22 APRIL 1905, Page 14

CHURCH AND STATE IN ENGLAND.

(TO THZ EDITOR OF THEO SPEOPATOR."] SIR,—May I presume to criticise one statement made by your reviewer in the Spectator of April 15th in his reference to my

book, "Church and State in England" ? I tried to show that Bishops Gardiner and Tunstall were truly Catholic whilst at the same time they rejected the Roman Obedience, and your reviewer says that "a more remarkable utterance by an Anglican we have never seen." The reviewer has evidently overlooked the quotations I made from Gardiner's book, "De Vera Obedientia," and Tnnstall's reply to Pole, which amply bear out my contention. Of course both Gardiner and Tunstall became Roman after the "reconciliation" which took place in Mary's reign ; but they, with many others, accepted the change because they despaired of any other way out of the dreadful condition produced by the wicked doings of the harpies of Edward's reign. It is evident that Lord

Tennyson read history in the same way as I did, for in his play, Queen Mary, he represents Gardiner as saying (Act III., Scene 3) :— "But the Pope— Can we not have the Catholic church as well Without as with the Italian? if we cannot, Why then the Pope."

And again (Act IlL, Scene 4)

"In those times, Thou knowest we had to dodge, or duck, or die; I kept my head for use of Holy Church; And see you, we shall have to dodge again, And let the Pope trample our rights, and plunge His foreign fist into our island Church To plump the leaner pouch of Italy. For a time, for a time."

—I am, Sir, &c., W. H. ABRA.HAM.

S. Augustine's Vicarage, Hull.

[The point is this. Dr. Abraham calls as witnesses to the "truly Catholic character" of the First Book two anti- Reformers. It cannot be alleged that Gardiner and Tunstall would have accepted the Book of Common Prayer. The question of Obedience is not concerned.—En. Spectatorl