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Robert, 'Is it not a wrong to refuse Dissenters interment in the national burial-grounds, except their friends are willing to have the deceased Dissenter give the lie in his death to all he had said and done while living, which he would do if he consented to be buried with the forms of the Church? Is it not wrong to exclude him from the national schools and universities, except he conform to the Church? Is it not wrong to compel the Dissenter to contribute to support a Church which he conscientiously disapproves? Is it not an act of oppression, the greater because it comes from the stronger and wealthier party, and because, too, he has to support his own Church?

666 And is not his Church as dear to him; are not his church privileges, his liberty of conscience, the religious rites and worship of his own Zion, the affection and comfort of his pastor, and wife, and children, all as dear to the Dissenter's heart as to the Churchman are his? Do you not, sir, commit great wrong when you take from me those rights and privileges which you prize so dearly? If the golden rule is to be our standard of action, you cannot outrage it more palpably than by throwing me into jail because I will not quietly give away my highest rights as a man and a Christian.

"Do I not suffer the greatest wrong, when any party seeks to prescribe to me in religion, either what I shall believe or how I shall express my faith? Has not compulsory payment produced nearly all the evils VOL. I.-T

which the best friends of the Establishment acknowledge and lament? Has it not placed its ministry beyond the wholesome influence of the people? Has it not dishonoured religion by making the Church the creature of the State? Has it not attracted the worldly, and the indolent, and the inefficient to the Church as it ministers? Who does not know that the Prayer-book contains little besides the Mass-book translated into English? That the pope offered to confirm it, if the Church of England would join that of Rome? That Episcopal clergymen of great reputation have declared such a union of the two Churches practicable? That the efficiency of Episcopal ordination is derived entirely through the popish prelates? That at the accession of Elizabeth, NINE THOUSAND AND ELEVEN CATHOLIC PRIESTS, out of NINE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED, joined the Church of England; and who supposes that they gave up their papacy by doing it? The Papists and Protestants worshipped together in the English Church until they were prevented by the pope; and at the Reformation, Parliament transferred the entire powers exercised by the pope in this country to Henry VIII. and his royal successors.'

"I spoke to Sir Robert about a good many other things. I thought I would tell him something that he would not be very apt to forget; and I expressed myself with great freedom. There was a trap laid in London by the High Church party the other day, and Sir Robert was sent down here to spring

THOROGOOD AND THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH. 219

it. My friends there had said I was not comfortable here; and the Tories wished to get a confession from me that I was. I had received intimation that I might expect certain persons down here about the time of Sir Robert's visit, and I was on my guard when he came.

"He asked me if I was not comfortable here. Said he, 'Mr. Thorogood, you seem to be surrounded by a good many conveniences and comforts.' 'No, sir,' I answered, 'I am not comfortable, and never can be, so long as my liberty is taken away. You degrade a man; you trample on a man's highest rights, and then ask him if he is not comfortable."" "Well, Mr. Thorogood, how long do you expect to remain here?" I inquired.

"That, sir, is a question I cannot answer. My friends in Parliament are constantly bringing the matter before the House; they are labouring manfully and zealously in my cause, and keep me advised of all their proceedings. I receive scores of papers and pamphlets on the subject. They will do all they can; but I do not expect relief for a good while. For if the Church party should give up and consent to my liberation, they would abandon the whole question: they would never be able to heal the wound such a decision would inflict upon the Establishment.

"They are right in saying, 'The question is not whether we shall let an honest and worthy man go out of his prison and enjoy his freedom; for they all

would be glad, undoubtedly, to see me liberated; but the question is, 'Shall we surrender the rights of the Church? Shall we concede the great question of church-rates, tithes, and government patronage? If we let this man go, we must give up the Church ; and the consequence of it would be a dissolution of the union of Church and State.'

"It has always happened, I believe, that every great question which has ever yet been disposed of has been settled in this way. Nothing has pained me so much as to see how insensible the great mass of the Dissenters are to the infinite importance of this question. Why, sir, multitudes of them have come to me, and besought me to give it up; they said, 'Why, John, you are only one man! So was Luther only one man; and suppose he had given up.

"Look back on the history of the world, and you will find that one man has worked a Revolution. One man is enough to start a Reform; but he must have help to carry it on. Oh! brethren, I say to them, if you would all come along with me; if the millions of English Dissenters would take the same stand that I have, what a spectacle would be presented! Why, we would gain our cause at once. To assert our rights would be to secure them; it would be a pretty sight, surely, to see half the people of England in jail! Oh! would to God the fainthearted and policy-bewitched Dissenters would go along with me. I want to see no violence; none is needed. We could dissolve that Unholy Alliance

JOHN THOROGOOD'S WIFE.

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of the Cross and the Throne as peaceably as we effected the Revolution of 1688.

"It is a mystery which I cannot unravel, why the Dissenters submit to these abuses. They will get up great meetings; they will make enthusiastic speeches; they will write flaming pieces about the corruptions of the Church; they will clamour violently about rights of conscience, and yet not a soul of them has the courage to take the stand that poor, ignorant John Thorogood, the shoemaker, has. But they will have to do it before they ever get their liberty."

While he was speaking his wife came into the room. "Here, Mary," said he, "I want to introduce you to Mr. He lives in the United States, that blessed land where there is no Established Church, no church-rates or tithes, except what a man is willing to tax himself.”

She is a very neat, pretty woman, and worthy to be the wife of John Thorogood. I asked her if she was not almost discouraged and disheartened.

"I

"Oh! no, sir, far from it," she answered. was at first of a mind that my husband should pay the five and sixpence, and not go to jail; and it came very hard not to have him at home with us nights; and I thought I could not bear up under it. But he talked to me a good deal; and we prayed about it; and at last I could agree with him; and I feel now that I would rather see John Thorogood die than to give up his religion. He don't need any