one of whom advocates the personal government of an individual ruler,
and the other that form of State, which has come to be called a Red
Republic, they deal, no doubt, weighty blows of oratory at each
other, but blows which never hurt at the moment. They may cut each
other's throats if they can find an opportunity; but they do not bite
each other like dogs over a bone. But when opponents are almost in
accord, as is always the case with our parliamentary gladiators, they
are ever striving to give maddening little wounds through the joints
of the harness. What is there with us to create the divergence
necessary for debate but the pride of personal skill in the
encounter? Who desires among us to put down the Queen, or to
repudiate the National Debt, or to destroy religious worship, or even
to disturb the ranks of society? When some small measure of reform
has thoroughly recommended itself to the country,--so thoroughly that
all men know that the country will have it,--then the question arises
whether its details shall be arranged by the political party which
calls itself Liberal,--or by that which is termed Conservative. The
men are so near to each other in all their convictions and theories
of life that nothing is left to them but personal competition for the
doing of the thing that is to be done. It is the same in religion.
The apostle of Christianity and the infidel can meet without a chance
of a quarrel; but it is never safe to bring together two men who
differ about a saint or a surplice.

Mr. Daubeny, having thus attacked and wounded his enemy, rushed
boldly into the question of Church Reform, taking no little pride
to himself and to his party that so great a blessing should be
bestowed upon the country from so unexpected a source. "See what we
Conservatives can do. In fact we will conserve nothing when we find
that you do not desire to have it conserved any longer. _'Quod minime
reris Graia pandetur ab urbe.'_" It was exactly the reverse of the
complaint which Mr. Gresham was about to make. On the subject of
the Church itself he was rather misty but very profound. He went
into the question of very early Churches indeed, and spoke of the
misappropriation of endowments in the time of Eli. The establishment
of the Levites had been no doubt complete; but changes had been
effected as circumstances required. He was presumed to have alluded
to the order of Melchisedek, but he abstained from any mention of the
name. He