Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/85

 1580.] THE JESUIT INVASION. 69 lation of knowledge, and the mental expansion which came with it, had shown intelligent men that things which their forefathers had believed to be true were not true. That a priest, by muttering a few words, could convert a cake into Almighty Grod, had become for ever incredible to them. The Church had said, You shall believe it or we will kill you ; and the State had inter- posed with the stern intimation that the Church should do nothing of the kind. You priests and bishops, the English Parliament had said, shall have stake and gibbet at your disposition no more. You had power once, and you abused it, and we shall not trust you again. For these abstruse questions we cannot absolutely say what is true, nor do we believe that you can say. Within the limits of reverence and piety we will allow men to think for themselves. Our own laws are politically suffi- cient for us. Your master the Pope has no authority in this island, and shall not meddle with us. If you will obey the law and live peaceably, you shall have the same protection from us that others have. If you will not obey, if you choose to persist in claims which we deny, and conspire with strangers against the Govern- ment of your country, your so-called sacred character shall not save you. We will hang you as we would hang any other traitor. This was the position which Oampian had really to assail, and keener arguments were needed to overcome it than were to be found in the patristic armoury. It became daily more and more clear that mischief was intended, and Elizabeth, against her will, was compelled