Page:Works of Thomas Carlyle - Volume 03.djvu/174

156 right or might, among all the parties, has better or worse accomplished itself, as it could. But, on the whole, reckoning from Martin Luther in the Market-place of Wittenberg to Marquis Saint-Huruge in this Palais Royal of Paris, what a journey have we gone; into what strange territories has it carried us! No Authority can now interfere. Nay Religion herself, mourning for such things, may after all ask, What have I to do with them?

In such extraordinary manner does dead Catholicism somerset and caper, skilfully galvanised. For, does the reader inquire into the subject-matter of controversy in this case; what the difference between Orthodoxy or My-doxy and Heterodoxy or Thy-doxy might here be? My-doxy is, that an august National Assembly can equalise the extent of Bishopricks; that an equalised Bishop, his Creed and Formularies being left quite as they were, can swear Fidelity to King, Law and Nation, and so become a Constitutional Bishop. Thy-doxy, if thou be Dissident, is that he cannot; but that he must become an accursed thing. Human ill-nature needs but some Homoiousian iota, or even the pretence of one; and will flow copiously through the eye of a needle thus always must mortals go jargoning and fuming.

This Auto-da-fé of Saint-Huruge's was on the Fourth of May 1791. Royalty sees it; but says nothing.

, in fact, should, by this time, be far on with its preparations. Unhappily much preparation is needful. Could