John Inglesant: A Romance (Volume 1 of 2)Shorthouse, J. H. (Joseph Henry)
History
John Inglesant: A Romance (Volume 1 of 2)
Shorthouse, J. H. (Joseph Henry)
Great Britain -- History -- Charles I, 1625-1649 -- Fiction; Religious fiction
After the service, the family and all the visitors returned to the
mansion house in the order in which they had come, and the Psalm
children were entertained with a dinner in the great hall; all the
family and visitors came in to see them served, and Mrs. Collet, as her
mother had always done, placed the first dish on the table herself to
give an example of humility. Grace having been said, the bell rang for
the dinner of the family, who, together with the visitors, repaired to
the great dining-room, and stood in order round the table. While the
dinner was being served they sang a hymn to the organ at the upper end
of the room. Then grace was said by the Priest who had celebrated the
communion, and they sat down. All the servants who had received the
Sacrament that day sat at table with the rest. During dinner one of the
young people whose turn it was, read a chapter from the Bible, and when
that was finished conversation was allowed; Mr. Ferrar and some of the
other gentlemen endeavouring to make it of a character suitable to the
day, and to the service they had just taken part in. After dinner they
went to Church again for evening prayer; between which service and
supper Inglesant had some talk with Mr. Ferrar concerning the Papists
and Mr. Crashaw’s opinion of them.
"I ought to be a fit person to advise you," said Mr. Ferrar with a
melancholy smile, "for I am myself, as it were, crushed between the
upper and nether millstone of contrary reports, for I suffer equal
obloquy—and no martyrdom is worse than that of continual obloquy—both
for being a Papist and a Puritan. You will suppose there must be some
strong reason why I, who value so many things among the Papists so much,
have not joined them myself. I should probably have escaped much
violent invective if I had done so. You are very young, and are placed
where you can see and judge of both parties. You possess sufficient
insight to try the spirits whether they be of God. Be not hasty to
decide, and before you decide to join the Romish communion, make a tour
abroad, and if you can, go to Rome itself. When I was in Italy and
Spain, I made all the inquiries and researches I could. I bought many
scarce and valuable books in the languages of those countries, in
collecting which I had a principal eye to those which treated on the
subjects of spiritual life, devotion, and religious retirement, but the
result of all was that I am now, and I shall die, as I believe and hope
shortly, in the Communion of the English Church. This day, as I
believe, the blessed Sacrament has been in the Church before our eyes,
and what can you or I desire more?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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