The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 10, September, 1836Various
General
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 10, September, 1836
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
Figure to yourself an old woman with a face yellow and lank; let her
bend under the weight of fourscore years; wrinkle her forehead with as
many furrows as you can; let her voice be sharp and broken; let her
eyes be uncertain, restless and suspicious: would this creature not be
a faithful picture of his grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, the
first prelate of England, now seated alone on the highest bench of the
church? Is it not the very image of superstition itself? Decrepid,
crouching, shivering!
This venerable Archbishop, superannuated and unfit for all service as
he appears to you, has strength enough to speak the moment that any
question in the least touches the revenues of the church. Upon such
occasions his speeches invariably commence with many laudable
reflections on the advantages of tolerance, and as certainly end by
wishing damnation to popery both on earth and in heaven. This is at
least the object of these discourses, for it is no very easy matter to
seize their exact signification. His grace, who holds his
archbishopric of providence, has not however received from the same
divine source, the gift of expressing his religious rancor with much
ease or elegance. It always costs him a world of labor to put together
his anti-Catholic homilies, incoherent and broken as they are. One
would not say that gall flows from the lips of this mild prelate; he
rather spits it out.
Do you not observe behind his grace, that little yellowish man with
the eye of a caged tiger, constantly moving himself about, now leaning
forward, now appearing so impatient, playing and jumping about on his
bench: it is the bishop of Exeter, one of the sturdy pillars of the
fanatic church militant. This man is the most cunning and dangerous
foe to liberty; his evil nature clothes itself with all the seduction
of the most amiable manners. No one among these noble and holy
hypocrites has such exquisite politeness; or such gentle and
insinuating address. Never did a cat better conceal its claws under
the velvet of its feet.
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