in this doctrine of the Infallibility of the Pope, as it is rightly understood, that is not simply a deduction from the words of our Lord in the Gospel about St. Peter. The Scriptural proof is as clear as possible. So is the witness of Christian tradition and history, fairly understood. It is not impossible to raise difficulties as to one or two Popes, but it would be one of the greatest of all wonders if it were otherwise. There are times in the Church of which we really know very little; and besides, Popes may commit faults, they may be negligent, and it is possible they may be personally wicked, and some of their acts may seem to belong to their dogmatic ex cathedrâ teaching when it is not really so. The easy way to take the evidence of Christian history would be to examine some particular period, the controversy with reference to some one great question, as to which we really have contemporaneous documents, and then see if the estimate then formed by the Church as to the position of the Supreme Pontiff was in reality different from that which is formed now by those who are called Ultramontane. And to my mind, the history of the Council of Chalcedon and of St. Leo's relation to it, his language, and the language and the Acts of the Council, are enough to settle the question. But I am not going to argue the point now. I wanted to say to you, Signori, that the discussion on the point of the Infallibility of the Pope is not distinctly intimated in the Bull of Indiction. We do not know whether there is any intention at Rome of submitting it to the Council. Some of the most eminent of the Bishops who have issued Pastorals on the subject of the Council have made no mention of it at all. It is said, but I do not know how truly, that some of them have written to Rome that they do not think it advisable that the question should be mooted. On the other hand, a great many have spoken of it as a thing desired by themselves and by the Faithful at large, and there have been some very powerful arguments published in its favour. You ought to know more about it, for one of the most important of all, one which will certainly arouse attention abroad as well as at home, has come out not a hundred miles, as you say in England, from your own diocese. It is the best thing that has appeared for a long time-a real event. It will be translated into French and Latin, and make a great noise. I have read, or at least seen extracts from, a good many of these Pastorals, and the argument seems to me most powerful. There are a few historical difficulties, but they are not of moment. And it is said that the Council must notice the Gallican Declaration of 1682, and that that is occasion enough to bring about the definition. What can be said for certain is that the doctrine is in Scripture, tradition, and Church history, that men's minds are full of it, that there seems to be a need for its declaration, and that the Council is hardly likely to pass away without it being mentioned. What will be done, God alone can tell. The Church has a wisdom and a prudence of her own, and she is often guided to refrain from

some step which seems obvious and almost inevitable; at other times she seems to be guided to what is bold and unexpected. I really think, after all the preparation, people hardly expected the definition of the Immaculate Conception when it came."

"But stay," added Don Venanzio, after diving for a moment into his little study, "let me read you the words of two of the most eminent of the French Bishops, both of whom believe firmly in the doctrine of which we are speaking. The first is the Bishop of Grenoble, who is speaking of the examination necessary for the settlement of a great question. 'This examination and discussion must be wisely proportioned to the nature and importance of the questions, to the opposition with which they meet, and to the difficulties which they may occasion. To think of dispensing with examination because the importance of the question is universal, or because it relates to what is the greatest thing in the Church, would be not only to depart from the practice of all ages, but to commit the gravest imprudence, and to awaken in all serious minds just suspicions against the decision that might be arrived at. In former ages nothing was so much dreaded as the appearing not to give sufficient time to important decisions, and not to give abundant satisfaction to the difficulties even of the most prejudiced.' The second is the celebrated Bishop of Poitiers, one of the glories of the French Church. I quote from a sermon, or homily, in which he had declared that he had accepted without reserve the Infallibility of the Pope when he speaks ex cathedrâ. He added, however, these words: 'Remark, dear brethren and children, that while I express my own conviction and yours as to the substance of this doctrine, I in no way mean to call for or to anticipate a Conciliar Definition, the opportuneness of which, in the first place, and the form of which, in the second place, ought to be entirely reserved to the judgment of the great Synodal Assembly and to the supreme will of the Holy Ghost. In a matter so grave, so delicate, and so intricate, we know well that we must not let ourselves be guided either by enthusiasm or by personal opinion; we know that every word must be weighed and explained, every aspect of the question examined, every case foreseen, all false applications provided against, all inconveniences balanced against the advantages, and after all that nothing ought to be done save under the influence of inspiration from on high.' It seems to me as if little more could be said on the subject. We must wait and pray and leave the issue to God. But I should be sorry if I had not mentioned, among the subjects that may be discussed at the Council, what so large a portion of the Church undoubtedly desires and even anticipates. Some people, indeed, have looked, as it were, over all the field of truth, and hunted up every single matter that can by possibility be discussed. After all, the time is very short, and the evils of the present day are quite important enough to occupy the whole time of the Council."

"I suppose," I said, "we shall hear how things go on? There are to be a number of newspaper correspondents sent to Rome, and no doubt the papers will be full of the proceedings."

The Padre laughed. "You will hear a great deal about the processions, and the solemn functions, and the Prelates who are assembled, and so on. Roman correspondence, as it is, is made up a good deal of mere gossip, at least in most of the papers, and you will have the usual supply increased ten-fold. But except for the picturesque writing, at which some of your correspondents are so clever, I would not advise you to read a word of what will be written. The Bishop, who was here lately, warned us specially against believing what is reported, except on the faith of official documents. I shall stick to my friend the Westminster, which I have hitherto found excellent in its Roman correspondence; but I don't expect to know much about it all till the Decrees are published. One thing is certain-there will be a great deal of invention exercised, to make up for the absence of true information. It is bad enough as it is, but during the Council it will be ten times worse."

"Well," said Lloyd, "I am much obliged to you, Padre, for all you have told us. I pray God with all my heart that it may turn

out well."

"Yes, let us all pray. And we may surely expect the greatest blessings from so rare and solemn an act of the Church. I expect that here, in England, not to speak of the Church generally, we shall benefit immensely. There has been an attempt to make this particular matter the badge of a party, and some of our authorities have had to complain that delicate and abstruse questions have been dragged needlessly into discussion. You English are somewhat pugnacious, if I may say so, Signori, and in a very small community like ours a school of opinion soon becomes a clique, and a debate soon becomes a quarrel. We want union above all things, and union is the fruit of charity and truth. So we shall gain very much if this and other questions are set at rest. The result of what has been going on is often the ruin of souls, which Bishops and Priests know about only too well. It will be a great blessing to hear the calm, solemn, authentic voice of the Church, the united Doctorate which has true divine commission and grace to teach, instead of that of those who have no commission at all. All things find their level when the Church speaks. The false ideas of the day have taken a deep root in the English nation, and it will be of immense service to have them characterised afresh, as they deserve to be, by the united verdict of the Catholic Episcopate. And even, Signor Lloyd, if what you are so much. afraid of should take place, you and other good English Catholics, the children of those who have kept the faith alive in this country at the cost of their property, their worldly station, and their blood, will joyfully receive the teaching of the Holy Ghost, and under

stand that every definition which makes that teaching more precise is a fresh blessing from God. Nay, I may say, either way we shall gain, because disputes will be silenced, parties broken up, false pretentions exposed, false alarms dispelled. The Council will certainly draw to itself the enthusiasm and loyalty of all the children of the Church, and whatever unites them in a common expression of faith and devotion, binds them also to each other by the enjoyment of a clearer light and the attraction of a more intense charity."

"So be it, by all means," I said. "And now, Lloyd, we must leave the Padre to his work, and adjourn our Council on the Council."

"Till this day six months?"" said he, laughing. "A little longer, perhaps," said Don Venanzio.

"But when

you come here again this time next year we may be able to see how far we have been right in our expectations as to the work of the right hand of the Most High."

The Consalvi Controversy.

THE Memoirs of Cardinal Consalvi, published some time ago in France by M. Crétineau-Joly, after having been received as authentic and used as historical evidence, especially by M. d'Haussonville, in his large but as yet unfinished work on the Church of Rome and the First Empire,* have lately been called in question by no less an authority than Father Theiner, Prefect of the Archives of the Vatican. This voluminous writer has undertaken, it would appear, the rehabilitation of the character of the First Napoleon, which had lost considerably in credit, first by the official publication of his own correspondence, and still more by the revelations so ably used by M. d'Haussonville. Father Theiner's work consists of two large volumes, in what is considered in France rather barbarous French, which, however, contain a number of documents which have never before been published, access to which was denied or was impossible to M. d'Haussonville. These documents are of incontestable value, whatever may be thought of Father Theiner's part of the volumes in which they appear. The history traced in these volumes is that of the two Concordats concluded by Napoleon with Pius VII.-that for France and that for the "Cisalpine Republic"-and it is followed by a narrative of the journey of the Pope to crown Napoleon Emperor of the French. Father Theiner has had access to the French archives

* L'Eglise Romaine et le Premier Empire (1806-1814), avec notes, correspondances diplomatiques et pièces justificatives entiérement inédites. Par M. le Cte. d'Haussonville. 3 tom. M. Levy, 1868.

+ Histoire des deux Concordats de la Republique Francaise et de la Republique Cisalpine, conclus en 1801 et 1802 entre Napoleon Bonaparte et le Saint Siege, suivie d'une relation de son couronnement comme Empereur des Francais par Pie VII., d'aprés des documents inédits, extraits des archives secrétes du Vatican et de celles de France. Par A. Theiner, Préfet des Archives du Vatican, etc. 2 tom. Bar le Duc et Paris, 1869.