1844-1845.
Mr. Hope's Tour on the Continent in 1844--Visit to Munich--Dr. Pusey's
'Library of Roman Catholic Works'--Dr. Pusey and the Spiritual Exercises--
His Opinion of the Discipline--Mr. Hope's Visit to Tetschen in 1844--Count
Leo Thun and his Friends--Mr. Hope's Interview with Prince Metternich--The
Hon. Sir R. Gordon, Ambassador at Vienna--Visit to Prince Palffy and to
Prince Lichtenstein--The Hungarian Diet at Presburg--Letter of Manzoni to
J. R. Hope--Visit to Rome--Bishop Grant and Mr. Hope--Mr. Hope resigns
Chancellorship of Salisbury--Dr. Pusey and the Stone Altar Case--Mr.
Oakeley and Mr. Hope--Scottish Episcopalian Church and its Office--Mr.
Gladstone endeavours to hold Mr. Hope back--Proposes Tour in Ireland--
Conversion of Mr. Newman--Mr. Hope on the Essay on Development--Letter of
Mr. Newman to J. R. Hope from Rome--Reopening of Correspondence with Mr.
Newman.
At the end of August or beginning of September 1844 Mr. Hope set out for a
tour on the Continent, accompanied by Mr. Badeley. Of the earlier days of
it I have no information, but they parted at Heidelberg about September 12,
Mr. Badeley for the Rhine country and Belgium, Mr. Hope for Munich. By this
time, as has already been evident, he was deeply engaged in professional
pursuits, and his health had begun to suffer from his unremitting labours.
Several passages might be quoted from the letters of his intimate friends,
showing the anxiety they felt on the subject. Some real relaxation,
however, had at last become necessary; and it would appear that he rather
wished to leave the turmoil of the movement, as well as business, behind
him. In a letter of Mr. Badeley's to him, dated Brussels, September 22, the
following sentence occurs:--'If you like to see what is going on in this
[the affair of opposing Dr. Symonds' election as Vice-Chancellor at
Oxford] and in Church matters, I will send you the "English Churchman;"
but as you said "No," when we parted, I forbear to forward any papers till
further orders.' Afterwards, however, 'after all,' he asks Mr. Badeley to
send it. On his way to Munich, Mr. Hope stopped at Augsburg, where 'of
course he visited Butsch the bookseller,' buys a copy of the 'Summa Divi
Thomae Aquinatis,' and sees _some_ good books which he did not want.
At Munich, where he arrived on September 14, rooms were provided for him at
the Austrian Legation by the kindness of his friend Count Senfft. These
particulars I take from a letter of his to Mr. Badeley, dated Munich,
September 22, and subjoin some further details in full:--
D[öllinger] is, I think, remarkably well, and I am more struck with him
than ever. I found him already deep in Ward's book, with which he is much
struck. I have already had some interesting conversation with him, and
anticipate more. He is rector elect of the University, and highly spoken of
by all I see. My new acquaintances consist of the Papal Nuntius Viale, a
very striking person, Professor Walther, the canonist, and some intelligent
Bavarians. I am to visit Görres this evening.... There is an English
service here very decently and nicely performed by Mr. de Coetlogon, a man
in Scotch orders, and the chapel is a modest but respectable room.... I ask
hard questions upon marriage, and receive very doubtful answers; but I am
resolved, if possible, to get some definite information from the best
sources in Germany.
The following letter, connected with this tour of Mr. Hope's, is also very
instructive as to a particular phase of the movement:--
_The Rev. Dr. Pusey to J. R. Hope, Esq._
My dear Hope,--I have no news as yet to communicate to you, except that
some few are taking up ye matter of ye V. C. in rt earnest, and so I
suppose it will be a pitched battle, and we shall win at last, even if but
a handful as yet.
I have 2 or 3 commissions for you, wh will not occupy your time, and wh
will, I hope, be a subject of interest to you. It is for my little library
of R. C. works. The perplexity is to find out ye best books upon difft
subjects, for I cannot read all. The general class is, as you know, ascetic
books, books of guidance, wh shall give people knowledge of self, enable us
to guide consciences, build people up in ye higher life, force them to
mental prayer, or give them subjects of meditation in it, the spiritual
life, Xtian perfection, holy performance of ordinary actions, love of God,
or any Xtian graces in detail, devotions, books on holy seasons--in a word,
anything in practical theology in its widest range, or, again, cases of
conscience.
I have learnt more or less as to French & Spanish, & some Latin works, but
of Italian I know those only of Scupoli, and of German absolutely nothing.
The only books I have seen are some sermons by Sailer, wh, altho' clear and
energetic, contain nothing wh one did not know before; they have nothing to
build people up with.
I shd be glad also of any information on a subject wh I know drew yr
thoughts when you were last abroad--the system as to retreats. I saw a
book,' Manuale dell' Esercitatori,' but I shd be very glad of any
information or any guidance.
If it wd not occupy you too much, I shd be much obliged to you to procure
on my account any practical works wh mt be recommended.
Perhaps also Dr. Döllinger could give you some information as to S.
Ignatius Loyola, 'Exercitia Spiritualia,' for they seem to have been so
often re-moulded, that there is some difficulty to ascertain (1) what is ye
genuine form, or at least to obtain a copy, (2) whether any other re-
casting of it be found easier to use.
I trust these inquiries will not be so much an encumbrance to you, as lead
you to happy subjects and more acquaintance with happy-making books. God
bless you ever.
Yrs affectionately,
E. B. PUSEY.
Christ Church: September 9, 1844.
[P.S.] There is yet a subject on wh I shd like to know more, if you fall in
with persons who have ye guidance of consciences,--what penances they
employ for persons whose temptations are almost entirely spiritual, of
delicate frames often, and who wish to be led on to perfection. I see in a
spiritual writer that even for such, corporal severities are not to be
neglected, but so many of them are unsafe. I suspect ye 'discipline' to be
one of ye safest, and with internal humiliation the best.... Cd you procure
and send me one by B.? What was described to me was of a very sacred
character; 5 cords, each with 5 knots, in memory of ye 5 wounds of our
Lord.... I shd be glad to know also whether there were any cases in wh it
is unsafe, e.g. in a nervous person.
On October 1 Mr. Hope left Munich to pay a visit at Tetschen, the seat of
his friends the Thun family (described vol. i. p. 42), taking Ratisbon and
other places in his way. At Tetschen, where he stayed from October 5 to 12,
he found a sad blank in the recent death of the Countess Thun. From an
interesting letter to Lady Hope (dated Vienna, October 26, 1844) which
furnishes these dates, I transcribe also the following particulars:--
Countess Anna is still in very uncertain health.... The Count himself seems
to have rallied lately, but it will be long before he gets over his loss.
The second daughter, Countess Inza, seems to be now the stay of the family.
Of the sons, only Francis, the eldest, was at home. He is devoted to art,
and has besides abundance of business in the management of the estates
which his father has made over to him, and with various charitable
societies at Prague, in which he and his family are interested. From
Tetschen I went to Prague, with Count Joseph Thun, a cousin, with his wife
and two sons. At Prague I spent Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, in constant
admiration of the town, to which I did not do justice when I was last
there. It is really beautiful, and, out of Italy, I think Edinburgh alone
equal to it, of all the towns which I have seen. With Tetschen for summer,
and Prague for winter, I think the Thuns have two as charming residences as
could be found.
On Tuesday evening [Oct. 15] I left for Königsgrätz, a provincial town,
where Leo Thun, the youngest, is officially employed. He is a noble fellow,
and has devoted himself for years to the details of business, with a view
to becoming useful to Bohemia, to which he is very much attached. He is
also prominent among the revivers of the Bohemian language and literature,
which is Sclavonic, and has thus become well known in Germany, as well as
in Hungary and other countries where there are Sclavonic tribes. The
movement is in a political sense important, as well as influential upon
manners and modes of thinking, and it has already excited a good deal of
discussion and some animosity. It would take too much time, however, to
explain what I have learnt of its bearings. With Leo I spent two very
agreeable days, and have had much to talk about, as I had not seen him
since I was last in Bohemia. I was introduced to the _notables_ of the
place, his _chef_ and the commander of the garrison (an old Irish
officer of the name of Fitzgerald), and saw his mode of life, which to a
man with plenty of employment must be convenient, though not very amusing.
From Königsgrätz I started on Thursday night, and arrived here [Vienna] on
Saturday week, the 19th [Oct.], and took up my abode at the same inn with
Fritz Thun, the diplomat, who was here on his way from Turin, which he has
now left for Prague. You will remember how pleasant a person he is, and
will be glad to hear that his professional prospects are excellent, as he
is in high favour with Prince Metternich, to whom he was strongly
recommended by Schwartzenberg, his last _chef_. One of my first acts
was to call on Sir R. Gordon [the British Ambassador], who has been
_most_ kind, giving me dinner as often as I can go to him, and
assisting me in everything. On the evening of my arrival he took me to
Prince Metternich, when I had the honour of a conversation with the great
man. George was remembered by him and his daughter, and by the Countess
Zichy, the Princess's mother, and I was very kindly received by them all.
Palmerston was expected here, and the Prince told Sir R. Gordon that, if he
came, I should be invited to meet him at dinner; but unluckily he has
changed his plans, so that I shall not see him and Metternich together,
which would have been a great sight. I gave Sir Robert your good account of
Lady Alicia,[Footnote: Sister of the Earl of Aberdeen and of Sir R. Gordon,
died 1847.] and beg that you will in return tell her that Sir R. is very
flourishing, and that in my opinion he is a very magnificent ambassador,
and, what is better, a very kind one. His establishment is admirably
_monté_, and I found in François a friend of the Hope family in
general. George's letters of introduction I duly received. Schwartzenberg
is not here, but I have seen Esterhazy, who has asked me to his country
place, about three hours' drive from Vienna.... Besides the people I have
named, I have seen others, to whom I get access through Count Senfft, among
whom is the Dowager Duchess of Anhalt-Cöthen, a natural sister of the King
of Prussia, and a clever woman....
Your affect. Son,
JAMES R. HOPE.
Mr. Hope was unable to accept the invitation of Prince Esterhazy, in
consequence of an engagement to visit another Hungarian magnate, Prince
Palffy. The latter visit, with various other interesting details, is
recorded in the following letter:--
_J. R. Hope, Esq., to Edward L. Badeley, Esq._ Vienna: Nov. 7, 1844.
Dear Badeley,--[After giving some account of his visit at Tetschen, Mr.
Hope goes on to mention his interview with Prince Metternich.] Prince
Metternich honoured me with a conversation of some ten minutes or so, and
which would probably have been both longer and more interesting but for the
intrusion of a German who chose to thrust himself upon us. He spoke of some
points of commercial and manufacturing interest, and pleased me very much
by the simplicity of his manner. By means of letters which Count Senfft
gave me I have also become acquainted with several of the persons who are
known as active friends of the R. C. _High_ Church party; but I do not
know very much of them, and of the Vienna clergy nothing at all....
On Sunday, the 28th [Oct.], I started for my promised visit to Prince
Palffy at Malatzka, and arrived there in a few hours. The house resembles
most of those one sees abroad, built round a court, with long passages,
white exterior, &c., and, as the country round it is very flat and sandy,
it cannot be called a very interesting place. It was, however, my first
resting-place in Hungary, and as such, an object of curiosity to me.
Besides which, I found in it a hearty welcome, and a large family party,
which gave me a good idea of the society of the upper class. The Prince is
an extensive landowner, holding it all in his own hands (as is generally if
not universally the case, both in Bohemia and Hungary), and working it by
the tributary labour of the peasants, who, besides a small money payment,
contribute labour for a certain number of days in each year. With the
obligation of this quittance, the latter class hold in fee the cottages and
plots of land which they occupy, and appear to be a thriving and
comfortable race. They are, however, exclusively the tax-payers, as the
nobles are still free from all imposts. An effort has indeed been made
lately, which has partially succeeded, to tax the nobles; and it is
probable that amid the numerous reforms of the Hungarian Diet, this
will eventually be fully carried out. Our mode of life at Malatzka was
to rise when we chose, breakfast in our own rooms, to meet at half-past
twelve for luncheon, then to go out, and to dine at six, and to spend
the evening in the drawing-room. Coursing, a badger-hunt, and an
expedition to a property of the Prince's at the foot of the Carpathians,
constituted my out-of-door amusements; and of these, the last at least was
very interesting. I saw an immense tract of wood and pasture, a herd of
wild oxen, sheep innumerable, a curious stalactite grotto, and an Hungarian
farmhouse.
From Malatzka I went, furnished with letters, to the seat of Prince
Liechtenstein in Moravia--Eisgrüb. He is one of the richest men in the
Austrian dominions, having possessions in Moravia, Bohemia, and Hungary,
and several houses in Vienna. A great sportsman, and in this point, at
least, a great imitator of English manners. The house at which I was is a
summer residence, with very fine pleasure-grounds, park, &c.; but he has an
autumn château not far off, which I also visited, and which is a fine
specimen of foreign country architecture. Everything about him seemed to
teem with expense and luxury, which, although probably not greater than
what is to be found in the residences of English noblemen, appears greater
from its contrast with the rudeness and simplicity of the general condition
of the country. These great nobles seem, in fact, to combine the most
striking points of barbarism and civilisation, and to turn them both to
their enjoyment. I stayed only one day at Eisgrüb, though I had pressing
invitations to remain longer; but I was anxious to go to Presburg to see
the Diet, and so returned to Malatzka, which I left again the next morning,
Saturday, 2nd Nov., for the seat of the Hungarian Parliament.
At Presburg I spent four days. The place itself is uninteresting, though
there are points of beauty about it; but it contains at this moment some of
the most turbulent politicians in the world; and their movements are of
considerable importance as well to the twelve million souls who constitute
the population of Hungary, as to the integrity of the Austrian Empire.
I should write a book were I to tell you all I have heard from different
quarters upon this question; but this much seems certain--that Hungary is
in a state of violent transition, and that in a few years its internal
condition and perhaps its relations to the Austrian monarchy will have
undergone a complete revolution. Sir R. Gordon gave me a letter to an
Englishman who is employed by the British Embassy to attend the sittings of
the Diet; and by his kindness I was enabled to make acquaintance with many
of the most distinguished men. I was also present at several debates in the
two Chambers of the Diet, and though (the language being Hungarian) I could
not understand a word, yet it was most interesting to watch the proceedings
of this Magyar Parliament, in which freedom of speech exists as fully as in
any assembly in the world. The members all attend in Hungarian costume,
which, on common occasions, consists of a laced surtout coat, a cap, and a
sword. They speak from their places and without notes. Each member may
speak as often as he pleases, and some take advantage of the privilege to a
somewhat formidable extent. There seemed to be much fluency and not a
little action; but the management of the voice was bad, and energy seemed
to pass at once into violence. Though party runs high, organisation is very
little understood, and business is transacted both slowly and with very
uncertain results. They have the misfortune of all foreign constitutional
states, that of desiring to imitate England, i.e. to do in a few years, and
designedly, what the accidents of centuries have produced with us. There
is, however, no lack either of talent or courage, and one governing mind
might make Hungary a nation. It is immensely rich in natural productions,
and wants only a market to have a great trade. This they are well disposed
to establish with England, and I hope they may succeed; but Austria has
interests which I fear may render this difficult. In both Chambers the
clergy are represented: in that of the magnates by the Bishops; in the
Lower House by deputies of the chapters. To the Primate I was introduced at
one of his public entertainments. He is said to have 40 or 60,000_l_.
per ann., and his personal carriage as well as his establishment are quite
becoming his station. I made acquaintance also with the Archbishop of
Erlau, a poet and a man of taste and learning, but victim to the tic
douloureux. Lastly, with the Bishop of Csanad (Mgr. Lonowics), who has
charmed me. He is well read, in English as well as other literature and
history, and is as kind-hearted and Christian a man as I ever met with.
Indeed, I shall be tempted to visit Hungary again, if it is only to spend a
day or two with him. In the meantime we have established a mutual book-
relation. He is to send me works on Hungarian Ecclesiastical Law, addressed
to Stewart, and I have promised to send him some things which I beg you
will at once see to. [Mr. Hope mentions Winkle's 'Cathedrals;' Ward's
'Ideal;' Newman's last vol. of 'Sermons;' the 'Life of St. Stephen;'
Oakeley's 'Life of St. Austin;' and his own pamphlet 'On the Jerusalem
Bishopric.']
Yours ever truly,
James R. Hope.
On November 25 we find Mr. Hope at Milan, where he mentions having seen his
old acquaintances, Manzoni and Vitali. The following letter will show how
much he had impressed the former, brief as their communications had been:--
_Alessandro Manzoni to J. R. Hope, Esq._
Milan: 8 Mai, 1845.
Monsieur et respectable ami,--Je profite de l'occasion que me présente mon
ancien et intime ami, M. le Baron Trechi, pour me rappeler à votre bon
souvenir....
Agréez mes remercîments bien vifs et bien sincères pour les _Scripture
Prints_ que Mr. Lewis Gruner a bien voulu me remettre de votre part. Si
le nom du peintre n'y était pas, je suis sûr qu'en les voyant, je me serais
écrié: Ah! Raphael. C'est tout ce qu'un homme n'ayant, malheureusement,
aucune connaissance de l'art, peut vous dire pour vous rendre compte de
l'impression que lui a faite la copie. Je ne vous charge de rien pour M.
Gladstone, parce que je me donne la satisfaction de lui écrire par cette
même occasion. J'espère que nous le reverrons bientôt au ministère. N'allez
pas me demander si je suis anglais pour dire: nous; car je vous répondrais
que _homo sum; humani nihil a me alienum puto_; et qu'il n'y a rien
d'_humanius_ que d'aimer à voir le pouvoir uni à la confiance; je ne
dis pas: à de hautes facultés; car, malheureusement, le cas est moins rare.
[After giving his friend an account of a great family affliction he had
sustained in the loss of a beloved daughter, the writer goes on to say:]
Je ne crains pas de vous importuner en vous parlant ainsi de ce qui me
touche si profondément: je sais la part que vous prenez à tout ce qui est
douleur et confiance en Dieu, par Jésus Christ. Je n'ai pas craint non plus
de vous choquer en vous écrivant avec un ton si familier, et comme il
conviendrait à une ancienne connaissance; car il me semble que nous le
sommes; l'affection et l'estime de ma part et une grande bonté de la vôtre,
ont bien pu suppléer le temps. Permettez-moi d'espérer que le bonheur que
j'ai de vous connaître n'aura pas été un accident dans une vie, et que des
causes plus heureuses que d'autrefois vous ramèneront bientôt encore dans
ce pays; et, en attendant, veuillez me garder une petite place dans votre
faveur, comme vous êtes toujours vivant dans le mien. Je suis, avec la plus
affectueuse considération,
Votre dévoué serviteur et ami,
ALEXANDRE MANZONI.
Mr. Hope proceeded from Milan to Florence and Rome. Almost the only letter
referring to this visit to Rome that has come before me is one written to
Mr. Badeley on December 19. It contains very little of importance. Much of
it is taken up with an account of Sir William Follett, then at Rome, and
verging towards his end, of whom Mr. Hope had seen a great deal. Other
friends named are Mr. and Mrs. Vivian, and Mr. Waterton. From the latter,
Mr. Hope had 'an interesting account of Tickell's reception into the Church
of Rome at Bruges. He was himself present, and very much struck by T.'s
devout and humble behaviour.'
'Of the Roman clergy,' Mr. Hope remarks, 'I have seen little, and have
indeed almost given up my inquiries among them.' He mentions in the same
letter that he intended leaving Rome on January 1 or 2, 'and to speed
homewards _viâ_ Leghorn, Genoa, Marseilles, and Paris.' Amidst all
this apparent coldness, and in spite of all the expressions of
disappointment with Rome that have appeared thus far, [Footnote: On the
cause of this dissatisfaction an intimate friend of his has observed: 'For
myself I think the real and sufficient reason of his disappointment with
Rome was, that the Roman authorities naturally and reasonably would not
open to a Protestant. They would fear their information would be used
against them. They could not know his honesty of purpose.'] it is clear
that the secret influence and spirit of the place were working their effect
on his mind. A great proof of this will be given further on, in a letter of
the Père Roothaan's to a friend relative to Mr. Hope's conversion.
A sentence from a letter of Mr. Hope's about two years afterwards is here
in point. 'Your impression of Rome (he writes to Mr. Badeley, October 16,
1847) appears to be similar to that of most who see it for the first time;
but it grows upon one, and the recollection will be deeper than the present
feeling.'
There is a pleasing note to Mr. Hope, dated December 20, 1844, from Mgr.
Grant, then Rector of the English College at Rome, and afterwards the well-
known Bishop of Southwark, one of the most beloved and venerated friends of
his Catholic period. It merely gives information to assist him in visiting
St. John Lateran's, and promises to send an order for St. Peter's. It
concludes characteristically: 'I shall be too happy to serve you whenever I
can be useful. Although you do not think so, you will find that _little
people_ are not without some use; and, in the hope that you will allow
me an opportunity of proving that I am in the right, I remain, with many
thanks for your kindness, &c.,--THOMAS GRANT.' I may here also give a short
letter of Bishop Grant's, of later date, illustrating their friendship, and
including some traces of its beginning at Rome:--
_The Right Rev. Dr. Grant, Bishop of Southwark, to J. R. Hope-Scott,
Esq., Q.C._
June 23, 1853.
My dear Mr. Hope-Scott,--The _frescoes_ have arrived, and I hasten to
thank you for a gift, valuable in itself, but most dear to me, because it
will ever remind me of the beginning of that friendship which has always
been so pleasing to me, and which forms one of the consolations that are
allowed to me in the midst of the weighty duties of my present state--
duties which I little expected when we quarrelled peacefully about Swiss
guards and troops of soldiers lining St. Peter's on grand days.
When you next visit the churches and antiquities of Rome, Mary Monica will
catch up the ardour that will then probably have gone by for you and
myself, and will wonder why you care so little for them; and if I am with
you I fear I shall be more tempted to tell her of the quiet rooms in Via
della Croce, when I first knew her father, than of the Arch of Drusus, or
other pagan monuments that once entertained our attention.
Yours very sincerely,
† THOMAS GRANT.
Mr. Hope-Scott had a high admiration for this saintly Bishop, and used to
speak of him as '_the_ Bishop,' always meaning by that Bishop Grant.
Early in 1845, and not many weeks after his return to England, Mr. Hope
resigned his chancellorship of Salisbury. It can scarcely be doubted that
misgivings as to his religious position, more apparent perhaps to us now
than they then were even to himself, were among his leading motives for
taking this important step; although the immense accumulation of his
business before the Parliamentary committees must have rendered it
difficult for him, even with his talents, to hold with it an appointment
like that in such times; and feelings of friendship for his successor, the
present Sir Robert Phillimore, may also have influenced him. The date of
the resignation was Feb. 10.
The judgment of Sir Herbert Jenner Fust in the celebrated 'Stone Altar
Case,' by which wooden altars only were permitted, was a severe
discouragement to the Tractarian party, being felt to interfere with the
idea of sacrifice. From the following passage of a letter (undated) of Dr.
Pusey's to Mr. Hope, it appears that he (Mr. Hope) had endeavoured to take
a more favourable view. The letter probably belongs to Feb. or March 1845.
I do not know whether the opinion you give is as to law previous to Sir H.
J. F.'s decision, and as a ground of appeal against it, or as to what would
still be allowed. Would his judgment preclude our having a stone slab,
either upon stone pedestals or a wooden panelled altar? I have comforted
others with the same topic you mention, that wooden tables are altars by
virtue of ye sacrifice, and so that this decision really alters nothing.
Still, it does seemingly, and was intended to discountenance the
doctrine.... It must be confessed, too, that this decision of Sir H. J. F.
is a defeat--only an outward one, and availing nothing while truth spreads
within. Still it is well to neutralise the sentence as much as we can.
Ever yrs affectly,
E. B. PUSEY.
Notwithstanding this, Mr. Hope is remembered, after the adverse decision,
to have despondingly asked, 'Where is the use of fighting for the shell
when we have lost the kernel?'
Among the other agitations of that time was the prosecution instituted in
the Court of Arches by Dr. Blomfield, Bishop of London, against the Rev.
Frederick Oakeley (the late Canon) for views which he had expressed about
the Blessed Sacrament. Canon Oakeley, in a conversation I had with him in
1878, gave me the following information as to the part taken by Mr. Hope as
his friend and adviser in this case, and general recollections of him. He
had resolved to let the case go by default, partly because he felt
convinced that it was sure to be decided in favour of the Bishop, as those
cases always were; partly because he disliked a subject like the Blessed
Sacrament to be bandied about by the lawyers in that way. Mr. Hope, on the
other hand, urged him to place himself in the hands of counsel, and thought
a good case might be made by reference to books on canon law and Roman
writers of the moderate school (Gallican), showing that, in point of fact,
the holding of 'all Roman doctrine' (thus interpreted) was compatible with
the doctrine of the Church of England. [Footnote: _Thus interpreted_,
observe. Mr. Newman himself, in a letter to Mr. Hope, dated Littlemore, May
14, 1845, says: 'You are quite right in saying I do not take Ward and
Oakeley's grounds that all Roman doctrine may be held in our Church, and
that _as_ Roman I have always and everywhere resisted it.'] The
principle on which he went was the approximation made out by Sancta Clara
and in Tract 90. Mr. Hope had more hopes of the House of Lords than of the
Court of Arches, and wished Mr. Oakeley to appeal to the former. If he was
afraid of the expenses, he said they would manage all that for him.
[Footnote: Mr. Hope had formed a committee (in conjunction with Serjeant
Bellasis, Mr. Badeley, and Mr. J. D. Chambers) in order to raise
contributions to meet Mr. Oakeley's expenses. I find an exchange of notes
dated March 10, 1845, between Mr. Hope and Mr. Gladstone on this matter.
Mr. Hope encloses a circular, and invites Mr. Gladstone to contribute,
remarking 'As the process must throw light upon many collateral points, I
amongst others am much interested in its being well conducted. I am,
moreover, as a friend of O.'s, anxious that he should have fair
play....This looks like the beginning of the end.' Mr. Gladstone, in reply,
alludes to doubts he had had whether he could subscribe _in re_ Ward.
'Although I am far from having (upon a slight consideration as yet, for I
have been very busy with other matters) found them conclusive; for I think
we are going to try questions of academical right, and even of general
justice.' He therefore declines subscribing in Mr. Oakeley's case,
promising to give Mr. Hope his reasons whenever they should meet.]He added,
however, 'But I think you are inclined to go over to the Church of Rome;
and if that is the case, it is useless to proceed.' Mr. Hope at that time
(said the Canon) was a staunch Anglican. He did not, however, see more of
him than of any other member of his congregation perhaps once in three
months. After Mr. Oakeley had become a Catholic, Mr. Hope once asked him to
breakfast, which he accepted rather hesitatingly. At that time he (Mr.
Oakeley) thought less favourably of Protestants than he did now, and hinted
that he must take a line in conversation that might not be acceptable. Mr.
Hope said they need not talk of that, let him come. At this breakfast Mr.
Hope mentioned that he had been lately at Rome (he could allude to no other
visit than that of 1844-5), where he had seen a procession of the Pope in
the _sedia gestatoria_, and thought how much better it would have been
if he had walked in the procession like any other Bishop--that was the line
he took. [I ought to add that, later in my conversation with him, Canon
Oakeley seemed rather to hesitate whether it was Mr. Hope or some one else
who made this observation about the Pope's procession, but in the end he
appeared to feel satisfied that it was Mr. Hope.]
In the same troubled spring of 1845 a movement was going on to assimilate
the office of the Scottish Episcopalian Church to that of the English. Dean
Ramsay of Edinburgh had asked Mr. Hope for a legal opinion on a case in
which he was concerned bearing on this. Mr. Hope, in a letter to him dated
April 8, declines to meddle with the question, and adds:--
I can hardly tell you how much I deprecate any steps which may tend to
diminish the authority of the _native_ office; how entirely I dissent
from any plans of further assimilation to the foreign English Church.
Indeed, the consequences of such schemes at this moment would in my opinion
be most disastrous.
Some letters of great interest with reference to Mr. Hope's religious
position at this period occur in the Gladstone correspondence. Mr.
Gladstone, being now thoroughly aware that his friend was entertaining
serious doubts as to the Catholicity of the Church of England, writes him a
very long and deeply considered letter, appealing in the first place to a
promise of co-operation which Mr. Hope had made him in the earlier days of
their friendship, and placing before him, with all the power and eloquence
of which he is so great a master, what he regarded as the most unanswerable
arguments for remaining in the Anglican communion. From this letter I quote
the following passages as strictly biographical:--
_The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P. to J. M. Hope, Esq._
13 Carlton House Terrace: Thursday night, May 15, '45.
_Private._
My dear Hope,--In 1838 you lent me that generous and powerful aid in the
preparation of my book for the press, to which I owe it that the defects
and faults of the work fell short of absolutely disqualifying it for its
purpose. From that time I began to form not only high but definite
anticipations of the services which you would render to the Church in the
deep and searching processes through which she has passed and yet has to
pass. These anticipations, however, did not rest only upon my own wishes,
or on the hopes which benefits already received might have led me to form.
In the commencement of 1840, in the very room where we talked to-night, you
voluntarily and somewhat solemnly tendered to me the assurance that you
would at all times be ready to co-operate with me in furtherance of the
welfare of the Church, and you placed no limit upon the extent of such co-
operation. I had no title to expect and had not expected a promise so
heart-stirring, but I set upon it a value scarcely to be described, and it
ever after entered as an element of the first importance into all my views
of the future course of public affairs in their bearing upon religion.
[Footnote: With this may be compared Mr. Hope's letter to Mr. Gladstone of
October 11, 1838, given in chapter ix. (vol. i.).]
* * * * *
If the time shall ever come (which I look upon as extremely uncertain, but
I think if it comes at all it will be before the lapse of many years) when
I am called upon to use any of those opportunities [the writer had just
spoken of 'the great opportunities, the gigantic opportunities of good or
evil to the Church which the course of events seems (humanly speaking)
certain to open up'], it would be my duty to look to you for aid, under the
promise to which I have referred, unless in the meantime you shall as
deliberately and solemnly withdraw that promise as you first made it. I
will not describe at length how your withdrawal of it would increase that
sense of desolation which, as matters now stand, often approaches to being
intolerable. I only speak of it as a matter of fact, and I am anxious you
should know that I look to it as one of the very weightiest kind, under a
title which you have given me. You would of course cancel it upon the
conviction that it involved sin upon your part: with anything less than
that conviction I do not expect that you will cancel it; and I am, on the
contrary, persuaded that you will struggle against pain, depression,
disgust, and even against doubt touching the very root of our position, for
the fulfilment of any actual _duties_ which the post you actually
occupy in the Church of God, taken in connection with your faculties and
attainments, may assign to you.
You have given me lessons that I have taken thankfully. Believe I do it in
the payment of a debt, if I tell you that your mind and intellect, to which
I look up with reverence under a consciousness of immense inferiority, are
much under the dominion, whether it be known or not known to yourself, of
an agency lower than their own, more blind, more variable, more difficult
to call inwardly to account and make to answer for itself--the agency, I
mean, of painful and disheartening impressions--impressions which have an
unhappy and powerful tendency to realise the very worst of what they
picture. Of this fact I have repeatedly noted the signs in you.
I should have been glad to have got your advice on some points connected
with the Maynooth question on Monday next, but I will not introduce here
any demand upon your kindness; the claims of this letter on your attention,
be they great or small, and you are their only judge, rest upon wholly
different grounds.
God bless and guide you, and prosper the work of your hands.
Ever your aff'te friend, W. E. GLADSTONE.
J. R. Hope, Esq.
The friends both being in London at the time, the correspondence gives no
further light at this point. In July Mr. Gladstone proposed to Mr. Hope
that they two should go on a tour in Ireland together. The invitation must
be given in his own words:--
_The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P. to J. R. Hope, Esq._
13 C. H. Terrace: July 23, 1845.
My dear Hope,--Ireland is likely to find this country and Parliament so
much employment for years to come, that I feel rather oppressively an
obligation to try and see it with my own eyes instead of using those of
other people, according to the limited measure of my means.
Now your company would be so very valuable as well as agreeable to me, that
I am desirous to know whether you are at all inclined to entertain the idea
of devoting the month of September, after the meeting in Edinburgh, to a
working tour in Ireland with me--eschewing all grandeur, and taking little
account even of scenery, compared with the purpose of looking from close
quarters at the institutions for religion and education of the country, and
at the character of the people. It seems ridiculous to talk of supplying
the defects of second-hand information by so short a trip; but though a
longer time would be much better, yet even a very contracted one does much
when it is added to an habitual though indirect knowledge.
Believe me Your attached friend, W. E. GLADSTONE.
It is much to be regretted that this tour was not accomplished, but various
engagements prevented Mr. Hope's accepting the invitation: he spent that
part of the vacation in Scotland, and Mr. Gladstone on the Continent.
Shortly after the date of the preceding letter Mr. Gladstone appears to
have suggested to Mr. Hope the idea of his joining some association for
active charity, which is partly illustrated by a correspondence which I
shall presently quote; but Mr. Hope (August 6) writes:--
As to the guild or confraternity, I am not at this moment prepared to join
it. My reasons are various, but I have not had leisure to think them out.
When I have revolved the matter further, perhaps I may trouble you again
upon it.
On October 9, 1845, Mr. Newman was received into the Catholic Church, and
Mr. Hope writes to him on the 20th:--
I was so fully prepared that the event fell lightly on my mind, but the
feeling of separation has since grown upon me painfully. The effect which,
I think I told you, it would have upon my conduct, is that of forcing me to
a deliberate inquiry; but I feel most unfit for it, and look with anxiety
to your book as my guide. I hope to be at Oxford early next week, and trust
to see you. Meantime, if it be anything to you to know that all my personal
feelings towards you remain unaltered, or rather, are deepened, that much I
can sincerely say.
On December 1 he speaks of his own joining the Roman Catholic Church as
'what may eventually happen,' adding: 'But I feel that I have yet much
before me, both in moral and intellectual exertion, ere I can hope for a
conclusion. Meantime I beg your prayers.'
On December 22 he gives his impressions of Newman's 'Essay on Development,'
so eagerly expected:--
I have read your book _once_ through. To apprehend it fully will
require one, if not two more perusals. The effect produced upon me as yet
is that of perplexity at seeing how wide a range of thought appears to be
required for the discussion. I had thought that the principles which I
already acknowledge would, upon a careful application, suffice for the
solution of the difficulties; but you have taken me into a region less
familiar to me, and the extent of which makes me feel helpless and
discouraged.
It may be worth mentioning that soon after the 'Essay on Development' came
out, Mr. Hope asked a friend at dinner across the table (the anecdote was
given me by the latter), 'Have you read the "Extravagant of John"?' To
understand this, the unlearned reader must be told that certain celebrated
constitutions, decreed by Pope John XXII., are called by canonists the
'Extravagantes Joannis.' The play on the word was one which would be
relished by Mr. Hope's friend, who was almost as great a student of the
canon law as himself. His meaning, however, may have been that he thought
Mr. Newman had taken up a view outside of the received system.
In the two letters I have just quoted Mr. Hope enters, like a kind friend
and adviser, into Mr. Newman's plans in the early days of his conversion,
but an interruption of the correspondence seems to have followed on Mr.
Newman's going to Rome, where he was from autumn, 1846, to the beginning of
1848. It is probable, indeed, that it was the consciousness of his own
affection for Mr. Newman, and of Mr. Newman's influence over him, that led
Mr. Hope to abstain, during that long interval, from intercourse with a
friend whom he regarded with such deep respect and admiration. There is,
however, a letter of Mr. Newman's from Rome in the interval, which will be
read with great interest, both for his own history and for the light, yet
thrilling touch of spiritual kindness which it conveys towards the end. It
contains, too, a line explaining his own silence.
_The Rev. J. H. Newman to J. R. Hope, Esq_.
(Private.) Collegio di Prop.: Feb. 23, '47.
My dear Hope,--I have been writing so very, very much lately, that now that
I want to tell you something my hand is so tired that I can hardly write a
word. We are to be Oratorians. Mgr. Brunelli went to the Pope about it the
day before yesterday, my birthday. The Pope took up the plan most warmly,
as had Mgr. B., to whom we had mentioned it a month back. Mgr. had returned
my paper, in which I drew out my plan, saying, 'Mi piace immensamente,' and
repeated several times that the plan was 'ben ideata.' They have from the
first been as kind to us as possible, and are ever willing to do anything
for us. I have ever been thinking of you, and you must have thought my
silence almost unkind, but I waited to tell you something which would be
real news. It is _no_ secret that we are to be Oratorians, but matters
of detail being uncertain, you had better keep it to yourself. The Pope
wishes us to come here, as many as can, form a house under an experienced
Oratorian Father, go through a novitiate, and return. Of course they will
hasten us back as soon as [they] can, but that will depend on our progress.
I _suppose_ we shall set up in Birmingham... You are not likely to
know the very Jesuits of Propaganda. We are very fortunate in them. The
Rector (Padre Bresciani) is a man of great delicacy and real kindness; our
confessor, Father Ripetti, is one of the most excellent persons we have
fallen in with, tho' I can't describe him to you in a few words. Another
person we got on uncommonly with was Ghianda at Milan. Bellasis will have
told you about him. We owed a great deal to you there, and did not forget
you, my dear Hope. Let me say it, O that God would give you the gift of
faith! Forgive me for this. I know you will. It is of no use my plaguing
you with many words. I want you for the Church in England, and the Church
for you. But I must do my own work in my own place, and leave everything
else to that inscrutable Will which we can but adore;... Well, our lot is
fixed. What will come to it I know not. Don't think me ambitious. I am not.
I have no views. It will be enough for me if I get into some active work,
and save my own soul.... My affectionate remembrances to Badeley....
Ever y'rs affectionately, John H. Newman.
I find, towards the end of 1850, a very interesting exchange of letters
between Dr. Newman and Mr. Hope, which may conveniently be given here,
though chronologically they ought to come later. I first give a letter
needed to explain them:--
_J. R. Hope, Esq., Q.C. to the Rev. Stuart Bathurst._
Abbotsford: Nov. 4, '50.
Dear Bathurst,--Your kind letter needed no apologies; and for your prayers
and good thoughts for me I thank you much. May they of God be blessed to me
in clearer light as well as in a purer conscience! As yet I do not see my
way as you have done yours, but I pray that I may not long remain in such
doubt as I now have.
From our address I conclude that you are with Newman. Tell him with my kind
regards that I hope he has not forgotten me. I have very often thought of
him, and have sometimes been near writing to him, but have had nothing
definite to say. I have read his last lectures, and wish they were extended
to a review of doctrine, and the difficulties which beset it to an
Anglican.
Let me hear from you when you have time, and believe me, my dear Bathurst,
Yours ever aff'tly,
James R. Hope.
The Rev. S. Bathurst.
_The Very Rev. Dr. Newman to J. R. Hope, Esq., Q.C._
Oratory, Birmingham: Nov. 20, 1850.
My dear Hope,--It is with the greatest pleasure I have just read the letter
which you wrote to Bathurst, and which he has forwarded to me.... I now
fully see ... that your silence has arisen merely from the difficulty of
writing to one in another communion, and the irksomeness and indolence (if
you will let me so speak) we all feel in doing what is difficult, what may
be misconceived, and what can scarcely have object or use.
I know perfectly well, my dear Hope, your great moral and intellectual
qualities, and will not cease to pray that the grace of God may give you
the obedience of faith, and use them as His instruments. For myself, I say
it from my heart, I have not had a single doubt, or temptation to doubt,
ever since I became a Catholic. I believe this to be the case with most
men--it certainly is so with those with whom I am in habits of intimacy. My
great temptation is to be at _peace_, and let things go on as they
will, and not trouble myself about others. This being the case, your
recommendation that I should 'take a review of doctrine, and of the
difficulties which beset it to an Anglican,' is anything but welcome, and
makes me smile. Surely, enough has been written--all the writing in the
world would not destroy the necessity of faith. If all were now made clear
to reason, where would be the exercise of faith? The single question is,
whether _enough_ has not been done to _reduce_ the difficulties
so far as to hinder them absolutely blocking up the way, or excluding those
direct and large arguments on which the reasonableness of faith is built.
Ever yours affectionately,
John H. Newman.
_J. R. Hope, Esq., Q.C. to the Very Rev. Dr. Newman._
Abbotsford: Nov. 27, '50.
Dear Newman,--The receipt of your letter gave me sincere pleasure. It
renews a correspondence which I value very highly, and which my own
stupidity had interrupted. Offence I had never taken, but causes such as
you describe much better than I could have done were the occasion of my
silence.
You may now find that you have brought more trouble on yourself, for there
are many things on which I should like to ask you questions, and I know
that your time is already much engaged. However, at present my chief object
is to assure you how very glad I am again to write to you, as the friend
whom I almost fear I had thrown away. Whatever occurs, do not let us be
again estranged. It is not easy, as one gets older, to form new friendships
of any kind, and least of all such as I have always considered yours....
Ever, dear Newman,
Yours affectionately
JAMES R. HOPE.
_The Very Rev. Dr. Newman to J. R. Hope, Esq., Q.C._
Oratory, Birmingham: November 29, 1850.
My dear Hope,--I write a line to thank you for your letter, and to say how
glad I shall be to hear from you, as you half propose, whether or not I am
able to say anything to your satisfaction, which would be a greater and
different pleasure.
It makes me smile to hear you talk of getting older. What must I feel,
whose life is gone ere it is well begun?
Ever yours affectionately,
JOHN H. NEWMAN,
Congr. Orat.