While I stopped to refresh my mules at a little village, the inhabitants
came crowding about me as an ambassador going to their General. When
they were informed of my country, a strong black fellow among them said,
"English! they are barbarians; they don't believe in the great God." I
told him, "Excuse me, sir. We do believe in God, and Jesus Christ,
too."--"And in the Pope?"--"No."--"And why?" This was a puzzling
question in these circumstances; for there was a great audience to the
controversy. I thought I would try a method of my own, and very gravely
replied, "Because we are too far off,"--a very new argument against the
universal infallibility of the Pope. It took, however; for my opponent
mused a while, and then said, "Too far off! Why, Sicily is as far off as
England. Yet in Sicily they believe in the Pope."--"Oh," said I, "we are
ten times further off than Sicily."--"Aha!" said he; and seemed quite
satisfied. In this manner I got off very well. I question much whether
any of the learned reasonings of our Protestant divines would have had
so good an effect.