371 
the domain of general history, the dreadful outbreak of the French Revolution 
was as awful, in its way, as anything that ever occurred in the heathen ages. 
1 ne good, then, which Christianity has, no doubt, brought about, is not alto- 
gether • unmixed with evil, which, though not necessary to Christianity, has 
been developed along with it. (Cheers.) 
Mi. Leach, a visitor.-I should like to say a few words, as an advocate 
for the opponents of Christianity, and I will begin with a small criticism, 
.rrofessor Lias says, in a note to his 7th paragraph 
“ not accused, even by Procopius, of disgracing the imperial 
throne with the vices of a Messalina." ° imperial 
But I believe that the Professor is rather sceptical as to the evidence of 
Procopius in the case of Theodora. Now it seems to me that the evidence of 
lacitus in the case of Tiberius is even more open to doubt, for I think the 
latter was much libelled. Then Professor Lias says, in his 5th paragraph 
. at a 1** how to shame his countrymen into decency, holds up 
what RomanTo^ht'K.” 116 h ' dU ' naked barbarian s of Germany as a model of 
Now it is a question whether the object of Tacitus in writing the Germania 
was to show up the Romans. It seems to me that if an author of the pre- 
sent day were to write a paper on a savage tribe, like the Patagonians, for 
s mice, and w ere to point out how different the Patagonians were from 
ourselves, it would be rash to maintain that he therefore contended for their 
superiority over us. It is not true that Tacitus wrote of the Germans with 
hat meaning ; at all events I cannot discover that meaning in his book. As 
to the distinction drawn between Theodora and Messalina, there was so 
little difference that it is a matter of very slight importance. As to the 
stories of Procopius, I never heard anything so bad said of any one. As to 
e defence that these things were not done in public, I can only say that 
they were of a more strictly public character than anything ever said or done 
m modern society. In the 10th paragraph of the papier, Professor Lias 
irpniS 7 as StlU dlvlded into six or seven kingdoms we find the 
Eroh f , n ^ iamty ’ ev A er f endln S to unity, had already created a national 
tinu. ^U lif the g f ea VV’ chblsllop Theodoi ' e > and had thus anticipated the 
me when the people of these islands should dwell peaceably together under 
I question whether the tendency to unity which is thus noted was one o 
w nch we have reason to be glad. It was simply a tendency to treason. 
e tendency of the Church to unity in those times meant allegiance to the 
1 ope, and meant a foreign power set up in this kingdom against the home 
power, and I do not think we need praise that. Further on in the same 
paragraph we have a quotation from Professor Stubbs 
The clergy/ says Professor Stubbs, ‘ felt their vows and spiritual rein 
nous to be a much more real tie than mere nationality.’ ” 
VOL. XI. 2 c 
