for that evening. Some delay occurred, and
when the Bishop rose to speak they had not arrived.
Such, however, was his power that he managed to
keep the attention of the House without alluding to
the special purpose for which he rose, and it was not
till he had been speaking for half an hour that the
papers arrived. The Bishop opened them, and got
his information from them while speaking; he com
pletely vindicated his absent friend, summing up his
speech as follows : —

1851. TOUR ON THE CONTINENT. 121
I can assure your Lordships that an expression of your
sympathy will be dear to my Right Reverend Brother, who,
without friends or patronage, has, by the force of his learning
and ability, raised himself to eminence in the Church and in
society ; who has been in his diocese and amongst those who
have known him remarkable for nothing more than his open-
handed liberality ; who, absent from his country, sick in body
and depressed in spirit — at an age almost reaching the period
assigned to man — is unable to defend himself in person
against the unrelenting persecution to which he has been so
long exposed, and who, under the unexampled misrepresenta
tion of which he has been made the victim, would feel it one
of his highest gratifications to know that this statement had
been made openly before the country and to find that he still
maintained the love and admiration of your Lordships.
The tour on the Continent the Bishop took this
year, ought to be mentioned as showing his singular
power of being able to cast off almost suddenly the
cares and troubles of which, as the last chapter showed,
he had plenty, and enjoy his leisure with almost boyish
spirits. This elasticity of mind is all the more remark
able when, as in this instance, the Bishop was suffering
from illness, against which he struggled for about six
weeks, when it finally laid him prostrate at Como,
under the charge of an Italian doctor, who starved and
lowered him till he was most seriously ill. His daughter
and niece were then the only two of the party left with
the Bishop, and it is needless to describe their anxiety
and alarm. It however happened that when they
were out walking, Miss Wilberforce and her cousin
saw a little dog which they recognized as belong
ing to Dr. Alderson. They followed the dog to its
home, and to their great joy found they were right.
Dr. Alderson immediately came to the hotel where the
Bishop was, reversed the whole of the treatment,

122 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iv.
moved the Bishop to Milan, and then, giving up his
own plans, joined the Bishop's party, and took charge
of him home. Except during the days of illness at
Como, this tour is daily chronicled in a journal which
was written up each evening and read aloud to the
party next day. Written as it was, principally for the
amusement of his daughter, most of it is in a sort of
doggrel verse. Some of the lines are most pathetic,
as, for instance, those describing the parting with his
brother the Archdeacon, whom they met at Lucerne,
and who for a short time joined their party.
The party consisted, in addition to the two ladies, of
Mr. Pye, then engaged to Miss Wilberforce, to whom
he was married in October, and the Bishop's nephew,
W. F. Wilberforce, the eldest son of the Bishop's brother,
the Archdeacon.
The Journal describes the churches, pictures,
rivers, the views they saw on their journey through
France and Germany into Switzerland, conversations
the Bishop had with men of all classes whom he met,
sometimes in the train, sometimes in the steamers,
For instance, there is one conversation recorded with
a member of the lay fraternity of St. Alexis, another
with an Alpine chamois-hunter. The flowers, the
butterflies, the birds, were, as the Journal shows all
noticed. An extract from the Journal of August 21
is as follows : —
The Grimsel. We started this morning, going by the
Glacier du Rhdne to this place. Rather a hard day, the
ascent from the Glacier being exceedingly steep. It was
wonderfully beautiful ; every form of vegetable and insect life
seemed in full enjoyment. The flowers continually changing
as we ascended higher ; and we met many of our English
garden flowers,— the Pride of London, &c. ; the Rhodor

i8si. EXTRACTS FROM JOURNAL. 1 23
dendron alpinum just coming into flower where the snow of
an avalanche was melting from it. The Fritillarias, the
' Hair Streaks in great beauty and the Apollo, were the chief
butterflies. The Alauda campestris in abundance. I saw
one Accentor alpinus, one small bird of prey and one vast
eagle ; and yesterday a pair of the rare Phaenicuras. The sun
on the snowy mountains was lovely to-day — and all in
beauty. Another extract is as follows : —
As we crossed' Zug lake in the long flat-bottomed creaking
canoe boat, in which our two bateliers with their flat oars
pushed us over, all the common champaign country scenery
on the right was bathed in sun, whilst the blackest storms
were passing amongst the whole grand scenery on our left.
It was a wonderful contrast and full of all moral images.
Within a creaking craft o'er Zug's sweet lake
We floated on, too easily to wake
A ripple in its waters, which were bright
With a hot summer's sun, whose gladsome light
Steeped lazy fields and vineyards on our right ;
Whilst on the left Mount Pilate's awful form
And every giant Alp were wrapped in storm.
So rests, how oft ! untroubled light on those
Who sleep and work and eat and then repose,
Whilst they who fain would heavenward reach e'en here,
Are wrapped in darkening clouds of doubt and fear,
Are black with troubled thoughts and wet with many a tear —
So be it, Lord ! if but at last there may
Break in Thy light on us and all be day.
The following extract, written on the return jour
ney, shows the impression left on the Bishop's mind
by what he had seen of religion abroad : —
All I see abroad makes me more bless God for our Church.
Throughout all the Reformed countries I have seen, religion
is gone. In the Romanist countries there is a great appear-

124 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP, iv,
ance of devoutness in worship, but marred with what miser-"
able superstition ! what image worship ! what blind belief in
a priest massing for them ! what an absence of God's word !
How great has been His goodness in preserving to us alone,
so completely, in our Reformation, the Catholic element.
The following letter to Mr. Butler, written nine
years after, further illustrates the Bishop's opinions on
this point : —

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. y. Butler.
Lavington House, Petworth, Sep. 9th, 1859.
My dear Butler, — Many thanks for your letter and its
very interesting account of Brittany. / too had been sent
from the Idylls to the life of King Arthur and so was in a
condition to enter into your letter.
I am very sorry for the sadness of tone which its end
breathes. Of course it would be a blessing beyond all price
to see our people, retaining their present virtues, add to it that
deep devotional fervour. But query, has this ever been ?
and, indeed, can it be ? Have Teutons ever in this been like
Celts ? Nay, is it not inconsistent with their self-reliant
habits, which are after all so closely mixed up with their
conscience and moral tone? Can we have freedom from
superstition and that free development of conscience which
absolutely requires the full acknowledgment of the supremacy,
to the individual, of individual faith— prayer, &c, with that
high value for the Priest's act in the public congregation
which is really in these Bretons THE coming forth of their
whole religious life : we have to fight against what is always
with us running into moral Socinianism ; they against what is
running into demoralized Superstition. I am ever affection
ately yours, S. OXON.
The letters which follow refer to the attacks which
had been made on the Bishops during the past Session

, .

1851. ATTACKS ON THE BISHOPS. 125
in the House of Commons and which had been taken
up by some of the newspapers. They also refer to
Mr. Bennett, of whom Mr. Cavendish was a strong
supporter. The sequel shows that the issues raised in
the correspondence between Mr. Gladstone and the
Bishop, resulted in the Bishop's great and successful
effort for the revival of Convocation.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. R. Cavendish.
Cuddesdon Palace, Dec. 26, 185 1.
My dear Cavendish, — Many thanks for your letter and
for your allowing me to see Gladstone's. I think there is a
great deal of saddest truth in what Gladstone says and I have
written to him thereon. At the same time with the deepest
sense of our undeservings I do think that Gladstone, in spite
of his calm and powerful understanding and honest and true
heart, shows signs of the natural effect of such continual
defamation of the Bishops as the ' Morning Chronicle ' habi
tually indulges itself and its readers with. I mean this, first
he puts aside the miserable episcopal appointments of Lord
John and the effect of Sir B. Hall's, &c. attacks in the Com
mons ; the silence in reply of those who might be expected
to answer them ; the continual vituperation of the Low-Church
and Dissenting papers ; the more mischievous depreciation of
the ' Morning Chronicle's ' incessant sneers, insinuations and
attacks, and the cold, faint, contemptuous praises of the
' Guardian.' All this he, as it were, puts aside and seems to
say there is not one Bishop who acts towards his clergy with
the ordinary fairness which a principal in an office extends
to his assistants, &c.
Now this I think is untrue.
You know that I have never, to my knowledge, failed a
single clergyman under me, but have taken on myself the
charges against many and borne many through in the disas
trous troubles of the last twelve months. But what I really

126 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap, i v.
want Gladstone to do is to suggest how, under the miserable
present manning of our Bench, any individual Bishop can
mend matters.
And now for Bennett's case. I should be bitterly grieved
if he were not restored. But I think he ought to give to the
Bishop some real assurances that the reopening of his ministry
would not be the beginning of a new set of endeavours to be
always doing something to restore some ritual observance, &c
which has no warrant in our Church. For I cannot admit
that any individual clergyman has a right to restore pre-
Reformation observances merely because they are not totidem
verbis condemned by our Church. Now I do not think it
would do any good for me to write to the Bishop of London
to urge his restoring Bennett unless he had previously made
some such explanation as would enable the Bishop to do so
without manifest inconsistency with the fact of having ac
cepted his resignation. I will do all that is in my power and
I beg you to suggest at any time anything you think ex
pedient. I should wish to show the Bishop, Gladstone's letter
and, if I had permission I would gladly do so to let him fully
understand how the matter strikes such a mind. But I
should prefer that Gladstone wrote to him a letter stating
fully all the evils he depicts in his letter to you : but more
fully allowing the various causes which have brought them
about. Can you help me in a matter which I have now much at
heart ? I want to start here a College for training men for
the year before their Ordination. I want this done under my
own eye and I have just now a great opening for it. I want
but 2,000/. for it, and I think that I could repay annually
Jg-th of any sums lent to me on the faith of the success of the
College. I should then open it (D.v.) this year for 20. men.
Now I cannot publicly apply for funds for this and I cannot
find them without aid ; but I must think that many church
men, if they knew of my endeavour, would give me their aid.
Will you undertake to try what you can do for me ? May
every blessing be yours, my dear Cavendish, this Christmas
season. I am ever very affectionately yours, ~ 0vnisr

185 f. THE BISHOP OF LONDON AND MR. BENNETT. 1 2 7

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Cuddesdon Palace, Dec. 26, 185 1.
My dear Gladstone, — Ever since I saw in the paper the
announcement of your Father's removal I have intended to
write to you. But it has been a time of peculiar occupation
and I have always deferred writing. I believe I can enter
fully into all the mixed feelings with which you must regard
such an irrevocable close of so long protracted an actual
interchange of offices of affection and duty — and I have sym
pathised with you in them as I pictured them to myself.
But though I have been long purposing to write to you,
I know not that I might not even yet have delayed doing so,
had not Richard Cavendish allowed me to see a letter he has
recently received from you and on which I hope you will let
me say a few words to you in the full confidence of friendship.
1st. For the Bishop of London's refusal. If Mr. Bennett is
to be prevented officiating, no man will regret it more deeply
than I should. But there are difficulties in the way: and it
is well that they should be met. The ground on which the
Bishop of London accepted Mr. Bennett's resignation I
understood to be the principle avowed by Mr. Bennett of
continual progression, combined with an assertion of his right
to introduce any ceremony which had ever been used in the
Church and which was not expressly condemned and for
bidden at our Reformation. This principle I also esteem to
be faulty, believing that our system was intended to be
affirmative and not simply negative, and that it does not
therefore become individual clergymen to restore from ante-
Reformation times whatever was not totidem verbis forbidden.
Now I imagine that the meaning of the Bishop's refusal must
be that his objection to this principle continues unabated and
that until Mr. Bennett gives him some assurance that he
would not resume his ministry on this basis he cannot in any
consistency allow it. You will see how different a thing this

128 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iv.
is from punishing Mr. Bennett's past faults, be they what they
may, by suspending his ministry.
But I very earnestly desire that the Bishop of London
should do his utmost to restore Bennett to usefulness in the
Church, and I know no more likely mode of securing that
good result than that you, for whose judgment I know that he
entertains a profound respect, should yourself write fully to
him on the subject.
II. Let me say two things touching the rest of your letter.
I. I feel acutely its general truth to a very great extent. But
I think that even you have been biassed by the incessant
vituperations of the ' Morning Chronicle,' &c, to deal un
fairly with many of the Bishops. For you put aside Lord
John Russell's miserable appointments and the fearful weakness
caused by the character of the Primate and you seem, having
done this, to trace all the evil of the loss of influence we ought
to possess to ourselves and, as far as I can read your words,
you apply this to every Bishop without reservation. Now I
believe that I am far from being blind to my own miserable
infirmities or to those of my brethren. But is it fair, in such
an estimate of our relative state now and at the death of
Archbishop Howley, to leave out, first, the weakening of all
our just influence by the introduction of such men as Lord
John has put amongst us ; then of such a primacy ; of the
prevalence of Radical attacks in the House of Commons, of
the silence of so many there, under the most false and
scandalous imputations, who are supposed to be ready to
answer if there was an answer to be given ; of the attacks of
the ' Record ' on all Church Bishops, of the ' Daily News,'
' Examiner,' 'Morning Herald ' on ditto, and of what is perhaps
more damaging still, of the habitual sneering depreciation and
degrading insinuations of the 'Morning Chronicle' and the
faint and contemptuous praises of the ' Guardian ? '
I do not* believe it possible to overrate the degree in
which these causes, wholly external to ourselves, acting on the
public mind when it is in a state easily to be moved against
all authority, have produced the results at which you point.
I feel sure there are amongst us men now who would be far

1851. A DIVIDED EPISCOPATE. 1 29
more ready than most of those before us with whom you seem
to contrast us so unfavourably, to stand by our clergy to the
very last, instead of falling below the ordinary standard of
official or House of Commons fidelity to associates or em
ployes. I believe that the administration of the Diocese of Salis
bury for instance is wholly free from this fault. I do believe
that amongst my many faults / have never erred in this respect.
Now, highly as I value your good opinion, I do not say
this in order to justify myself or others with you ; but only
for this practical end : I want you to suggest any mode of
action whatever, which can in any way act against these evils,
which I feel bitterly, and daily mourn for, and in order to give
such counsel, as few could give so well as you, you must have
the real state of the case exactly before you.
For this is what I want you to come to : 2. What is to be
done, what practically can I do ? If I know myself, there is
no sacrifice I would not make for the Church's welfare and I
do not think that we should very materially differ as to what
is for her welfare. But what is to be done with so utterly
divided an Episcopate — with such a Primate in so many ways
so mischievously good : with such men as are many of my
brethren ; what is to be done, but to try to administer the
diocese committed to me justly, soberly, lovingly and
actively ? Now, my dear Gladstone, I ask this of you as a
friend whose fidelity and sound judgment and observation I
can trust, and believe me I will thank you for any plain-
spokenness with which you can say what you think it right to
say. I hope that Murray has sent you, as I desired him, my
late charge ; that may, if you have time to read it, suggest to
you what is lacking. But I do not feel that such Episcopates
as are many of those around me can fairly be considered as
the causes of our present troubles, especially when contrasted,
as you seem to me to contrast them, with those of their pre
decessors. I am, my dear Gladstone, ever affectionately
y°urs> S. Oxon.
VOL. II. K

130 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. IV.
This was followed by an important letter from Mr.
Gladstone,1 who explained that it was not as ruling
their Dioceses that he found fault with the Bishops
generally, but as the body which represented the
Church in Parliament. He also stated that although
he was aware that there were some Bishops who
would stand firm to the Church's teaching, yet the
great majority including the Archbishop seemed to be
utterly indifferent to upholding any dogmatic teaching
in the Church. Mr. Gladstone further strengthened
his argument, that earnest Churchmen could place no
confidence in the Episcopate as a body, by alluding to
the imputations, made both in the House of Commons
and in Society on the subject of the Bishops' incomes.
Mr. Gladstone proposed to visit Cuddesdon and talk
the questions which were under discussion fully over,
To this letter the Bishop replied as follows : —
The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Cuddesdon Palace, Jan. 2, 1852.
My dear Gladstone, — I thank you very sincerely for your
kind letter to me and especially for proposing to let us have
the opportunity of a full conversation upon the wide subject
it embraces. Tuesday the 20th will suit me perfectly and on
that day I shall hope to see you. The Abingdon Road Station
and the Oxford station of the Great Western are nearly the
same distance. The Abingdon Road a little nearer. If you
will let me know by what train you will be at either of these
stations, I can probably send the carriage to meet you.
Oxford is your station if you come from Bletchley.
I will not forestall our conversation by anything like a
1 This letter is not printed because Mr. Gladstone has not at the present time
sufficient leisure to consider and prepare the explanatory note which he thinks;
ought to accompany it.

1852, ANSWER TO THE ATTACKS. 13 I
discussion of the points you make ; but I will place before
you one or two matters bearing on them and in my judgment
qualifying if not invalidating the conclusions to which your
view points.
1. As to the question of the Bishops' incomes, &c, it
was repeatedly stated in the House of Commons (1) that the
Bishops had settled the present plan. (2) That the intention
of the plan was to give them fixed incomes of a certain
amount. (3) That the scheme had been so framed by the
settlers that it was possible, in spite of the arrangement, to
get far more. Now this belief has eminently weakened the
influence of the whole Bench. And it is untrue in every
particular, ist. The plan, bad or good, was adopted not by
the present Commission but by the former Commission, on
which few Bishops sat ; and was notoriously the scheme of the
late Lord Harrowby. 2dly. It was stated always that it
was not considered desirable to fix the Bishops' income at a
certain figure, but on the best evidence attainable to fix, as
each incumbency began, the sum to be received or paid and
to give to the next incumbent the benefit of all improve
ments. This, too, the late Archbishop stated, was the late
Lord Harrowby's recommendation, to make it the pecuniary
interest of each incumbent to improve the property for the
Church. The 3rd falls necessarily with these two other charges.
Yet this simple answer, as far as I know, was never given in
the House of Commons. Certainly such men as Sir B. Hall
and Co. were never made to feel it inexpedient for themselves
to revive the charge.
But further : under the working of this S3rstem the Bishop
of Durham and the Bishop of Worcester have made very large
gains. I think they were bound in honour not to profit by.
them. Under the same system the Archbishop of York and the
Bishops of Bath and Wells, St. Asaph, Ely, delayed for a
time paying their quota : their estates being at all times
liable and their personal effects in case of their death being
liable to make up the deficit. The scheme was a very hard
k 2

132 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. IV
one for them but I think that they ought to have paid. Still
— (1) there was nothing like taking what was not theirs, by
the first or (2) evading payment by the latter. Yet —
1. Both of these imputations have been repeatedly made,
uncontradicted, in the most offensive language, e.g. ' Who but
a prelate of the Church would dare to show his face in society
after such conduct ? ' and —
2. From these few cases the charge has been transferred
to all the rest of the Bench and no such indignant denials as
would make the slanderers start and set people out of doors
right have been pronounced : e.g. in my own first return I
received for the first 3 years something like 1,000/. a year less
than was intended, yet I never complained : in the last 2
years I received fines which raised the whole average of the
4 years to about 290/. a year above the 5,000/. Yet all along
when I had received too little, and since it has been set right,
I have been by name attacked by Sir B. Hall and no one
contradicted him.
Once and once only Sir Jas. Graham most kindly, at my
request, replied to a like slander about the fitting of this house
for the Episcopal residence.
But I did not mean thus to run on and I will not venture
to touch on the far deeper subject you produce. I will, God
helping me, weigh all you have said on it, and if possible
shape the difficulties I see concerning it before we meet.
Will you send me one line as early as you can (1) to say
how many days you can give me and let it be all you can ?
(2) Whether there are any of our Oxford friends you would
like to meet at dinner. Our talk must be at other times, so if
will not interfere with that ; and I am always glad to ask
Oxford men over. 1 am ever, my dear Gladstone, affectly.
yours, „ ^
J S. Oxon.
In reply to the invitation contained in the above
letter, Mr. Gladstone wrote on January the 5th to fix
the 20th as the day on which he would come, and in
answer to what the Bishop had said he writes :—

1852. MR. GLADSTONE'S REPLY. 1 33
As to the Commission and the Bishops, I think of those
of the Durham class a shade more leniently than you. I
would not say that as mere public officers they are bound in
honour not to profit by the surplus. As successors of the
Apostles it seems to me they might have done well to place
them at the disposal of the Church in one way or other. But
as to the York and Ely class, I am greatly more rigorous
than you are. If I am rightly impressed by the terms of the
Act, which I have not before me, these Bishops distinctly and
deliberately withheld the property of the Church from the
Church, both capital and interest, and have never been called
upon to pay the interest at all and I am quite certain that no
lay State officer could have ventured on such a proceeding.
But when I say it is often better in the House of Commons
to make no apology than a half apology, I do not push that so
far as to say that you as an individual Bishop ought not to be
defended as an individual in a case such as you describe ; and I
am sure that you would have no difficulty in finding persons
by the score ready when an occasion offered to make such a
statement as that affecting yourself in your letter in reply to
such an attack, of which I was not previously aware.
The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Cuddesdon Palace, Jan. 7, 1852.
My dear Gladstone, — I shall be delighted to receive you
and only wish you could stay longer. I will try and think of
any men who would be useful. I do not think there can be
anything wrong in my showing you in confidence this letter
of the Bishop of London. I only meant to say about the
Bishop of Durham that so very large an excess as 10,000/.
a year, year by year, was so plainly contrary to the intention
of the contract that a nice sense of honour would have
dictated some step. I do not feel that they were at all bound
to refund small or occasional excesses. None of the principal
sum has been withheld, I believe, in the other cases. I am
not sure as to the interest. I am affectionately, yours,
S Oxon.

1 34 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iV.
Would it not be well that you should meet the Vice Chan
cellor and one or two men of that stamp one day — and some
masters, such as Woolcombe, another, for your purpose ?
Mr. Gladstone came to Cuddesdon on the 20th,
and remained two nights. The conversation alluded
to in the above letters on the ' deeper subjects ' took
place. The impression made upon Mr. Gladstone
may be gathered from the following, which represented
Mr. Gladstone's view of the situation as it appeared to
him after the conversation : —
1. By the Gorham, Judgment a foundation is laid for
emptying of all their force the Articles of the Creed one by
one, as public opinion, by successive stages, shall admit and
encourage it.
2. Also, for habitual assumption by the State of the office
of interpreting the Creed, as well as the other documents of
the Church.
3. A minority of the Bishops, including neither of the
Archbishops, have protested, each for himself.
4. A minority of the clergy, including perhaps a fourth of
the whole number, have protested also, some of them in
dioceses or archdeaconries.
5. The Primate has instituted a Priest rejected by his
Bishop for false doctrine, declaring that his office was minis
terial and contending so to use and discharge it.
6. The Bishop has admitted among his clergy the Priest
so instituted. 7. In 1850, after the judgment, a large portion of the
Bishops strove for a measure which would have given to the
Episcopate the power of deciding any point of doctrine
involved in an appeal ; opposed, however, by many of their
number and not supported by the Primates.
8. In the more favourable of the two Houses of Parlia
ment this Bill was rejected on a second reading by a majority.
9. The Session of 1851 passed away without the renewal
of the Bill and without any definite announcement that it

1852. VIEW OF THE SITUATION. 1 35
would be reintroduced, or that another measure of like ten
dency would be substituted for it, at a specified time. Its
prospects, bad before, are greatly damaged by this delay.
10. There is not the smallest hope of the united action of
the Bishops in seeking hereafter for any such measure ; nor
any great probability that even a bare majority of them can
be got to concur in it.
II. Every rational principle of calculation leads to the
conclusion that the tone of the Episcopal Bench with respect
to dogma or authoritative teaching will decline, instead of
rising, in the course of any period of future years.
12. The character of the English Episcopate and of the
Church, so far as the latter is determined by the former, is to
be read, not in the isolated acts of a minority and in part
only of the personal acts of the majority but much more and
mainly in the united acts of the whole body.
13. Of these there have been two, very solemn and con
siderable. One of them was the address on Papal Aggression
with the prayer that temporal penalties might be enforced
against the assumption of Diocesan titles and jurisdiction by
Prelates of the Roman Church.
14. Another solemn and united act was the Rubrical
Declaration of last spring. The world sees that the English
Episcopate cannot unite to defend an endangered doctrine of
the Church — a doctrine endangered by an instrument that
cuts at the whole foundation of doctrine ; but can unite to
check certain revivals of ceremonial, which are known to tend
as a whole to bring our worship a step nearer to that of the
Eastern as well as the Roman Church. The world will fairly
infer, that the Protestantism of the Church of England, as
represented by its living Episcopate, has a rigid and an elastic
side. Rigid towards the ancient Church, with which it is
continuous and identical. Elastic towards the system which
destroys doctrine by destroying authoritative teaching ; and
that both the particular question of Baptism and the claim of
the Church, as against the civil power, to decide or interpret
all doctrine, are, in the view of the Episcopate as a body, open
questions properly so called.

136 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iv.
Deeply moved by Mr. Gladstone's view, feeling
also that after the rejection of the Bishop of London's
Bill 2 the Church could not hope to obtain redress from
Parliament, the Bishop determined on making a re
newed effort to obtain the revival of Convocation as a
synodical body — a matter in which, not wholly unas:
sisted, but with few helpers,3 he had for a long time
taken an active part.
The Gorham Judgment forcibly brought before
many men not only the unsatisfactory character of the
tribunal which was the Court of Final Appeal for the
Church, but it also pressed home the fact that the
Church itself had no power of declaring itself — it was
voiceless. In 1851 Lord Redesdale formally moved
in the House of Lords for a copy of the petitions pre
sented to Convocation by the clergy and laity of the
Province of Canterbury on February 5 of that year.
He took this opportunity of urging the revival of Con-
2 This Bill the Bishop endeavoured to persuade the Bishop of London to re
introduce in 185 1. The following letter shows a renewed effort in ihe beginning
' f 1852, after the change of Government. The Bill, however, was never re
introduced : — Thc Bishop of Oxford to Bishop of London.
Cuddesdon, March 4, 1852.
My dear Lord,— Will you read in confidence this letter of Gladstone's. I hope
that you will get an early interview with Lord Derby and arrange the matter with
him. The management of the Bill before having devolved entirely on you and he
having proposed in your debate to amend it, we stand in the most favourable
position for your successful negotiation with him ; and you are able further to tell
him that you were just on the point of giving notice when he succeeded to power.
It does seem the moment for a successful move which may never return, and the
probable instability of the Government makes speed so specially needful. I write
from the midst of an Ordination with 25 candidates, so you will excuse brevity.
3 Among these ought to be named, without disparagement to other good men,
Benjamin Harrison, Archdeacon of Maidstone, Canon of Canterbury, and Chap
lain to Archbishop Howley ; Henry Hoare, founder and president of the Society
for the Revival of Convocation ; and last, not least, George Anthony Denison,
Archdeacon of Taunton.

1852. FORMAL MEETING OF CONVOCATION. 137
vocation. Both the Bishop of London and Bishop
Wilberforce supported this motion, which was agreed
to ; but it was opposed by the Archbishop of Canter
bury, on the ground that if Convocation met and
debated, dissensions and controversy would be sure to
arise. The course the Bishop took, as recorded below,
was not without precedent, an amendment to the
Address having been moved and carried in 1847.
On February 4, Convocation met formally, and
with a very small attendance. The Bishop presented
a petition, the prayer of which was ' that Convocation
should address the Crown by petition ; ' and in pre
senting it he announced his intention of moving that
' this House do consider the prayer of the petitions,'
upon which the Queen's Advocate (Sir J. Dodson)
interposed, and said that he felt it to be his duty, as
legal adviser to the Archbishop, to declare that such a
motion was without precedent. For the past 135 years
the Crown had called Convocation together purely as
a matter of form, but had not permitted it to act. He
then quoted in support of his argument the statute
(25 Hen. VIII. c. 19), which prohibited Convocation
doing business without the express sanction of the
Crown. The Bishop of Exeter differed from this view ;
business, he explained, was making Canons, not peti
tioning the Crown. Bishop Wilberforce then stated
that the motion he intended to make was not of a
general but of a particular nature. Notice had been
given of the introduction of a Bill into Parliament
dealing with Clergy Discipline, and he thought this
was a matter on which the Clergy ought to be con
sulted. Three of the Bishops present agreed— the
Bishops of London, Exeter, and Chichester. Three

138 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. IV.
dissented, on the ground that such a small number of
Bishops were present, the reason for such a scanty
attendance being, that the majority of the Bishops sup
posed that this meeting was only one of the ordinary ones,
i.e. meeting in order to be prorogued. This view being
admitted as correct, Bishop Wilberforce pressed on the
Archbishop the necessity of proroguing to a definite
and not very distant period. The Archbishop then
declared that in his opinion it was most improper that
Convocation should in any way place itself in hostility
to the Government, and prorogued the meeting till
August 19. The Bishop then gave notice that on that
day he should repeat his motion.
The following letter to Archdeacon Wilberforce
gives the Bishop's account of this meeting : —
The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce. Feb. 6th, 1852.
My beloved Brother, — We had a curious time of it. After
presenting the petition, I rose to propose an address. The
Archbishop tried to stop me. Dodson referred to ; was it
illegal ? Long argument, at last Dodson obliged to allow
that it was not illegal. I proceeded to argue for it, an ad
dress to the Queen for a license for Convocation to discuss
a Clergy Discipline Bill. Bishops of London Chichester
Exeter supported me, St. Asaph and Winchester opposed :
the Archbishop would not agree to its being put : Bishop of
Winton supplying as a reason that he had not been fore
warned, he would prorogue, so I gave notice of it for next
time. The lower House brought up their address and after a
great struggle with Dodson-cum-precedent, they being sent
down, the address was received and read and we adjourned.
Still a very distinct step has been taken and it will come to
more. God bless you, my dear, dear Brother. I am ever in
true affection, your loving brother, ~ OXON

1852. RESIGNATION OF THE MINISTRY. 139
Before August 19 political changes took place
which must be noticed. On February 20 Lord John
Russell's Government, which had been in office for five
years and a half, was beaten in the House of Commons
by a majority of nine on a clause in the Militia Bill.
The resignation of the Ministry was announced on
February 23, and Lord Derby came into office. On
July 1 Parliament was dissolved, and with it' Convoca
tion. The elections of Proctors for the new Convoca
tion were held in August. On October 18 a notification
appeared in ' The Times,' to the effect that Lord Derby
had advised the Crown to issue license permitting
Convocation to resume its synodical functions. Before
referring to the meeting of Convocation, it is necessary
to go back a little to show the difficulties which had to
be encountered and overcome — difficulties from both
supporters and adversaries — the necessity of restrain
ing the zeal of one side and pacifying the undisguised
hostility of the other, either of which would infallibly
have shipwrecked this revival in its infancy. How
the Bishop finally overcame all obstacles and recovered
for Convocation some of the powers which had fallen
into desuetude during the 135 years of its silence, will
be shown in these pages.
The following letters bear on one of the first diffi
culties to be overcome, namely, the chance of a collision
with the Archbishop as to the appointment of a Pro
locutor of the Lower House. A meeting was convened
to meet at Swindon to select the person the Lower
House should name to the Archbishop for the office.

140 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iv.

The Bishop of Oxf or d to Archdeacon T/iorp.
Lavington, September li, 1852.
My dear Archdeacon, — I am strongly of opinion that it is
desirable to obtain as much unity of action as possible,
between all who are united by the great principle of restoring
her synodical action to the Church in England, at the ap
proaching opening of Convocation ; and I have no doubt
that preliminary discussion and agreement are essential
requisites for this result. I cannot therefore avoid giving
you my opinion as to the matter as to which you are so kind
as to ask it. But I cannot enter on the consideration of who
would be the best candidate for the office of prolocutor, with
out first considering whether there ought to be any opposition
to the Archbishop's ' recommendation.' There can I appre
hend, be no question as to the right of the Lower House to
elect, or of the Upper to refuse to confirm the election of a
Prolocutor. Now, the chiefest scandal which could be put as
a stumbling-block at the opening of our path, would be any
thing which seemed with our first awakening out of sleep to
revive the quarrels which preceded our long hybernation.
Yet this would be the too probable result of a throwing over
the Archbishop's recommendation. For he has long precedent
on the side of giving it : and suppose that, he having given it,
the Lower House elected another, I think it very probable
that a majority of the Upper House would side with him in
refusing to confirm the election, and therefore we should be
at once in all the scandal of a breach between the two Houses.
Now I do not say that so palpably bad a recommendation
might not be made, as would warrant the incurring even this
risk : but I think it certainly ought not to be incurred, until
every other means has been tried to secure a good election.
I am ever very sincerely yours, <, Oxon
This letter was read to the meeting. Archdeacon
Denison, writing to the Bishop the next day, says ;—

1852. ELECTION OF PROLOCUTOR. I41
I am charged to convey to your Lordship, on the part of
all those present, our best thanks for the very kind, full and
clear explanation of the course which it appears to you to be
desirable to take at our public meeting in November next, and
also to express our entire concurrence in that course both in
respect of the question of the Prolocutor, and of the matter
and manner of our proceedings.
After some correspondence, it was agreed that the
Very Rev. the Dean of Ely (Dr. Peacock) should be
nominated by the Lower House at its meeting, to the
Archbishop as a fit and proper person to fill the office
of Prolocutor. The following letter to the Archbishop,
with the answer, shows that the Bishop secured the
friendly assistance of the Bishop of Winchester in order
to obtain this appointment : —
The Bishop of Oxford to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Oct. 25, 1852.
My dear Lord, — I was some time since applied to by a
considerable number of clergymen, Archdeacons and Canons
to give them my advice upon their conduct on some particu
lars at the approaching meeting of Convocation. One of
these points was the appointment of a prolocutor for the
Lower House. They stated in their scheme that they could
not acquiesce in the nomination of one who would use his
office to defeat all real action in the Synod, and anticipating
the possibility of such a recommendation, they contemplated
bringing forward a candidate of their own. I counselled
them instead of this to communicate in- some mode their
wishes to your Grace, in order to learn, ist, whether some
person of so fair a temper could not be chosen so that
your Grace might conscientiously recommend him and
they conscientiously accept him, or 2ndly, whether your
Grace might be pleased to leave the free election with
recommendation (which recommendation has been rather
the exception than the rule) to the House. In either of

142 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iv.
which cases a collision which I deprecated,' might be avoided.
They acquiesced in my advice and requested me to communi
cate with your Grace. I thought it might be easier to do
this in conversation than by letter and fearing that I had no
chance of seeing your Grace before Parliament met and being
at Farnham Castle, I talked the matter over with the Bishop
of Winchester and he promised to communicate with your
Grace. I am, my dear Lord, your dutiful and affectionate S. OXON.

The Archbisliop of Canterbury to the Bishop of Oxford.
Oct. 28, 1852.
My dear Lord, — Among the instructions concerning Con
vocation which I received, it was said that the Archbishop
names a Prolocutor. After advising with the Bishops of
London and Winchester, I have obtained the consent of the
Dean of Ely to be so named. But I have no idea of disputing
the question if the Lower House claim the privilege of ap
pointing without reference to the Archbishop. I am faithfully
and affectionately yours, } R Cantuar.
The next point which engaged the Bishop's atten
tion was, what business should be attempted by Con
vocation ; since the last meeting counsel's opinion had
been obtained as to the legality of the Archbishop pro
roguing ' sine consensu fratrum,' and as to the extent
of the restraining statute of Henry VIII. The counsel
engaged were the Attorney-General Sir F. Thesiger,
Sir William Page Wood, and Dr. Phillimore. With
but slight differences they concurred in the view taken
by the Bishop of Exeter, that Convocation could trans
act business but could not make or alter Canons. On
the question as to what subjects should be brought
before Convocation, the Bishop consulted with Mr.
Gladstone, who, writing on September 1 2, says : —

1852. PROPOSED COMMISSION. 143
You have I suppose, two months yet to consider of your
course. You occupy indeed a most difficult and a most respon
sible post : so much depends upon the first form in which a
question of this kind opens. The last motion about Clergy Dis
cipline 4 was I thought, exceedingly well chosen ; it presented
a broad ground to friends, yet a narrow front to foes, it was
perfect. Whatever is done, may it contribute to the solution
in God's good time of the formidable difficulties encompassing
the Church. The Bishop's proposal appears in the following
letters : —

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Cuddesdon Palace, Sept. 18, 1852.
My dear Gladstone, — The line which at present appears
to 'me wisest as to Convocation is to address the Queen :
1. To appoint a Commission to inquire and report on
the alterations, &c. needful to make the Convocations of
the two Provinces act most perfectly as a Synod, so as to
be the most perfectly ' the Church of England by represen
tation,' and cause the report of such Commission to be laid
before the Convocation of Canterbury with her license to
debate and act thereupon.
2. To address Her Majesty praying that no alterations be
made in the capitular bodies until the subject has been dis
cussed and resolved on by Convocation of the Province of
Canterbury. I think you will see, without my stating them,
all the reasons for this course. Will you give me your judg
ment on it ?
To this letter Mr. Gladstone replied on October 3.
4 Vide p. 137.

144 LIFE 0F BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chaf. iv.

The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — The question you put with
regard to your projected course in Convocation is a very large
one, and it is one on which I am scarcely in a position to enter
so as to do it any justice ; for the present therefore, I shall
confine myself to the function of finding fault, that amiable
duty ever so pleasing to humanity.
Why should the Reform of Convocation be considered by
a Commission rather than by the two Houses themselves
acting in concert by delegations, joint committee or whatever
be most in form ? I do not like the idea that the assembled
clergy should give their countenance to a form of proceeding
which is at the very best but half constitutional and which
may become in circumstances not remote extremely dangerous.
It is true that the time may not have come, probably has
not come, for granting either the one prayer or the other.
Still I assume your assent to the proposition that it is best
to set out with the request which will be the likeliest to be
granted when the time of ripeness comes. I cannot but feel
in passing, how much your ground would be strengthened in
this matter by your being also engaged in the support of a
generous proposal with respect to church rates. The settle
ment of that question is one indispensable preliminary, in my
belief, to real progress in regard to Church government.
(To resume.) Again, your second prayer would bring you
into direct collision with the apparent intention of Govern
ment. I do not approve of that intention. It is the natural
and normal expedient of a weak administration, though no
doubt meant well. Unless it be that the Ecclesiastical Com
missioners, a public body, have now become partners in the
Chapters — a kind of dodge which perhaps may have gone far
enough to sustain the case — I cannot well distinguish between
this and the University Commissions. But Goulburn has
agreed to serve ; S. Herbert may, and I conclude Government

1852. MR. GLADSTONE'S VIEWS. 1 45
have not moved without sanction from other Bishops besides
Lambeth ; if so you would have them to encounter. And
besides, I should be very sorry that when laying the ground
for asking what the world and the State would call a boon,
you should combine with it a protest savouring, or at any rate
sure to be thought to savour, of jealousy. Would it be pos
sible to frame a motion in this sense : (a) in very general terms
to pray the Crown to take the counsel, of its Bishops and
Clergy in regard to further Cathedral legislation ; (b) to pray
that whatever was done and whatever revenues might be left
to the Cathedrals, they might be applied strictly to the
pursuit of positive spiritual and ecclesiastical duties in con
nection with those establishments ? I remain in haste my
dear Bishop of Oxford, affectionately yours,
W. E. Gladstone.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Oct. 8, 1852.
My dear Gladstone, — Many thanks for your letter of the
3rd. The reasons for a Commission on Convocation all run
up into the greater probability of our in that way getting
synodical action, from its removing objections felt by the
laity and the Crown to the immediate acting of a clerical
Parliament. But I feel great force in your objection and must weigh it
longer before I decide on it. The way in which I should wish
to see Convocation move, is by appointing committees to
consider whether it is not desirable to address the Crown for
a license to confer and conclude on the expediency of some,
and what, reforms in its own body. For this action we should
need no license beyond our first and we might in this safely
try our strength — but to this safe mode of acting I fear that
the Archbishop's power, or claim of power, of proroguing will
be a fatal bar. I am far from clear that he possesses the
power of proroguing without the consent of his suffragans and
VOL. II. L

146 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap, iv:
am endeavouring to work out that power ; but I am clear we
ought not to begin by asking any government for a license, so
long as we can act as a deliberative body without making
such a request. If you can throw any light hereon pray do.
What you say about the Government Commission on capitular
bodies compels me in honesty to say more, though it must be
in the strictest confidence. I had not thought of such a
motion as implied any suspicion of that movement ; rather I
should have wished and I think it possible, so to word it, as
to approve of that Commission as partly preparing matters to
be submitted first to Convocation and then to Parliament.
For I approve of the Commission. Mr. Walpole some time
ago opened negotiations with me on the subject and I ex
pressed to him my approval of it if, (1) the objects of the
Commission were bond fide to enquire how Chapters could
best be made to do their original duties and, (2) the Commis
sion was so nominated as to give it the confidence of the
Church. This led to free communication between us and if
the Cabinet approve of the scheme of objects and of the
persons as agreed between us, I have agreed myself to act on
the Commission. I trust that Herbert will also. I hope that
you will not think I have acted unwisely in all this. I longed
to ask your advice but it was a matter of confidence and I
should now not have felt I could say even this much had you
not known of Goulburn's acceptance of the offer to S. Herbert.
I entertain strong hopes on the church-rate question. Some
members of the Government are decidedly with us on it.
I am ever yours affectionately, - /-v„ON
The above letters show the course which the Bishop
thought ought to be followed. He feared that if other
questions were raised the whole movement might be
embarrassed. The grounds of this alarm were that
in July a petition to both Houses of Convocation on
the Education question and the ' Management Clauses '
had been drawn up and signed by some of the most
influential of the clergy and laity. Among the many

1852. PUBLIC 'FEELING. 1 47
signatories it is enough to give the names of Arch
deacon Denison, Mr. Keble, Dr. Pusey, Lord Nelson,
and Mr. Beresford Hope. After a long correspondence
with Archdeacon Denison, the Bishop obtained a great
modification in the terms of the petition. As a matter
of history, the petition was introduced into the Lower
House by the Rev. Dr. Spry as a representation, and
formally referred to a select committee, which never
reported. By arguments and by persuasion the Bishop
induced the Archbishop to declare that he would not
allow any petition to be presented which did not bear on
Convocation itself. Thus the difficulties from friends
were overcome, and it only remains to show how strong
the feeling against the movement was by the following
quotations from the leading journal, and by a public
letter from one of its well-known correspondents.6
In 'The Times' of October 23 appeared a short
article stating that Convocation was to meet on No
vember 5 ; that before it could sit it was necessary that
the consent of the Crown, Premier, and Archbishop
should be obtained. The article then stated that
though Lord Derby was known to be favourable, yet
the Archbishop was known not to have the same view ;
and that a rumour prevailed in well-informed circles
that Her Majesty agreed with the Archbishop. The
article concluded by saying : ' In this case it will be
impossible for either House of Convocation on its
meeting to proceed with anything beyond the con
sideration of those formal matters to which its attention
has hitherto been confined.' On the 25th ' The Times '
published a contradiction to what had been stated in
* The Rev. Sidney Godolphin Osborne, whose familiar initials, S. G. O.,
were at this time of frequent occurrence in ' The Times. ' The Bishop once play
fully remarked that E. G. O. would be an improvement.
U

148 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap, iv;
some journals, viz. that Convocation was to have license
to sit ; and in the same number, in a leading article,
said : ' The moment the attention of the public was
directed to the thing as a scheme within the bounds of
possibility, all hope of its success was at an end ; and
we hope this warning will suffice to prevent any sur
prise in the choice of Proctors or any other clandestine
movements for the future.' On the following day a
letter in large type from the correspondent above
referred to appeared in the same journal, which, after
describing humorously the way the Proctors had been
elected by himself and brother electors, continued :
Your paper to-day has the official contradiction, of the
mischievous report that Convocation is to be licensed. I am
ready privately to give you chapter and verse to prove that
one of the ultra Bishops, who but very lately thrust his
advocacy of Lord Derby's merits on the Oxford University
constituency, within these few days assured some of his clergy
that, without doubt, the Queen won't allow it. , The real fact is,
public opinion has been sounded, the laity had already, though
incredulous of the folly, growled sufficiently loud on the
subject to satisfy Lord Derby it would not do. It was an
unrighteous plot, the zeal of the conspirators overshot their
mark, they mistook the national character, they thought long
endurance from the party that would unprotestantise the
Church arose from apathy on the subject, they now find John
Bull may be content to bear with the folly he despises, but
that he won't submit to incur dangers he knows to be real.
The Bishop called on the writer to give up the
authority for stating that he (the Bishop) had made
any statement as to the Queen's wishes. It appears
by the correspondence that the authority for this state
ment was wholly inaccurate, and it was corrected as
publicly as it was made. In the course of the cor-

1852. CHANCELLORSHIP OF UNIVERSITY. 149
respondence the charges so often made by men of the
extreme Low Church school of being a Romanizer,
encouraging confession, and the like, were brought
forward, and denied by the Bishop ; but a fragment
of one of this writer's last letters must be quoted to
explain the Bishop's reply.
I am glad to hear that you are with myself opposed
to the Romanizing party in the Church, but persons tell me
of intoning and other histrionic practices in your diocese.
The Bishop's answer was:
I do not like sending this without saying that in telling
you I had opposed warmly the system of confession, and the
whole system of the Romanizers, I did not include that
Cathedral service of the Church of England in which, as
Dean and Canon, it has been my duty to take part and
which I imagine you to mean by intoning ; and as to what
you term other histrionic practices, until I know what you
consider histrionic, I can form no judgment about it. The read
ing prayers in the surplice is an eminently histrionic practice
in some eyes. What I did mean to say was, that I belonged
to the school of the old Church of England and. had done all
I could, alike against Puritan sourness and Romanizing super
stition. The Chancellorship of the University of Oxford
became vacant on September 14 by the death of
the Duke of Wellington. The Duke of Newcastle
had been invited some time previously to allow his
name to be put forward as a candidate should a vacancy
occur. On September 1 7 a meeting was held of his
friends, the Bishop in the chair, of which the following
letter gives an account : —

150 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. iv.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Duke of Newcastle.
Cuddesdon Palace, Sep. 17, 1852.
My dear Duke of Newcastle, — I have just returned from
a meeting of the resident members of Convocation, the
doings of which I write to communicate in strict confidence
to you. It met at Oriel Common Room and consisted of
those members of Convocation generally who were most
anxious to see you succeed the Duke of Wellington as our
Chancellor. The subject was fully discussed and the opinion
of the majority was, in spite of their wishes, that it would be
wrong under present circumstances to the Church, the
University and yourself, to ask you to come forward. Of
this opinion I was and declared myself to be. The grounds
of it were simply these. We learned that all the Heads of
the Houses now in Oxford met yesterday and resolved to
bring Lord Derby forward and that a paper inviting him to
stand was actually signed by them, including Dr. Routh. Our
question then was, not in the abstract, whom we should most
wish to have : but, should we propose you as the competitor
of Lord Derby ? My full conviction and that of well-nigh
all was, that if we did, we could not carry you. The mass of
the country clergy would look at it simply as an attack on
the Conservative Government and vote against us. Lord
Derby would be brought in as the Low Church candidate ;
the whole effect of Gladstone's contest and success would be
lost. The University would be held to have corrected its
judgment and we should have damaged a great cause here,
secured another contest for Gladstone and injured you.
Under these circumstances seventeen voted that 'under
present circumstances it was not expedient to bring forward
any other candidate as an opponent of Lord Derby.' Two
voted against this resolution. Five, including myself as
Chairman, did not vote at all. I will not disguise from you
what you will readily believe, that knowing as I do your
character, trusting your Church principles and agreeing with
you generally in political views, I reached my conclusion of

I8S2. ELECTION OF LORD DERBY. 151
our duty with much pain. I am, my dear Duke of Newcastle,
very sincerely yours, s Qx0N
The next day, writing to Mr. Gladstone, the Bishop
says : —
I have been in great difficulties about the Chancellorship
of the University and the Duke of Newcastle ; I should far
prefer him but I am convinced we could not carry him and by
starting him may bring in Harrowby or Shaftesbury. I have
therefore advised that we do not oppose Lord Derby who
may I think, be brought in unanimously. It rather comforted
me to remember the way you spoke on this subject when
here. Mr. Gladstone agreed with the Bishop that the
Duke would have been the better appointment, though
he was satisfied with the choice of Lord Derby, his
only fear being that Lord Derby might fall into the
hands of an obstruction party.
The Duke entirely agreed with the advice which
the Bishop gave on this matter ; as although he would
not have objected to a single combat with Lord Derby,
he was fully conscious that, had there been a contest,
in all probability a third man would be brought for
ward. He said, replying to the Bishop's letter of
September 17 : —
' For the sake of the Church I shall rejoice that no new
element of discord and bitterness is produced by a contest
involving all the malignity and foul misrepresentation which
characterized one party in the late struggle for the representa
tion in Parliament.'
Writing to Archdeacon Wilberforce on September 22,
the Bishop says : —
You may have seen that I agreed to the inexpediency of

152 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. iV.
our friends bringing forward the Duke of Newcastle against
Lord Derby for our Chancellor. Abstractedly I should
greatly have preferred him, but I am convinced we could not
have carried him ; and being beaten should either have seen
Lord Derby brought in by the Low Church and thrown into
their arms or a third man step in. I suppose that the
' Morning Chronicle ' will be very wrath with me for it.'
The following letter shows who the friends of the
movement were in the Cabinet, and it furnishes a conj
tradiction to one of the many rumours that were afloat,
that Convocation was made a Cabinet question. Cer
tainly the Cabinet was never consulted on the matter
up to the meeting of Convocation on November 5 :

The Bishop ofOxfordto Archdeacon Wilberforce. Sept 22nd, 1852.
My beloved Brother, — . ... I had a satisfactory Ordina
tion. . . . Not one Low Churchman in the set. What a
remarkable feature this is in our present state and how very
full of hope. (Confidential) — I had an interview with Walpole,
at his desire on Monday, about Church matters and I pressed
strongly on him, and not without impression, the present
aspect of the Convocation question. It is refreshing to have
men in Government with a soul and, a conscience. I suppose
you have seen H. Exeter's furious philippic against the
church rate scheme ? If not, I will send it you with one or
two others, if you care to see them. In strict confidence, I
may say to you that Lord Derby and Walpole are for the
scheme. The Cabinet not yet consulted.
The following letter, written just before the meet^
ing, marks the course the Bishop ultimately decided
upon. The fears expressed in the letter were not
realised, as is shown by the sequel.

1852. DEBATE ON THE ADDRESS. 153
The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
Nov. 10th, 1852.
My dearest Brother, — I am going to move for appointing
at once Committees of both Houses on the Clergy Discipline
Bill and then hereafter to ask for license, &c. But I expect
that we shall be beat in both Houses ; so vigorous has been
the whip ; every sleepy Dean and every aspiring Archdeacon
having been whipped up to send his proxy, when he cannot
attend, to support the Archbishop. In my opinion, his
Grace has almost as effectually done our great work of pro
ceeding gradually to revive our synodical action, by thus
making the struggle real, as if he had let the Committee sit.
May God bless all for the Church's good and His Glory ! I
am, with great love, your most affectionate ^ Oxon
Convocation met formally on November 5. The
Lower House elected its . Prolocutor, and adjourned to
November 1 2. On that day it met for the despatch of
business for the first time for 135 years. In the Upper
House, besides the Archbishop, there were sixteen
Bishops. In the Lower House between eighty and
ninety Proctors attended. The account of the pro
ceedings in the Upper House is summarised from Mr.
Warren's ' Synodalia.' After some petitions had been
presented, the House proceeded to consider an address
to the Crown. To the draft proposed by the President
the Bishop of Oxford moved an amendment.
After consultation, the Archbishop proposed to his
suffragans that, on its rising, Convocation should be
continued to the next Tuesday, and the debate on the
address then resumed, and with the consent of the
Bishops it was so determined.
On Tuesday, November 16, the debate upon the
address was resumed. The Bishop of Oxford with-

154 LIFE OF. BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. iv.
drew his amendment in favour of one proposed by the
Bishop of Salisbury (Dr. Denison), and inserted a
clause in the draft address. He further moved for a
Committee to consider an address to Her Majesty on
the subject of Clergy Discipline, and to report to Con
vocation. This was carried and a Committee ap
pointed. On Wednesday the 17th, after some formal busi
ness had been transacted, Convocation was adjourned
till February 16, 1853.
It is much to be regretted that the above bare out
line should be the only record of this first meeting.
Reporters were excluded from the Upper House and
so the speech made by the Bishop is lost. Its nature
and power may be deduced from its effects which were
to convince the Bishop of Lincoln (Dr. Kaye), to
carry unanimously the draft address to the Crown and
to obtain the Committee on Clergy Discipline.
The Bishop's energy, tact and eloquence were re
warded by tokens of approaching success in the work
to which since 1840 he had devoted himself and of
returning vitality in the Church's Convocation which
for nearly a century and a half had been little more
than a legal fiction.
It is right to mention in this place that the Bishop
derived great assistance from his lay co-adjutor Mr.
Henry Hoare, who worked heartily with him for the
restoration of Convocation. The Bishop's energy
never flagged until he had won back step by step
nearly all the powers Convocation had lost. How
this was done will be shown in the sequel. The
diaries of 1853, 1854 and 1855 tell their own tale,
But the struggle was long and laborious. Not before
the last of the above-mentioned years was the first real

1852. RESIGNATION OF THE MINISTRY. 155
advance made and it was not till i860 that the second,
the obtaining a Royal Letter authorising the transac
tion of business, was accomplished.
In the earlier part of his task the Bishop had
moreover to contend against the hostility of the
Cabinet. Of the members of the Government only
Lord Derby and Mr. Walpole certainly were of opinion
that Convocation was not a sleeping or dead body, yet
they thought it should be only called into action on
specific subjects of vital importance to the Church.
Their answers to questions in both Houses of Parlia
ment showed that the Government was not prepared
to sanction the revival of Convocation as a Church
Parliament for the discussion of general subjects.
Before leaving this subject, the following extract
from a letter written on December 29 to Archdeacon
Wilberforce is inserted to show the pains the Bishop
took in keeping discussion on the subject out of the
newspapers. Some injudicious friends, delighted with
what had been done, were desirous of proclaiming their
triumph by newspaper articles. Such a course the
Bishop saw would be fatal to the movement.
I think I never told you that the silence as to which you
marvelled touching Convocation was in the 'John Bull,'
' Guardian,' and ' Morning Chronicle,' my doing, to keep all
asleep as long as we could act. It has been hard work
keeping the gag in  's mouth, as doubtless you who know
him so well will agree.'
On December 16 Lord Derby's Government fell.
On Sunday the 19th, Lord Aberdeen, in obedience to
the Queen's command, went to Osborne. Mr. Gordon
having communicated this, the Bishop writes. as fol
lows : —

156 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. IV

The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. A. Gordon.
Dec. 20, 1852.
My dear Mr. Gordon, — . . . I have to my closest intimates
for six months past said that it seemed to me, humanly
speaking, that the security of the Church and the throne
turned on whether the Queen got Lord Aberdeen or one of
the other chiefs of the mere Whig party as her Prime Minister
on the certain fall of Lord Derby's Government. I will, God
helping me, make it my daily prayer that he may be streng
thened for this great sacrifice he is making and guided in all
his ways. Will you, if you find a spare moment, say to Lord
Aberdeen in one word what I feel on the matter? I am
most sincerely yours, ~ r>vrvvr
The following letter further illustrates the Bishop's
opinion on the political situation : —

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce. Dec. 21st, 1852.
My dearest Brother, — My Ordination was a very interest
ing one. So many thoroughly good men in all ways. It
certainly is most encouraging to see many of the men who
come to me, and the Church must be wonderfully altering if
my Ordinations are any sort of sample. So our friends are in
at last. Though I am greatly grieved that Lord Derby's not
resigning and re-forming when the voice of the nation was
manifestly against Protection, seems to drive them into the
foul arms of the Whigs as allies. In some respects, however,
such an alliance may work well for the Church, if our people
are the head, as they are at present. The popishly-inclined
— Puseyite— Presbyterian— as I think the 'Record' called
Lord Aberdeen, being head. . . I am ever your most loving
brother, „ ^
S. OXON,

l«53- THE BISHOP'S DIARY. 1 57

CHAPTER V.
(1853-)
MR. GLADSTONE'S ELECTION FOR OXFORD— LETTERS TO PRINCE ALBERT AND
MR. GLADSTONE — CONVOCATION — DIFFICULTIES ON EVERY SIDE— LETTER
TO THE ARCHBISHOP— CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. GORDON— CONVERSA
TIONS WITH PRINCE ALBERT AND BARON STOCKMAR ON CONVOCATION —
HOUSE OF MERCY AT CLEWER— LETTER TO DR. PUSEY— IMPORTANT CON
VERSATION ON CONVOCATION— OPPOSITION IN THE HIGHEST QUARTERS —
THE BISHOP ON CHURCH GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE BRIBE OF PATRONAGE
—CANADA CLERGY RESERVES — THE BISHOP'S SPEECH — LORD DERBY'S
ATTACK— BARON STOCKMAR'S OPINION — COLONIAL CHURCH GOVERNMENT
BILL THROWN OUT IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS — LETTER TO THE ARCH
BISHOP ON CONVOCATION — THE ARCHBISHOP'S DISAPPROVAL — CORRE
SPONDENCE WITH SIR J. STEPHEN — PROFESSOR MAURICE --THE BISHOP'S
EFFORTS AT RECONCILIATION — LETTER TO MAURICE — CONDITIONS OF THE
WORLD TO COME -DECISION OF THE COUNCIL OF KING'S COLLEGE —
LETTERS TO MR. GLADSTONE, BISHOP OF LONDON, AND PROFESSOR
PLUMPTRE — ATTACK OF THE ' RECORD ' — LETTER FROM THE BISHOP
TO THE EDITOR — CONVERSATION WITH DR. DOLLINGER— RIDE WITH MR.
CARLYLE. Jan. i.1 — Early service at 7.30. I preached without notes
on Acts i. 7. The times and seasons in the Father's hands ; —
we receiving power, the natural and loving check to a fearful
curiosity about the future. Administered to 46, amongst them
most of my own family.
Jan. 2 (Sunday). — I preached at morning service at
Cuddesdon and administered with Hobhouse and Pott ; a good
attendance again, making 125 this Christmas. I trust that
there has indeed, of God's goodness, been a marked improve
ment in the state of this village during the last 7 years.
1 Paragraphs beginning in this way are extracts from the Bishop's diary — in
some instances it is so stated in the text— in others these extracts are inserted
without introduction. The reader may take it for granted that where a paragraph
occurs beginning with a date it is an extract from the Bishop's diary.

158 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. V.
jan- 7.— Rode with the boys and A. Gordon ; a had much
talk with him as to Lord Aberdeen's views on Convocation ;
fearful about it. Wishes to see me, and arrange terms if
possible. The following entry and letters refer to Mr. Glad
stone's candidature for the University of Oxford ; who,
having accepted the post of Chancellor of the Ex
chequer in the Coalition Ministry (of which Lord
Aberdeen was Premier), had to seek re-election. The
Marquis of Chandos having refused to contest the
seat, Mr. Dudley Perceval was at the last moment
brought forward ; he was proposed by Archdeacon
Denison and the opposition was based on Mr. Glad
stone's recent votes on ecclesiastical questions. As
will be seen, the Bishop was a warm supporter of Mr.
Gladstone's candidature.
Jan. 8. — Gladstone's majority increased. Marvellous to
say, Bennett, after all Gladstone's self-devotion, came up from
Frome to vote against him. Such is man ! Heard from and
wrote to the Prince, telling him openly the feeling about
Lord John Russell.

The Bishop of Oxford to H.R.H. Prince Albert,
Cuddesdon Palace, Jan. 8, 1853. (
Sir, — I feel deeply the degradation of my university in
this disgraceful contest. But your Royal Highness will allow
me to say (1) That in the minds of the vast majority of the
resident members, there is not a shadow of hesitation as to
2 The Hon. A. Gordon, private secretary to his father Lord Aberdeen.
Mr. Gordon wishes me to state, that the term ' private secretary ' is far from
conveying any idea of the relations of confidence which existed between him and
his father. For many years neither of them received a letter which the other did
not see, and it may be safely assumed that Lord Aberdeen was fully cognizant of
the substance, of every letter written by him. — Ed.

1853. ELECTION FOR OXFORD. 1 59
supporting Mr. Gladstone on the highest grounds. (2) That
the opposition from the country is to be traced, I verily
believe, to one strong feeling, which the Carlton Club has
worked upon with considerable skill. Mr. Gladstone's old
supporters would have borne from him anything except a
union with Lord John Russell, who has unfortunately con
centrated in himself a most unusual amount of distrust and
indignation by his conduct, or supposed conduct, in adminis
tering the patronage of the Crown.
On the same day he writes to Mr. Gladstone, en
closing the then state of the poll : Gladstone, 468.
Perceval, 41 2.3
I cannot forbear sending you one line to say that I
breathe again now that I hope that my University may
escape the degradation which, the day before yesterday,
seemed to threaten us. For you, I cannot doubt that, with the
distinction you have been able to achieve for yourself, it would
be far better to be in another seat than in one the electors to
which are liable to be swayed by the crazy arrogance of such
a man as ... I can forgive even your brother voting against
you ; but after your fearless notices on the eve of an election, all
the unpopularity of your anti-Horsman labours in re Frome, I
do not know how to forgive Bennett. Succeeding or defeated,
may God bless you, my dear friend. I am, ever yours very
affectionately, s 0xQN
The following letter best explains the reasons for
the Bishop's strenuous efforts on behalf of Mr. Glad
stone, apart from his feeling of friendship.
¦ The poll was closed on January 20 (having been open for fifteen days) with
a majority of 124 for Mr. Gladstone.

160 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap, v.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. Dr. Farley.
Cuddesdon Palace, Jan. io, 1853.
My dear Dr. Farley, — Your uniform kindness to me leads
me to venture to address a few words to you, which I beg
you to treat as most strictly confidential, on a very delicate
subject. It was mentioned to me that our common friend
Dr. Faussett had pressed you to vote against Mr. Gladstone.
Now I should not speak to you on such a subject because Mr.
Gladstone is my dear and intimate friend, nor on any merely
political ground but, knowing that with you, as with me,
the interests of our apostolic Church are above all other con
siderations, I venture to say to you that, knowing a great deal
of the interior of things in this last change, I am persuaded,
(1) that Mr. Gladstone would have preferred a union with
others ; (2) that they and not he, made that union impossible ;
(3) that his serving and the serving of his friends in this
Government is from the purest and highest motive of serving
the Sovereign and the Church, and (4) that the interests of
our Church are as deeply involved in maintaining him in
power as they can be in any such human event.
Mr. Perceval's real supporters are the ultra Low-Church-.
men who, through the National Club, sent round the circulars
to stir up our churchwardens against the clergy and led to
the ' Letter-to-the-Bishop-of-Durham ' excitement against our
Church. Under these convictions, I would venture, in spite
of their counsel, to hope that your vote would be for Mr.
Gladstone. I am, very sincerely yours, ~ Oyon
Jan. 1 1. — Letter from A. Gordon, utterly dispiriting, about
Lord Aberdeen's views on Convocation. I am to see him
on Friday thereon. Prayed earnestly, and hope to do so
daily, for wisdom, faithfulness, courage and persuasiveness to
argue the high cause of attempting to put the Church on a
more liberal and real footing with him. Miserere mei Domine,
and give me strength.

1853- LORD ABERDEEN'S FIRST OPINIONS. l6l
The letter was as follows : —
On my arrival in town I was concerned to find that the
opposition to Mr. Gladstone, the visit to Windsor and, as I
cannot but suppose, a conversation with Lord John — have
combined to diminish the favour with which my father was
once disposed to regard the Convocation movement but
which has certainly been on the wane for the last few
months. We walked up as usual from the office to Argyll
House. I began business by saying that you were to be in
town on Thursday but that you had expressed your willing
ness to come up for the promised interview on any day he
might name. He hurriedly replied, ' But can I see him ?
ought I ? I can't enter into his views, you know. I can't
allow them to sit.' I observed that he himself had invited
the interview and could not well now refuse to hear your
arguments. ' Very well, very well, but it can't go on, it must
be stopped, I tell you.' I remarked that I had no reason to
believe you desired a long session but that any direct attempt
on the part of the Crown to ' stop ' it would be a novel pro
ceeding, and would irritate all parties. ' I like your " novel
proceeding," is it not a novel proceeding on their part to hold
any but merely formal meetings ? Does not, this make it
high time for novel proceedings on our side ? Do you think
I am going to tolerate them by a side wind because the Arch
bishop is a poor, vain, weak, silly creature who they can
bully with impunity ? '
After a considerable pause, he added in a different manner,
' Will they consent to be prorogued on the 16th ? ' I re
plied that you had an address ready or nearly ready and I
believed you did not at present wish to go any further, but
that of course it was impossible to say how long the de
bate might last. ' Very well, they may talk till midnight
on the 1 6th if they like and pass the address if they can, but
they must not adjourn again. As it is already, I have had
great difficulty in keeping down a clerical opposition and
have only succeeded by saying that Convocation would be
content with one more meeting.'

VOL. II.

M

1 62 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. V.
Yesterday, whilst walking together, I resumed the conver
sation by saying, ' You spoke yesterday of a clerical opposi
tion to Convocation. I suppose you have taken means to
ascertain that it is a bond fide opposition and not the act of
some factious individuals ? ' ' By no means ; — Montagu Villiers
is to be the mouthpiece of the party ; he was to get up and
protest against business being done, and call for the inter
position of the Crown, and then, whatever happened, the
scandal would be great ; but, as I told you, I have warded
that off for one day.'
After a little while he went on, ' They never could stand
for a day. The country is dead against them, so are half the
clergy ; — and I don't see what they want ; — any Bishop can
bring in a Bill, and if he thinks the assent of the clergy re
quisite, an informal meeting of delegates would represent
them far better than Convocation. They would only hasten
the inevitable smash. Your friend is right who says the
Church of England is two Churches only held together by
external forces. This unnatural apparent union cannot last
long, but we may as well defer the separation as long as
possible.' The Bishop's answer is as follows : —
The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. A. Gordon.
Jan. n, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — I must not disguise from you the pairi
which your letter has given me : the more acute, the more
earnest my desire to support with all my power the Govern
ment of your father. I am, however, sincerely thankful to
him for giving me an opportunity of speaking to him on the
subject, and, with the prayer which, since you asked me to do
so, I have constantly offered for him, I shall join this new
subject of petition. I greatly trust that I may at least show
him that my view is no wild or exaggerated notion, and
that it is not advocated in a bigoted or arrogant tone, or aims

1853. UNREALITY OF A SILENT CONVOCATION. 163
at establishing any impossible priestly supremacy. I am,
ever very sincerely yours, ~ /~vvnTJ
Jan. 14. — To London with Bishop Blomfield, arranging
thoughts for Lord Aberdeen, and much in prayer. Pleaded
the cause as well as I could, on largest grounds. Lord Aber
deen evidently hampered by his Cabinet, but meaning well
and fairly. Think we may in this agree. Off to Cuddesdon,
and wrote to the Archbishop.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Rail, Jan. 1$, 1853.
My dear Lord, — I was so long with Lord Aberdeen that
I had not an instant in which to get to you. The substance
of his conversation was this : —
I. He admitted as logically true and as manifest
common sense, the Church's claim, in the abstract, to internal
self-government. II. That the solemn summoning of a silent Convocation
was a great unreality ; but
III. He urged that it had been so for 150 years, and that
any change must be made deliberately and with the assent
of enlightened public opinion.
IV. That we had this time made a great step ; that, if we
could bring that step to a safe and prosperous conclusion, we
should have made a second.
V. That to secure this end we ought to avoid any hostile
conclusion ; that it would be most undesirable for us to have
the new Cabinet forced to consider as a Cabinet question the
revival of Convocation ; that this would be forced on by
questions in Parliament or direct motions if we adjourned
for further business on the 16th ; that anything we could
complete on the 16th he thought we might do safely.
Further, he said he thought that an Address to the Crown
would be an unwise mode of proceeding because it would
require an answer. He thought that a Resolution of both
M 2

1 64 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
Houses would be the better course, which might be founded
on the report of our Committee. Further, that it would be
better for us to agree to heads (which should be included in a
Bill which you, e.g., might introduce into Parliament), rather
than to the Bill in extenso ; because in case we actually drew
up the Bill and placed it in extenso in the Report, there would
be more room for the charge of having sought to legislate
without license being brought against us.
If you agree with me in thinking that we ought to adopt
these suggestions, I think our practical course should be
this : That you should call together the Committee of Bishops
at the earliest possible day, in order that we may ' determine
on the course to be taken in discussing the heads of the pro
posed Bill with the Committee of the Lower House.'
It is of such moment that we should be thoroughly pre
pared with our own plans that I should be very glad if you
would send at once a few lines summoning us on Thursday
next at one, if that day is open to you, it being the only one
I can command. Will you excuse the unnatural writing and
somewhat blotted state of these sheets, the result of railroad
writing and not blotting ? I am, ever affectionately yours,
S. Oxon.

The Hon. Arthur Gordon to the Bishop of Oxford.
Jan. 17, 1853.
My dear Lord, — I am instructed to ask whether you can
send my father a copy of the Address which has already been
agreed to by Convocation ? It is in the newspapers, I know,
but you may have it, perhaps, printed in another form. I see
there is a great hankering for a Crown prorogation, if not
dissolution, even before the 16th. Yours most faithfully,
Arthur H, Gordon,

i853- CONVERSATION WITH PRINCE ALBERT. i6 =

The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. A. Gordon^
Jan. 1 8, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — I have not a copy of the Address nor
do I believe it was ever printed in the papers in extenso.
You Would get a MS. copy at once by sendingto Mr. J. H.
Dyke, the Archbishop's officer in Doctors Commons. God
forbid that any such measure as you glance at should be
adopted. It would light up such a flame as none living
might see the end of. Remember that the Address, a most
moderate one, was agreed to, not only nemine contradicente,
but all, including the Archbishop, entirely assenting ; and to
refuse to receive such an address, when there is no precedent
whatever for not receiving one, would be so violent a stretch
of the prerogative as would drive too many to madness. We
are working hard for Gladstone still. Depend upon it, our
enemies in this cause are the deadly enemies of your father's
Government. Most sincerely yours, <, pvvnisr
Jan. 19. — Off after early breakfast to Windsor. Long
talk with the Prince in his room on Convocation. Tried to
set plainly before him our needs, and internal action the only
remedy. He spoke, as always, kindly and plainly, and paid
great attention to my view. The Queen kind in manner.
The Prince full of preparation for invasion, discussing with
Lord Clarendon and me the need of having barracks about
thirty miles from London, e.g. Reigate* Reading, &c, con
nected with meshwork of railways to form second line of
defence, ' We are strong up to Lt.-,Cols., but we have no one
who could bring up large bodies of men and artillery.'
Jan. 20. — Chapel and breakfast, and talk with Stockmar on
Church matters. He, as always, very sensible ; promised to talk
thereon with Lord Aberdeen. Off for London. Meeting of
Committee of Convocation; agreed to our course, to cir
culate a bill with a letter I drew up stating that we intended
to draw from it the heads of the measure we should propose'
to Parliament. Bishops London, Winchester, S. David's,
Chichester and self all of one mind.

1 66 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.

The Hon. A. Gordon to the Bishop of Oxford.
Jan. 19, 185.3.
My dear Lord, — It is very difficult for me to say anything
about my father's intentions, for I think he has not made any
very definite resolution himself. The only thing which appears
to be irrevocably fixed is the limitation of the session to a
single day, and he talks of seeing the Archbishop in order to
effect this. I hope that he has altogether abandoned the
idea of anticipating this session by a prorogation ; but a
second day's sitting will inevitably ensure the interference of
the Crown. Your arguments made a strong impression upon
him personally but he will not yield to them. Pray let me
know the result of your deliberation to-morrow. Of course
you will not communicate my father's sentiments to anyone
but the Bishop of London. Most sincerely yours,
A. H. Gordon.

The Bishop of Oxf or d to the Hon. A. Gordon.
Jan. 23, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — I have no doubt but that I shall be
able to bring matters through in one day's sitting. Of course
if Lord Aberdeen, as he thought possible, could secure the
co-operation towards this end of the Villiers and Elliott
section in the Lower House, it would be more certain. All
agreed heartily to my propositions, as laid before our last
committee. I observed with them strictly your injunction
as to silence on your father's views. With one person
besides the Bishop of London I have taken the liberty of
speaking generally as to his view, but he is one of the safest
•of men — Baron Stockmar. I was, for reasons you will easily
conceive, anxious to set my views before him and he volun
teered, * I will speak to Lord Aberdeen about it.' So I put
liim, under charge of confidence, in possession of your father's
views. I had a long and confidential talk with tlie Prince on

I8S3- THE CLEWER HOUSE OF MERCY. 167
the subject but did not with him allude to Lord Aberdeen's
opinions. I hope that nothing will be said to the Archbishop
to lead him to say we must not adjourn, &c. He is not
strong enough to be trusted to carry out such a line and a
threat from him would provoke opposition. It would, in my
judgment, be far safer for Lord Aberdeen's own conclusion if
he will leave the matter in the hands it now is, and I think I
can engage that, if so, we will adjourn on the 16th without
any great explosion.
The next extract from the Diary refers to the
House of Mercy at Clewer, to which from the beginning
the Bishop gave the most heedful attention.
Jan. 24. — From Oxford by train to Windsor, where
Carter [Rev. Canon Carter] met me and to Clewer. Service
in house. Addressing penitents. Then admitting Sister  ,
and then long and private discourse with Mrs.  . She
opened to me Pusey's influence. She had been taken to
Pusey by her late husband, and could not, out of regard to
his memory, renounce Pusey as a guide. Long talk at night
with Carter, &c. Resolved that for the future the rule should
be universal : none should be admitted who would not, whilst
in it, be contented with the spiritual aid of Bishop or Chap
lains, or that it would become a mere nest of true Puseyites.
Also on a full and absolute removal of crucifixes.
Jan. 25. — Early to Holy Communion at the house. There
saw Mrs.  and told her my decision. She approved.
She said she had no doubt Sister  would go if she was
required to give up the crucifix. I replied that if so she was
not for us.
Immediately after the foregoing entry the Bishop
wrote to Dr. Pusey, telling him of the decision he had
come to and explaining that this decision was not
directed especially at him but at ^foreign influences.
Dr. Pusey's answer can be gathered from the follow
ing letter.

1 68. LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.

The Bishop of Oxford to Rev. Dr. Pusey.
Feb. 7, 1853.
My dear Dr. Pusey, — I am much obliged by your very
kind letter. The principle upon which I act may be stated
very briefly. Sisterhoods are at present an experiment
amongst us ; a failure at this moment might deprive us of
them permanently. I therefore am bound to use every pre
caution to prevent failure. I believe therefore that I do right
in adopting a rule which secures us from unascertainable
spiritual influence and counsels, even at the risk of restricting
the number of applicants, and I may reasonably ask those
who engage with me in it to surrender some personal advan
tages (if it be such a surrender) for this work of God, trusting
to Him to make up, Himself, whatever of outward aid they,
forfeit. I am, ever most sincerely yours, q qxon
Jan. 26 (Peterboro'). — Breakfast at the Palace. The
Bishop's (Davys) story, 'The Queen always had from my
first knowing her a most striking regard to truth. I re
member when I had been teaching her one day, and she
was very impatient for the lesson to be over and once or
twice rather refractory, the Duchess of Kent came in and
asked how she had behaved. Lehzen 4 said, " Oh, once she was
rather troublesome." The Princess touched her and said,
" No, Lehzen ; twice, don't you remember ? " The Duchess of
Kent too was a woman of great truth.'
On Jan. 31, Mr. Gordon writes, saying that a highly
important conversation had taken place with regard to
Convocation. The first question discussed was the
power of the Crown to interfere at any stage in the
proceedings of Convocation. It was answered that the
power was undoubted, and had been exercised over
and over again. It was next asked, whether granting
* Madame Lehzen held the position of sub-governess to the Princess Victoria
for many years.

1853. GOVERNING THE CHURCH BY PATRONAGE. 169
the legality of discussions on certain subjects without
the Queen's license, such discussions were likely to be
attended with danger to the interest and influence of
the Church. The next inquiry was whether the danger
was one which imperatively called for the interference
of the Crown. It was then asked whether a brief dis
cussion might not be so managed and moderated as to
be harmless, without any necessity of bringing it to an
arbitrary close. This was still more reluctantly ad
mitted than the former propositions had been, and it
was urged that to bring such management to a successful
issue it would be necessary, not only to fortify the Arch
bishop by strong assurances of support, but also to take
an early opportunity of declaring to Parliament that
the Government regarded with the utmost disapproba
tion all plans for the revival of synodical action. One
of those present (a person of considerable importance)
recommended that a system of marked disfavour should
be adopted and steadily persevered in towards those
who promulgated ' principles likely to disturb the peace
of the Church ; ' and he observed that even the most
active, ambitious and talented of the High Church party
were not likely long to hold principles which permanently
excluded them from preferment. The next question
was the advisability of issuing a Commission. Mr.
Gordon says : 'My father has privately desired me to
make out a list of names for a Commission which
would be accepted by our friends. . . . You are sadly
mistaken if you suppose Stockmar to be at all favour
able to the cause.' Mr. Gordon enclosed two lists, in
both of which the Bishop's name was omitted, his
reason being, that had it been inserted it would have
been necessary to put in Dean Elliott or some other
leader on that side.

1 70 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
The Bishop's reply is as follows : —
The Bishop ofOxfordto Hon. A. Gordon.
Feb. 2, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — I am surprised at the reluctance
shown to Lord Aberdeen's idea of a Commission of Inquiry
because, in the conversation to which I referred in my last,
that very plan was suggested by the very influential person
to whom, I suppose, you allude. I have no doubt that it is
the only safe way in which a Government, which is not pre
pared to allow Convocation to feel its way, however gently,
to a revival of its functions, can meet the present needs and
desires of the Church. But the composition of such a body
must be, of course, a matter of difficulty. I think it ought to
consist of the best men who are willing to act on it, and who —
from position, character, and known attention to the subject,
might naturally be on it (provided always that they have
been temperate, reasonable, and unfactious in their conduct) ;
balancing those supposed to have a bias towards one side by
those supposed to have a bias towards the other ; so that the
pro's and the con's may be thoroughly sifted.
And here 1 will at once deal with my own case to illus
trate my meaning. I think that if such a Commission is
issued, I ought to be on it because I fulfil those conditions,
and that my exclusion would be understood by the Church
only in one of two ways — either, ist, as implying that a
decision contrary to all modes of internal Church action was
the foregone conclusion of the Commission ; or else, 2nd,
that there had been something so factious and unreasonable
in my mode of advocating the question that it must be thus
marked. The first would be unjust alike to your father's
honesty in issuing the Commission, and to the Church ; the
second would, I submit, be unjust to me who have, by God's
help, so acted in this matter as to restrain the impetuous and
prevent excess and to give no pain to my opponents, but
instead, to win a hostile majority to apt unanimously with

1853. AN IMMORAL AND FATAL POLICY. IJI
me. In no parallel case, so far as I know, has any public man
known to be interested in such a matter been thus excluded
from the Commission. Lord Blandford sits with me at this
time on the Chapter Commission, on this very ground. And
it is only by thus leaving in the brains on both sides that
a true result can be honestly hoped for. But then I quite
allow that I should be balanced ; not, however — pardon me
for saying so plainly — by Dean Elliott, or such as he. If you
wish to balance him, you must take an intemperate zealot on
the other side ; . . . would be a good counterpoise. But ex
clude of course such men on both sides. The proper man to
balance me, and one who ought to be on such a Commission,
is the Bishop of Winchester, a brother Bishop, and one whose
presence would be to the great body of the Evangelical clergy
the same assurance of fairness that mine would be to the
great mass of moderate orthodox Churchmen.
The letter then goes through the other names in
the two lists — suggesting, approving, &c. ; but as the
Commission was never issued that part is omitted.
I think any declaration of the Government before the
16th would be very undesirable as making the course of those
who wish to guide the more ardent into a peaceable adjourn
ment at the close of that day far more difficult, unless indeed
the Government announced a Commission of Inquiry. The
idea of the Archbishop needing support is entirely unreal.
If he were opposed by violent men, the case would be quite
different ; but if we can agree only to do what can be done
on the 1 6th, and then adjourn as usual, what is there to sup
port him against ? He will be quite content with this, or any
other course which is pointed out to him. As to the miserable
suggestion of governing the Church through the bribe of
patronage, I earnestly trust that your father may be kept
from so ruinous a course. It was acting on this principle
which has made Lord John Russell so detested by nine-
tenths of the clergy as a detected briber of men to betray
their trust. Most surely it is an immoral and fatal policy, for

Til!

172" LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
it proceeds on the supposition that men will for the sake of
obtaining preferment hold on such subjects one view and act
on its opposite, and the effect of this must be that the most
honourable and upright men will be thrown into indignant
opposition, and crafty time-servers fill the highest trusts in
the Church of Christ. I dread to contemplate the state into
which the continuance of such a miserable policy for a few
years would inevitably plunge us. Let real agitators indeed
be marked, as they ought to be in any profession ; but let the
Church, as a profession, have the same fair.play which is given
to the army, or the bar. I am, most sincerely yours, S. OXON.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. A. Gordon.
Feb. 4, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — I enclose you, in confidence, 3 letters
received to-day, which will show you that there will be far
more difficulty than I anticipated in getting the enemies of
your father's Government to assent to adjourning on the 16th.
Specially the Bishop of Exeter, who, as you know, is a vehe
ment politician. Would it be possible to get a statement
from Lord Aberdeen, before the 1 6th, of his intention of in
quiry ? This would give us all we want in the way of power
of making friendly terms. Most sincerely yours, S. OXON.
Feb. 9. Ash Wednesday. — With Lord Aberdeen after
Church, by appointment. Free and pleasant talk about Con
vocation, — showed him a draft of report. He objecting that it
was too detailed to get decision on. Committee (of Convo
cation) again suggested alterations. Dined with Bishop of
London. Sat up all night writing University sermon.
Feb. 10. — Attended Committee of Convocation again,
passed my draft of the address.
The next day the Bishop writes to Mr. Gordon

i8S3- THE CANADA CLERGY RESERVES. 173
on the question of the Canada Clergy Reserves Bill.
This Bill was introduced into the House of Commons
by Mr. Frederick Peel on behalf of the Government, to
enable the Canadian Legislature to sell certain lands
called the Clergy Reserves. These Reserves, amount
ing to half a million acres, had become the property of
the clergy in the following way : — By an Act of Parlia
ment passed in 1791 the Province of Canada was
divided into an Upper and Lower Province, each with
its own Legislature and by that Act it was provided that
whenever any land was allotted in Upper Canada, one-
seventh was to be reserved for the maintenance of the
clergy. In Lower Canada the proportion was greater ;
the result was this great accumulation of land, divided
by the allotments into blocks of about 200 acres in
extent, mostly in an uncultivated state. In 1840 the
Provinces were united; and in 1850 the Canadian
Legislature voted an address to the Crown, praying to
be allowed to deal with the land. Upon this the
Government introduced this Bill, which, in spite of the
most strenuous opposition, became law.
I heard last night notice given of a Bill on Clergy
Reserves. Now I have undertaken to present a petition on
the subject from Canada to our House, I should of course
speak respectfully of the supposed intention of the future
Bill, and that it was intended to maintain the Church's just
rights. I wish you could ascertain for me whether it would
be more convenient for me to present it on Tuesday next
with such anticipations, or to wait the coming up of the Bill.
The following is on the same subject.

174 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE chap. v.

The Bishop of Oxford to Hon. A. Gordon.
Feb. 16, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — I have now, as far as I have been able
in the time, refreshed my memory as to the Clergy Reserve
question. My view is (1) that the question of the Clergy
Reserves is one which may properly, and therefore ought to
be, left to the Colonial Legislature to settle, and that in so
doing, there is the best chance of maintaining the claim of the
Church to endowment out of them. (2) I am disposed to
doubt whether there is not some claim of justice in the plea
that, if at this instant they were handed over to a Ministry
(Colonial) that was pledged to their secularisation, this must
follow ; and therefore (3) I should much like to consider
whether they might not be handed over to the Colonial
Legislature on a certain day, to be fixed in this Act, which
should give time to prevent any accidental majority finally
fixing the question of secularisation. But this last is only an
idea. Now, in this sense I should be perfectly ready to
speak, and I am very sorry that I did not know that the
matter was coming on yesterday, when I might have felt sure
of my ground, and spoken. But here is now my difficulty :
my only plea for speaking is the Petition I named to you,
I have read it for the first time since I saw you, this evening ;
and it is very strong in the contrary sense. It was sent me by
Archdeacon Bethune with his pamphlet, also very strong in the
opposite sense. Now, the question is, Can I honourably pre
sent the petition, which I presume was given me in the con
viction I should support, in order to oppose it ? I have driven
about since in order (1) to find Archdeacon Bethune that I
might get from him a clear understanding, but he is out of town.
(2) To see the Bishop of Quebec ; I have found him, but he is
quite unable to say a word on behalf of the Archdeacon.
Now, your father is not only an honourable man, but also
well acquainted with Parliament ; and if he is of opinion that
in making such an use of such a petition sent to me, I shall
be acting with perfect uprightness, I will send my notice to-

1853- LORD ABERDEEN'S ADVICE. 175
morrow. But if he entertains a shadow of a doubt, I -am
certain I could do more for the right cause by awaiting the
debate and then supporting it, than by doing anything which,
by being near the wind, might expose me to the easily-cast
imputation of doing a doubtful thing to support a friendly
Government. I am, ever most truly yours, ~ „
Lord Aberdeen's reply was that, although he had
known such a thing done and had done it himself, yet
he considered in this instance that it would be better for
the Bishop to avoid a course which might be open to
misconstruction. He further said that he considered
it most desirable that it should be speedily known that
the Bishop of Exeter, who had the day before made
an intemperate speech on the subject in the House of
Lords, was not the mouthpiece of the Bench. Further,
he desired Mr. Gordon to convey
'his own and the Duke of Newcastle's sincere delight at
seeing you thus disposed to adopt the line which, they believe
to be, not only politically just but also that best calculated to
maintain the Church in Canada.'
The following letter shows that Lord Aberdeen
consulted the Duke of Newcastle on the subject of the
Bishop's letter.

The Duke of Newcastle to the Earl of Aberdeen.
My dear Lord Aberdeen, — Though sorry not to have the
benefit of an early announcement of the support of the Bishop
of Oxford, I can have no hesitation as to the wisdom and
propriety of your advice to him. It would never do for him
to play the part of Balaam and being called by Bethune to
curse his enemies, to bless them altogether. I am, yours very
sincerely- Newcastle.

1 76 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
Feb. \S- — To House. Found debate on Clergy Reserves
on. Bishop of Exeter Violent and unfair and personal.
Excellent answer of Duke of Newcastle. I should have
spoken against Bishop of Exeter, but had not got it up and,
being for Government, was shy of doing so ; very sorry after
that I had not done so.
Feb. 16.— Convocation. All day in.s Much tired. Long.
ing to go to Grillion's, but having so much to do, thought it
better not. Sir T. Acland came in late and told me. Ex
cellent dinner, and the two I had voted for elected, H. Drum-
mond and Thesiger. H. D., ignoring our existence, and
then, ' I believe I have been up for ballot for 30 years.'
The Bishop, unable to find Archdeacon Bethune,
wrote the following letter about his presenting the
petition.

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Bethune. Feb. 17, 1853.
My dear Archdeacon,— I endeavoured to find you last
night to learn your wishes about the petition you put into my
hands under the following circumstances :— I approve of the
Government proposal to transfer the whole power over the
Clergy Reserves to the Colonial Legislature and I think the
Church efforts ought to be directed, not to resisting this but
to securing that the Colonial Legislature should not secularize
the property. This, I have great hope, might be secured if,
with a generous yielding of the Imperial control, the due use
to be made of their power were pressed on the colony. Per
haps, too, a time might be interposed before the Colonial
Legislature had the power. I could then heartily and, as I
believe, most effectively speak against the secularisation of
this property ; but I could not do other than support the
, 5 The Upper House of Convocation met in the Bounty Office, the Lower in the
Jerusalem Chamber. Her Majesty's answer to the Address agreed on at the last
meeting was read, various petitions were presented, and the Archbishop brought
the .proceedings to a close in the afternoon.

1853. DEATH OF THE BISHOP OF LINCOLN. 177
justice of giving the control of these possessions to the Co
lonial Legislature. Now, not knowing whether this would
meet your view and that of those whom you represent, I
have forborne presenting the petition, that you may, if you
will, put it into other hands. It is at 26 Pall Mall, if you wish
to claim it. Will you let me know early your mind ? Let
ters are to reach me at Banbury till Monday inclusive. I
am, ever yours, $.0*0*.
Feb. 20.— Heard to-day of the death of the Bishop of
Lincoln (Kaye). Much affected by it. It depresses me
sorely. May I learn ' the night cometh when no man can
work.' On February 25, Mr. Gordon writes, saying that
Lord Derby had given notice that he would on the 28th
present certain petitions relating to the Canada Clergy
Reserves ; and that Lord Aberdeen and the Duke of
Newcastle hoped that the Bishop would be present
and speak, as they attached great importance to his
declaration on the subject being made soon. The
following letter to his brother refers to this, as well as
the appointment to Lincoln.

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
Claydon, Feb. 23, 1853.
My dearest Brother, — You will be watching with interest
the appointment of the new Bishop of Lincoln. I may say
to you in confidence that it will be Lord Aberdeen's own
appointment, and not Lord John's. It will therefore even
if not all we could wish, be honestly made with a view to the
Church's efficiency and not dishonestly, to promote a party.
What is your view on the Clergy Reserves ? I cannot un
derstand any principle on which we can withhold that ques
tion from the local legislature, especially if we wish them to
VOL. 11. N

178 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. v.
settle for themselves, by some such bill as Gladstone's, their
own spiritual relations to us. Bishop Broughton's 6 death at
this moment is a great loss. Your ever-loving brother,
S. Oxon.
Feb. 28. — To the House. Replied to Lord Derby. Kept the
thread of my argument well. But did what I had meant not
in too much speaking to persons, and exhibiting too much
contempt for some very weak counter arguments. Lord
Clarendon came to thank me for my speech, as most excel
lent, &c. Did not feel in the least elated but as almost vexed
with myself for not coming near my ideal. To-night I think
I was too argumentative.
In the speech referred to here, replying to the
Bishop of Exeter, who had quoted Mr. Wilberforce as
holding different views and had said that the Bishop
of Oxford had robbed his father of his highest honour
(his name), the Bishop thus feelingly alluded to the
charge. I will refer to one thing in the speech of the right rev.
prelate on Friday evening. I know he did not mean what
he said unkindly, but it will be in the recollection of noble
lords that he drew a very long, a very plausible and I am
sure I may call it a very ingenious argument from the con
duct of one very dear to me ; and to bear whose name is my
highest honour and greatest blessing. The right rev. prelate
declared that I had robbed that name of its highest honour
by the argument I had used on this question. My lords, I
must beg you to pause before you agree in that opinion, for
I can assure you that there is no feeling dearer to my heart
than the honour of that honoured name. I deem it to be my
greatest boast to be sprung from one who, gifted with the
vastest opportunities, with the friendship, the closest friend
ship, of England's greatest minister, the highest powers, the
" Bishop Broughton was Bishop of Sydney. He died in England.

1853- A PERILOUS INHERITANCE. 1 79
most commanding social position, used them all for no per
sonal aggrandisement, and died a poor commoner — a poorer
man than when he entered public life, seeing every one of his
contemporaries raised to wealth and hereditary honours,
leaving to his children no high rank or dignity, according to
the notions of this world, but bequeathing to them the peril
ous inheritance of a name which the Christian world vene
rated. My lords, I cannot bear that it should be said, though
in the most oblique way, or by any deduction from what I
say, it should be held, that I have for an instant derogated
from his fame.
On the next day he writes to his brother as
follows : —

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
Culverton, March I, 1853.
My dearest Brother, — Jackson of St. James's is to be the
new bishop. Longley is offered Lincoln, if he wishes to change.
It is quite a respectable appointment, and Lord Aberdeen
told the Bishop of London, in great confidence, that making
it first was, he was convinced, the way to enable him here
after to make the men who for the last eight years had been
systematically excluded. You will see by the papers that I
went up and said my say last night. I suppose I shall be
well abused by ' Herald ' and ' Record ' for being a traitor ;
but, holding those opinions, I think I was bound to state them
early. Pray write and tell me how far you agree with my
speech. You know how I lean on your opinion. The ap
pointment of Jackson turned at last on a feather's weight.
I will tell you all when we meet. Not Field : 7 I think that
notion is gone by, and I am not sorry. Translation from the
Colonies would do harm. Here I am with three Confirma
tions to-day and deep snow. I am ever thinking of you, my
' Bishop of Newfoundland, whose appointment to an English See had been
talked of.
N 2

1 80 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. V.
beloved brother. I pray you take care of yourself. I know
not what I could do without you, you kind, good, true, wise
and helpful friend of forty-two conscious years. I am, your
ever-loving, g_ 0xQNi
Mr. Gordon, writing on March 1, says : —
' My father desires me to return you his warmest thanks
for your admirable speech of last night.'
On March 7, the Bishop writes to Mr. Gladstone,
saying : —
I must thank you in one line for your defence of me
against Sir John Pakington. It is worth while to be often
so attacked to be so defended by you.
The occasion here referred to was the second read
ing of the Canada Clergy Reserves Bill in the House
of Commons. Sir J. Pakington, speaking against the
second reading, commented on the Bishop's speech in
the House of Lords on February 28. ' The Times ' of
March 5 reports Mr. Gladstone's speech as follows : —
The right hon. gentleman has been pleased to advert
to the speech of a right rev. prelate in another place as a
speech of plausible fallacies in support of the present bill.
He was astonished that the right hon. gentleman should have
thought himself entirely warranted with so much coolness, to
set down as plausible fallacies what other hearers of that
right rev. prelate had described as not among the least bril
liant orations ever delivered by one who was certainly among
the first of our public speakers. (Loud cheers.) But he
(Mr. Gladstone") did not wish to dwell upon the merit of his
public speaking, but upon the merit of his speech. He was
glad that a bishop of the Church of England was able, from
the strength of his mind, his keen sense of justice and the
courage with which he defended what he believed to be right,

1853. COLONIAL NOT IMPERIAL LEGISLATION. 181
to come forward and declare himself a supporter of a bill like
this, notwithstanding the obloquy which, especially among
his profession, might attach itself to such support. He be
lieved the right rev. prelate judged well and wisely (hear, hear)
in the support he gave to this bill. (Hear, hear.)
The next letter quoted is to the Bishop of Quebec,
who came over as the representative of the Bishops
of British North America. As will be seen by the
answer, he differed from the line taken by Bishop
Wilberforce.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Bishop of Quebec.
Trafalgar, April 18, 1853.
My dear Lord, — I beg to thank you heartily for your
kind and most affecting letter. I cannot really express to
you the pain it is to me to act in this matter against your
judgment, and that of my honoured friend the Bishop of
Toronto ; and to seem to sanction the impoverishing of a poor,
noble-hearted, and blessed branch of our Common Church.
Believe me that I have prayed to be guided to a right decision,
and that I will do so yet more ; and that if I saw myself in
error no fear of any imputation of changeableness should
prevent my openly declaring it. I have already faced formerly
as great a storm of misrepresentation and obloquy, by daring
so to act, as ever broke on any man ; and I would at once
face it again on the same inducement. But I am bound to
say that at present my convictions are unshaken. I believe
in my conscience (1) that this is a matter for Colonial and
not Imperial legislation ; (2) that the attempt to retain it (as I
deem unjustly) for Imperial legislation with a view to pre
venting the secularisation of the Reserves will infallibly be
defeated ; and (3) that the only result of the attempt will be to
affix to the Church the stigma of being opposed to Colonial
independence ; and (4) that therefore, whatever be the issue,
justice and true policy alike require that we should fight the

1 82 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
battle in the Colonial, and not in the Imperial legislature, and
least of all in the ¦ House of Lords. I am, my dear Lord,
affectionately yours, s_ qXON
The following letter was written in reply to a
clergyman who, in a most abusive letter, took excep
tion to the Bishop's conduct ; he said he wrote it
because the Bishop had made himself conspicuous
as a champion for the robbery of the ecclesiastical
endowment of the Anglo-Catholic Church, and also
had, by his vote, committed the awful sin of sacrilege.
And so on for about twenty pages.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. 
May io, 1853.
Rev. Sir, — As I feel it due to answer all letters written to
me by clergymen with their names, I beg to acknowledge the
receipt of your abusive letter of May 7. I will not return
any of your revilings but simply say that I neither spoke nor
voted for the despoiling of the Canadian Church : I would as
soon have cut off my right hand. But I firmly believe (1) that
the Canadian Legislature have a right to legislate as to these
Clergy Reserves ; and (2) that the sure way to lose them and
the love of the Canadian people together, is to withhold that
right. I foresaw that intemperate people would wrongfully
abuse me when I resolved to act according to my conscience
in this matter ; and from such abuse I humbly appeal to our
common Judge. I am, faithfully yours, c OXON

On April 27 Mr. Gordon writes, referring to the
proposed Commission :8 ' The question is, what are they
to do ? I wish you could find time to write an answer
to the following question (to be shown to Lord Aber-

p- 3°-

I8S3- NEED OF INTERNAL ACTION. 183
deen), " To what definite objects should the attention
of the proposed Commission be directed ? " '

The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. Arthur Gordon.
April 30, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — You ask me to put down for you in
writing what I think should be the subjects of inquiry by
any Royal Commission, if such should be issued, touching the
synodal action of the Church. To answer this, I must pre
mise why I should be glad to see such a Commission issued.
There is, then, a wide-spread belief that the power of such
internal action is required, (1) to enable us to alter the
Church's rule where lapse of time has altered its practice ;
(2) to decide practical questions, such as the meaning of
rubrics, which in the course of time have become dubious,
and so occasion badges of divisions ; (3) to give us such
canons and other assistances as may define, and so at once
restrain as to extent, and strengthen in its direction, the
Bishop's power. I give these only as specimens. Then,
secondly, there is a wide-spread belief that we are quite com
petent as to prudence, knowledge, and other qualifications to
discuss these subjects with every reasonable expectation of
our reaching conclusions which would heal breaches, unite
separated parties and strengthen what remains. Now, the
existence of this wide-spread belief keeps very many restless
and unquiet until some step is taken in the direction to which
it points. Then the formal meeting of Convocation becomes
a time of trouble from the attempt to convert the formal
meeting into a reality. Now, inquiry by a fairly constituted
Commission would (1) at once and certainly quiet this restless
uneasiness ; men would wait quietly the issue of its inquiries.
(2) It would clear these questions, or tend to clear them : (a)
Are these matters which for the quiet and strength of the
Church need its own internal action ? (b) Is the present con
stitution of the Church's synod such as to make it really fit for
^dealing with them ? (c) If not, would its constitution be so

184 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
altered as to make it fit ? (d) What changes should be re
commended for its consideration and adoption ? Here then
are the subjects for inquiry, and I cannot but hope, (though
every advancing year makes me less sanguine,) that such an
inquiry so conducted would tend to promote the internal
unity, peace, and efficiency of our Church. Most sincerely
yours affectionately, o rjXON
The following entry is one of many referring to the
state of parishes. The Bishop was on one of his an
nual Confirmation tours.
March 11. — 'The chancel and Lord's table mean, wet
and utterly neglected ; everything bearing impress of lowest
churchmanship. Prayer-meetings for 'all ministers and
teachers.' The candidates manifestly had care taken with
them, great and laborious care, but indevout, little feel
ing. All far better than six years since, yet all as far as pos
sible from the temper of the Church of England. All un
sound, and to me as unpleasing in self-exaltedness as possible
in a good man. A letter from . . . telling me that beloved
Basil has congestion of the left lung — most deeply wounded.
That boy — at this season — my beloved boy, my Benoni.
The next morning, however, the alarm occasioned
by this letter passed off.
March 12. — A favourable report of Basil. Oh, may God
continue it. I woke constantly in the night to think of him
and pray for him.
The end of the following entry refers to episcopal
appointments. April 4. — A. Gordon said, ' If the Bishop of London
were to be taken, my father would appoint Bishop of Salis
bury. He has a high opinion of him as a man of business.
If the late Archbishop had died, as was expected, in 1842*

1853. LORD DERBY'S ATTACK. 1 85
Sir Robert Peel would have appointed the Bishop of London ;
it was settled. Peel was in Scotland, and wrote the letter
to offer it to the Bishop, that no time might be lost if the
event had happened.' A talk at night. Lord Aberdeen willing
to be asked in Parliament about additions in the episcopate,
and to give a favourable answer or to bring it before Cabinet,
and, if Cabinet assented, to give a still more favourable, with
a view, however, to future and not to any immediate action.
I dissuaded stirring the question at all until the Government
were really prepared to act.
April 25. — Thought about speech on ' Clergy Reserves ;'
at night spoke very late. Lord Derby provoked, and re
torted with ' Smile and be a villain,' ungenerously, rudely
and stupidly enough. I was utterly discontented with my
speech, and grieved that I had given any cause for anger.
The Bishop of Exeter, too, very angry with me. ' A most
unfair speech, &c.' I do not at all think it was. But I came
home utterly desponding and thinking I never would speak
again till I could so command myself as to provoke no one.
Referring to this sentence Mr. Gordon writes as
follows : — ' I recollect when riding with the Bishop
one day some reference being made to this speech.
He said that he never made a speech in the House of
Lords that he did not afterwards regret and the better
the speech the more cause he usually nad to repent it.
He complained that the Bishops were not, like other
peers, allowed to speak except in their robes. The
thought that when confirming or ordaining or adminis
tering the Holy Communion, there might be those
present who had last seen him in the very same gar
ments, excited by debate pressing an antagonist by
ridicule or sarcasm, and might be thereby tempted to
regard the rite he was engaged in as a hollow farce,
often inclined him to give up parliamentary speaking
altogether. Nor were the robes they wore in the

1 86 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP, v.-
House their proper " Parliament robe," the sleeves too
were much in the way of a speaker ; but that was a
trifle.' What occurred on the occasion of the Bishop's
speech on the Canada Clergy Reserves was as fol
lows : — Lord Derby moved an amendment to the bill
and the Bishop, speaking on the question, quoted
Burke as having said that the Americans became in
tractable whenever theyisaw the least attempt to wrest
freedom from them by force or shuffle it from them by
chicane. Lord Derby having taken exception to these
expressions, the Bishop explained that the allusion was
made with a smile, and was not intended to be offen
sive. Lord Derby then retorted with quoting —
A man may smile and smile, and be a villain.
Lord Clarendon, amid the cheers of ihe House, inter
posed and said, ' We are not accustomed, even in the
language of poetry, to hear such an expression as
"villain" applied to any noble lord in this house.'
Lord Derby's amendment was lost by a majority of 40.
April 26. — To House of Lords. Lord Aberdeen came
and talked with me about Lord Derby's speech and mine.
Highly eulogistic.
April 29. — With Baron Stockmar at Buckingham Palace.
Much political talk. ' All would do if Government able to
keep fully Conservative.' Spoke strongly of excellence of
my speech on Clergy Reserves and Lord Derby's vulgarity.
April 30. — Early letters. Then Committee of S. P. G.
on sending a deputation to America. Rather dissuaded from
sending bishops this time, and recommended waiting for di
rect invitation from Convention. Private view of pictures.
Then rode to the Zoological, and back to dress for Academy
dinner. Next but one to Lord Derby. He leant over and

1853- LORD DERBY'S APOLOGY. 1 87
said, 'At all events, I must do the Bishop of Oxford the
justice to say that he can take a joke.'
May 4. — To the Zoological Council. The Prince nomi
nated me the Vice-President. To Middlesex Hospital ; gave
away prizes, and addressed. To the Mercers' Hall ; spoke
on the House of Lords.
May 6. — Lay in bed for cold till ten. Letters, people.
Then with Bishop of London to Mr. Monro's pictures. An
interesting set, specially one beautiful Raphael. The Virgin's
face exquisite for his second style, but not the full purity of
the first. Then to Gladstone ; talk on commission as to
synodal action. He doubtful unless the bishops or Convoca
tion applied for it, for fear of the precedent it might set. Then
to the House ; spoke shortly on amendments to Chapter Bill.
May 7. — Morning letters. Cold better, but still bad.
Breakfasted at Grillion's. Then to Athenaeum and wrote.
Then National Society Committee. Much talk on Govern
ment Education Bill, and great objections to it from Sir T.
Phillips, &c. ; all seemed to condemn it strongly. Then to
Stafford House with Lord Harrowby, where all the world
assembled in 'Aunt Harriet's Cabin' to see Mrs. Beecher
Stowe. She spoke to me with interest. ' There was a time
when your father's work seemed as hard as ours does now.
Yet he succeeded.'
June 6. — Early from London to Abingdon Road, and
thence to Dorchester, where opening, and all successful.
Then back to Culham, where waited some time for Lord
Derby, who came at last. He spoke well and to the point,
but not rising to higher flights. Hardwickes, Walpole, Foulis,
Hawtrey, Durnford, Kennaway to Cuddesdon.
June 7. — To Oxford early to Commemoration. All well
received in the theatre. I very kindly.
The following letter to his brother refers to the
above entries and the part the Bishop took in the
House of Lords on the Oaths Bill.

1 88 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
Rail from near London, June 13, 1853.
My beloved Brother, — I think upon the whole that all has
passed well at Oxford. Lord Derby did not make any poli
tical capital. Politics indeed were very successfully excluded.
Lord Hardwicke tried once good-humouredly to get in a
little Protectionist doctrine at Exeter, and Durnford was
amused by my following him, and sweeping away the cob
webs. To my very great surprise, I had a most enthusiastic
reception, both from the area and gallery. I fully expected
my support of the Aberdeen Government would have made
that impossible. I suppose that my dear Herbert is gone to
the Dardanelles. May God keep him from harm ! As to
Lyndhurst's Bill, it was universally understood to be merely
a well-contrived second Jew bill. The words 'on the true
faith of a Christian ' were to be struck out in the Commons,
and the bill would come back to us too late for us to be sure
of restoring them. Thus the Bill would have carried the
Jew admissions by a side wind. Now first I was bound in
consistency to resist their admission ; and next, even if I had
not been, I am clear that the measure should not be carried
so. I am, your ever-loving, g> QxoN.
The following relates to a doubt expressed by Mr.
Gordon as to whether the Duke of Newcastle would
be able to proceed with the Colonial Church Govern
ment Bill. A few months later the Bishop was attacked
by a certain portion of the press on the occasion of
this bill being thrown out by the House of Commons.
His letter to Mr. Gordon is given.
The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. A. Gordon. June 4, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — My opinion is that we had at present
better wait for the issue of the Colonial Church Bill, and the

1853- THE COLONIAL CHURCH BILL. 189
discussions to which that must give rise in Parliament. I
consider it of the first importance for Gladstone's character,
the Duke's and Herbert's, that such a bill should proceed. I
am sure that no more shaking blow to their just influence
could be devised than that a measure they so pressed last
year in opposition, (for it was quite understood that Gladstone
spoke their common mind,) should now, when, (really much in
consequence,) Colonial Bishops had assembled from all ends
of the earth to advise, be suffered to drop through by a
Cabinet of which they are part. Now, no one can tell what
may be the limit to the subjects which that bill may bring
under discussion, and therefore, until that is settled, I think
the Commission question had better rest. I am, ever affec
tionately yours, s> oxon.
On June 13 Mr. Gordon writes asking whether the
Bishop is aware that the Bishop of London wishes to
move that a ' copy of the Report of the Committee of
Convocation on the subject of the Clergy Discipline
Bill be laid on the table of the House of Lords,' and
says that Lord Aberdeen fears that such a motion will
raise the whole question of Convocation. The Bishop's
reply is as follows : — June 16, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — The proposition as to the Report of the
Committee of Convocation was the Bishop of Salisbury's.
I assented to the suggestion. We none of us contemplated
raising any discussion on the subject of Convocation. The
document is a public one, the Convocation being summoned
by Queen's writ, and the custody of the documents is in the
Registrar of the Diocese of London, Mr. Dyke. The report
is in print, but our object was to get it more known, thinking
this would be useful, first for the subject itself, Clergy Disci
pline, as showing that Convocation could deal calmly with
practical questions of that class. I cannot but believe that if
the Bishop in half-a-dozen words moved for the report, as
bearing on a subject on which in another year the House would

IQO UFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
be called upon to legislate (Clergy Discipline), that no discussion
would arise. But we shall be willing, I am sure, to act upon
Lord Aberdeen's final judgment in the matter. I am, ever
affectionately yours, g qxon_
June 28. — After many letters, to christening of Prince
Leopold ; striking scene. The young blind King (Hanover).
The Koh-i-noor on the young mother's diadem. Service too
theatrical, and Archbishop's manner singularly unreal and
therefore poor.
July 22. — Colonial Church Government Bill reported.
Tea with Bishop of Salisbury at Athenaeum. Greatly de
pressed with the feeling that to labour hardest as a Bishop is
to incur certain taboo, unlike all other works.
On Friday, July 8, an entry in the Diary records
that both the Church bills — the Colonial Church Go
vernment Bill and the Church Missionary Bill — passed
through the House of Lords. The following corre
spondence bears on the rejection by the House of
Commons of both these bills. Although the object of
the second of them is fully described in the following
letters, it is as well to state that the reason which at the
moment made it necessary to obtain the power thus
sought was to enable the Church of England to con
secrate and send out a Bishop to Borneo, to which
country Sir James Brooke, then in England, was re
turning.

The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop 'of Oxford. H. of C, July 22, 1853.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — That which I had feared is
coming upon the Colonial Church Bill. Our Solicitor-
General is greatly moved by it, and it is difficult to say

1853- THROWN OUT BY HOUSE OF COMMONS. igi
whether more by horror or alarm. His opinion, I should
think, will carry his Attorney's. It will be natural that they
should be consulted, indeed almost necessary. Now what I
am afraid of is that they will say they would have approved
of a purely permissive bill, like mine of last year, but will
insist that this is not such and will. in that way throw it over
to another session. Bethell9 is ready to pin himself to the last
print of my Bill— nay, he would even do so without the
restrictive clauses, and would like it all the better ; but he
cannot bear the idea of giving a quasi legal sanction and
authority to the Synod. His opinions, in fact, suit me very
closely ; but what I am afraid of is that we shall play at bat
tledore and shuttlecock with the bill, and allow the subject to
be tossed backwards and forwards by objections from opposite
quarters while the substantial question will remain suspended
in mid air all the time. I have begged the Solicitor-General
to go over the bill, and show in what way he thinks it can be
made endurable. Meantime, I think it well to apprise you. I
am, my dear Bishop, ever yours, w_ £_ Gladstone_

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
26 Pall Mall, July 23, 1853.
My dear Gladstone, — Your letter brings heavy news
indeed. I had quite hoped that we were free from any such
reverse the issue of which would be in many ways ex
ceedingly mischievous.
Of course, at this period of the Session, any fundamental
change must destroy the Bill for this year and this will be a
heavy blow to those of us who have worked hard and waited
patiently to get it through. Further, after what has passed
in the Lords, to have it upset in the Commons through (in
spite of all that we can say) what will be believed to be your
want of support, will be very injurious to us all in all ways.
• The Solicitor-General.

192 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP, v,
Surely as it is quite plain that the Bill does not give any legal
status to the assemblies, you can overrule Bethell. His strong
bias against all synodical action is well known. You do not
forget that he esteems a committee of Convocation illegal.
Pray excuse some illegibility of hand, as I write in my carriage
going to the railway to preach to-morrow at Henley (address
Park Place, Henley-on-Thames). I hope to be in Pall Mall
in good time on Monday. I am, ever affectionately yours,
S. Oxon.

The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
Downing Street, August 3, 1853.
My dear Lord Bishop, — You will have seen in the news
papers, before this reaches you, the fate of the Colonial
Church Bill. I think the course of the debate was mainly
due to the want of a sponsor for the Bill. This is the more
to be regretted because to-day Walpole tells Herbert he was
ready to move the second reading of the Bill. But there were
other auxiliary causes, the very vehement intervention of Kin-
naird and his friends, and, what is more important, the com
bined declarations of Inglis and Henley about the Bill, which
afforded another example of the difficulty of choosing, under
the circumstances of the day, between one political party and
another, as such, in regard to the interests of the Church. I
must say that Lord John did and said all a man could, but
Henley's declaration put the matter beyond all doubt, and
nothing remained but to leave the question upon a footing as
creditable and as hopeful for the future as possible, which I
endeavoured to do. One other question remains : what
should be done ? It occurs to me that the Colonial Bishops
now in England might do well to meet and to present a
petition expressing their regret that circumstances have pre
vented legislation during the present year, and praying that
Parliament will, at the earliest practicable period next year,
proceed to make provision by removal of disability in such

1853- LETTER TO MR. GLADSTONE. 193
mode as they shall think fit for what they know to be really
a crying practical want. Forgive my making this suggestion,
and believe me, affectionately yours, w R GLADSTONE.
Pakington has been to me in the House, to express his
great regret at having been absent last night, his sense of the
extreme unfairness of Stephen's1 letter and his conviction of
the strong call for legislation, together with something like
his general approval of the provisions of the bill.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone. Lavington, Petworth, August 4, 1853.
My dear Gladstone, — Many thanks for your letter for
warded by Jowett. Of course I greatly regret the event for
the present, though I trust that in the long run good may
come from it. I think from the account given in ' The Times '
that both Lord John and you did all that you could under
the circumstances. I do not understand how Walpole came
not to father the bill nor how another who had been em
ployed by no one could fix the second reading.
I propose to come to London to-morrow for the E. India
Bill second reading, and shall be very glad of your further
counsels as to the future. The difficulty as to such an address
from the Colonial Bishops in England seems to me to be that
almost all of them are gone, only R. Capetown, Nova Scotia,
Montreal and Antigua being in England, of whom the second
might refuse to sign.
Do you think that presenting a petition to our house and
so giving the Duke of Newcastle an opportunity of answering
Stephen's slanders, would be useful ? I am a little afraid that
his aid given to us may be used against the Duke, if Stephen's
falsehoods circulate unrebuked by us and by the Duke him
self in Parliament. Perhaps you may see him to-morrow,
1 Sir James Stephen, Under-Secretary for the Colonies.
VOL. II. O

194 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
and if you and he think it expedient, I would give notice of
presenting a petition on the night of the E. India Committee,
I am ever, my dear Gladstone, affectionately yours,
S. Oxon.
On August q, Mr. Gordon, who was passing a few
weeks on the Continent, writes, asking the Bishop for
news regarding the fate of the Colonial Churches and
Missionary Bishops Bill. He says, ' I have not seen a
newspaper since I left England ; but Dr. Jeremie,2 whom
I met on board the steamer, told me that Stephen had
written a furious attack on the Colonial Churches Bill
which would most likely produce a great effect.'

The Bishop of Oxford to Hon. A. Gordon.
Lavington, August 13, 1853.
My dear Gordon, — I received yesterday your welcome
letter of the 9th, and hasten to reply to it. I am rejoiced to
hear so improved an account of your health since we parted ;
and can see you sitting in the church you describe, and wan
dering amongst the bizarre shapes and many beauties of the
volcanic district3 in which you were sojourning. How is such
a beautiful district — its very beauties the witness to former
convulsions and sufferings — like the history of a people ; full
of romance and beauty and event and present instruction,
(like the present fertility of an old volcanic country) when re
cording a time of civil strife and convulsion, compared with
the dead level plains of times of fat quietness and un-incidental
ease. But you will want me to narrate and not to moralize,
as you hear nothing of our doings. We got both our bills
then well through our House. Then came the question who
was to father them in the Lower House : would the Govern-
2 Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge.
' Auvergne.

1853. REASONS FOR FAILURE OF BILLS. 195
ment ? The Archbishop left it very much to me to arrange ; —
(I tried first to get the Government to take them) ; — he being
at Addington but acquiescent in all. He wrote to Pakington
and got him to promise support. He empowered me, when it
was thought that Government should not actually adopt the
bills, to ask Walpole to take the Church Government, and to
arrange for the Missionary Bishops Bill. Walpole agreed, if
the Government would support him. At the Cabinet on the
30th, it was resolved that the Solicitor-General should amend
and that the Government would support fully the bill so
amended, Walpole moving it. Walpole saw Sidney Herbert
(I think) on the 30th, and it was arranged that there was no
hurry for 2 or 3 days. Meanwhile some one, we have never
made out who but we suppose Brotherton, had moved the
bills for a first reading, and named earliest days for the second
readings. Under this treatment, the ' Missionary Bishops Bill '
came on first, before it had been regularly committed to any
one, (I being engaged at the moment in negotiating the
matter,) was attacked by A. Kinnaird in the interest of the
Church Missionary Society, and the Bill was absolutely demo
lished under entirely false pretences — J. Stephen having written
for private circulation a letter for which I have just called
him to account. The Colonial Church Bill was in like manner
brought forward unexpectedly on Tuesday the 2nd. Sidney
Herbert, seeing that Walpole was not in the House, drove about
to find him but could not ; he and Pakington were both acci
dentally absent from town. A. Kinnaird, Lord Seymour,
Vernon Smith and R. Spooner were furious against the bill.
Lord John Russell stated that the Solicitor-General had pre
pared amendments, and proposed putting off the discussion a
week. He behaved very well ; Gladstone and Roundell Palmer
spoke excellently. But the House was in its fag end, and
Gladstone agreed, with a view to putting the matter into the
best position for next year, to postpone the question till next
Session. The Bishop of Salisbury writes to me in despair of
the bills, as if all were • effusus labor.' This I do not at all
feel. It is a great thing that the Archbishops should have
agreed to and passed through the Lords any such measures,
o 2

196 • LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. v.
and a great step for next year. Meanwhile, ' The Record ' rages
against me specially, as having ' hoodwinked the Lord Chan
cellor and the Archbishop,' as to the nature of these bills,
in articles which the mild primate terms ' execrable.' The
India Bill passed our House easily. I went up hence for the
second reading to obtain a pledge from the Government that
in the succeeding Bills which are to settle the judicial and
other legal, &c. staff, there should be provision for increase of
ecclesiastics ; and secondly, to give notice of an amendment,
unless Government would adopt it, as to opening the Civil
Service to the Universities instead of limiting it to Haileybury.
I spoke most at length on the last part and made out a
strong case. I got an admission on the first, of as much as I
could expect ; and on the second, a promise that the Govern
ment would reconsider the clause. When I had done, Lord
Aberdeen came to me and to my great pleasure said, in his
terse emphatic way, ' I am very glad you made that speech.'
Next day Sidney Herbert came here to spend Sunday, and
said that the Cabinet adopted my amendment.
As to Convocation, matters stand thus. It appears probable
that the prorogation will actually be on the 18th. This would
of itself be fatal to our doing anything. Then the Archbishop,
in reply to my notice, strongly pleads against business this
time ; and at last says he will, if attempted, prorogue by Prero
gative. The Bishop of London is strong for postponing till
the re-opening of Parliament. I put it to the Archbishop
whether if we make no attempt now, he will not bring it to a
collision at the re-assembling of Parliament. He replies,
' Before the re-assembling of Parliament it will be necessary
to come to some understanding with the Government. There
could be no doubt of Lord Aberdeen's mind in February;
if transactions were continued beyond the address to her Ma
jesty, the Crown would interfere. But I have had no sub
sequent communication.' Now, I am so convinced that any
attempt to proceed without the agreement of Government
would be mischievous, that, looking (1) at the absence of
Bishops ; (2) your absence and its consequences ; I am con
vinced that it would not be wise to press matters this time, at

i853- THE INDIAN CIVIL SERVICE. 197
a chance meeting, got by accident if got at all, to a contest
with the Archbishop ; and I shall therefore not attend, but let
the prorogation pass as a matter of form. Before the meet
ing of Parliament we must, with your aid, settle with Lord
Aberdeen what can be allowed to us, and to that the Arch
bishop will assent and with that I shall be content. We
cannot act in so delicate a matter, and with so little lay sup
port, against such a Government as your father's.
How I wish I could have you down here ; for real English
scenery nothing can be more beautiful. The ' fish dinner ' was
to be yesterday. The Government are winding-up affairs quite
stiong. All fear of war passing. The Funds rising. The
Duke of Newcastle doubts about Moberley :4 ' He has not suc
ceeded as a schoolmaster. He is wanting in parochial expe
rience, &c.' I again repeated my conviction that he was the
man. No great vacancies since you went. Write again.
Believe me, yours affectionately, - /-)Xf)„
The concluding sentences of the Bishop's speech,
in which he urged upon the Government the desira
bility of throwing open the Civil Service of India to
the Universities, are here quoted.
It has been said that if the British Empire were to pass
away, it would leave behind it the trace of fewer magnificent
buildings than marked the sway of almost any other people
who ever for a season exercised the right of empire over such
a country. It was not much in the habit of the British people,
even at home, to raise magnificent structures as emblems of
their power and greatness. It was rather their vocation — and
he thought it a higher one— to leave as the impress of their
intercourse with inferior nations, marks of moral teaching and
religious training, to have made a nation of children see what
it was to be men — to have trained mankind in the habits of
truth, morality and justice, instead of leaving them in the
' For the Archbishopric of Sydney which it was then in contemplation to create
with metropolitan jurisdiction over all Australia.

198 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. v.
imbecility of falsehood and perpetual childhood ; and above
all, to have been instrumental in communicating to them, not
by fierce aggression and superior power — but by gentle per
suasion, that moral superiority, that greatest gift bestowed by
God upon ourselves, true faith in His word and true belief in
the revelation of His Son.
As appears by the foregoing letter, the Bishop had
proposed that when Convocation met on the 1 8th some
business should be transacted. The Archbishop, how
ever, was strongly opposed to such a course. On August
2 he writes, ' After giving due consideration to your
letter on the subject of Convocation. I am under the
necessity of deciding against your proposal, and shall
not depart from the original intention and established
custom respecting the meeting on the 18th, or do more
than announce a further prorogation. I was not pre
pared for the opposition which our bills were destined
to encounter.' The Bishop replied as follows : —

The Bishop of Oxford to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Lavington, August 8, 1853.
My dear Lord, — It is my earnest desire to fall in, when
ever I can do so with a clear conscience, with your Grace's
views in your high office, and as you so decidedly object to
any consideration of business on the 1 8th, I will not attempt
to resist your wish. But I trust that in at once conceding
this to your Grace, I may be allowed to ask that your Grace
will receive the notice I sent you for the 18th for the day on
which, at the re-opening of Parliament, Convocation will reas
semble, and will have no objection to our then, within the
very moderate limits I proposed, discussing these subjects.
On the subject of your Grace's bills I have had communica
tions with Mr. Walpole, Sidney Herbert and Gladstone since

1853. POPULARITY SACRIFICED TO DUTY. 199
I saw your Grace. They all agree that the absence of some
one absolutely ready to answer for the bills in the House of
Commons was the cause of their loss. No one knows who
moved their first reading and settled their second, and so
caused that result, for Mr. Walpole was ready to adopt the
second bill, and the first might have been provided for. I
have reason to hope that, should your Grace approve, the
Government will be willing to bring in the Bill as amended
by the Solicitor-General early next session, and this, I am
disposed to believe, would be the best course. I know not
whether your Grace still takes in ' The Record,' but if so, you
will probably have noticed its recent indecencies, charging
your Grace with being duped by my arts. I cannot help
believing that it would be easy for your Grace privately to
make the repetition of these charges impossible, by communi
cating to the managers of that paper your estimate of their
truth and Christian temper. To one who, with faults unnum
bered, knows that he has deliberately sacrificed popularity
and worldly advancement to a wish simply to do his duty,
these charges are often very galling. I am, my dear Lord,
your Lordship's affectionate and dutiful, ~ qxon
The Archbishop replied on the 9th, saying he
was ' afraid that there are subjects on which our views
do not coincide, and that Convocation is and will con
tinue to be one of them, as long as you desire its
revival and I oppose it.'
The letter then goes on to say what has been
quoted in the letter to Mr. Gordon, and refers to the
Church Bills as follows : ' In regard to the two Bills,
sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. I find by
a letter from Adelaide, that that diocese has dispensed
with Imperial legislation, and made its own regulations
in dependence on the local Legislature. It will be a
happy thing if other dioceses follow the example, and
save us the trouble of unsatisfactory deliberation.'

200 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Lavington, August 12, 1853.
My dear Lord, — I am sincerely obliged to you for your
kind letter of the 9th. I fear that there must remain one
difference between us if your Grace disapproves of all ap
proaches, however gradual, to the Church's exercise of her
deliberative function ; but I hope I do not understand your
Grace that you have resolved, by what many of the best law
yers are confident would be an unlawful strain of your pre
rogative, to enforce your own views so far as to prevent your
suffragans considering any matters at the meeting of Convo
cation, for I should indeed lament the struggle in which such
a determination must too probably involve us. I can assure
your Grace, though I am compelled to do so in strict confi
dence, that Lord Aberdeen does not take at all the view
your letter seems to express as to our deliberations on the
1 8th. His objection was and is, to adjourned and continued
sittings. My intended silence, therefore, on the 18th is en
tirely from deference to your Grace, but I am not sure that
it would be right for me to maintain it then, as I had hoped
to do, if your Grace were determined for the future to at
tempt, by the violence of a questioned prerogative (a course,
you will forgive my saying, absolutely alien from your nature),
to prevent all deliberation amongst the suffragans of Canter
bury at their reassembling. I hope, therefore, that I may
venture to ask for an expression of your Grace's mind on this
point. Your Grace speaks of all such deliberation as an in
novation : but may I ask you, on the other hand, to weigh
this : that to attempt to prevent such deliberation when de
sired by the suffragans is yet a greater innovation, for that
no instance of any such attempt by any archbishop is on
record, whilst the distinction between deliberation at the first
and subsequent assemblies of Convocation must, at the great
est, be only in degree and not in kind. I trust that your
Grace will not think that in venturing thus plainly to express
my opinion, I transgress in any measure the just limits of that

1853. CORRESPONDENCE WITH SIR J. STEPHEN. 201
rule of dutiful deference under which your Grace's high
office holds me, or that I am other than your Grace's dutiful
and affectionate, g 0x0N
The Archbishop replied on the 13th, explaining
that he meant to refer only to the prorogation on the
1 8th, not to any future session and concluded by saying,
' I have no right to complain of what I sincerely regret,
our difference of opinion ; and am, affectionately yours,
J. B. Cantuar.'
The following correspondence with the Right Hon.
Sir James Stephen is also referred to in the letter to
Mr. Gordon of August 13.

The Bishop of Oxf ord to the Right Hon. Sir y. Stephen.
August 13, 1853.
My dear Sir James Stephen, — You will, I am sure, allow
me to address you with the freedom of familiar friendship on
a subject which I wish to lead you maturely to reconsider,
and in connection with which I believe you to have done,
unintentionally, great injury to those high Christian interests
which you would, I know, most wish to promote. I have now
lying before me a copy of a letter of yours to Mr. A. Kin
naird, dated August 2, on the Missionary Bishops Bill, which,
with your consent, has been widely circulated, extensively
read, and which powerfully tended to prevent the passing
of that Bill. Now what I wish first is to call your serious
attention to some of the statements of that letter, which
appear to me equally at variance with plain fact and
Christian charity. You begin by stating that ' the professed
object of the bill was to enable English prelates to consecrate
British subjects to act as Bishops in any foreign or heathen
country. But this was not the real and true object.' This
is a grave accusation to bring against any men ; it involves
the charges of a crime which, if they had committed it, would

202 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
be pre-eminently disgraceful in the body of the English
Archbishops and Bishops. But, as having been present when
the Archbishop of Canterbury first proposed the subject for
our consideration and on every subsequent occasion, I can
confidently assure you that your insinuation is as utterly
groundless as it is insulting. We had but one object in view,
and that object we stated in Parliament — to make it possible
for the Church to head her missions to the heathen where it
was judged expedient, with English Bishops of English con
secration. But you proceed to state why you impute this
duplicity to us. It is 'because the 5th Vict. cap. 6 had
already given us the power we professed to want, only com
bined with an oath which affirmed the Queen's supremacy.
That we wished to establish an English episcopate which
should not acknowledge the royal supremacy, and to effect
this vast innovation had recourse to the arts of a special
pleader, &c.' Now, the reason for your first charge and the
inference you again draw from it are I am prepared to show
equally mistaken and uncharitable. For the Act (5 Vict. cap.
o) does not give us the power that we want. For it requires
¦that in every case of a consecration under it, the Queen should
mark out the diocese in which the new Bishop was to officiate
and this she could only do in one of these ways: — (1) As
in that act giving authority to the Bishop to minister within a
certain prescribed district to her own subjects settled in it,
which would not meet our case, because our want was to
constitute an episcopate for missions to the heathen and not
for British subjects ; or (2) the Crown must, like the Papacy,
be supposed to have a power of spiritual aggression, and of
mapping out dioceses where it has no jurisdiction. We deny
that any such power vests in our Crown, and therefore we
turned to the Act of George III. as coming nearer to our
case. That act allowed foreigners to be consecrated for
foreign service. The Act of George III. was therefore the
most of the same subject-matter and we amended it. Your
reason then is untenable. What then becomes of the charity
of your imputation ? Is this, let me ask you, the temper
-which 'hopeth all things'? Is this the measure which you

1853. THE CHURCH MISSIONARY BISHOPS BILL. 203
would wish meted to yourself? Is it not somewhat as if
one said of you, ' Sir J. Stephen is the brother-in-law of
Henry Venn. Henry Venn is the autocrat of the Church
Missionary Society. He fears that missionary Bishops would
supersede Church missionary committees and his own secret
power. He would therefore prevent an English mission
being headed by a Bishop, and he has called in Sir J. Stephen
to his aid to help by calumnious insinuations to defeat the
bill. I should have opposed Mr. Venn and his brother-in-law
if they had openly stated their purpose ; but when .they en
deavour to accomplish it by the arts of the special pleader, I
will oppose them more strongly than ever.' I am sure that
you would feel keenly the injustice and the uncharitableness
of any one imputing such conduct or such motives to you ;
but would it really be more unjust or more uncharitable than
your imputations against the Archbishop and Bishops of
England, because they sought for legal power to head a mis
sion of their Church in Borneo with one of their own order ?
I speak not now of the mischief which has resulted from your
movement. But I cannot but believe that the time will come,
when you at least will look with no satisfaction on the share
you have had, in preventing the Church of England when she
desired to send her highest ministers to spread the Gospel
of Christ amongst the heathen, from obtaining the power
needful for her doing so. I ought to have said above that no
one could be consecrated Bishop under this act, who had not
at his ordination as deacon and priest taken the oath of
supremacy. I have ventured to write to you on this matter
with the perfect openness which becomes our old and I trust
deep regard. I have not disguised from you that I think
your conduct in it wrong ; but if there is one word in what I
have written which seems to you inconsistent with the re
gard and high esteem which I entertain for you, I beg you
to forgive and forget it. I am, my dear Sir James Stephen,
very sincerely yours affectionately, g Oxon
On August 17 Sir James replied that, if he had

204 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
acted on the impulse of his own feelings, he should
have at once replied ; yet as his brother-in-law, Mr.
Venn, was even more than himself directly the subject
of the letter, he had waited to consult him. He then
says : —
You state that my letter to Mr. Kinnaird 'has been
widely circulated with my consent.' I answer that till I
received your letter I did not know and had never heard,
that any one had ever seen it except Mr. Kinnaird himself,
and that so far have I been from consenting to the circulation
of it, that (unless my memory fails me) the terms of the letter
itself distinctly forbid its being made public in any way,
except by being shown to any person to whom Mr. Kinnaird
himself might see fit to show it. That letter was written at
his instance to enable him to render intelligible to Mr. Glad
stone the legal objection which I entertained to the Mis
sionary Bishops Bill. Having answered that purpose, I
expected that he would destroy it. I have most certainly
never authorised any other use being made of it. To the
statement that I had ' insulted ' the Archbishops and the
Bishops of the Church of England collectively and passed an
uncharitable judgment upon them, I answer that until I
received your letter I did not know, nor, except on the
authority of that letter, could I have believed that either
of the two Archbishops, or that the great majority of the
Bishops, were really assentient to the measure. From the
newspapers I learnt, or think that I learnt, that no Bishop
except yourself and the Bishop of Salisbury said one word on
the subject in the House of Lords. How far I am likely to
aim a meditated insult to yourself or at the Bishop of Salis
bury (a total stranger to me), you can, I think, judge.
Sir James then says, that not having any copy of
the letter, which was written in a hurry, he should be
most deeply concerned to find that his language was
an insult to anyone, and should be most eager to ask
'forgiveness.

1853- THE CORRESPONDENCE ENDED. 205
For the rebukes which you address to me, I have to
request you to accept my sincere and most earnest thanks.
Plain, downright and grave censure is among the most
valuable, as it is among the most rare, expressions of Chris
tian charity ; even when it may seem unmerited it will
conduct a reasonable man to self-examination, and so per
haps, to the disclosure to himself of unsuspected faults, to
penitence and to amendment.
The Bishop replied as follows : — August 22, 1853.
My dear Sir James Stephen, — I only received your letter
of the 17th on returning here from a day or two's excursion
on Saturday after post time, or I should sooner have replied
to it. I thank you sincerely for the kindness of its tone,
which induces me to trouble you with a few lines in addition
on its subject. I greatly regret that you did not obey the
impulse of your feelings, and send me your full answer, be
cause that would doubtless have explained to me the reasons
of your hostility to our bill ; and as I cannot believe that you
— whose opinions I so well know as to the duty and policy
of Bishops acting in the foremost van of the Church's work
of evangelisation both at home and abroad — can be opposed
to our object, I should then have been better able, on some
future occasion, to sea how we might avoid, in securing what
we in common desire, that which you wish to avoid. Still
less can I understand how H. Venn could be the main subject
of your letter, since I only alluded to him and his connection
with the question, to illustrate what appeared to me to be the
unfounded charge contained in your letter to Mr. Kinnaird.
As I gather from your reply that you have no copy of your
letter, I enclose you a copy, which I will ask you to return
to me. In its second sentence you will see that, whilst it
forbids its formal publication, it specially permits its virtual
publication ' in any other manner.' It was to this permission
that I alluded. You speak of having no intention of insulting
the Archbishops and Bishops, because you did not know that
any of them except the Bishop of Salisbury and myself had

206 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
anything to do with it ; you could not mean to insult them,
one a friend and the other a stranger. As for me, I am sure
you meant nothing at variance with the long, unwearied and
undeserved kindness you have always shown me ; as to the
Bishop of Salisbury, you could, of course, intend nothing
insulting. But, ist, the newspapers stated that the bill was
brought in by the Archbishop, who, in bringing it in, said
that it was agreed to by all the bench and that its sole object
was to enable a Bishop of the Church of England to head a
mission. He was afterwards absent, on a confirmation, only
because no opposition was expected to the bill. All this was
reported in the papers. But further, your letter to Mr.
Kinnaird speaks of it as having been introduced by 'the
most reverend, &c. person.' Further, do the words of that
letter justify my use of the word ' insulting,' as to the way
in which it speaks of the author of the bill ? I will ask you
to weigh the words, ' Its professed object,' &c. — 'but this was
not the real and true object.' 'Being said indirectly,' &c.
'To have recourse to the arts of a special pleader,' &c.
' I suppose that he was put by others into the hands of some
attorney,' &c, ' to aid the passage of the bill by any sort of
dexterity.' Now, to one who values, as I do, truth and
straightforwardness far above all other things, such expressions
as these do appear to be distinctly insulting, apply to whom
soever they may. Nor, (though you introduce a possible
attorney) can I conceive that they apply to anyone else than
the framers of the measure. For the supposed attorney
could not desire by this detestable fraud to get rid of the
subscription to the supremacy. ' The Record ' newspaper,
with its accustomed vulgar effrontery of calumny (justifying
your caustic remark concerning it that you preferred the
' Satirist ' because it had as much personal slander without
the religious sauce), charging upon me and other Bishops that
we deceived the feeble Archbishop, seems to me really only
to put into plain language your insinuation. Those articles
the Archbishop has characterised as ' execrable.' But I
must ask you, who so well know men and the House of
Commons, to weigh for yourself what must have been the

1853- VISIT TO BRIGHSTONE. 207
effect of such a letter as this, not in the columns of an un
scrupulous newspaper, which exists by pandering to the
depraved tastes of a gossip-loving, so-called ' religious public,'
but subscribed with your weighty name, handed about by a
member of the House of Commons, and eagerly copied,
quoted and circulated by the numerous class to whom the
insinuation of grossly unfair dealings against a High Church
Bishop is sweet as the whisper against the virtue of an envied
rival to Lady Teazle. I am ever, my dear Sir James Stephen,
most truly yours, S. Oxon.
Sir James Stephen's reply, though not preserved,
may be inferred from the opening sentences of the
Bishop's next letter to him, in which, after thanking
him for his letter, he says : ' I thank you for the candid
admission of the liability of your words to the injurious
construction which had pained me ; and the fulness of
your disavowal of that construction is all that I could
have expected or desired from you.'
The following extract from the Bishop's journal
contains the first allusion to a controversy which, as
will be seen from the subsequent correspondence, he
endeavoured to check at the outset, and to soften at
every subsequent stage.
August 18. — Morning in my own room, read and wrote.
The news at breakfast of poor Emily  's danger. They
set off to see her. I so oppressed by the coincidence of name,
age 33, children 6. We rode and drove. I, Frank, and Georgie 6
riding, the rest driving to Brooke and then to Brighstone.
Saw many of my old flock, and received by them affection
ately ; deeply affecting to be there, though calmed since last
visit. A charming ride over the downs and all about ; a
» The Bishop was staying with Baron Alderson at Faringford House, Fresh
water, in the Isle of Wight.
" The present Lady Salisbury,

208 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
grand gallop. Called on Sir R. Simeon. Isaacson7 dined
with us ; a good deal of talk with him on island ecclesiastical
affairs, clergy, &c. He complains of their great want of
theology as the great evil ; right-minded men predominate,
but are quite ignorant of theology. Read a great deal of
Maurice's Essays, many striking things in them but I think
a great deal of obscurity. I really hardly can discover in
what sense he holds the Atonement — set me thinking much.
Professor Maurice was one of the Professors of
Divinity at King's College, then a young institution,
presided over by Dr. J elf and governed then, as now,
by a Council. Twenty-six bishops had signified to
the Principal that they would accept candidates for
holy orders from the College. Once already Pro
fessor Maurice's theological views had been questioned
on the subject of Christian Socialism, and he then
narrowly escaped the fate which befel him on this oc
casion. He published a volume of Theological Essays,
one of which was the cause of the loss of his professor
ship. It was the only one questioned, although Bishop
Blomfield thought others in the same volume were
even more objectionable, and wrote to Dr. Jelf, saying,
that while Professor Maurice held his chair, he (the
Bishop) should decline to receive the College certificate
as a qualification. It ought to be mentioned that the
Bishop of Lichfield (Lonsdale) was not present at the
Council, by the accidental miscarriage of the letter sum
moning him to the meeting ; he, however, wrote to Pro
fessor Maurice, saying, that he had great doubts whether
he should have concurred in the decision of the Council,
as, whatever the other members might have said, could
only have affected his judgment ' on the question
of the expediency of getting rid of you in deference
* The Rector of Freshwater.

I8S3- PROFESSOR MAURICE'S ESSAYS. 209
to external clamour, and not my opinion of your theo
logy.'

The Bishop of Oxford to Dr. yelf
Lavington, August 27, 1853.
My dear Dr. Jelf,8 — Will you allow me the privilege of an
old friend, a familiar address ? I have heard with great alarm
that there is some danger of Maurice's Professorship at King's
College being endangered in consequence of his recent ' Es
says.' Now I have read the greater part of these Essays
and exceedingly regret their publication, continuing to be
altogether at a loss to understand from them what Maurice
does, and what he does not hold. If they stood alone, and if
they were the fair sample of his theological teaching, I
should think him so unsafe a teacher of youth that I should
acquiesce with great pain in his removal. But viewing these
' Essays ' (1) as the writing of a man whose views on the
subjects here treated of have been repeatedly declared and
shown to be orthodox in other publications ; (2) as addressed
for a peculiar purpose to a peculiar class (to partial un
believers, or men in error, in order to show them that the
objections to the Church which keep them in their errors
do not really lie as they apprehend them against the Church),
and therefore as no specimen of what his teaching of his
pupils is — I do not see (i) that there ought to be such
scandal as to his opinions as should lead to his sacrifice being
necessary either for orthodoxy or for King's College ; or
(ii) that there can be any fear that he will be a false teacher
of those committed to him. Now, if his removal or enforced
resignation be not needful, I venture to say that I think it
would be very injurious. (1 ) To King's College; Nothing can
be much more important to such a young society, than that
those who might become its ablest professors should feel that
there is no danger of their being sacrificed to a mere popular
cry. Now it will be universally believed that Maurice is sacri-
8 Principal of King's College.
VOL. II. P

2IO " LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. v.
ficed io ' The Record] and this will inflict a blow upon your
professorial body of which I cannot calculate the issue. I say
nothing of the loss of his direct services to the College but I
think it very great. (2) To the Church. The beginning of
such strife is as when one letteth out water. Maurice has in
these 'Essays' dealt with difficult and unsettled questions;
or with the difficult and unsettled side of settled questions,
Now on such matters -as these it seems to me that the
whole temper of the present day is alien to persecution, or
the arbitrary infliction of merely stereotyped phrases. Once
let such a course be begun, and though the yell of ' The Record '
will be with you, it will be impossible to halt there ; and the
first act of persecution will entail a second and a third, which
may take the very opposite directions, till we are all in
confusion. (3) To Maurice himself. That it must be so, I
need not stop to prove : but I do venture to suggest to you
whether it would not, looking at what he is and what he has
done, be an unjust inquiry. I have spoken with openness to
your private ear and am, ever affectionately yours, S. OXON.
The Bishop failed, however, to alter Dr. J elf's view
of the case. On October 20, Professor Maurice wrote
to the Bishop, enclosing him a copy of a letter written
to Dr. Jelf, saying at the same time that, although he
believed the Council would treat the question with all
fairness, yet it seemed impossible to him that he should
long remain at King's College. The Bishop, still hoping
that something might be done to smooth matters and
retain Professor Maurice, wrote the following letter :—

The Bishop of Oxford to Rev. F. D. Maurice.
Bray, Oct. 24, 1853.
My dear Maurice, — I thank you for the copy of your
answer to the President's final letter which you sent me. I

1853- THE BISHOP EXPLAINS MAURICE'S VIEWS. 211
have read it with the most anxious and I am bound to say,
in some parts with the most painful interest. For there
seems to me to be in parts a certain fierceness of expression
which the kindness of his nature ought to have prevented
and which, instead of conveying to its readers your truth, is
too likely to prevent their seeing it. Moreover, I cannot but
think that in contending for a truth you have been led into
an exaggeration of its proportions. Will you then suffer me
to try whether I can aid you to make that truth more plain.
(i) What then I understand to be charged against you is this :
That you teach ' that the revelation of God's love given to
us in the Gospel is incompatible with His permitting any of
the creatures Pie has loved to be consigned to never-ending
torment ; and that you therefore do, with more or less clear
ness, revive the old doctrine of the Universalists, that after some
unknown period of torment all such must be restored.' Now,
/ do not understand you to intend to advocate any such view.
What I do understand you to say, is this : That to represent
God as revenging upon His creatures by torments through
never-ending extensions of time their sinful acts committed
here is (i) unwarrantably to transfer to the eternal world
the conditions of this world. For that time is of this world ;
and that eternity is not time prolonged but, rather, time
abolished ; and that it is therefore logically incorrect to sub
stitute in the Scriptural proposition for 'eternal death' 'pun
ishment extended through a never-ending duration of time ; '
and that (2) as this is unwarranted so it is dangerous : (a) be
cause by transferring our earthly notions of such prolonged
vengeance to God, it misrepresents His character; (b) because
as men recoil from applying to themselves or to others such a
sentence, it leads to the introduction of unwarranted palliatives
which practically explain away the true evil and fatal conse
quences of sin.
What I understand you to mean affirmatively to teach is
this : (a) That the happiness of the creature consists in his
will being brought into harmony with the Will of God.
(b) That we are here under a Divine system in which God,
through the Mediator and by the Spirit, acts on the will of
p 2

2 1 2 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
the creature to bring it into harmony with His own Will.
(c) That we see in this, world the creature, in defiance of the
love of his Creator, able to resist His merciful Will and to
harden himself in opposition to it ; and that misery in body
and soul is the visible consequence here of such rebellion.
(d) That it is revealed to us that our state in this world is, so
to speak, the seminal principle of what it is to be in its full
development in that world which is to come, and that there
fore a will hardened against His, must be the extremest
misery to the creature both in body and soul ; that this
hardened separation from God with its consequent torments,
is the ' death eternal ' spoken of in the Scriptures, — the lake
of fire 'where their worm dieth not and the fire is not
quenched,' &c, of which we know no limits and from which
we know of no escape ; concerning which, therefore, it is
unsafe to dogmatize as if it was subject to earthly conditions ;
and that in any contemplation of its horrors we must always
contemplate God's exceeding love, and remember that He is
striving through the Gospel to deliver every sinner from it
who against his own sin will appeal to Him through Christ.
(e) Finally, that to conclude that after a certain period of
such sufferings God's vengeance would be satisfied and the
lost forgiven future suffering, would be one phase of the error
against which you wish to witness, and therefore as remote as
possible from your teaching. Will you tell me as exactly as
you can (i) whether I have rightly interpreted your meaning
and (ii) if I have not, wherein I have mistaken it, (iii) and
will you send, me back this letter with your answer. You
shall have it back if you wish it. I am, my dear Maurice,
most sincerely yours, ~ ~
To this Professor Maurice replied on the 26th, -
saying —
I am more thankful, if that is possible, to your Lordship
for your censures of my letter than for your full and most
satisfactory exposition of its meaning. It grieves me very

1853. MAURICE ACCEPTS THE EXPLANATION. 213
much that I should seem to so kind and just a judge as your
Lordship to have spoken any disrespectful words to Dr. Jelf.
When all connection between us has ceased, I shall be most
eager to ask his forgiveness for them. Why I took the tone
which your lordship considers ' fierce ' I think I can explain
to your Lordship, though not perhaps to him. I had the
greatest horror of seeming to evade his charges or to adopt
any convenient phraseology which might make my opinions
look more like his. After above two months of correspon
dence, after laying before him my private letters and talking,
which I particularly dislike to do, of my personal history,
I found that I had entirely failed to convince him that I had
not a secret belief in opinions which I had solemnly disa
vowed, that I was not endeavouring to inculcate doctrines
concerning the state of the wicked and impenitent which
are at variance with everything I have ever spoken or
written. I felt therefore, that I must, for the sake of my own
sincerity, still more for the sake of the Church, clear myself
from all suspicion of dissimulation by stating in the strongest
manner that I did differ from him, and why I differed. I
must apologise for making so long a statement. Nothing
but my anxiety not wholly to forfeit your lordship's good
opinion would have led me so to defend myself. I have now
the much more grateful task of saying how entirely and un
reservedly I accept your Lordship's statement of the principles
which I have endeavoured to set forth in my Essays, and to
defend in my correspondence with Dr. Jelf. I could not
improve it by any alterations or additions of mine. I say
this without the least qualification, and with the most hearty
and deep gratitude to you.
The letter goes on to say that if this statement
reaches any member of the Council, he wished at the
same time to explain that he only considered the
Bishop as explaining and not as modifying his opinions ;
if it was to be thought that it was a question of keeping
his professorship, he would rather be silent ; all he

214 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
wished was that good men should understand what he
really meant.
The Bishop, fearing that the decision of the Council
would be taken -as directly condemning Professor
Maurice's essay as heretical, and deprecating such a
decision, wrote as follows to the Bishop of London.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Bishop of London.
Cuddesdon Palace, Oct. 26, 1853.
My dear Lord, — I venture to trouble you with the accom
panying letters, one from myself to Professor Maurice, the
other from him to me, because I think that they have a most
important bearing on the question which is to come before
the Council of King's College to-morrow. My own belief
has been throughout that Professor Maurice is entirely ortho
dox, but that. (1) the wish to meet the objections of others, -
and (2) the fear of shrinking from any personal consequences
of the avowal of his opinions, (3) a want of clearness of
expression, have given an appearance of unsoundness to his
book. It appears to me that his reply to my letter strikingly
confirms my view. Now I think that this declaration of his
opinions on the matter selected for reprehension, ought to be
in your hands before any step is taken. I will venture to say,
further, that I think it difficult to over-estimate the importance
of any step in the matter. If Professor Maurice is called on
to resign his professorship for unsoundness of teaching, will it
be possible to rest there ? Can an unsound man be left to
lecture at Lincoln's Inn ? Must not the matter be followed
up in the ecclesiastical courts ? Would they confirm the
judgment of the Council ? At least ought not the Council
to appoint a committee of divines to report on the book, ex
press its erroneous teaching in propositions, and hear Mr.
Maurice in his own defence before it pronounces such a cen
sure—a censure which will represent the Church of England
as defining very narrowly a question of terms, while it leaves

1853- MAURICE'S ESSAYS CONDEMNED. 215
open such broad questions as the doctrine of baptism. I am
sure that you will, on so important a matter, forgive an old
member of the Council of King's College, for taking the
liberty of communicating with you freely on the subject.
I will only add in conclusion that I greatly regret the pub
lication of much in this volume, because I think that it seems
to unsettle what I am sure Professor Maurice would wish to
have most firmly settled, but that, this regret appears to me
quite compatible with the doubts I have expressed in this
letter. I am, most sincerely yours, my dear lord, S. Oxon.
The following letter from Mr. Gladstone comes
next in order. Oct. 27, 1853.
My dear Bishop of Oxford. — I stayed for the King's Col
lege Council, but without effect. They have done the deed,
i.e. declared Maurice's statements to be of dangerous ten
dency, and resolved that his connection with the theology of
the college ought not to continue. I moved that the Bishop
of London be requested to appoint theologians to examine,
but in vain. Sir J. Patteson, Sir B. Brodie, and Mr. Green
were with me. I imagine there will be no small uproar about
this business. I hope you did not disapprove my suggestion.
Always yours truly attached, w_ R Gladstone,
Previous to this the Bishop had been in communi
cation with Mr. Gladstone on the subject. On Octo
ber 1 9 the Bishop writes, ' I am most anxious to prevent
the hard and irritating censure of such a man as Maurice,
when so many really unsound men go uncensured.'
The answer to the above letter is given in full.

2l6 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Nov. 2, 1853.
My dear Gladstone, — Many thanks for your kindness in
sending me word of the decision of the King's College
Council. I entirely agreed with every word you said and
had indeed written to, I think, precisely the same effect to
the Bishop of London. I wrote to Maurice and told him
that I regretted the tone of his letter ; and that I thought
that its fierceness had prevented his conveying to the Council
his true meaning. I then drew out what I conceived that
meaning to be — which was no more than a protest against
applying the conditions of this world to the world to come,
so as to use them as convertible terms from which arguments
could be logically deduced ; and that he held as revealed
that the next world, being the completer state of all that is
seminal here, as we saw that sin here produced sufferings
both in body and soul, we might be sure, d fortiori, it would
there, where, so far as we could see, the moral state was
fixed by the events of this state. To this he assented as a
clearer statement of his own views. This I sent to the
Bishop of London, urging strongly on him the very course
you ultimately proposed, i.e. the appointment of theologians
to examine the book, reduce its errors into propositions, and
hear his defence before action. I am truly sorry that this
course was not adopted. With my kindest remembrances,
believe me to be, affectionately yours, - oXOn
On November 1 the Bishop received a letter from
Mr. Plumptre, one of Professor Maurice's co-professors
and warmest friends. After announcing the decision of
the Council, saying he knew the course the Bishop had
taken in the matter, the efforts he had made, for which .
he says, ' all Maurice's friends are bound to love and
honour you,' Mr. Plumptre goes through reasons which

1853- THE BOND OF ORDINATION. 21 7
he thinks ought to have prevailed, and finishes by
saying : —
I have opened to you what I am compelled to keep
concealed from most others ; but you have told me that you
look on the bond of Ordination9 as a real and permanent
one, and I feel quite sure that you will neither wonder nor
complain that in this deep sorrow, this enforced separation
from the brother with whom I had hoped to continue work
ing all my life long, I should turn to you as to one with
whom the name of a Father in God is more than a formula,
from whom I may certainly expect sympathy and, it may
be, counsel and comfort. I am, your affectionate and grate-
ful servant' E. H. Plumptre.
The Bishop's reply is as follows : —

The Bishop of Oxford to Professor Plumptre.
Nov. 2, 1853.
My dear Mr. Plumptre, — I heartily thank you for the
confidence which has led you in this great sorrow and per
plexity to unbosom yourself to me. Would to God that I
were more worthy of the kind words in which you speak of
me. But in this grief what can I say to you ; little, I fear,
more than that I sympathise heartily with you, and advise
exactly that course of quiet waiting and working on which
you have yourself resolved. I have all that admiration for
Maurice and that confidence in him which you suppose ; and
I feel the deepest sadness that such an one as he should have
been thus dealt with ; yet I am bound to say that I have all
along most deeply regretted the publication of this book ; for
I am obliged myself to construe it by my former knowledge
of Maurice and my full trust in him, rather than by its own
text, which, taken alone, would on far more momentous
subjects than that on which the Council have fixed, seem to
9 Mr. Plumptre was ordained by the Bishop.

2l8 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
me to unsettle what I am sure Maurice would regard as settled.
What I did with Maurice's answer was to send it to the Bishop
of London with as strong an appeal as I could, urging
him not to allow Maurice to be condemned thus obscurely
and hastily ; but that the alleged errors should be drawn out
by theologians into propositions, and Maurice's answers to
them weighed, before any step was taken. I urged also one
most important member of the Council to be present ; and he
remained in town for the purpose and pressed this view on
the Council and was defeated. All this (which is all I now
know) I tell you in strict confidence. I think I ought to add
that I am thoroughly convinced that Dr. Jelf has acted
throughout, not from timidity,1 but from a deep conviction of
duty ; and that I think his whole temper towards Maurice has
been one of hearty kindness. This is at least better than if
he had been cold-heartedly given up to newspaper threats ;
but it is little comfort enough, and I know at this moment of
none, save that sure ground of peace, that God reigneth and
will in some way bring good, out of all our vain strivings, for
those who wait on Him. May God bless you. I am, ever
y°urs' S. Oxon.
In November the Bishop wrote privately to the
editor of ' The Record ' newspaper, as to the continual
attacks made upon his conduct by that newspaper. An
answer was received asking for proofs of what the
Bishop designated as 'unworthy hostility.' The editor
(the writer of the letter) further said, that nothing had
been done intentionally in the way of 'suggesting evil,'
and that he would feel greatly obliged if the Bishop
would point out, or generally refer to, any instances of
such conduct. The Bishop had said in his letter,
1 Dr. Jelf inhis reply to the Bishop's letter quoted above, said, 'Idespise "The
Record. " I think the highest compliment it ever paid me was its abuse of me on
the subject of Regeneration ; (hat its praise, if it does praise me for doing my duty
on this occasion, is my only ground of doubt as to the propriety of my course.'

1 853. THE ARCHBISHOP ON 'THE RECORD: 219
that the Archbishop disapproved of the attacks of
' The Record,' to which it was answered that there
must have been some misapprehension of the meaning
of the Archbishop, and that his censure might have
been hypothetical and not actual. The editor also
said, that anything the Bishop wrote should be treated
as private. The Bishop's reply, given below, justifies
his conduct on several points, such as his membership of
the Sterling Club,2 one of the allegations being, that
no grace was pronounced before or after dinner.3

The Bishop of Oxford to Editor of ' The Record! Nov. 1853.
Sir, — In reliance on your pledge of absolute confidence,
I will reply in a few words to your last communication —
ist. As to the opinion expressed by his Grace the Archbishop,
I must remind you that I have no authority from his Grace
to repeat it, and that it is only in the strictest confidence and
to show you that those who agree with your general tone of
theology disapprove strongly of your conduct in this respect ;
and so to induce you to listen with some respect to my re
monstrance, that I even allude to it. But as you suggest that
his Grace might be speaking hypothetically, I will give you
the passage in his own words : ' The conduct of " The Record "
towards the Bishop of Salisbury and yourself is "execrable."
If Mr.  were still living, I would have interfered and
warned him of the injustice of such slander.' 2ndly. As to
instances in which you have ' manifested an unworthy hostility
to myself/ I really do not think that there is any one instance
in which my name has been mentioned by you for many
years, which would not furnish proofs of my assertion. I will
2 Vol. i. p. 143 in notes.
* A member of the club has, in a review of Vol. I. Fortnightly Review, March
1880, Art. by Lord Houghton, contradicted this by stating that the Bishop
himself pronounced grace after the usual collegiate form.

220 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. v.
here merely exemplify my meaning by one instance. I know
that the real circumstances of my belonging to the Sterling
Club were at my suggestion fully explained, though not to
the editor — that I joined it absolutely without knowing the
late Mr. Sterling by name and dined as a young country
clergyman perhaps twice a year at it for some years, never
hearing one word of a sceptical tendency from any member ;
that its bearing Mr. Sterling's name was accidental, in no
way intended to honour his opinions. Now, considering that
all this was well known, and that whatever faults I have, a
tendency to indifference as to scepticism is notoriously not
one, I think your whole series of remarks on this subject
manifests that untruthful hostility of which I complain, for
they show that you think it lawful to attempt to injure by
one set of charges a man whom on different grounds you
esteem dangerous. Your unceasing endeavour to repre-.
sent me as ' slippery,' &c, is an instance of your ' retailing
accusation ' for conduct of which you must approve. For
that charge was brought by the ultra-Tractarian party when,
having become convinced by a judicial reading of Dr. Hamp
den's book that Mr. Newman's extracts to which I had
trusted were garbled, I dared to retract my steps so far as to
say, that whilst I disapproved of his appointment, I was con
vinced there was no legal ground for proceeding against Dr.
Hampden. Now this charge, so brought, you have taken
every opportunity to insinuate and revive against one, of whom
you must know perfectly well that, in maintaining what he
believes to be the truth of Christ, he has acted in direct oppo
sition to those views of worldly interest by which such a cha
racter is governed, and of whom you might easily have learned
that he never left a friend in difficulty, never abandoned a
principle, even in politics and far less in religion, because it
was unpopular. Of ' suggesting evil,' I will give one instance
in your recent remarks as to the Clewer House of Mercy.
Your bitter attack on it turns on an imputation that the ladies
who conduct it are ' under vows,' whereas it has been repeat
edly stated that none such are allowed, and you might know
by ordinary pains this. I have taken the greatest pains in

i853- 'UNWORTHY HOSTILITY: 221
the rules of the association to provide not only that no vows
shall be possible, but that no lady coming there shall be able
to think she is ' drawing back,' if she sees afterwards reason
to retire from her share in that work of charity. Yet you
make your fiction of ' vows,' the occasion for suggesting the
evil that I looked back with pleasure to the Popish found
ers of Eton, a peculiarly dastardly insinuation, because its
sting was to be found in my grievous family afflictions ; whilst
you could not but know, that though you suppose Church
principles lead to Popery, and therefore think me likely here
after to become a Papist, yet of Popery itself I have ever ex
pressed and shown my deep abhorrence — and that I could
therefore look with no pleasure to the founders of Eton as
Papists. In the same critique you furnish one of those other
indications of this same spirit, which are perhaps most strik
ingly shown, as here, in things in themselves small. I alluded
to our meeting being held on S. Andrew's Eve for a two
fold purpose : ist. To urge all present to pray on the next
morning for our coadjutor Dr. Armstrong, then to be conse
crated Bishop of Grahamstown ; 2ndly, to press on them as the
principle of our work the need of finding Christ for ourselves,
and bringing our brethren to Him after the example of S.
Andrew. Now of this Scriptural argument you would scarcely
but for 'unworthy hostility ' have said, with another intimation
of Popery/we are not sure thatwe understand the Bishop's sen
timentality.' But, sir, that of which I complain above all is,
your unceasing efforts to divide my own clergy of all schools
allowed within our Church — whom I desire to unite, quicken
and help in their ministerial work — in habitually striving
to render these men suspicious of their brethren and their
Bishop. One proof oi this may be found in the carelessness
which led you into error about my rural dean's resignation ; for
you would not have inserted such an article against the Bishop
of Winchester. Another may be found in your own charges,
as, e.g. that I ignore the Church Missionary Society — a simple
falsehood, since I subscribe to it, preach for it next month at
Oxford, and divide my own parish subscription between it
and the S. P. G. ; another that I quitted the Pastoral Aid

222 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. v.
Society because of its Evangelical tenets, when you know that
I left it from my objection to a practical rule, which prevented
the Bishop of London from joining it, and equally deprived
it of the present Bishop of Manchester ; and that I had aban
doned my father's sentiments, which is utterly untrue. It is
as to the lawfulness by Gospel rules of your conduct, in thus
habitually trying to widen the breach between the different
sections of Churchmen, and to lead them to distrust and hate
one another, that above all I would beg you to examine
both yourself and your words. I am quite aware that
such a course as you pursue is for the advantage of your
journal. But I would ask you solemnly to consider, whether
any circulation obtained by embittering the minds of Chris
tians against one another, is not a gain obtained by fearful
wickedness. Grant for argument sake that the puritanical
view is right, will Christ's cause in this kingdom really be
promoted by the adherents of that view being taught to think
all manner of evil of Churchmen, and to believe of each one
who holds Richard Hooker's opinions, and shares perhaps
some of his holiness, that he is a Papist in disguise, with whom
they cannot lawfully co-operate, and of whom it is lawful for
them to credit and repeat every uncharitable slander ? Oh,
"sir, there is indeed a day coming, when to have lived by
stirring up strife between Christians, will be no better a pro
fession than to have lived upon the wages of prostitution. I
am, yours, &c, S. OXON.
In January i S54 the editor of ' The Record ' replied
in a long letter justifying his conduct, and a few sentences
are quoted (1) to show the real feeling at that time of
this organ, the mouthpiece, as it then was, of a large
and powerful body of Churchmen, clerical as well as
lay, and (2) to show in what the groundwork of their
constant opposition consisted.
You observe that we consider you dangerous to the cause
of Christian truth, because we believe you, as a High Church-

1 8s 3- RELIGIOUS BELIEF OF 'THE RECORD: 223
man, to have Popish tendencies. You have truly stated the
cause of the difference existing between us, and of our con
scientious opposition to your Lordship's public proceedings.
You firmly hold the doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration ;
we as firmly believe that doctrine to be the taproot of Popery,
to constitute its very essence. . . . We firmly believe that
whoever believes in that doctrine is a Papist in reality, what
ever he be in name, and that the salvation of his soul is
thereby jeopardised. ... I believe that your Lordship has
mistaken the only true way of salvation, and that you are
leading -others into the false way pursued by yourself.
The editor further stated that Archdeacon Wil-
berforce's book, 'The Doctrine of the Eucharist,' was
one of the examination books used by the Bishop for
candidates for Holy Orders. The Bishop's answer
is as follows : —
Sir, — There are but one or two remarks on your last
letter with which I will trouble you. I. I am fully aware of
the difference in religious views existing between us. I
regard yours as the doctrine of the Puritans, mine as that of
the Church of England as expounded by R. Hooker, whom
in his day T. Cartwright and others assailed much as you
assail me now. I did not blame you because by fair argu
ments you opposed my views but, because to oppose my
views you habitually calumniated my character, perverted
my motives and misrepresented my actions. II. I courted
no comparison in holiness with Richard Hooker. I said that
in your habitual attacks on all men who consistently main
tain the doctrines of the English Church, you assailed those
who shared the opinions and perhaps some of the holiness of
Hooker. I spoke not of myself; but of a class. III. Amidst
a multitude of absolute misstatements about myself, I notice
one only — Archdeacon Wilberforce's work on the Eucharist
has never formed one of my list of books for ordination
candidates. IV. I did not insinuate that your opinions were
maintained for lucre, but that you were under a strong

224 LIFE 0F BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. V.
temptation to make your paper popular, by giving to it that
low garnish of private slander in which newspaper readers
delight, but which the Gospel of our Lord condemns. I do
not see how remarks which I made in 1844 before my con
secration and which, as I explained publicly in answer to
your remarks at the time, were not intended to injure the
Church Missionary Society, could nine years afterwards justify
your imputation as to it. Finally, I have but a word to add
— I believe that you may be saved in your Puritanism and,
in spite of your denunciations, I can hardly doubt that you
must really believe in the salvability of men who pray per
petually to be led by the grace of the Holy Spirit into all
truth, and love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, even
though they do believe that He vouchsafes in His own
ordinance to grant acceptance and grace to those who receive
Baptism rightly. Why then may we not, whilst we conscien
tiously resist what we deem each other's errors, love one
another as brethren, instead of seeking to bite and devour
each other ?
September 5. — Letter from Robert announcing his coming,
and most alarming intimation of the reason of his wish to see
me before I went abroad. He came. A talk with him. Not
quite so hopeless as I had feared.
September 6. — I rode with Robert ; long and much talk,
rather more alarmed again. He all affection and truth
fulness, but strong on that point which seems to me logically
to imply all ; viz. that the authority of the Church super
sedes the individual conscience. Alas ! alas !
On September 8, the Bishop went for a short
holiday on the Continent, returning to England Oc
tober 6.
September 17. — To Munich, getting there about four.
Dined at the table d'h6te, then off to see Dr. Dollinger. He
welcomed me with extreme warmth, but I soon found that
he took me for Henry, and explained the mistake ; still he
remained cordial, and we had much talk, — the reception of

1853. CONVERSATION WITH DR. DOLLINGER. 22$
Robert's book, state of religion in Germany, &c. He said that
he hardly knew what to say as to relative morals of Protestant
and Romanist Germany. More drinking in Protestant but,
perhaps from other causes, more licentiousness as to illicit
intercourse here ; strong on the advantage of confession, only
tended to deaden conscience when used improperly. The
Lutheran clergy lament their little influence over their people
from the want of it. The way which the Josephine system
had tended to destroy in Austria the Church's vitality. The
extreme of a bureaucracy-loving government's interference.
A parish priest wishing to use a more solemn form of bene
diction at a parish service than had been there wont, had to
obtain government permission. The local government was
armed with no power to give such allowance. So the case had
actually to be reported to Vienna, leave obtained thence and
reported ; weeks before the priest could alter his benediction.
This had taught the priests to lean on the State. The
present Emperor has announced his wish to give to the
Church its own powers but as yet nothing very material
done. The old clergy are for keeping all quiet and ' as" you
were.' The younger clergy who are at all in earnest are all
the other way, hence a sort of breach between them. The
Germans religious naturally, not above one Catholic woman
in ten who does not confess. The roues and unbelievers do
not, till a deathbed frightens them ; — though all careless men,
before marriage, or a son's first communion, &c, will confess.
The way in which a faithful minister inculcates that no
absolution is worth anything without contrition in the ab
solved, and that contrition will not be given to those who have
wilfully sinned against grace, prevents, in Dr. Dollinger's
opinion, danger of their allowing themselves in sin, from a
trust in final confession and absolution.
November 3. — Long talk with Arthur Gordon. Lord
Aberdeen now growing to look upon Gladstone as his suc
cessor and so told Gladstone the other day. Cabinet shaky. '
November 5. — Up early and to letters for early post. Then
to Reading where service, then letters again till dinner.
VOL. II. Q

2 26 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. v.
Wrote to-day 67 letters with my own hand and very sorely
tired. December 10. — Morning at charge. Then rode with Car-
lyle and Lowe ; on horse full of spirit round by Popham lane.
Well shaken. Carlyle full of unconnected and inconsistent
utterances. Full of condemnation of the present day, of its
honesty, &c, &c, praising the Georges I., II., and III. for
honesty and ability. A heap of discordant ideas. Yet a good
deal of manhood, and of looking to some better state of being.
Poor man, a strange enigma ! If he did but see the True Man
as his hope and deliverer, how were all his sighs answered !
The following letter of the Bishop's, addressed to
Mr. I sham, was an answer to four clergymen, of
whom two were rural deans, who addressed a joint
letter questioning the Bishop's power in regard to the
licensing of curates. It is given to show that the
Bishop claimed an absolute right over such appoint
ments. The signatories quoted certain cases in which
they thought the Bishop's power had been unduly exer
cised. In one of those cases they alleged that the
Bishop had refused to license, on account of the curate
designate not agreeing with the Bishop's views on
Baptismal Regeneration. Dec. 20, 1853.
My dear Mr. Isham, — I deeply regret that you and your
brethren should have sent me the letter which reached me
with your signatures just at the beginning of my late ordina
tion. I have lived on terms of such friendly openness with you
all, that you might have written to me with all the confidence of
friendship on this or any other matter. But instead of this, you
form yourselves into a sort of committee of inquiry, and talk of
further steps, &c, &c Now to such a communication I can
make no reply, because it would be to admit that the govern
ment of the diocese was with you and not with me, and that

I8S3- LETTER TO MR. IS HAM. 22"J
you had a right to require me to purge myself of any charges,
or fancied charges before you at your requirement.
I am bound therefore, in reply to your formal communica
tion, to say that I think it one which you would not have sent,
had you duly considered the relation which exists between us
by the ordinance of God.
But to each one of you privately I am ready to say, what
I should have said with pleasure had you asked me in a proper
manner: (i) that I adhere implicitly to every word of my
Charge in 1848 ; (2) that I am most careful not to infringe the
just liberties of incumbents by refusing any reasonable nomi
nation of a curate ; and (3) that I never have required that their
nominees should agree with me rather than with them on any
points which the Church has left open ; and lastly, that as to
the three cases which you mention as instances in which the
incumbent's reasonable wishes were thus disregarded, I have
no idea to what you allude ; that as to  , the nomination of
the curate was legally vested in me, and I received no nomina
tion from the incumbent ; and that as to  , my objection to
the vicar's nomination had no relation to the holding or not
holding by his nominee of any particular views of doctrine,
but was grounded simply on my conviction that he was not
equal to the duties of the curacy. I am, &c, &c.
S. OXON.

Q2

228 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.

CHAPTER VI.
(1854.)
CONVOCATION— ATTEMPT AT PROROGATION — LORD SHAFTESBURY ABUSES THE
BISHOP— SUCCESSFUL MEETING OF CONVOCATION — THE BISHOP'S SPEECH-
DEATH OF BISHOP OF SALISBURY — DITCHER V. DENISON— THE BISHOP
ACTS FOR BISHOP BAGOT— LETTER TO ARCHDEACON WILBERFORCE— A
SUNDAY AT LAVINGTON — CONVERSATION WITH PRINCE ALBERT — OPENING
OF CUDDESDON COLLEGE — MR. BRIGHT ON CHURCH ESTABLISHMENT— THE
BISHOP IN SOUTH WALES— HIS OPINION OF BISHOP THIRLWALL — ARCH
DEACON WILBERFORCE— THE 'ROMAN JEZEBEL'— THE ARCHDEACON RE
SIGNS HIS PREFERMENTS— CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE BROTHERS-
SERMON AT LAVINGTON— LETTERS TO AND FROM THE ARCHDEACON— MR.
GLADSTONE— THE BISHOP OF LONDON-r-THE HON. R. CAVENDISH— ARCH
DEACON WILBERFORCE JOINS THE CHURCH OF ROME.
Jan. 4. — Very heavy fall of snow in the night. Started
for London (from Cuddesdon) with Bishop of Adelaide. The
road stopped by a great drift ; walked to beyond Wheatly.
With Lord Aberdeen and settled about Convocation ; no
hindrance to one day's business, nor if need be to a second.
Archbishop's note fishing for a Government interruption
arrived whilst I was in the house ; settled the answer to it.
To Chapter Commission, then to Zoological ; streets barely
passable in a hansom, tandem. Down to Bearwood at night.
Jan. 7. — Cuddesdon. My dear brother the Archdeacon
came, all affection as ever. But an air of sadness about him,
and, I feel too, about me at our meeting, from fear of the pos
sibility of a future how painful separation, which may our
good God avert for Christ's sake.
Jan. 26. — Off after an early breakfast for London ; wrote
my projected pamphlet to justify Prince Albert all the way
up. To the Ecclesiastical Commission, where Goulburn very
irritable and rude to me for trying to see right done to Mr.
— ¦ — . I am very fearful that there may have been something

1854- PROROGATION OR ROYAL EXONERATION. 229
provoking in my manner, but if so it was utterly uninten
tional God knows, and I tried to soothe and went and shook
hands with him before I left, when he melted and spoke very
kindly, but it left me sad. How I hate stirring up strife. I could
lay me down and let all walk over me rather : so gladly. Then
to Cathedral Commission. Bethell promised me Missionary
Bishops Bill by Tuesday. The Archbishop told the Bishop
of London, ' That no objection to a day's doing of business in
Convocation. That we should therefore meet on Wednesday.
That he supposed that we should receive report and appoint
committees as before, &c.' Bishop of London said ' he spoke
about it, so that I imagined he had seen you, and settled that
it should be as you wished.' So unlike the truth, he having
tried all he could and more than most would, to persuade
Lord Aberdeen to use his prepared form of exoneration and ex
tinguish Convocation. Down to Cuddesdon with Liddell, &c.
Mr. Gordon had written to the Bishop on January
13, as follows : —
Lord John asked my father the other day what he meant
to do about Convocation ? My father without answering
directly, replied that he had settled it all. ' Have you seen
the Archbishop ? ' ' No, not yet.' ' Because I understand
the Archbishop does not mean, after all that has hap
pened, to attempt to prorogue them at all, but will wait for
your royal exoneration.' ' We shall find some way of settling
it, I dare say ; ' ahd so the matter ended. I have no doubt
whatever that my father will be able to reduce the Arch
bishop to reason, but it is as well that you should know.
Jan. 28. — A very busy morning, seeing separately all
who were leaving. With Butler, who to give up the habit
of penitents non-communicating, remaining during cele
bration, and about Liddon for my college. With Mrs.
Monsell concerning management of Sisters — use of Roman
books to be allowed or not. I settled not to be allowed at
all as safest, though I believe and told her that practically I
believe the adapted ones more dangerous. I trust this

230 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
gathering as to penitentiaries has really been much for good.
May God bless it greatly.
Jan. 29. — Letter from Arthur Gordon with copy of Dean
Elliott's mischievous letter to Lord John, and account of his
and Shaftesbury's interview with Lord Aberdeen. Lord
Shaftesbury's ' violent abuse ' of me, God forgive him, ' dis
gusted Lord Aberdeen.' Much cast down in the view of
Convocation, &c. difficulties ; tried specially to seek for
guidance and singleness of purpose and strength therefor — .
Also prayer for Lord Aberdeen.
On Jan. 27, Mr. Gordon writes —
The Dean of Bristol is perfectly welcome to bluster so
long as Lord Aberdeen and the Archbishop are agreed that
there shall be discussion and that the writ shall not be got
ready ; they must however have discovered the form, for the
Archbishop handed a draft writ to my father.
On the next day, January 28, Mr. Gordon writing
for Lord Aberdeen says :
In answer to your questions into the details of the pro
rogation of Convocation he does not think it necessary to
enter. He will only observe that though he has no wish for
such a meeting, he will not object to the Convocation being
formally assembled for the purpose of receiving the reports
of the committees to be appointed on the 1st proximo. He
does not wish to be understood as recommending a meeting
before the close of the session of Parliament, but he autho
rises me to inform you that he will not interfere with any
such prorogation as may seem good to the Archbishop and
Bishops, provided it be to a distant date.
On the same day he writes.
You may readily imagine the mortification of both Lord
John and the Dean at finding out that they are too late.
Nothing could be more comical than the tone of vexation
with which Lord John exclaimed, ' Do you mean the Arch*

i8S4- PAMPHLET TO JUSTIFY THE PRINCE. 23 I
bishop has consented to prorogue himself after all ? ' Shaftes
bury was here this morning. I will not repeat his violent
abuse of you, or his warnings as to the suspicion with which
Lord Aberdeen would be looked on, on account of his com
munications with you. I am happy to say he quite disgusted
my father.

The Bishop of Oxford to Hon. A. Gordon.
Jan. 29, 1854.
It is very painful to my nature, which craves for sym
pathy, to be violently abused even by Lord Shaftesbury ; but
I do truly believe that it is a load (and if so, oh ! how light
an one) laid on me for faithfulness to the cause of Christ ;
for I believe that if I had joined their following, they would
have lauded me to the skies and opened easy paths for me
to any heights in the Church. Still it always pains me, and
if I thought he had prejudiced the honest and true heart of
your father against me, I should have groaned again as I
have groaned before in other cases, so that your concluding
words as to his being disgusted comforted me. I have a
second very curious letter from ¦  giving accounts of
further interviews with Dean Elliott ; in one of which he
abused the Archbishop soundly, saying he would not stand
by them or some such expression, cared for nothing, ' and
was just like a mufti and would make an excellent Turk;'
complimentary from a friend ! You shall see it. It is gone
now to the Prolocutor, who seemed rather too much disposed
to trust this Dean. I must tell you as to the fate of the pro
jected pamphlet1 for which you so kindly sent me some
materials. I wrote near forty pages of its first draught : but
I then found the proof of the origin' of the report 2 in some of
the higher circles of the Derby party becoming so very clear ;
and my own indignation waxing so warm that I felt I could
1 See ante, p. 228.
2 That Prince Albert was using unconstitutional influence in the conduct of
public affairs.

232 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. VI.
not write an episcopal pamphlet, and I felt a scruple of
conscience in writing what I would not avow. I have never
written anything since my consecration which I have not
avowed or would mind avowing, and therefore have aban
doned my work, though not without longing that some one
else had taken up and executed its purport. Believe me,
ever affectionately yours,
S. Oxon.
Feb. I. — After many prayers for God's guidance, restraint
and blessing, to Convocation, where nearly all day, a.nd D.G.
most' marvellously succeeded. The Bishops who heretofore
had been our chief opposers moving and seconding our
motions. God be praised whose work I believe it is.
One of the subjects at this meeting was a motion
by the Bishop of London (Blomfield), to appoint a
Committee to deliberate upon what steps ought to be
recommended for the improvement of the constitution
of Convocation. This was seconded by the Bishop of
St. Davids (Thirlwall) : the Bishop of Winchester
(Sumner) concurring. Bishop Wilberforce in support
ing the motion, said : —
A notion had got abroad that those who were anxious to re
store at the small opportunities given to them, some synodical ,
action in the Houses, were snatching a chance opportunity at
these meetings to smuggle an expression as to what might be
taken as the opinion and mind of the Church, from a body
which, from its peculiar constitution could in no way be taken
to represent the mind of the Church. Nothing could be
.further from them. The principle had been that alterations
and adaptations of the Church's system were imperatively
needed, that they could only lawfully be obtained by some
internal synodical action of herself, and that there was no
course open but to use the existing synod imperfect as it was,
as a means of reaching to a more perfect representation of
the Church. They did not desire the Crown to send its

1854- DEANS SO NEAR BISHOPRICS. 233
licence for any other reform, than the reform of Convoca
tion. Increase of population and alteration of the laws and
phases of society made some internal action needful. They
had definite rubrics for ritual observances, but to carry them
out literally in almost any populous district, would give rise
to commotion and disturbance of the most fearful kind, and
yet the clergy were bound by solemn obligations to observe
those rubrics and to fulfil that ritual, and no dispensing
power was lodged anywhere, and this was a yoke that was
becoming intolerable to conscientious men.
It was absurd that there should be a great spiritual
body, with a minute set of rules impossible to be observed,
and with no dispensing power to allow for their neglect. It
led to such outbreaks as we have seen, where lynch law, with
out its American justice, was endeavoured to be inflicted upon
those of whom the worst that could be said was, that they
had very unwisely endeavoured to be literally exact to the
Church's rule.
Feb. 2. — Lord Aberdeen expressed to me very strongly
his content at the doings in Convocation yesterday.
On March 7 the Bishop, writing to Mr. Gordon on
the appointment to a then vacant deanery says, ' I
am sure it is of very great moment whom you make
deans, they are so near Bishoprics for other ministers.'
March 8. — Received the heavy news of the death of my
dear brother and close friend, Edward Denison of Salisbury,
What a blow to the Church ! What a loss to me !
March 15. — To London. Zoological Council, then to
Convocation Committee at London House ; on the whole
did business in spite of Dean Elliott. Interview with Arthur
Gordon. Blunt refuses.3 Settled that best on the whole to let
Bishop of Salisbury's letter have its weight,4 and push for
" Bishopric of Salisbury.
* Bishop Denison a few hours before his death wrote to Lord Aberdeen
urging that Canon Hamilton might succeed him.

234 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
Hamilton. A. G. told me he would try and get the canonry
for Trench ; he also said that Lord Aberdeen thought of
offering me Durham.
March 22. — After breakfast and letters off in a carriage
for West Hendred vid Wantage. A pleasant Confirmation.
Went over the Church repairs with Rector and Church
wardens. Saw East Hendred Church, and so by Wantage,
whence walked up the hill with good Butler to Woolley.
In August 1853 Archdeacon Denison, for reasons
which he has explained in ' Notes of my Life,' preached
the first of three sermons on the doctrine of the Real
Presence, with the avowed intention of challenging
public inquiry ; he was at the time examining chap
lain to Bishop Bagot (Bath and Wells), who was in
failing health, and for whom Bishop Spencer (Madras)
was acting under a commission. The doctrine con
tained in these sermons was challenged, ostensibly by
the Rev. Joseph Ditcher, but really, as will appear in
the sequel, by a party known as the Evangelical
Alliance. In the beginning of February of this year
Bishop Bagot wrote to Bishop Wilberforce, secretly
committing the matter to him, for the peace of the
Church : an entry in the Diary —
Feb. 8. — To lodgings to meet Judge Coleridge, Bishop
of Salisbury, Robert Phillimore, and Mr. Davies,5 concerning
G. Denison's threatened prosecution. Two hours' discussion
ended in agreeing that I should write a letter for him to Mr.
Ditcher, and that R. Phillimore should prepare one for the
Archbishop. Wrote mine.
Again, on March 2 the diary records : —
Curious interview this morning with Bishop of Exeter : he
said he knew that the opposing lawyers most dreaded Arch-
* Bishop Bagot's secretary.

1854- DITCHER V. DENISON. 235
deacon Denison's pleading in person. I succeeded in alarm
ing the Bishop as to the issue of the contest, and he promised
to frighten Denison.
The Bishop thus writes to his brother the Arch
deacon : —
The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
Rail to Maidenhead, March 2, 1854.
My dearest Brother, — How did you know that / had given
any advice about the Denison matter ? I am deeply anxious
about it. I cannot but greatly fear that, if the trial comes on
before Dodson, he will try the case on the baldest Act of
Parliament interpretation of the Articles, Title and all ; that
he will be cowed by public clamour, and give a judgment
against not only Denison, but the Church's doctrine ; and
that, it having once been given, we shall not get it reversed ;
and that the Church of England will seem to be committed
to Low doctrine, which she does not teach, as to this Sacra
ment. Now if we on the other hand, could win a few years,
for your books to leaven the mind of the Church ; and
then, when a sentence was to be called for, and not against a
man like Denison, whom everyone esteems fair game for any
persecution, we might get a true interpretation of the teaching
of the Church. Then I fear that it should now come to the
Court of Appeal, because I am afraid that the Bishop of
London is committed by a letter to Bishop Spencer. You
alone have influence in this matter with Denison, and I be
seech you my beloved Brother, for the Church's sake and the
Truth's, that you use it to induce him to endeavour to pre
vent a trial. If the Bishop of Bath and Wells should. — before
issuing letters of request — write to Denison to ascertain
his view, what I want is that Denison should reply, not by
re-stating the Catholic side of the doctrine, but on that side
— simply saying that he adheres to all he has put forth and
then addresses himself to show that holding that truth, he
can subscribe our Articles and can condemn Rome. My

236 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. VI>
hope would be that if he did this heartily, the Bishop of
Bath and Wells might be able to stave off the trial. I am
just starting on a Confirmation tour.
Your most loving brother, ^ qxon

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce. March 24, 1854.
My beloved Brother, — I cannot see the force of your
argument as to not letting Denison be taken into a Court. Of
course, if the Church of England were to meet and consider ¦
the Question, I should see a great deal of weight in your
argument. But the Question is not at all that. It is — Shall
the formularies which the Church has deliberately put forth
be subjected at one moment to the interpretation of one par
ticular Court under particular circumstances ? Now this
question seems to me to be subject to quite other laws. It
may be that God's overruling Providence is preventing the
Church being injured by a misinterpretation of her laws, by
preventing this Court at this time deciding the Question, and
I may be the Instrument which He is using. If indeed the
Court did decide wrongly, I should say as I said in the
Gorham case, this does not really bind the Church ; and in
stead of despairing at all, I should in such a case hope that
He would over-rule it, as I cannot but see that He has the
Gorham judgment, to awaken His Church to the truth and
the importance of the truth. So that I should apply your
argument on this side — for it seems to me to apply, when
God by His providential Government has declared His Will.
But, whilst that verdict is as yet unspoken, as He works out
His designs through us, it seems that we are to consult and
act our best for the Church, leaving the result to Him.
The Bishop of Oxford to Hon. Arthur Gordon.
April 6, 1854.
My dear Gordon,— You will, I think like to read the
enclosed for the interest of the case. But I have a further

1854- LORD ABERDEEN AND THE ARCHBISHOP. 237
reason for wishing you to do so. Lord Ashburton who takes
a great interest in these matters, asked me on Friday last how
matters stood in this case. I said, ' likely I think to be kept
out of court unless the Archbishop forces it into one.' He
said, ' but surely he might on that subject have a remonstrance
from Government,' and he urged me strongly to acquaint Lord
Aberdeen with the whole matter, that he as custos of the
public peace, might impress upon the Archbishop the ruin of
stirring up a litigation on this mysterious subject. I doubt
whether he could do anything, and yet perhaps he might. I
leave it entirely at your option to show him these letters, or
read any part of them you please to him or not. You will
remember how diligent certain persons were in talking about
marking the troublers of the Church's peace.6 The further
progress of the case has been this. Denison has under
strong coercion — brought about I will tell you some day how
— given a mild and useful answer. We shall now doubtless
advise the Bishop of Bath and Wells to refuse to prosecute ;
and the question then will be whether the Archbishop will
actually issue his commission, or recommend an application
to the Queen's Bench, or work the ' Record ' newspaper, or
counsel peace.
The Hon. A. Gordon to the Bishop of Oxford.
April 7.
My father will speak to the Archbishop. May God guide
the case to a peaceable issue.
On the 15th he writes again : —
My father saw the Archbishop again this morning, and
pressed him strongly re Denison. The Archbishop said,
' Only let him do anything that looks like conciliation, and I
will do what I can,' or words to that effect. This is surely
important, for now if Denison makes any concession, my
father may pin the Archbishop to his promise.
• See p. 169.

238 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
The Bishop's reply was immediate, saying —
You will see by the enclosed letter that no time is to be
lost in Lord Aberdeen's application of reason to our Primate,
if the mischief is to be prevented. The Protestant Alliance
are his pushers on.
On April 16, Archdeacon Denison received Bishop
Bagot's opinion on eight propositions, which the Arch
deacon had drawn up and which contained all the
points made in the sermons. The opinion acquitted
him of having maintained in those propositions any
thing contrary to the doctrines of the Church of
England, and stated that the Bishop declined to insti
tute legal proceedings.
The following letter was written by Bishop Wil
berforce on behalf of Bishop Bagot : —
My dear Archdeacon, — I have carefully considered the
statement of Doctrine which in compliance with my require
ment you have sent to me ; and I proceed now to state you
my judgment hereon.
This I shall perhaps make most distinct by first laying
down what on this subject matter I understand to be the
authoritative teaching of our Church, and then pointing out to
you anything in your statement which in letter or in spirit
appears to me to vary from it.
1. Then I understand our Church to teach positively, as
she has received from God's Word and Primitive Antiquity,
that in the Holy Eucharist, as a consequence of the Institu
tion of Christ there is by the working of God's Almighty
power a real though spiritual presence of the Body and Blood
of Christ. 2. That of this Body and Blood of the Lord, the faithful
worshippers when they eat and drink the consecrated elements
are made partakers to the strengthening and refreshing of
their souls.
3. That the unfaithful receivers of this sacrament do not

i854- . CONCLUDING LETTER. 239
in partaking of the elements partake of Christ ; but, receiving
the sacrament unworthily ' thereby purchase to themselves
damnation.' On these points there is, in the words of your statement
' no room in the formularies of the English Church for two
interpretations of the Doctrine of the Holy Eucharist'
As to the mode of that Presence, of which she asserts the
reality, the Church of England declares nothing, except that
she condemns the explanation given of it by the Church of
Rome in the doctrine of Transubstantiation and she appears
to me to discourage speculations concerning it.
Now trying your statement by these doctrines I rejoice to
find ; ist. That you solemnly reaffirm all the doctrinal state
ments of the Church of England as your own ; 2nd. That in
your statement you declare the three positions laid down by
me above to be THE positions which in your sermons you
intended to enforce ; and 3rdly. That you distinctly condemn
the doctrine of Transubstantiation. Still I regret to say that
you appear to me in your sermons to have fallen into the
error of allowing yourself to speculate as to the conditions of
that supernatural presence, with asserting the reality of which
your Church has been wisely contented. And in doing this
you appear to me to have spoken as if you could reason con
cerning a supernatural presence as if it was subject to natural
laws. Further you have in my judgment been led into the
error of requiring assent to your ' opinion ' hereon, as if it
was the dogmatic teaching of the Church.
The question then before me is this ; are these errors, as
I esteem them, of so grave a character as to render it my
duty to allow my office to be used to promote an attempt to
eject you from the ministry of the English Church ? Now
as to the first of these, though I esteem your opinion erroneous ;
still it does not appear to me to be one which the Church
has censured ; for I agree with you that the error which she
censures in the 29th Article is that the Body of Christ is
received to the profit of the receiver ex opere operato. Re
garding then your opinion on this point as to one to the
truth of which I cannot subscribe, and which regards a deeply

240 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. vi.
mysterious matter as to which I deem it far safer not to spe
culate ; I still view it as one uncensured by the Church, and I
do not consider it to be my duty to seek in our Ecclesiastical
Courts an authoritative decision thereon, and thereby to
narrow the terms of communion in our Church.
As to the second error I have noticed. I see with much
pleasure from your statement to me, that you admit ' that it is
not for you to say what statements of doctrine may or may
not justify exclusion from the ministry,' and I trust therefore
that without my having recourse to any further steps, I may
rest on the assurance that you will herein submit yourself to
my judgment, when I admonish you as I now do that whilst
you are at liberty to hold yourself as a pious opinion any
explanation of the Real Presence which the Church of England
has not condemned, you abstain for the future from all
attempts to enforce the acceptance of your own opinion as
the condition of holding faithfully the doctrine of the Real
Presence itself.
On May 1 1 Bishop Bagot died ; consequently
Bishop Wilberforce had no more to do with the case,7
Later on mention will be made of this case again, but
then, on public grounds, viz. as it affected the peace of
the Church.8
March 2$. — Wrote to dearest Robert touching his book,
trying to convince him that instead of affirming the Real
Presence, he is accounting for the mode.
7 Lord Aberdeen in translating Lord Auckland from Sodor and Man to the
see of Bath and Wells stipulated that he should ' neither persecute Mr. Bennett
nor prosecute Archdeacon Denison.'
8 The whole history of this case is set forth in the book referred to above,
Notes of my Life, by G. A. Denison, and published by Parker.

1854. THE MATTER IN DISPUTE. 24 1
The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
March 25, 1854.
My beloved Brother . . as for the matter in dispute. The
more I think of it,- the plainer it seems to me that this is a
mere opinion touching the mode of the Real Presence. Nor
do I think that it in any way more really affirms that Presence
than does the ordinary belief. For after all, the reply to the
objection of an animal eating the consecrated elements — that
it is revealed to us what they are to a man's nature, but not
to a brute's, — must imply either that they are supernaturally
fitted to be the vehicles to man of conveying what they them
selves are not, which is my solution ; or that the Presence
once granted is withdrawn, which is the solution most
warmly argued against. So that it seems to me that he
and you (I say it with a very sincere self-distrust) confound
when you come to argue on this matter, the assertion of the
reality of the fact of the Presence with the opinion as to what
is necessary for such reality which you have formed, and
which reality your mode of reasoning about it seems to me to
treat as being a natural reality, to be argued about according
to natural laws, e.g. that if once the Presence is there, it must
remain unless it is withdrawn. Now all this seems to me to
be really supposing that the Presence is, if real, subject to the
ordinary laws by which the presence of a material body is
governed. Now if on the other hand, without defining any
thing as to the mode of Presence, we merely assert that the
Presence is supernaturally effected to the salvation of the
worthy receiver, and the condemnation of the unworthy, how
is the truth endangered ? Do, my most beloved brother,
weigh this. I find the deepest minds, and the best read men
I know differing from you on this point. I am ever your
most entirely-loving Brother, ~ /-wnM
And on the 31st he writes again : —
My beloved Brother, — The point in your kind letter as to
which I am in doubt, seems to me this : — Do you mean that
VOL. II. R

242 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
you worship the Person of Christ, as having revealed to us
that He is very specially really present after the Consecration
of the Elements ? or do you worship a part of His Body ? or
what ? as locally present. Surely all we know is this — that
He is most really present, and does supernaturally commu
nicate to us the partaking of His Body and Blood, through
our faithful partaking of the consecrated elements. The
Denison case is still proceeding : at present the Bishop has
communicated to him the Articles, and called on him for an
answer. Your ever-loving brother, „ /-vY_K
Easter Sunday. — To Graff ham Church ; afternoon, walked
with all the boys over the hill and buried the bottle.
For many years the Bishop's favourite Sunday
afternoon walk was up the hill, under which both
Lavington and Graffham lie, through a wood on the
top, in the centre of which, the highest point on his
property, the Bishop had erected a lofty wooden
structure, known as the ' Gazebo,' originally eighty feet
high but. reduced in later years to forty. The Bishop
used to ascend this, glasses in hand, to enjoy the vast
ness of the view on a fine clear afternoon. Beachy
Head, forty-two miles distant to the eastward : Reigate
Chalk Pit thirty-five miles to the north ; to the south
and east, Spithead, with the whole Isle of Wight
from Dunnose to the Needles, were clearly visible.
The view over, the Bishop and those who were with
him were accustomed to go a short distance further
on to the open down. There, on a fine day, the
' Christian Year ' for the Sunday was read ; then from
the Bishop's pocket a bottle would be produced (i.e.
if the old one was broken), then a card ; the names
of those present written on it, a cork put in and the
bottle buried under a small cairn of stones. If it

1854- PRINCE ALBERT ON LORD ABERDEEN. 243
escaped till the next visit another card was put in ;
if not, a new bottle replaced the old one. This par
ticular bottle, the only one in which all his sons' names
were written survived a long time. It was unbroken
in the summer of 1876.
On April 29 Mr. Gordon writes, saying : —
A Scotch Dean has written to my father, calling his
attention to the exclusion of Scotch Episcopal Clergy from
preferment in England. To my surprise, instead of a dry
answer my father has returned a very gracious reply, and tells
me he has a great inclination to desire the Archbishop to
bring in a bill on the subject. Please let me know what you
think of it.
April 30 the Bishop replies : —
As to the Scotch Clergy I think it would be most
desirable to make use of Lord Aberdeen's inclination ; and
surely it might be most safely done thus. By his desiring the
Archbishop to consult with the Bishops and return him an
answer as to the degree and mode in which the present
disabilities affecting Clergy in Scotland and America, and
not applying to Roman Catholic Priests ordained there and
conforming, can be most safely removed. If he did this with
a strong intimation to the Archbishop that in his judgment
something effectual ought to be done, we should go safely and
I hope successfully, into the business.
May 4. — A long interview with the Prince, a very
interesting conversation with him about Lord Aberdeen. He
said, ' Lord Aberdeen is the most entirely virtuous man I know.
He has all the virtues I think. He is very courageous, he is
perfectly honest, he is entirely true, he is munificent in his
kindness, he is most forgiving, entirely putting out of his mind
the memory of great wrongs, and he is most humble even to
meekness in his estimate of himself. All that can be said
against him is that he is wanting in imagination, and rather
does not like it.' K 2

244 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
May 14, Sunday. — To Lambeth for the consecration of
Bishop Hamilton : an excellent sermon preached by his
Chaplain Drury. What he said of Bishop Denison moved me
to many tears. He had laid hands on me, as I was now
doing on his successor in that place. My own deficiencies
pressed on me with an overwhelming weight.
May 20.— -Up early and to Church, then letters. Break
fast at Mahon's — G. Grey, Macaulay, Duke of Argyll, Lady
Craven, Van de Weyer. Macaulay in high spirits and great
force. Got on rather new topics. Dutch words, writings,
and annals. Courier and his merits, &c. Van de Weyer told
about the poor Frenchman after the Revolution. ' Where do
you dwell ?' 'Rue St.  .' Tl n'y a pas de Saint' 'Rue de
— — ' ' II n'y a pas de De.' ' Rue No. 6.' Walked home with
Macaulay, trying to get him more on religion — ' God ' and
causality. ... In the evening to Lord Rosse's, where the
Prince. May 22. — Breakfast Van de Weyer's. Macaulay, Milnes,
Milman. Conversation chiefly literary. Macaulay's great
preference for Sophocles as well as ./Eschylus over Euripides.
Euripides would stand higher, had we only seven of his. He
with me, far prefers the Bacchae to any other of Euripides.
Then to Geographical Society, where spoke. Then to Com
mittee on Prince Albert's statue ; agreed to consult all sub
scribers. Home with Lord Robert Grosvenor. Then to
' House of Lords on Nuisances, &c. ; dined at Lord Lans-
downe's. The diary of June 1 5 records the opening of Cud
desdon Theological College, one of the ' things which
the diocese needed to have done for it.'9 In the
original scheme the Bishop had designed to build
it within the Palace grounds. With this site, and
with the donations in hand, he could have begun at
once, and with a very competent Vicar of Cuddesdon .
(Rev. A. Pott) as principal might have launched the
8 Vol. i. p. 349.

1854- CUDDESDON THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE. 245
institution in a few months. This course was aban
doned in consequence of a representation made by
a few Clergy suggesting a reference of the scheme to
the Rural Deans, with a view of making the Institu
tion more diocesan and less dependent on the good
will of future bishops. The Bishop's eager spirit
chafed under this seeming delay, he being so strongly
convinced of the necessity of such a seminary. The
acquirement of a site, and the settlement of the
needful trust enforced a tiresome delay. But those
who had caused it x were never regarded by the
Bishop other than as honest counsellors who had acted"
under the friendliest motives. Before giving the
Bishop's account of the day on which his hopes were
realised, it seems well to quote the following ' sugges
tions ' to the students as to the object of the Institu
tion — the benefits to be derived by them from a
residence in it — as they appeared to the mind of the
founder. I. Threefold object of residence here — 1. Devotion. 2.
Parochial Work. 3. Theological Reading.
II. Aids to be given — to Daily Prayer. Opportunities of
private seclusion. Constant access at all times to the Bishop
and the Principal.
III. Aids in learning Parochial Work — Schools. Visiting.
Sermons. Missionary Meetings.
IV. Dangers as well as advantages in Collegiate Life — ¦
The habits of .lounging. Waste of time. How such habits
will bear upon future mini'stry. Habits of self-denial to be
learned here.
V. Shortness of the residence of some makes the amount
of reading necessarily small. Sketch of studies — Scripture.
Pearson and Hooker. Apostolic Fathers. Such lectures as
may be obtained from occasional Lecturers.
1 This is the testimony of one of them.

246 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vr.
VI. Great importance of conduct in the eyes of others,
The Village and University Men.
June 15. — Early Communion in Chapel, eight Bishops
present. Thank God. The Bishop of London helping in
celebration with me. Then the opening, at which Thank
God all went off excellently well. I could see that the
attendance produced a marked effect on the minds of the
other Bishops. At night — I having prevented my health
being given after dinner — the Bishop of London gave it with
most kind words in the drawing-room. Austen Leigh
answered most feelingly and affectionately.
Part of the following letter to his brother is on the
same subject.

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce,
Fulham, June 18, 1854.
My beloved Brother, — The opening of my College went
off excellently. Indeed I do not see how it could have been
better. We were 8 Bishops at the early Communion : 250
clergymen in surplice, and some out : 400/. collected. All
the Bishops spoke, sub dio, to the assembled people, and well
and heartily. We now want pupils, and all will, please God,
go well. The Bishops were most manifestly impressed,
greatly with the spirit and harmony of the diocese. May God
be praised ! To you I may say that I felt so utterly pros
trated with a sense of unworthiness to bring such a scheme
to good success, that instead of elation, I know not when I
have felt so depressed. • I want you to tell me your judgment
on the view concerning Spiritual powers which your official
keeps continually pounding into us. Does he mean that
Bishops can and ought to assemble the Synod of their
Dioceses, to decide on anything or do anything ? and do you
think they can ? Is he right in your judgment, in identifying
Convocation with a mere ecclesiastical gathering under a
civil rule, and having no spiritual function ? Is he right in

1854- CONVERSATION WITH MR. BRIGHT. 247
maintaining that the principle of representation is fatal to all
synodical character ? Will you tell me your view on these
points ? God bless you, my dearest Brother. I am, ever your
most affectionate, „ „
S. Oxon.

June 25. — Up at 5.30 to get sermon ready for afternoon,
having more or less all the week been thinking of it, ' Give
an account of thy stewardship.' I have found this GJecidedly
useful to me this week and will try it again. But it is very
hard in the hurry of London to write. Preached it with a
good deal of interest to a very full congregation.
July 18. — After breakfast to one or two Convocation
Committees, where all the discussion as temperate, loving
and considerate as one would desire and pray that it might
be. Sat till 6.15. Then to House and afterwards dined with
Monckton Milnes, a curious party — Duke of Newcastle, Lord
John Russell, Sickles the American Secretary, John Bright,
Dr. Twiss. Many M.P.s, I between John Bright and Wilson
Patten, much amicable talk and a little sparring. Bright said
that Cobden was getting quite High Church as he thought
there was most reality in it. Then assaulting the superior
honesty of English Governments. Lord John defending.
'They were altogether right and you were entirely wrong.'
Discussion about Secretary of State opening letters. Done
often to intercept forgery. Most rarely on political grounds.
Had been done, Lord John was not quite sure whether
by himself or by Lord Normanby, when the Monmouth
riots were expected — some Chartists giving information,
'as they always do,' that the letters if intercepted would
show all the plot. Lord John justified it ' to prevent blood
shed.' John Bright : ' The danger is a minister thinks there
is public danger, when there is only danger to his Govern
ment. I cannot help quarrelling with him in the House of
Commons. I once asked Sir Robert Inglis — Now may I put
an odd question to you, but a plain one ? He assented : it
was after one of his Church and State speeches. I said, " Do
you really believe what you have said ? " He put his hand

248 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
on his heart and said in his softest and most moving manner,
" Upon my conscience I do." I have very much altered my
views about the Church Establishment since I came into
Parliament : I think Dissenters ought not to attack it. I
said at first, whenever it begins to act as if it had life it will
go to pieces. Now I think the living party in it, as it works
itself out, will see of themselves that the State is a hindrance
to them.' About the opening of letters Wilson Patten said,
the Duke of Wellington said, ' Have the French pretended
that they do not open letters ? ' ' Yes.' ' Then I will prove
to you that they always do. At the time when Guizot pre
tended that they never did, we had proof that they opened
all letters.' The Duke of Newcastle : ' Sir James Graham
really opened Mazzini's letters on information which led to
the belief that a great act of violence and bloodshed might
be prevented by it. The American Government opens most
freely all letters.'
July 19. — After breakfast, and seeing clergy &c, to the
Committee of Convocation^ Discussed with much brotherly
love and care the various details of report, and finally agreed
on it. Went with the Bishop of London to Meeting at the
Mansion House for S. P. G. The Lord Mayor spoke excel
lently well for a Lord Mayor ; the Archbishop of Canterbury
like himself, good, gentle, loving and weak; the Bishop of
London good stuff — never, except perhaps once, rising into
oratory ; the Bishop of New Zealand [Selwyn] so as to dis-r
appoint me, but some good after ; the Bishop of Grahams-
town (Armstrong) said a few moving words from his warm
loving heart — may God be with him ; I spoke and kindled a
little in speaking, having begun with great difficulty.
July 20. — To Convocation ; all passed most amicably.
The Archbishop's opposition appears to be very greatly
modified, but his extreme gentleness makes it difficult to be
sure of his inner feelings ; the Bishop of Winchester still
opposing on the merest obstructive principles. The Bishop
of Lincoln fearing the unpopularity. Then down to Chalfont
Park, where kindly received by all.
July 21. — A beautiful morning, wrote with Archdeacon

1854. VISIT TO SOUTH WALES. 249
Bickersteth, then after breakfast to Church. The Park very
beautiful this lovely morning ; fat, black trout hanging in the
clear chalk stream under the bridge arch. Rabbits abound
ing. The trees very fine. The service interesting. The
Church a marvellous instance of Street's cleverness. After
a rather speedy luncheon, to the House of Lords to attend
the Convocation debate : the Bishop of London moved for
reports well ; Lord Shaftesbury sat opposite, but would not
show fight : so after a difficulty from Lord Ellenborough being
over-ruled, the matter passed. Lord Harrowby came to me
— said he could not rise when there was no opposition.
July 31. — I with dear Carter — a long talk about Clewer;
pressing continually on him. I care not so much as to what
the Sisters now are — such a mode of life naturally attracts
Puseyites and Ultras — but what are we going to hatch out,
true Church of England women or not ?
On August 3 the Bishop, his three sons and Mrs.
Sargent, went to Tenby in South Wales, stopping
at Llandaff for two or three days, and then visiting
the Bishop of St. David's (Thirlwall) at Abergwilly.
August 6, Sunday.— The Bishop of St. David's preached
a characteristic sermon, suggestive, thoughtful. A good deal
of talk with him after about prospect of religion in Wales, he
very hopeless. Williams at Aberystwith and a Mr. Raikes in
Brecknockshire have tried the High Church way and it has
failed. The very low quite fails. Dissenters out-preach
them. The moderate best, where they follow, it is for the
man, not the system of Church.
From Tenby the Bishop writes to Mr. Cavendish
as follows : —
The Bishop of Oxford to Hon. R. Cavendish.
Tenby, August 16, 1854.
My dear Cavendish, — Many thanks for your very kind
letter of August 11. I have brought my boys down here for

250 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
a fortnight's sea-bathing, which is just coming to an end, as on
Saturday night I am to be with them at Cuddesdon. Thence
I am going after a few days' work to Lavington. I have been
rather knocked up and suffering in my head, but I am already
better. I am in continual sorrow about my beloved Brother:
he has said little to me of late. But I fear from the hints he
drops, that his present work on the authority of the Church, is
removing him farther from quietness in our Communion, and
that though he will wait quiet to the end of all attempts
against him, he is not more established. I can hardly bear,
my very dear Friend, to contemplate the future. All I can do
is to be perpetually praying for him, and as God has kept him so
long from any step of evil, to trust that one so pure and holy
and truly self-mortified, may yet be kept from such a fall. I
hope you will come and see us at Lavington. Could you
have me at the very end of September ? Your ever most
affectionate, g_ QxoN
August 18. — Up early: walked down to the shore under
St. David's Head and mounted the Cairn Hill — a grand view
of the sea — rocks, island of Ramsay, intermediate Sound.
Two ravens whirling and soaring over the Cairn — longed to
throw my strong impressions as to this place into verse. A
long talk with the Dean : he says the Clergy are proud of
their Bishop's reputation for scholarship and ability, but do
not like him — no prejudice against his opinions, but that he
is so cold and reserved — will institute his best men without
speaking one word as to their parishes, &c.
August 19. — Mr. Thirlwall drove us to the station. Nothing
could exceed the brotherly kindness of the Bishop of St.
David's throughout. I seem to understand him now
thoroughly, and highly value him. I am sorry heartily that
in early debates in the House of Lords I attacked him some
what sharply, thinking him a latitudinarian. I see now that
he is very liberal in his opinions of others, but sound himself,
— of a very fair and even merciful mind, a high sense of
honour, and a broad generalising view of each subject which
is brought before him, not a man of practical gifts.

1854- SECESSION OF ARCHDEACON WILBERFORCE. 25 I
August 26. — Superb weather. On by rail to Godalming,
drove to Northchapel, where met the horses, and rode with
my boys by Petworth Park and the Commons to beloved
Lavington, which was in all its still beauty this fine evening.
How many mercies surround me. Visited her grave, and
knelt on it long in prayer for Herbert and all her children.
The following letter was written to Mr. Gordon
just after his entering Parliament, in answer to a letter
in which Mr. Gordon says that he has been attacked
by the ' Daily News,' and that ; ' as I sit on the bench
immediately behind Gladstone, his weary sigh teaches
me that it is not a life of pleasure I have to expect
from the House of Commons.'

The Bishop of Oxford to Hon. A. Gordon.
Abergwilly, August 7.
I have not seen the ' Daily News,' and am rather glad I
have not : it is easier to bear unmoved being abused oneself
unjustly, than to hear a friend so treated. But for you, the
lesson, and the sigh of our dear friend Gladstone, and the
sadness at your start, are all meant in love. I trust you have
too great, I know you have too true, a future before you, to
be able to start merely with the white sails and the bright sun
and the curling waves of a young ambition gratified. ... I am
affectionately yours, s qxon
The letters which follow give the outlines of the
history of one of the greatest sorrows of the Bishop's
life Few of those who met him in ordinary society,
and saw what light and brightness he threw into the
circle in which he moved, could have had any concep
tion of the many forms of suffering which he had to
bear. One of the very keenest of these sufferings was
the secession of his brother Robert (Archdeacon R. I.

252 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
Wilberforce) to the Roman Communion. The two
brothers were bound to each other by the ties of the
warmest love and affection. The touching lines which
follow, show how this increased as the two stood alone
in their fidelity to the Church, when so many of those
nearest and dearest to them fell away.
Oh Brother ! thrice beloved, who from those years
When, as with common heart we lived, and shared
Childhood's keen griefs and joys, hast ever bared
Thy breast to every storm of woes and fears
Which beat on me, and often with thy tears
Hast staunched mine ; who in dark days hast dared
All questions to explore — Since it has fared
So sadly with our house that careless ears
Of passers-by with the wide severance ring
Of four who at one altar vowed to serve —
How closer to thy faithful love I cling ;
How pray we two may yet endure, with nerve
Strung as of iron, and beneath the wing
Ot this our Mother Church hold fast and never swerve.
The Bishop had the highest admiration for his
brother's great theological powers, and took the most
intense interest in all that he wrote. There were
points on which the minds of these two most remark
able brothers took different views as to the fittest
mode of expressing the truths which the Church has
to teach ; but on the great and important truth that
the Church of England is the Catholic Church in this
country they had up to the year 1850 been fully and
entirely agreed. In that year the Bishop wrote:
' Great love to Jane.2 I trust to her to keep you from
being led away by Manning's subtleties.' And again
in the same year, after Archdeacon Manning's seces
sion, the Bishop writes, saying —
2 Mrs. R. I. Wilberforce.

1854. UNION THROUGH THE SUPREMACY. 253
I long to hear that Keble has in any measure reassured
you. The more I think of it the more awful does it seem
that one of us should be betrayed into deliberately choosing
all the errors, superstitions, and grievous corruptions of the
Papacy, when all the tenets of the Church as well as of the
Gospel are our own in the Church of our Baptism. Never
for months has a day passed that I have not earnestly prayed
for you, that you may be kept from this most fearful sin. Of
course in comparison with this aspect all other things are
light. But it is heartbreaking to me to think of losing you,
my brother and friend — my friend, guide, and aid since boy
hood, and with whom, I do believe, there does still exist an
unity of feeling, which has perished (though affection survives
in all its strength) between Henry and myself. May God
evermore bless you, my beloved brother; I think you so
much better a man, than I am, that it is marvellous you should
be ensnared by such a painted hag as that Roman Jezebel.
It was on this point that the doubts which had
begun, then grew stronger in the mind of Archdeacon
Wilberforce. His book on the ' Principles of Church
Authority' would seem to show that his mind was
distressed and disquieted by the sense of disunion
and divisions among Christians, and that he was
driven to seek an escape from these in the theory
of union under the Supremacy of the See of Rome.
The Bishop felt this keenly, first because he had
always a clear view that the facts of history prove
the Roman claim to Supremacy to be an incrustation
upon the system of the Primitive Church ; and he
therefore felt that to commit oneself to the a priori
theory of union through the Supremacy was to lean
on a broken reed ; and then in this case the grief that
he always felt for every secession from the Church was
intensified, because he was losing from his side in the
great work for the Church of God a brother whose

254 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
love and sympathy had been one of the chief joys of his
life. It will be seen too from his letter to his son
Herbert 3 how deep a sense the Bishop had of the harm
that is done to the mind of anyone who is seduced by
the errors which have, in the Roman Communion so
obscured the truths of the Catholic Church. All this
will account for the suffering which his brother's se
cession caused him. Many letters passed between the
brothers while Robert was contemplating the step
which he eventually took, and they show most clearly
that it was the longing for authoritative teaching that
shook Robert. This longing however, assumed no
definite form until 1853. In the April of that year he
writes : — ' If I do anything, it will merely be to resign
my preferment, in order that I may consider the state
of things more dispassionately, but I have no thought
of doing so at present.' Again, in July of the same
year, he writes : — ' I much wish to have a talk with you.
I cannot satisfy myself that I am right in occupying a
post which implies so much responsibility, while I con
tinue uncertain in my judgment as to the state of things,
I much therefore wish to retire into a less responsible
position.' The Bishop's reply shows how earnestly he
endeavoured to retain if possible in the service of the
English Church, one of whose moral and mental
powers he had such long and intimate knowledge.
The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
The Athenaeum, July 20, 1853.
My most beloved Brother,— I cannot tell you the deep
sadness with which your letter has overwhelmed me. God
forbid that you should take this step. Surely the mode in
» See post, p. 303.

1 854. THE ARM OF DISCIPLINE WITHERED. 255
which your book 4 has been received by the Church must quiet
your mind, for it shows (1) how great an amount of Church
truth is held implicitly by it, of which there is no external
manifestation ; and (2) how plain it is that in the judgment
of the Church itself you do not fall without the line of her
honest servants. Indeed it seems to me clear as if written
with a sunbeam, that our position is that of putting forth
dogmatically all Apostolic truth, but having our arm of dis
cipline so withered that we cannot punish and cast out those
who deny the truth. But then herein we really share the
fate of the whole Church ; for what king or emperor is cast
out for open and notorious crime ? and yet how much clearer
is crime than heresy, and how full and loud the censures of
God against a Church which spares the rich and condemns
the poor ! So that no part of the Church could now retain
any who applied to it the vigorous scrutiny you would apply
in these matters to ours. My most dear friend and brother,
may God restore to you perfect quietness in serving in our
Church. . . .
This book had just been published, and the follow
ing letter of the, Bishop acknowledging the receipt of
it, shows the dread he had as to whither the craving of
his brother's studious mind might lead him.

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
26 Pall Mall, July 28, 1853.
My beloved Brother, — Many thanks for letting me see
this most interesting letter of Keble's. Oh ! how entirely do
I enter into it ; and as far as I have read your book agree
with it. It is so manifest to me that it must be your tempta
tion— who follow up everything to its highest sources, and are
satisfied with nothing until you have thought it all well out,
and defined to yourself what you do hold and do not hold : to
think that our Church does not hold, or that men do not hold
' The book referred to is the Archdeacon's work on the Holy Eucharist.

256 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. VI.
truth, because they do not know that they hold it and even
deny holding it when they do really hold it. I hear that the
perverts in their secret communications, regard your work as
the most dangerous entire denial of the great doctrine of
Transubstantiation ever put forth. ... I am ever affection
ately your dearly loving brother, - QynN
Mr. Keble in the letter referred to had said, ' What
I am most anxious about is that we should make the
best instead of the worst of the feelings and opinions
of earnest men of all sections, on this subject especially;
and in particular that we should neither scorn nor ignore
the very large amount of real faith and devotion as
to a Real Presence of our Lord's Humanity, even
among those who in words would perhaps think them
selves bound to disavow it.' In October Robert paid
the Bishop a visit at Lavington, where he met Mr.
Gladstone. Writing to the Bishop on his return home,
he says : — ' I am much encouraged to remain quiet by
Gladstone's influence and arguments, in addition to
yours and Keble's, but I must endeavour to find some
principle on which to justifiy such acquiescence, before
I can feel that I stand on anything of a permanent
basis. You say truly that if I could so employ myself
as to give over thinking of my principles I should be
safe, and I fully believe it, but this is a mode of proceed
ing in which a person might manage to remain a Me
thodist, a Mahometan, or a Mormon.' The Bishop's
reply shows what the course was which he really ad
vised his brother to take.

i854- WAY TO MEET A DIFFICULT QUESTION. 257

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
Near Marlow, Nov. 5, 1853.
My beloved Brother, — I am not quite easy, my dearest
brother, without suggesting — and I am sure I do it with a full
sense of my great inferiority to you — rather more what I did
mean about your work, &c. I did not mean that you should,
in the interest of your work, lose sight of yoifr difficulties. But
what I meant was this. Here is a most perplexed and diffi
cult question. Certainly the Church is not in its normal state ;
any member of any branch of it may well be harassed with
doubts as to bis own, because he knows more of its evils than
of those of others. Now a right decision on such a question
is more a moral and spiritual than a mere intellectual result.
Logic canrtot settle the many nice points which must bias the
final decision. What is wanted is a right judgment — the
special guiding of God's Spirit. Now then how can that be
most certainly sought ? Not, as it seems to me, by one in your
position retiring from the activity of work into his study, but
by doing with all his powers the work appertaining to his
station, and then g'ving what time and care he can to study.
To stand off intermediately from the fullest carrying out of the
work of the present station, because you may change, seems
to me to be inviting doubts. God bless you, my dearest
brother and keep us all in His way — even to the end ! I am
in true love your most affectionate - qxon
In July 1854, the Archdeacon writes : — ' My dearest
brother, — I must ask you not to think too much about
me, or grieve if you hear of my resigning my prefer
ment. For I cannot but see that all will go on as it
has done, and as no prosecution is likely to take place
against me, I must act for myself. I am inclined,
therefore, to withdraw quietly into private life.'
The prosecution referred to was on the Archdeacon's
book on the Holy Eucharist. Such a prosecution would
vol. 11. s

258 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. VI.
have been to him welcome. He had expressed himself on
Archdeacon Denison's case, as ' acquiescing in his pre
sent position in the hope that ere long something might
be settled.' That natural straining of his mind towards
dogmatic teaching had by this time been further inten
sified by the work he was engaged upon, the ' Princi
ples of Church Authority,' published about this period.
Referring to this work, the Archdeacon writing to the
Bishop says : — ' It contains my deliberate thoughts, the
result of four years' consideration, and how can I sup
press my convictions ? I have said' less to you than to
any one about it, because I- did not like to grieve you
while the thing was as yet uncertain, and also because
I felt that I might in some measure commit you, and I
wished you to stand alone.'
The news of the Archdeacon's having taken the
decisive step of resigning his Archdeaconry was con
veyed in almost a single line, which the Bishop received
at Chichester on September 3. Writing to Sir Charles
Anderson on that day, the Bishop begs him to come
to Lavington, and says : ' Really, my dear friend, I want
you. I hardly know what I write. I have just heard
from Robert, in a letter heart-breaking from affection,
that he has resigned his preferment. I cannot but
know what will follow next, and what that will be, and
what it may lead to, God only knows. I tremble.'
Some days after, he wrote again to Sir Charles, say
ing, ' I feel as if my head would go.' The diary of
the day mentions his ride back to Lavington from
Chichester, meeting ' Randall5 and the boys on the
down.' To Mr. Randall he said, ' I suppose you have
heard that my brother Robert has determined to go
over to Rome ? ' Mr. Randall, describing that meet-
5 The Rev. R. W. Randall, Rector of Lavington.

1854- SERMONS AT LAVINGTON. 259
ing, says he ' never saw on the face of any man such
a look of anguish and desolation as that with which
those words were spoken.'
In the course of the ride just mentioned he said to
the Rector, ' I shall- not preach to-morrow.' The next
day was Sunday. It was his usual custom to preach
in the little village church, close to his own house,
but he thought he should not be able to preach with
the heavy cloud brooding over him. The next morn
ing, however, he said, ' I will try to preach after all. I
have been lying awake the whole night thinking over
my poor brother Robert.' The Bishop describes that
night thus : ' Rose after a sleepless night, worn like
a hunted hare.' The sermon showed ' the visions
of his head upon his bed,' ' visions ' indeed they were
— visions of the Cross such as he often had, and
which gave him such power to speak to hearts that
had been wounded as his own had been.
His sermons in that church were amongst his very
best. He used to pour out his heart there as if it
were a relief to him to talk out what had passed within
him. The memories of that church and of the house
near it, of the graves that clustered round it, and
of the voices that had spoken in it, seemed1 to bring
out all the man that was in him, and to possess him
with a stronger sense than ever of the loving dealings
of God with the soul. So it was then. One of those
who heard that sermon said that he never could forget
it, nor the insight that it gave into the sorrows of the
heart of the preacher. The text was, ' They that are
Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts.' The Bishop drew a picture of the sharpness of
the suffering caused by crucifixion. He said that this was
often increased, in the case of those who were bound
s 2

260 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. vi.
and not nailed to the cross, by the long and lingering
character of the death, as life slowly ebbed away.
Such men died by inches ; one limb after another
perhaps lost sensation, and so in prolonged agonies
they passed away from this world, till they were wholly
gone from it. And so he said, God often calls us to die
by slow degrees to all things which we are in danger of
loving instead of Himself. We have, it may be, to
die to home, to friends, the most dear and loved ones,
and to give them up for our Blessed Lord's sake, till
we are dead to all but Him, and have passed in hope
and affection beyond all that makes this world dear,
to live in God.
It was a sermon which told how the lesson of the
night had been learned, and from Whom. It showed
that the power of the Bishop's preaching lay in the
very reality which was too often denied him ; and
that, if he so largely comforted others, it was 'with the
comfort wherewith he himself was comforted by God.'
And so the two brothers parted.
How little was the character of the parting fore
seen. The fall of the one who was so holy, so gentle,
who seemed so simply and so singly to devote his
talents to the service of God, must remain among
the mysteries that it is not for man to attempt to solve.
At least one reason for the steadfast perseverance of
the other in his noble work for our own Church may be
found in his unwavering conviction that the Presence
of God was with her, and that in serving her he was
serving the Lord to whom she belongs. It is sin
gular that, in the next year, when the same brother
Robert gave the Bishop an introduction to the Bishop
of Amiens to be used in a tour through France, he
wrote to the French Bishop in some such terms as

1854. A HARD SAD BLOW. 26 1
these, ' You will find that you have much in common
with him, but it will be of no use to try and convert
him, for he is persuaded that he has in the Church of
England all that the Catholic Church could offer him.'
The Bishop of Oxford to Hon. R. Cavendish.
Lavington, Sept. 9, 1854.
My dear Cavendish, — I knew how bitterly you would feel
my dearest Brother's most sad act, Dear Fellow ! He had
acted before my answer came, or for the present we should
have been saved it, for he allows that I have proved that he
ought not to have taken the step at this time. The truth is
he had acted under the constraining influence of Manning
(who is at Burton Agnes) and Henry. Oh, my heart aches
all through to think of the mischief this will do : Romanizing
a few, irreligionizing a multitude, shaking the confidence of
all. May our gracious God, who knows the purity of my
beloved Brother's soul, overrule even this for good ; but it is
a hard sad blow. I have been suffering a good deal in my
head, the natural consequences of distress since we parted.
I know my dear brother's argument and I really think it quite
untenable. God bless you, my dear Friend, and keep you
steadfast and immovable. I am ever, very affectionately yours,
S. Oxon.

The Bishop of Oxford to Archdeacon Wilberforce.
Lavington, Sept. 12, 1854.
My beloved Brother, — I know not how to write about
the terrible announcement of your last letter : it seems to
strike me to the earth, and I am debating whether contem
poraneously with the announcement of your fall, I ought not
to resign my bishopric, in order that without the reproach
of remaining in the English Communion for the sake of my
preferments, I may testify with what little strength is given
me for the rest of my life against the cursed abominations

262 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. vi.
of the Papacy." All seems dark as yet before me, with
out taking this step. The increased clearness of my own
declarations against Rome which must be forced on me,
may seem insincere. But, my beloved Brother, is this frightful
dream which now for years has kept me from rest, really in
evitable ? Have you weighed all the consequences of such an
act? Have you thought how many zealous young hearts
you will make cold in Christ's service, probably for their
whole ministry ? How many infidels you will create ? How
great an ' offence ' you will make to come ? Can it be needful
for your salvation, and can anything less justify such a step ?
That you should quit a Communion in which, after weigh
ing every part of the controversy, such men as Andrewes,
and Cosin, and Hooker, and Bramhall, were content to
minister and to die ! My beloved Brother, I as a bystander
seem to myself to see the whole case with a clearness which
the cloud of personal interest denies to you. I see that
originally J. Newman obtained a great power over your mind ;
that since, through your great humility, Manning, by his
great subtlety of intellect, and Henry by his unceasing repe
tition of argument, have overmastered your own far superior
understanding ; whilst your late unhappy Archbishop has
been all along exhibiting to you the Church of England as
few but himself could exhibit it ; and that thus you have
been brought into a state of mind in which you have fallen
under the temptation to which your logical habit peculiarly
exposes you, of requiring an cucplfisia 7 in the system under
which you live which is not granted to any branch of the
Church at this time. Now, my beloved Brother, if my solu
tion only may be the true one, ought you not to wait till
what you have to urge has been thoroughly weighed by such
men as Keble, Gladstone, and you have weighed their
answers. You mention those who are grasping for you ; but
you did not tell me that Manning was at Burton Agnes
6 Diary. September. 15. — A very affectionate and friendly letter from the
Bishop of London earnestly protesting against my retiring on account of Robert's
step. 7 I.e. Literal exactness.

1854. ROBERT RESIGNS HIS ARCHDEACONRY. 263
trying to land his prey. My dear dear Brother, I beseech
you, before the step is taken, weigh all this well. Delay must
in such a matter be safe : precipitation must be dangerous.
I am ever your almost broken-hearted Brother,
S. Oxon.

The Rev. R. I. Wilberforce to the Bishop of Oxford.
Burton Agnes, Sept. 14, 1854.
My beloved Brother, — I am overpowered by your letter
just received ; what a miserable creature am I to cause so
much grief to those who are as dear to me as myself. If
you would but be angry with me I could bear it ; but it is a
bitter thing to be rending the heart of those who are so
affectionate as you. What I do, ought not and will not really
excite suspicion against you, for it has always been well
known how different have been our views on many subjects.
I am not going to take any immediate step ; but my book on
Church Authority leads to the necessity of submission to the
successor of St. Peter.
As to Manning's coming here, he had written to offer to
meet me or see me before he knew of the steps which I had
taken. I did not tell him of it till I had received the Arch
bishop's answer. I resigned legally the Archdeaconry last
Saturday. I don't expect to resign my living for some weeks.
And thus I feel ready to wish that I might lie down and die,
if it were God's will and I was in a state of Salvation. I
have daily prayed for the last four years that I might be taken
away rather than come to this. Your most loving and deeply
grieved brother, R. I. Wilberforce.
The letter referred to in the note on. the last page
is as follows : —

264 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
The Bishop of London to the Bishop of Oxford.
Sept. 14, 1854.
My dear Lord, — I have no hesitation in dissuading you
from taking the step which you have been contemplating.
You would be at first suspected of doing so from an inclina
tion to follow the example which your brother has so unhappily
set, and afterwards, when your sincerity was no longer doubt
ful, many persons would say that you had, without sufficient
necessity, deserted an important post of duty, which would
have given you sufficient opportunities of protesting against
the errors and corruptions of the Church of Rome with greater
weight and a more extensive influence. Moreover, and I say
it with perfect sincerity, the Church cannot afford to lose you,
as one of its rulers and its ablest defender in Parliament. It
is a hard trial for you, but you must bear it Bih Bva-(jyrj/j,lag Kal
sv<jyr]filas,s and in the end the evcfrrifiia will prevail. Believe
me, my dear Lord, with the truest sympathy and affection,
yours most sincerely, C. J. LONDON.
The Bishop of Oxford to Hon. R. Cavendish.
Eton, Oct. 3, 1854.
My dear Cavendish, — I have been most reluctantly com
pelled to give up my visit to you. My dear  was sent
home ill from Cheltenham, and I have been nursing him at
Cuddesdon. Thank God, I left him yesterday under Mrs.
Sargent's care pretty well again. I am very sorry to have
missed you, although, as you say, it would have been a sad
meeting. I have no better news nor hopes. I. sent your
letters, but he has not replied. It seems to me that seeking
a logical accuracy not granted to us in things of mixed human
and divine has led his noble nature wrong. May God have
mercy on us all and keep us straight. I am, ever affectionately
y0UrS' S. OXON.
8 Through evil report and good report.

1854- THE FfNAL STEP ANTICIPATED. 265
October 7. — No one can say what the loss is to me ; and
though my dear brother is just going to Gladstone — and next
to myself he has the greatest influence over him — yet I fear
that nothing will long prevent his taking that further step
which is the proper accomplishment of what he has already
done.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone, M.P.
Oct. 18, 1854.
My dear Gladstone, — I, too, read through carefully the
greater part of my dear brother's book on Sunday. It fills
me with the deepest anguish. It is, in my judgment, so un
like his former works in the unwarrantable assumptions which
he takes as axioms, in the illogical substitution of terms in
his arguments, in the leaps from one point to another, e.g. from
assenting to the judgment of the whole Church to the assent
ing to the judgment of a particular branch of the Church,
from the primacy to the supremacy, &c. &c. ; that I see now
how his patient courageous intellect has been bound before
he could intellectually have put forth this work, and this makes
me apprehend with too fatal a clearness how strong are the
bonds with which those who are misleading him have hold on
him. I cannot but earnestly desire that you would write to him
as fully as time and as strongly as affection will allow. I say
the last because I am confident that the disease has reached
that point at which none but powerful stimulants at all affect
his receptive powers. I need not speak to you of my grief.
I am ever very affectionately yours, <-. /->„„„
The following are extracts from the diary and letters
on this subject.
October 15. — Read a great deal of my dear Robert's book.
Quite unconvincing to me — overstated greatly in the earlier
part, and establishing I think, that nowhere is the full unity

266 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vi.
and intention of the Church preserved. Oh, that such specu
lations, aided by the practical evils he has seen in the Diocese
of York, should have lost us such a man !
October 1 8. — I am overwhelmed with sorrow at my dear
brother's book. It makes me hopeless about his future, from
its glaring intellectual faults, so unlike his former books, show
ing how complete is his bewilderment. He is the one brother
who is as my own soul, and we shall soon be parted, perhaps
opposed, for two weary lives.
November 2. — Letter from dear Robert announcing his
final accomplishment of fall at Paris.
November 5.— Alas, my dear brother is lost to us! He
joined the evil schism at Paris. They promised to keep it at
present a secret (he wishing my visitation over first). But
with their usual truthfulness, at once promulged it.
November 1 8. — Willy 9 came in the afternoon ; showed
me a most affecting letter from dear Robert, now happy in
communion with the great body of Catholics ; had learned
that he who would have God for his father, must have the
Church for his mother, &c. All aimed at perverting Willy,
who as yet seems unshaken.
December 5 (Steyning). — Walked with Trower, amidst
pouring rain, by Chanctonbury Ring. Old Mr. Goring planted
it as a schoolboy, carrying up water in bottles in his pocket
— quite successful — the trees not separately large but close
together, hence its success. Much talk with Trower. He
told me about Manning discussing with him his prospects of
being made a Bishop ! and saying, ' unless some crisis comes
and they require me to quiet it, no chance.' When Manning
was shaken, Trower, showing him how ambition had been
his danger, reminded him of this.
" Now Rev. W. F. Wilberforce, eldest son of Archdeacon R. I. Wilberforce.

1855. A REMARKABLE LETTER. 267

CHAPTER VII.
(1855-)
CONVOCATION— THE ARCHBISHOP URGES PROLONGED SESSION — DEFEAT OFLORD
ABERDEEN'S GOVERNMENT — CHURCH-RATES — CONVERSATION WITH MR.
GLADSTONE — ' COURT FAVOUR ' — LORD ABERDEEN AND PRINCE ALBERT ON
THE BISHOP— PRINCE ALBERT'S OPINION OF THE BISHOP — HIS REASONS —
LETTER FROM THE BISHOP TO MR. GORDON, AS TO PRECEPTORSHIP OF
THE PRINCE OF WALES— LORD ABERDEEN'S OPINION OF THE BISHOP — CON
VERSATION WITH BARON STOCKMAR — INSTALLATION OF NAPOLEON III. AS
KNIGHT OF THE GARTER — CONVERSATIONS WITH LORD ABERDEEN AND THE
BISHOP OF LONDON— COUNT STRZLECKl'S STORIES— ACCOUNT OF FRENCH
SYSTEM OF CATECHIZING— CONVERSATIONS WITH MM. THIERS, GUIZOT AND
MIGNET — HERBERT'S ILLNESS— THE ' WHIGS AFRAID OF YOU.'
January 19. — A remarkable letter from Arthur Gordon.
The Archbishop pressing lengthened sittings of Convocation
on Lord Aberdeen ! I feel as if the stone we had so hardly
rolled up the hill were beginning to roll over. May God direct
it aright. The letter is as follows : —
The Hon. Arthur Gordon, M.P. to the
Bishop of Oxford.
Jan. 18, 1855.
My dearest Lord, — I have so many matters to write to
you about, that I do not well know what to say first. I will
begin, however, with my father's interview with the Arch
bishop. They had a little conversation about the subject on
which my father came, (the Queen's letter,1) and the Arch-
1 A ' Queen's Letter ' had been up to this year annually read in every Church
on behalf of each of the four great Church Societies. This Lord Palmerston,
who was Home Secretary, without consulting the Cabinet, refused to issue.

268 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vii.
bishop having declared that if it were refused he should in the
House of Lords move an address to the Queen, Lord Aber
deen said he would take what steps were in his power to set
things right. These ' steps ' have consisted in writing a letter
to Palmerston, requesting him to reconsider his determination,
and desiring him to bring the matter before the Cabinet, if he
feels a difficulty in dealing with it himself. After the manner
in which the Archbishop disregarded his former remonstrances,
Lord Aberdeen thought it would be infra dig. to make any
further direct request of his Grace in Denison's affair, but he
spoke vaguely and in general terms about peace and concord,
&c, &c, which would, he said, have given an opportunity to
the Archbishop to introduce the subject had he been so
inclined. Instead of doing so, however, he turned the con
versation ; and now comes the extraordinary part of the
conversation on which I most heartily congratulate you. You
know we had settled that my father should not speak to the
Archbishop about Convocation, and he had no intention at all
of doing so. Judge, therefore, of my wonder and delight at
hearing that the Archbishop himself brought the matter for
ward by expressing his hope, that Lord Aberdeen would see
no objection to a prolonged session of Convocation, as it was
very essential that business should be transacted by Convoca
tion which could not properly be considered by any other body.
My father from an official feeling rather than from any
real objection, fought a little, and asked whether there was
anything Convocation could do which the Bishops could not
do as well by themselves ? The Archbishop at once replied
that there were many things, and especially instanced the
division of services. The recommendation of the Bishops, he
said, would, or at least might not be attended to ; the direc
tions of Convocation he had no doubt would be generally
obeyed. The end of the whole conversation was, that though
my father would not bind himself by any positive promise, he
said he should be very unwilling to incur the responsibility of
refusing a permission which the Archbishop of Canterbury,
whose moderation everyone knew, and who was not generally
supposed to be overfond of Convocation, had declared to be

1855- THE ARCHBISHOP'S LETTER. 269
required by the interests of the Church of England. Sb that
we may now, thank God, consider the prolonged session as
secured. My father, however, wishes for a letter from the
Archbishop, partly for domestic use, to edify Lord John, and
partly for Parliament, that in case Shaftesbury should attack
him, he may say that the A rchbishop considered it essential
and so hand Lord Shaftesbury over to his Grace for the two
friends to fight it out. I am directed to inform you about the
Archbishop's language. Yours most affectionately,
A. Gordon.
The Bishop replied on the same day, saying —
As to the Archbishop's communication, I do feel grateful
to Him in whose hands are the hearts of all. It is a matter
of deep thankfulness to see what I have so long striven for
accomplished, or in the way to be accomplished. But it is
not without a feeling of the awfulness of the moment that I
see the stone we have so patiently rolled up the hill begin its
downward course out of our hands, and to shape its own route
for safety or destruction. The great thing practically now
will be to secure the Archbishop's letter. Can you not manage
this ? If he pauses he may change. Can you not if no letter
comes get leave to write speedily, and, referring to the con
versation, say you have expected the letter, &c, and so draw
it forth, before ' my brother of Winchester ' stops it.
It was arranged with Mr. Gladstone's concurrence
that the Bishop of London should obtain the letter
from the Archbishop, which was as follows : —
The Archbishop of Canterbury to Lord Aberdeen. Jan. 22, 1855.
My dear Lord, — A communication from the Bishop of
London leads me to believe that your Lordship may wish to
have it under my hand that I consider a continuation of Con
vocation for one or perhaps two days beyond the day of

270 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vii.
meeting, Tuesday, February 6, to be desirable rather than
otherwise. The Committees were allowed to be formed last
year, and to deliberate and to report. It seems, therefore,
that the consideration of their reports is only reasonable, and
one day will not suffice for that purpose. But I may be per
mitted to add, that if your Lordship is called upon for consent
to this, it may be well to limit the consent to two or at the
most three days. I have the, &c, y -n pantiiak
On the same day the Dean of Ely (Peacock),
Prolocutor of the Lower House, at the request of
Bishop Wilberforce and Bishop Blomfield, wrote fo
Lord Aberdeen requesting two or three days for dis
cussion, urging as his reason that in one day the
subjects could not be debated decorously, and further
assuring the Prime Minister that a large majority of
the House would support him in excluding topics of
a personal or obnoxious nature. The immediate sub
jects for discussion were, the Report of their Committee
of Privileges ; the Reform of Convocation Report, and
the Church Rate Report. As will be seen by the
entry of February 9, the three days during which they
sat were not sufficient to exhaust these subjects.
January 20.— Letter from Arthur Gordon saying that
Gladstone was at first quite alarmed by the idea of perma
nent sitting of Convocation, yet at last thinking it too great
an opportunity to lose, even with the chance of Lord John
turning it against the Government. Gladstone's sadness about
the Crimean army, ' A matter for weeping all day and pray
ing all night.'
January 29. — To House of Lords. Saw Arthur Gordon,
and heard that the Government would be beaten. For Church
matters how dark a prospect ! The only Government which
could or was minded to be fair to the Church overthrown,

1855. CONVERSATION WITH MR. DENISON. 2j I
because six miles of road not made from Balaclava to Se-
bastopol.2 January 31.— To Grillion's to dine, where Cardwell, Glad
stone, Sidney Herbert, H. Drummond, Lord Elcho. Very
interesting evening, but less sparkle than usual. Public events
cast a certain gloom over us. Gladstone now and then absent.
H. Drummond saying that Lord John must come in. ' That
Sir Robert Peel had pressed on him in 1846 not to oppose
Lord John if he wished to have the Queen on the throne,
meaning that his factiousness would lead him any lengths.
Gladstone made light of that danger. Peel was possessed, he
said, with a notion of the dangers which would attend a Protec
tionist Government, expecting public outbreaks,' &c. To-day
understood that Lord Derby had accepted office, and seen
Palmerston as to a coalition. A most touching letter from
Arthur Gordon on the difference made in his position by his
father's retirement.
February 1. — After breakfast to Gladstone. Walked
down with Evelyn Denison, who loud upon Lord John. ' That
little man is now wrapped up in the contemplation of the
wise and noble act he has performed, and thinking the uni
versal condemnation he receives the murmur of that wave of
popular sympathy whose crest is to carry him to the pinnacle
of power.' He gave an account of the head of Peto's navvies,
on reaching Balaclava, and finding the miserable state of
everything, refusing to land them until some provision had been
made. He could get no orders given at Balaclava, and there
fore pressed on to headquarters. Saw Airey — Lord Raglan
absolutely refusing to see him. Airey : ' What do you
require ? ' 'I can manage and set my men at work if you
will order me a fatigue party for two hours.' ' I can do no
such thing ; I have to look after soldiers, not navvies.' At
Gladstone's ; his tone noble. As to Church rates, we agreed
entirely in view. The Government plan was to be ' For
* Lord Aberdeen's Government was beaten in the House of Commons, by a
majority of 157, on a motion by Mr. Roebuck for a Committee of Inquiry into the
sufferings of the Army in the Crimea.

2?2 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vn.
providing for the maintenance of the fabric and public
worship in parishes where a Church rate was refused,' and to
be based on Butler's plan. As to public events, he thought
it best that Lord Derby should come in, and they give him
an independent support. ' But would not that end, as before,
in irritation and further separation ? ' ' No ; things are in a
very different state'. Lord Derby is no longer hampered by
his anti-Free Trade professions. Graham would take quite a
different line from what he did before. Then there is no
chance of their reviving their old financial measures, and it
was Disraeli's wretched plan of finance which compelled me
to oppose them. Why, his scheme about the income tax
would have convulsed the country : I would have opposed
my own father if he had proposed such a measure.'3 We
agreed in lamenting Lord Aberdeen's loss for Church
measures. ' The best Minister possible for the Church, and
yet it was for joining that Minister that Oxford gave me
sixteen days' contest for my seat' He told me of the false
hoods universal as to the so much better state of the French ;
Canrobert saying, ' If only my men were in such good tents as
yours, instead of having only their miserable tents, and being
down in the mud. I sent for tents like yours, and they sent
six hundred, and forgot all the poles.' Then, as to horses'
nosebags wearing out, and our horses dying from eating dirt
with their corn — far more of the French had died from the
same cause. 'Could we properly have revealed all this, how
different had been the feeling in the country.'
Then to Convocation Committee on Church Rates, —
Bishops of London, St David's, Lichfield, Chichester, Arch
deacons Grant, Bartholomew, Dean of Norwich, Chancellor
Martin (Exeter), Vincent Gillett, Archdeacon Sinclair. Long
discussion. I stated that Church Rate not our real contest,
but Fabrics, and carried at length a resolution for such a
3 Lord Derby's Government was beaten on the Budget on Dec. 16 — the
motion voted on was the house-tax resolution. Mr. Disraeli proposed to increase
the tax on inhabited houses, shops, public-houses and farm-houses from is. to
is. 6d. in the pound, and to extend this tax to all houses worth an annual rent of
io/. or upwards.

I8S5- THE BISHOP'S REQUEST TO LORD ABERDEEN. 273
scheme as that of the late Government — all save, perhaps,
Chancellor Martin and the Dean of Norwich.
The Bishop's opinion on this point is very clearly
stated in a letter written in the beginning of 1856.
My dear  , — I have the strongest conviction that the
real and deepest struggle in which the Church is engaged is
for the ultimate possession of the Fabrics of the Churches.
I believe that with the most far-seeing Dissenter this is the
real object, and nothing, in my judgment, could more fatally
promote this object than any proposal to separate the rate
for maintaining the Fabric from the rate for maintaining the
Worship, as if the first was a national possession, and the
second a sectarian object. Any measure, therefore, which
contained this provision I should feel bound to oppose.
The resignation of the Ministry was announced
in both Houses on February 1. And thus the Bishop
was able to make the request contained in the following
letter, which during Lord Aberdeen's tenure of office
was manifestly impossible : —
The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. A. Gordon.
Feb. 2, 1855.
There is one thing which, if your father could do it
naturally and with propriety, I should greatly thank him for
doing. I know the pains which have been taken by Lord 
to injure my character with the Queen, and specially to make
her distrust me. Perhaps you, more than most people, can
understand the secret bitter pain which this has caused me.
She has long had from me the warm affection of a loyal heart,
quickened by a sense of personal kindness — and to feel that
she has, by the interested machinations of a most unscrupulous
man, been led to form an entirely wrong estimate, as I believe,
of me has given me continual grief. I had of old as true
and fast a friend in her intimate confidence as ever man
had in G. E. Anson ; and so long as he lived had always one
VOL. II. T

274 LIFE 0F BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vii.
who counteracted the influence against me. Now, what I
should like would be, if it were possible, for your father to have
said anything to show what I believe would be his estimate of
me, in any conversation with the Queen. Whilst he was the
dispenser of honour and place I should never have breathed this
wish, even to you. But now, when what he might do would
only be, in her secret mind, to redress an injustice, I, with
much hesitation, name it to you. But I leave it absolutely to
your judgment whether you should even name the subject to
your father ; and I can readily understand why, even if you
do, he may not think it fit, or wise, or possible to do anything
in the matter.4
The diary shows that Lord Aberdeen acted in
compliance with the Bishop's desire, and on February
4 the Bishop again writes to Mr. Gordon, saying : —
My dearest Arthur, — I will not attempt to thank your
dear father for this kindness. If that honest heart of our
Queen could once believe that I would die rather than breathe
a dishonest thought, I should be a happier man. I have a
curious story to tell you about the Archbishop and Convoca
tion of yesterday. Lord Shaftesbury is to attack on Monday
and the Archbishop answer. Most affectionately yours,
S. Oxon.
Lord Aberdeen's friendly efforts did not terminate
at this point. The interview he had sought with Her
Majesty and the Prince had been ended by the Prince
saying, ' He (the Bishop) does everything for some
object. He has a motive for all his conduct ; ' to which
Lord Aberdeen rejoined, 'Yes, sir, but when a bad
motive?'
4 In the first volume a passage occurs in one of the Bishop's letters to Miss
Noel, saying how much he (the Bishop) felt the loss of Court favour. As this
expression is liable to misinterpretation, this episode is here inserted to show what
the ' Court favour ' was, the loss of which the Bishop so keenly felt, and which
the Bishop valued, not for the expectation of any personal advantage, but for the
unrivalled opportunities of usefulness not otherwise within his reach.

1 855. LORD ABERDEEN'S FRIENDLY EFFORTS. 275
In the October of this year Lord Aberdeen paid a
visit to Balmoral and, while there, renewed the conver
sation ; when it became evident that the cause of Prince
Albert's change of opinion towards the Bishop arose
from a suspicion on his, the Prince's, part as to the
Bishop's sincerity and disinterestedness. Two of the
instances suggested were : (1) That in earlier life the
Bishop had sought the Preceptorship to the Prince of
Wales, and (2) that in a discussion with the Prince on
a well-known miracle on which he had just preached,
he (the Bishop) had somewhat unduly modified his
own views to suit those advanced by his Royal High
ness. The Bishop thus vindicates himself : —
The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. A. Gordon!
Petworth House, Oct. 30, 1855.
My dearest Arthur, — I welcomed exceedingly the sight of
your handwriting when I saw it on Sunday morning on my
table, and thank you greatly for it. It is really curious, if
anything in this world as to men's mistakes could be curious,
that, when driven by Lord Aberdeen into a corner, he should
have selected those two points. Fur, as to the Preceptorship, the
thought of it was my special horror. G. E. Anson told me once,
long, long ago, that they would like it, and I dreaded the pro
posal during all my early years of intimacy with them with a
special horror. I did not think myself fit for it : I thought it
would be drawing me from what I was in many respects fit for ;
and yet that it was a thing which, if offered, could not be re
fused ; and it was therefore the bete noire of my expectations.
Then, as to the second : the swine sermon was preached in days
when he was most friendly, long before I was Dean or Bishop :
the conversation followed, and a long one it was. He did not
say how entirely he disbelieved in spirits of evil, but raised all
possible objections which I combated ; and the only thing
like the ' convenient ' averment I said was that it was far best
for us to believe in a Devil who suggested evil to us ; for that
t 2

276 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. vii.
otherwise we were driven to make every man his own Devil ;
and I thought that this view rather touched him. I cannot
say how grateful I feel to Lord Aberdeen, not so much (though
a good deal, too, for that) for his doing battle for me, as for
his belief 'in me.
The words ' belief in me,' in the above letter, refer
to an expression of Lord Aberdeen's indicating the
heartiness and conviction of his advocacy. ' Not all
the Queens and Princes in Europe could make me
believe that the Bishop of Oxford is a worldly minded
or selfish man.'
February 4 (Sunday). — Prepared sermon for St. Mary's,
Princes Street, Lambeth — a most miserable population in
Lambeth, through which I passed — which quickened me in my
sermon. To Chapel Royal in the afternoon, and walked back
with Gladstone. Lord John has ' utterly ' failed in forming a
Ministry. Thank God. Lord Palmerston now sent for. He
was invited by Lord Derby to join with Gladstone and Sidney
Herbert. At first he was unwilling, and at night declined.
Gladstone and Sidney Herbert ready to serve. Gladstone
though feeling acutely the evil of Shaftesbury's suggested
Bishops would not feel clear on that ground of refusing — not
a fair constitutional ground. Dined with the Bishop of Lon
don. He agrees as to Convocation course. The Archbishop
came to him yesterday. Had heard from Dean Elliott, and
others, as to impropriety of allowing Convocation to meet in
Ministerial interregnum. Second letter by a friend from
Shaftesbury who is to move about it in the House of Lords
to-morrow. The Bishop (London; said he thought Lord
Aberdeen's letter settled it. That he was in till another
appointed and no right to suppose there would be a change ;
rather insulting to Lord Aberdeen and not very civil to the
Queen (whose will he expressed) now to alter. The Arch
bishop : ' Quite a relief to find that your opinion ; it was my
first opinion, and I shall be prepared to state it to-morrow in
the House.'

3855- THE POLITICAL SITUATION. 27 7
Lord Palmerston sought for the support of Lord
Aberdeen and his friends ; and the Bishop's opinion
was asked on the proposal.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. Arthur Gordon.
26 Pall Mall, Feb. 5, 1855.
My dearest Arthur, — It is indeed a most perplexing ques
tion, and one on which I would far rather have talked than
written, because a quantity of small questions require an
swering before the current of one's thoughts runs clear. I am
here this morning if you like to come : or I would come up
to you if you will send. But the question at present strikes
me thus. 1. If your father and his friends joined Palmerston,
can they make a really strong Government : strong not only
for the present, but strong enough to hold power and hand it
on. I think they cannot. Palmerston has talent and, at this
moment; popularity ; but he has no real strength. He has no
following, he has not the country gentlemen like Derby ; the
Whigs, like any scion of the Bedfords ; the Independent Libe
rals, like your father's Government. To what then can his Mi
nistry appeal ? Not to the country party ; not to the Whig
tradition ; not like your father to the honesty of the nation.
It will very soon be fiercely assailed. Will it stand ? I
think not — and will not its fall, if they have been its stay, ruin,
for a season at least, the real hope of the country, the young
political blood of Gladstone, Herbert, Canning, and Co. ? For
a second speedy break-up would be a grievous injury to them.
But how would this affect your father ? If such a Govern
ment started, I think he must be the independent Chief sup
porting them out of office. It would injure his character to
come in, in such a Ministry — really his own over again, in a
second place. Nor would the danger you foresee in my judg
ment be prevented by his joining the Government. When
Palmerston's tricks began, or when his heedless injuries to
foreign alliances began, either your father must break with
him alone or with his friends ; and the same evil would recur.

278 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAp. vii.
But, again, are he and Gladstone and -Herbert bound by
any party tie or Patriotic necessity to join his Government ?
Not by the second ; if they think as I do that his Government
could not hold. Not by the first ; for when Lord Derby
offered a junction with him, Gladstone and Sidney Herbert
by name (meaning of course not them as individuals, but that
they should speak for their party) ; and when Gladstone and
Herbert would have at least seen if they could agree on
terms of union ; Palmerston broke it off on his own account.
They therefore have, by all the honourable rules of party
obligation, the same liberty now.
Suppose then that they hear his offers, weigh them, and
decide that his new Government does not offer stability ;
whilst, unlike the revival of the old, becattse others cannot
form one, it starts with the profession of being that new t
strong Government which is to issue from the nine days'
interregnum : what must be the next step ? The formation of
a Government comes back to your father — and what is to
hinder his re-forming with Ellenborough, Elgin, Herbert, and
Canning in higher places, and above all the traitor out of the
camp ? I would say, if he will not, is it impossible to put
Gladstone into that place (though I think your father would
be best for all, and that his noble simplicity and truth of
conduct would be above price )? I have written whilst your
messenger waits. Any time before twelve, here or with you, is
yours if I can aid you. I am always, your most affectionate,
S. Oxon.
One more word for another alternative surely better than
a Palmerston Ministry. Why, when it comes to him, should
he not go to Lord Derby and say, / do not intend to form a
part in this Ministry ; but if you are minded, for the sake of
the nation, to heal differences, and give my followers their
proper influence, I will endeavour to combine them with you ?
If the offer came from him, he would have more power. This,
on the supposition of his not being chief, seems to me the
best solution.
February 5. — Church early ; then letters and people. Athe-

1855. CONVERSATION WITH BARON STOCKMAR. 279
nseum Committee.- Then Convocation Committee on Church
Rates, where Chancellor Martin and Bishop of Exeter very
violent as to sacrilege, &c. Then to House of Commons, and
Lords. Dined afterwards with the Bishop of Exeter alone
with his family, to talk over to-morrow's Convocation. Only
the velvet of his paws to be felt now.
February 6. — Church early. To Convocation with the
Bishop of London. A friendly discussion all day, with many
useful results ; the Bishop of Winchester and the Archbishop
taking full part in all doings, as being much interested in its
success. Then to House of Commons. Heard Lord John's
defence, which quite miserable. Gladstone's answer disap
pointed me ; he speaking of Lord John as free from all
treachery, &c.
February 7. — Off to Windsor, to Chapter (of the Garter),
and saw the Queen afterwards. She was cheerful and very
affable. Went after Chapter to Clewer. Long conversation
with Mrs. Monsell. Things quiet in House ; but Miss 
very unsettled in mind. Fear that she will ultimately Ro
manize. Dear  is acted on by these women far too
much, and kept from heartily and with a strong English
tone putting down the sentimentalism which leads to Rome.
Dear fellow ! he is good, and gentle, and loving beyond
praise. But I am always trying to keep him from that
perilous neighbourhood. In the evening a large party. I
had a talk with Lord Aberdeen about Palmerston's Church pre
ferment. ' Suppose Montagu Villiers must be a Bishop. But
Palmerston will beware of Shaftesbury, for fear of Gladstone,
&c.' Lord Aberdeen natural, simple, good, and honest as
ever. A longish talk on politics with good Stockmar,
Lord Aberdeen's honesty, Lord Palmerston's ambition. He
agreed with me that Lord Palmerston was a great take-in,
but that it was necessary that bubbles should burst. He
would have much preferred seeing Gladstone and Herbert
join with Lord Derby. On the Continent it is constitutional
liberty which is reproached by our failure at Sebastopol.
They say, ' If England with all her strength cannot make
head against the Autocrat, who could that has a constitutional

280 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. VI I.
Government, &c. ? ' As to the Royal Family, he said, ' The
Prince of Wales is the strongest of all. He can bear great
fatigue. He takes most after his father's family. The Princess
Royal is a thorough Brunswick. She is very clever indeed,
has great imagination and Varied powers; her picture5 of
" The New Year" full of ability, &c. Prince Albert is not a
strong man ; a little would throw him down. The Duke
of Kent was the ablest of that family. The Duke of Cam
bridge and King William the Fourth the kindest but the most
stupid.' February 8. — To London after breakfast. To Convoca
tion, where all day till House of Lords. The Bishop of
Winchester seconding resolutions, &c.
February 9. — Convocation at three, for Lower House deci
sion on Committee's reports. The Lower House, complaining
of being hurried, postponed certain parts.
February 13. — To Cathedral Commission; worked hard
till six, getting a great deal done. Walked with Lord Aber
deen to Argyll House. Much talk. ' One does not like to
be thrown out of a window ; but perhaps it is as well as it is.
John Russell can make a peace with applause for which they
would cut my head off' Palmerston about Convocation —
' He will do whatever is popular. He has no feelings of his
own on the subject.' Met  ,6 a curious specimen of earnest
Evangelical Protestant men, very narrow and earnest, ready to
burn a Tractarian or spend himself in preaching the Gospel to
the poor. A Lawyer in the Temple — a Bishop of Exeter on
that side. Thought ill of Convocation, because the Bishop of
Exeter supported it.
On February 23 Sir James Graham, Mr. Glad
stone, and Mr. Sidney Herbert explained their reasons
for resigning the offices they held in the now recon
stituted Cabinet under Lord Palmerston. On the
26th, alluding to these resignations, the Bishop writing
5 The well-known drawing of the dead Guardsman.
6 A Clergyman.

1855- THE ONLY TRUSTWORTHY STATESMAN. 28 1
to Mr. Gordon says, ' I have read the debate of Friday.
I think Graham's, S. Herbert's, and Gladstone's speeches
unanswerable. What a relief it must have been to
Gladstone to be able to speak of your honoured father
as he ought to be spoken of.'
To Mr. Gladstone the Bishop writes : —
As you are no longer a Cabinet Minister, I may venture
to say to you, what I cannot help expressing, how entirely I
agree with you in the course you have seen right to follow in
these last difficulties, and how much I rejoice (deeply lament
ing the probable effects of your absence from Lord Palmer
ston's Cabinet) that you have not continued in it on the
condition of agreeing to this Committee. I think your speech
perfectly unanswerable, as it was unanswered. It is refreshing
to see somewhere amongst our Governors real loftiness of
aim and purity of motive combined with great gifts of
intellect. May God bless and keep you evermore. Will
you send me back this letter of Sir Charles Anderson's ?
Amidst the abuse of ' The Times,' &c, it may be pleasant to
you to see the judgment of an honest and true country
gentleman. Referring to the attacks made at this time on Mr.
Gladstone's conduct, Mr. Keble thus expresses him
self : ' I cannot tell you (the Bishop) how grieved I am
at the injustice which seems to me in progress towards
the only trustworthy statesman of the time.'
March 7. — Early Church. Breakfasted with Bishop of
London, who I fear wears a good deal. Then wrote and then
to Cathedral Commission where till levee, to which with
Bishops of London and New Zealand. Back to National
School Committee and thence to Cathedral Commission —
where till late. Dined with Sir W. Farquhar to meet Glad
stone. Courtenays and Walter James ; a pleasant evening,
quiet and sensible. A great deal of talk with Gladstone
about his seat. He disposed to relinquish it and on noble

282 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vn.
grounds — that the University would get a better represen
tative if they had a free choice ; than if merely brought in by
the Bigotry party in opposition to him. Gladstone had dis
tinctly asked Palmerston before he joined whether he would
oppose Roebuck's Committee and joined on the distinct
answer that he would. Gladstone expects that the thing
which must floor them is the ordinary business of the Session.
Already he understands there are discomforts from incom
petency for business, he expects they will make a very short
session and dissolve in order to escape questions of legis
lation. The following conversations took place at Brough-
ton Castle, where the Bishop was staying, he being at
the time on a Confirmation tour. After recording the
work of the day, the diary goes on as follows : —
March 17. — .... Much interesting conversation. Count
Strzlecki said : ' The Bishop of Exeter having been with the
late Archbishop (Howley) and denounced him, without pro-.
ducing any effect, at last, when leaving him, said : " Well, my
dear Lord, I shall go home and pray for your Grace." Then
at last the Archbishop was moved, and, turning ashy pale,
said : " No, don't do that, I pray you ; that is unfair ; any
thing but that."' Lord Overstone's high opinion of Glad
stone : ' He has some faults ; he is too apt to meddle, and his
bonds, (&c, were a mistake ; but he has put the finance of the
country on a firm footing by his income and succession tax.
No one but he could have done it. I am not sure that Pitt
could have done it ; but no one else could. He is a man for
whom I could feel an enthusiasm. I could serve under him,
and really warm in defending him. A great mistake to sup
pose that by any legislation you can throw on posterity a
portion of your burden. The money must be raised from the
present capital of the country. The real question is, on what
classes of the country you will throw the burden — on the rich,
whose capital is in hand, or on the poor, on labour and in
dustry and work, where it is longer being paid. It seems to

I8SS- INSTALLATION OF THE EMPEROR. 283
me that no one except Gladstone clearly sees this. I hope
he will not throw himself away by acting under Lord Derby.'
April 8, Easter Sunday. — To Chapel Royal. I preached
with interest. Gladstone, amongst others, to whom went
afterwards, and had a talk. He for a temporary absence
from every day House of Commons work, to let parties
reioxm. Noble as ever. His ' sympathies with Conservatives,
his opinions with Liberals.' No good to the Church to come
from Parliament ; it must be developed from within. He
would not go on in politics to the end on any consideration.
Never could regret having formed part of Lord Aberdeen's
Administration. No other man could and would have done so
much for the Church. Lord Derby less hostile to the Church
than Peel.
The following entry shows what Lord Aberdeen's
intentions were towards the Bishop, had he had the
opportunity. April 14. — Talk to-night with Arthur Gordon. Lord
Aberdeen had fully purposed to offer me Durham, with suc
cession here (Oxford) to Randall, and view to York. He
(Lord Aberdeen) said : ' Why did he go and get made a
Bishop ? He ought to have been Chancellor in our Cabinet.'
On April 16 the Emperor and Empress of the
French arrived at Dover on a visit to the Queen.
They were received at Dover by Prince Albert and
arrived at Windsor the same evening. On the 18th
the Emperor was installed as Knight of the Garter.
The following is the account of the ceremony as taken
from the diary. The Bishop, as will be remembered,
was Chancellor of the Order.
April 18. — After breakfast and early letters off to Ox
ford, whence by train to Windsor. Chapter of the Garter for
the Emperor of the French. The Emperor looking exulting

284 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vn.
and exceedingly pleased. A very full Chapter, The Duke
of Buckingham coming unsummoned, and not asked to
remain to the dinner. After the Chapter the Emperor sent
for me, that I might be presented, and talked awhile. He
said, 'This is a remarkable event in my life.' The Emperor
rather mean-looking, small, and a tendency to embonpoint ; a
remarkable way, as it were, of swimming up a room with an
uncertain gait ; a small grey eye, looking cunning, but with
an aspect of softness about it too. The "Empress, a peculiar
face from the arched eyebrows, blonde complexion ; an air
of sadness about her, but a person whose countenance at once
interests you. The Banquet magnificent ; I between Baroness
 and Miss  , who lively and pleasant ; she told me
the Queen was very nervous on their arrival, waited a long
time ; ' at last heard of them reaching the station. The Queen
went down and received them at the carriage door. As soon
as the Empress saw her she stood up in the carriage ; the
Emperor jumped out, and the Queen saluted him ; the
Empress and he were apparently very nervous. The Empress
fearful of the Queen not liking her ; the Queen soon put her
at her ease. At night the Queen spoke to me : ' All went off
very well, I think : I was afraid of making some mistake.
You would not let me have in writing what I was to say to
him. Then we put the riband on wrong ! But I think it all
went off well, on the whole.' The Baroness who sat near me
was most wonderfully got up as a work of art ; the mixture
of sulphur yellow with violet in colour, &c, very fine.
May 13, Sunday. — Preached at St. Pancras Church to a
vast congregation. Then to luncheon with Canon Dale.
After luncheon walked through heavy rain to hear Maurice at
Lincoln's Inn. Walked away with W. Cowper, who sounded
me about Bishops, in case of Bishop of Bangor's death.
The diary of May 1 5 records the last meeting of
the Cathedral Commission, the sittings of which have
been so frequently mentioned. That the Report was
the Bishop's is shown by an entry on June 25 : 'With
the Prince. He abused the Cathedral Commissioners

1855- ADDRESS TO THE QUEEN. 285
Report. I defended and owned it. He would have
had residence for three months. No living to pay
scientific clergymen, &c. A natural view from his
standing place.'
The following entry refers to Church rates : ' May
19. — With Bishop of London to Lord Derby on
Church Rates. He very quick and able. He sug
gested important alterations, but favourable on the
whole to Bill.'
June 26. — To Convocation Committee. Bishops London,
Exeter, St. Asaph, Lincoln, Chichester agreed to my plan.
Then Religious Worship Committee. Agreed to get my Bill
printed. Dined with H. Hoare, and then to a large gather
ing of his Convocation Society men, and explained my views
to them. June 28. — Drew up Report and Resolution for Convoca
tion. With the Bishop of London to Dean's Yard. Opposed
by the Archbishop, Bishops of Lincoln, St. Asaph, and Win
chester ; but carried my address to the Queen.
June 30. — A long interview with Lord Derby on the Re
ligious Worship Bill,7 he very friendly. We talked over the
Church Discipline Bill also.
July 2. — Committee on Religious Worship Bill : carried
my proposal. Lord Derby laid the bill on the table.
July 6. —Interview with Lord Derby who firm, and Bishop
of London who wavering, and after I had re-established him,
found that  had been alarming him. Debate. Lord Shaftes
bury more than usually vivacious, angry, insinuating, over
bearing and insulting. Archbishop spoke out as to his Bill.
I tried with temper and reserve to show the tone of his speech,
I hope not quite in vain.
In August Lord Aberdeen and Mr. Gordon paid
the Bishop a visit at Lavington. They arrived on the
' A Bill to allow more than twenty persons to meet in an unregistered build
ing for the purposes of religious worship.

286 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vn.
6th, and the diary describes Lord Aberdeen as being
' full of admiration.'
On August 7 the diary entry is as follows : —
Walked over the hill with Lord Aberdeen. A great deal
of talk with him. His wonderful forgiveness of Lord John.
Fully feeling all .his misconduct, but seeing good things in
him. He said : ' My su&wao-ta would have been to have made
a just peace and been turned out for it — but not by Roebuck,
or rather Lord John. We ought not to have resisted Roebuck's
motion ; we ought to have consented, and moved that the
enquiry should be by the whole House. Lord John was all
for war ; he cares for nothing but his office, and sees they
could make no peace which would not turn them out of
office. Gladstone intends to be Prime Minister. He has
great qualifications, but some serious defects. The chief, that
when he has convinced himself, perhaps by abstract reasoning,
of some view, he thinks everyone else ought at once to see
it as he does, and can make no allowance for difference of
opinion. Gladstone must thoroughly recover his popularity.
This unpopularity is merely temporary. He is supreme in
the House of Commons. The Queen had quite got over her
feeling against him, and liked him much. Just now we are
all in disfavour at Court. The Queen going to Paris will stir
up for a little while the martial ardour of France, but the
French are getting weary of the war and will soon show it.
The Queen, that is, the Prince, is decidedly warlike at pre
sent ; that is, he thinks we must have a success before we
stop.' In the afternoon the party at the house drove and
rode to Cowdray Park, Midhurst and West Laving
ton, visited Mr. Cobden at his country house of
Dunsford and persuaded him to come to Lavington
that night to dine and sleep. The diary goes on : —
Cobden strong in his pro-Russian convictions. Lord
Aberdeen said, ' three-fourths of Gladstone's speech in the

i855- CONVERSATION WITH LORD ABERDEEN. 287
last debate quite admirable.' Sir James Graham had told
him that he thought nothing finer had ever been delivered in
our best days. Great cordiality now between Sir James
Graham and Gladstone — not quite between the latter and
the Duke of Newcastle. Lord Aberdeen went on to say, ' I
have told Gladstone that when he is Prime Minister I will
have a seat in his Cabinet if he desires it, without an office.
I wonder whether Lord Harrowby knows that when I formed
my Government I was very anxious to have him as President
of the Council ; but Lord John would not hear of it.'
October 6. — (The Bishop was at Fulham with the Bishop
of London.) Walked with the Bishop and talked as to sub
jects before us. (1) As to Convocation and our line. He
assents to my view that, having done what we can to get our
instrument perfected, we must use the present, and that time
for full discussion is ^requisite. (2) The Divorce and Mar
riage question ... for which Gladstone strongly disposed
to a concordat securing the Church's law for the Church, and
allowing Dissenters to take their line. But query, can we
with our little discipline maintain such a line ? Oh ! our mul
tiplying embarrassments from' concessions and inconsistencies.
(3) The Church Discipline and Court of Appeal, as to which
I suggested my views. (4) Church Rates. (5) The Jewish
Lord Mayor. A letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury
asking me to come to Addington on Monday for conference.
Bishop of London urging me to go.
October 8. — To Croydon and Addington, sat awhile with
Archbishop, who all kindness. Then dinner, Bishop of Win
chester coming first to my room ; specially affectionate.
October 9 (Addington). — The Bishop of Winchester at
breakfast, and saw him off. A walk with the Archbishop till
luncheon ; talked fully over all prospects and things. He
agreed in all views. Agreed to Lower House of Convocation
sitting, unless disturbed by Government, as long as needed
for discussion of Church application to present wants. Agreed
to call Bishops together for November 20.
October 13 (Salisbury). — At the Palace, among others,
Count Strzlecki. He told us an extraordinary story of see-

288 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vii.
ing Russian priest come in. All kneeling on one knee, kiss
ing his hand and seeking his benediction. This done, his
robes taken off, and the Colonel turned to him, ' You rascal,
you have been drunk again, eh ? Now you shall catch it.'
So two soldiers pinioned him, and administered at once sixty-
four blows. Then robed him again, and again kissed hands,
&c. Sidney Herbert related how, when the Emperor went
at one feast to kiss the officiating priest's hand, and he, terri
fied, rather drew it back, the Emperor said, ' Imbecile, ce n'est
pas tot.' Strzlecki also told us of Whately : he (S.) present
when old Lord Bessborough was Lord-Lieutenant (Ireland,
1 846), and very well got-up. Whately, at a council, shuffled
about his legs till he got one foot into Lord Bessborough's
coat-pocket. Lord B., feeling for something, was astonished,
and gave a start. The Archbishop struggled to remove his
foot, and the conjoint effect of struggle and start was to tear
in two the coat from the collar to the skirt.
October 22 (Hawarden). — Walked with Gladstone and R.
Phillimore. Much talk with Gladstone as to the Supreme
Courts of Appeal. His weighty objections to my plan. As
to the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill, would in limine complain of
the treatment of having bills involving these great constitu
tional principles of the Church brought in, unsettling all
things, with no reasonable hope of carrying them. Would
have the Bishops say, Show us your measure, and before we
enter on it inform us what relation it bears to your other
sessional measures. Is it, with the exception of the war, &c,
to be the measure which you mean to press forward with the
whole force of your Government ? If not, we must protest
against this way of dealing with such subjects. He and
Phillimore very strong against the seven Chancellors. First,
an entire alteration, for no sufficient purpose, of all our pro
ceedings. Secondly, an entire variation from the whole canon
law of Western Christendom of all times. Thirdly, because
it is an attempt to throw the English and Irish Establish
ments into a sort of hotchpot ; with the view no doubt of
strengthening, but with the high probability, by stirring up
opposition, of weakening the Irish branch and certainly

i855- ROMAN CATHOLIC CATECHIZING. 289
injuring the English. Further, as to the Supreme Court, he
would place, 1st, the old Bill of the Bishop of London,8 with
Lord Derby's suggested amendment, i.e. a reference which
need not be binding to the Bishops of the Province, who
should be bound to hear theological arguments thereon and
return their opinion ; 2ndly, a repeal of the Act of Will. IV,
so as simply to return to the old law ; 3rdly, standing still ;
4thly, the letting the lay court, as a lay court, decide the in
dividual cause, and trying to guard the precedent. Glad
stone looks forward to clerical Chancellors when the clergy
are educated for it hereafter.
On November 7 the Bishop went abroad with his
eldest son Herbert, who had returned home ill from
the Baltic. He had grave apprehensions already as
to his health. As shown by entries in the diary;
October 4, ' Herbert came home coughing. His cough
goes through my heart.' On the 6th Dr. Acland made
a thorough examination and reported that the disease
(enlargement of the heart) had increased. It was for
change, as well as to be alone with the son, of whom
owing to his profession, the Navy, the Bishop had
seen so little, that this trip was taken. On the nth
they were at St. Ouen, and on entering the Cathedral
they found an Abbe — Abbe de Bid — catechising the
junior class in the Lady Chapel. The Bishop sat
down to listen, and, as he says, he found it instructive ;
his account of it is given. He says : —
The Abbe was perfectly familiar, making them laugh
freely and then gathering them up into seriousness, and so
keeping the attention of their young minds through a good
hour. Q. ' What is God ? ' ' A Spirit.' ' Can you see a spirit ? '
' Have you a spirit — what is it ? ' ' My soul.' ' Come now, Ma
demoiselle B. : you are a savant, did you ever see your soul ? '
8 1850.
VOL. II. U

290 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vii.
' No.' ' What, never ? ' ' Are you sure ? ' &c. ' Then why, if God
is a Spirit, and cannot be seen, is He painted as a very old man
with hair so white and so white a beard ? ' No answer. ' It is
a representation, my children, to teach you, not that God has
a form like an old man, but that He has perfectly all that old
men are supposed to have. An old man has lived long. God
has lived for ever. An old man has wisdom, judgment. God
is allwise. The Judge, voyons. God is perfection. Now,
what is perfection ? ' A pause ; and then a girl said, ' When a
thing is bien fait' With both hands up and an air of wonder,
the Priest, ' Bien fait, bien fait. Can anyone say better ? '
Another girl : ' Perfection is a quality of goodness.' ' Yes, that
is better. Perfection is a quality of goodness which cannot
be better. So now we say : God is perfectly wise ; i.e. He
knows everything. Does He ? Does He know French, Span
ish, Latin, English ? Yes, God knows all, but does He know
quite all ? ' One girl : ' Yes, everything.' The Priest : ' All,
everything, you say, but not what you think ? You are set to
do some lesson or to learn some task, it is hard and tiresome ;
but you say nothing, only you think in your minds, Ah, this
is tiresome ! Your mamma does not know that. Do you
mean to tell me God knows that ? ' ' Yes, He does.' ' Oh, but
that is impossible ? ' ' No, He does.' 'Are you quite sure?'
' Yes, He does.' ' Then He is the Creator of all. What is to
create ? ' An answer given which I could not catch, which set
all the girls laughing, in which he joined. Then another said,
' To make a thing to be.' The Priest : ' Yes ; but does every
one who makes a thing to be, create — does the painter ? ' Then
a description of making the picture to be, and an explanation
why that was not creating. Then the same of statuary. Then
he deduced that creating was making to be out of nothing.
' Now,' he said, ' when I was young I used to like to see the
conjurors, and they could bring things out of nothing. They
could bring a pigeon out of a bottle : flowers, ay, and a
rabbit out of a hat where none was.' (Great laughter among
the children at this.) ' Were they creators ? ' This then ex
plained, and so the further definition reached that creating
was the making a thing to be, out of nothing, by the mere

i855- AN ORATORICAL EXPRESSION. 29 1
exercise of the will, illustrated by, ' If one of you children
could stretch out your hand and say, I will that it be full of
money, or full of bon-bons — because to you bon-bons are
better than money (great laughter) ; and then, because you
willed it, it was so, that would be creating.' At the end of the
catechising they all knelt down and repeated with him a
prayer. I joined him as they broke up, and beginning by
expressing a hope that the presence of a stranger had not
disturbed his young charge, soon got into conversation : about
the Church, &c. He said soon, ' Is Monsieur Catholique ? ' I
said, ' Yes, truly and really Catholique ; though perhaps Mon
sieur would not be able to call him so, for I am of the old
Catholic Church in England from the beginning — in doctrine,
in faith, in succession.' Then a brief friendly argument en
sued. ' We had left the Pope ? ' ' No, he had wrongfully cast
us out ; we had only cast off false doctrine.' But we had left
St. Peter. 'Thou art Peter, and on this rock.' /: ' Not to
Peter as a person.' He granted it. ' As an Apostle, yes.' ' Then
we, who hold to the Chair of the Apostles, hold to Peter.' ' But
why not unite ? ' I told him I would give anything for union
if we could have it without uniting in error. ' What errors ? '
I said, ' To name only one, the Adoration of the Virgin.' ' But
Monsieur does not believe that / adore the Virgin ! I do but
ask her to pray for me.' ' I do not say you adore her, but I
say that the mass of your people do.' ' Ah ! but have you not
errors amongst your people at home, yet you do not charge
them on yourself?' 'Abundance, doubtless, and I am not
blind to them. But your language causes them.' ' What lan
guage, for instance ? ' ' Use a mother's rights, command your
Son.' ' Oh ! but that is only an oratorical expression.' We
parted friendly, he being compelled to go to Vespers.
The Bishop also listened to an older class being
catechised by another priest, whom he described as not
equal to Monsieur de Ble, but of the same type, ming
ling amusement with seriousness as a means of keeping
their attention. The lesson began at four and finished
at half-past five. The diary ends thus : —
u 2

292 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vii.
I walked down the vast Church almost in darkness, save
the light from the Lady Chapel, whence the voices of the
young women singing their hymns in French were borne
solemnly and sweetly down. Home to Inn — a fall on the
rough stones — and dined in my room with dear Herbert.
On the 13th the Bishop went to Paris, staying,
however, at his brother William's house at St. Ger
main's. He expected to have met his other brother
Robert, but found he had left for Italy. The following
entries describe the close of the Exhibition and some
conversations with Mignet the historian and M. Thiers.
It is noticeable how the Bishop and M. Thiers agreed
in their estimation of the Emperor's speech.
November 1$. — To Paris early with Herbert and to the
close of the Exhibition. A magnificent sight from the vast
multitude present. Lord Hertford told me afterwards, it was
estimated that 32,000 were there. The Emperor's speech
perfectly distinct — very aggressive — not a little so in direct
language, and made more so by the accent of vigour with
which different and the most warlike parts were delivered.
Out (to St. Germain's) at night. Much talk with the AbW
Codant ; on Missions. In instructed places mainly the sermon is
trusted to. In ignorant parts processions, expositions of the
Sacrament, &c. The Abbe said, devotion spreading in the
towns and amongst the more educated, but not so amongst
the country people. There remains the effect of the old
Revolution and though some whole districts are full of devout
people, yet as a rule, the country people are the irreligious,
He said the Church was most thankful for the Emperor, as
staying evil. But no trust in him. His bad past life— his
still employing workmen on Sundays, &c. His power could
not last. All accepted, none trusted him. He seemed to
think the old French hatred to England was really unabated,
dating from the English invasions of France, Joan of Arc,
&c, and he could scarcely believe that the English feeling
against France was at all really abated.

1855. CONVERSATION WITH MIGNET. 293
November 16. — To Paris. To Hotel Cluny. Prosper
Merimee, Mons. Guizot. He said that the Emperor very
moderate on all things internal. Will go so far as ever your
country wishes in the war. All accept him. Dined after
wards with Thiers, meeting Mignet, Cousin, &c. Much talk
with Mignet, who sat next me at dinner. He, viewing the
religious question as manifestly apart from it, acknowledged
the great increase of devotion specially amongst the men ;
attributed the evident liberality of the French to the influence
of Voltaire, &c. ; saw risings of intolerance amongst the reli
gious of France. Bishop of Orleans elected a member of the
Institute for his maintenance of the Classical Education side
of the argument amongst his brethren. Spoke much of the
day of reckoning which would come upon the French clergy
when the Emperor fell. They had used democratic language,
spoken of the Cross of Christ as the tree of liberty, so in
1848 cared for and preserved. But how would it be in the
next outbreak ? All their present support of the destroyer of
liberty would then be remembered. Then he said that there
was no public opinion in France. It requires debates, news
paper discussions, &c, to create a public opinion. Now these
are gone, there can be with us no public opinion. He spoke
strongly of the Emperor's wastefulness and improvidence.
This the rock ahead. France very rich, but such a course as
his must bring poverty. The very reverse of his uncle, who
was most careful as to money. Then this man had such a
set of coquins round him. Much talk of his Exhibition speech.
Most impudent and aggressive. Thiers adds, ' and in very bad
taste, making such a company the depositary of his political
statements.' The following letter to Sir Charles Anderson,
written after the Bishop's return to England, mentions,
amongst other matters, an interview with the Emperor
on the 1 7th.

294 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vii.

The Bishop of Oxford to Sir C. Anderson.
The Grange, Nov. 28, 1855.
My dearest Anderson, — Your kind letter of Nov. 5 found
me in my brother William's house at St. Germain's. Robert
was a week gone to Italy, and, finding Herbert much wished
it, I took a run over with him from the 8th to the 2 ist. We
saw well the Exhibition — saw its close — Rouen, Chartres,
Amiens — and I picked up a good deal of knowledge about the
French, specially that they really hate us just as much as
ever, and do not believe in the slightest alteration in our feel
ings towards them. I have no doubt that they are just as
ready as ever they were to turn upon us, either with or with
out their Emperor as suits them. I had one evening at the
Tuileries, when he was exceedingly civil, and she very pleasant.
I had a great deal of talk with her and a good deal with him.
In one respect our little trip did not answer at all. Herbert
was not well enough to enjoy it. He has come back from the
Baltic in a state which gives me the most serious apprehensions.
I accepted this invitation here very much for the sake of
bringing him ; but when it came to the point he was not well
enough to come. His heart is the part affected, and how it
will go with us God knows. And now I want you to fix the
day of your coming, and to tell me how many you can bring.
The more the better for us. Will Wednesday after the
Epiphany do for you ? It will be a convenience for us to
know as soon as you can tell me. Indeed, I am quite down
about the See of London. I now have very little hope of the
Bishop rallying — and a Palmerston appointment f o that See ! !
Well, my hope is in God's tender mercy to His Church. We
may pray.
The following letters relate to the meeting of Con
vocation in the ensuing year : —

I8S5- LETTER TO MR. GLADSTONE. 295

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Cuddesdon Palace, December 26, 1855.
My dear Gladstone, — With a view to our conversation on
the subject of Convocation. We are to meet on Friday,
Feb. I. The first day, therefore, might be given by the
Lower House to the subjects the Dean proposes, and Satur
day and Monday to the Church Extension ; and we might, if
need were, prorogue before Parliament meets on the Monday ;
before which there is no chance of Lord Palmerston being
pushed to take any step against us. But beyond the question
of the probable interruption of our proceedings, there is
another as to whether we should limit ourselves to recom
mitting the subject, or continue the discussion in the Houses.
I shall be greatly obliged to you for any confidential advice
you may be able to give me on the subject.
I trust that this Christmas time has found you and all
yours flourishing and well. I know you will sympathise with
me when I tell you that overwork and anxiety in doing his
duty have sent me home my eldest son from the Baltic so ill
that I hardly dare anticipate what may be before me.
With all Christmas good wishes to Mrs. Gladstone, I am,
very affectionately yours, 0 r, „

The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
Hawarden, December 30, 1855.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — I was much concerned to
find that your letter, laden with matters of such deep public
concern, had also to convey to me your domestic anxieties
on a point so tender, but I trust that the uncertainty which
was before you may mercifully have been turned, or may yet
turn, to cheerful anticipation. My first impression with
respect to Convocation is that having three full days of busi-

296 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. vii.
ness before you, it would be well not to run any risks by
pushing beyond that limit if you can avoid it. I feel how
heavy is the responsibility of misusing any of the Church of
England's slender chances, and I write with dread. I can
write nothing but what is desultory: on the 12th, however,
I hope to be at Hagley, and on or about the 19th in London,
and my time is at your disposal if I can be of use. I feel
much pressed, as to the important matter of the services,
between difficulties arising from opposite quarters. To digest
the whole subject, and present a plan having a fair promise
of finality, seems to require time : on the other hand, it would
be a strong objection to the proposed change in the Act of
Uniformity that it was obviously incomplete, and to be fol
lowed by other changes. I do not like the idea that Convo
cation should ask for a Commission ; but if you could rely on
the appointment of prudent men I should not be sorry to see
the Archbishops move the Government to appoint a Com
mission to consider of a plan to be laid before Convocation.
This I presume would be conformable to the precedents both
of the Restoration and of the Revolution. A moderate re
presentation of the laity in such a Commission might have
its advantages. In the copies of any Address to the Crown,
I should not forget praying for a Tribunal of Appeal be
comingly constituted, and representing in solemn words on
behalf of the Church that she is greatly straitened in the
recovery and care of souls by the present state of the law as
to her services. I expect to be here until over the 7th.—
Ever affectionately yours, w R GLADSTONE.
The following, the last entry in the diary quoted in
this year, refers to the illness of the Bishop of London,
from which he recovered only however to resign the
See in 1856.
December 15. — To Nuneham. Found Lady Waldegrave
at home, who began about Bishopric of London, and her wish
to see me there. The Whigs ' afraid of you.' Had talked
about it at Woburn, &c.

1854. HERBERT. 297

CHAPTER VIII.
(1854-56.)
HERBERT WILBERFORCE — APPOINTMENT AS LIEUTENANT — THE BISHOP'S
LETTER OF ADVICE — LIEUTENANT WILBERFORCE GOES TO THE BLACK
SEA — VOLUNTEERS FOR THE TRENCHES — RETURN TO ENGLAND — SAILS
FOR THE BALTIC — RETURNS TO ENGLAND — ILLNESS — THE BISHOP'S APPRE
HENSIONS — LETTER TO MR. CAVENDISH — TORQUAY — HERBERT'S DEATH —
LETTERS FROM THE REV. H. E. MANNING AND MR. GLADSTONE — LETTER
FROM ARCHDEACON RANDALL.
The letter to Sir C. Anderson of November 28 shows
how seriously the Bishop was alarmed by the state of
health of his eldest son Herbert, then a lieutenant in
the Royal Navy.
Herbert William was born on June 29, 1833.
After a short time at Eton he went to sea in 1845,
at twelve years of age ; returned for a few weeks
in 1848, when, as midshipman, he went to the Pacific
for a three years' cruise; in 1852 he was again but a
fortnight at home, sailing as mate on board the ' Bri
tannia' for the Mediterranean. He came home in
March 1854; remaining in England until May, to
pass the necessary examination for his lieutenancy.
This was his longest stay at home since he left it
almost a child. The Bishop saw him off in the 'Simla,'
Peninsular and Oriental steamer, to rejoin his ship the
' Britannia,' then at the seat of war.1 The following
' The declaration of war was made on March 28, 1854.

298 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. viii.
entry from the diary gives a description of the part
ing :—
Up at 5.30 after a night of much wakefulness. Herbert
ever on my mind, so that when I was asleep dreams would
recur to wake me. Off with him at a quarter to seven for
Romsey. Drove to the docks at Southampton, and found
the ' Simla.' Examined his cabin, and after a while got him
one to himself. Small, but opening out of the great saloon.
Sat with him in his cabin ; prayed with him, and blessed him.
He full of affection and many tears. ' I hope soon to be back
again with you. But if anything should happen to me, and I
did not come back, do not sorrow too much for me. It is a
good cause, and I will strive to watch and pray against my
faults, and to be ready.'
The following letter of advice and counsel was
written immediately after Herbert's appointment to
the ' Trafalgar ' as lieutenant. A short note had pre
viously conveyed the news of his promotion in the
words, ' So you are a lieutenant before you are twenty-
one.'

The Bishop of Oxford to Lieutenant Wilberforce, R.N.
Sunningdale, July 10, 1854.
My dearest Herbert, — I am beginning to crave very much
for a letter, as one or two Admiralty despatches have come
in, and brought nothing from you. I reckon that just about
this time you will receive my last letter, telling you that you
were appointed lieutenant. Since then you are appointed to
the ' Trafalgar.' I know not whether you will have heard of
this before. But now, my dearest son, I want to say to you
two things which I exceedingly want you to think about.
1. Every man's best education is that which he gives himself.
Now, when you were a boy, I tried as hard as any man could
to give you a good education. All that depended on natural

i8S4- SELF-EDUCATION. 299
good sense and tact (two quite inestimable possessions), and
on the affections, we got well on with. But we did not so
much prosper with literature ; you had not a natural turn for
it, and I could not make you industrious enough to overcome
the first difficulties which stood in your way. This, then, you
have still to do ; and I want you really to set yourself to
this, now that you are rising in your profession. You will be
called on, it may be very soon, for what will require this.
Now I mean such things, first, as writing and spelling
easily ; secondly, a knowledge of history ; and after this,
poetry and philosophy. Now, I want you to feel this,
and then you will soon be educated, because you will
begin the great work of self-education. I want you (1) to
read every day some really useful book — the History of
England you should know thoroughly. (2) I want you to
practise yourself in writing. Write anything, but take pains
to write it well. Write an account of the history you have
just read ; write an account of what you do and hear on ship
board ; write descriptions of scenery, of any birds, men, or things
you see ; of anything which goes on. This you will find
most valuable — only give yourself trouble in doing it. Force
yourself to take the trouble of overcoming difficulties : do not
be satisfied till you have got a real and full description of what
you have seen well down on paper. If you will send me any
such writing I will remark on it, correct it, and send it back
to you ; and in a very little time all will come easy to you.
Now do try this, my beloved Herbert. Then the second thing
I want to say is this : Rise up to your new position. Put
away the narrowness of the midshipmen's mess. Do not
allow yourself to think of your Captain as being your enemy
&c. ; but throw yourself into the spirit of your noble pro
fession. Remember how everything now depends on your
self. As a midshipman you were thought of as a boy.
Tempers, passions, and any other faults were punislied — your
leave stopped, &c. ; and then they passed away. It will
not be so now. Now you stand alone in the great life-
struggle. I can help you far less than before. You must
help yourself. Watch your temper ; pray against giving

300 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. viii.
way to it ; you will find a great help against it in the self-
education I have spoken of before. As your mind opens,
and takes a greater interest in other things, you will be
less tempted to irritation by those round you. I have only
two things more to say — First, make the men under you love
you, and they will serve you well ; show them that you care
about them, about their feelings, and they will soon serve you
for love : there is a man's heart at the bottom in the worst of
them. Secondly, remember God's Eye, Christ's Cross, and
the free Pardon for sin which it has brought for you ; and that
God's Holy Spirit will help you against all temptations if
you will pray. May God Almighty bless you.
The next letter gives a short account of the
Bishop's doings, as well as of the narrow escape of
the Czar. Near Carmarthen, Aug. 7, 1854.
My beloved Herbert, — Here am I sitting in a railroad car
riage with Mrs. Sargent and your three brothers. We are
going down to Tenby, a sea place in South Wales, chiefly that
 and — — may have a little sea bathing. We have been
paying short visits to the Bishops of Llandaff and of St. David's,
and the boys have been very happy fishing, &c. My beloved
son, my heart is very full about you. I hear of this attack at
Sebastopol, and I hardly dare think of , the dangers to which
you may be exposed. But I pray without ceasing for you.
Pray for yourself, my beloved son, that God may enable you
to behave well wherever you may be placed, and may fit you
for whatever He may appoint. Oh ! I shall long to hear the
issue of this great attempt. We hear to-day of the narrow
escape of the Emperor of Russia and the Grand Duke Con
stantine, and several others of his family. They all went out
in a steamer to try and take Lord Lichfield's yacht, that
had come very near Cronstadt. But the ' Leopard ' came
out against them, and delivered Lord Lichfield's yacht.
She then left the Russian steamer, little dreaming of the
prize on board her. If she had but sunk or taken that vessel,
the war would have been over.

I8S4- HIS BEST BELOVED SON. 30I
In August, when returning from this trip, the
Bishop writes : ' We are going at the end of the week
to Lavington, and there I shall miss you more than
ever.' Many diary entries show how closely the Bishop
connected Herbert with Lavington, where he hoped
that he would have succeeded him. Entries recording
some improvement made, or piece of land bought :
'Planted trees for Herbert.' 'Bought such a piece of
land, though I pinched myself sorely to do it, as it
will be a good thing for Herbert' Even as in his
later years he bought books in duplicate out of what
he called his pocket money (money made by what he
published) for his two clerical sons, that each might
have a copy. The next letter shows in the Bishop's
own words how deep was the love for him to whom
he wrote as ' his best beloved son.'
Lavington, Aug. 27, 1854.
My beloved Herbert, — We reached this dear place on
Saturday evening, and my heart craves more than ever after
you. I think of you continually, and pray for you, as perhaps
now in all the danger of storming Sebastopol. I will try to
get one or two books together, which may be useful to you,
and send them out to you. But, besides books, you may do a
great deal for yourself by listening in good society to con
versation, and trying to accustom yourself to join easily in it.
This place is in great beauty. I had been a little overworked
when I came from London, but am better already. We
watch the post from the Black Sea now as the most interest
ing thing in the world to us. It sounds delightful to think of
having you at home in the winter, but I suppose your time
is now very valuable to you for your two years' service.
Many will remember how truly the following notes
portray the feeling in England at this time.
The first letter, written in September, refers to

302 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap.viii.
Archdeacon Wilberforce's resignation of his prefer
ments, the step which preceded his secession to the
Church of Rome.2

The Bishop of Oxford to Lieutenant Wilberforce, R.N.
Lavington, Sept. 12, 1854.
My beloved Herbert, — I am incessantly thinking of you
and of the dangers to which you may at this very moment be
exposed at Sebastopol. May our gracious God have you in
His safe keeping, and He who kept you from the cholera
keep you from the danger of your enemies. We have been
here now some time, and had most beautiful weather — not a
drop of rain, and hardly a cloud day after day. The Bishop
of London, Mrs. Blomfield, Lucy, and Dora have been
visiting us. They all properly admired this beautiful place.
I am looking you out a few books to send : one set on
matters of science which come into everyday affairs, and one
on history which you should know. I hope, my beloved son,
you will study them, and that you will take care of the books
for me. I have just had a very heavy sorrow which has been
pressing hard on me. My beloved brother, the Archdeacon,
has been persuaded, as I believe, by H. E. Manning and
H. W. Wilberforce, to give up his preferment in the Church,
and retire into lay communion, and I have but little hope
that it will end here, as I fully expect they will never rest
until they draw him on to join the Church of Rome. May
God avert it. I believe that Church to be thoroughly
corrupt, and I view her with a mixture of disgust, hatred,
and terror, which makes his taking this step most bitterly
painful to me, I believe very much in consequence of this I
have lately been far from strong. We are to stay here until
Wednesday week, and then I go to Cuddesdon for the
Ordination. I shall greatly regret the ending of this visit,
as I love better being here and near to your sainted mother's
grave than in any other place in the world.
a Vide 1854.

1854. SEBASTOPOL. 303
October 18, 1854- — This suspense and silence from Sebas-
topol fill our hearts with fear ; may God send us some glad
tidings soon. This day two years you left me to join the
' Britannia.' How much has happened since ! May God, if it
be His blessed will, keep us for a happy meeting. I am just
going on my visitation, and a Bishop's charge is almost as
fearful to him as a regiment's charge is to it. We have no
public news just now — all eyes strained into the Black Sea,
to know what you are all doing there.
October 27, 1854. — We are still waiting with hushed
anxiety for some news of you all, but none comes at present ;
though, if the grand attack was made, as you expected, upon
the 1 8th, we must soon be hearing something. May God
protect you. Trench 3 has written some spirit-stirring lines
on the Alma ; if I can I will send them you. He has a
soldier's heart under his cassock. I have been thinking of
volunteering to go out and look after the clergy, but I hardly
know how to be away, or to run the risk of missing you if
you should get home for the winter. God bless you, my best
beloved son.
November 8. — I cannot tell you how our eyes are strained
towards you. Everywhere, and in all companies, we talk of
nothing else from morning till night than Sebastopol and
what you are all doing.
Writing at the end of the year, the Bishop thus
refers to Lieutenant Wilberforce's volunteering for the
trenches. December 24, 1854. — All Christmas blessings be with you,
my most beloved son. I have this day received yours of the
8th of December, and it has filled my heart with joy to see
your brave manly temper in wishing to get back to the
trenches, and my father's heart with fear for you if you do.
May our gracious God direct all, and shelter you from sickness
and every evil. All your brothers are here and very nice.
' The Archbishop of Dublin.

304 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap.viii.
But my heart seems to be always with my absent sailor, and
their ringing laugh only sends my thoughts the quicker and
the straighter back to you. I have been preaching two
sermons to-day, and now it is near dinner, and we shall
drink your health to-day and to-morrow. I have got a print
from a sketch of O'Reilly's of the action 4 and of your ship,
and I am having it framed from love of you, to hang up and
remind us always of you. Bless you, my darling.
In April 1855 the 'Trafalgar' arrived in England,
and the Bishop writes : ' Welcome home, my beloved
son, from the cholera 5 and the bullets of the Russians.
May I truly thank God for having spared you.' Herbert
remained, however, but a few days in England, being
appointed to the ' Hawke,' Captain Ommaney, in
which ship he went to the Baltic. The ' Hawke ' was
employed on coasting service, necessitating continual
boat work. Although pressed by his captain to spare
himself, Lieutenant Wilberforce was constantly out with
the boats, and the exposure told on a frame already
weakened by the fatigues of the Crimea. On his return
to England in October 1855, the Bishop found him
' thin, and coughing a great deal.' The diary of that
year describes the trip abroad, from which he returned
rather the worse than better.
In January 1856 his state caused grave alarm, and
on the 5th Dr. Acland came over from Oxford, sleep
ing in the Bishop's own room as the house was full,
in order to observe Herbert more closely ; the next
day he told the Bishop that the case, though very
alarming, was not hopeless ; many equally bad had
recovered. The disease, however, made rapid progress;
1 'The Bombardment of Sebastopol by the Allied Fleets.' Lieutenant Wilber
force was on board the * Trafalgar,' 120 guns.
5 The cholera in the fleet in August 1854.

1856. TORQUAY. 305
and on the 18th Dr. Acland reported him much worse.
On the 26th the diary is : ' I very very low ; great
strife with myself to keep from bursting into tears at
dinner ; felt as if food would choke me.'
The Bishop thus writes to his friend Mr. Caven
dish : —
Cuddesdon, Feb. 6, 1856.
My dear Cavendish, — I must send one line in answer to
your most kind note. I was longing to hear of you and
thank you heartily for writing. Herbert has the most lively
recollection of you, and I gave him your message. He is
very ill. I have indeed hardly a hope left, and it is an almost
disabling blow : but I trust that our gracious Lord will
strengthen me to bear it without dishonouring Him. The
change wrought in my dear boy's mind is wonderful. His
tenderness and piety are come as the crown of the manful
and courageous uprightness by which he has been always
distinguished. But it is a bitter grief. Prav for us. I am
ever, my dear Cavendish, your very affectionate,
S. OXON.
On February 1 1 the Bishop and Mrs. Sargent went
with Herbert to Torquay, not indeed hoping that the
change would do good — they knew that recovery was
hopeless — but because of Herbert's great and longing
desire for one more sight of the sea he so loved. On
the 14th, work long arranged for in the diocese com
pelled the unwilling father to leave him. The diary
record is : —
Up early and found dearest Herbert looking on the sea
from his bed and enjoying it. I walked on the rocks where
I had walked of old with my beloved wife, and saw the same
sea swelling into the same caves as when we used to watch
it in 1826-7. How true the unsympathy as well as the
sympathy of nature. Herbert down to breakfast and rather
VOL. II. X

306 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP.vm.
comfortable. I off at eleven by express, writing hard all the
way to Didcot at sermon for the University.
For the next few days the Bishop was confirming
and preaching in the diocese, though he was * longing
to be at Torquay with my boy.'
He thus writes to Mr. Gordon : —
I am this week getting through a fortnight's confirma
tions, in order to be able to get next week, if not too late, at
Torquay. I cannot say to you what being away just now is ;
but I thought I had no right, with such uncertainty, to put
off confirmations. The putting off so deranges whole parishes,
and tells most on the best managed where all is most point
edly brought to a conclusion in time.
On the 25th an urgent letter summoned him to Tor
quay, when he at once saw the great progress the disease
had made even in those few days. The next night the
Bishop sat up with him who was so rapidly passing
away. The love the father bore the son was fully
returned. On the night he came Herbert said to him
' It is like an apparition of goodness to see you appear.'
He begged the Bishop not to mourn for him, but said
' I have suffered nothing, but it is so hard to part from
one so beloved.' On the 28th, just after the Bishop had
left him for the night, he was re-summoned ; and in a few
minutes all was over. The father closed the eyes of
the son, saying, ' How often I have prayed that he
might have closed mine.' The next morning he writes
to Dr. Hamilton, Bishop of Salisbury : —
I had no idea his end was so near. But as I sat beside
him and held his hand I saw that he failed ; and as I was
kneeling by him and saying the commendatory prayer, he
really ceased to breathe, and that so gently and gradually

1856. HERBERT'S FUNERAL. 307
that when it was we know not. It was indeed a sore trial of
faith to yield him up, and a bitter bitter pain. May God
have mercy.
On Saturday, March 1, the mourning party left
Torquay for Lavington, arriving there at 1 a.m. on
Sunday morning. There Herbert was buried close to
his mother, the space between the graves being only
enough to receive the Bishop himself, who now rests
in that peaceful churchyard with his loved ones. The
diary of Sunday has this brief record : ' The funeral of
my beloved son, after morning church. I cold at the
time, overwhelmed after. Walked over the hill as
usual.' Out of the many beautiful letters of condolence
two are selected. The first is from the Rev. H. E.
Manning, the second from Mr. Gladstone.
78 South Audley Street, March 1, 1856.
My dear Bishop, — It would violate the affection of nearly
five and twenty years, and the sacred memory of many
common sorrows, if we were to be silent to each other at this
moment. You know me too well not to know that you have
been and are both in my heart and in my prayers ; and that
the dear boy, whom our Heavenly Father has taken, was and
is most fervently so. I believe few are more intimately
united to your thoughts at this moment than I am ; and I am
sure that few love you with a more true love : ' not in word
nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth.' My heart is with
you at Lavington in all its sorrows ; and I pray that all the
gifts of solace needed for so great an affliction as the mourn
ing for a first-born son may descend upon you from the
Sacred Heart of our Divine Lord. Believe me, always your
affectionate brother, TT ^ ,,
' H. E. Manning.

x 2

o

08 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap.viii.

The Right Hon. W, E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
March 2, 1856.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — We learned the sad news
through your letter to Mrs. Herbert ; and I cannot avoid
writing a line to assure you that we are sharers in your grief.
You are called to great powers and great duties, but certainly
also to great trials and sorrows. I remember perceiving from
a sermon you preached at the Consecration of a Church near
Belvoir how deep was the old wound in your heart : none
then knew how often and in how many ways it would be
reopened. But an office such as that you bear, and in the
times in which you bear it, may well require, to raise any
man to the height of its work and its power, an unbounded
discipline. It is difficult to express anything of sympathy
and to refer to the fountain of help without seeming to teach :
therefore let my words be few : and as through the Grace of
God your strength has been equal to your day, so may it yet
be and even more abundantly. We shall, perhaps, hear of
you when you come to town : no long repose, I know, can be
permitted you. Do not think of answering this, which I have
written on my wife's part and my own. Ever affectionately
yours' W. E. Gladstone.
The next letter is from the Bishop to Mr. Caven
dish. The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. R. Cavendish.
Lavington, March 3, 1856.
My dear Cavendish, — I must write you a line, if it is only
so much as to grasp the hand you have so lovingly stretched
out to me in my great sorrow. I know you will pray
for me that it may not be fruitless : but that my stricken
heart may yield to our Dear Lord a better service than it
ever yet has rendered. My dear boys and Ella are all full

1856. OUTWARD BEHAVIOUR OF THE BISHOP. 309
of kindness to me, and so is my son-in-law and Mrs. Sargent,
and we had yesterday dearest Robert's eldest son William
here — a very dear fellow. We laid the remains of my
beloved one with only the breadth of my future grave
between him and his blessed mother's. I expect to be at
26 Pall Mall some time on Wednesday night, and go back
the next morning to my confirmations : at any time I shall
be glad to see you. Dearest Mrs. Sargent bears up marvel
lously. We were both comforted beyond expression by the
evidence my dear one afforded of the support and teaching
of God's Holy Spirit. I am ever, my dear Cavendish, yours
very affectionately, g 0xon.
The Bishop's power of resuming his wonted occu
pations at the call of duty is remarkably illustrated by
the following letter written by Archdeacon Randall to
Mr. Trench. It bears witness to the rapidity and
sincerity with which he could pass from one state of
feeling to another, throwing his whole heart into suc
cessive phases of emotion which in more sluggish
natures would have been incompatible with each other.
The Bishop had to resume his work of Confirmation
which had been interrupted. He left Lavington
on March 5. The day this letter was written the
diary, after recording the day's work and the improve
ments or otherwise in the parishes, concludes with
* Very weary at night, a sad heart so increases fatigue.'
Archdeacon Randall to Rev. R. C Trench.
Binfield, March 10, 1856.
My dear Trench, — If I had not been prepared for some
thing wonderful by what you told me at Cuddesdon about
the Bishop's conduct under a still more bitter bereavement,
I should have been perfectly amazed at his self-command

o

IO LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. viii.

and self-possession under his present loss. Herbert's funeral,
as you are probably aware, took place at Lavington on
Sunday the 2nd. The Bishop spent the two following days
there, and sat up talking with the Bishop of Salisbury till
two o'clock on Thursday morning. At 9. 1 5 on that morning
I joined him at the Euston Square station, and proceeded
with him to Cheddington, where he preached at the re
opening of the restored church, and held a confirmation ;
and afterwards another confirmation at Wing : returning to
Cheddington to dine and sleep. I am quite sure that no
stranger could have guessed that anything particular had
happened to him ; though we who knew him could see that
his face was drawn and wan. At one passage in his sermon,
Bickersteth and I, who were sitting together, looked at each
other, feeling that he spoke in reference to the history of the
last few days ; but his voice never faltered. Bickersteth and
Lloyd were the only persons invited to meet him at dinner,
so that he was quite among his intimates ; but his conversa
tion was as flowing, and almost as animated, as usual. In
the carriage he talked over with me, with great minuteness,
the Draft Report of the Committee of Lower House of Con
vocation on Clergy Discipline Act ; and read me a sermon
(an admirable one on the Atonement) which he had prepared
to, preach at Oxford on the 2nd, and had now consented, at
the Vice- Chancellor's request to preach on the 9th (yester
day). In consequence of this request he had to alter several
of his confirmations. The details of the arrangements were
complicated ; but he carried them all in his head as distinctly
as if he had nothing else to think of. I left him on Friday
evening ; and Lloyd came into attendance on him, and is
with him now. I am to join him again next Saturday at
Eton. The order of his proceedings on the intermediate
days has been so shifted about, first in consequence of his
journey to Torquay, and then again on account of this sermon
at Oxford, that I really cannot tell you where he will be on
any day between this and Saturday. But on Saturday he .
will be quite sure, humanly speaking, to confirm in the after
noon at Eton, and there a letter will reach him. These

1856. HIS POWER OF SELF-CONTROL. 31 1
details will make you fear, as I do, that all this must be a
heavy wear and tear upon the inward man. But what an
astonishing creature he is ! What is he made of ? What is
he made for ? Surely there must yet be some great purpose
for him to fulfil. Yours ever most truly, James Randall.
A letter of the Bishop's to Mr. Gordon, written in
May, shows how unselfishly he could conceal his own
feelings even from one who, like Mr. Gordon, entertained
a filial affection for him. The Bishop wrote saying
how he regretted that Mr. Gordon's visit to Cuddesdon
had not been as agreeable as usual. Mr. Gordon
replied that what had grieved him during his visit was
the troubled look on the Bishop's face, which he said
never left it. The Bishop's letter in reply says : —
I feared I had been selfishly demonstrative, which is
quite a possibility, but the real cause was a very heavy
heart. The great sorrow which has overshadowed my life
pressed on me, and brought it so close to me that I was
greatly out of spirits. But I am very sorry to have saddened
your short holiday with the outskirts of my grief. There
was scarcely a moment when, if I had given way, I should
not have burst into tears.

312 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap.viii.

Voice of the Holy Dead !
Our thirsty senses listen, till thy note,
Which sounds of earth too long have banished,
Around us float,
Stealing upon the Watcher's ear
Like music near,
In this deep hush of darkness and of fear.

Feet of the Holy Dead !
Sure in night's stillness we shall hear your fall, .
As those who march around with measured tread
The crumbling wall,
Which erst shut in the holy seed,
In time of need,
With the battlements of Faith and Hope and Saintly deed.

Bands of the Holy Dead !
Our straining eyes would mark your shadowy forms,
Now that the summer leaves are withered,
And winter storms
Are gathering round us, glide
At eventide,
To take your friendly station at our side.

Souls of the Holy Dead !
Though fancy whispers thus to musing hearts,
We would not call ye back, whence ye are fled,
To take your parts,
In the old battle-strife ; or break
With our heart-ache —
The Rest which ye have won and in Christ's presence take.

lavington churchyard.

1856. VERSES BY THE BISHOP. 313

Ye float above our way,
Like some bright cloud bred of calm evening's air,
And bathed in sunbeams ; in that golden ray
Your witness to our God ye bear —
Ye bid us freely trust, nor seek,
Though faint and weak,
For other help than His, whose strength is with the meek.
S. O.

314 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. ix.

CHAPTER IX.
(1856.)
CONVERSATION WITH MR. HENLEY — CONFIRMATION OF THE PRINCESS ROYAL
— BISHOP BLOMFIELD'S ILLNESS — DIVORCE BILL — DIARY EXTRACTS— ORDI
NATION STORY — THE BATH DECLARATION — CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR.
GLADSTONE — LETTER TO A CLERGYMAN — LETTER TO MR. BUTLER ON
DR. PUSEY'S PROTEST — TOUR IN SCOTLAND — CONVERSATIONS WITH SIR
JAMES GRAHAM — LORD ABERDEEN— MR. GLADSTONE— DESCRIPTIVE LETTERS
TO SIR C. ANDERSON.
January 19, Cuddesdon. — Rode with Mary Sargent and
C. Anderson to Mr. Henley's. Talk with him. He doubt
ing whether Russia meant to make peace or put us in the
wrong. No mention of Kars, probably because they did not
mean to give it up and then say we agreed to your terms and
yet you would not have peace. We then discussed what
effect peace would have on our home politics. I said, ' turn
out Lord Palmerston and bring in Lord Derby.' ' No, social
questions would rise and prevent that. Reform, as to which
the rump of the Peelites are pledged ; they are strong, and
strong enough to join the Liberals and get to the head, &c.'
Rode home through rain.
The gap in the Diary entries is accounted for by
the foregoing chapter. The next entry quoted refers
to the Confirmation of the Princess Royal, and to the
illness, which a few months later caused the retirement
of Dr. Blomfield, Bishop of London, and in conse
quence of which he died the following year.
March 20. — To Windsor Castle. The Confirmation of

1856. MENTAL ANXIETY. 315
Princess Royal interesting — she devout, composed, earnest ;
youngest sister much affected — the Queen and Prince also.
The Queen spoke most kindly to me after : all very kind.
On to London — large Confirmation at St. James's : felt con
strained, and very unlike my own. Then to London House.
Met Dr. Todd, who spoke hopefully of Bishop. Saw him,
very low, — very affecting state, — spoke of himself as dying. I
certain to succeed him, and no one to whom he could more
happily entrust his Diocese, &c. About himself, his keen
sight of past sins ; no hope but simply in Christ's sacrifice for
him. A great struggle between conscience and faith. ' Pray
for me.' A most affecting sight in one so good. How awful
to all the vision of sin in the light of God's countenance.
March 23. — Very low all day, blessed Easter day as it was.
But felt so bitterly my desolateness : my darling Emily gone
— or all would be too gladsome for earth. My Herbert ! —
Robert and Henry worse than gone. Beloved Mrs. Sargent
76 ; Ella married. The three boys, will they be taken as they
grow up ? God's will be done.
Writing to Mr. Trench the Bishop says : —
' You ask with your wonted love after myself. I have re
turned to hard work, and, thank God, have much comfort in it.
My nights are my worst time, when the full power over the
will is relaxed by sleep, and when waking up from sleep, and
when starting from dreams, and when lying awake and still
at night. The main struggle in my own mind as to submis
sion to God's will is as to my other children. Instead of
holding them looser and more at His call, I am conscious of
holding them tighter, as a man might hold on an undergarment
when the rough wind has torn off the upper. Pray for me,
dearest friend, that I may really submit to God's love and
not to His power.'
April 13. — A good deal of talk with Lord Aberdeen.
Sidney Herbert's bon-mot. ' Lord John drops his Resolutions
as if they were his colleagues.' Lord Aberdeen expecting to
see Gladstone soon at the head.

316 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. ix.
On April 21, the Bishop opposed the second read
ing of the Church Discipline Bill, introduced by the
Lord Chancellor, which was rejected on a division by
eight votes. On the 25th the Diary records: 'Pre
paring for the Wife's Sister debate.1 Lord  made
a poor, long, crammed speech. I answered, and satis
fied all my friends and convinced several so as to turn
their votes, but did not satisfy myself.'
Certain extracts from the Diary follow here in their
chronological order.
April 30.— Breakfasted with R. Liddell.2 Then Confir
mation. Some thirty Westerton blackguards, as I went in,
shouting ' No popery, no milk-and-water bishops.' N.B. The
dear Bishop of London's reproach. I spoke to them, and they
abashed. A nice Confirmation. A few hooted as I walked
away to Mrs. Sargent's.
May 2. — Up early, and worked again after breakfast at
sermon ; finished it, and disgusted with it. Wrote to various.
Rode a little.
May 3. — Up before 6, and at new sermon ; got on well.
To breakfast at Grillion's. A large party, full of spirits ; I
by Thesiger and H. Drummond. Then home, and finished
sermon. Then to French pictures and then to Academy,
where dined, sitting between Bernstorff, Prussian Minister,
and Lord Campbell. To Athenaeum after dinner, and wrote
till late. May 17, Cuddesdon. — All day almost seeing the young
men severally. Had to send away poor  for gross ignor
ance of Scripture. Having said it was only that Trench and
Randall 3 had examined him about names, I asked him if he
remembered whether the sins of the Jews brought any signal
judgments from God on them ?
1 Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister Bill.
2 The Hon. and Rev. R. Liddell, Incumbent of St. Paul's, Knightsbridge.
3 Examining chaplains.

1856. CONCEALED SADNESS. 317
' Before our Lord's coming.'
' Yes, as recorded in the Old Testament'
' Oh yes, the ten tribes were destroyed.'
' Tell me the circumstances.'
'By Og, KingofBasan.'
' Well, and as to the two ? '
'What, do you mean ? Judah ? '
' Yes, Judah was one of them.'
' Oh, they remained at Jerusalem till our Lord was born.'
' Do you remember what Haggai prophesied about'
'No.' May 31. — About letters and people till 12.15. Then to
meeting of Bishops till 4, and so off, Mrs. Sargent and 
with me for Great Western. Dear  came with me to
Langley, and I wanting to write, bored me horribly about
some unhatched scheme of anti-Roman action. I, sorely
tired, worn and tempted to be uncourteous, but I hope was
not : he very deaf too, so that I could scarce make him hear.
June 4. — Talk with Gladstone and to National Society
meeting. Thence to Zoological. Then letters ; saw Mrs.
Sargent, and to dine with Lord Mayor. Sat between Lady
Waldegrave and Miss Eden. Perhaps being exceedingly de
pressed, with my beloved Herbert ever before me, and my
fears for my boys, I was unwatchful and seemed too gay.
Oh ! what a masquerade it is, God give me grace.
Writing to a friend eight years after the Bishop
mentions this feeling of sadness concealed under the
outward form of gaiety, ' Often when I seem the gayest
I am indeed the most utterly sad. Often it seems as
if I lived from day to day doubting if I could bear
the burden with all its special aggravations.'
The two next entries refer to Lord Portman's
Burials Bill, which later on, in July, was referred to a
Select Committee.
June 5, Morning. — Letters. Then the House. Lord Port-
man's attack on Bishop of Salisbury. Shaftesbury spoke

3 1 8 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ix.
fairly and well ; Bishop touchingly exceedingly ; Lord Port-
man malignantly ; I reproved him, and afterwards full of
fear lest I should have given way to the temptation of
speaking, forgetting Christian forbearance : miserable about
it. Dined at Lord Lansdowne's : Harcourt and Lady Walde-
grave, H. Vanes, Somers's, Lord Aberdeen, Colonel Gordon
and wife, Duchess of Sutherland and Lady Constance. Lord
Aberdeen said I had not said too much ; yet if I did, God for
give me. Shaftesbury after the debate condemned Lord
Portman and said he would write at once to Mayor of Bland
ford, to say how Bishop of Salisbury had put it and get him
to yield all opposition. God grant it.
June io. — House of Lords — Portman's spiteful attack
on me, enabled not to retort in one word, though saw plenty
of opportunity of making him ridiculous. Dined at Milnes' to
meet Due d'Aumale, and Lord and Lady John Russell, Harry
Vanes, Lady William Russell, Argyll's.
On July 3, the Divorce Bill came on in the House
of Lords, when the Bishop carried an amendment pro
hibiting the intermarriage of the guilty parties. The
Bill, however, was not passed until the next Session.
On July 15 the Diary records \ ' To House and fight
on Bishop of London and Durham Bill ; beaten by
twelve. The Bishop of Exeter spoke without his
usual power, save the good hit at Lyndhurst' 4
June 14. — Up early, and to the funeral of the Bishop of
Gloucester (Dr. Monk) ; very much affected there. It seemed
a funeral for Herbert ; his dear face in that last night ever
before me — his voice — his cough — he cometh up and is cut
down like a flower. Many tears relieved me somewhat ; came
home and found a delightful letter from dear  ; my heart
overflowed with thankfulness to God. Rode with A. Gordon
to Zoological, and walked round them. Dined at Duke of
* The Bill was to provide a retiring pension for the Bishops of London and
Durham.

1856. THE BISHOPRIC OF GLOUCESTER. 319
Argyll's ; Lord EUesmere, Lord Aberdeen, and Arthur
Gordon the whole party. Lord EUesmere — of Lady Morley's
bon-mots—ot Lady Jersey going out in mourning; one said,
' she looked so grand, it was like night.' ' Like minuit passe",
my dear.' Dear, what a spirited woman.
June 1 S . — Up early, and at work about sermons. Preached,
morning, at Curzon Chapel, on children of Israel desiring a
king ; afternoon at St. James's on ' the sandy foundation.'
Very much tired. Great fears about the Bishopric of Glou
cester. Dean Elliott pressed on Palmerston. Alas ! alas !
This would be an evil infliction. To dine with Lord Aber
deen ; Sir H. Holland, self-invited, came and spoiled my
te'te-d-te'te with Lord A. Lord Aberdeen as always, all kind
to me, but seeming out of sorts to-night. Dear Arthur
walked home with me. Lord Aberdeen, driving home last
night said to him, ' I am heartily glad to be out of office, but
I should like to have made the Bishop of Oxford Archbishop
of York.' June 16. — Letters, &c. Then off: dear Mrs. Sargent
going with me to the station for Lavington. Met R. Randall
at Godalming; a charming drive to Lavington in his carriage.
Stayed there alone two hours, visited my two great graves.
An unspeakable sadness oppressed me ; yet an interest incon
ceivable in that dear place, and a love for the warbler which
had built and hatched out four young ones just over my
blessed wife's grave.
June 21. — To Athenaeum, where saw in 'The Times,' to
my unspeakable delight, Trench's nomination to the see of
Gloucester announced. I humbly and heartily thank God.
To Lord Ashburton's to breakfast ; Senior, F. Barry, Venables.
Senior had never heard of Trench ! ! Lord Ashburton and
Venables properly glad. Went to Bishop of Salisbury after
wards to tell him — he too, delighted.
June 23. — Sad news — Trench not the bishop — utterly
cast down.
August 5. — Lavington. Rode with Arthur Gordon and
Roundell Palmer to Arundel Park; beautiful day. Home,
and walked with Lord Aberdeen, &c. Cobden came to

320 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. ix.
dinner; much talk, evening, with him and Lord Aberdeen.
Gladstone lost ground this session ; thought unpractical.
August io. — Thought over my course since my own con
secration, with a view to carrying out far more perfectly, I
trust, my vows at consecration ; fairly attentive, and, as
always, moved. Bishop of Winchester, Chichester, and my
self, with Archbishop, the consecrators. Baring,5 I thought,
cold and distant to all overtures of kindness. To Westminster
Abbey in the afternoon. With Sir D. Dundas, fresh from
Fulham, and R. Phillimore. Dined Athenaeum, and wrote to
all the Bishops.
On August 1 8 the Archbishop made his Declaration
in the case of Ditcher v. Denison. The Bishop con
sidered the Declaration serious, more in the threat it
conveyed than in anything else ; and he grounded this
opinion on the fact (i) that the Declaration was the
opinion of individuals merely ; not even a judgment ;
(2) that the opinion was not against the Real Presence,
but only against one mode of explaining it. What he
did consider serious was the manifestation of an inten
tion to persecute ; and he thought the time had arrived
when Churchmen must most gravely consider what they
ought to do. The following letters on this subject
passed between Mr. Gladstone and the Bishop. Mr.
Gladstone, however, had no concern with the Arch
deacon's personal tenet ; what he objected to was the
fact of the prosecution and the apparent enforcement
of the opinions on which that prosecution appeared to
rest. The letters really explain themselves and cannot
fail to be read with interest.
5 Dr. Baring the new Bishop of Gloucester.

1856. TWO MEASURES OF JUSTICE. 32 1
The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
Hawarden, Aug. 18, 1856.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — There is little more to say
about poor Denison's affair, till we see Lushington's judgment
as authentically reported. But whatever comes of it, two
things are pretty plain : the first that not only with executive
authorities, but in the sacred halls of justice, there are now
two measures, and not one in use : the straight one for those
supposed to err in believing overmuch, and the other for
those who believe too little. The second that this is another
blow to the dogmatic principle in the Established Church :
the principle on which, as a Church, it rests, and on which as
an Establishment it seems less and less permitted to rest.
No hasty judgment is pardonable in these matters ; but for
the last ten or twelve years undoubtedly the skies have been
darkening for a storm, with constantly diminishing hopes of
its being avoided  If the newspapers report Lushing-
ton aright, he has given Denison an immense advantage by
condemning everything.6

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Aug. 21, 1856.
My dear Gladstone, — I think you should see the en
closed letters, in order that you may see how very high Church
men take this matter.
The difficulty of seeing how to deal with this case does not
diminish as I contemplate it more closely.
Of course our one paramount duty is the maintenance of
the dogmatic truth of the Real Presence.
Now G. A. Denison, in maintaining that Real Presence,
has selected a certain phraseology.
" Mr. Gladstone desires me to state on his behalf that while he thinks Dr.
Lushington might not be free from prejudice, he looks upon him as a man of the
purest honour. — Ed.
VOL. II. V

322 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ix.
It is contended that the phraseology he has chosen is con
demned by the Article and the Statute of Elizabeth, but it
may be condemned by the Article and the Statute, not because
it contains the truth with which Denison seeks to identify it,
and for the sake of which we are contending, but for other
reasons, e.g. the article may condemn it in order to condemn
the ex opere operato doctrine which it imputed to Rome ; the
Statute through the Article, because it was the test of whether
a man was a true subject to Queen Elizabeth, or a Popish
adherent of Rome.
Now if these suppositions are true, a man who uses this
particular language may be condemned for using it, whilst he
is not condemned for the doctrine he means to teach in using
it. The administrators of the law, even the Privy Council,
may say, We have nothing to do with your doctrine ; you may
preach or teach at will that the res Sacramenti is given to
and taken by the wicked as well as the faithful ; but if, in order
to teach your doctrine, you choose to use language which the
Article and Statute together, albeit for a different purpose,
make it unlawful to use ; then you must be punished for
using it. And then we are put in this difficulty, that if we
make common cause with him and say, If you deprive him
you will censure the true doctrine ; it becomes our act which
exposes the true doctrines to appear to all to be censured,
when really the true doctrine is not touched or concerned in the
matter. I do not touch on the other side, I mean on the
danger to the truth from leaving him to be deprived, because
that lies on the surface. I am disposed to think that we must
wait for sentence of deprivation to be pronounced, and for
opportunity of showing how opinion is to be persecuted by
the Puritans before we can move with effect. Pray send me
your better judgment on all this. I am ever affectionately
yours' S. OXON.

1856. THE LATE ECCLESIASTICAL PROCEEDINGS. 323
The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
Hawarden, Aug. 23, 1856.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — -I return the letters, and
having had the great advantage of free communication with
Phillimore, I will state summarily to you the opinions I have
formed in connection with the Denison case for the exigen
cies of the present moment. I adopt that form, notwithstand
ing its dictatorial aspect, which you will not misapprehend,
on account of its practical convenience. 1. It is clear to me
that the time for a Declaration has not arrived : or at least
that, if there is one, it ought not to recognise or take notice of
the declaration at Bath. For even if it were a sentence it is
not a final one ; but it is no sentence, and only the announce
ment of an opinion which may or may not become a sen
tence. 2. Deprecating in the strongest terms anything which
should recognise this announcement as a judicial fact, yet,
from the anticipation that it will disturb many minds, and
indeed from hearing that it does, I do not see why we should
not look to what is primd facie the natural remedy in this pro
visional state of things ; namely, that the stewards of doctrine
should, on the general ground of controversy and disturbance,
deliver from their pulpits or as they think fit, to the people
the true and substantive doctrine of the Holy Eucharist.
This freely done, and without any notice of the Archbishop
or Dr. Lushington, I should think far better for the time than
any Declaration. 3. It appears to me that the Archdeacon
has had put into his hands, by the folly of his judges, such
arms as he could not have hoped for, and that he may, on 21st
of October, make to them an answer, showing that what they
have asked him to do is impossible, absurd, and heretical ;
and this without ambiguities of any kind. 4. The thing
which seems to me most material and most difficult is this.
It is high time that there should be a careful argument upon
the justice and morality of late ecclesiastical proceedings ; that
the Archbishop should be awakened out of his fool's paradise,
and made to understand that, though reverence for his office
y 2

324 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ix.
has up to this time, in a wonderful manner, kept people silent
about his proceedings, yet the time has come when a begin
ning must be made towards describing them without circum
locution in their true colours ; and it must likewise be shown
how judicial proceedings are governed by extra-judicial con
siderations, and a system is growing up under which ecclesias
tical judges are becoming the virtual legislators of the Church,
while its legislature is silent. I should greatly fear the enun
ciation as an abstract proposition of Mr. Gresley's opinion,
that no decree whatever, given by way of construction upon
the formularies, can affect the position of those who believe in
them. This seems to me untenable ; but the license assumed
by courts between strict interpretation against Denison and
Liddell, and loose interpretation for Bishop Hampden and
Gorham (irrespective of the merits of either set of decisions
taken separately), amounts to the assumption of an arbitrary
power and a denial of justice to those who are thought to be
on the unpopular side. I think Phillimore and I are much of
the same mind ; and I find from him that the Bishop of
Exeter dissuades any recognition of the Bath Declaration at
present.
The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Lavington, Aug. 25, 1856.
My dear Gladstone, — I agree with every word of your
letter, except the suggestion that the subject of the Eucharist
could well be made at this moment the subject of common ad
dress by the Clergy. As to this I am strongly disposed to a
contrary opinion, and I wish therefore to ask you to recon
sider this point. My objections are these : — 1. We could
not separate such a general move from the utterance of
this ' Opinion,' and thereby we should give it weight. 2. It
would not be safe on either side to set the great body of
the Clergy on declaring doctrinal views as to this mysterious
subject, without leading them into the right channel by some
declaration or further discussion. 3. And above all, if we

1856. A SYSTEM OF UNFAIRNESS. 325
are to reject, through the Privy Council, this coming depri
vation, we must count (in the present gross system of unfair
ness as to all ecclesiastical proceedings) on a large measure of
support from those who will join us merely on the ground of
not suffering the present liberty of the Church of England to
be narrowed. Now if there had risen a great tumult of
voices and conflict of opinions on the matter, many will be
ready to abandon liberty to obtain peace : it would seem
therefore to me that this part of the treatment of the ques
tion, as well as the rest, should wait, at least until Dr. Lush
ington's semi-Socinian speculations have been embodied in a
judgment or an act.

The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
Hawarden, Aug. 27, 1856.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — By common (if I used the
phrase), I did not mean combined address by the Clergy. Any
act done in obedience to exhortation from a centre would be
open I should think, to the objections which apply to a de
claration. I expressed what I rather feel I should endeavour
to do myself were I a clergyman, and what I should be glad
to hear A, B, C, and so forth acting individually, had done.
This has reference to the question how in times of anxiety to
calm disturbed minds ; but I agree that nothing could be
more mischievous as to do what would encourage the sup
position that Lushington's ' Declaration,' as he calls it, is at
present anything more in law than it is in logic or in justice.
Men of Mr. Perry's class ought to be reassured when they are
made aware of this. Archdeacon Denison has come to
Hawarden to see Phillimore : he seems to know the advan
tages that Lushington has given him, and to mean to use
them prudently. I think you may safely discourage the
notion that he will at this time take any step which would
additionally offend men like the Bishop of St. David's. I
imagine that it is in his power even alone, but especially if

326 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ix.
simultaneously any other Bishops not suspected of the least
sympathy with Denison did the same, to do the Archbishop
much good by private warning. Combined address, i.e.
generally combined, to him, would not do well, when it is con
sidered that he is acting judicially, though he does not seem
to be in the least aware of it. No one could quite tell, from
the newspaper reports, what a hash Lushington has made of
it : he has literally and directly called on Denison to revoke
his declaration against Transubstantiation. I conclude that
if Bishop Thirlwall (whose letters are worthy of his great
acumen and real and genuine liberality) does anything, he
will do it subject to the supposition that Denison will, when
the proper time comes, make the proper explanation. I hope
he may : but it is clear, from Lushington's strange produc
tion that the time is not yet come. Always affectionately
yours' W. E. Gladstone.
The Bishop writes to Mr. Cavendish as follows : —
Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. R. Cavendish.
Lavington, Aug. 29, 1856.
My dear Cavendish, — I want to hear about you. I had
hoped long since that you might have found the interval of
which you had some hopes, and have come over here. This
Bath declaration is very offensive, but I really hope that it
will be overruled for good. The Archbishop seems to me to
have put himself so very effectually in the wrong, that I trust
the cause of truth will ultimately be promoted amongst us by
this endeavour to persecute on the side of Puritanism. I feel
confident that the truth as to baptism has been wonderfully
helped on by the Gorham controversy, and I trust that this
will be overruled to the same issue as to the other sacrament.7
7 This hope of the Bishop's was fully recognised in the subsequent case of Mr.
Bennett, whose declaration of the doctrine of the Real Presence was held to be
lawful both by the Court of Arches and by the Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council.

1 856. THE BA TH JUDGMENT RE VERSED. 327
I think the ' Guardian ' to-day has some very good articles
on the subject. Will you let me hear a little about yourself,
for I am ever very affectionately yours, ~ /-v„nTJ
The following letter to a clergyman in the diocese
of Oxford further reviews the Archbishop's Declaration.
What the Bishop foresaw came to pass. On October
2 1 the Bath Court re-assembled, and after hearing Arch
deacon Denison delivered their judgment depriving
him of his vicarage and archdeaconry. But the Court
of Arches8 on appeal early in the following year reversed
this judgment ; and the Judicial Committee of the
Privy Council in the next year (1858) confirmed the
judgment of the Court of Arches. The Archdeacon's
defence was founded on a preliminary point of law as
well as upon the merits. The Court of Arches and the
Judicial Committee gave judgment in favour of the
appellant on this preliminary point of law, expressing
no opinion upon the merits ; but these judgments had
the effect of bringing the litigation on this matter to a
close. September 1, 1856.
My dear  , — I cannot doubt that if the results of the
unhappy Bath proceedings were what you fear them to be,
that very many would feel that they must publicly explain
their subscription. But I cannot feel them to be so at all.
For, after all, what do they amount to ? The Archbishop,
with three packed assessors, decide that in their opinion the
Articles condemn Denison's propositions. There is not a hint
even in this opinion that they condemn the objective presence
of our Lord in the Holy Sacrament ; and what is the worth
of the opinion, granted that it is carried out into a judgment?
That judgment will be appealed against, and probably at
" The Court of Arches at first refused to entertain the Appeal, but was com
pelled to do so by a mandamus from the Court of Queen's Bench.

328 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ix.
once set aside on legal grounds in the very next court. Then
we shall stand thus : the Puritans, thinking their time come,
will have made an attempt to persecute ; they will have
extracted from the Archbishop, a Socinian lawyer, a Neologian
dean, and a Puritan professor, a declaration that they think
they could safely use the Article to put down an obnoxious
High Churchman. They will have failed in their attempt on
legal grounds ; the subject will have been well ventilated ; the
high tone of the Church of England doctors proved, and no
one will venture in our day again to try persecution. I am
very sincerely yours, s< qXon.
The opinions of the Bishop and Mr. Gladstone, on
the question of a Protest or Declaration against the
Bath Judgment, can be gathered from the preceding
letters. Dr. Pusey, however, took a different view ;
and in conjunction with fourteen other clergy issued a
Declaration. Mr. Butler was pressed to sign, but did
not ; presumably in consequence of the following letter
of the Bishop's. As it gives reasons additional to
those already quoted, the letter is here inserted. It is
as well to state that letters written by the Bishop of
Exeter show that he viewed the matter in the same
light as Bishop Wilberforce.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. f. Butler.
Oct. 21, 1856.
My dear Butler, — I very strongly deprecate such a De
claration. i. It is of the nature of another Article, and I greatly
disapprove of individuals putting forth such.
ii. It is leaving our proper individual mode of protest in
our pulpits and substituting a sham synodical act.
iii. It is furnishing to the enemy a list of men whose

1856. DR. PUSEY S. PROPOSED PROTEST. 329
opinions on this subject are not to weigh. We have far more
strength while not numbered. ' Omne ignotum,' &c.
iv. It is altogether a wrong time for acting, and so, like all
premature action, action now will damage us.
We are threatened with a wrong decision — we shall appeal
— the whole matter may be quenched. We shall then find
the truth stronger than ever for opposition. Such a protest
or declaration will stand greatly in our way.
I very earnestly hope that you will agree with me and
dissuade the movement. If such things are put forth, every
one who for any reason does not sign is your opponent. Till
they are so severed, every Churchman is on your side. I am
yours affectionately ,-. f\,.nN
September 20. — Cuddesdon. Early Communion. Saw all
separately. Obliged to send away poor  , who miserable,
and made me sad. On the whole, a satisfactory set. Dear
Trench left us ; no intimation of anything falling to him in
the Church scramble.9 Tait seems really Bishop of London.
.... Finished Charge, and delivered it at night.
The following extracts from the Diary record con
versations with Sir James Graham, Lord Aberdeen,
and Mr. Gladstone. The Bishop was making a round
of visits, beginning at Netherby, going thence to
Haddo, then paying a visit to the Duke of Richmond
at Gordon Castle, then to Keir, Sir W. Stirling Max
well's, and then back to England, visiting Mr. Glad
stone at Hawarden. The conversations are given
literally as they were in the Diary, and are thus neces
sarily in an abbreviated form. In each instance it is
the person with whom the Bishop was, who is the
speaker. September 27, Netherby. — After luncheon I walked with
* Mr. Trench was appointed Dean of Westminster on October 14.

330 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ix.
Sir James Graham. Much talk about Denison — about men
and things. ' Card well very tired of waiting — gave up much :
the bar — great position offered by Lord Palmerston, but
very tired of his position — afraid of losing his Oxford seat.
A great misfortune if he parts from Gladstone and Herbert —
I think a mistake for his own future. Herbert has risen —
risen very much. House of Commons very aristocratic —
likes a man of family — and he has come fairly down into the
arena — no man more fairly — and risen much. This country
wants a government: dangerous times ahead. Palmerston
worse than John Russell — disapproves of separating London
— should be, like the chancellorship, a great post of authority.'
Sir James Graham's very high estimate of Gladstone : ' In
the highest sense of the word Liberal — of the greatest power
— very much the first man in the House of Commons :
detested by the aristocracy for his succession duty — the most
truly conservative measure passed in my recollection. Just
reading de Tocqueville, and when I read his statement that
unequal taxation was the most effective of all the causes of
the Revolution, I thought at once of Gladstone and the
succession duty. He must rise to the lead in such a Govern
ment as ours, even in spite of all that hatred to him. Lord
Melbourne said to the Queen, " Madam, you will not like
Peel, but you will like Aberdeen : he is a gentleman." He
has great tenderness for the sex — a most entirely good man
— very affectionate and true — yielded doubtingly to Gladstone
as to the competitive admission to offices. The present mixed
mode of nomination and competition most mischievous —
debauching from its wide extension of apparent patronage.
Far better to have either responsible nomination or absolute
competition than the present mixed form. Sidney Herbert
has risen more than any man this session. He attracts. He
may, as Lord Pembroke, be the head of the Government, if it
was for any cause judged more prudent to have the head in
the House of Lords. The Duke of Newcastle counts on
being— he never could be : Herbert in the House of Lords
would beat him every way ; he has far more power, and he is
attractive. I think we did wrong in not resigning at the

1856. CONVERSATION WITH SIR J. GRAHAM. 331
breaking-out of the war. Aberdeen was all for resigning.
Gladstone was disposed to join him — the rest all against it,
especially the Duke of Newcastle. He was led away by the
notion that he was going to be a great War Minister. He
once asked me to let him have a set of papers, because they
would complete what would hereafter be a matter of great
interest, " the history of my war ministry." Aberdeen was
right : I am wise by the wisdom of apres coup : he saw it all
along, but he yielded to his party — to the Queen — to us. I
felt strongly the dishonourable unfairness of the Russians.
They presumed on Aberdeen's being premier — they thought
he would not go to war. I felt indignant at this. But I was
wrong. Gladstone must rise : he is young, he is far the
ablest man in the House of Commons, and in it, in the long
run, the ablest man must lead. Many of us have been injured
fatally, probably irreparably, by the war, The Government
will quarrel with Naples if the Emperor does not hold them
back. It is against his interest. There cannot be a revo
lution in Naples without its spreading to Rome and threaten
ing the Pope's sovereign power, and the Roman interest is, in
France, the Emperor's stronghold. But Palmerston is evi
dently determined to play that game — to send ships to
Naples, nominally to protect British interests, really to stir
up a revolution. This we cannot do without quarrelling with
Austria, with whom we have just got over the coldness and
aversion bred by Palmerston's refusing them aid in their
extremity, unless they would give up Venice as well as Milan.
They look forward on this point to be able to hamper Glad
stone — either he must support them after his pamphlet about
Naples, or he must oppose them ; and then they can attack
him for change of view, and damage his character ; or he
must approve in general and disapprove of details. He is a
wonderful man. Well, we have very freely exchanged opinions.'
Referring to this visit Sir James Graham thus writes
to Lord Aberdeen : — October 3, 1856.
If I could envy you any good thing, it would be the

332 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ix.
society of the Bishop of Oxford : he passed a couple of days
here ; and I enjoyed the charm of his conversation and the
benefit of his preaching. He is cast into the shade for the
moment : but it is a light which would illuminate even the
' Dismal Swamp.' . . .
October 1 1, Haddo. — After breakfast at nine, letters.
Then a walk with Lord Aberdeen. ' Sir James Graham an
affectionate man. He is doubted because he is so demon
strative. Always provokes some one when he speaks. Glad
stone never does ; he has more complete command of him
self than Graham. Palmerston has only one object to keep
in office. He is naturally liberal, and would do good
if it was as likely to keep him in office : he does not object
to good, but to losing office. But no prospect of turning
him out. He is very much elated. Has had a great blow
in Spain, but cares nothing, because he sees that he can
keep in office. The Queen has not altered at all in her
real feelings to him. She behaves perfectly well and truly
to him. It has always been her great virtue, but she
does not like him a bit better than she did, nor the Prince
either. This dreadful business at Naples, how will it end ?
and Gladstone's letter has so committed him.'
October 14. — Up between 6 and 7 ; wrote, &c, and then
quiet till breakfast. After breakfast walked with Arthur
Gordon, and down on rocks near breakers. Then walked
with Lord Aberdeen. ' The King (George IV.) was as selfish
as any one could be. But all royal people are. They all
believe that the world was made for them. The King could
do kind things ; he was always very kind to me. He said
you have something vexatious to communicate by their send
ing you— so I had — viz. how badly Leopold had behaved in
backing out of Greece. But that gave the King an oppor
tunity of triumph, for he had always opposed Leopold's going
to Greece ; so he only said, " You would have him go." Lord
Liverpool is greatly overrated ; true, his qualities were rather
moral than intellectual, yet in difficult times he kept for years
a Government together, and brought the countiy gloriously

1856. CONVERSATION WITH LORD ABERDEEN. 333
through a terrible war. But he was strictly fair, just, careful,
painstaking and honest. It was Stanley (Derby) and Sir James
Graham who in 1834 prevented Peel forming his Government.
Derby said he would not join a Government with Lyndhurst
in it, and objected to the Duke. Doubtful whether, if they had
joined, Peel could have maintained his position. When Sir
R. Peel stated in the Cabinet his Corn Law resolutions, only
three agreed — Aberdeen, Graham, and S. Herbert. Gladstone
had then left the Cabinet, or of course he would have agreed
also. I told Clarendon, when he vehemently pressed Villiers
on me for a Bishopric, that I could not conscientiously recom
mend him for one. He behaved well, for he said, " If it is a
matter of conscience, I press it no more." I told Lord John,
and he said " I think you are quite right : I never would have
made him a Bishop." The Queen is very uneasy about the
state of things. . . .'
October 1 5. — After breakfast, out along the shore with
Arthur. The sea, grand, over one ledge, where we looked
straight down on it, the finest I ever saw. After luncheon
rode with Arthur Gordon to Haddo. Dean Wilson dined :
some talk with him about the Scotch Church, &c. Lord
Aberdeen said ' Lord Liverpool was the most fair man in de
bate — Lord Holland the unfairest : said he always puts his
adversary's arguments better than he put them himself.
Lord Liverpool always wanted to get rid of any persons who
came to him. One of his friends once said, " I wonder what
Liverpool is doing now ? " " Trying," answered another, " to
get rid of whoever is with him." He used to be terribly put
Out by Lord Bathurst — a clever man, but always joking —
Lord Liverpool could not bear it, and used to fly into a furious
passion with him. To-night the formation of Narvaez'
Government.' I asked what does it mean ? ' It means en
tire subserviency to the French — hostility to England and to
all liberal government. It is a bitter pill for Palmerston, but
he must swallow it. I suppose it will lead to a sort of tacit
compromise. The Emperor to do what he likes in Spain,
and to act with us as Palmerston chooses at Naples.'

334 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. ix.
The following letters to Sir Charles Anderson
describe the places visited during this tour : —
Buchan Ness, October 15, 1856.
My dearest Anderson, — I came here yesterday with Arthur
Gordon and Lord Aberdeen. It is a delightful place ; the
house is perched on a great mass of granite, stretching out
into the German Ocean, and the sea dashes up the rocks quite
unstained by the lightest mixture of impurity. We have
been all day wandering amongst creeks and inlets, up which
the sea dashes furiously. It is delightful to walk and con
verse with the good old Earl. He is full of history, manners,
and men. All his judgments are fair and candid, and true to
the highest possible degree, but at the same time there is a
slight tinge of humour in his judgment of men, and a clear
discernment of character, which is delightful. Haddo is the
place which he has planted and beautified. This he has built.
A. Gordon delights in this. He sends you kindest regards.
We go back to Haddo, to-morrow to Gordon Castle. Love
to all, from your ever affectionate friend, - oxon
The Gael, Oct. 20, 1856.
My dearest Anderson, — I have settled our plans, so as to
remain with you over Wednesday, a stay I look forward to
with no little pleasure. You do not answer me whether you
could explore Southwell with me on our way to Birmingham
on Thursday : will you tell me this ? I had a very pleasant
visit to the Duke of Richmond at Gordon Castle. He was
surrounded by children and grandchildren, living a plain, •
hospitable, useful patriarchal life, reading prayers himself
daily in the chapel, and seeming thoroughly the old English
nobleman. He was very kind, to us. Since, we have been at
Keir (W. Stirling's the author of the Convent Life of Charles
the 5th), almost the most beautiful place I ever saw. A. Gordon
joined us on Saturday, and is with us here at E. Cardwell's.
Many thanks for asking your Bishop. Letters will reach me
till Saturday at Morpeth, then Bishopthorpe. Your most
affectionate s> 0x0N>

1856. CONVERSATION WITH MR. GLADSTONE. 335
October 18, Gordon Castle. — Early breakfast with Duke
of Richmond and off. Many letters in train. A. Gordon joined
us at Inverurie. On to Dunblane, and in a carriage with a
horse what wouldn't go, to Keir. The place most beautiful,
and air of boundless wealth, directed by admirable taste,
everywhere. Mrs. Norton, who was at Keir, told me that she
wrote to ask the Duke of Wellington to allow her to dedicate
to him some verses on some military men. He sent a most
kind refusal. 'My dear Mrs. Norton, &c. — Very sorry to be
obliged to refuse, but had made a rule to have nothing dedi
cated to him, and had kept it in every instance, though he had
been Chancellor of the University of Oxford, and in other
situations much exposed to authors!
November 4, Clifton. — Off after breakfast to Tamworth.
To Chester late, and on to Hawarden. At Broughton met
by W. E. Gladstone and Glynne, and walked back to Hawar
den with them. Much talk with Gladstone. He very strong
against Palmerston and on the mischief of the present Peelite
position. ' It would be a great gain if I and Sidney Her
bert and Graham could be taken out of the House, and let
them shake up the bag and make new combinations. If
Lord Derby and Lord Aberdeen understood one another all
would be easy. Palmerston has never been a successful
Minister : great love of power, and even stronger a principle
of false shame — cares not how much dirt he eats, but it must
be gilded dirt. Palmerston is strong in the House of Com
mons, but he does not understand the House of Commons.'
Manifestly Gladstone leans to a Conservative alliance. The
Conservative the best chance for the Church.
November 5. — Morning at church with W. E. Gladstone
and Sir S. Glynne. Then after breakfast wrote letters.
After luncheon long walk, tete-d-ti'te with Gladstone, to the
new coal-mines opening on Glyn ne's property, along the Dee
and by the Queen's Ferry home.  's saying about the
Archbishop, ' the only difference between a quaker and him,
that the quaker quaked for nothing, and he for 15,000/. a
year.' At night Sir Baldwin Leighton, Lady, and two
daughters. The eldest very pleasing and pretty : sang sweetly.

336 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. ix.
November 6. — Church, morning. Frosty. Then wrote
lecture. After breakfast walked with Sir Baldwin Leighton,
Gladstone, Stephen Glynne, Miss Leightons to St. John's
Church. Frescoes on wall, &c. Home and letters. Much
talk with Gladstone about Scotch clergy disabilities. About
parties. He evidently inclines to the Conservative. Church
politics. ' Men should form into knots and act together till
conscience forbids.' Music sweet at night.
November 24. — With Bishop of Salisbury to Bishopstowe.
The Bishop (Exeter) wonde rfully hale and whipcordy.
November 25. — After and before breakfast with Bishop of
Exeter about his pamphlet. I and Bishop of Salisbury
equally stated our disapproval of his general praise of 13
Eliz. ; he said he was committed to it Could not change.
Grew angry, ' that must be settled.' So set to alter the work
in detail and a good deal improved it. Walked afternoon to
see Miss Courts, who walked with us back.

11857. BAD NEWS. 337

CHAPTER X.
(1857—1859.)
DEATH OF HIS BROTHER ROBERT — LITERARY FUND — MR. DICKENS AND THE
BISHOP — CONVERSATION WITH SIR JAMES GRAHAM — DIVORCE BILL —
PRIVATE MEETING OF THE BISHOPS--BISHOP CARRIES AMENDMENTS —
DEFEATED ON THIRD READING — LETTER TO MR. GLADSTONE — RAILWAY
COLLISION — THE BISHOP'S SPEECH ON CLAUSE 53 — VISIT TO MANCHESTER
— CONVERSATION WITH MR. COBDEN — WORK AT WANTAGE — CLERGY DIS
CIPLINE—LETTERS TO AND FROM MR. GLADSTONE — DISCUSSION IN PRIVATE
MEETINGS OF BISHOPS — A DAY'S WORK — SUMMARY OF YEAR — CORRESPON
DENCE WITH THE REV. C. P. GOLIGHTLY ON CUDDESDON COLLEGE — MR.
GOLIGHTLY ISSUES A CIRCULAR LETTER — MR. GOLIGHTLY'S CHARGES DIS
PROVED—RESIGNATION OF THE PRINCIPAL OF THE COLLEGE — LETTERS TO
MR. BUTLER — RESIGNATION OF THE REV. H. P. LIDDON.
On February 3 the diary records : ' Bad news of
Robert by telegraph from Manning.' The next entry
records his death, which took place at Albano, where
he died alone and unattended.
Feb. 10. — Up early, to call dear Willy (Robert's son) and see
him off on his sad journey — against my judgment ; I feeling
sure that Manning's dispatch meant instant death. But all
the family differ, so I yield. At 12, Henry (Wilberforce) comes
with the news — our beloved brother died on this day week
at 6.30 P.M. I wrote back for Willy.
The two letters which follow show how strong was
the Bishop's love for that brother, even to the end.
The Bishop of Oxford to Sir Charles Anderson.
Near Lavington, Feb. n, 1857.
My dearest Anderson, — At last we have heard — dearest
Robert sank on the day after Manning sent the telegraph, i.e.
VOL. II. Z

338 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
Tuesday the 3rd. His end was what the end of a life of such
purity, humility, self-sacrifice (and through all the superstitions
of his new creed), true and living personal faith in Christ would
lead us to look for — it was entire peace. — Dearest Fellow !
There was a childlike humility about him such as I never
saw in so able a man. I am going into the country for a few
days, to Lavington for Thursday and possibly Friday, and
then to Cuddesdon. How curiously have all my heaviest
blows fallen at this season.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. R. Cavendish.
Cuddesdon Palace, Feb. 15, 1857.
My dear Cavendish, — How kind of you to write to me in
such words of love. Yes, indeed, it is a very heavy blow.
Never can I see another so loving, so childlike and with so
profound an intellect. I quite agree with you that too
low an estimate of his own great powers exposed him to
be overborne by others, or that he never would have left us.
What a mystery it is that such as he should be suffered to
fall ! but now I doubt not he sees all clearly, resting near the
Beloved Feet. My dear Friend ! it seems to bind me closer
than ever to all that have loved him as you have. I am ever,
in sorrow and dejection, your very affectionate q Oxon
Feb. 12, Lavington. — Walked with Henry (Wilberforce),
planted rhododendrons in Botany Bay, Araucaria on the
Common. Pleasant talk of old times and of beloved Robert.
This day last year starting for Torquay with our beloved
Herbert. And now Robert gone. Reginald ' in India !
Feb. 25 (Ash Wednesday). — To Athenaeum, to finish part
of sermon and write letters undisturbed. Chapel Royal, where
Bishop of London preached an old sermon on affliction, twisted
to make it suit, and inartistically. But the sermon of a good
man without much strength. ' Life a graveyard — our feet
stumbling over the graves and the spectres rising from
1 His eldest surviving son.

1857- LITERARY FUND. 339
beneath. With what equality the cup of grief goes round.'
To Oxford and preached first Lenten sermon to a marvellous
congregation for size and attention.
March 3. — Morning, letters. After breakfast to Streatley
Church, where a very nice Confirmation — much interested.
Then letters and on to Wallingfdrd, where a fair Confirmation ;
very few young men. Then on to London. On Divorce Bill
Bishop of Exeter spoke, I thought, with no very clear view of
the subject ; very strong on divorce a mensd et thoro. To
examine this — I spoke with recollected ness and power : con
vinced Lord Overstone : divided 10 to 25. Then in House
of Commons. Heard Roebuck and Gladstone, who really
great on China. Pam. poor.
March 11. — To Literary Fund; spoke against Dickens
and Forster. Large majority.
The incident referred to in the above entry affords
a remarkable illustration of the Bishop's great power
of gathering arguments from an adversary's speech
and turning those arguments back upon the speaker.
At the annual meeting of this Society, Mr. Charles
Dickens made a long and carefully prepared speech
against the management. His statement was full of
minute details of an alleged misapplication of the funds
by assuming the existence of a House Fund, and by ex
pending the money intended for literary men and their
families on the rent of chambers and the salary of a
secretary. Some members present were taken by sur
prise by these charges and the meeting, influenced by
Mr. Dickens, was going against the Committee, when
the Bishop, who was an active member of the Council,
appeared, in time however, only to hear part of the
charges. He got up, and taking Mr. Dickens' facts,
turned them so as to show that, instead of misapplying
the funds of the Society, the Committee had only done
their duty ; that the expenditure complained of had
z 2

340 LIFE OF. BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
been remunerative, because it had produced great re
turns in the shape of a still larger increase of income ;
that whether remunerative or not, it was clearly not a
ground for a vote of censure on the Committee, because
it was one which had been sanctioned by the members
generally, and pursuing the argument he entirely de
molished Mr. Dickens. The Bishop's views were sup
ported by such an overwhelming majority (69 to 11)
that the hostile proposals for changing the management
were never again renewed.
April 5. — Up in good time. Whilst praying for a special
blessing on the Diocese a sudden thought darted in of trying
by personal appeal to G  to heal the sad strife in this
parish. Went up after breakfast Met him on the road. A
long struggle ending with his consenting to my bringing up
P  after Church. A very nice congregational service.
The Church beautiful. Then to P  's, where D.G. all
seemed to go well ; shook hands and all talked for some
time. Then on to  . The Church of which has come
out well — a very thronged and interesting service. After on
the tower a view of Hinde Head. I always look from these
distances at Lavington as if my Emily were there and I
could find her if I went.
April 16, Llandaff. — Up by six and at work on Sermon.
Another vast gathering of clergy and others : perhaps 200
clergy and a vast Communion ; the restoration work excellent ;
all very kind. The sermon listened to with much attention;
between 500/. and 600/. collected on the spot and a new sub
scription got up at the dinner. Looked over the Cathedral.
April 20. — After breakfast and a little writing, in to Oxford:
where Synod for election of Proctors : all, thank God, went
well. May 3. — Morning up in good time and prepared a sermon
on John xvi. 16 : our Lord's tarrying 40 days a lesson of
patience : at St. Stephen's, Westminster, a great congregation.
Sir J. Graham, &c. After, walked to Westminster Abbey

1857. THE MEN NOT CHURCH ON TRIAL. 341
where Trench. I shamefully drowsy. Walked with him to
Mrs. Sargent's — who well. Home and wrote on Confirmation,
&c. and then to Lord Aberdeen's, where he, A. Gordon, R.
Cavendish and Sir James Graham. Much political talk. Sir
J. Graham furious against Bishop of Norwich's 2 resignation.
' It will destroy your incomes and your seats' in Parliament.
A very critical time. A golden opportunity before Palmers
ton if he would use it. But he will not. He really shares
Mr. Canning's opinions, is conscientiously opposed to reform;
he (Lord Palmerston) said, "I agreed to 1833, I am not pre
pared to go further. I quitted Lord Aberdeen's Cabinet
because opposed to it. True, I returned but it went no
further. T am not prepared to advise any further movement
if you are, I will consider it," he said he " would either succeed
or would fall maintaining a great principle and go down to
posterity as a man of purpose." " But I (Sir J. Graham) do
not think he will." ' All the conversation strong against
Palmerston. Sir James spoke really warmly when we were
alone together of my sermon this morning. ' Hoped he was
really the better for it, was really delighted — never more
delighted,' &c.
The following- letter refers to the Mission in the
London Docks, then just begun by Mr. Lowder.
The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. y. Butler.
May 10.
My dear Butler, — Many thanks for your deeply interesting
letter. I quite long to go and cast myself into that mission.
I feel confident your whole view is the right one, save only in
one point. It must depend on the men in high places at any
one moment whether the work prospers or not. It is, I mean,
not the Church of England, but the men who are on their trial.
The Church has enough life, but evils may bring the wrong
man to the top ; if only now we had a Bishop of London who
' Dr. Hinds.

342 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
would go and spend a day or two in Wapping, and gain the
full trust of those zealous men, what might we not do ? The
system suffers. I am affectionately yours, ~ ay.
A letter of Mr. Gordon to the Bishop in June
contains an account of a speech of Mr. Gladstone, at
Oxford. The extract is as follows : —
I wish you could have heard Gladstone's speech (except
that had you been present it would not have been made for
you to hear). It was great pleasure to listen to him praising you
and saying, what is but the truth, that here you are regarded
as you will be hereafter by the world at large, viz. as one of
the illustrations of the English name.
On June 22 the Bishop was present at the first
meeting of the Educational Conference, presided over
by H.R.H. Prince Albert. The object of the Con
ference was to discuss the Educational question,
especially in relation to the early age at which the
children of, the working classes leave school. The
speakers at the meeting, after the President's address,
were Lord Brougham, the Bishop and the Rev. Canon
Mozley. The Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Bill, which
had failed to pass into law during the past session, was
again brought forward. It will be remembered that
the Bishop had succeeded in introducing an amendment
prohibiting the inter-marriage of the guilty parties.
In March the Bishop wrote to Lord Derby asking
his advice on the course he ought to pursue. Lord
Derby replied, putting forth the grounds on which he
himself should support the second reading, and at the
same time saying that, although he could not give "the
advice asked for, yet should the Bishop seek to re-

1857. DIVORCE BILL. 343
introduce the clause which was inserted on his pro
posal last year, prohibiting the inter-marriage of the
guilty parties, he, Lord Derby, should vote with him.
The Bill raised a question on which the Episcopal
Bench were far from unanimous.
The following is a report of a private meeting of
the Bishops which was held in May : —
Discussed sporadically the law of marriage. The Arch
bishop said he had no doubt that it was contrary to the law
of God to allow of the re-marriage of divorced persons. It
was allowable to dissolve the marriage but not to re-marry.
The Bishops of London (Dr. Tait), Carlisle (Dr. Villiers) and
Ripon (Dr. Bickersteth), rather in favour of the Bill. The
Bishop of Winchester silent. The Bishop of Salisbury strong
against the Bill. The Bishop of Carlisle saying that he retains
his liberty to support.
On May 19 the Bill was read a second time in the
House of Lords, the Bishop of London supporting it.
The next day the Bishop writes in his Diary : —
Sad, the debate of last night. The division of the
Bishops, and especially the Bishop of London's tone, pained
me deeply. What is to be the end of it but that of a house
divided against itself.
In Committee on the Bill the Bishop again proposed
the amendment already referred to as having been
carried last year, and again inserted it in the Bill,
the Archbishop supporting and voting for it. He also
carried an amendment providing that it should be law
ful to impose a fine or imprisonment upon either of
the guilty parties, as though such parties had been
guilty of a misdemeanor at common law. On the third
reading, however, both these amendments were struck
out.

344 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
An entry in the Diary on June 23 refers to this : —
To House. Divorce Bill, beat on all particulars, mainly
the effect of the Bishop of Exeter's strange conduct in oppos
ing Lords Redesdale, Nelson, &c, and so broke up our band
— utterly dispirited ; could not go as I had promised to the
Bernstorffs' to meet Prince Frederick William.
The Bishop then drew up his reasons for dissenting
from the Bill, which Protest was signed by the Duke
of Leeds, the Bishop of Salisbury, Lord Nelson, Lord
Redesdale, and Lord Desart. As these reasons explain
the Bishop's hostility to the measure, they are given.
Dissentient: —
1. Because, in opposition to the Word of God, which is
embodied in the law of our Church, the Bill sanctions the re
marriage of a divorced husband or wife during the lifetime of
the divorced wife or husband.
2. Because, in direct contradiction to the plain teaching of
our Saviour Christ, the divorced adulteress is permitted to re
marry during the lifetime of her husband.
3. Because the Court of Divorce provided by the Bill will,
as a general rule, be accessible only to the rich, and thus what
is treated in the Bill as the right of every injured husband, is
by it withheld from the poor ; and such legislation will almost
inevitably lead to the committing the decision of causes in
volving the sentence of divorce a vinculo matrimonii to many
and inferior local courts, and so to the risk of wide-spread
collusive adultery.
4. Because the permission of inter-marriage, as granted in
the Bill, to the parties through whose adultery the divorce
has been caused, tends to produce a dissolution of manners
throughout that large class of society in which no conven
tional law severely punishes the divorced woman.
5. Because the whole tendency of the Bill is to dissolve
the sanction and endanger the purity of God's great institu
tion of family life throughout this land.

1857. STRONG FEELING. 345
6. Because it will lead to the clergy of the Church of
England being required to pronounce the blessing of Almighty
God on unions condemned by their Church and repugnant,
as many of them believe, to the direct letter of Holy Writ,
and to employ at unions founded on dissolved marriages, from
the Marriage Service of the Church of England, language
which is in its plain sense inconsistent with the dissolubility
of marriage.
S. Oxon, Leeds, W. K. Sarum,
Nelson, Redesdale, Desart.
For 3, 4, 5, and 6, Dungannon.3
The following letter to Mr. Gladstone was written
while the Bill was still in the House of Lords.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone, M.P.
The Athenaeum, June 20, 1857.
My dear Gladstone, — I had a talk with the Duke of New
castle last night, which I do not like not to mention to you. He
said he heard you were coming up to take a lead against the
Divorce Bill, and he set aside his own feelings, &c, but feared
it would hurt you if you made a very great fight in that one
point after such silence ; he thought you ought studiously to
have part in matters which would not bring you into direct
collision with Palmerston — that this would have strengthened
your position, &c. &c. &c. Feeling so strongly as I do as
to the wickedness and destructiveness of the Divorce Bill, and
longing, therefore, for such support as yours, I the more feel
it a sacred debt to friendship to set this view before you and
that all the more because I see that Lord Aberdeen thinks
that anything but a carefully moderated course on this Bill on
your part will come in too strong contrast with your past
silence not to act unfavourably on the public mind. We are
' The Bishop of Exeter also drew up a protest, which he signed alone.

346 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
again postponed to Tuesday, when we shall have a heavy
fight. Yours ever affectionately, ~ Oxon
Aug. 24. — Off after breakfast, dropping Basil at Brighton.
Near Redhill a collision with luggage train. The suddenness
of all marvellous. Thrown down and shin broke in a second.
Prayer turning into praise. Many cut, &c. On to London
and House. Divorce Bill. Failed in carrying anything — beat
by proxies. Bishop of London's speech very mischievous.
Lord Clarendon's delight with it. Home late and tired.
The House of Commons made some amendments
to the Bill after Clause 53, which gave liberty to the
divorced parties to marry again, and which had been
amended by adding words which exempted a clergy
man from the necessity of performing the marriage
service over persons only free to marry by virtue of
that clause ; a proviso was added to the effect, that
any clergyman claiming such exemption should allow
the ceremony to be performed in his church by any
minister of the Church of England willing to officiate.
The Bishop, in moving the rejection of this, said :
This clause would not meet the wishes or the feelings
of the clergy, as the effect of it would be that adul
terers were to be enabled to hire any clergyman of
the diocese to do that for them which the incum
bent of the parish refused to do. He implored their
lordships to strike out the immunity to the clergy
altogether and leave them to act as their consciences
would make them act, rather than give effect to a
measure which would only introduce confusion and
mischief. He asked them to leave the marriage of
divorced parties to be performed merely as a civil
contract, which they had declared to be as honour
able as a marriage in Church. They would observe

1857. MEETINGS FOR S. P. G. 347
that the clause did not affect the Bishop. And he
avowed before their lordships that if he knew of
one of these hired interlopers coming in the way he
was here permitted to do, to enter a church in his
diocese, he would meet him at the door with an inhibi
tion and suspend him from his office.
The clause as amended was carried by a majority
of five. In the diocese of Oxford, however, the Bishop
never had to put his threat into execution. In the
speech quoted he expressed the wishes and minds of
his clergy.4 Once, and once only did he inhibit a
clergyman for acting in such a case. Years after, as
Bishop of Winchester, a curate in that diocese per
formed a marriage in St. James's Church, Piccadilly,
as the law allowed him. The instant the Bishop
heard of it he revoked the curate's licence and inhibited
him from performing Divine Serv'ce in the diocese
over which he then presided.
July 12 (Sunday). — Up early and prepared sermon. A
little useful talk with Dr. Hook in garden. Canon Clifton
took me to Cathedral (Manchester), which crowded; 4,000
there and 115/. collected (for S. P. G.), which they thought im
mense. Evening service in another church at 6.30 — large con
gregation, 2,000 — very attentive. A good deal exhausted
when over.
Jzily 1 3.— After breakfast and church to the Exhibition
till 1.30, when with Bishop of Manchester (Prince Lee) to
meeting in Free Trade Hall ; 6,000 there, mostly men, with
a wonderful call out of Church feeling for S. P. G. Cameron
spoke well and much cheered, and Dr. Hook. I too, D. G.
received very kindly — much exhausted.
4 The Chancellor of the diocese, by the Bishop's desire, refused to grant
licences for thc remarriage of divorced people while either former husband or wife
was living.

348 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. X.
July 25, Lavington. — Cobden, much talk at breakfast and
last night. ' India a cause really of poverty to us : waste
of life and revenue — no gain — we could undersell all in her
market,' and whether ours or not, Cobden omitting all sight
that she must be somebody's, and might be our deadly enemy.
Then to Dangstein, the ferns, &c. very fine. Lord Aberdeen
when alone at night estimating character : 'We are not worse
than those before us. The Duke perfectly honest, but a good
deal of thought of himself; leaving statements to explain
his position far more than Peel did. Lord Liverpool most
honest ; not so sure of Perceval, he had been a lawyer.
Pitt, a .being of a superior order — perfectly patriotic' [Lord
Aberdeen] tried to defend both Pam. and Lord J. Russell
from all charges of direct or intentional fraud ; but not very
easy. ' Palmerston has no other object but to stay in.'
A ugust 1 1 . — After breakfast with Bishop of London. Then
with Liddell to Mrs. Sargent's and on to Bishop Blomfield's
funeral. Many clergy ; but he had been dead in fact so long
that, except his own family, few in poignant grief. Then off
with Mrs. Sargent for Brighton. She bore the journey pretty
well. The following letter to his friend Mr. Cavendish,
after giving some family details, refers to the work at
Wantage under the Rev. W. J. Butler.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. R. Cavendish.
Rail to Lavington, Sept. 21, 1857.
My dear Cavendish, — I must in a very few lines acknow
ledge your welcome letter. I was longing to hear of you and
to know, which you do not tell me, that you were pretty well.
I am very thankful to be able to give you a good account of
Mrs. Sargent. She has been very ill, so ill that I believe, unless
I had risked carrying her to Brighton, she would not have
rallied. But she has wonderfully regained her strength, and
though suffering much, I grieve to say, from neuralgia, is not

I8S7- MR. GLADSTONE ON LORD PALMERSTON. 349
in a state to cause us any uneasiness. She, with my two
younger boys, is now at Lavington, where I am rejoining her
after some days spent for an ordination at Wantage. Any
one who desponds about the Church of England should go
to Wantage and see what by God's grace has been done
there ; it is really amazing and we want all encouragements
with Palmerston's jaunty words, and Divorce Bills, and the
people loving to have it so. Our last news from my dear
Reginald was sent July 13, the day after he had been engaged
under Brigadier Nicholson in very hot fighting against the
Sealkote mutineers. There is no letter this post, his column
being on march to Delhi ; but I tremble for the next account.
I am delighted that you talk of coming to us. I am to be at
Lavington till October 5, and later sX Cuddesdon. Pray come!
I am your most affectionate c qxon
October 13, Hawarden. — To early church. Long talk with
Gladstone after breakfast ; then letters and talk with Lord
Lyttelton ; then a walk with Gladstone — much talk. His
noble T greatly felt being turned out of office, I saw great
things to do. I longed to do them. I am losing the best
years of my life out of my natural service, yet I have never
ceased to rejoice that I am not in office with Palmerston,
when I have seen the tricks, the shufflings, the frauds he daily
has recourse to as to his business. I rejoice .not to sit on the
Treasury bench with him.' His future views, dark. Much
talk on Divorce question, &c.
Oct. 14. — Morning, read Gladstone a good bit of my Charge
on Divorce and after breakfast went to Chester. To Man
chester, two hours in the Exhibition ; saw much and many.
Then to Bishop of Manchester's, where Bishop Spencer of
Madras, &c. A most splendid hospitality.
Oct. 1 5. — To Exhibition. Saw Lord Hertford's collection
— very beautiful. Water-colours delightful, and Ary Scheffers
and old masters. Then to Mr. Fairbairn's. His works, tubu
lar bridge, &c.
The following letter to Sir Charles Anderson

350 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
refers to a meeting at Leeds, to which place the
Bishop went after visiting Manchester.

The Bishop of Oxford to Sir Charles Anderson. Oct. 17, 1857.
My dearest Anderson, — All has gone excellently here.
The Vicar in highest spirits — meeting excellent — Yorkshire
heart, Yorkshire sense, Yorkshire humour fully comprehend
ing all. Oh, how unlike they are to our south-country poor.
Will you let me know as soon as you can about my visit. The
reason I want to put off coming to you till Monday is that I
may have one day at Rose Castle. I think it so important to
get what hold I can on these Bishops.
The two letters which immediately follow refer
to proposed legislation on the subject of Clergy Dis
cipline. The Bishop warmly advocated omitting the
two Archbishops and the Bishop of London from the
Final Court of Appeal — at any rate, if not on doc
trinal points, on moral cases. The opening sentences
of the Bishop's letter imply that Lord Brougham
agreed with the Bishop on this point. The first
mention of the proposed Bill was in April 1 856, at a
meeting of the Bishops assembled at the Bounty
Board. It came before them on a report of the Lower
House of Convocation. The first difficulty arose on
a question as to whether there should be two Bills or
one — one to deal with questions of doctrine, the second
with moral cases. It was decided that there should
be only one : but in the next year this same point was
reopened by the Bishop of Carlisle, who urged that
difference of opinion made a doctrinal Bill very
difficult and so it was better to separate them, even if
they (the Bishops) introduced a separate Bill for

1857- LETTER ON SUPREME COURT OF APPEAL. 351
discipline. The Bishop, replying to this argument,
said, ' It is shameful to say that we (the Bishops)
cannot agree on doctrine ; that our chance against
the anti-dogmatic temper of the present day of ever
carrying one Bill depended on union.'
In 1856 a Bill had been introduced into the House
of Lords to amend the Clergy Discipline Act (3 & 4
Vict. c. 86). This Bill was opposed by the Arch
bishop and, with the exception of three of the Irish
Bishops, by all the Bishops ; Bishop Wilberforce
urging as his reason that a Bill which dealt with
Episcopal authority ought to have been submitted to
the Bishops before being brought forward in the
House. The Bill on which the above discussion
took place was drawn by the Bishop. It was to the
Lord Chancellor's Bill that the Bishop of Carlisle
referred when he said that ' it would be better for us to
introduce a Bill dealing with discipline.' At a meet
ing in June it was decided to defer the discussion on
the Final Court of Appeal until next Session.
The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
From the Rail, near Banbury, Oct. 31, 1857.
My dear Gladstone, — I send you by Brougham's desire the
enclosed. Assuming that this movement is in the right direc
tion, I think that, with one exception, the draft may stand.
The one exception is the omission in it of the strongest
of all reasons against having the Bishops (as now) of the
Court, viz. the impossibility of blending into a real working
Court such entirely heterogeneous matter as Bishops and
lawyers. I am clear that this is the master defect of the
present system.
But I am bound to say to you that the more I weigh the
whole matter the more I am convinced that the dangers of in

352 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
any way consulting the Bishops outweigh the advantage, and
that the only safe course is to put out the two Archbishops
and the Bishop of London, both as members of the Court
and as assessors, and to force the Privy Council to examine
divines, when they want guidance, and decide purely as lawyers
on the bearing of the letter of our existing formularies. We
are not in a condition to make doctrinal decisions, and least
of all in this mixed way. God withholds from us the power
of doing this directly by canon — the only safe way; the nation
will never allow us to judge altogether and advise the Queen,
and the mixed jurisdiction must be full of evil.
(a) I have the greatest fear of the Bishops of the Province
on some cause where political party is involved giving some
answer which might absolutely shipwreck us.
(b) If the Bishops of the Province did give a decided
answer on the right side, and the Privy Council resolved the
other way, where do we stand ? It seems to me clear that we
have reached a point in which we cannot safely do anything
else than say, let the Privy Council advise the Queen about
us as it would about a Wesleyan or a Roman trust deed. It
is a matter of civil justice as to which the appeal comes, let
the civil arm wholly settle it
Will you give me your judgment on this? I am ever
affect' yours, s< 0xoN_

The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford. Hawarden, Nov. 2, 1857.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — I sit down to answer your
letter, although hurriedly, before sending on the paper to
Lord Brougham. You lean, I see, to the establishment of a
purely lay tribunal, and I agree in preferring a Court so
constituted to the present one. But that is all. I do not
think you could rely on the forbearance of such a Court in
treating doctrinal questions. Deal with them and decide
them it must. The scandal of its doing so, even when no

1 857. MR. GLADSTONE'S OPINION. 353
such case is on the carpet, is enormous. The sentences would
.take effect on the Church, and Bishops and Clergy generally
would concur in giving them effect. It seems to me vain in
logic, and even demoralising in practice, to contend that
such sentences may so pass and take effect and yet not
in any real sense commit the Church. It is neither dis
establishment, nor even loss of dogmatic truth, which I look
upon as the greatest danger before us, but it is the loss of
those elementary principles of right and wrong on which
Christianity itself must be built. The present position of
the Church of England is gradually approximating to the
Erastian theory that the business of an Establishment is to
teach all sorts of doctrines and to provide Christian Ordi
nances by way of comfort for all sorts of people, to be used
at their own option. It must become, if uncorrected, in lapse
of time a thoroughly immoral position. Her case seems as
if it were like that of Cranmer — to be disgraced first and
then burned. Now what I feel is, that the constitution of the
Church provides the means of bringing controversy to issue :
not means that can be brought at all times, but means that
are to be effectually, though less determinately, available for
preventing the general devastation of doctrine, either by a
positive heresy, or by that thesis I have named above, worse than
any heresy. Considering that the condition of the Church
with respect to doctrine is gradually growing into an offence
to the moral sense of mankind and that the question is, shall
we get if we can the means of giving expression to her mind,
I confess that I cannot be repelled by fears connected with
the state of the Episcopal body from saying yes. Let me have
it if I can. For, regarding the Church as a privileged and
endowed body, no less than as one with spiritual prerogatives,
I feel these two things : If the mind of those who rule and
of those who compose the Church is deliberately anti-
Catholic, I have no right to seek a hiding-place within the pale
of her possessions by keeping her in a condition of voiceless-
ness, in which all are entitled to be there, because none are.
That is, viewing her with respect to the enjoyment of her
temporal advantages : spiritually, how can her life be saved
VOL. II. A A

354 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. x.
by stopping her from the exercise of functions essential to
her condition ? It may be said she is sick, wait till she is
well. My answer is, she is getting more and more sick in
regard to her own function of authoritatively declaring the
truth ; let us see whether her being called upon so to declare
it, may not be the remedy, or a remedy at least. I feel
certain that the want of combined and responsible ecclesias
tical action is one of the main evils and that the regular
duty of such action will tend to check the spirit of indi
vidualism and to restore that belief in a Church which we
have almost lost. The Bishops will act much better from
acting in the way proposed and the very law which com
mits it to them so to act will in itself not only do much for
the ecclesiastical principles of our Constitution but still more,
I believe, for the healthiness of our moral tone. I can bear
the reproaches of those who say, ' You believe so and so ;
you have no business to believe that here ; go elsewhere and
believe it if you please.' I know that it would be much
more just to retort them. But if I felt that I am myself
trying to gag the Church of England or to keep in her mouth
the gag that is now there, I should not feel so sure that
honesty was not compromised in my own measure by me.
It is, in a word the desire that honesty should be maintained
at all costs, which governs me in the main, and would govern
me even if I saw less than I seem to do of conservative and re
storative action in the measure itself. I could wish to have
written about our sad, sad conflagration,5 and other things,
but time forbids. In haste, ever affectionately yours,
W. E. Gladstone.
Although the adjourned discussion brought about
no results, a short account of it may prove interesting,
as showing the different views taken by the Bishops
on the point of omitting the Archbishops and the
Bishop of London from the Court of Final Appeal.
The Report is as follows : —
s Hawarden Church burned a few days before.

1 857- JUDGE MADE LAW. 355
Feb. 16. — The Bishop of London read a temperate protest
against the decision of the last meeting (Feb. 8), as to the
Archbishops and Bishop of London being put off the Court
of Appeal in moral matters. The Bishop of Winchester stated
that he agreed with the Bishop of London's protest. The
Bishop of Carlisle moved ' that we do not attempt to deal with
matters of doctrine.' This found no supporter. The Bishop
of Manchester then said, ' We must have the Queen to settle
who shall be members of her Council. All-important that
all should be members of the Church of England.' He ob
jected to mixing up prelates with lawyers and most strongly
condemned the judgment of the Archbishop in the Gorham
case. On February 17, another meeting took place. The
Bishop of St. David's spoke. He was against the prelates
being on the Judicial Committee in moral cases and gave a new
reason. ' The appeal would be from a Presbyter against a
Bishop, and it was contrary to principle that the Bishop should
be represented and the Presbyter not.' He then reviewed
the Bishop of Manchester's plan. ' It would prevent certainly
any speaking in the name of the Church but would be
a step in the wrong direction. Judges giving their judg
ments give them simply as individual men learned in the
law and in no sense in a representative way. But Bishops
ought to speak the general mind of the Church. The -more
Bishops who come together the more chance of a moderate
and fair judgment. The Church does not require Judge-made
law. The best way to obtain the traditional or historical
view of doctrine would be by having the meeting of a number
of Bishops.' The Archbishop for himself and for the Bishop
of Winchester said that he was willing to acquiesce in any of
the plans which have been proposed. The Bishop then sug
gested that the only practical way is to agree on what the
majority think best and put it into a Select Committee of the
I House of Lords. The Bishop of London said that he thinks
' the Queen is theologically the head of the Church. That the
appeal is from the Bishop to the Archbishop and in pari
materid from the Archbishop to the Queen. She sits as Head
of the Church of England to decide as Head of the Church
a a 2

356 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
points of doctrine. The Union of Church and State depends
upon it.' The Bishop endeavoured to show that this was not
the doctrine of the English Reformers ; that they claimed
for the Crown the supreme power over all persons and in all
causes. The Bishop of London then raised the point whether
the second Court, the one for doctrine, should be considered
at all : this was put and on a division decided that it should be
considered. The subject apparently then dropped, as there is
no further record of any meeting or discussion upon it,
but from the above condensed report it is easy to
gather that the reason a Bill for amending the Clergy
Discipline Act was not brought forward was the great
difference of opinion existing among the Bishops.
Judging by the division lists it would appear that the
Bishops of Exeter, St. David's, Oxford, Chichester
and Manchester voted together, while the Bishops of
London, Lincoln, Carlisle, St. Asaph, Ripon, held
the opposite view.
November 1 2. — News that 64 officers were killed or wounded
on the 14th. Many letters. Rode after 2, with Mr. Arbuthnot
and Charteris to Highclere, and so ends a pleasant visit — with
deep anxieties about my Reginald and many comforts. All
agree that good done yesterday at Newbury. God be praised.
Here three years ago in great anxiety for Herbert before
Sebastopol and he is at rest and I trembling for the next.
Miserere mei.
Nov. 14. — Tired : up earlyish. In Cathedral at 10. Just
before calling the names of the clergy a note from Trench,
saying he had seen one that morning from his son at the
Deanery, saying that Reginald unhurt. My heart overflowed
with thankfulness to God and the Eucharist was indeed a
service of Thanksgiving. Two letters from him met me
coming out of Cathedral and such nice ones. . . . was in the
thickest fight and D. G. unhurt. Oh, how good has God been

1 857. AUTUMN GLORY. 357
— I do desire to praise Him in my life — a good deal ex
hausted by all.
The following is an extract from a letter to this
son in India, describing Lavington in its autumn
glory :—
' I have been worked very hard lately at a Visitation and
giving a charge to my clergy, and I have come to dear
Sussex for a week's rest. Lavington yesterday was lovely.
The oaks, many of the beeches and the spruce all red and
yellow with autumn colours. The ground bright red on the
Hill side with fallen leaves and the autumn sun blazing out
on them. I put fresh flowers on our graves and prayed for all
of you.' November 17. — After breakfast off for Oxford, where till
4 : heard Dr. Livingstone lecture. Then to Reading, dined at
Fosbery's (the Vicar of St. John's). Thence to meeting, which
at first a mob, but got interested and quiet, very large attend
ance and considered successful. Home and bed.
The entry the next day gives an instance of the
Bishop's untiring activity. He began by going round
St. John's parish with the Vicar to adjust the boundaries
and see where it could be divided ; this was before
breakfast. After which he saw a number of the clergy,
whom he had not met at dinner the previous evening.
Then to London, where he attended at the Zoological
Council and at the Board of the University Life
Assurance, of which he was a Director. Then off to
Sussex, to Mr. Campion's, at Danny near Hurstpier-
point ; the entry for the day closing with — ' a charming
party, such family love and chastened Church of
England goodness.' The ' entering book,' the book
in which all letters written were entered, gives a total
for the day of thirty-six, which must have been for the
most part written in the train.

358

LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE.

chap. x.

December 3 1, Lavington. — The boys shot with Mr. Denman
and I and they dined there [at Burton]. Old Father Christmas,
and ' proverbs ' with questioning. And so passes the old year.
What mercies have I received in it ? Dear Reginald preserved,
Basil restored and better than he has ever been yet. Ernest,
too, well. Analysing the days of this year I find that I have
spent

In going about my diocese
At Cuddesdon .
London (work of Session, &c.)
Church work out of diocese
Outing ....
Lavington.

908581 28
21
60
36S

Amongst the blessings of the year God has prospered my
attempt to found the Spiritual Aid Society. Oh may He
accept it. He has helped me to get through my Visitation
not without success, and enabled me to stand, I think, well in
my diocese, of His great goodness. He has restored dearest
Mrs. Sargent to us. He has, I trust, confirmed Henry Pye G
in his allegiance to the Church of England. Bless the Lord,
oh my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.
In the January number of the ' Quarterly Review '
for 1858 an article appeared on Church Extension, in
the course of which the writer commented on Cuddes
don College, which had been founded by the Bishop
and which had then been in existence for about
three years and a half. Public attention was thus at
once directed to this institution. Before the Bishop
had time to make any reply to the somewhat severe
strictures contained in the anonymous article, the Rev.
C. P. Golightly, of Oriel College, Oxford, addressed
a circular letter to the clergy and laity of the diocese

6 His son-in-law.

i8s7- CUDDESDON COLLEGE. 359
of Oxford, recapitulating the charges made by the
' Quarterly.' It is necessary before referring to his
public attack, to mention a short correspondence which
took place in September of the preceding year between
the Bishop and Mr. Golightly.
The letters were of the most friendly character,
Mr. Golightly, in his first letter of September 18,
saying that he ' knew the Bishop respected those who
were conscientiously opposed to him,' and wished him,
as Bishop, to know that ' the senior members of the
University, the nobility and gentry of the diocese, had
a feeling of mistrust and alienation towards the Bishop
on account of the system pursued at the College.' The
Bishop replied at length, his reply showing clearly that
he was aware that the objections were not to the ' system '
but to the Vice- Principal, the Rev. H. P. Liddon.7
The letter is as follows : —
The Bishop of Oxford lo the Rev. C. P. Golightly.
Sept. 23, 1857.
My dear Golightly, — I thank you heartily for your kind
and honest note. Oh, how I value people for speaking out
to me with love and plainness, instead of growling behind my
back. You must let me have a full talk with you on the
whole matter, for it is too long for a letter.
You are quite right in saying that I quite abhor Romish
doctrine, but you are mistaken in thinking that I like Romish
rites and ceremonies. Everything Romish stinks in .my
nostrils. I cannot allow the truth of your remark about
Cuddesdon College. Men have come there with strong
Roman leanings and left it cured, but I do not believe any one
has there acquired any Romish tastes. There are, it is true,
little things that I should wish otherwise, but men must
work by instruments of the greatest possible excellence in
7 Now Canon of St. Paul's.

o

60 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.

fundamentals ; it would, in my judgment, be clearly wrong
to cast them away for non-essentials. I think my Vice-
Principal eminently endued with the power of leading men
to earnest devoted piety, but with such a man I do not
think I ought to interfere except as to anything substantially
important. I have a strong conviction that Cuddesdon
College is doing God's work for men's souls mightily. I am,
very truly yours, s 0xqn
To this letter Mr. Golightly replied on September
29. He went categorically through certain acts,
which, however, he himself admitted were not incon
sistent with the teaching of the Church of England.
The Bishop explained in his reply that the acts com
plained of took place three years ago, that they were
never repeated, and that they were in connection with
the arrangements for the Anniversary Festival of the
College. Mr. Golightly reiterated what he had said
in his former letter as to the hatred of the nation for
Romish practices, and concluded by entreating the
Bishop not to give occasion to his enemies to find fault
with him but to cast his abilities and his untiring
zeal into what he (Mr. Golightly) deemed to be the
true Church of England.
The Bishop's answer is as follows : —
The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. C. P. Golightly. Sept. 30, 1857.
You speak of the alienation of the mind of the nation
from certain views, &c.
You do not suppose that I am so blind as not to see
perfectly that I might have headed the Evangelical body
and been seated by them at Lambeth. But if I believe, as
in the main I do, that the aversion of the nation is to the
declaration of the Spiritual presence of Christ and the
Personal presence of God the Holy Ghost with that Church

1857. ITS FUTURE MISSION. 36 1
and the consequent truths of God's teaching through sacra
ments &c, I could not honestly obtain the sympathy my
soul naturally longs for, by in any measure clouding the
truth. In fine, you must remember that, let Cuddesdon College
be of what shade of opinion it might as to High Church or
Low Church, there are many ' Senior Members of the Uni
versity ' who would equally oppose it as an interference with
their presumptive rights, and that if it made men more
earnest for God, that opposition would only be increased.
This, my dear friend, is my hope, that when we are both
gathered to our fathers, hearty Church of England men,
trained there in its discipline and inflamed by its spirit,
will, through God's grace, go forth to convert souls to Christ.
I am ever sincerely yours, c Oxon
On January 28 Mr. Golightly issued his circular
letter. In it he made four separate and distinct
charges against the Ritual of the College, concluding
with the broad statement that the tendency of the
College teaching was ' to sow broadcast the seeds of
Romish perversion in the counties of Oxford, Berks
and Bucks.' The above charges he afterwards alleged
were not his own but those of the ' Quarterly Review ; '
an allegation scarcely consistent with one contained in
the same document, that he made ' remonstrances in
private but in vain.' In a letter to the Bishop he
summarises the grounds on which he came forward,
and they are given here.
What induced me to come forward upon this occasion
was the full belief that you are pursuing a series of measures,
in combination with other able persons, the tendency of
which was to alter the existing system of the Church of
England — in other words, to unprotestantise it ! I regarded
the establishment of Cuddesdon College as a scheme for

362 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
unprotestantising the clergy as far as the influence of such an
institution could reach.
Public attention having been directed by the article
in the ' Quarterly,' and by Mr. Golightly's circular
letter, to Cuddesdon College, a public refutation of
the charges so made became necessary. The Bishop,
therefore, summoned his three Archdeacons, as com
missioners, to examine into the matter. They reported
at considerable length, and on February 1 5 the Bishop,
in enclosing their report, thus writes to the Prin
cipal : 8 —
I send you herewith the return made to my commission
by the three Archdeacons of the diocese. I am rejoiced to
see that it negatives completely every charge brought against
you by my gossiping friend, Mr. Golightly.
You and the Vice-Principal will weigh carefully the sug
gestions made by the Archdeacons, both as to the arrange
ment of the service book and as to what they consider the
too great ornament displayed in the Chapel. Your object,
I well know, as well as mine, is to foster no party spirit but
to nourish in young men going into Orders habits of self-
denial and true earnest piety on the simplest Church of
England model, and you will be ready in such matters as
these to pay the fullest attention to the suggestions of such
men as the Archdeacons.
I do not expect you to satisfy Mr. Golightly. The habits
of his mind make him quite unable to form an unbiassed
judgment on any matter which appeals to his inveterate
prejudices. I doubt whether any Diocesan College would
satisfy him. I am sure that none could which simply
embodied in its conduct the full teaching and practice of the
Church of England. I am, my dear Principal, very sincerely
yours' S.OXON.
* The Rev. A. Pott, now Archdeacon of Berks.

1858. GOLIGHTLY'S CHARGES REFUTED. 363
A circular letter was also printed and sent round
to the different clergy, who had had students from the
College as their curates,9 asking them to immediately
answer the two following questions : —
1. Have you observed in any Curate employed by you,
who had been trained at our College, any tendency to teaching
or practices other than those of the Church of England ?
2. If you have observed any such tendency, should you
say that it had been fostered or repressed at Cuddesdon ?
Answers were received from thirty-nine incumbents
representing different theological opinions, who, with
two exceptions, stated their unqualified satisfaction in
the conduct of their curates. Two expressed a qualified
satisfaction, but said that although they had found
differences of view, they had no reference to either
Roman teaching or Roman ritual. The report of the
Archdeacons refuted the charges of the ' Quarterly '
and Mr. Golightly's repetition of them ; while the
answers from all the incumbents who had had Cuddes
don students as curates, coupled with the fact that up
to that time not a single student had joined the Church
of Rome, completely answered Mr. Golightly's inac
curate and sweeping accusation.
On April 7 the Rural Deans of the diocese met at
Cuddesdon, when, the question being raised as to
whether any steps would be taken towards carrying into
effect the recommendations of the Commissioners as to
Cuddesdon College, the Rev. A. Pott read a state
ment, which was ordered by the meeting to be printed.
It stated that the points on which the Commissioners
had recommended a change were (1) the removing
* Up to Christmas 1857, forty-six such students had been ordained and gone
out.

364 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. X.
certain silk hangings from the east and side walls,
which had been done, and (2) the rearranging and
remodelling of the ' service book.' A Resolution was
then proposed and seconded to the effect 'that the
Rural Deans wish to express their thanks to the
Principal for the statement which he has made in
answer to the question put to him, which shows the
ready compliance which has been given to the recom
mendation of the Commissioners, and they beg to
assure him of their full confidence in his desire to
conduct the College in true allegiance to the Church of
England.' This, on being put to the meeting, was
carried by a very large majority. Seeing, however,
how the words used by the Quarterly Reviewer had
been turned to bear a different meaning from that which
they really expressed, the Bishop availed himself of
Mr. Gladstone's assistance to procure a note in the
forthcoming ' Quarterly ' distinctly disavowing the inter
pretation which some people, notably Mr. Golightly,
had placed upon those words. Mr. Gladstone's letter
is, however, first given.
The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
11 Carlton House Terrace, April 12, 1858.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — I have to-day seen the editor
of the ' Quarterly Review ' on the subject of Cuddesdon Col
lege and have made the best suggestion that I could under
the circumstances. I told him I had no authority from you
and could not undertake to represent you in the ..matter. I
lose no time, however, in writing to you^-an answer from you
might or might not reach before the Review is struck off. Of
course I could not ask him to wait without making you a
party.  • is a man on whose fairness in a matter of honour

1858. THE 'QUARTERLY REVIEW' QUALIFIES. 365
and character I should greatly rely ; in other matters I think,
from the kindness and delicacy of feeling he has always shown
me when a contributor, that he would lean to the feelings of
his writer— who, as I gather in this case, is (not known to me)
rather a hard and stubborn one. He showed me two forms
of note, each of which contained a sort of resume of particu
lars from the Report of your Archdeacons (who, I must say,
seem to me to have put their thoughts in a clumsy dress). The
impression thus made is, I think, controversial ; and it is like,
in vulgar phrase, establishing the raw, although the editor was
determined, in any case, to insert a warm acknowledgment of
your episcopal character. It occurred to me that, as there was
to be no dispute about matters of fact, it would be best to
avoid all resumption of a detail which is invidious, and in which
the more exact settlement of the account would not counter
balance the evil of reviving sore subjects. As I understand,
the 'Quarterly Review' is ready to do three things : (1) To
accept the report of the Archdeacons as a true account of the
facts, without boasting on the strength of it. (2) To disclaim
entirely the imputation of Romish tendencies ; and (3) to treat
details of ritual as matters which ought, within certain limits,
to be open for friendly discussion and for differences of
opinion, without reproach. This, if well done, I look upon as
the main point and as taking out the poison. Lastly, I do
not doubt that you will be spoken of in just and proper terms.
On the whole I therefore trust there will be a healing cha
racter about it which I feared would disappear if the details
were revived. The acquittal from Romish tendencies will, I
expect, be fully extended to the College authorities, and the
dispute reduced to one of form, not of ' Protestantism.' Be
lieve me affectionately yours, w £ Gladstone.
Do not write a 1001st letter to-morrow to acknowledge
this, unless there is anything I can do.
The note referred to follows.
As our assertions have been supposed to imply a belief

366 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
that Roman Catholic doctrines were favoured at the College,
it is necessary we should state that no such suspicion entered
our minds. The questions were purely questions of ritual,
upon which there is and always has been great difference of
opinion within the English Church, and though we retain the
same sentiments we expressed in the article, we entirely
acquit the authorities of entertaining any ulterior or covert
designs. On August 25 the Principal of the College, the
Rev. A. Pott, offered his resignation to the Bishop, on
the ground of ill -health, as he had accepted a country
living in Berkshire. This, and the subsequent resig
nation of the Vice- Principal, the Rev. H. P. Liddon,
were received by the Golightly faction as the result of
their agitation. Such, however, was not the case. It
was a far graver and greater question than one of mere
forms and ceremonies which lost to Cuddesdon Col
lege the services of its able Vice- Principal. The
Principal, in one of his letters to the Bishop, says : —
On the Eucharistic question I feel that, although I and
Liddon have never had a word like dispute since we have
been together, we are mutually conscious of a difference on
this point and so are our men.
The Bishop, in a letter written about this time,
says : —
Our (that is, Liddon's and mine) theological standing-
place is not identical. On the great doctrine of the Eucharist
we should use somewhat different language and our ritualistic
tendencies would be all coloured by this. On Confession, and
its expedient limits, we should also, I think, differ. The Prin
cipal agreed entirely with me.
The Bishop, therefore, wished, in appointing a new
Principal, to find a man who would represent his

1858. CUDDESDON IDIOSYNCRASIES. 367
standing-point, in order that the character and colour
of the College might be altered to what the Bishop
conceived to be the exact line of Church of England
life. In this Mr. Liddon concurred.
December 2. — A very full and happy conversation with
Liddon, and I think it will end in my offering the post to
Burgon.1 Liddon entirely assents.
Mr. Burgon declined the post, and the Bishop then
offered it to the Rev. H. H. Swinny, a man who prac
tically came up to the Bishop's theological standing-
point but not to Mr. Liddon's. The Bishop thus
describes Mr. Swinny in a letter to a friend : —
I believe him to be a thoroughly earnest, devoted Church
of England Christian, sound on the Sacraments and very
likely to influence young men. I do not believe that he
differs doctrinally with Liddon, any more than I do myself;
yet he is a man of a different stamp, different ways ; whose
incidental influence would tend to prevent idiosyncrasy of
manner, &c. being acquired by our men ; whilst he would
thoroughly work with Liddon in stamping on their hearts a
sense of God's perpetual presence and of the blessedness of
working for Him.
What the Bishop meant by idiosyncrasy of manner
and the ' little things ' 2 which he wished changed, is
characteristically set forth in a letter to a friend : —
Our men are too peculiar — some, at least, of our best men.
1 shall never consider that we have succeeded until a Cuddes
don man can be known from a non-Cuddesdon man only by
his loving more, working more, and praying more. I consider
it a heavy affliction that they should wear neckcloths of pecu
liar construction, coats of peculiar cut, whiskers of peculiar
1 The Rev. J. W. Burgon, of St. Mary's, Oxford, now Dean of Chichester.
2 Sup. p. 360.

368 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
dimensions — that they should walk with a peculiar step, carry
their heads at a peculiar angle to the body, and read in a
peculiar tone. I consider all this as a heavy affliction. First
because it implies to me a want of vigour, virility and self-
expressing vitality of the religious life in the young men. It
shows that they come out too much cut out by a machine and
not enough indued with living influences. Secondly, be
cause it greatly limits their usefulness and ours by the natural
prejudice which it excites. Then there are things in the actual
life I wish changed. The tendency to crowd the walls with
pictures of the Mater Dolorosa, &c, their chimney-pieces with
crosses, their studies with saints, all offend me and all. do in
calculable injury to the College in the eye of chance visitors.
The habit of some of our men of kneeling in a sort of rapt
prayer on the steps of the communion-table, when they can
not be alone there ; when visitors are coming in and going out
and talking around them : such prayers should be ' in the
closet ' with the ' door shut ' — and setting apart their grave
dangers, as I apprehend them to be to the young men, they
really force on visitors the feeling of the strict resemblance
to what they see in Belgium, &c, and never in Church of
England churches.
On November 25 the Diary records : —
Letter from Swinny — willing. In extreme anxiety as to
appointment. Oh God guide the right for Thy mercy's sake.
In January 1859 Mr. Liddon writes to the Bishop,
saying : ' I am in a most difficult position.' This state
ment referred to the Bishop having said that he relied
upon him as Vice-Principal not to teach those who
came under his influence, any doctrine as to the effects
of consecration in the Communion Office, in advance of
the teaching of the Bishop and the Principal. To this
the Bishop replied : —
Your last letter puts me into a difficulty. I believed that

1 859. THE VICE-PRINCIPAL. 369
you did already consider yourself under a restraint as to
teaching in the College anything beyond what I and the
Principal teach as to the Holy Eucharist. If, as I understand
this letter, you consider yourself under no such restraint, I
must ask you to define what you do teach as extra usum
sacramenti. It is, of course, impossible to work the College
for God's glory on a system of really discordant teaching
between us.
Mr. Liddon replied in a long letter, setting forth
what his belief was on this question, and referring the
Bishop to a review of the Rev. J. Keble's work on
Eucharistical Adoration, which Mr. Liddon had recently
contributed to the ' Christian Remembrancer.' The
Bishop before he replied had a conversation with
Mr. Butler on this subject, specially as regarded Mr.
Liddon. As is evident by the Bishop's letter given
below, this conversation was not finished. Mr. Butler
differed from the Bishop's view and pleaded for tolera
tion. To use his own words, ' All I ask for in my
own case, and that of others who feel with me, is
perfect equality of position for our doctrinal plat
form.' The rest of the letter sufficiently explains itself, as
well as the subsequent one in reply to Mr. Butler.3
The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. y. Butler.
Cuddesdon Palace, Wheatley, Jan. 22nd, 1859.
My dear Butler, — I was about to write to you when your
letter came. I had the same aching feeling left by our ' trun
cated conversation ' and I longed for an hour, if it was only
to pray and weep with you. My heart has been very heavy
ever since. I daresay you can hardly believe how strong my
J It is as well to state here that Mr. Liddon was curate at Wantage under
Mr. Butler before his appointment to Cuddesdon.
VOL. II. B B

370 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap, x,
affection to you is, but so it is, and the feeling that in any^
thing we were parted was really intolerable to me. Your
letter has been an unspeakable relief to me. I meant ' tolerate '
precisely in the sense you claim for it. I meant that you
were to feel that / was as much ' tolerated ' as / to feel that
you were. I accept in toto your claim. It has always been
my own view of the Church's intention and of my duty. I
have never failed to see that the imputation which with my
peculiar temperament pierces deepest and stings most, was
inevitably fixed on me by my acting honestly on that line :
being NO party man but throwing myself entirely into the work
(e.g.) of you and of Fremantle, as both true sons of the Church
of England and so exposing myself to the charge of tem
porizing, &c. &c. &c. But I took and take that as my bearing
Christ's Cross. I see too whence our misunderstanding, so to
speak, came. I was speaking really not of you in your com
paratively independent position, but of Liddon. Now what
you say of the College here reconciled our view. You at
Wantage have as much right to teach your shade of the common
teaching and be considered a loyal son of the Church, as I
have mine here, and I with no compromise can as Bishop
wholly support and maintain you — maintaining my own
proper claims to my own views (SOMETHING more, to use
your division, Ecclesiastical than yours ; as much less Ec
clesiastical, no more less Ecclesiastical than A. Leigh's).
But when I come to the College here the case is different.
/ am judged of in my secret intention for the diocese by the
exact shade imparted here to the men sent out. If then I
preach, act, write in the diocese my own exact view, more
Sacerdotal than the class you allude to as Ecclesiastical but
less Sacerdotal, e.g. as to confession, some doctrinal points,
and some consequent Ritualism than the most Sacerdotal,
and then if from Cuddesdon go out as the best men — men
of the most Sacerdotal type, it cannot, it seems to me but
happen that I am counted for a deceiver, professing one thing
in my own words and conduct to the diocese and then
sending out from my own training College men of a different
shade as my best men. This (I speak to you in sacred con

1859. TENDERS RESIGNATION. 371
fidence) has been strongly pressed on me by the Warden of
All Souls, Sir George Prevost, &c.
Then applying all this to Liddon. I feel that it is true that
he would make his best man one thing and / should make
him another on this very point, and this would certainly touch
practical matters. Now I do not think the abstract doctrinal
difference between us (e.g. on Eucharistic adoration) THE
point. It seems to me that between all who hold the ob
jective presence, with its consequences, there can be no
fundamental difference here. / could quarrel with no man
who honestly denied Transubstantiation, as to Eucharistic
adoration. It is not therefore exactly Liddon's doctrinal views
taken alone, as to which I feel the importance of the difference.
It is as much or more a moral question. I am sure he is
entirely honest. In exact proportion to the fulness of my
conviction that he is honest, and it is entire, rises the conviction
that in this matter he is not, so to speak, trustworthy, i.e. that
there is in him a strength of will — an ardour — a restlessness
— a dominant imagination which makes him unable to give
to the young men any tone save exactly his own tone.
Under this conviction I have, from my hearing of this
diversity of ritual, been drifting with a really heart-tearing
pain to the conviction that I must accept his tendered resig
nation to act myself with honesty to the diocese. I have said
nothing of this yet to him. I purposely say it first to you, to
hear what you can say on the other side. I know all I lose
for the College, for the diocese, more than all for myself, in
losing his presence here, but I begin to see it must be, and if
it MUST be, I think that THIS is the time for it. Now no
reason need be given but that after full deliberation the
coming of the new Principal necessitated a new Vice-Principal,
and Liddon's active work here may terminate with no jar and
he come amongst us as one of us hereafter and at all times.
Even as I write this I so recoil from the conclusion that I can
hardly bear to send it to you, and yet it is my feeling and not
my reason which recoils. You will read it all through and
send me your views about it. It must stagger me when such
a man as the Warden believes that all my own usefulness to
B u 2

372 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. x.
the diocese and the Church depends upon my removing this
true ground of misunderstanding. I am ever yours affection-
ate^ S. OXON.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. y. Butler.
Lea Hall, Jan. 26, 1859.
My dear Butler, — Many thanks for your very kind letter.
It confirms my growing conviction that I must lose Liddon.
God knows what the conviction costs me. It is not, I think,
quite as you say, acknowledging and precipitating the
difference between the two schools of High Churchmen. /,
Leighton, Burgon and numbers more belong really to the
Spiritual and not to the Ecclesiastical division of the school.
Doctrinally, Liddon might hold all he holds and work
happily with me. It is that he is fit only to be absolute ;
great as is his love and tenderness and forbearance, he must
re-impress his exact self, and even when, as with me, he has
meant to take a less exclusive line, he has — as in this matter
of the College Chapel celebration — not done himself justice.
I see all the danger of our losing our  , and yet I hope
we may, under God's blessing, have their real hearts and
the difference only be in the last tinge, which is really the
only difference between us. The apparent insincerity of my
sending out those with it, is my master difficulty on that
side ; the loss of one I love and admire as I do Liddon on
the other. I always hoped that I could have influenced
Liddon enough to keep down the ' tinting ' process to such a
pitch that I could quite honestly retain him and that a few
years hence the difficulty would be mellowed out. I come to
the opposite view with a torn heart. Ever, my dear Butler,
your very affectionate „ „
Mr. Liddon resigned the Vice-Principalship on
February 5, remaining, however, in accordance with
the Bishop's desire, to the following Easter. If it

1859. LEAVES CUDDESDON. tfl,
were necessary to supplement in any way the expres
sions of affection of the Bishop towards Mr. Liddon
in the letters given above, it would be easy, as letters
to friends and passages in the Diary abound with
them. In fact, the Bishop deeply felt parting with
one whom he had learnt to love for his own sake,
and whom he appreciated more and more as he wit
nessed the development of those great powers which
are now so universally recognised.

374 LIFE. OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.

CHAPTER XI.
(1858.)
LORD SHAFTESBURY'S BILL FOR SPECIAL SERVICES — PRIVATE DISCUSSION OF
BISHOPS — CONVOCATION BREAKFASTS — PRIVATE MEETING OF COUNCIL OF
COLONIAL BISHOPS — THE BISHOP OF LONDON ON STATE-BISHOPS — SPEECH
ON THE 'POLITICAL SERVICES' MOTION — SPEECH ON CHURCH RATES-
TOUR IN WALES FOR S.P.G. — THE BOYNE HILL CONTROVERSY — THE
BISHOP ON CONFESSION TO A PRIEST — MR. GRESLEY APPOINTED TO
BOYNE HILL — ' THE TIMES ' ATTACKS THE BISHOP — THE COMMISSION
APPOINTED— DR. HOOK WISHES TO JOIN LORD SHAFTESBURY — LETTER
FROM THE BISHOP TO DR. HOOK— LETTER OF THANKS FROM WESLEYAN
METHODIST — SIR JAMES GRAHAM DEFENDS THE BISHOP'S ACTION —
JUDGMENT OF THE COMMISSIONERS — MEETING FOR S.P.G. AT BRADFORD-
LETTER TO A FRIEND AS TO ENGLISH SERVICES ON THE CONTINENT-
CONVERSATIONS WITH LORD BROUGHAM — PERSIGNY AND LORD ABERDEEN.
January 25. — Letters. Men on business. The wedding.1
All as it should be : devotion specially in Prince Frederick
William. Natural feeling. Lord Derby on Shaftesbury's
bill : general agreement. Lord Aberdeen do. To Royal
concert with Bishop of London. Talk with King of Belgians.
He for High Church only, fixed and immoveable. ' I say
with Athanasius, the only position for a Church is, " Believe
this or you are damned." '
Feb. 3. — To London. Meeting of the Bishops at Bounty
Board. Large attendance. Discussed at length Lord
Shaftesbury's bill.
This entry refers to a proposed Bill of Lord
Shaftesbury's for special services. The Archbishop
of Canterbury presided and twenty Bishops were
1 Marriage of Princess Royal to Prince Frederick of Prussia.

1858. LORD SHAFTESBURY'S BILL. 375
present. The Bishop of Worcester (Dr. Pepys) agreed
with the principle of Lord Shaftesbury's Bill but
thought it should be limited to places which had a mayor
and corporation. His opinions found no favour with
the meeting. The Bishop of Manchester (Dr. Prince
Lee) opposed the proposed measure and suggested
the advisability of the Bishops bringing in a Bill to deal
with the question. The Bishop of Exeter agreed
with the former speaker and urged that instead of
trying to alter the Bill it would be better to move its
rejection. The Bishop of Oxford then stated that he
had drawn up a Bill on the subject and was called
upon to read it, which he did ; the draft was generally
approved and after a short discussion on details was
adopted. On February 9 Lord Shaftesbury stated in
the House that, as he had ascertained that the twenty-
four Bishops were unanimous against his Bill, he
withdrew it in favour of the Bill introduced by the
Archbishop, although he said he ' thought his own was
the better measure.'
The Bishop of Salisbury having unavoidably been
absent from the meeting, the Bishop wrote to him as
follows : —

The Bishop of Oxford to the Bishop of Salisbury.
Bounty Board, February 4, 1858.
My dear Brother, — I am most deeply grieved at your
illness and at your absence. May God long avert from us
so fearful an evil as your being taken from our counsels.
Yesterday we had a long meeting and ended after a painful
display of ignorance of Church principles in adopting nem.
con. the Bill drawn at Cuddesdon. This goes to the mere
subject of Shaftesbury's, simply occasional preachers, &c.
The Archbishop has adopted it and as it now stands he is to

376 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
read it a first time on Friday and to move the second reading
on the same night as Shaftesbury's as an alternative. Ever
affectionately yours, s qXon.
The following letter refers to the above meeting,
which, however, was not concluded till February 5,
although nothing worth recording took place on the
second day.

The Bishop ofOxford to the Hon. A. Gordon.
Rail to Reading, February 6, 1858.
I have been grieved not to see your father, but I only
came to town from Fulham Thursday evening and had
literally not one moment either yesterday or to-day. The
Bishops have been sitting in conclave for hours, which cer
tainly consumes much time — our wild elephants seem every
now and then a little tamed — and if the ' Bishop maker '
were dethroned by the fall of Pam — might, I think, become
manageable — at present it is sad work. Such ignorance of
first principles !
The two next entries record those Convocation
breakfasts so well remembered by many who were
present at them, and which the Bishop turned to such
advantage in later years. The numbers present were
greatly in excess of the record given below. The
Bishop used to gather the leading men of the Lower
House at these parties. During breakfast general
subjects were discussed while the Bishop opened and
read his enormous correspondence. Breakfast over,
the Bishop would bring forward the subject that was
for discussion in the Lower House that day, and call
upon one of those present to give his views : others
followed, and the discussion ended by the Bishop sum-

1858. CONVOCATION BREAKFASTS. 377
ming up ; by this means, questions which in the early
days of Convocation might have created very serious
divisions were toned down, the opposing views recon
ciled and men went down together to Convocation and
either kept a discreet silence or voted amicably together,
forgetting or laying aside for a time their private
differences and striving in common for the good of the
Church. Feb. 9, London. — First Convocation breakfast. Lloyd,
Leighton, Randall, Archdeacon Thorpe, Woodgate, Vincent,
Hoare, Bishop of Capetown, Harrison. Discussed much. Then
to Curates Aid. With Bishop of St. Asaph to House of Com
mons. Feb. 10. — Second breakfast of Convocationists : same as
yesterday, except Harold Browne added. To Convocation
and after it Clergy Discipline discussion.
Feb. 12. — A good deal of talk with Butler as to Cud
desdon College : all his thoughts noble. It rears a set of
men willing to ' endure hardness.' Planned sermon on David
and true repentance. Then to Convocation.
April 8, Cuddesdon. — The Deans leaving me after break
fast. — A comfortable spirit pervading them D.G. — After they
were gone I set to with C. Lloyd to letters and wrote 61. A
wet day and cold. The Inspectors of schools arrived in force
in the evening, a few kept away by weather : sat down about
34- April 9. — Early Communion and after, Inspector's dis
cussion, which interesting and useful. A little walk with
Thompson 2 to College Chapel. He said he saw nothing for
Archdeacons to ' fault.'
April 10. — The Inspectors off. A few plain words with
 as to the dangers of idleness, &c. Also with  .
Telling him of my dissatisfaction and complaints. I hoped he
would have resigned but he clings to the office. Confirmation
2 The Rev. Sir H. Thompson.

378 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
at Wheatley in afternoon. I exceedingly tired. Wrote a
few letters and gave in. Nervousness, weariness, want of
sleep. Early to bed.
April 1 8, Cambridge. — Finished sermon. Heard Harvey
Goodwin. Excellent, simple, earnest, straightforward. Close
examination of Scripture. Then to University. Swainson
on Inspiration — confused — suggesting difficulties. Very poor
attendance, say 150 undergraduates and 40 masters and 5
Heads. King's College Chapel. I preached at Great St
Mary's evening and a vast congregation.
May 8. — Bishop of Capetown came to breakfast. Talk
over Natal affairs. He says much noble about Bishop
[Colenso]. ' Brought up in strict Calvinism and this the re
action on God is Love.'
May 15. — Discussion at S. P. G. on Missionary Bishops.
6 and 6. A painful occasion. Bishop of Winton awed by
the Church Missionary Society : Archbishop by Bishop of
Winton : London, fearing for ' episcopacy without prelacy ; '
Carlisle and Ripon utterly disbelieving in Christ's appoint
ment. Alas ! alas ! Lord forgive them. — They know not
what they do ; and visit it not on Thy Church in this land.
Short ride — to Archbishop of York's, utterly out of heart :
there a large party and princely hospitality.
The meeting to which this entry refers was a meet
ing of the Council of Colonial Bishops to discuss the
appointment of Missionary Bishops to South Africa.
The Bishop of Capetown said that there was no chance
of evangelizing Africa by sending out separate priests.
We had not money to pour out on clergy as they
had at Sierra Leone or in New Zealand : the course
he should recommend would be to ' put down a Bishop
for him to collect clergy around him ; then each Bishop
so sent out would take the oath to the Metropolitan
and the clergy to him ; by this means centres would
be formed, each centre under the jurisdiction of the
Metropolitan.' Exception having been taken to an

1858. AGGRESSIVE MISSIONS. 379
expression of the Bishop of Capetown's, that the dis
tricts in which these Bishops would be were districts
in which there was no law, the Bishop of Oxford
explained that what was meant was that there was
no state law and no civil law. He then prepared the
following Resolution : —
That we understand the question brought before us
by the Bishop of Capetown on behalf of himself and the
Bishop of Natal to be, whether we, as Bishops of the Church
of England, approve of his and his suffragans (if they legally
can do so) consecrating Bishops to head aggressive missions
in the parts of South Africa which are exterior to the
Queen's dominions. Such Missionary Bishops to take the
oath of obedience to the Archbishop of Canterbury as their
Metropolitical Archbishop and to be subject, with their
Presbyters, to the rules and canons of the Church of Eng
land, to subscribe to Her Articles and, so far as may be, to Her
formularies. We reply that we should rejoice to see such missions
headed by such Bishops, and that we conceive that they
should be under the Metropolitan jurisdiction of the Bishop
of Capetown and the supreme jurisdiction of the Arch
bishop of Canterbury, and be subject to any rules hereafter
to be laid down for the ecclesiastical government of the
Province. On this Resolution being duly moved, the Bishop of
London opposed and said : —
That neither the Bishop of Grahamstown nor Rupert's
Land desired such action : he did not believe that this was
the way the Gospel should be preached. Bishops in Roman
Catholic countries were sent by the Pope ; in our country the
Bishops should be sent by the Queen, who stood in the same
place as the Pope. The State and our connection with it
was our greatest blessing, and there would be great danger to
the Church in thus injuring our connection with it. The

380 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
same result might be attained by dividing the existing
dioceses and giving them the superintendence of these
missions, and then the Queen would come in. After all, is
the measure desirable ? is there any accuracy of data for
supposing that Bishops are of any use ? Surely it is better,
if you have Bishops, to have them always backed up by the
State. The Bishop of St. Davids replied by saying that
the Bishop of London presupposed that neither the
Bishop of Grahamstown nor Rupert's Land was favour
able. Next the Bishop had argued that the proposed
course was illegal. The Resolution reserved this point.
He then argued against the Bishop of London's speech,
differing in to to from him. He was followed by the
Bishop of Llandaff, who said the real question was,
whether missions ought not, where they can, to be under
a Bishop, and said, in his opinion, they should. The
Council then divided ; when the Archbishop, Bishops of
London, Winchester, Carlisle, Ripon and Bath and
Wells voted against the Resolution ; the Bishops of
Oxford, St. David's, St. Asaph, Bangor, Montreal and
Llandaff for it.
June 17. — A talk with Lord Aberdeen. Gladstone getting
more averse to Disraeli. Mansion House, S. P. G. meeting.
Then to prepare for House. Spoke on Slave Trade.
On Lord Stanhope's motion for an address to the
Crown for removing from the Prayer-Book what were
called the ' Political Services,' the Bishop spoke, and as
he introduced into his speech what in his opinion would
be the effect on the minds of the clergy if the Prayer-
Book were interfered with, that part of the speech is
quoted. It was of great importance, however, to distinctly under-

1858. THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. 38 1
stand that there was in this no alteration meditated in the
Book of Common Prayer. This was a great point — it was of
the greatest importance that this should be understood, because
the consciences of many of the clergy who had subscribed to
the Book of Common Prayer as by law established would be
hurt if they thought any alteration were intended ; and he
thought it desirable not to introduce any precedent in that
direction, because if this was regarded as the instalment
of any large measure, he thought it was a step that would
make the motion less likely to succeed. He objected al
together to any alteration in the Book of Common Prayer,
and the Liturgy of the Church of England. He felt it was
one of the most blessed birthrights that God had given to us
in this land — the Book of Common Prayer, according to the
Reformed Church of England ; and he did not believe that
the present time was in any degree favourable to its amend
ment, or to the admission of alteration in its pages. We
inherited in the Book of Common Prayer the earliest liturgies of
the Christian Church, freed from the superstitions and abuses
of modern times.
The reason he supported the motion was because it would
remove from the Book of Common Prayer addresses to
Almighty God, the tone of which was not such as humble,
pious and devout men, removed from the strife of party, would
desire to see given to the nation as the vehicle of supplication
or the instrument of thanksgiving.
July 1. — Off after breakfast with Anderson and Mrs.
Sargent for Clewer — Mrs. Gladstone and Hubbard. A great
gathering. A happy service. Offertory above 1,000/.
Then meeting in Quadrangle — I spoke. Then talk with
Mrs. Monsell and to London with Nelson, Dean of West
minster, Mrs. Sargent. House, on Jews. I spoke and all
seemed pleased. Quite got the attention of the House.
Walked with Bishop of Salisbury to R. Phillimore to meet
Gladstone. July 2. — House. On church rates till 1.15, missing
dining at Lord Eversley's. Spoke, and attacked by Lord
Stanley, when too late for me to answer.

382 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
In the course of the speech mentioned the Bishop
said : —
Dissenters did not desire the destruction of the Established
Church. They did not lead the opposition to church-rates.
The parties who led the hostilities to church-rates were those
who conscientiously objected to any Church Establishment
at all. He desired to relieve from the rate all who conscien
tiously objected to paying it. One word of warning he would
add, to all Protestant Dissenters from our Church, that if the
Establishment were destroyed, the Protestant Dissenters would
be the first to suffer : they owed the Established Church far
more than the security which they enjoyed, for they were held
in peace with one another under the overshadowing influence
of the Established Church. And among all the Dissenters
there was only one sect that would profit by the unconditional
abolition of the church-rates, and that sect was the intrusive
Papacy. In saying this, he begged again to say, that he
would heartily rejoice in any proposition conceived in the
spirit of Christian love and Christian fairness, by which this
question might be amicably and for ever adjusted.
July 16. — House. Spoke on Convocation before Villiers,
who made a Low Church attack which greatly needed answer
ing : but alas ! I had spoken. Then India debate. Moved
resolution for Bishops' patronage, but negatived. Home,
very low.
The proposal about patronage was that the power of
appointing chaplains should be exercised by the Secre
tary of State and the Bishop of the diocese alternately.
The proposal was lost on account of Lord Derby's
opposition. July 23 (Oxford). — After breakfast, where many, and
Chapel, to Cuddesdon. Back, and with Henry of Exeter, to
London. House. Sister's marriage. I spoke ; Bishop of Sarum
said, better than he ever heard me. So, too, H.E. [Bishop of

1858. MEETINGS FOR S. P. G. 383
Exeter.] He flayed Ripon. Then India debate and I said
what I meant.
The point in the debate on which the Bishop spoke
was as to our neutrality with regard to Christianity :
he said : —
As to neutrality, what was meant ? If, not forcing Christi
anity by violence but observing our own because we believed
in it and were not ashamed of it, well and good. But if
neutrality meant that our rulers were to show a happy indif
ference as between Christianity and heathendom, such
neutrality would be false to our religion. One was the line
of Christian truth ; the other the line of a wicked neutrality.
The following extracts taken from the Bishop's
Diary record a series of meetings on behalf of the
S. P. G. in Wales.
August 2. — Off after breakfast for Shrewsbury and on to
Oswestry, where great meeting. — Mr. Gore in the chair. Then
on to Powis Castle, where kindly received, all the clergy there.
Noble situation of house.
August 3. — Up early and wrote. After breakfast rode
With Lord Powis to the top of the hill, rain came on. Then
to meeting at Welshpool, very well attended ; back to house
and walked round terraces.
August 4. — Up early; wrote. Breakfast at 8. Then in
Lord Powis's carriage to Oswestry with Mr. Williams. Thence
by rail to Wrexham, where large meeting. Sir Watkin pre
siding. I spoke with interest. Then luncheon and speeches.
Wrote many letters and at last rode in pouring rain on Sir
Watkins horse to Hawarden — only themselves ; a very pleasant
evening ; consulted with Gladstone.
August 5. — Church early. Then rode after breakfast with
Sir Stephen Glynne to the meeting at Mold — a good one.
Then with Mr. Roberts and L. Majendie to top of Moel

384 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
Fammau and back to dinner. The view very striking but not
very clear. After dinner much talk with Gladstone.
August 6. — Rode after breakfast, and much talk with
Gladstone, to Mold, Nannersh, to Denbigh, whence to meeting
at St. Asaph near 30 miles. St. Asaph, whither Bishop from
Oswestry to meet me. The Dean, Williams, self and H.
Hoare. August 7. — After early breakfast the Bishop took Williams
and myself in his carriage to Rhyl. I preached. Then
walked on the shore with Bishop and talked of his 20 years
ago visit to me at Brighstone, then luncheon at Mr. Musgrave's.
Then wrote letters. Then meeting, good and interested.
Then by rail to Bangor, arrived just by dinner time — large
party. I very much fagged.
August 8. — Up in. good time — got ready sermons ;
preached in the morning for S. P. G., in the afternoon on
Edification. After church walked on the Ridge with Hoare
and Dodd ; the latter said, ' The Cathedral was never seen so
full.' Collected 53/. Excessively tired at night.
August 9. — Refreshed,, thank God, and up early. Letters
and walk before breakfast.
August 10. — Off directly after breakfast for Llandudno by
steamer. A beautiful day but hazy. Hook joined at Beau
maris ; a good deal of talk with him. Kind welcome at
Llandudno from Bishop of Chester. Meeting in open air.
Hook spoke well. I, passably. Then climbed Orme's Head
with Hook, &c.
The following letter to Sir Charles Anderson refers
to this last entry : —
The Bishop of Oxford to Sir Charles Anderson.
Palace, Bangor, Aug. 10, 1858.
My dearest Anderson, — I have given your messages to my
kind host, who received them lovingly. He seems very well
and to my great pleasure to-day spontaneously said to his
niece, Miss Bethell, ' The Bishop of Oxford's visit has done

1858. WALES. 385
me a great deal of good. It has quite renewed me.' I ended
my business tour with an open-air meeting at Llandudno
yesterday. I went from Bangor by steam-boat to Llandudno,
had quite a delightful day and the pleasure of old Hook's
company. He spoke at the meeting famously and climbed
the top of the Orme's Head with me afterwards. I hope that
this has really been a successful tour : for which I thank God.
We had some Welsh workmen yesterday at the meeting who
could not understand English but who stood the whole time
in fixed attention and delight at the life of the whole thing.
I hope we shall see you before September ends. Yours ever
affectionately with love ,-. /-vvnivr
The work over which took the Bishop into Wales,
he gave himself three days' holiday, which are thus
graphically described : —
August 11. — Early breakfast and to Conway, by rail to
Carnarvon, to Llanberis, rode up Snowdon with David
Williams — views beautiful. Thunderstorms all day and
wonderful atmospheric phenomena, rainbows, &c. At night
ran down, too fast and overdid myself. Road to Capel Curig
broken up, so slept at Llanberis.
August 12. — After breakfast in car to Capel Curig. Road
just passable. Then to Llanwrst, wrote letters, walked to
curious Welsh church, poorly. Only the curate and church
warden dined.
August 13. — Drove after breakfast to the falls of the
Conway. Greatly depressed with the contrast from 1823 ;
when last here. Then with Mr. B — — and learned much
about spiders. Luncheon and by boat to Conway, whence to
Clifton,3 affectionately welcomed at 8.40 P.M.
Although the Bishop's opinions on Confession have
been fully stated in the correspondence with Dr.
Pusey in 1850, it is necessary to recur to the matter
3 Visiting his daughter, Mrs. Pye.
VOL. II. C C

386 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
again with reference to what at the time was known as
the ' Boyne Hill ' case. Boyne Hill was a district
formed out of the parishes of Maidenhead and Bray.
The Church was built and partly endowed by a lady,
Miss Hulme, on condition that she should have the
first nomination and that afterwards the patronage
should be in the hands of the Bishop of the diocese.
Miss Hulme nominated the Rev. W, Gresley, Pre
bendary of Lichfield, then working at St. Paul's,
Brighton. Mr. Gresley's reputation as an author had
been long known ; but it is only necessary here to
allude to one of his works. In 1854 he published a
book called ' The Ordinance of Confession,' for the
publication of which he was threatened with an In
hibition by the Bishop of Chichester (Dr. Gilbert),
Mr. Gresley wrote to Bishop Wilberforce asking him
for his help in the matter and saying that he was
ready to withdraw any passages or statements in the
book which were overstated or liable to be misunder-*
stood. The Bishop's reply to this request is as follows : —
The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. Gresley.
March 28, 1854.
My dear Mr. Gresley, — I should grieve to see the question
of Confession brought into our courts, (1) because of their con
stitution and the way in which ' public opinion ' bears on
them ; (2) because the question itself is so much one of de
gree. But I have a very strong opinion of the evil of habitual
confession to all, specially to the sentimental young ladies
who principally practise it, and as administered by Dr. Pusey
I consider it an evil, the melancholy consequences of which
it is difficult to exaggerate. My opinion is fully stated con
cerning it in my last Charge. Now, of course I could not do

1858. STATEMENT ON CONFESSION. ^y
anything at variance with these views, and I will frankly say
to you that when I read your book there appeared to me
passages in it which could not be reconciled with them. I
have not the book with me now and I do not remember them.
But short of this I would do anything I could. I should advise
you to write to the Bishop to request him to point out what he
does condemn, that you may reconsider or explain the pas
sages in question and to assure him that you will earnestly
desire in his Diocese not to act contrary to his decision in
such a matter. If you liked to write to me such a letter I
would gladly be the vehicle of conveying it to my kind and
very considerate friend and elder brother, the Bishop of
Chichester. — I am, most truly yours, <-. p.
Mr. Gresley's views, therefore, on this subject were
well known to the Bishop. They were also known to
Miss Hulme, the lady who wished to nominate him
for the new district, and with both they formed a diffi
culty. At the united request of Mr. Gresley and Miss
Hulme, the Rev. James Skinner, of St. Barnabas, Pim-
lico, attempted a solution. He drew up a paper on
' Confession to a Priest,' which, while representing Mr.
Gresley's views, would, he hoped, be considered satis
factory by the Bishop and Miss Hulme. Mr. Skinner
had recommended Mr. Gresley to Miss Hulme as the
best man she could appoint. The paper follows : it is
printed as it was originally drawn up : the words within
brackets, printed in italics, or with a line passed through
them, show the changes made in the paper by the
Bishop, whether by way of erasure, alteration or addition.
It is highly important as illustrating the very outside
limit to which the Bishop would go on this question.
' The Ordinance of Confession — followed by Abso
lution — is a provision (within the power of the keys),
for any unquiet conscience, longing for peace and
c c 2

388 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
reconciliation with God. [and unable to attain to these
by the general ministrations of the Church^
' It is a medicinal application for a sick soul, [need
ing special remedies^]
[' Such~] Sickness is not the normal or habitual con
dition of souls, in any Christian Church ; and therefore,
the provision of Confession and Absolution is not
habitually to be exercised upon Christian people, [and
if so used tends to weaken the power of their conscience^
' But all souls, which are troubled, after self-exami
nation had and which cannot appropriate to themselves
the ordinary means of grace, and pursue their way
heavenward, [such, e.g., to use the language of the English
Prayer-Book, as the Holy Communion^] without scruple
and doubtfulness, are fit and proper onbjocto for, [may
lawfully apply for and in the discretion of their pastor
be admitted to~] Confession and Absolution.
' The number of such souls will greatly depend upon
a variety of external circumstances in any single Priest's
sphere of duty, as early education, the example of
others, the temptations of life, &c. &c, so that it will be
impossible to say that the mere fact of receiving a
great number of penitents is any evidence of the
ordinance being ministered unduly.
' In a country like ours, with its peculiar state of
society, where custom is very corrupt and the state of
the Church is one in which Discipline has long been
neglected, —it cannot fail but that, among earnest per
sons, there will be a great number of persons desiring
Confession and Absolution.
' No persons who feel their need of it are to be for
bidden it. [though it will be often the true wisdom of the
Pastor to dissuade from it and restrain its use.~]
' No persons, who feel that they axe not acceptable

1858. ALTERED BY THE BISHOP. 389
Communicants, [dare not communicate or cannot do so
with quiet minds'] because of some sin or sins, are to be
forbidden it.
'It is a provision for Christ's people under some
burden of sin. [which the general provisions of His
Church do not lighten?] Christ's people may claim their
provision and, [where it is really needful for quieting
an uneasy conscience?] the Ministers of Christ's Church
have no right to withhold it. They cannot withhold it
without sin.
[' But the object of the Priest in receiving them to it
ought to be, not to lead them to practise it habitually,
which greatly endangers their own conscience, but so to
strengthen them that they may live peacefully and watch
fully with general Confession and Absolution?]
' When persons apply to be received to Confession
and Absolution, it is in the Priest's office to deal with
each case according to his own discretion, [only he
should act on the general principle laid down above as
that of the Primitive and Anglican Church and differ
encing them from the Priestcraft of Mediceval and
Modern Rome!]
In a letter to Mr. Skinner Mr. Gresley said of this
paper, that, according to his view, the only difference
which existed between the Bishop and himself was
that ' I have come to think more of the benefit arising
from Confession, and he, from his responsible position,
has had his mind more directed, to its popular abuse.'
This settled the question as to Mr. Gresley's appoint
ment, and a very considerable sum was given in ad
dition to what had been originally proposed towards
the building and endowment fund. Miss Hulme had
wished to build the Church for the poor. To show how
desirous the Bishop was that the poor should always have

390 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
ample accommodation, he thus writes to Miss Hulme,
' Your care must be in seeing that if your population
increases you have a rich man's aisle added to your
poor man's Church, and I should wish you to build so
as to provide for this possible contingency.' The
Bishop pointed out that the same reason which induced
Miss Hulme to select the site as suitable for a residence
for her sister, would in time operate so as to bring a
villa population round the church.
In the year 1858 Mr. Gresley began his minis
trations at Boyne Hill, in which he was assisted by
the Rev. R. Temple West as, curate. In July the
Rev. John Shaw, of Stoke, near Slough, having his
mind stirred by stories which had been repeated to
him of Mr. West's conduct, got up in the neighbour
hood a long requisition to the Bishop. Mr. Shaw had
not inquired from Mr. Gresley whether or not there
was any truth in these stories : he took them for granted
and forwarded his complaint. On August 18 the
correspondence between the Bishop and Mr. Shaw
was published in ' The Times,' of which newspaper it
occupied three columns. The Bishop, on first hearing
of the complaint against Mr. West, at once communi
cated with Mr. Gresley, from whom the Bishop received
such an account that he defended Mr. West, and so
drew down upon himself the whole wrath of the attack
ing party. The charges brought against Mr. West
were five in number :
1. That he had put to a woman about to be con
fined most improper questions, especially with regard
to the seventh commandment.
2. That he told her that if she expected to be
delivered and live she must make confession to him.
3. That he further told her that if she died uncon-

1858. THE BOYNE HILL CASE. 39 1
firmed she could not enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven. 4. That he urged her not to tell her husband.
5. That in consequence of his treatment of her the
woman became seriously ill.
Mr. -Gresley assured the Bishop that as regarded
2, 3, 4 and 5 there was no foundation in fact, and
further, that as regarded 5 the woman expressed
special gratitude to Mr. Gresley for Mr. West's treat
ment of her case. As to the first charge, Mr. West,
finding the woman dangerously ill, proceeded, under
the Office for the Visitation of the Sick, to examine
whether she repented truly of her sins and required
her to examine herself and estate towards God and
man. In the same number as the one which contained
this correspondence the first leading article began
with ' What is Auricular Confession ? ' The article
then set forth the facts as gathered from the corre
spondence, placing them under two heads, one con
taining the admitted facts, the other the contradictory
statements, saying as to the latter ' that as far as the
two statements clash we believe the woman and dis
believe the curate.' The gist of the article, however,
was directed against the Bishop for standing up for
Mr. West, and thus ' The Times ' headed the attack
made upon the Bishop on the statement of a woman
of a notoriously bad life and disbelieved the evidence
of two clergymen of the Church of England. Previous
to this the Bishop had promised to issue a Commission
under the Clergy Discipline Act to inquire whether
there was any prima facie ground for proceeding
against Mr. West.4
* In order to complete the history of this case, it must be stated that after the
article in The Times, Mr. Gresley wrote a letter to that paper which appeared to

392 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap., xi.
In this matter the Bishop had the entire sympathy
of Mr. Gladstone, with whom he had fully discussed the
whole matter during the visit to Wales already recorded.
Mr. Gladstone felt keenly the great difficulty any
Bishop must have in maintaining his dignity after the
conduct of some of his brethren ; he also condemned the
way the newspapers, especially ' The Times,' attacked
the Bishop ; he thought in this case the attacking party
had the law against them and he felt sure that they
would not attempt to change it; he said in a letter to
the Bishop, ' The storm must blow over. You have
been called into the front and will add yet one more to
the long list of your services to the Church.'
The Commissioners named by the Bishop were
Dr. Phillimore, Chancellor of the Diocese ; the Vene
rable Archdeacon Randall, Archdeacon of Berkshire ;
the Rev. J. E. Austen Leigh, the Rural Dean; Mr. J.
Hibbert, a gentleman who had retired from the Bar
and was a magistrate in the district, and Mr. C.
Sawyer, a gentleman residing in the neighbourhood.
The storm against the Bishop which had been raised
by the leading article in ' The Times ' found expression
in letters published in that and other journals, and also
in private letters. A few of these semi-public charges
are given, e.g. the Bishop was accused of having given
2,000/. towards the building and endowment of the
church, which sum had been placed in his hands by
some pious person for church building purposes. Ano
ther charge was that Mr. West was well known as an
ultra-Tractarian, and had been inhibited in another
diocese for holding such views; the fact being that
Mr. West, while curate at Hemel Hempsted, had
justify habitual confession, in consequence of which the prejudice against the
Bishop was greatly increased.

1858. DR. HOOK'S OPINIONS. 393
refused to read a prayer in church because the form
of prayer came from the Privy Council Office, and
not from his Bishop. One correspondent in ' The
Times ' said ' that many would hail with delight the
secession to Rome of the Bishop of Oxford and the
whole of the party siding with him in the Church
sooner than submit to such an encroachment on the
purity of their wives and daughters.' Of the private
letters one will suffice to show how strong the feeling
was against the Bishop, even on the part of those who
would naturally be expected to sympathise with him.
Dr. Hook wrote on August 23, expressing his desire
to be present at the inquiry, and to give evidence
against Mr. West. A few passages from his letter are
necessary, in order to explain the Bishop's answer.
Dr. Hook then said, ' I have had the misfortune of
being regarded as a High Churchman ; ' also he
' thought that the time had come, or was near at hand,
when all sound Churchmen must go over to Lord
Shaftesbury and his associates, in order to make
common cause against these traitors ;' he said, 'It will
be a bitter pill for me to swallow, but I am prepared
to swallow it'

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. F. Hook.
Aug. 26, 1858.
My dear Friend, — I can enter into all your feelings. I
have the utmost need to preach patience to myself under the
strong provocation of such folly. But, I implore you, let me
preach it to you also. It is a case to which ' Lest ye root up
also the wheat with them ' most eminently applies. Our
struggle with such men as Lord Shaftesbury is for our existence
as a Church, their denial is the denial of the fundamental
principle of the Church Catholic. They believe only in

394. LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. xi.
separate spiritual influences on single souls and upset alto
gether the groundwork of the unity of the Church and of
Christ's indwelling by the Spirit in her, on which rest the
Sacraments of Christ's grace, the Communion of Saints, the
Spiritual Kingdom and the everlasting reign.
You and I cannot honestly take part with these men, even
to get rid of the nauseous Romanizing peculiarities of these
mowing apes. Moreover, if we put truth aside, such a course
would tell, not only on the Romish faction but also on many
sound at heart, who are led far away by their dissimulation ;
and ' unless these abide in the ship we cannot be saved.' No,
my dear Friend, we must not give up the doctrine of the
power of the keys because ridiculous men make themselves
ridiculous or provoking with them. / have offered a com
mission of inquiry into West's case and we must deal with
these matters at present severally. Above all we must do
justice in them, for every act of injustice to them strengthens
them unspeakably. Promise me that you will do nothing
without communicating with me again. Let Mrs. Hook read
this letter and give me your joint answer. — I am ever affec-
tionately yours, s> Qx0N
Dr. Hook in reply gave the required assurance,
but it was not for some weeks that his fears were
allayed. On September 1 4 he writes : ' I have no
desire to side with a party which persecuted me
through life, but I will side with any party rather
than have the Church of England Romanized.' On
October 8, a fortnight after the judgment of the Com
missioners, he writes again to the Bishop, saying,
' Permit me once more to tender my allegiance to you
as my leader.'
A remarkable contrast to the foregoing is supplied
by a letter written on August 19 from a chemist in
Manchester, who describes himself as a Wesleyan
Methodist : he says : ' I cannot refrain from expressing

1858. UNJUST ACCUSATIONS. 395
the pleasure with which I have read a letter addressed
by your Lordship to the Rev. Mr. Shaw concerning
confession of sin. I do pray that the clear views en
tertained by your Lordship on these points will more
extensively prevail amongst the clergy and laity of the
Established Church.' Before proceeding to the trial
itself the following beautiful letter of the Bishop to
his son, who was at that time serving in India, is given
as showing how deeply the Bishop felt the unjust accu
sations which were showered upon him on all sides
because he stood up for one of his clergy against
whom he had ascertained that false charges had been
made.

The Bishop of Oxford to R. G. Wilberforce.
Sept. 1, 1858.
My dearest Reginald,  has told you all the gossip
and small talk of the day, so I must not repeat it. The main
thing which is occupying me just now is a storm of abuse and
insult and contumely which is being heaped upon me about
private confession. A charge has been brought against a
curate in my diocese of putting improper questions. I in
quired into it and found that the woman was one of bad
character and the charge really untrue. But I offered the
accusers a commission of inquiry. Meanwhile ' The Times '
took it up as if I had stifled all inquiry and represented me
as shuffling because I maintained the true Church of England
doctrine against the popular cry. Upon this ' Punch,' and
all the infidel and Low Church papers have set on me with
full venom. But I keep my heart, thank God, steady by
appealing to Him who said * Blessed are ye when men shall
say all manner of evil of you falsely for my name sake.' For
it is because, God-helping me, I will stick to His Truth as the
Church of England has received it, that all this is come upon
me. And in His good time, in this world or in the world to

396 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap.. XI.
come, He can and will make my just dealing as clear as the
noonday. It is very painful, to one of my natural temper,
who longs for sympathy, to be so abused and suspected ; but
God can out of the pain bring good. God ever bless you, my
dearest son. I am constantly thinking of you and praying
for you, and I tell you all this because I wish you to under
stand the truth when you see the abuse of me when it gets
out to India. But if they have called the Master of the House
Beelzebub, it is no great wonder if they abuse as they do His
followers. Another week and I shall be 5 3 years old : quite
an old fellow but with a warm loving heart, to which I wish,
my dear one, that I could clasp you. I am your loving
Father- S. Oxon.
Writing to Mr. Gordon on September 3, the
Bishop says : ' You will have seen " The Times' "
abuse which trying to be just about West has
brought on me, and you, who will have done what
few will, read the correspondence, will have seen how
utterly they falsified everything I said.' A few days after
this Mr. Gordon, after describing the party, &c. at
Haddo and expressing a hope that the Bishop would
soon come and pay Lord Aberdeen a visit, says, ' I will
not dwell on your present annoyances, but you will be
glad to hear that Sir James Graham quite appreciates
the justice of your conduct in the Boyne Hill case, and
defends your cause in all quarters. I had hardly ex
pected this, and am pleased in proportion.' He also
alluded to M. Guizot's visit, and says, ' Guizot/^
spoke with great admiration of your preaching,
which he said was the only good preaching he had
heard in England.'
The following letter to Mr. Gresley is inserted to
show how determined theBishop was that nothing should
be kept back in this case. The ' Requisition ' mentioned

1858. REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS. 397
in the letter was the Requisition drawn up by Mr. Shaw,
which, after stating the charges, inveighed against
Romish practices ; it is too long for insertion. Mr.
Gresley feared that this would raise the question as to
whether Mr. West's conduct would not come under the
head of non-Anglican doctrine ; he therefore begged the
Bishop not to sign this part of the requisition but only
to let the charges themselves go before the Com
missioners.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. Gresley.
My dear Mr. Gresley, — The ' Requisition ' is what I have
sent as the legal notice to Mr. West of the charges against
him, and I have mentioned to one or two of the Commis
sioners whom I have requested to serve that I have taken
this course. I do not think that any other course was open
to me than this. It would have given rise to the worst
suspicions if I had chosen a part only of the inculpatory
Requisition, and confined the enquiries of the Commissioners
to that. I am very truly yours, e Oxon
Sep. 25. — Received report of Boyne Hill Commission,
which very favourable, described in excellent letter of Arch
deacon Randall's.
The letter referred to from Archdeacon Randall,
one of the Commissioners, himself a barrister before
he took Holy Orders, is remarkable as proving that
the Bishop's first estimate of the case was correct, as
the Commissioners showed by their decision that they
considered the woman's evidence utterly untrustworthy.

398 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.

Archdeacon Randall to the Bishop of Oxford.
Sept. 25, 1858.
My dear Lord, — The Boyne Hill case has concluded in
the best possible way. The judgment was delivered by the
Chancellor after reading in Court the 4th Sec. of 3 & 4 Vict.
c. 86, as follows. The Commissioners having given their
best attention to the evidence produced before them, are
unanimously of opinion that the charge against Mr. West
of ' having in the performance of his ministerial duty on the
occasion of visiting a certain sick woman named Nanny
Arnold put improper questions to her with the view of
leading her to make confession to him,' has not been sus
tained by the evidence. This charge rests upon the sole
testimony of Nanny Arnold, a woman of admitted bad cha
racter, unsupported by any other witness and contradicted in
some material particulars by witnesses whose character has
not been impugned.
The Commissioners have arrived at their decision without
taking into consideration the evidence of the accused party,
Mr. West, though they felt themselves bound by the best
interpretation they could put upon the Stat. 14 & 15 Vict.
c. 99 to permit that gentleman when tendered as a witness to
be examined. The Commissioners, therefore, do now, in con
formity with the provisions of the statute under which they
are acting, openly and publicly declare that there is not suffi
cient primd facie ground for instituting further proceedings
against Mr. West.
The Commissioners met at Mr. Austen Leigh's on Thurs
day at 4 o'clock to consult as to the course of proceedings. The
next morning we met at Maidenhead at 10 o'clock and sat
out the case without an adjournment. The case closed at 9.
The Commissioners retired to consider their judgment.
Their consultation lasted about 20 minutes and the delivery
of the judgment and concluding forms about 10 more, and
then Phillimore and I walked back to A. Leigh's tb dine, if
dinner that is to be called which is eaten at past 10 o'clock,

1858. THE CHARGES DISPROVED. 399
and sleep. So we had a smart day's work of it and yet
the proceedings were so interesting that I did not, nor I
believe did either of the others, feel at all wearied. Cripps,
as counsel for the promoter, opened the case very tem
perately and judiciously, stating that, according to the terms
of the Commission .any inquiry into the law of the Church
of England as to confession could only be incidental. This
was a great relief, as it had been supposed possible that
attempts might be made to enter largely into that general
question, but there was no such attempt. The course of the
trial was pretty much what we had anticipated, that the case
of the promoters failed for want of evidence, of which in fact
they had none, except that of the infamous woman who con
fessed to having lived after her marriage with another man
than her husband, was proved to be of drunken habits and
bad language and whom several witnesses said they would not
believe upon her oath. Coleridge, for the accused, made an
eloquent speech, powerfully worded and admirably delivered,
going a little out of bounds in animadverting upon the
articles in ' The Times,' which could not be brought under the
cognizance of the Court but excusing his reference to them
by showing that Shaw had adopted them by thanking the
editor for them. As for the unfortunate Rev. John Shaw, he
was flayed to the quick, if he hath any quick, and will not, I
think, be encouraged to come forward again as the accuser of
his brethren, without a little more previous investigation of the
case than he used here. Coleridge's witnesses were merely
to discredit Mrs. Arnold ; he called West and after consulta
tion we received him as stated in the judgment. The only
advantage gained by this was that it gave West an oppor
tunity of explaining his dismissal from Hemel Hempstead
and of declaring his own view as to whether Confession is a
proper practice in the Church of England. He said, ' not unless
the person had a weight on his mind of which he could not
relieve himself.' This was brought out not by Coleridge, but
by Cripps in cross-examination. So much the better for West.
The hall was very full and the interest very great, but the
people behaved very well. There was now and then an out-

400 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
break of applause but it was easily checked ; the popular
feeling was by no means all on one side ; the Boyne Hill
party mustered strong and the judgment was received with a
hearty cheer, more powerful, I think, than the adverse hisses.
A good many clergy were present as well as gentry. Yours
ever affectionately, jAMES Randall
The following letter was written to the Commis
sioners acknowledging the receipt of the report — it is
inserted here because it re-iterates the Bishop's views
on Confession in the Church of England and shows
that those views were identical with the opinions ex
pressed in 1850.
Bishop of Oxford to the Commissioners of the
Boyne Hill Lnquiry.
Lavington, Sept. 30, 1858.
Gentlemen, — I have received the report of your Com
missioner of Inquiry into the charges brought against Mr.
West and heartily accept as my own the decision at which,
after a full examination of the matter, you have arrived.
In thus formally adopting your decision, I wish, for the
sake of my diocese at large, to add a few words on the general
subject of Confession.
As I have already stated in writing to Mr. Shaw, I hold it
to be a part of the wisdom and tenderness of the Church of
England that she provides for any parishioners who in sick
ness shall ' feel his conscience troubled with any weighty
matter,' being ' moved to make special confession of his sins,'
and that she also provides for those who before Holy Com
munion ' cannot quiet their own consciences ' being invited to
' open their grief to the Minister of God's Word.'
In making this special and limited provision for troubled
souls, I hold that the Church of England discountenances any
attempt on the part of her clergy to introduce a system of
habitual confession, or, in order to carry out such a system,

1858. SYMPATHY IN THE DIOCESE. 40 1
to require men and women to submit themselves to the
questioning and examination of the priest. Such a system of
inquiry into the secrets of hearts must in my judgment lead
to innumerable evils. God forbid that our clergy should
administer or that our wives and daughters should be sub
jected to it. I am sure that any attempt to introduce it would
throw grievous difficulties in the way of that free ministerial
intercourse with our people, which for their sakes and for the
efficiency of our ministry it is all-important to maintain open
and unsuspected. I am, &c. c f~.vn„
o. UXGN.
Of the following letters to Mr. Butler, the first
refers to the attacks made upon the Bishop by the
press, the second to an address of confidence from the
clergy and laity of the Rural Deanery in which Mr.
Butler resided.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Rev. W. y. Butler.
Lavington House, Sept. 10th, 1858.
My dear Butler, — Many thanks for your very interesting
letter. I did not find it half long enough instead of finding
it too long for my inclinations. I most heartily welcome you
back again to the diocese. It has been indeed a time of
revilings and I have thought with some comfort that ' others
had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings ' and thanked God
it has not yet come to ' bonds and imprisonments.'
My love to you all and my blessing on your re- com
mencing work and on your wife and children and yourself.
I am ever most affectionately yours,
S. Oxon.
Netherby, Oct. 13th, 1858.
My dear Butler, — . . . I cannot but believe that if in
answer to attacks like Wilson's (Thoughts, &c.) and the
charges of dishonesty, GOD put it into the hearts of my
VOL. II. D D

402 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
clergy and such laity as your brother-in-law,  Atkins,
P. Wroughton and others, to address me, with such an
address of confidence as my conscience tells me my life
amongst you for 13 years deserves, the reproach might be
rolled back.
I have no doubt that the silence of the diocese is con
tempt of these assassins, but contempt does not turn away
the dagger's point.
I should be most sorry to see such an assault as you
speak of unavoidable. Its time may come but it should as
long as possible be adjourned.
Haddo, Aberdeen, is to be my address till Tuesday. I
have been suffering from neuralgia in the face but am better.
Your ever affectionate, S. Oxon.
Oct. 22. — After a good night much refreshed. Rode with
Bishop of Durham 8 or 9 miles round his grounds : charm
ing — and how he enjoys the change to comparative rest and
peace. Off at 1.15 after a good deal of talk with him— by
rail with many changes to Lowmoor, where Archdeacon
Bickersteth and H. Wickham. Placards about the town against
me and Confession and the Society. H. Wickham in chair.
The meeting enormous and quite successful. God be praised.
The following is a more detailed account of the
meeting referred to.
A month after the Commissioners' judgment in the
Boyne Hill case the Bishop went to Bradford to speak
at a meeting on behalf of the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel. The Vicar of Leeds (Dr. Hook) was
also announced as one of the speakers. On October 19
Dr. Hook wrote to the Bishop saying, ' Placards are
posted at Bradford calling upon the people to attend
the meeting by thousands and put down the Bishop of
Oxford and the Vicar of Leeds and Confession ; ' he
also said, ' We shall have no support in Bradford, where

1858. POWER OF ELOQUENCE. 403
Church feeling is defunct' The meeting created great
interest and the town was much excited in consequence
of an impression that the Bishop of Oxford's appearance
would give rise to a disturbance. This impression
was due to placards which had been issued in the early
part of the week and in which the Right Rev. Prelate
was accused, not in any smooth or polished diction, of
Tractarian tendencies, and his sincerity in reference to
the Boyne Hill inquiry was called in question. One
of the placards was : ' Men and women of Bradford !
come in your thousands to St. George's Hall and in a
voice of thunder resist the Tractarian Confessionals.' 5
Long before the time fixed for the meeting the hall
was crowded to overflowing, at least 4,000 persons
were present and hundreds were turned away from the
doors unable to gain admission. The Bishop, who, on
rising to speak, was greeted with hisses and cheers,
succeeded in gaining silence by an appeal to the meet
ing as brother Yorkshiremen. Having got a hearing,
he kept it by the charm of his voice, and for some
time spoke amid hushed attention ; then he made his
great appeal, an appeal that was responded to by a
thunder of cheers and turned the angry crowd into an
orderly and enthusiastic meeting. He said, ' But, sir,
I say further, that that which is the Englishman's birth
right and boon, that which you Yorkshiremen, or rather
the fathers of you Yorkshiremen, helped my glorious
father to earn — I say that that gift of liberty is bound
up in the charter of God's everlasting gospel.' When
the Bishop sat down the hisses which had greeted him
on rising were replaced by general cheering.6
• From The Times, October 25, 1858.
' It was on this occasion that the address by the ' Bradford Working Men '
was presented to the Bishop, as recorded in vol. i. p. 391.
D D 2

404 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
' The Times ' leading article of the next day paid
the Bishop the following tribute in its opening sen
tences : ' There is no human quality that English
people honour more than pluck, whether in a soldier,
statesman, foxhunter or bishop, and it was acting on
this that the Bishop of Oxford went straight from the
Boyne Hill inquiry to meet a Yorkshire mob.' A
letter from one of the senior clergy of the diocese is
here given as representing what many of these men
felt towards and said to their Bishop on this subject.
October 27, 1858.
My dear Lord, — As you have entered on the subject of
your present troubles, suffer me to relieve my mind (which I
should not otherwise presume to do) by giving you some of
my thoughts on the subject. My grief and indignation at
all that has been said and written against you are extreme. I
could not conceive that such a mountain of calumny and mis
representation could rise so high or stand .so long without any
foundation whatever. It began by the public taking up the
false notion that Mr. West's offence consisted in enforcing
confession and consequently that your refusal of an open
trial arose from your having a latent predilection for that
practice. Considering how unfortunately Mr. West was con
nected with Mr. Gresley and considering Mr. Gresley's in
judicious conduct, this idea, though erroneous, was not
unnatural. I feared that it would be so and I ventured to
tell you that you would not satisfy people by your letter to
Mr. Shaw but would draw on yourself the charge of stifling
the plot. But , the provoking thing is, that now it has been
proved in open Court, what you saw clearly from the first,
that Mr. West's case had nothing whatever to do with con
fession to a Priest, they still cling, in face of daylight, to an
error which they had embraced in the darkness of their ignor
ance and argue upon premises which have been disproved, as
if they were true. Another thing strikes me forcibly. No
Bishop has been before his laity of all ranks as you have,

1858. THE REAL AND THE IMAGINARY. 405
but not one word of accusation can even your enemies extort
from any expression in any charge or sermon, or any gesture
or practice of yours in your almost daily ministration of
Church services before them. It all rests on the alleged
wrong practice or foolish words and conduct of others, with
whom you are assumed to sympathise ; and when you say, in
the plainest words, that you do not agree with them, you
are disbelieved, not because such words are at variance with
anything you have ever done or said but because they dis
agree with the opinion which they have chosen to form of
you. Such is the foundation of the late article in .' The Times '
about Bradford. They dress up, as it were, a lay figure of a
Prelate loving auricular Confession and highly Tractarian, and
call it you, and then wonder that you do or say anything in
consistent with this imaginary character. Everyone who
really knows you has heard you co'ntinually express admira
tion of all those, whether Puritan, Quaker, Evangelical or
others, who have realised some one great truth of the Gospel
and acted on it. Let me give you one more of my thoughts.
I have often thought that from your great abilities, your un
wearied usefulness, your kindness of heart and courtesy of
manners, your danger would be being too much idolized by
all who knew you ; it has pleased God to withdraw that trial
and to substitute the one which I should have the least antici
pated for you, namely, detraction and unpopularity. But
there are many whose love and respect for you are not to be
so easily shaken. I have known you for many years in
public and private, in your serious and in your gaye» moods,
and I can declare that I never heard from you a word, or
witnessed an action, inconsistent with your professions, or un
becoming a Christian Prelate.
Sept. 1. Lavington. — The boys off at 3.30 a.m. to shoot. At
12.30 R. Randall came in. Frightened me by saying, ' a very
special matter.' I thought of the boys shooting at Graffham.
It was Edward Randall's long threatened attack in the
National Standard (Brock and Co.'s Paper) which reprints at

406 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. xi.
length all the scurrility of the past fortnight I sick at heart.
Lord, Thou knowest my innocence.
This refers to another of the attacks made upon the
Bishop by the Low Church party, who could not for
give him for not casting in his lot with them. Mr.
Randall, the Rector of Lavington and Graffham, had
at the time a curate of the same name but of widely
different Church views. The curate stirred up a
storm against his rector for certain ritualistic practices,
and the Bishop was attacked, not for anything he had
himself done or said but for the opinions and errors of
others. It is hardly necessary to state that the parish
of Lavington is in the Diocese of Chichester and the
Bishop's connection with it was that of owning the
property. Sept. n. [Lavington]. — Letters, &c. R. Randall coming
in in distress with National Standard and fresh attacks utterly
laughing to scorn, with insult and contumely to the Bishop of
Chichester, his defence. Busy with Archdeacon and R.
Randall, considering, writing, &c.
Sept. 1 8. Cuddesdon. — Davenport came and brought 'The
Times,' stating that no health of Bishop and clergy at Banbury
on account of the Confessional, &c. Oh God, lift up Thine
arm. Sept. 20. — Many searchings of heart. Why so troubled ? —
doubtless to teach me more simplicity in serving God — less
eye to success — more to His glory ; resolved and prayed. Add
to daily self-examination as to whether I have said anything
unkind or depreciatory of anyone. May God help me.
The following letter of advice was written by the
Bishop to a great friend as to the necessity of attend
ing the services of the English Church while travelling
on the Continent, instead of going to Roman Catholic
places of worship.

1858. ENGLISH SERVICES ABROAD. 407
September 22, 1858.
My dear  , I hear from  that you do not attend
the English Services now you are abroad. I have a very
strong opinion that this is wrong. You are abroad, a member
of the English Church. You would not be admitted, on an
open profession of what you are, to the highest ordinances of
our Faith by Roman Catholics. You are forsaking the
authorized channels of God's Grace to you ; you cannot tell
how much you may lose or how much peril you may be in
or how much peril you may incur. Thus it is wrong to your
self. It is wrong to your Church, which is lowered in the eyes
of others by such desertion. It is wrong to your brother
Churchmen who may follow your lead and be shaken in faith
even if you arye not. I am yours most affectionately
S. Oxon.
The following letter to his friend, Sir C. Anderson,
is one of condolence on the death of a near relative ; it
furnishes another proof of the Bishop's perpetual
reminiscence of his own great loss and, after touching
upon some personal matters, alludes to Lord Brougham,
whose guest he then was.
The Bishop of Oxford to Sir Charles Anderson.
Brougham, Oct. 8, 1858.
My dearest Anderson, — I found your most moving letter
on getting here last night. It brought the whole scene most
closely before me. The funeral, the entries in the private
book, the loving, watching, silent by-life of the old saint
set so much apart from us who are in the eddies and the
storms of the great life gulf. It brought too, for such is the
fellowship of sorrow, all my own great griefs before me till
my eyes filled : — my beloved Herbert, his mother's joy, your
stay with us at Brighstone, her admiration of you — our mutual
happiness, your loving visit to me at Winchester. How
many are the bufferings of the stormy waves. Oh how hard,

408 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
my dearest friend, to live really apart, fixed firm in the love of
God and our Lord. Yet as He has given us something of
this and brought us through so many temptations and helped
us against what seemed to us irresistible evil in ourselves, yet
shall He in time carry us on even to what we would be. I did
see the comet that wonderful night — one of the most beautiful
sights I think I ever saw. Yesterday in all this country Was
tremendous storm and the rivers are ' out ' and the hills
covered with snow ; the sight of the range from my bedroom
window this morning was most beautiful. I have been
suffering greatly for the last four or five days from neuralgia
in the jaw. I thought I was growing too large ; so at Laving
ton I have been following a very strict regimen and taking a
good deal of exercise, with the salutary effect of a great
diminution in size, having lost I stone 3 pounds. But now
has come on this violent neuralgia, the doctor says from
having reduced myself, and I am taking quinine and port wine
till my ears ring. I am, however, better to-day and slept
better. My host is in high preservation, works very hard, is
full of energy and interest on all matters : takes enormous
pains to get up all his subjects. It is very interesting to see.
such a man close at hand.
Oct. 8 — Brougham. — Long talk with Lord Brougham in
his room. Of Cornewall Lewis : ' he has the real love of truth
which belongs to an historian. Now my friend Macaulay
wants his facts for his writing. I think they can't make C.L.
into a leader.' ' But cannot he speak as well as Althorpe ? '
' Oh, but he is very unlike Althorpe — Althorpe had such
personal weight — and at the Reform Bill his readiness was
wonderful ; no objection could ever be raised without his
having at once answers ready from every part of the Bill
which bore on it. It was like touching a note of music, when
every other note answers. I said we must have Jack
Althorpe in the Lords, for who else can fight the Reform Bill
through all difficulties ? But he would not hear of it. I have
heard Pitt frequently. He was very great : not so persuasive
as Fox. You never so much lost sight of the great artist.
But wonderful — a power of endless speech — too much so with

1858. CONVERSATION WITH LORD BROUGHAM. 409
the same grandeur on every subject perhaps. One of the
finest I ever heard was on the attack on Lord St. Vincent's
administration of the Navy. Lord  had said " we feel safe
during this administration," and Sir W. Curtis had said " whilst
the Navy is in the hands it now is the city is at rest and we
can sleep soundly in our beds." We expected to hear more
of all this and when Pitt came forward, he said, " Confidence,
sir, in some minds strikes its roots so deep that nothing can
shake it. I have, no doubt that if our great enemy had
possession of Plymouth, if his ships commanded Portsmouth
harbour, if they already held the mouth of the Thames, that
some men would still feel quite safe if the navy were adminis
tered by the noble Lord and that worthy Aldermen might even
sleep more soundly than ever.'' Pitt was very great in sarcasm.
Sheridan's best speech, I believe, was that in which he at
tacked Pitt in 1805 for upsetting the Doctor.7 Pitt's invective
at Tierney when he joined the Doctor, "though I have not
found him so formidable in defending, as I remember him in
assailing, the noble Lord." I do not think very highly of Lord
Derby as a speaker. You speak a great deal better than he
does — though Derby is very good as a debater.' Lord
Brougham very strong on the evil of the present dominance of
the newspapers. Full of most careful preparation of himself
for the coming Liverpool meeting — working on when we
broke up at past 1 1 at night. ' I read your letter in " The
Times " and thought it admirable ; not one syllable to be
changed ; not one word too much or too little ' (so said Pollock
on Wednesday). Oct. 9. — A long talk with Lord Brougham : at 12 off in
his carriage to Pooley Bridge. Called on Dean Close, who in
summer quarters in a charming house overlooking Ulleswater.
Close jolly as ever and nice daughters with children — oh how
happy ! and Mrs. Close good and saintlike. Then over
Kirstone to Wansfell.
Oct. 12.— After 8, breakfast. Off by boat with F. Hop-
wood and R. Durnford to Newby Bridge. On coach to
Ulverston — rail to Carlisle — saw Lord Muncaster en route.
' Lord Sidmouth.

410 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
Very beautiful line. In fly to Netherby. A. Brewster, the
Persignys and Sir James Graham and family. A hearty
welcome. Oct. 13. — Much talk with Persigny and Sir James. Per-
signy very strong for English alliance. The Emperor wishing
to get rid of universal suffrage and to give liberty of debate,
&c. ; but 'how can he in the face of Legitimatists and
Orleanists ? he would lose the masses his strength, and not
gain the others. But temps, temps, temps ! let these parties
be dissolved by finding the security and peaceful possession
of their own which the Empire secures, and the Emperor can
and will give liberty.'
Oct. 14. — Off at 4.30 for Carlisle and by railroad to
Haddo. Read a good deal and meditated. Newspapers again
assailing, insinuating that I had changed my ground. How
sore is my spirit under these attacks on my honesty. Found
peace at last looking to God. He allows it. To me it is
His will. His Blessed Will. Most kindly received at Haddo
by Lord Aberdeen.
Oct. 15. Haddo.— The day very wet. Walked for an
hour and a half with Arthur in rain late in the afternoon.
Wrote many letters. Walked in corridor with Lord Aber
deen. Much talk with him. More silent than two years ago,
otherwise little altered. He repeated Lord Holland's decla
ration, of Lord Liverpool being the fairest debater, put, if
possible, better than he had done his adversary's arguments.
A man of a very fair mind. ' The Duke took strong likes and
dislikes. I proposed once sending Haddington somewhere.
" He — he is one of our greatest enemies ! " He took likings
to scamps, Brummel, &c. In all my intercourse with her,
the Queen never but once was really sharp — when I had
made the Bishop of Salisbury. She acquiesced at once, but
wrote to me afterwards as if I had taken her in to make an
extreme man.' ' Was it the Prince's influence ? ' ' Yes, in
part, only in part. . . . John Russell couldn't wait even for
me and now these years have passed he must be very sharp-
set He said of the present Government about the Reform^
What can we look for from the Jockey and the Jew?

1858. CONVERSATION WITH LORD ABERDEEN. 411
Argyll would rather see reform in John Russell's hands
than Graham's. There is more regard, he says, to bunkum
in Graham. Ellice said of Graham, the greatest of admin
istrators but he never makes a speech without making
an enemy. People think the Queen altered in her dislike
for Palmerston. Not a bit. She dislikes him as much as
ever.' Oct. 16. — Day again wet. I suffering a good deal from
rheumatism and depression of spirits. Walked twice with
Lord Aberdeen, he talked a good deal, reckoned that he had
planted about 14 millions of trees in his time. Nothing
when he came to it at Haddo but the limes and a few Scotch
firs. — The climate evidently very unpropitious — yet P. Cepha-
lonica grows well. ' Lord Liverpool was a very timid man :
never sufficiently regarded — he carried the country through
the most formidable war in which it was ever engaged. No
use in having your general if Liverpool had not raised taxes.
Castlereagh was a very bold man — not very scrupulous — I do
not mean a positively dishonest man in anything but, having
great purposes, would not stick at the means of carrying
them out. — George IV. was certainly a Sybarite but his
faults were exaggerated — he was to the full as true a man as
his father. — He would embrace you — kiss you — seized on the
Duke and kissed him. — He certainly could be the most
polished of gentlemen : or the exact opposite. They said
he was always partial to me and when I was sent to him he
asked " What — thing have I got to yield to now, that they
have sent you to break it to me ? " In 1 8 1 8 : — George IV. was
indolent but he always read important papers. Especially
foreign affairs — he would not wade through long-winded
colonial papers. But that is always the case — the foreign
affairs are what interests them — they concern the family of
Princes. — The English people are very little for foreign
affairs and so much the better for us. — The Duke was at
times in great alarm about invasion — but not so much be
cause he thought that steamers, &c, had changed the cha
racter of warfare but because we were unprepared. He
wanted more men — more militia — more ships — harbours of

412 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xi.
refuge, as we call them : i.e. harbours of aggression and ex
pensive fortifications.' ' Will Gladstone ever rise to the first
place ? ' ' Yes — I have no doubt he will. But gradually)
after an interval. He must turn the hatred of many into
affection first and he will turn it if he has the opportunity
given him. Gladstone has some faults to overcome. He is
tco obstinate — if a man could be too honest, I should say he
is too honest. He does not enough think of what other men
think. Does not enough, as his brother says, look out of the
window.' ' Whom is he to head ? ' ' Oh ! it is impossible
to say ! Time must show and new combinations. I told
John Russell that what I wished to see was, him in the House
of Lords at the head of the Government and Gladstone
leading the Commons. J. Russell received it in silence but
did not seem to me to reject it. He could trust Gladstone
in such a post, which he could hardly any other man. — I
think most highly of James Stephen. He is a very first-rate
man and the most unpopular man in Europe. I do not quite
know why. Perhaps something in his treatment of inferiors
was the cause. I was never in that relation to him. I stood
in the relation of an admiring Master. His Papers on the
laws of the Colonies were admirable digests.'
Oct. 17. — I asked Lord Aberdeen: 'Do you believe a
story Brougham told me, that the Duke meant, if the eques
trian statue were taken down, to resign his commission, &c.
and said " I fear I cannot the Peerage." ' ' I do not believe
that but it might be true. He felt wonderfully strongly
about its being an indignity.. Brougham won upon him by
flattering him. I believe that I was accessory to the begin
ning of it. The Duke hated him. But I told him that
Brougham had said of his despatches. "They will be read
when we are forgotten." The Duke said, with the greatest
simplicity, "By — , so they will. I cannot think how the
 I came to write them." '
Oct. 2 1 (Edinburgh ?). — Up, worn and harassed in body
and mind — quieted as to last by daily service. To Durham
and lunched at the Deanery — then to afternoon church and
on by rail to Bishop Auckland Castle, where received most

1858. SO HARD TO REJECT. 413
kindly. Dear Bishop Longley surrounded by his family and
happy in them.
Dec. 1 8. Cuddesdon. — Early Communion, &c. Saw poor
 . Miserable at rejecting him. Tried to get any one of
the Chaplains to pass him in vain and at last refused. I have
never had so hard a case ; he seems so set on doing God's
work and to reject such an one so hard and yet he is too
ignorant. All day seeing the men alone, and very weary at
night, with that and Charge.
_Dec. 31. Lavington. — Day drizzling. Wrote all the morn
ing with Archdeacon Randall, in the afternoon to service at
Graffham, and so passes 1858, with its many mercies, many
sins and not a few sadnesses.

414 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xii.

CHAPTER XII.
(1859.)
CONVERSATION WITH LORD ABERDEEN — 'FACTS AND DOCUMENTS' — AD
DRESSES OF CONFIDENCE — THE BISHOP'S ANSWER TO THE CLERICAL
ADDRESS — A WEEK'S WORK — SPEECH AT OXFORD ON OXFORD AND CAM
BRIDGE MISSION — MEETING AT CAMBRIDGE — HONORARY DEGREE OF D.C.L,
— EXTRACTS FROM LORD CARLISLE'S DIARY — DIOCESAN CORRESPONDENCE —
SPECIMENS OF LETTERS TO RURAL DEANS — LETTER TO CHURCHWARDENS
WHO COMPLAINED OF THEIR CLERGYMAN — LETTER TO A LAY PATRON
WHO MADE A SIMILAR COMPLAINT.
January 29. — With Lord John Russell t$te-d-t2te to Wel
lington College — he entertaining. ' At my Reform Bill, four
prepared it, I, Lord Durham, Dungannon, and Althorpe.
Althorpe had to explain it to Stanley ; I to C. Wynn. I
began and Wynn asked me all sorts of questions about Wales.
I could not answer — he resigned — Lord Althorpe sent for me
over — I went — found Stanley going to do the same. Well,
Althorpe did not understand it, so I went through it, arid he
said, " It is a very large measure," and I feared, " but you are
right." '
February 19. — Up — and office — and saw people. Then
breakfast Grillion's. Saw Lord Aberdeen. Conversation.
' Gladstone I fear has injured himself. These seventeen resolu
tions are fanciful.1 He will come back and battle it out, and
speak as well as ever, but the effect will not be the same. It
will be something like Brougham, who speaks as well as
possible, but no one listens. I am very uneasy about it
Things look more like war every day. The Emperor cares
1 The Resolutions which Mr. Gladstone as High Commissioner submitted to
the Ionian Parliament.

»859- RENEWED ATTACKS.

415

nothing for public opinion in France. He has gone too far
to get back. Cavour is at the bottom of it all. I hear that
Lord John and Palmerston too have come together. They
agree about Italy on Minto's plan. So there will be mischief
there. The chances are all against Derby keeping in.'
February 7. — (Cuddesdon.) Greatly dejected about
Liddon going — Golightly's business. He refusing to come at
my bidding ! ! I ought not to have allowed myself to give him
a hit— and now led him into this sinful revenge. Lord pardon
him and me. Rode in extreme dejection to meet Ernest
coming from hunting. Sad all evening.
This entry refers to the publication of a pamphlet
called ' Facts and Documents showing the alarming
State of the Oxford Diocese, by a Senior Clergyman of
the Diocese.' It was anonymous but was soon well
known to be the work of the Rev. C. P. Golightly.
Although the charges against Cuddesdon College had
been disproved, although he had been condemned in
the costs of an action which was known at the time as
the Lavington case, he still persisted in attacking the
Bishop. This conduct elicited such an expression of
sympathy from the whole diocese that it must be men
tioned. The charges in the pamphlet are too many to
enumerate but a few are quoted to show the malignant
hostility as well as the absurdity of some of them.
For instance, the Bishop was taunted with the allega
tion that a number of his relatives had left the Church
of England for that of Rome, and to swell this num
ber and make the charge seem real all the children
were counted, who of course had no option in the
matter. Another charge was that a representation in
stone of the Assumption of the Virgin had been dug up
in Sandford churchyard and placed in a prominent
place in Sandford Church ; which was true, only the

41 6 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xii.
writer omitted to state that this had been done 150
years ago and not during the Bishop's episcopate.
The pamphlet further revived the old charge ' that the
Oxford diocese was the centre of a Romanising move
ment.' The first reply to this pamphlet was from the
archdeacons and rural deans of the diocese, who in a
long address expressed their entire confidence in their
Bishop and concluded by saying, ' We therefore feel
bound solemnly to declare that the statements of the
" Senior Clergyman " are, in our judgment, presump
tuous and unfounded calumnies against your Lordship.'
Strong language, it is true, but the Bishop so governed
his diocese, so worked with these men, that they felt
and knew themselves to be as much attacked as he
was, and their address was as much their own defence
as the defence of their Bishop.
Another address of confidence was sent by the
Rev. Dr. Wilson,2 and signed by more than 500
clergymen. Dr. Wilson was one of the oldest, if not
the very oldest, clergyman in the diocese ; he had, in
fact, ministered under six successive Bishops of Oxford.
He was a man who alike from his name, his age, and
his freedom from party spirit, gave a weight to the
address which no other clergyman in the diocese could
have given. The Bishop's reply to the address is as
follows : —
April 2, 1859.
My Reverend Brethren, — I thank you from rriy heart for
the assurance of your ' respect and affection ' which has been
called forth by what you justly term the utterly ' unworthy '
charges of the anonymous calumniator of our diocese. To
have received such an assurance from between five and six
hundred of such clergymen as have signed your address is no
2 Brother of the Bishop of Calcutta.

"859- REPLY TO ADDRESS. 417
slight reward for the labours of fourteen years amongst you.
You have indeed rightly understood the principles on which
I have endeavoured to administer my diocese ; to maintain
and set forward that evangelical truth and that apostolical
order which through God's mercy is the precious inheritance
of our own Church. This is the ' true Protestantism ' of the
Church of England, this is ' the religion of the Bible ' as she
has received it ; this is her distinctive teaching as proved by
' Holy Scripture ' and embodied in her formularies ; this
under the leading and by the might of God the Holy Ghost
must, if anything can, save this favoured country from Popery,
. latitudinarianism, and infidelity.
I trust, my beloved brethren in the ministry, that this
cordial assurance of your love, which I return from my inmost
heart, may, through the blessing of Almighty God, stir me
up to live and labour, and suffer reproach more patiently,
more lovingly and more faithfully, than I have yet done ;
and that we may all, with more love for the souls for which
Christ died, more trust in Him and more simple fidelity to
His Gospel, make full proof of that apostolical ministry which
has been committed to us by the Holy Ghost, in this pure
and reformed branch of God's Holy Catholic Church. I am,
my reverend brethren, most truly and affectionately yours,
S. Oxon.
A letter to ' The Guardian ' called forth by this
pamphlet, while indignantly pointing out the mis
chief it might do, records one of the Bishop's weeks
of work. The letter was written before the addresses
had been drawn up. It was called ' Position of the
Bishop of the Diocese, based upon some fresh Facts
and Documents.'
Two documents have fallen into my hands, one through
the indiscretion of the Bishop's Registrar, the other, through
the carelessness of a North Bucks vicar. From these I
gather a few fresh ' facts,' all tending to illustrate the ' posi-
VOL. 11. E E

41 8 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xii.
tion of the Bishop of the diocese.' Yet really of such a
very erratic individual it would be difficult to define the
' position.' He has none. The locus of such a body does
not seem to have been the same for three hours together, for
the last week, unless when his Lordship was a-bed ; if indeed
he goes to bed, of which I have my doubts. From the docu
ments referred to, I gather that on Sunday week the Bishop
held a confirmation at Stony Stratford at n, another at
Calverton at 3, preaching at New Wolverton at 6.30. On
Monday he confirmed at Beachhampton at 11, at Shenley
at 3, and preached at Stony Stratford. On Tuesday and
Wednesday he confirmed at Haversham, Hanslope, North
Crawley, and Newport Pagnell, preaching in the evenings at
Hanslope and Newport. Thursday he confirmed at Weston
Underwood and Sherrington, preaching in the evening at
Olney. Friday, confirmed at Great Wolston and North
Wolverton, preaching at 7.30 at Buckingham. Saturday and
Sunday appear to have been idle days, but from a private
document I gather that from 11 to 12 his lordship being at
Buckingham presided over a conference of his clergy, from
12 to 3.30 over a considerable synod of clergy and laity, from
3.30 to 6.30 he held a confirmation in the parish church, and
from 6.30 till 7.30 delivered his Ordination Charge. Next
morning from 10.30 till 3 he was engaged with his Ordination,
at 4 he was at Lilhngston Dayrell to confirm the children of
two villages. Where shall we look on or off the Episcopal ,
Bench for the like amount of ministerial exertion ? For the
Bishop's confirmation addresses are not mere mechanical
performances. Those earnest addresses, those stirring appeals
call for and imply prolonged efforts of thought and attention.
He has been, in a manner, performing three full services
daily, for the last eight days ! What amount of anxious
correspondence, public and private, interviews with candidates
for ordination, and all the rest of a Bishop's incidental duties,
must not have been superadded to this ?
In addition to these testimonies the Bishop received
an address from over 4,000 laymen living at and near

1 859. RECEPTION AT OXFORD. 419
Reading. These spontaneous addresses of sympathy
tell their own tale, showing how through good report
and evil report the Bishop's consistency of purpose had
brought conviction to the minds of clergy and laity
alike. This feeling was plainly shown at a meeting
in the theatre at Oxford on May 17. The meeting
was held on behalf of ' The Oxford and Cambridge
Mission to Central Africa,' the Bishop in the chair.
One of the speakers referred to the agitation that
had been recently going on in the diocese, when he
was interrupted for fully five minutes by tremendous
applause ; and when at the close a vote of thanks
was proposed to the Bishop as chairman, the whole
of those assembled stood up and cheered so long
and so vociferously that a considerable time elapsed
before order was sufficiently restored to enable the
Bishop to give the blessing. This reception was all
the more significant from the fact that the majority
of those present were clergy who had come for the
double purpose of attending the meeting and of taking
part in the election of proctors for the new convocation.
The Diary entry for the day is as follows : —
May 17. — After chapel and breakfast to Oxford — where
synod for electing proctors— all passed cordially and quietly.
Lloyd and Leighton unopposed. Then meeting in theatre
for African Missions. Very good, and special cordiality
shown to me.
This was the first meeting held to form the Oxford
and Cambridge Mission to Central Africa. The
Bishop, replying to the vote of thanks, which had
been moved to him as chairman and enthusiastically
carried, after saying how England as a nation had
wronged Africa, and therefore she ought as a nation
E E 2

420 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. xii.
to endeavour, to repair that wrong, concluded by
pointing out the danger of mere religious study un-
tempered by works of Christian charity. He said he
believed that for such bodies as theirs to be called
often from their deep studies and from their polemical
maintainings of the truth, to the practical action of
spreading Christ's faith in the world, was a most
wholesome and blessed discipline. Where was it that
suspicions were born and increased and multiplied —
where was it that hearts were narrowed and sympathies
cooled — where was it that every man's own special
and peculiar view became magnified and intensified
until it consumed all his being and reduced him from
the Christian man to the slave of some little myth of
his own ? This went on among men who did not act
for Christ — who did not keep alive the sympathy of
their hearts in healthy, united action, but lived in
darkness with images floating dimly before them,
which they mistook for facts until they led them into
the uttermost night. They might depend upon it that
it was thus that acrid humours were bred in the mind
spiritual. It was thus that the mind spiritual was
narrowed and darkened, until it became a vial fit only
to contain those acrid humours ; and thus it was that
Christ's Gospel became an instrument of mutual invec
tive instead of a doctrine of universal love.
The following letter to Mr. Gordon gives an in
sight into some of the Bishop's extra Diocesan work.
The meetings were held on behalf of the S.P.G. ; the
Consecrations and Confirmations were for the Bishop
of Exeter ; at the end of this week the Diary contains
the remark, ' Much tired, voice hardly holding out'

i859- EXTRA DIOCESAN WORK. 42 1
The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. A. Gordon.
Bishopstowe, Oct. 28, 1859.
Since we broke up at Lavington I have not had one
moment's rest. First about my Diocese and now in a wider
range I have been daily confirming, consecrating, preaching,
meeting-ing. This last week I have been preaching at Glou
cester, Wells and Exeter Cathedrals ; confirming in Exeter
Cathedral, and to-day between 6 and 700 at Plymouth. I am
here with Bishop of St. Davids, Sir J. T. Coleridge, Claughton,
W. Scott, Mackarness. To-morrow we are to discuss. On
Monday I am to go to Cambridge to attend on Tuesday a
Central African meeting, have an honorary D.C.L. &c. &c.
We really must meet soon.
The second meeting in connection with this united
mission took place at Cambridge on November 1.
Before the meeting itself the honorary degree of D.C.L.
was conferred upon the Bishop,3 and at the same time
upon Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Walpole, and Sir George
Grey. The following letter to his son in India gives
an account of the meeting.
8 The following is the speech made by the Public Orator, the Rev. W.
G. Clark of Trinity, which referred to the Bishop : — ' Adest in primis,
Samuel, Episcopus Oxoniensis, qui exemplum utque precepta egregii patris
secutus, patriie et religioni, virtuti et humanitati per totam vitam sedulo con-
suluit, ' ' diocesin " cui praefectus erat summa prudentia reformavit instruxitque,
denique admirabili dicendi facultate ita usus est ut in curia proceres optimis con-
ciliis firmaret, in concione populum disciplina vere Christiana imbuerit, et ad
omnia bona opera hortaretur. Idem, hodie, sui haud dissimilis, Africanarum
gentium patrocinium quasi ha^reditario jure suscipiens, earum causam apud vos
actunis est. Persuasum enim sibi, ut opinor, habet illam totius humani generis
labem, infame servorum commercium, tunc demum evulsum iri si ipsi barbarorum
animi a bellis perpetuis et a dira superstitione ad pacis artem et justitiam et veram
fidem avocati fuerint.'

42 2 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. XII.
The Bishop of Oxford to R. G. Wilberforce.
Hitchin, Nov. 3, 1859.
I have been going about partly for S.P.G., partly to help
the Bishop of Exeter in some of his confirmations. My last
visit has been to Cambridge, which I only left this morning to
come here to preach for S.P.G. I went for Dr. Livingstone's
Central' African Mission, and we had a most wonderful
gathering, 2,500 people, and the University gave me and Mr.
Gladstone, and Sir G. Grey, Governor of the Cape, and Mr.
Walpole honorary degrees of Doctor of Law, and it would
have delighted your loving heart to hear how they cheered
your Father, showing how little the educated and thinking
people care for the abuse people will get who do their duty.
They went on round after round, for minutes before the public
orator could go on. I tell you this, God knows, not from any
vanity about it, but because I am sure it will give you pleasure
in your far-off banishment.
On the morning after the meeting the committees
of the Oxford and Cambridge and London branches
of the mission met under the presidency of the Bishop,
when it was decided to invite Archdeacon Mackenzie,
who had returned to England after five years' work in
Natal, to head this new mission as Bishop.
On November 23 the Bishop attended and spoke
at another meeting intended to promote missionary
causes in another part of the world — British Columbia.
Dr. Hills had been consecrated Bishop, and the meet
ing had the double object of bidding him farewell and
raising funds for the mission.
The subjoined extracts are from the Diary of Lord
Carlisle : —
April 17. — Stoke Park. We went to two of the confirma
tions at Stoke and Farnham Royal. The Bishop of Oxford

l859- LORD CARLISLE'S DIARY.

423

does it in the most impressive and admirable manner. He is
also most agreeable socially, very droll to-night in his account
of the Bishop of St. Asaph's simple-minded conceit. He has a
great admiration of Thiriwall, thinks him a bad speaker, unlike
Blomfield who spoke above his abilities.
April 19. — We talked of Parliamentary speakers. The
Bishop quite agrees with me in putting Gladstone first in the
present House of Commons, and Bright second. Gladstone
far above Peel. We both too put Lord Derby first in the
Lords, he said Brougham did not rate him high.
May 6. — I railed with the Gladstones and Sir W. Farquhar
to Oxford, thence in a fly to Cuddesdon Palace ; there are
many besides. Sir Thos. Fremantle, wife, son and daughter,
the Dickensons, the Provost of Eton, the Warden of All Souls,
Archdeacon Randall, Mr. Fosbery, Mr. Burgon, Mrs. Sargent.
May 7. — We took a walk of about eight miles. . . . We
inspected the Cuddesdon College for graduates intending to
take orders. The Bishop seems to gather men of promise
about him, and they seem to have a great feeling for him.
Lady Mildred Hope arrived with two daughters to be con
firmed ; the heads of Oriel and Exeter dined, and others ; in
all above thirty. I admire and envy the Bishop's fearless
hospitality, not minding who know each other, and how they
will suit.
May 8. — Morning service at the church in the village, and
a confirmation, all very striking and harmonious. The Bishop
drove me and Sir Charles Anderson two miles to Peddington,
where he preached to a most rural audience for their new
schools. He rather overtires himself ; four services to-day.
June 3. — Breakfast with the Bishop of Oxford ; Lords
Macaulay, Stanhope, Granville, Van de Weyer, Deans of
St. Paul's and Westminster, Sir John Lawrence and one or
two more. It was very agreeable.
As compared with the preceding years 1859 con
tains little to record beyond what has been already
mentioned. Yet it was one of the most important
periods in the Bishop's whole episcopate ; it was the

424 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xii.
turning of a new leaf in the history ; he was at last
the undisputed master of his own diocese. Among the
acts of this year was the dismissal from office of one
of the Buckinghamshire rural deans, who had taken a
prominent part in the late agitation, and whose ser
vices, now that peace was restored, the Bishop dis
pensed with. Of the few extracts which follow some
were written to him, others to another rural dean, who
in time became one of the Bishop's staunchest sup
porters. They are given as instancing the amount of
obedience to episcopal authority which the Bishop
expected and claimed from his clergy.
To extract at any length from the Bishop's copy
ing books, would uselessly encumber this volume ;
suffice it to say that there are numbers of letters
of reproof, counsel, &c. Letters requiring a second
Sunday service and more frequent celebrations, or
bidding the clergy make peace with their parishioners,
or ordering them to reside regularly, or refusing to
license curates if they persisted in hunting, or assur
ing correspondents that although two of his brothers
had embraced the Roman faith, yet that he had no
tendency in the same direction, or illustrating his
method of dealing with anonymous complaints, a class
of correspondence to which, from his position as Bishop,
he was peculiarly exposed. If opinions were paraded
he threw letters into the fire ; if complaints were
alleged he sent the complaints to the persons com
plained against, in order that they might know what
had been said, and asked for any remarks they might
wish to make. In one of these cases he gives a rea
son for this course : ' Just as I should pick up some
valuable thing even out of the dirt, not, however,
thinking the dirt less dirty.'

I8S9- BISHOPS SHOULD NOT BE ONE-SIDED. 425
Still more illustrative of the Bishop's versatility and
patience is the following : —
You have been misinformed as to the fact that I practise
Table Turning. When the existence of such a power was
first announced as an electrical phenomenon, I, in concert
with many others, tried whether the fact was so. But no
table turning followed my manipulation ; nor have I ever
seen any experiment of the kind attended with the smallest
effect, save when it was manifest to me that the movement
was the result of simple muscular power. As far therefore as
my observation goes, I should say it was the work of the
Evil Spirit only so far forth as all frauds are, and that this
was rather a clumsy one.
All these letters bear witness to the enormous care
and labour bestowed by the Bishop on the manage
ment of the diocese ; they show how he went into the
detail of every case, thoroughly sifting everything,
however insignificant. In dealing with the clergy he
was at great pains to show by his treatment of them
that he favoured no party in particular. Writing to
his friend Lord R. Cavendish, the Bishop thus ex
plains himself : —
I quite agree with your general principle that the Bishops
must not be one-sided in their discipline, and that it is
exceedingly difficult not to be so from the absolute impossi
bility of checking on one side much we should wish to Check
because it has been so long unchecked ; whilst on the contrary
the excess on the other side is recent and can yet be repressed.
But great difficulty is necessarily involved in the just and right
application of the principle. If we are to do nothing because
we cannot do all, our office is gone. Surely the right thing
is to show our hearty sympathy in all we can approve, and to
deal gently yet firmly where we are bound in conscience to
act and can act even though there be things as to which we
cannot act.

426 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. xii.
Thus to a Rural Dean he writes as follows : —
You have not been used in Bucks to any Episcopal
interference. You were the languid extremity of an overgrown
diocese ; and you acted as Presbyterian chiefs doing without
a Bishop. Consequently every exercise of my office which
in any way thwarts your independence seems to you needless
and hostile.
Again : —
The exercise of any control is odious to those who have
been used to none ; and what can be so easy in the present
day as to meet every exercise of the Bishop's oversight, though
the mildest, with the cry that he is ' persecuting opinion ' ?
Again : —
The duty of censuring others is to me perhaps the
heaviest part of the burden of the Episcopate, and this weight
is greatly increased when the discharge of my duty endangers
the loss of those whose friendship I highly value.
Again : —
I can assure you that I have neither desire or design, nor
ever had either, to exclude the ' Evangelical ' clergy from my
diocese ; so far from it, I would incomparably rather see it
filled with ' Evangelical ' clergy really in earnest themselves
in loving our Lord Jesus Christ and in winning souls to Him
than in the hand of high and dry worldly-minded pastors of
the most orthodox views. With all that is positive in the
views of my Evangelical brethren I not only sympathise, but
trust that I know their favourite truths as the life of my own
soul. I only long to show them what they seem to me to
leave out, namely that full dispensation of the Spirit into
which God's great mercy has brought us ; and the true
holding of which seems to me to give the only consistent
ground for the full and free maintaining of Evangelical
truth.

l859- DUTY OF OBEDIENCE. 427
His correspondence with another Rural Dean
enables us more fully to understand his point of view :
I by no means 'require implicit obedience to every
scheme which a Bishop may originate in his Diocese.' But
I claim that his clergy should not actively oppose him in
matters he is conducting without asking for their aid, unless
it be one of those cases in which it is a sin not to resist, and
I should ask you to tell me if thus much deference is not due,
what is the Bishop's authority at all ?
Again : —
I really should some day like when we are talking matters
over at Cuddesdon to know -what you think is the meaning of
a Bishop's office, for I own I cannot gather from your letter
that you conceive he has anything else to do with his Diocese
than to ordain, and confirm candidates sent him by his clergy,
and enforce legal penalties against open transgressors.
Again : —
If the Bishop's office be of God, if the Ordination promise
and institution mean anything, then such passages of God's
Word as Heb. xiii. 17 ; Rom. xvi. 19 ; 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14, must
apply to the connection between a Bishop and his clergy, and
if so a clergyman must sin who opposes the Bishop publickly
in the administration of his Diocese on any matter which is
not so vital as to suspend for the time by a direct appeal from
his conscience to God all lower obligations.
Many letters are of an entirely different type,
witness the following extract from a letter to a
third Rural Dean written early in the Bishop's Epi
scopate : —
Never think that you weary me with questions as to
anything which can strengthen your hands or lighteri your
heart.

428 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xn.
Again : —
I saw in your face to-day that you were not yet strong.
Pray be careful. There may be evil days ahead and great
work to be done by such as you. Already indeed your work
is great. I trust that you are not overworking and under
feeding yourself this Lent. May God's blessing be upon you
and your labours.
Again : —
Such earthly love as yours is a true reflection of His love
who hath loved us, and it is a great solace in a heavy time.
The following extract from a letter of Mr. Gordon
shows how truly the Bishop's affection was recipro
cated : —
Also came  . He spoke about you with a warmth
that did one's heart good, and was enough to make me love
him forthwith. ' I pray for him night and morning,' quoth
he, ' and would give every drop of blood in my body for him
at any time.'
To another the Bishop writes : —
Your worn and anxious face as you sat before me in the
Church quite haunts me. I suppose that you too, as I so
often have, have great ebbings of spirit and great prostrations
from close fitting troubles. Well, they are God's ministers to
us, calling us not to rest in our outside work but to get in
ward. Inward to His Presence : close to the Cross under the
Pressure and Moulding of the pierced hands. I have been
praying for you that to-day may be a day of refreshing to
you from the presence of the Lord.
The following letter to the churchwardens of 
shows the method the Bishop adopted in dealing with
memorials from parishioners complaining of their cler-

l859- CHANGES OF RITUAL. 429
gyman ; it also gives the Bishop's views as to how
a clergyman seeking to introduce changes in the per
formance of Divine Service should be guided. As the
letter shows, the Bishop availed himself of the services
of a gentleman who was resident in the parish, to
whom the Bishop writes as follows :
I have received the inclosed memorial from the vestry of
your parish. May I trouble you to ascertain for me : 1. Who
the parishioners are who agreed to this vote. 2. Whether in
number, length of residence, and still more in moral and'
spiritual character, they are really qualified to represent the
parish ? My motive for seeking this information is this. They
may so represent it, and if so I think that Mr.  ought in
a matter per se so indifferent as to whether (within the
prescribed limits of the Church of England) the service is
conducted in this mode or that, to yield to the wishes of his
parishioners. But they may be no true representation of the
Church people of the parish, but a band of noisy people whose
real object is to disturb the parish and oppose their clergy
man, and who ought not to be listened to as the parish. Will
you then ascertain who did attend and vote, and examine the
majority so carefully that I may know their worth ? I will
ask you to write me nothing hereon which I may not quote.
3. Will you inform me whether, as it asserts, this memorial
expresses the opinion ' of a large portion of the ratepayers,
meaning, I presume, of the parishioners generally.'
On receiving Mr.  's answer, the Bishop replied
to the memorialists explaining the principles upon
which he had always acted. First, he ' considers that
the Church of England allows great liberty as to the
use of music, chanting, &c, and that the fitness of
employing a more or less plain service must be
determined by local circumstances. Secondly, that no
change should be lightly introduced into the mode of
conductinc the service, which would do violence to the

430 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. XII.
religious feelings of the members of the church who
have been in the habit of frequenting it. Further,
that the constant attendants at the church who live in
accordance with its rules, and especially the communi
cants, and not mere ratepayers, are the persons to be
mainly considered in applying these principles. And
in applying them to the case of  , the Bishop is
happy to find that no complaint is suggested respect
ing the doctrine or life of the incumbent, but that the
whole question is one concerning the chanting or
reading parts of the service and such like matter. He
finds, too, that no alteration in the mode of conducting
the service is complained of, for that the only variation
has been that, at the request of some of the parish
ioners, the present clergyman has changed the Morning
Prayer from a chanted to a plain service ; but that
what is complained of is his retaining in the afternoon
that chanted service, which has been in use ever since
the church was built, but which, unhappily, is disliked
by the memorialists. The Bishop, therefore, has next
to consider who the parties are who have appealed for
his interference with the incumbent, and whether they
fairly represent the wishes of the Church people of the
parish. To learn this the Bishop has applied to Mr.
 , a gentleman resident in the parish, warmly
attached to the Church, of which he is a most faithful
member ; a man of unbounded benevolence, whose
position in society places him above all parish
jealousies ; and whose education and habits entitle him
to form a judgment on the matters in question. Mr.
 then informs the Bishop that the vestry which
addressed his Lordship was composed of fifteen rate
payers, of whom fourteen voted for, and one against
the address, but that the majority by no means repre-

»859- PAROCHIAL AGITATION. 43 1
sented the actual feelings of the Church people of the
parish ; the fact being that out of the fourteen no less
than four neither reside in the parish nor ever attend
at the services of the church ; three others never
attend Divine worship at the church ; two more are
habitual drunkards ; and of the remaining small
number of five, one, though in office, has already
shown himself systematically opposed to the clergy
man personally, and three have not long been resident
in the parish. The person referred to as personally
opposed to the clergyman so falsified, as it will be
remembered, a recent presentment, as to deprive him
of any consideration in the matter. It is clearly de
duced, then, that the persons composing the vestry in
no sense represented the body of Church people of the
parish. And to the above analysis it may be added
that two of the persons are believed to limit their
opposition to the performance of a chanted service in
this particular church, but prefer it elsewhere ; so that
it manifestly cannot interfere with their devotion.
Further, Mr.  , desiring to inform the Bishop as
to the real feelings of the parish at large, reports, as
the result of personal inquiry, that the greater propor
tion of householders are warmly in favour of no inter
ference with their pastor and his mode of conducting
the services of the church, In proof of this the Bishop
has received an address, signed by 183 members of the
church — of whom 93 are communicants — and a second
address, signed by 26 occasional attendants at the
church, stating their sorrow that he has been requested
to interfere with the present manner of conducting the
services of the church, their entire satisfaction with
those services, and their entire confidence in their
pastor. And Mr.  informs the Bishop that many

432 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xii.
others have expressed their agreement with the ad
dress, but that fears of temporal loss prevented their
signing it. Thus out of a population of 370 persons
(exclusive of children and absentees), 209 have ex
pressed themselves either positively or negatively in
favour of the existing church services and of their
pastor ; whilst many others would have done so if they
dared. The Bishop, therefore, cannot doubt that he is
really consulting the true religious feelings of the
Churchmen of  when he refuses to interfere
with the conduct of the services in its church. And
he exhorts the few who have signed the memorial, who
can be considered Churchmen at all, to withdraw them
selves from this mischievous agitation, which, it is
feared, has been in great measure excited by a few
who could not brook their pastor's faithfulness in re
proving sin.'
The following letter to a powerful lay patron
differs from the above in one particular, that in this in
stance the complaint was made by a single parishioner ;
they both, however, show that in complaints of this
description, the Bishop's aim was the welfare of the
parish, irrespective either of churchwardens or peers ;
and also how, whenever he could, he supported his
clergy, so long as a clergyman was really acting with
his bond fide church-going parishioners :
Cuddesdon Palace, January 10.
My Lord, — I have given my best consideration to your
letter of the 5 th inst. and weighed the question whether I
could with propriety call on Mr.  to alter the arrange
ments of his church in the matters as to which your Lordship
complains. There are three grounds, any one of which would
justify my taking such a step. 1. If the matters complained
of had any Roman complexion, or tended towards any
Romish error ; 2. If though immaterial in themselves, they

i8S9- FRIVOLOUS COMPLAINTS.

433

implied any Romeward tendency in the Incumbent ; 3. Or if
their introduction scandalised the parishioners, and could
therefore be condemned as a breach of charity. In this case,
the first of these grounds clearly will not justify my inter
ference, since the matters complained of have no Romish
character and no Romeward tendency. They are, first, the
presence, on certain ribbon marks in the service books, of
certain small cardboard crosses ; such small crosses as opposed
to crucifixes are distinctly anti-Roman in their character and
tendency. Secondly, That to light the clergyman who sits
within the communion rails during a recently commenced
evening service, two standard candlesticks have been intro
duced — (your Lordship's prejudice against candlesticks on the
Holy Table having been yielded to by. your Vicar) — the
candles in which are only lighted for light in the dark season,
and which are removed from the church when the service is
intermitted. Thirdly, that in decorating, as usual, the church
with evergreens at Christmas, although (again to consult your
Lordship's wishes) no evergreens have been placed in the
chancel, that a wreath has been placed over the chancel arch,
and others twisted round the columns of the church. In these
matters there is certainly no tendency whatever to Roman
uses, but a simple observance of old and common English
customs. The first ground, therefore, which would justify
my interference does not exist here. Neither assuredly does
the second. No man, least of all your Lordship, who regards
him with so much affection, could dream of imputing to your
highly respected relative and Vicar, who so eminently enjoys
the love of his parishioners, after his faithful fifty years' devo
tion to the Church of England, free from all addiction to any
extreme views, the slightest tendency towards Roman error.
But it is, as I understand your Lordship's letter, on the third
ground that you ask for my interference. I am therefore
compelled to inquire whether your Lordship speaks the
mind of the parishioners in wishing me to interfere herein
with the Vicar. Now, as to this, I am informed that a vestry,
called by those who take your Lordship's view, was held on
May 6 to ' consider the best mode of obtaining the removal
VOL. II. F F

434 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xii.
of certain crosses fixed on certain riband marks used in the
Bible and office book for the altar.' That the Vicar took no
part directly or indirectly in obtaining the attendance of
anyone at the vestry, or in influencing its decision, and was
from illness himself absent ; that your Lordship took the chair
and supported by your presence, influence, and vote, a resolu
tion for the removal of the ' marks,' but that, in spite of your
just weight in the parish from property, residence, and; cha
racter, only six parishioners, including your bailiff, .&c, voted
with you, while twenty- twb voted that 'the crosses should
not be removed ; ' I am further told that when after this
decision your Lordship applied to your respected relative to
remove them, he replied expressing his great regret that the
question had ever risen, that had he ever dreamed of such
importance being attached to such trifles he should never have
introduced them ; but that the vestry having (without his
privity) been called to decide on the matter, and ' the wishes
of by far the largest portion of his flock having been so
unequivocally pronounced, he could not justify to his con
science going against their wish.' I cannot dissent from-his
view, that, your Lordship having appealed to the decision of
the parish, by the decision of the parish a matter so utterly
trifling and indifferent in itself ought to be settled. Your
Lordship has been misinformed as to my * not being averse
to innovations which annoy parishioners as in their opinions
steps towards Popery.' I am most averse to the introduc
tion by the clergy of any innovations which annoy their
parishioners, and I have never omitted to enforce on the
clergy of this Diocese the folly as well as the uncharitableness
of making such innovations. For the reasons I have stated
above, I cannot consider your Lordship's complaint against
Mr.  to fall under this head. I am sure that your
Lordship will see that the peace of a parish may be as much
endangered by a few leading members of it finding needless
fault with the inoffensive course of a respected and beloved
vicar, as by the unwise and uncharitable changes of an
innovating clergyman. I remain, my Lord, your Lordship's
very obedient s> QxoN>

KgBPPpJ8^ r^^r^f^'^

CUDDESDON PALACE.

i860. THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE. 435

CHAPTER XIII.
(i860.)
LORD MACAULAY'S FUNERAL — READING MISSION — CONVOCATION AND THE
29TH CANON — CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. GLADSTONE — MISSIONARY
BISHOPS — THE RURAL DEANS AT CUDDESDON — RETREAT — THE BISHOP'S
SPEECH ON ALTERATION OF THE PRAYER BOOK — THE BRITISH ASSOCIA
TION AT OXFORD — THE BIBLE IN INDIA — SUPREME COURT OF APPEAL
(IRELAND) — EDUCATION 'CONSCIENCE CLAUSES' — CORRESPONDENCE WITH
MR. GLADSTONE — MEETING AT BRIGHTON — EXTRACTS FROM 'CHARGE' OF
i860 — LORD ABERDEEN'S DEATH— FUNERAL.
The following letter to Sir Charles Anderson was
written on the Bishop's return to Cuddesdon after a
brief holiday at Lavington, where it was his annual
custom to spend Christmas :
The Bishop of Oxford to Sir Charles Anderson.
January 7, i860.
My dearest Anderson, — Many thanks for your affectionate
letter. Do not you find it wonderfully hard to realise prac
tically the uncertainty of one's own life, and the running out so
fast of one's own sands of earthly being ? I am sure I do.
Partly, I suppose, this is God's appointment, or we could not
take due interest in the things around us, partly our temptation.
May God keep us both ' watching.' We are now on our
road from Lavington to Cuddesdon. I have just set the two
young men down at Reigate to go across to Reading, and I
am rushing on to London to do a little business there, and
meet them at Reading; since the trains are so vilely arranged
that they can get no quicker that way as to time. In spite
of the rain they have had a pretty good shooting time, and
F F 2

436 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
neither caught cold. We expect a succession of guests on
the 19th, the Mayor and Corporation, Duke of Marlborough,
and Lord Abingdon, &c. for their annual dinner, and on the
23rd the Prince of Wales. On the 24th I go to the opening of
Parliament, Convocation, &c. May God's blessing be with
you all, my very dear friend. -
January 9. — To Macaulay's funeral. Grand service;
deeply impressive. The world's greatness and littleness.
How nothing abides — but how he used those wonderful
faculties. His purity, affection, and manifest increase of
seriousness ; attention to worship, &c. ; now the things. D.
Dundas movingly affectionate. Walked back with Lord
Stanhope. Writing the next day to Lord Aberdeen, the Bishop
says : ' Yesterday's gathering in the Abbey was a very
moving one ; and not the least part of it to me was
seeing gathered round that silent coffin so many who,
at the Club, and at our Club-bish breakfasts, had
been used to awaken those marvellous torrents of in
formation.' The first Mission held in the Diocese has been re
corded ; 1 the last within the years with which this
volume deals, took place at Reading from February 26
to March 4 ; the Bishop preaching the opening and
concluding sermon. The Bishops of London and Lin
coln, the Warden of All Souls' (Dr. Leighton), Dr. A. P.
Stanley,2 Dr. Vaughan, and thirty-two clergy were
gathered together to assist in preaching both on the
Sundays and the intermediate week-days ; the Services
being held in St. Giles' and St. Mary's, In the Bishop's
charge, delivered at the end of this year, he thus alludes
to this Mission :
1 Vide p. 30.
2 At that time Canon of Christ Church and Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical
History.

i86°. PARENTS AS SPONSORS. 437
It manifestly moved to its centre the population of that
large town. I have yet before my eyes the sight of the great
and deeply attentive number of those who listened to the
sermon which set forth the sufficiency of Christ for man's
salvation. I see yet with my mind's eye the devout attend
ance of large bodies of communicants, and that large
brotherly assembly of clergy and laymen met together for
mutual conference and edification. Some days after the
Mission closed I had the pleasure of receiving a deputation of
several of the principal inhabitants, bringing an address from
a large body of laymen of all the parishes in the town,
bearing testimony to the blessing which had been given by
the Mission, and asking for a repetition for such special
opportunities for growth in grace.
Convocation met on Tuesday, February 14, and sat
until Saturday, the 18th. This was the longest session
since its revival ; and as the discussion of the 29th
Canon in that Session led to the second great step
in the revival of Convocation, it may be necessary to
give some account of the part taken by the Bishop.
Business was begun on the Tuesday when the Bishop
of Lincoln presented a petition for the repeal of the
29th Canon, which prohibited parents from becoming
sponsors for their children. And he urged, as one of
the reasons for the necessity of its repeal, that parents
often took their children to be baptized by Wesleyan
ministers, who require no sponsors. The debate
which followed turned on the point as to how far
clergymen were bound to canonical, as apart from
rubrical obedience. Bishop Wilberforce, who summed
up, having explained the difference, passed on to the
broader question of the expediency of altering the
Canons. He said :
There remains the great inconvenience of a living active

438 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xm.
body, full of life in every pore, nerve, and fibre, as I thank
God the Church of England is at this time ; there remains the
great question whether we can allow a body to go on with
the Canons in the condition they are now. It is a grave
matter of reproach to the Church of England, and if. you feel
with me you might with the utmost safety set about effecting
a change. I have not the smallest doubt that if we were to
meet together to consult under royal authority in the drawing
up of a new code of Canons, that we should be able with the
utmost readiness, to draw up a practical set of Canons which
would free the Church from the reproach to which I have
alluded. I believe there is great evil done in the body
physical in retaining a dead limb. If there be a dead part
in the living body it is continually causing suffering, weak
ness and sickness, and nature uses every effort to throw it off ;
it secretes, exudes and exerts all its power to throw the dead
matter off from itself, because the dead matter hinders in
unseen ways the working of the body. And so it must be
with the body spiritual. Our troubles, our difficulties, our
want of unanimity in different parts, all may be traced to our
having obsolete laws, which some people think are to "be,
some more, some less, enforced and observed ; but which are
in point of fact dead matter in the living body, and just in
proportion to the increased life and action of the Church of
England upon the masses of the heathen world generally, so
in proportion the presence of this dead matter is felt and
becomes a real injury. When the Church was asleep it
mattered little, but she is now awake and really anxious to
do her duty. ... I believe, therefore, that the due and law
ful alteration of our Canons and the obtaining of a set of
living ones, would be one of the greatest boons that could be
conferred upon the Church.
On Thursday, the 16th, the Bishop again intro
duced the subject by presenting a petition on behalf
of the Bishop of Exeter ; he then urged the Bishops to
agree to an Address to the Crown. On the 1 7th, the
Bishop of London having again brought the subject

i860. CONVOCATION UNANIMOUS. 439
forward, Bishop Wilberforce moved formally for an
Address ; the motion was seconded by the Bishop of
St. David's, and carried unanimously after a short dis
cussion. The following letters to Mr. Gladstone, who
was at the time Chancellor of the Exchequer, illus
trate the Bishop's attitude towards this question :
The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
Near Petworth, February 20, i860.
My dear Gladstone, — Have you marked that both Houses
of Convocation — the Upper with the Archbishop and three
at least of Lord Palmerston's Bishops present, London,
Gloucester, and Norwich — have unanimously addressed the
Crown to grant us a licence to alter the 29th Canon ? This is
quite a new phase of things. 1. When we asked before, we
were divided, and the Archbishop in a minority. 2. It was
for an object doubtful in itself. 3. And very difficult to
define as to the limits it might spread to. Here: 1. All agree.
2. The object is one as to which all are agreed, and as to
which all clergy in large parishes greatly need immediate
relief. 3. It is defined within the narrowest limits. Now
I. This is precisely the case which falls within the Royal
pledge, the correlative of the clergy's- submission, that the
clergy shall from time to time have the Royal licence when
they desire it. 2. Lord Palmerston is the minister above all
others who on such a demand from the Archbishop, Bishop
of London, &c. can safely grant it; and 3. It is only thus
that he can resist Lord Ebury's really troublesome demands
by legislation. I trust that you will see to the answer put
into the Queen's mouth. You can estimate the injury it will
be personally to you, if your political enemies can taunt us
Churchmen with being no better off "from having you in
Palmerston's Ministry. If on the budget or anything else
you have to dissolve soon, I feel convinced it would make tlie
difference of a contest if not of your election whether your

440 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
influence had been felt on these Church questions. I am, ever
affectionately yours, ~ QxnN

The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
February 23, i860.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — I was not aware of the pro
ceeding in Convocation until I received your letter. I spoke
to Lord Palmerston, and found he too knew nothing. But I
begged to be heard upon it. At the same time I do not yet
know what to say. For I have not been able to follow the
proceedings, and am not aware of the intention. Any sug
gestion from you on a subject of this kind will always have
my ready attention, nor do I forget my duties to my con
stituents. But it is not the fear of a future contest or hope of
avoiding one that sways me. Without having to complain,
I am entirely weary and sick of the terms upon which I hold
the seat, and upon which (evidently) alone it is possible for
me to hold it ; and I shall be glad when the day comes
which may enable me to relieve my friends in the University
from all the trouble I cause them.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W, E. Gladstone.
February 24, i860.
My dear Gladstone, — You did not quite understand one
part of my letter. I did not mean that the prospect of a con
test should influence you. I know you to be infinitely above,
such influence. I meant to suggest it as what would not
occur to you, but which migh't most properly be suggested to
Lord Palmerston and would be very likely to affect him. I
quite understand your feeling about the seat, but I have a
strong hope if your influence is allowed to be seen in Church
matters, that you will never have another contest. I may say
that this is more than my hope, it is my full belief. Thank

i860. POWERS OF CONVOCATION. 441
you for so kindly letting me lay before you anything on
Church matters. I will try and state briefly as to this
Convocation matter how things stand ; in my judgment it is
the very crisis of our usefulness. The reproach we labour
under is doing nothing ; you will remember pressing on me a
year ago that we must go on to act, or become contemptible
as mere talkers. Now the act for the submission of the -
clergy hinders our acting without the Queen's licence.
Without it we can only ' confer.' We have once before
applied, when Palmerston's Government was in office before,
for a licence for a different matter. But the motion was
carried by a narrow majority, the Archbishop, the Bishops of
London and Winchester voting in the minority. No licence
was sent us, and we were given to understand that it was
withheld because it was not a general request. Now we have
conferred long on this Canon, the 29th, which orders as to
the two godfathers and one godmother, or vice versd for females,
that the natural parents should not act as such. We have
had petitions from the clergy in all parts to alter this. It
absolutely prevents the baptism of many children, drives many
to Dissenters, and wounds many consciences. It can be
altered only by Convocation repealing it and framing a new
Canon for the Royal Assent. This is what we want to do.
We have after full discussion and with the fully expressed
consent of the Archbishop, the Bishops of London, Lincoln,
St. David's, Norwich, Gloucester, Llandaff, Chichester, &c,
agreed unanimously to an address to the Queen praying for
her licence to make this Canon ; which will then be submitted
for her assent. That is all a Canon needs. There is no
going to Parliament. The licence will be only for making
.this one Canon, so there can be under it no unknown evils.
The Lower House of Convocation has unanimously agreed to
our address. Now to refuse this would be really unconstitu
tional in the highest degree. The clergy submitted to this
limiting of their previous right to free discussions in the reign
of Henry VIII. on the implied condition that they should
receive this licence when they prayed for it. ' The King's
Declaration,' Charles I.'s, reprinted and adopted by sovereign

442 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. XIII.
after sovereign, repeats the promise ; the licence has never
yet been refused when unanimously prayed for by the clergy.
To refuse it now, would be to say either that we never should
alter one of the present Canons of 1 603, or that the attempt
should be made to alter them in some illegal way. Now
Lord Ebury and the Liberal party are all for our introducing
these alterations, there would therefore be popularity in Lord
Palmerston granting this address ; and there would be a great
evil in such a prayer being for the very first time refused.
The Archbishop has the address, and either has applied or
will apply to the Home Secretary to know how her Majesty
would wish it presented. If there is any point I have not
made clear, will you write and ask ? I am to be next week
at a mission, at Castle Hill, Reading. I am ever, my dear
Gladstone, affectionately yours, c qxon
The Diary entry which follows refers to the Royal
Licence for the transaction of business : —
April 5. — Down to Windsor. Prince Alfred's Confirma
tion. Up to town with Ministers. Talk with Sir G. C. Lewis
about Convocation. He for sending down the licence.
The. assent of the Crown was signified in the House
of Commons by the Home Secretary on May 25.
Convocation, which had been adjourned on February
18, met again for business on June 7 ; one of the first
matters discussed was the ' Marginal Notes in the
Bible.' The following letter to the Bishop of Exeter,
whose letter on the subject was read by Bishop Wil
berforce in the Upper House, shows the course he
took on this subject : —

l86°- MISSIONARY BISHOPS. 443
The Bisliop of Oxford to the Bishop of Exeter. June 8, i860
My dear Lord, — I thank you very heartily for your inspi
riting letter. I brought the Curator matter forward. It
appeared that it was doubtful whether the vote of the House
of Commons Committee, carried only by the casting vote of
the chairman, would lead to the withdrawal of the privilege,
and that it therefore would be premature to address the Queen.
I therefore moved and carried an address to our President,
praying him to watch the turn of the question, and commu
nicate to the proper authorities that, in the opinion of our
House, no Bible ought to be published with the marginal
readings and without that part of the translator's preface
which explained their significance, and that the Piesident
should communicate this to the Curators of the Press. The
licence was not ready ; but formally announced as granted.
A really wonderful step in the return of self-directing power
to our Church. May God order it for good. I am, most
sincerely yours, s QxQ^
The subject of Missionary Bishops, which had been
dropped in 1858, was brought forward by the Bishop
in Convocation. A Committee of the Lower House
had reported on the matter ; a Committee of the Upper
House had considered that report, which, as the Diary
shows, had been drawn by the Bishop —
May 18. — Committee of Convocation, on Missionary
Bishops, drew report.
And on that report the Bishop moved a resolution,
which was adopted. He then moved a second resolu
tion to the effect, ' That this House, having heard, with
thankfulness to God, of the prospect of a mission being
led by the Ven. Archdeacon Mackenzie into Southern

444 LIFE 0F BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
Central Africa, desire to express their deep interest
therein, and their hope that the Bishop of Capetown
and his com-provincials may be able to see fit to admit
the head of this mission into the Episcopal Order be
fore he be sent forth to the heathen.' In moving this,
which raised again the important question as to mis
sions being headed by a bishop, the Bishop said, ' The
House having been occupied this morning with the
general principle on which we should carry out mis
sionary enterprise, I need not remind your Lordships
that a very important practical missionary work is to a
certain extent suspended on the decision of the great
principle to which Convocation may arrive. It has
been in contemplation to extend the Episcopate in
Southern Africa, but any decision on the matter has
been suspended till after this report shall have been
received. A great missionary effort in Southern' Africa
has been planned, and to a certain extent funds have
been provided to carry it out. His Grace the Presi
dent has taken a personal interest in it, and contributed
to it. I allude, of course, to the great effort made to
follow up the steps of that great and enterprising
traveller, Dr. Livingstone, in the Shisig Valley. A
Church already exists there, and endeavours are being
made to gather together a large number of the African
race, and from that place, as a centre of commerce,
civilisation, and religion, to spread the Gospel of Jesus
Christ and the knowledge of Christian truth in those
benighted regions. It would greatly tend to aid that
work, if this House expressed by a resolution its sym
pathy with it and its approval of the attempt. It
would certainly remove difficulties, which many of
those most anxious to spread the Gospel have felt, if
such an approbation was expressed by this House, as

i860. SERMON IN CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL. 445
tending, early in the movement for the appointment of
Missionary Bishops, to prevent the daughter Church
from adopting, without sufficient thought or caie, such
steps in her several provinces, and to induce her
to join with the Mother Church in such work. My
right rev. friend, the prelate of this diocese, is un
fortunately hindered from being here to-day ; and,
therefore, I felt it right to consult specially with him
before moving the resolution. I showed it to him last
night in the House of Lords, and he regretted that he
could not be here, because his great fear has been that
the daughter Church might become broken off from
the Mother Church, and he thinks that that might in
some measure be prevented by the development of the
Episcopal office, coming not simply from the daughter
Church, but with the implied approbation of the Church
at home.' The resolution was, after considerable discussion,
adopted without a division. The result of this was,
that in October, Archdeacon Mackenzie, with his
sister, two clergymen, and a small band of laymen
sailed for Africa, where he was consecrated as Bishop.
The farewell service was held in Canterbury Cathedral,
at which the Bishop preached a long remembered ser
mon to the immense congregation which had assembled
to wish God-speed to the first Missionary Bishop who
was on the eve of leaving England for Africa.
April 17. — Early Communion. Discussion with Rural
Deans. Very successful. The morning subject : ' on means
of increasing holiness in clergy.' Afternoon also good ; very
united. The minutes of these meetings give the following
short account of this discussion : ' Can any plans be

446 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap.xiIi.
suggested for promoting an increase in holiness
amongst ourselves of the clergy ? '
The Bishop introduced the subject, suggesting pos
sible periodical meetings in the nature of Retreats for
prayer and Holy Communion, and other means of
mutual edification. Such a plan had been attempted
by small bodies of clergy. He then gave a slight
sketch of how such meetings having a strictly devo
tional object might be carried on. Archdeacon Bicker
steth suggested that they should be held during the
Embertides ; but objections were immediately raised
as to the practical difficulties in the way of holding
them at such periods. A rural dean then suggested
that an interval should be allowed to elapse between
the examination for Holy Orders and the Ordina
tion. The Bishop thought it undesirable in any way
to connect the Retreats with the Ordination ; he
further suggested that the Theological College at
Cuddesdon would be the most convenient place for
holding the Retreats. The Bishop . then suggested, as
a matter of management, that a small number of rural
deans might unite, and select their own friends to meet
at the College during the vacation ; he would not limit
such gatherings to the Diocese, but would admit others
who desired to be present. A question was raised as
to numbers ; some thought a large, others a small
meeting desirable. It was generally agreed that an
attempt should be made to hold such a meeting in the
course of the summer. The diary records this meeting,
which commenced on Wednesday, July 18 ; the Bishop
coming down from London in time for Mr. Carter's
first address.
July 19. — I spent in retreat with Carter, Swinny, Warden
of All Souls, Liddon, Gust, &c. &c. ; Carter's addresses quite

i860. RETREAT AT CUDDESDON. 447
excellent, and I hope the times of private prayer also useful.
May our God grant it for Christ's sake.
July 20.— This day spent as yesterday, and I humbly trust
with profit.
On Saturday, the Bishop gave the final address
and the meeting broke up.3
April 28. — To Lavington. Planted Pinus austriacas on
hill. To Burton Park to dinner — the Denmans' — who are
the only people who are good without looking for any benefits
from it. First nightingale on our common.
April 29 (Sunday). — Up early. Frost of two degrees last
* The following record of the Order of Services on th's occasion may be in
teresting. First day. — Meet in Cuddesdon College at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18th.
Evening service, 6.30. Tea and conversation till 9. Prayers in chapel. Expla
natory address. Retire.
Second and Third days. — 6.45,* Prayers and Holy Communion in College
Chapel. 8, Breakfast. 8.30, Service in church. 9.30,7 Short address with
prayers in chapel. 10.15, Retire for prayer and meditation or spiritual reading
till 12. 12 to I, Unoccupied with special retreat work. \,\ Litany in chapel.
1. 15, Dinner. 2.I5,§ Prayer and short address in chapel. 3 to 5, Retire for
prayer, &c. as above. 5 to 6, Unoccupied. 6, Tea. 6 30, Service in church.
7. 1 5, Short address in chapel. 8, Retire as before. 9, Refreshment will be pre
pared in the college hall. 9.I5,|| Pravers and retire for the night.
Fourth day. — 6.45, Prayer and Holy Communion. Concluding address.
8.30, Breakfast. 9, Service in church. 10 to II, Retire for prayer, after which
the meeting will be ended.
The prayers will be taken from those in use at Cuddesdon College (is.),
Parkers, Oxford ; and Bishop Cosin's Hours.
Books recommended are Sherlock's Practical Christian ; Andrewes' Devo
tions; St. Chrysostom on the Priesthood; Wilson's Sacra Privata; Bishop of
Oxford's Lectures to Candidates for Ordination ; Pinart's Meditations on the
Suffering Life of Christ; Memoriale Vita Sacerdotalis, Bishop of Brechin's edition.
It is earnestly requested that all conversation shall be of a grave, edifying, and
subdued character. ' Qui non mecum colligit, dispergit.'

• Bishop Cosin, first hour, and Ps. cxix. 1-32.
f Bishop Cosin, third hour, and Ps. cxix. 33-80.
X Bishop Cosin, sixth hour, Ps. cxix. 81-128.
§ Bishop Cosin, ninth hour, Ps. cxix. 129 to end.
|| Cuddesdon Book.

448 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
night. Walked half-way to Petworth, saw first swallows near
the Coultershaw Mill, heard first cuckoo in woods at Burton
Park. Preached at Petworth on « whose own the sheep are
not,' then to Burton and in the afternoon to Duncton, where
preached on 'quicken me for Thy name's sake.' To Laving
ton and back to Burton to dinner.
May 8. — To Oxford for Diocesan meetings. Then laid first
stone of St. Giles'. Up and to House with J. Goring ; debate
on Ebury's address. He spoke miserably. Archbishop of
Canterbury well. Bishop of London fluently, but not
eloquently. I spoke — they all said best I had ever spoken.
Very full. Dear good Bishop of Chichester most kind.
The ' address ' referred to was for a ' Royal Com
mission to revise the Book of Common Prayer and the
Canons of the Church.' In accordance with a resolu
tion that had been carried in a private meeting of the
Bishops, the Archbishop of Canterbury moved a nega
tive to the proposed address to the Queen. The fol
lowing is an extract from the speech made by the
Bishop on the motion, which was rejected :
His noble friend 4 desired to see such alterations made in
the Liturgy as would have the effect of bringing the body of
the Dissenters within the pale of the Established Church.
Now the noble lord could not be a whit more anxious or more
earnestly desirous of bringing them back into the community
of the Church than he was. He believed that such an event
would be one of the proudest days of England's glory and
' welfare. But he believed that nothing would tend more to
prevent so blessed a consummation than the existence of any
wretched differences amongst themselves (the members of
the Church) on those momentous subjects. But while he was
of that opinion, he was far from saying that all the blame of
separation rested with the Separatists. He believed, on the
4 Lord Ebury,

i860. THE CHURCH AND DISSENT.

449

contrary, much of the blame rested with themselves. He was
far from saying that all the piety remained with the members
of the Church. He believed that a vast amount of piety and
sincerity existed amongst the Dissenters. But the more
earnestly he desired the return of their Dissenting brethren to
the arms of the Church of England, the more deeply did he
feel how essential it was that the Church should maintain her
own Apostolic Faith untarnished. Instead of believing that
the object would be promoted by such an inquiry as the noble
lord proposed, he was convinced that the alteration of one
jot or one tittle of our services would have the opposite effect ;
that it would tend to the lowering of the truth of the Church,
which truth had been handed to us from the primitive Church,
to be preserved with the most precious care.
May 12. — Off by train for London. At Reading saw that
York is offered to Longley. A good appointment.
May 20 (Sunday).— Up in good time and prepared sermon
on ' All are yours.' Preached at St. James's, great crowd ;
collected 176/. Then back to my rooms and finished (Dar-
"win review).5 Walked across the Park with Gladstone, he
rather subdued ; he said, ' If the next twenty years alter as
much the position of those who govern England, &c.'
Meetings on behalf of ' the Oxford and Cambridge
Mission to Central Africa,' the beginning of which has
already been recorded, were continued during this year
on May 23, 24, and 25. The Bishop went to and spoke
at Manchester, Liverpool, and Leeds ; he was accom
panied by Lord Brougham, and Archdeacon (afterwards
Bishop) Mackenzie. The meetings were most nume
rously attended ; it was computed that at Manchester
5,000 people were present. The speeches which were
delivered on these occasions were afterwards reprinted
in the form of a pamphlet ; a few sentences from one
of the Bishop's speeches are given :
' For the Quarterly Review. «<*
VOL. II. G G

450 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
The Gospel must be brought from without from those who
had now the lamp of truth, and who had it in order that they
might enlighten others as well as themselves. The grounds
which should induce us to make some great and hearty efforts
to carry God's truth among His people were, that they need
it greatly, that they are ready to receive it, that we are spe
cially called to impart it from our close connection with them,
and because as the children of slave traders we had to cut off
the entail of curses by reversing the inheritance of wrong
which the slave trade had inflicted upon Africa.
From June 27 to July 3 the British Association
was at Oxford : it is much to be regretted that the
reports of the debates are of the most meagre descrip
tion. From those which we possess, it is to be gathered
that the Bishop on two occasions took part in the dis
cussions. First in the Geographical Section, when, after
the reading of some of Dr. Livingstone's recent letters,
Mr. Craufurd, the President of the Ethnological Society,
argued against the scheme of extending commerce and
Christianity in Central Africa, on the ground of the
great difficulties that had to be overcome and of the
incapacity of the natives to receive such benefits. The
Bishop spoke against these inferences, and, when sup
porting an opposite view, carried his audience by the
force of his argument. Secondly, in the Zoology and
Botany Section, where a discussion took place on the
soundness or unsoundness of the Darwinian theory.
Thc Bishop, who, as the last-quoted Diary entry shows,
had just reviewed Mr. Darwin's work ' On the Origin
of Species by means of Natural Selection,' made a long
and eloquent speech condemning Mr. Darwin's theory
as unphilosophical and as founded on fancy, and he
denied that any one instance had been produced by Mr.
Darwin which showed that the alleged change from

l86°- THE BIBLE IN INDIA.

451

one species to another had ever taken place. In the
course of this speech, which made a great impression,
the Bishop said, that whatever certain people might
believe, he would not look at the monkeys in the
Zoological as connected with his ancestors, a remark
that drew from a certain learned professor the retort,
' I would rather be descended from an ape than a
bishop.' On July 4, the Duke of Marlborough moved in the
House of Lords, ' that the Bible be not excluded from
our schools in India.' The motion was negatived. The
Bishop was unable on the occasion of the motion to
address the House ; but in the following week he took
the opportunity, by presenting petitions, of speaking on
the subject. He said :
He had laid upon the table fifty petitions with the same
prayer, that the Bible might be introduced into the schools
in India ; but they were not a tithe of the petitions which
would pour in upon both Houses of Parliament upon this
grave subject, and he would venture to predict that in a
matter like this, upon which the religious mind of the people
of this country was to a remarkable degree unanimous, when
those who differed upon many points of Church government
were united in opinion that the Bible ought not to be excluded
from the Government schools in India, but that it should be
accessible in school hours to all those who desire to study it, that
at no distant day that question would be brought to a prac
tical and successful issue. If there was any danger at all to
be apprehended, it would arise from a belief being raised in
India that the Government resisted the demand that was
made because they thought it would be an infraction of the
fair dealing which had been guaranteed to those who differed
from us in religion, and that if the demand were carried it
would be carried by the religious mind of this country, in
spite of the wishes of Government. Such a belief would
g g 2

452 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
lead to an impression, untrue indeed, that the admission of
the Bible into schools was something at which they had ground
to be alarmed, and which constituted a violation of religious
liberty. It would be a danger in its worst form, if the ques
tion was left as a subject for agitation in this country. He
thought, also, that the introduction of the Bible taking place
after an interval would be an evil, because the native mind
would form an opinion that we feared to do so as long as the
recollection of the late mutiny remained in our minds, but
that only when the memory of that event had passed away
did we venture to take the step. There was another consi
deration he would urge upon the Government. He did not
undervalue the dangers of our Indian Empire, but he was
convinced that those dangers did not rest upon our simply
giving fair play to Christianity, while we cautiously abstained
from attempting to inflict Christianity by force, and from en
trapping the natives into Christianity by fraud ; our security
would be greater if the native mind could be taught that we
abstained from those courses, not from fear, but because our
consciences forbade them. The great danger was that in
turning our attention to a false danger, we might overlook the
real source of danger. The mode in which the question of native
adoption had been treated was, he believed, full of danger, as
also was the annexation policy, and he believed also the pro
posed change in our army system in India. He was, there
fore, most anxious, without reopening this great subject, to
urge as earnestly as he could upon the Government a recon
sideration of the position they had taken upon this grave
question. August 22 (Isle of Wight). — Colonel Harcourt drove me
to Ryde, and on to  . Stood on seashore for hours watch
ing the surf as I did when I was a boy, and thought I should
meet Emily round every corner. My own, my lost one, my
soul ! Dearest one ! I could have wept tears of blood. I
could not help calling out aloud to her to come to me.
How fresh and enduring was the Bishop's recollec
tion of his great sorrow, and how it enabled him to

i860. LETTER OF CONDOLENCE. 453
minister the truest consolation to others, will appear
from the subjoined letters : — February 1861.6
My dear  , — I have just seen in the cold dry paper the
news of your great loss. My whole heart bleeds for you. I
know what a clouding over it is of a life. What an unlooked
for — what an irreparable loss. I know it all. I have been
through it all. I never had but one bright gay vision before
my own eyes from the time I was 16 — the fulfilment of my
hope was my daily- prayer for 7 years. It was granted me.
And.it was brighter than even Hope had painted it. And it
was taken away again. So that I can feel for you. And yet
I say, ' Fear not, neither be dismayed.' It is thus that the
God of Love perfects his chosen ones — Sometimes, because
as in my case, there is so much dross to burn out. Sometimes,
as I believe it is in yours, because He sees they are capable
of being lifted up so high — He puts them into the very hottest
furnace heat, but ever more with such, if they will seek it, is
the presence of the fourth form, ' like unto the Son of God,'
and no hair of their head is hurt, nor does the smell of fire
pass upon them.
My dear friend, there is a tenderness, a compassion, a
sympathy in Christ for laden bleeding hearts like yours,
which no love of man or even woman can even faintly repre
sent — And if you will trust it and lean on it and call for it,
you shall know it and in that light, even the desolate wil
derness of life, into which your breaking heart is taking you,
shall blossom as the rose. After all, life is very short and
Eternity our true being, — where reunion shall be eternal.
And you may think of him as safe — no more risk — no more
rough winds — no more pain — Safe for ever, and for ever
yours. Believe me that I will do my best to pray for you —
that He who only can,- may be your sufficient Comforter — I
am ever yours very affectionately, s qxon
The next letter was to the same person and was
0 Written to a lady on hearing of the death of her husband.

454 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
in answer to some questions as to the communication
permitted with those who had departed from this
world and also how far earthly relationships would be
recognised in the Heavenly State. March 17, 1861.
My dear  , — When can I better answer your letter
than on this day, on which, 20 years ago, I laid in our green
Churchyard at Lavington, with a broken heart, the beautiful
form of the desire of my eyes ? Yes, that lonesomeness is the
great trial — Still, in the long wakeful nights — I have been
unable to help praying with all my might to see in vision, or
in some permitted way, but one sight of that countenance and
hear one sound of that voice, which to me would make life
again populous.
I will try to answer your questions ; there is as to the first
only one caution to give, it is and is meant to be, a new incen
tive to us, to grow fit for Heaven and for the companionship
of the Saints and of our sainted ones — only we must never
indulge it in separation from the thoughts of the King of
Saints — our own Lord and Redeemer and the Redeemer of
our dear ones too. When we thus associate the two together,
the earthly love becomes the trellice, up which the Heavenly
love creeps and the two are blended and the amaranthine
clusters clothe the earthly framework.
As to your second question, I cannot doubt that there will
be in the future world, some glorified and exalted counterpart
of every earthly relation, for nothing which is real dies in
God's world but to experience a better resurrection. When
God has knit together two in one, when the great mystery
of Christian marriage has united two into one, in all the ful
ness of its Christian meaning, when there has been union in
prayer and aspirations and worship and service, I do not
doubt for one moment that there will be a golden counterpart
of all this in that world, and in whatever way it may be ac
complished and under whatever names designated, that there
shall be there, a special unity between those who have been
below so one in Christ. This seems clear to me, from Our

l86o- THE FUTURE STATE.

455

Lord's promise to Martha of Bethany, ' Thy brother shall rise
again.' It was not Lazarus, who should rise, but 'her brother.'
And Our Lord could not mock the expectation which He
raised—and yet— this He would have done, if he was not
to rise again as her brother. This implies an answer to your
next question. No doubt the personal identity will be pre
served, and the resurrection body of the risen Saint will be
his own body glorified and not the body of another.
There is more difficulty in answering your next question,
as to the disembodied spirit, because so little is revealed ; the
purposes of this concealment seem to be evident. It is to
help us- to hold our beloved ones through Christ, with whom
they are in Paradise ; I think it is left quite free to us to
believe, that they see us, that they are so possessed with seeing
that Christ is upholding us, that they can be at peace, even
in our trials and our dangers, through seeing the strength of
that golden chain of love which binds us to Him. I often
and often believe in their presence, oversight and real (though
suspended as far as perception goes) ministry of love for us,
but I do not think we can say we know anything on this
subject ; we may let our mind range on freely here, only,
in the Lord -we are surest of drawing near to them, when
we draw nearest to Him — specially at Holy Communion, it
always seems to me, we are >very close together, for that
brings Him, with His Saints, so nigh to us.
I have no doubt that Heaven will be all that we can con
ceive of a most beautiful Earth and as infinitely more, as
God's power of providing for our happiness is greater than
our conception of what would make for our happiness. 'Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, what God has provided for those
that love Him.' I have no doubt that every talent used here
for His glory, will have its ten talent gift added There. Doubt
less the time does not seem so long to THEM. How can it ?
when they are with Christ, but the secret is ; not to look on,
not to think how long — do not trust yourself to do it. Rest
in the Lord — and be doing good. Take any useful employ
ment for others, that presents itself naturally to you. Believe
jn  and try to realize — the love of Christ: when ' Jesus wept '

456 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
it was as much for you and me, as for those present mourners.
He heard the long sob, which should last on till the last
enemy should be destroyed. He loves you — feels for you —
weeps with you — lets you rest your aching heart on Him —
and this will, little by little, minister to you an unspeakable
comfort and, what you will value more, it will turn your grief
into a Heavenward ladder up which you will mount to Him.
I pray daily for you, and am yours affectionately,
S. OXON.
The following letters to Mr. Gladstone refer to the
Ecclesiastical Courts and Registries (Ireland) Bill, by
which it was proposed to assimilate the final Court of
Appeal in Ireland to that of England, by adding the
Irish Archbishops who were Privy Councillors to the
Judicial Committee. The Bill passed the House of
Lords, but was withdrawn in the House of Commons
on August 17.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
June 27, i860.
My dear Gladstone, — You will see how little we did last
night. The Government gave their whole strength against us,
and it was only by their keeping every lord in waiting, &c, that
we were at last so outnumbered — sixteen to nine, I think — that
we could do nothing. I tried to express why I opposed. It
is fairly reported in ' The Times.' I saw after I left you that
the amendment I had prepared would not do, for that a point
of doctrine rising in an Irish Court might be decided by the
Privy Council, with the aid of the Irish Prelates alone, and
being a decision of the Supreme Court, would equally bind us.
I am quite convinced that the only course is to exclude all
Bishops from the Judicial Committee, where their presence is
simply mischievous, giving a colour to decisions they can very

,86°. NATIONAL EDUCATION.

457

little influence, and that in the wrong direction ; and that
what ought to be is making the Privy Council send any point
on which they wish for a theological opinion, as a point, to the
Bishops for a written reply ; and keeping the Privy Council
itself as a distinct legal tribunal to give legal decisions. I am
at Cuddesdon till Monday, and always affectionately yours,
S. Oxon.
The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
August 20, i860.
My dear Gladstone, — I do indeed rejoice that you have
been able to get rid of this wretched Bill, and I will do my
best to get the subject properly considered by the Bishops. But
you must not forget the great aggravation of all my difficulties
in that respect which is caused by the episcopal appointments of
this Government. The painstaking and intense hatred to all
Church views which we may expect from  will of course
still further aggravate the evil. Would it be possible to get
the Government to suggest, or even to agree to support, such
an arrangement as the late Bishop of London proposed, and
Lord Derby supported ? I fear we must count on the oppo
sition of the present Bishop of London. I am, ever very
affectionately yours, g Oxon
Since i860 all the conditions of the question of
National Education have been profoundly affected by
the action of the Legislature. On this account it has
been thought advisable to pass over controversies,
which if discussed at all must have received an
amount of attention so considerable as to be fatal to
the due proportions of a biography. The. questions
which surrounded the Management Clauses, or the
Education Grants and the reports which introduced
the Education Act belong to a phase of this great

458 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
subject which has already ceased to have practical
interest. But. the Bishop's own plan of Diocesan In
spection ought to be mentioned. It was carried out
by unpaid clerical inspectors, and was conducted al
most, if not entirely, free of cost ; whereas the Govern
ment Inspection was rapidly becoming an expensive as
well as a formal routine. The two letters which follow
give both the Bishop's and Mr. Gladstone's opinion on
the ' Conscience Clause,' about this time first mooted.

The Bishop of Oxford to the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone.
August 7, i860.
My dear Gladstone, — I. I can answer as to the matter
just spoken of between us at your house. Whether conscience
clauses are right or wrong, is one question. I think them
wrong. I think the managers should be at full liberty to act
in their sense ; and I advise all managers in my diocese to do
so, and they do. But it is quite another thing to give Dis
senters any rights as to the teaching of doctrine in Church
schools. Churchmen will not build and support such schools ;
then we come to national education on an education rate.
You sever charity from the work — you freeze up your whole
system, you put the settlement of the doctrine to be taught
into the hands of the ratepayers, and you will have most
speedily schools with no definite religious teaching alone helped
bypublic grants. But, II. right or wrong, conscience clauses can
not be enforced honestly under the existing 'minutes,' and there
fore the attempt to introduce them is me judice a fraud ; and,
III. the enforcing on Church schools Dissenting managers,
another of our complaints, is me judice in violation of (a) our
compact ; (b) of all reason. IV. The attempt to restrain the
managers' liberty of discretionally acting in the spirit of the
conscience clause seems to me monstrous ; in reason and in
our compact. Forgive me, my dear Gladstone, for pressing
these matters on you in all your present engagements. I want

i860. MR. GLADSTONE ON CONSCIENCE CLAUSES. 459
no answer ; but I want yott to consider all this, and the new
mischief it will do if a Cabinet of which YOU are a member,
is chargeable, not only with lowering our whole tone by putting
on the bench and promoting to the more important bishoprics
the lowest Churchmen ever placed there, but also with a new
attempt to wrest out of our hands the education of our own
poor. I am, your very affectionate o /->„„„

The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone to the
Bishop of Oxford.
August 11, i860.
My dear Bishop of Oxford, — There are two points to be
kept distinct in the matter before us. First, the question
whether anything is to done now ; secondly, the question
whether anything ought to be done at all. What I under
stand to be the view of the Government is that for the pre
sent we should act on the present system. I infer that no
change would take place without full opportunity of being
heard. As far, however, as the further question is concerned,
there appears to me to be an important distinction between
the two points raised. For conscience clauses there is much
to be said ; nor do I see that they are incompatible with the
due freedom of managers and unity of the system. On the
other hand, I think that the demand for the permission of
religious varieties in the governing body, is practically destruc
tive, both of the rights which promoters may fairly claim on
the ground of their voluntary efforts, and of the denomina
tional character of the school altogether. This I have strongly
represented to Granville, and have urged upon him that this
concession, which I think ought not to be made, assuredly
will be steadily and persistently refused. The only plea for
it would be that dissentients ought to have protectors in the
governing body ; but there is no force in this plea, for the
Committee of Council is their natural and sufficient protec
tion, and has the power of the purse wherewith to make their
protection effectual. But, as I have said, even with respect
to the general question of conscience clauses, my under-

460 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
standing is that it stands over. I understand, however, that
Llanelly school is a peculiar case — peculiar even in Wales,
which is all peculiar ; that the school has practically failed,
and that it is difficult to renew a grant of public money with
out taking some provisions against renewed failure. In this
there seems to me to be much force. I do not know what
may be done, but were I in Granville's place I should waive
the point about the governing body, and should say (assuming
the facts) if you want your grant now you may fairly be re
quired to tie it to the conscience clause. Granville tells me
that in Welsh cases the Committee has in prior cases made
efforts in this sense ; and he expresses strongly his anxiety
to maintain the status quo. Yours affectionately,
W. E. Gladstone.
The last meeting on behalf of the Mission to
Southern Africa was held at Brighton on October 1 ; it is
mentioned here to show how completely the tide of un
popularity had turned. In 1858 an indignation meeting
had been held at Brighton against the Bishop, when
public feeling found vent in very strong expressions.
The following account of the meeting is taken from a
letter of one who was present : '
On Sunday night the Secretary of the S. P. G. was very
unhappy, dreading the mob on the following morning. Our
meeting was to be held at noon in the Town Hall. I tried
to persuade my friend that it was not necessary to send for
extra policemen to keep order. What happened ? Long
before twelve o'clock the Town Hall was crammed to suffoca
tion. The whole street leading to it was crowded with
respectable people, hurraying and waving their handkerchiefs
as the Bishop passed, and when he entered the room there
was quite an ovation. He spoke with great energy, and the
result was a collection of 250/.
In November, the Bishop delivered his triennial

!86o. THEOLOGICAL COLLEGES. 46 1
charge ; and as it sums up the work of the diocese, it
seems a fitting end to this volume. He first referred
to Ordinations, on which he said that in the past
thirteen years the standard of knowledge among
the candidates had distinctly risen ; passing on from
this, he alluded to the benefits to be obtained from a
residence in a Theological College by men seeking
Holy Orders. He said :
The Universities are, for reasons obvious to all who are
practically acquainted with the subject, not exactly the places
to which young men who are preparing for Orders could
resort, after they had taken their degree. Neither are the
houses of most young men — not separate clerical houses^ —
likely to have the beneficial influence which a well-managed
Theological College has in favour of its inmates. The expe
rience and the personal piety of the principal and of his
assistant clergy are there brought to bear, with a marked
individuality of application, to each one within its walls. The
student has everything to invite him and to assist him to
theological study — he is taught to invent saving of time and
of labour, what to notice, what to learn, what to pass more
lightly over. He becomes accustomed to regular hours of
prayer, to religious reading, to adaptation and direction. If
anything can tend to perfect the man in his preparation for
his office, it would be the shelter, the quietness, the devout
atmosphere of such a residence. If anything can wake up a
man to seriousness, self-discipline, and prayer, it would be his
meeting day by day, hour by hour, and ever presenting to his
mind, as the one object of his future life, the difficult and
perilous charge of souls for whom Christ died.
The Bishop then noticed that in the past fifteen
years there appeared to him to be a diminution in the
number of men possessing the highest intellectual
qualities who sought the Ministry. After reviewing
the numbers of those confirmed, which had increased

462 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
by 2,529 over the preceding three years, and noticing
the advance in church building and the greatly in
creased number of Communicants in the Diocese, he
went on to condemn the practice of Evening Commu
nions as having no real precedent in the usage of the
Early Church, and as being at variance with the im
plied sense of the Rubric in our own Communion
Office : he accounted for the absence of more explicit
Rubrical directions on this point by observing
that at the time our Offices were compiled no Christian man
thought of any other time (than the morning) for its public
celebration. Alluding to Cuddesdon College, the Bishop said :
that during the past eighteen months a hundred applications
had been sent in for curates from seventeen dioceses. Never
have I seen with more thankfulness to God than at the present"
moment, the character of the work which the College has
done and is doing.
Education, Diocesan Inspection, Clergy Meetings,
Missions, Diocesan Societies, Pupil Teachers and Prize
Schemes, Penitentiaries — were successively reviewed,
and the review affords a remarkable illustration of the
Bishop's success in his fifteen years' work. The
Bishop, before alluding to matters not immediately
connected with the Diocese, but which affected the
Church generally — such as Missionary Work, Church
Rates, School Rates, the Law of Marriage, the Re
vision of the. Liturgy, Rationalism — thus sums up the
Diocesan position :
' Much cause may every one of us, from the highest
to the lowest, see to humble us before God, to rouse
us to greater labour, to awaken us to more earnest

i860. POSITION OF THE DIOCESE. 463
prayer. But we should indeed be ungrateful to Him
did we not also find much to call for our deep thanks
giving, to cheer our hopes and to turn our anxieties
into praise. For surely God has been pleased in a
signal manner. to accept and bless our endeavours.
The amount of real home work which He has enabled
us evidently to do, is a matter for our heartiest thanks
giving. With the deepest sense of our manifold short
comings, we may feel a humble confidence that, to a
great degree, the diocese is actively alive in its direct
spiritual ministrations, in the great work of education,
in churches and religious societies of all kinds, in church
building and church restoration, and with all this ac
tivity there is, I believe, also a remarkable amount
of peace and brotherly kindness, both amongst our
selves of the clergy, and between us and our lay
brethren, combined with an unusual measure of chas
tened zeal and of earnestness, tempered by sobriety,
both as to doctrine and to ritual.'
On December 14, the Bishop, who was returning
from the West of England, where he had been engaged
in advocating the claims of the Society for the Propa
gation of the Gospel, and had been laid up with a
severe cold affecting throat and chest, thus writes
to Mr. Gordon :
The Bishop of Oxford to the Hon. A. Gordon.
December 14, i860.
My dearest Arthur,— I am longing to hear from you. My
attack has proved so severe that the physician here (Bath)
has kept me a close prisoner, and not being able to go to
Wilton I have of course missed my letters, which have gone
there. This morning I am sent home to Cuddesdon, done up
with respirator, &c. I have just got ' The Times ' and read its

464 LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. chap. xiii.
announcement.7 Dearest Arthur, may God comfort you and
order your steps. If ever the blessing of the first command
ment with promise were sure to fall on any, it is on you — your
long attendance and care, the watchfulness and affection and
devotion of a life you have been permitted to render. I can
well understand the blank of these inactive hours which must
follow upon such a watching.
And he is at rest ! That just, upright, chastened, cour
teous spirit ; that clear perception and firm hold of truth ;
that comprehensive, calm retrospect, ennobling all his conver
sation — I shall hear it no more. How does my mind now
rest and delight itself on the words of humble self-distrusting
faith, which he spoke to me when he did open his heart, and
how grieved I am that I could not be with you in these last
hours, which I have spent in feverish suffering. Well it is all
ordered for us. Write to me when you can, my dearest Arthur,
and ever believe me to be more than ever now your most
affectionate s> Qx0N
Lord Aberdeen's funeral was fixed for Friday, De
cember 21, and in accordance with one of his last
wishes, ' that the Bishop should read the service,' the
Bishop, though still suffering severely from illness, went
from the midst of an Ordination examination to Stan-
more, near Harrow, to perform the last service he
could render to his friend. On the 19th, he writes to
Mr. Gordon :
If it please God I will be with you. My cold is still trying
but better, and I trust now that every hour will mend it. I
shall indeed rejoice to mingle my tears and my rejoicings, (for
both it must be when the haven has been won after such a
life,) with yours. I more and more feel what the loss is. The
last link of such a chain holding us to Pitt and the old giants,
and such an example of unselfish greatness of character. The
7 The death of Lord Aberdeen.

l86i- LORD ABERDEEN'S FUNERAL. 465
greatness of power mingled with simplicity — the elements of
all greatness. The Diary entry which follows, and the letter to
Lord R. Cavendish, describe the funeral.
December 21. — Off at 8-15 in order to attend Lord Aber
deen's funeral. Very cold. A wonderfully striking sight.
England's Premier — vanity of vanities ! — Graham's tall kingly
figure and bald head in the falling snow — Dear Arthur —
Gladstone, with his face speaking — Newcastle — the light within
the vault, a most impressive sight, engraven in my memory
for ever.

The Bishop of Oxford to Lord R. Cavendish.
Cuddesdon, Jan. 2, 1861.
My dear Cavendish, — Many thanks for your very kind
letter of the 14th, which I was prevented from answering
sooner by a very unusual press of business. Now I must say
to you, my very dear friend, how earnestly I desire for you
every happiness in the new year. Lord Aberdeen's funeral
was most striking. The vault was in an old ivy-grown corner
of the old church, now demolished, just under the old tower.
The heavy tread of the bearers crushed the snow, the great
flakes falling heavily through the whole service ; the form, in
particular, amongst the pall-bearers of Sir J. Graham, with
his massive figure and large bald head, bare, with the snow
falling on it. Gladstone's countenance, A. G.'s sorrow, the
light from within the vault. A. Gordon has spent one evening
here. He is just going to Egypt to his brother on family
business, and this, happily for him, makes a present occupa
tion of thought. I hope the Duke of Newcastle will give
him a foreign governorship, as this is now more than ever
desirable for him. I have got Reginald back invalided from
India, very tolerably restored by the journey, D.G., and now
we are all together, except Ernest, who is on a visit to the
VOL. H. H H

466 , LIFE OF BISHOP WILBERFORCE. CHAP. Xi'iY.
Andersons, but whom we expect home next week. I am
getting all right ; dear Mrs. Sargent feels this cold weather.
I fear we have no chance of a visit from _you ? I should so
like it. I am, your very affectionate c Oyon

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