1. The first specimen, which I shall give, is that, afforded by the Douay Doctors themselves, and afterward very greatly improved upon by the dexterous Bossuet Bishop of Meaux. Bertram of Corby, always admitted to be an orthodox catholic divine, had written, in the ninth century, a book on the Eucharist; which, in its natural construction, is plainly fatal to the doctrine of Transubstantiation. {63b} Whereupon, the Professors of Douay state; that Bertram’s book, when _emendated_, may be tolerated: observing with perfect truth, that, since they had kindly done the good office of _emendation_ for sundry other ancient catholic writers, no imaginable reason could be assigned, why Bertram, in all equity, should not deserve and receive _the same diligent recognition_. {64a} Numerous copies of the Work, however, escaped the ambiguous benefit of the Douay _emendation_. Bossuet, therefore, as in such cases the Professors wisely direct, finally judged it best to affix to Bertram’s undeniable phraseology _some convenient sense_. Hence, in settling the merits of the eucharistic controversy between Paschase and Bertram, the Bishop of Meaux compendiously assures us: that these two champions, with their respective followers, were all alike staunch Transubstantialists, though they unluckily differed as to the best mode of expressing and propounding their common favourite doctrine. {64b} 2. Another specimen occurs in the remarkable case of Elfric’s Epistle to Wulfstane, written about the close of the tenth century. The original Saxon, luckily preserved in the library of Exeter Cathedral, contains a passage flat against Transubstantiation. _Nevertheless_, _this sacrifice is_, NOT _the same body of his wherein he suffered for us_, NOR _the same blood which he shed for us_: _but_, SPIRITUALLY, _it is made his body and blood_; AS _was that manna which rained from heaven_, _and_ AS _was that water which did flow out of the rock_. {64c} Yet, in the Latin translation of the Epistle contained in the library of Worcester Cathedral, this passage, the decisive strength of which was evidently felt and tacitly acknowledged, has been carefully _erased_. {64d} 3. The treatment of the writings of Theodoret will afford us yet a third specimen. This Father, who lived in the fifth century, had expressed himself so strongly against the doctrine now denominated _Transubstantiation_, that John Clement, perceiving the force of his testimony, and losing his own temper, tore out and burned the guilty leaf which contained the passage. {65a} Now such a summary process might _emendate_ John Clement’s individual copy of Theodoret: but, unluckily, other copies were abroad in the world. What, then, was to be done? Why, truly, as the Douay Doctors advise in such cases, _a commodious sense_, by dint of _excogitating a comment_, must be affixed to the noxious passage.