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History of England, from the Accession of James the Second, the — Volume 4 by Baron Thomas Babington Macaulay Macaulay
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justly claim. If, it was sarcastically said, all our notions of
right and wrong, in matters of vital importance to the well being
of society, are to be suddenly altered by a few lines of
manuscript found in a corner of the library at Lambeth, it is
surely much to be wished, for the peace of mind of humble
Christians, that all the documents to which this sort of
authority belongs should be rummaged out and sent to the press as
soon as possible; for, unless this be done, we may all, like the
Doctor when he refused the oaths last year, be committing sins in
the full persuasion that we are discharging duties. In truth, it
is not easy to believe that the Convocation Book furnished
Sherlock with any thing more than a pretext for doing what he had
made up his mind to do. The united force of reason and interest
had doubtless convinced him that his passions and prejudices had
led him into a great error. That error he determined to recant;
and it cost him less to say that his opinion had been changed by
newly discovered evidence, than that he had formed a wrong
judgment with all the materials for the forming of a right
judgment before him. The popular belief was that his retractation
was the effect of the tears, expostulations and reproaches of his
wife. The lady's spirit was high; her authority in the family was
great; and she cared much more about her house and her carriage,
the plenty of her table and the prospects of her children, than
about the patriarchal origin of government or the meaning of the
word Abdication. She had, it was asserted, given her husband no
peace by day or by night till he had got over his scruples. In
letters, fables, songs, dialogues without number, her powers of
seduction and intimidation were malignantly extolled. She was
Xanthippe pouring water on the head of Socrates. She was Dalilah
shearing Samson. She was Eve forcing the forbidden fruit into
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