And though, for this very
reason many do say--though we say not so--that this aiding of our
enemies against us, seems neither the act of a father nor of a mother
towards us, but rather of a stepmother; yet this notwithstanding, we
constantly avow that we are" [remember, it is still the King of
England speaking], "and shall continue to be, to your Holiness and to
your seat, a devout and humble son, and not a step-son".
Can any one imagine greater reverence or greater loyalty to the Vicar
of Christ than is shown forth in these words? Can you, dear readers,
by any stretch of the imagination, conceive any one who is not a Roman
Catholic giving vent to such sentiments as are here expressed? Have
words lost their plain meaning for the Bishop of London, and for those
who (we must in charity suppose, _blindly_) follow him?
The letter is a long one, and we need not transcribe the whole of it,
but we will offer for your consideration just one more paragraph. The
King writes: "Your Holiness best knows the measure of good and just,
in whose hands are the keys to open and to shut the gates of heaven on
earth, as the _fulness of your power_ and the excellence of your
judicature requires.
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