When the English public, therefore, were assured by their coreligionists on the other side of St. George’s Channel, that at last the good work was doing; that the flame spread, even rapidly; that not only parishes but provinces were all agog8, and that both town and country were quite in a heat of proselytism, they began to believe that at last the scarlet9 lady was about to be dethroned; they loosened their purse-strings; fathers of families contributed their zealous10 five pounds, followed by every other member of the household, to the babe in arms, who subscribed its fanatical five shillings. The affair looked well. The journals teemed11 with lists of proselytes and cases of conversion; and even orderly, orthodox people, who were firm in their own faith, but wished others to be permitted to pursue their errors in peace, began to congratulate each other on the prospect12 of our at last becoming a united Protestant people.
In the blaze and thick of the affair, Irish Protestants jubilant, Irish Papists denouncing the whole movement as fraud and trumpery13, John Bull perplexed14, but excited, and still subscribing15, a young bishop16 rose in his place in the House of Lords, and, with a vehemence17 there unusual, declared that he saw ‘the finger of God in this second Reformation,’ and, pursuing the prophetic vein18 and manner, denounced ‘woe to those who should presume to lift up their hands and voices in vain and impotent attempts to stem the flood of light that was bursting over Ireland.’
In him, who thus plainly discerned ‘the finger of God’ in transactions in which her family and feelings were so deeply interested, the young and enthusiastic Duchess of Bellamont instantly recognised the ‘man of God;’ and from that moment the right reverend prelate became, in all spiritual affairs, her infallible instructor19, although the impending20 second Reformation did chance to take the untoward21 form of the emancipation22 of the Roman Catholics, followed in due season by the destruction of Protestant bishoprics, the sequestration of Protestant tithes23, and the endowment of Maynooth.
In speculating on the fate of public institutions and the course of public affairs, it is important that we should not permit our attention to be engrossed24 by the principles on which they are founded and the circumstances which they present, but that we should also remember how much depends upon the character of the individuals who are in the position to superintend or to direct them.
The Church of England, mainly from its deficiency of oriental knowledge, and from a misconception of the priestly character which has been the consequence of that want, has fallen of late years into great straits; nor has there ever been a season when it has more needed for its guides men possessing the higher qualities both of intellect and disposition25. About five-and-twenty years ago, it began to be discerned that the time had gone by, at least in England, for bishoprics to serve as appanages for the younger sons of great families. The Arch–Mediocrity who then governed this country, and the mean tenor26 of whose prolonged administration we have delineated in another work, was impressed with the necessity of reconstructing the episcopal bench on principles of personal distinction and ability. But his notion of clerical capacity did not soar higher than a private tutor who had suckled a young noble into university honours; and his test of priestly celebrity27 was the decent editorship of a Greek play. He sought for the successors of the apostles, for the stewards28 of the mysteries of Sinai and of Calvary, among third-rate hunters after syllables29.
These men, notwithstanding their elevation30, with one exception, subsided31 into their native insignificance32; and during our agitated33 age, when the principles of all institutions, sacred and secular34, have been called in question; when, alike in the senate and the market-place, both the doctrine and the discipline of the Church have been impugned35, its power assailed36, its authority denied, the amount of its revenues investigated, their disposition criticised, and both attacked; not a voice has been raised by these mitred nullities, either to warn or to vindicate37; not a phrase has escaped their lips or their pens, that ever influenced public opinion, touched the heart of nations, or guided the conscience of a perplexed people. If they were ever heard of it was that they had been pelted38 in a riot.
The exception which we have mentioned to their sorry careers was that of the too adventurous39 prophet of the second Reformation; the ductor dubitantium appealed to by the Duchess of Bellamont, to convince her son that the principles of religious truth, as well as of political justice, required no further investigation41; at least by young marquesses.
The ready audacity42 with which this right reverend prelate had stood sponsor for the second Reformation is a key to his character. He combined a great talent for action with very limited powers of thought.
Bustling43, energetic, versatile44, gifted with an indomitable perseverance45, and stimulated46 by an ambition that knew no repose47, with a capacity for mastering details and an inordinate48 passion for affairs, he could permit nothing to be done without his interference, and consequently was perpetually involved in transactions which were either failures or blunders. He was one of those leaders who are not guides. Having little real knowledge, and not endowed with those high qualities of intellect which permit their possessor to generalise the details afforded by study and experience, and so deduce rules of conduct, his lordship, when he received those frequent appeals which were the necessary consequence of his officious life, became obscure, confused, contradictory49, inconsistent, illogical. The oracle51 was always dark.
Placed in a high post in an age of political analysis, the bustling intermeddler was unable to supply society with a single solution. Enunciating secondhand, with characteristic precipitation, some big principle in vogue, as if he were a discoverer, he invariably shrank from its subsequent application the moment that he found it might be unpopular and inconvenient52. All his quandaries53 terminated in the same catastrophe54; a compromise. Abstract principles with him ever ended in concrete expediency55. The aggregate56 of circumstances outweighed57 the isolated58 cause. The primordial59 tenet, which had been advocated with uncompromising arrogance60, gently subsided into some second-rate measure recommended with all the artifice61 of an impenetrable ambiguity62.
Beginning with the second Reformation, which was a little rash but dashing, the bishop, always ready, had in the course of his episcopal career placed himself at the head of every movement in the Church which others had originated, and had as regularly withdrawn63 at the right moment, when the heat was over, or had become, on the contrary, excessive. Furiously evangelical, soberly high and dry, and fervently64 Puseyite, each phasis of his faith concludes with what the Spaniards term a ‘transaction.’ The saints are to have their new churches, but they are also to have their rubrics and their canons; the universities may supply successors to the apostles, but they are also presented with a church commission; even the Puseyites may have candles on their altars, but they must not be lighted.
It will be seen, therefore, that his lordship was one of those characters not ill-adapted to an eminent65 station in an age like the present, and in a country like our own; an age of movement, but of confused ideas; a country of progress, but too rich to risk much change. Under these circumstances, the spirit of a period and a people seeks a safety-valve in bustle66. They do something, lest it be said that they do nothing. At such a time, ministers recommend their measures as experiments, and parliaments are ever ready to rescind67 their votes. Find a man who, totally destitute68 of genius, possesses nevertheless considerable talents; who has official aptitude69, a volubility of routine rhetoric70, great perseverance, a love of affairs; who, embarrassed neither by the principles of the philosopher nor by the prejudices of the bigot, can assume, with a cautious facility, the prevalent tone, and disembarrass himself of it, with a dexterous71 ambiguity, the moment it ceases to be predominant; recommending himself to the innovator72 by his approbation73 of change ‘in the abstract,’ and to the conservative by his prudential and practical respect for that which is established; such a man, though he be one of an essentially74 small mind, though his intellectual qualities be less than moderate, with feeble powers of thought, no imagination, contracted sympathies, and a most loose public morality; such a man is the individual whom kings and parliaments would select to govern the State or rule the Church. Change, ‘in the abstract,’ is what is wanted by a people who are at the same time inquiring and wealthy. Instead of statesmen they desire shufflers; and compromise in conduct and ambiguity in speech are, though nobody will confess it, the public qualities now most in vogue.
Not exactly, however, those calculated to meet the case of Tancred. The interview was long, for Tan-cred listened with apparent respect and deference75 to the individual under whose auspices76 he had entered the Church of Christ; but the replies to his inquiries77, though more adroit78 than the duke’s, were in reality not more satisfactory, and could not, in any way, meet the inexorable logic50 of Lord Montacute. The bishop was as little able as the duke to indicate the principle on which the present order of things in England was founded; neither faith nor its consequence, duty, was at all illustrated79 or invigorated by his handling. He utterly80 failed in reconciling a belief in ecclesiastical truth with the support of religious dissent81. When he tried to define in whom the power of government should repose, he was lost in a maze82 of phrases, and afforded his pupil not a single fact.
‘It cannot be denied,’ at length said Tancred, with great calmness, ‘that society was once regulated by God, and that now it is regulated by man. For my part, I prefer divine to self-government, and I wish to know how it is to be attained83.’
‘The Church represents God upon earth,’ said the bishop.
‘But the Church no longer governs man,’ replied Tancred.
‘There is a great spirit rising in the Church,’ observed the bishop, with thoughtful solemnity; ‘a great and excellent spirit. The Church of 1845 is not the Church of 1745. We must remember that; we know not what may happen. We shall soon see a bishop at Manchester.’
‘But I want to see an angel at Manchester.’
‘An angel!’
‘Why not? Why should there not be heavenly messengers, when heavenly messages are most wanted?’
‘We have received a heavenly message by one greater than the angels,’ said the bishop. ‘Their visits to man ceased with the mightier84 advent40.’
‘Then why did angels appear to Mary and her companions at the holy tomb?’ inquired Tancred.
The interview from which so much was anticipated was not satisfactory. The eminent prelate did not realise Tancred’s ideal of a bishop, while his lordship did not hesitate to declare that Lord Montacute was a visionary.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
millennium
|
|
| n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
conversion
|
|
| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
subscribed
|
|
| v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
missionaries
|
|
| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
Vogue
|
|
| n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
doctrine
|
|
| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
subscriptions
|
|
| n.（报刊等的）订阅费( subscription的名词复数 )；捐款；（俱乐部的）会员费；捐助 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
agog
|
|
| adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
zealous
|
|
| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
teemed
|
|
| v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
prospect
|
|
| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
trumpery
|
|
| n.无价值的杂物；adj.（物品）中看不中用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
perplexed
|
|
| adj.不知所措的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
subscribing
|
|
| v.捐助( subscribe的现在分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
bishop
|
|
| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
vehemence
|
|
| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
vein
|
|
| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
instructor
|
|
| n.指导者，教员，教练 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
impending
|
|
| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
untoward
|
|
| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
emancipation
|
|
| n.（从束缚、支配下）解放 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
tithes
|
|
| n.（宗教捐税）什一税，什一的教区税，小部分( tithe的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
engrossed
|
|
| adj.全神贯注的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
disposition
|
|
| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
tenor
|
|
| n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
celebrity
|
|
| n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
stewards
|
|
| （轮船、飞机等的）乘务员( steward的名词复数 )； （俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的）管理员； （大型活动的）组织者； （私人家中的）管家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
syllables
|
|
| n.音节( syllable的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
elevation
|
|
| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
subsided
|
|
| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
insignificance
|
|
| n.不重要；无价值；无意义 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
agitated
|
|
| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
secular
|
|
| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
impugned
|
|
| v.非难，指谪( impugn的过去式和过去分词 )；对…有怀疑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
assailed
|
|
| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
vindicate
|
|
| v.为…辩护或辩解，辩明；证明…正确 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
pelted
|
|
| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
adventurous
|
|
| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
advent
|
|
| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
investigation
|
|
| n.调查，调查研究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
audacity
|
|
| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
bustling
|
|
| adj.喧闹的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
versatile
|
|
| adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
perseverance
|
|
| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
stimulated
|
|
| a.刺激的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
repose
|
|
| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
inordinate
|
|
| adj.无节制的；过度的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
contradictory
|
|
| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
logic
|
|
| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
oracle
|
|
| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
inconvenient
|
|
| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
quandaries
|
|
| n.窘困( quandary的名词复数 )；不知所措；左右为难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
catastrophe
|
|
| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
expediency
|
|
| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
aggregate
|
|
| adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
outweighed
|
|
| v.在重量上超过( outweigh的过去式和过去分词 )；在重要性或价值方面超过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
isolated
|
|
| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
primordial
|
|
| adj.原始的；最初的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
arrogance
|
|
| n.傲慢，自大 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
artifice
|
|
| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
ambiguity
|
|
| n.模棱两可；意义不明确 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
withdrawn
|
|
| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
fervently
|
|
| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
eminent
|
|
| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
bustle
|
|
| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
rescind
|
|
| v.废除，取消 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
destitute
|
|
| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
aptitude
|
|
| n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
rhetoric
|
|
| n.修辞学，浮夸之言语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
dexterous
|
|
| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
innovator
|
|
| n.改革者；创新者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
approbation
|
|
| n.称赞；认可 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
essentially
|
|
| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
deference
|
|
| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
auspices
|
|
| n.资助，赞助 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
inquiries
|
|
| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
adroit
|
|
| adj.熟练的，灵巧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
illustrated
|
|
| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
dissent
|
|
| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
maze
|
|
| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
attained
|
|
| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
mightier
|
|
| adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |