transition which Father Kennedy, the Professor of Modern History in the University of St. Francis Xavier, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, has given us in his recent volume on the subject, one to which he has devoted careful study for many years. In this work* the learned author deals with the different phases of parochial life in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603)-the clergy, church, services, ceremonies, and social life of the parish, and the constant struggles of the State Church to maintain itself against Catholicism on the one hand, and Puritanism on the other. He shows us, too, how it came to pass that the Reformation, though not welcomed by the people as a whole, was, nevertheless, accepted by them without much resistance in the course of little over a generation. The thirty years of constant and violent religious changes, which preceded the accession of Elizabeth, had produced a very numerous body of temporizers in religious matters, men who for worldly ends were ever ready to accept whatever new religious views and practices the Government of the day might prescribe. It was on this inert mass that Elizabeth and her ministers worked so successfully. A new clergy gradually arose, men who had little conviction, little zeal, except in repressing Catholicism, little unity of purpose and little respect for authority, many of whom were ignorant, incompetent, and noted for laxity of life. They preached seldom, and then only to abuse the Pope, as the law obliged them to do four times a year. The change in the morals and tone of the clergy was parallelled by the transformation wrought in the edifices and external emblems of religion. The diabolical hatred shown to the sign of man's redemption remains the most inexplicable and yet the most unquestionable fact in this Reformation. Crosses and crucifixes were "utterly defaced, broken and destroyed" as "monuments of gross superstition and idolatry." "The old parish churches were practically gutted from end to end. Doors, lead on roofs, and bells were torn down and sold. The altars were removed. Pews and seats and carved woodwork went to make frames for beds or supports for bridges. The windows were broken and often remained so. Images were destroyed and their niches whitewashed over." Vestments were made into dresses for the wives of the new clergy; the tables, which had been substituted for altars, became receptacles for hats and cloaks; basins and bowls took the place * Parish Life under Queen Elizabeth, by W. P. M. Kennedy, M.A. The Catholic Library, Vol. 9. B. Herder. (One Shilling net.), of baptismal fonts; and the chalices gave way to " comely pots of pewter, being no tavern pots." 66 In keeping with this was the behaviour of the parishioners in the church. Talking, laughing, sleeping, fighting, and even shedding of blood, inattention and mockery seem to have been common features of Elizabethan worship. It was one thing to compel the people to come to church, it was quite another matter to make them believe that the new service was worthy of respect or the new preaching worth listening to." Some Catholic practices which had entered deeply into the social life of the people, such as burial ceremonies, the ringing of bells on All Souls' Day, the blessing of candles at Candlemas, Rogation processions, the use of rosary beads, holy pictures and holy water stoups in the homes of the people, died slowly, and had to be condemned in repeated enactments. The nobles had grown rich but the poor suffered severely by all these changes. The country was filled with beggars, and in 1571 a law was passed that "all rogues, vagabonds, and sturdy beggars" above the age of sixteen were, on conviction, to be "grievously whipped and burnt through the gristle of the right ear with a hot iron of the compass of an inch about," or else sentenced to a year's slavery or enforced labour; and in case of relapse the vagabond was put to death as a felon. The courts, both ecclesiastical and civil, were corrupt. The country was flooded with spies, encouraged by the Government. Everything tended to turn religion into systematic hypocrisy. Thus "every link with the past was ruthlessly broken so far as excessive vigilance could break it. Every effort was made by fines and penances to enforce attendance and attention at public worship. Every possible means was used to see that those who taught in the parishes were of unimpeachable Reformation orthodoxy, and that the parish children were cut off from anything Catholic and brought up in the strictest principles of the Established Church." All this and more the author proves by copious references to contemporary Protestant documents, and few will venture to dissent from his conclusions. The book is written in an easy, flowing style and can be strongly recommended to all who wish to get a concise, readable and trustworthy account of the progress of Protestantism in England and its religious, social, and moral effects on the everyday life of the people. J. CAMPBELL. MATER AMABILIS, ORA PRO NOBIS PRAY for your children, Mother, The chrismal whiteness blest ; In harmony and light; Pray for us, Blest of the Father, Now and the hour that we die. EMILY HICKEY. VOL. XLII.-No. 496 40 S° BROTHER BASIL By MAGDALEN ROCK O my cousin Ralph lies in a nameless grave," the tall young man, who had been chief mourner at the funeral of Brother Basil said, as he and his companion quitted the grounds that surrounded Haredale Monastery. "I never could understand why he became a lay-brother. Had he been a priest, now "He could not become a priest. His right hand wanted two fingers," Colonel Trevor said. "By Jove! Yes, you are right. Poor fellow; what a long, dreary life his was. Perfect stagnation," young Charlie Marsfield commented. A shadow of a smile lit the grave eyes of his elderly companion. "He hardly found it that," Colonel Trevor said. I only saw him once since he became a Catholic, but he looked perfectly contented." "But why on earth did he shut himself up in a monastery? Had he become a famous preacher one might understand his action, but a lay-brother. Ugh!" The young man, who had for several years been master of Marsfield Hall, made a wry face. "A life of dull routine and a grave among his brethren on the hillside yonder." "Did you ever hear of Constance Clifford, Charlie?" Colonel Clifford questioned. The younger man repeated the name. "Yes, yes. My father mentioned that name once or twice on his deathbed. He said-only for Constance Clifford he wouldn't have been living as owner in Marsfield Hall. Who was she?" The two men were approaching the railway station that accommodated the small town of Duncaster. "I'll tell you on the way. That is, if we can find an empty compartment," Colonel Trevor promised, quickening his pace. A coin placed in the hand of a discreet porter secured the gentleman the privacy he desired. When the train had steamed slowly out of the station Colonel Trevor faced his companion. His face, grave before, had become more solemn. "Your cousin and I were close friends at school and college, and, till poor Ralph inherited Marsfield Hall, we were in the same regiment. On the death of his uncle, however, Ralph gave up soldiering and settled down on the family estate." Colonel Trevor paused a moment. "Neither Ralph nor I were steadier or wiser than the young men of our time and station,” he went on." Poor Ralph! He was fond of cards and racing, and many of his friends prophesied that disaster would speedily overtake him. All the same he was a welcome guest in many houses, both in town and country. Both men and women liked him, and mothers of marriageable daughters sent him invitations to balls and parties. It was at the country house of Lady Brent that Ralph met Miss Clifford. The girl, fresh from a convent, was betrothed to a co-religionist. Sir Mark Stretton, a shy studious young man, was the possessor of an historic mansion and many acres. The family, like the Cliffords, had always been Catholic and had intermarried frequently." Colonel Trevor sighed. "I was at the ball given by Lady Brent and, like many other young men, I was much attracted by Miss Clifford's wonderful beauty. She was of middle height, slenderly made, and possessed the uncommon attraction of dark eyes and masses of pale golden hair. Her features were delicately moulded and her complexion of a warm pallor and her voice the sweetest I have ever heard. Ralph fell in love with her immediately, How the pair met I do not know, but they did, and two months later Ralph came to me in London." "I want you to do me a service, Tom,' he said, ‘a great service.' And then he told me how he had persuaded Constance Clifford to fly with him on her wedding eve. Have I told you that Ralph was fascinating and masterful? He was both. "Well, he wished me to have a carriage and pair waiting at the gates of Clifford Park on a certain night. I was to be the driver. The pair were to drive to a town ten miles off and catch the express to London, where they were to be married at a registry office on the following day. I agreed to the proposal, though I recognised, at least partly, how unhappy such a union would likely be. Something of this I said, but Ralph only laughed. Rubbish, Tom! Don't croak. I love Constance; she loves me. What on earth does it matter in what church we |