It would appear that a few of the highest of
the High Church have entered into an intrigue with Rome, the object being to get Rome to establish in England a " Uniat " Church, in subordina- tion to the Papacy, but with certain relaxations of discipline suit- able to a country which has long been separated from Rome. Who were the authors of this movement, and what the conces- sions asked for were, we do not know. But it has elicited a pro- test from about a hundred of the very High Church, including Mr. Mackonochie, Mr. Ridsdale, and other culprits of our Eccle- siastical Courts, in which these clergymen declare that not so much as a basis of negotiation with Rome is possible, "till the
Vatican decrees have been retracted and repealed with as much formality as they were promulgated." Ti, then, these gentlemen ever break off from the English Church, they will obviously have to set up for themselves. An infallible Church which has no means of testing its infallibility, suits them better than an infalli- ble Church with a history, and a record of all its infallible, but not always harmonious, decrees.
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