montane principles on the power of
the Pope had always been discountenanced, the disputes of Jansenism were
supposed to reduce it very low. On each side, therefore, the time was
thought favourable to the project of Reunion.

It was also favourable to it, that, a few years before this time, an
event had taken place, which naturally tended to put both sides into
good humour.

On the occasion of the marriage of the Princess Christina of
Wolfenbuttell, a Lutheran, with the archduke of Austria, her court
consulted the faculty of theology of the University of Helmstadt, on
the question,

"Whether a Protestant Princess, destined to marry a catholic
prince, could, without wounding her conscience, embrace the Roman
Catholic religion?" The faculty replied, that, "it could not answer
the proposed question, in a solid manner, without having previously
decided, whether the catholics were, or were not engaged in errors,
that were fundamental, and opposed to salvation; or, (which was the
same thing), whether the state of the catholic church was such,
that persons might practise in it, the true worship of God, and
arrive at salvation." This question the divines of Helmstadt,
discussed at length; and concluded in these terms: "After having
shown, that the foundation of religion, subsists in the Roman
Catholic religion, so that a person may be orthodox in it, live
well in it, die well in it, and obtain salvation in it, the
discussion of the proposed question, is easy. We are, therefore, of
opinion, that the most Serene Princess of Wolfenbuttell, may, in
favour of her marriage, embrace the catholic religion."

This opinion is dated the 28th of April 1707, and was printed in the
same year at Cologne. The Journalists of Trevoux inserted both the
original and a French translation of it in their journal of May, 1708.

Under these circumstances, the correspondence in question took place. It
began, in 1718, through Doctor Beauvoir, chaplain to Lord Stair, his
Britannic majesty's ambassador at Paris. Some conversation, on the
reunion of the two churches, having taken place, between Doctor Dupin,
and him, he acquainted the archbishop of Canterbury, with the subject of
them. This communication, produced some compliments from the archbishop,
to Dr. Dupin, and these, led the latter, to address, to his grace, a
letter, in which he mentioned generally, that, on some points in
disput