Surely not blindly? PATRIARCH. Who says that? Indeed None should omit to make use of the reason Given him by God, in things where it belongs, But it belongs not everywhere; for instance, If God, by some one of his blessed angels, Or other holy minister of his word, Deign’d to make known a mean, by which the welfare Of Christendom, or of his holy church, In some peculiar and especial manner Might be promoted or secured, who then Shall venture to rise up, and try by reason The will of him who has created reason, Measure th’ eternal laws of heaven by The little rules of a vain human honour?— But of all this enough. What is it then On which our counsel is desired? TEMPLAR. Suppose, My reverend father, that a Jew possessed An only child, a girl we’ll say, whom he With fond attention forms to every virtue, And loves more than his very soul; a child Who by her pious love requites his goodness. And now suppose it whispered—say to me— This girl is not the daughter of the Jew, He picked up, purchased, stole her in her childhood— That she was born of Christians and baptised, But that the Jew hath reared her as a Jewess, Allows her to remain a Jewess, and To think herself his daughter. Reverend father What then ought to be done? PATRIARCH. I shudder! But First will you please explain if such a case Be fact, or only an hypothesis? That is to say, if you, of your own head, Invent the case, or if indeed it happened, And still continues happening? TEMPLAR. I had thought That just to learn your reverence’s opinion This were all one. PATRIARCH. All one—now see how apt Proud human reason is in spiritual things To err: ’tis not all one; for, if the point In question be a mere sport of the wit, ’Twill not be worth our while to think it through But I should recommend the curious person To theatres, where oft, with loud applause, Such pro and contras have been agitated. But if the object should be something more Than by a school-trick—by a sleight of logic To get the better of me—if the case Be really extant, if it should have happened Within our diocese, or—or perhaps Here in our dear Jerusalem itself, Why then— TEMPLAR. What then? PATRIARCH. Then were it proper To execute at once upon the Jew The penal laws in such a case provided By papal and imperial right, against So foul a crime—such dire abomination. TEMPLAR. So. PATRIARCH.