a suit of clothes was wanted, to have the journeyman tailor at home to
make it. One, Danny of that ilk, was once at Bishop's Court making
a long walking coat for the Bishop. In trying it on in its nebulous
condition, that leprosy of open white seams and stitches, Danny made
numerous chalk marks to indicate the places of the buttons. "No, no,
Danny," said the Bishop, "no more buttons than enough to fasten it--only
one, that will do. It would ill become a poor priest like me to go
a-glitter with things like those." Now, Danny had already bought his
buttons, and had them at that moment in his pocket. So, pulling a
woful face, he said, "Mercy me, my lord, what would happen to the poor
button-makers, if everybody was of your opinion?" "Button it all over,
Danny," said the Bishop. A coat of Bishop Wilson's still exists. Would
that we had that one of the numerous buttons, and could get a few more
made of the same pattern! It would be out of fashion--Danny's progeny
have taken care of that. There are not many of us that it would fit--we
have few men of Bishop Wilson's build nowadays. But human kindliness is
never old-fashioned, and there are none of us that the garment of sweet
grace would not suit.

QUARRELS OF CHURCH AND STATE

So far from "flattering princes in the temple of God," Bishop Wilson was
even morbidly jealous of the authority of the Church, and he resisted
that of the State when the civil powers seemed to encroach upon it. More
than once he came into collision with the State's highest functionary,
the Lieutenant-Governor, representative of the Lord of Man himself. One
day the Governor's wife falsely defamed a lady, and the lady appealed
to the Bishop. Thereupon the Bishop interdicted the Governor's wife
from receiving the communion. But the Governor's chaplain admitted
her. Straightway the Bishop suspended the Governor's chaplain. Then the
Governor fined the Bishop in the sum of fifty pounds. The Bishop refused
to pay, and was committed to Castle Rushen, and lay there two months.
They show us his cell, a poor, dingy little box, so damp in his day that
he lost the use of some of his fingers. After that the Bishop appealed
to the Lord, who declared the imprisonment illegal. The Bishop was
liberated, and half the island went to the prison gate to fetch him
forth in triumph. The only result was that the Bishop lost L500, whereof
L300 were subscribed by the people. One hardly knows whether to laugh
or cry at it al