Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Fiction
"The other day," he said, "when we had some hope of your conversion, we
forbare you much, and suffered you to discourse; but now that we see you
are an obstinate heretic, and seek to cover the light of the truth with
multitude of words, we mean not to allow you such large discourses as we
did."
"You are very imperious to-day," answered Campion serenely, "whatsoever
the matter is. I am the Queen's prisoner, and none of yours."
"Not a whit imperious," said Fulke angrily,--"though I will exact of you
to keep the right order of disputation."
Then the argument began. It soon became plain to Anthony that it was
possible to take the Scripture in two senses, literally and
metaphorically. The sacrament either was literally Christ's body, or it
was not. Who then was to decide? Father Campion said it meant the one;
Dr. Fulke the other. Could it be possible that Christ should leave His
people in doubt as to such a thing? Surely not, thought Anthony. Well,
then, where is the arbiter? Father Campion says, The Church; Dr. Fulke
says, The Scripture. But that is a circular argument, for the question to
be decided is: What does the Scripture mean? for it may mean at least two
things, at least so it would seem. Here then he found himself face to
face with the claims of the Church of Rome to be that arbiter; and his
heart began to grow sick with apprehension as he saw how that Church
supplied exactly what was demanded by the circumstances of the case--that
is, an infallible living guide as to the meaning of God's Revelation. The
simplicity of her claim appalled him.
He did not follow the argument closely, since it seemed to him but a
secondary question now; though he heard one or two sentences. At one
point Campion was explaining what the Church meant by substance. It was
that which transcended the senses.
"Are you not Dr. Fulke?" he said. "And yet I see nothing but your colour
and exterior form. The substance of Dr. Fulke cannot be seen."
"I will not vouchsafe to reply upon this answer," snarled Fulke, whose
temper had not been improved by the debate--"too childish for a
sophister!"
Then followed interminable syllogisms, of which Campion would not accept
the premises; and no real progress was made. The Jesuit tried to explain
the doctrine that the wicked may be said not to eat the Body in the
Sacrament, because they receive not the virtue of It, though they receive
the Thing; but Fulke would not hear him. The distinction was new to
Anthony, with his puritan training, and he sat pondering it while the
debate passed on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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