Produced by KarenD, Julia Miller and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr) FOUR YEARS IN FRANCE. * * * * * FOUR YEARS IN FRANCE; OR, NARRATIVE OF AN ENGLISH FAMILY'S RESIDENCE THERE DURING THAT PERIOD; PRECEDED BY SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CONVERSION OF THE AUTHOR TO THE CATHOLIC FAITH. * * * * * Rien n'est beau que LE VRAI. * * * * * LONDON: HENRY COLBURN, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. * * * * * 1826. Printed by A. J. Valpy, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. CONTENTS. Page SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CONVERSION OF THE AUTHOR TO THE CATHOLIC FAITH, IN 1798. The author's father and grandfather, prebendaries of Lincoln.--The Cathedral service described.--The service in Magdalen College Chapel at Oxford.--The author's mother and his maternal ancestry.--November 5th.--School at which the author studies.--Mrs. Ravenscroft, a Catholic neighbour.--Dr. Geddes.--The author matriculates at Oxford.--The Tale of a Tub, its speciousness.--The Douay Translation of the New Testament.--Advice of a schoolmaster.--Gibbon the Historian.--Defence of the Reformed Church.--Argument derived from the exclusive antiquity of the Roman Catholic Church.--The Kirk of Scotland denies that it can be in the wrong, as strenuously as the Church of England does.--Infallibility.--Richard Paget.--Archbishop Laud.--The author takes the degree of Master of Arts.--In Deacon's orders: he fills a curacy in Lincoln.--Becomes a fellow of his college.--He resides on his fellowship.--His probationary exercise.--His sermon at St. Mary's Church, Oxford.--Its success.--He preaches against non-residence.--Decease of his mother.--The author resigns his fellowship, and removes to Lincoln.--The Bampton lecture.--Dr. Routh.--M. l'Abbé Beaumont, an emigrant priest at Lincoln.--A disputation.--Catholic arguments which impress the author's imagination.--Nicole and Arnaud.--Bossuet.--Ward's errata.--Of the sacraments.--Of purgatory.--Chillingworth.--Of abstinence.--The author convinced, after investigation, of the genuineness of the Roman Catholic doctrines, visits London.--He attends high mass.--His conversation with Dr. Douglas, the R. C. metropolitan bishop.--Rev. Mr. Hodgson appointed to be his priest and confessor.--His conversion completed.--The author baptised.--The author's apology to the Protestants, on account of his having been in holy orders of the Established Church.--He receives confirmation in the chapel of Virginia-street.--The author's