The Bishops of France, such of them as are not
Gallicans, have been placed by the Encyclical in a very embarrassing position. It is part of their creed that the Pope is greater than Cm3ar, but then Cmsar pays their wages, and the Pope does not. Consequently, as Cmsar has prohibited the Encyclical they are puzzled. They would all of course accept the crown of martyrdom by fire, but a crown of martyrdom in the shape of sixpence a day and find your- self has little dignity about it. The Archbishop of Cambrai therefore declares that "no human Government can deprive the Pope's words of their power to bind the conscience," but does not reprint them ; the Bishop of Montauban satirizes the prohibitory order as a very unpleasant arenne, but will wait for better times ; the Bishop of Moulins denounces the order, but only reads the Encyclical as an appendix to his sermon ; and the Bishop of Poitiers dares any human hand to interfere with the Anointed of the Lord, and therefore bans six Parisian journals by name, but not
any official! The true way to control priests is not to scourge but to pay them,—a lesson we shall one day learn in Ireland.
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