History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to SwinburneLang, Andrew
History
History of English Literature from "Beowulf" to Swinburne
Lang, Andrew
English literature -- History and criticism
Preaching to "the little but excellent University of Dublin," Taylor
laid before them every way by which men, since the Reformation, had
sought religious peace and had failed to find it. The last way was
toleration, "a way of peace rather than of truth". "If we cannot have
both, for heaven's sake give us peace," was the view of some good men,
but, as each sect thought that it possessed truth, each, as it had the
opportunity, tried to make peace by forcing the others into conformity.
The godly "are not content that you _permit_ them; for they will not
permit you, but rule over your faith, and say that their way is not
only true, but necessary". Taylor gave his own counsel thus, "the way
to judge of religion is by doing our duty; and theology is rather a
Divine life than a Divine knowledge.... Let your adversaries have no
evil thing to say of you, and then you will best silence them...."
Leighton tried this method in Scotland, Taylor in Ireland, but who can
number "all the horrid things they said" about these prelates in both
countries!
Other Anglican divines can scarcely be treated within our space, of
these Robert South (born at Hackney, 1634, and educated at Westminster
and Christ Church) lived till 1716. He was in controversies often, and
a rather tart critic of both Fuller and Jeremy Taylor; he had much
force and not a little wit. Chillingworth, Hales, and others, are to
us little more than shadows of great names, with Isaac Barrow, equally
great in Greek and mathematics, and a preacher whom Charles II could
hear with pleasure. Richard Baxter (1615-1691), whose conscience after
the Restoration caused him to throw in his lot with the Nonconformists,
by his "Saints' Everlasting Rest" (1650) won and deserved popularity;
he shared with Glanvill and Henry More the love of a good ghost story,
and has left on record an excellent death-wraith. Ralph Cudworth
(1617-1688) and Henry More (1614-1687), in verse and prose a mystic and
a Platonist or Neo-platonist, are still dear to a fit though limited
audience.
Thomas Fuller.
Thomas Fuller, born (1608) like Dryden, later, at the village of
Aldwinkle, is a writer of the same group as Jeremy Taylor and Sir
Thomas Browne: that is, his manner is quaint and his matter is full of
learning from all quarters. Though a Royalist and in orders, during the
Civil War, he was not an extremist; and his humour and love of a jest
qualified him for the post of a chaplain in a Cavalier army.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account