THIRD RESIDENCE AT CAPE TOWN. 133 



ranks, but I cannot go so far as to consider her the Lady 

 par excellence — the very centre to which all things tend ; and, 

 therefore, I do not deem it expedient to go out of my way on 

 her account. There are some things which I cannot at all 

 swallow, and chiefly, the Apostolical succession ; namely, the 

 traditional deduction of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands 

 from the early days, through the dark ages down to the present 

 time. I know it is easily enough made out that there is a long 

 line of popes, and that through their ministration what is called 

 a regular succession has descended to the English bishops. Now 

 this would be all very well, and I would freely admit the validity 

 of the claim if I could first find out that the popes had the 

 apostolic spirit in their gift — "that on whomsoever they laid 

 hands they should receive the Holy Ghost." But for the satisfy- 

 ing of my mind, at least, it is only necessary to look back at these 

 " successors " of St. Peter to be assured that they had no such 

 gifts themselves, and so could not give what they had not. It 

 reminds one of the pleasant title the kings of England took as 

 " Kings of France," when they had not an inch of ground in the 

 country. Besides, what becomes even of the historical suc- 

 cession, when, for years before the Council of Constance, we have 

 three popes living at once, busily employed in cursing each 

 other — not a very spiritual Christian employment ! But I must 

 not run on further. I must write it to Dr. F. some day, 

 and perhaps may rouse the lion. Just now I am hot on the 

 subject, for I have been reading "Banke's History of the 

 Popes," and " George Fox's Journal !" — the old edition, that has 

 all about witches, &c, in it, in which creatures he was a firm 

 believer. From what I have read I am quite disposed to acquit 

 him of having entertained Hicksite notions, as we understand 

 them. I think he had clear ideas of a contrary nature, and 

 there are plenty of passages to show it ; but in many places the 

 style is so extremely obscure and mystical that I am not sure 

 that I understand him. This is particularly the case in some of 

 his Epistles, especially in those addressed to "Friends in the 

 Ministry." Besides, I think that his enthusiasm, of which it is 

 vain to deny he had a large share, sometimes carried him 

 beyond what, in these degenerate days, we should call " sound 

 reason." I fear if he were to appear in our times, he would be 

 thought " touched." I know we must make great allowance for 



