the opinions of men or the tricks of fortune. But Epictetus teaches patience with the spirit of Him who tells us, "Blessed is he who suffers afflictions in the spirit of patience." It is this benign spirit which, imbuing his mind, pervading his thoughts, and kindling his whole soul, forces one into the conviction that Epictetus was indebted to Christianity for his inspirations. He must have yielded at least an intellectual adhesion to the Gospel. Of him doubtless, as of many others, it has to be recorded that "the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak." The atmosphere of a court is not the best to develop the bud of belief into the fruit of works.

It is much to be regretted that Mr. Talbot, perhaps of all the moderns most qualified to determine it, has left the question of Epictetus' relations to Christianity as unsettled as he found it. Doubtless he did not care to embark on the troubled waters of controversy. He may be content to have successfully resuscitated an author who had died to most even of the students of the classics. We have no doubt but a second edition of this novel and valuable contribution to our classical literature will be speedily called for, and we may be permitted to hope that such an opportunity of taking this vexed question out of the region of speculation will not be lost. Of the structure of Mr. Talbot's book, which is peculiar and remarkable, we shall now briefly speak.

The chapters of the original, according to their purport, are grouped into sections, the metrical versions of the several chapters constituting as many stanzas of the section. Each section embracing its chapters or stanzas is prefaced by what the author terms "an Analytical illustration." This latter, while it serves for the argument or summary of the section, is to all intents and purposes a free and flowing translation in nervous and flexible prose. In this part of the design there is a temptation to sacrifice to the sin of word painting the native force of the vigorous language of the original, and we are glad to observe that Mr. Talbot has been proof against the vanity which besets and often misleads poets when handling the vulgar instrument of prose. A poet's prose, as a rule, is a very washy dilution in which the spirit evaporates most frequently. The specimen we subjoin is the argument to section 30, which embraces the sixtieth and two following chapters of the Enchiridion.

"In every department of life we should keep a strict watch. over our spiritual interests, even as we would do with respect to our temporal concerns. Whatever we meditate, whatever we design, whatever we set about to accomplish, we should always keep a watchful eye on the nature, circumstances, con

nections, and attributes of the thing thus designed and undertaken, in order that our movements may not be attended with fear or danger, and that the peace and harmony of our souls be not broken or disturbed.

"We should never be extravagant in our desires: even as the shoe is limited to the size of the foot, so should our desires be circumscribed by the extent of our wants. If our wishes once exceed our existing necessities, the mind loses its balance and becomes wrapt in uncertainty and confusion; our desires grow apace, and become boundless in their aim; and peace and happiness depart from our breasts for ever. Young females, instead of adorning their faces to attact the admiration of men, should cultivate the virtues of prudence, discretion, and modesty; for, by these qualities alone they may be valued and respected, and not by the vanity of dress or the worse than idle indulgence of budding passion. The exercise of the virtues above named cannot fail to secure the general and lasting esteem of the good and wise, while fantastic dress and sensual coquetry can attract the gaze only of the insipid coxcomb or senseless buffoon."

In the voluminous notes at the end of the book the author redeems to the full the ample promise of the title in the brief vigorous sketches which he supplies of the leading philosophic systems among the ancient Greeks.

We have space only for a short extract which we shall take from the graceful version of the Golden Song' ascribed to Pythagoras:-.

"To honest aims let all thy actions tend,

Truth, justice, peace, their purpose and their end.
Let not thine eyes to balmy sleep be woo'd
Ere thou hast thrice thy daily acts reviewed.

Thus search thy heart,-how have I spent this sun?
What rules transgressed? What duties left undone?
Each weak bad act reprove with fearless mind,
And in the good enjoy a bliss refined.
Such be thy practice, such thy labour here,
In virtue's path with soul resolved sincere ;
And grace divine within thy soul shall grow,
Wrought by the hand of him who bids to flow
A fount perennial of essential joy,

Of four-fold bliss unmingled with alloy."

399

TWO CONFERENCES IN THE PRISON AT YORK WITH FATHER WALPOLE, S.J., AN. DOM. 1594RELATED BY HIMSELF.1

FATHER HENRY WALPOLE, S.J., the martyr, landed

at Flamborough Head, in Yorkshire, Dec. 4, 1593, and within twenty-four hours was apprehended by Topcliffe the priestcatcher, and carried prisoner to York, where he remained till the 25th of February following, when he was sent to the Tower. In a letter written, while a prisoner at York, he says, "I have had various conferences and disputations with many of the heretics. And whereas I believed I should have been tried at the last assizes in this city, I sent in writing to the Lord President [the Earl of Huntingdon] all those conferences and disputations; who ordered me pen, ink, and paper for that purpose. To which I joined a large discourse on that treatise; in which I exhorted all to beware of false prophets, and to give ear to the voice of the holy Church, the spouse of the King, the house, the vineyard, and the city of Christ. One of the ministers complained of me much to the President for being so bold as to put down such things in writing, but he could not refute what was written; and, indeed, they seem to me to be much confounded. Blessed be Jesus, Qui dat os insipienti, cui non possunt resistere sapientes."2

The following paper is either that which Father Walpole sent to the Lord President, or it consists of the notes from which he wrote it. The "Mr. Outlaw, who came up with their drinking," is mentioned elsewhere as one of the pursui vants. The names of Dr. Bennet and Mr. Goodwin appear amongst those of the York ministers, to whose sermons the Catholics imprisoned in York Castle were dragged in 1599, of which a curious account has come down to us from the pen of Mr. Richmont, a priest.3

The most interesting portion of these conferences is that in which Father Walpole speaks of Anglican Orders. He asserts their nullity plainly. "You have neither Orders nor sending;" and again he hits the blot exactly when he says, "Perhaps you have not yet learned the essence of your new Order. The essence of ours containeth power to offer the Body and Blood of our Saviour, and to remit sins." But when the minister Bell asserted that the Anglicans had Orders also, Father

1 Public Record Office. State Papers; Domestic, Elizabeth, 1594. Vol. 248. No. 51.

* Challoner's Missionary Priests, i., p. 344.

3 Ibid., p. 423. The full manuscript is at Stonyhurst.

Walpole was naturally led to ask how his life could be in danger for having received the very Orders that they claimed to possess, and on being told that the difference consisted in the ceremonies of anointing and tonsuring, to exclaim, "Alas! Is that treason?"

For that treason Father Henry Walpole suffered at York, April 7, 1595.

JHESUS.

THE somme of all the conferences I have had with the ministers since my restraint.

Ffirst Mr. D. favour and Mr. Hardistie visited me. And Mr. hardistie acknowledged I had relieved him beyond the seas, &c., he proposed that we made the churche the finall resolution of our faith-whereas god should be.

W. It is a scole poynt which as yt semeth you do not well understand, ffor the learned Catholic teache God to be primam veritatem the first truthe whereunto we resolve. And so the question is of the proposition of our faithe and the infallible waye to come to the truthe which we teache not to be each mannes fantasy or spirit but the churche and pastors appoynted by god. To which he laboured to replye from the purpose and so D. favour acknowledged he missed the poynt and toke the speache out of his mouthe.

D. f. It is true the question is which is the true churche and lawful pastors to teache us and deliver unto us the faithe.

W. That I can plainlie prove to be ours and not yours. D. f. I knowe some of your profession, but you stand all uppon the churche, and have no respecte to scriptures teaching prayers to saints and such like withowt warraunt of the Word of god.

W. The churche is warrant owt of the Word of god, not to mislead us, but to be the pillar of truth, and she teacheth that doctrine. Besides we are bownden to kepe traditions by word of mowthe deliuered: and this hath all times bene a tradition. And besides it is evidently deduced out of the scripture, yea plainelye taught.

D. f. Ffor the churche you do take parte with the wife and we with the husband. Traditions be not warranted out of god his word unlesse they be written.

H. And nowe or after hardistie said that place 2 Thess, as yf St. Pawle God said the same the same which I have spoken, I have written.

W. Our Saviour is not like a man that maie fall out with his wife. God forbid. He hathe promised the contrarie. And

yt were a faatheles thought to think so, and then for it is not well said. And as for traditions they be evidently proved out of the 2 Thes 2: for it is siue a disiunctive coniunction, which must be true in every parte as yf a man should saie: you shall paie all you owe hyther either in monye or corne. It was not sufficient to paye hym his mony without corne. And yf he ought hym no corne that speach was frivolous which can not be imagined in the Apostle. And that there be traditions to be observed is manifest by scripture, reason, and all antiquitie.

D. f. That is a generall ground I will come to particulars. You praie to Saints which is against the word of god.

W. It is not.

D. f. It is against the mediation of Christ.

W. No more, naie lesse, then to desier them that lyves to praie for us.

D. f. They can not hear us.

W. Prove yt out of scripture.

D. f. Naie prove you they can.

W. It is your parte to prove yt. Having undertaken to showe it is no tradition and that the churche teacheth amisse. But you can not. I then will prove they do heare us. The proves I thinck you haue seene in a littell treatise hereof which I will not repeate. And he wold not answer. But mentioning the honour of our Blessed Lady he said

D. f. God is no more to be honored by hir nor she is no more to be used to that end than this stoole.

W. Oh Mr. favour. What meane you to saie so of the mother of god. Doth not the honor of the sonne redound to his father and of the mother in respecte of the sonne redounde unto him, was not the hemme of Christ his garment touched with reverence by the faithefull and they were healed. And thinck you the mother of god in whose wombe and armes, and which was with him in his life, at the Cross, and nowe in heaven, is no more to be honored then this stoole. Salomon a figure of Christ set a throne to his mother and badd hir aske and haue which was a commendable and dutifull parte. And thinck you our Saviour dothe not according to the lawe honor his mother in heaven to whom he was servant on yearthe. We are bidden adore the fotestole of God which is the earth that is saithe St. Augustine earthe for of the flesh of the blessed Virgine beying earthe he took earthe. And is the fotestole of god and of Christ no better then a stoole mad for you and suche to sytt on. And here Mr. hardistie (I thinck ashamed) tok the stoole awaie and set yt out of syght and put of his gowne and prayed.