Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Fiction
Anthony thanked the Archbishop very cordially for his kindness, and,
after receiving his blessing, left his presence. He had two or three more
talks with him before he left, but his difficulties were in no way
resolved. The Archbishop had an essentially Puritan mind, and could not
enter into Anthony's point of view at all. It may be roughly said that
from Grindal's standpoint all turned on the position and responsibility
of the individual towards the body to which he belonged: and that Anthony
rather looked at the corporate side first and the individual second.
Grindal considered, for example, the details of the Catholic religion in
reference to the individual, asking whether he could accept this or that:
Anthony's tendency was rather to consider the general question first, and
to take the difficulties in his stride afterwards. Anthony also had
interviews with the Archdeacon and chaplain whom Grindal had recommended;
but these were of even less service to him, as Dr. Redmayn was so frankly
contemptuous, and Mr. Chambers so ignorant, of the Romish religion that
Anthony felt he could not trust their judgment at all.
In the meanwhile, during this last fortnight of Anthony's Lambeth life,
he received a letter from Mr. Buxton, explaining what were the Spiritual
Exercises to which he had referred, and entreating Anthony to come and
stay with him at Stanfield.
"Now come, dear Mr. Norris," he wrote, "as soon as you leave the
Archbishop's service; I will place three or four rooms at your disposal,
if you wish for quiet; for I have more rooms than I know what to do with;
and you shall make the Exercises if you will with some good priest. They
are a wonderful method of meditation and prayer, designed by Ignatius
Loyola (one day doubtless to be declared saint), for the bringing about a
resolution of all doubts and scruples, and so clearing the eye of the
soul that she discerns God's Will, and so strengthening her that she
gladly embraces it. And that surely is what you need just now in your
perplexity."
The letter went on to describe briefly the method followed, and ended by
entreating him again to come and see him. Anthony answered this by
telling him of his resignation of his post at Lambeth, and accepting his
invitation; and he arranged to spend the last three weeks before Easter
at Stanfield, and to go down there immediately upon leaving Lambeth. He
determined not to go to Great Keynes first, or to see Isabel, lest his
resolution should be weakened. Already, he thought, his motives were
sufficiently mixed and perverted without his further aggravating their
earthly constituents.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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