Untitled - Electric Scotland

1842-50] WARD S CHALLENGE 127
new form of subscription to the Articles, with a view to
avoiding any possibility of such interpretations
as Mr.
Ward and the supporters of Tract XC. had put upon them. 1
Among the members of Convocation whose support
of these propositions was deemed certain, were those who
had signed or approved the protest of the four tutors
three years before. And accordingly
fidently appealed
Dr. Tait was con
to for the use of his name in the
circulars which advocated the resolutions.
Instead of giving it, however, he published a pamphlet,
in the form of a letter to the Vice-Chancellor, which
greatly disconcerted many of his friends. Admitting
with reluctance the apparent necessity of the proposed
annulling of Mr. Ward s degrees, inasmuch as he held
him to be "a Roman Catholic in everything but the
name," he yet argued with all his might against the
indiscriminate imposition of a test which he declared
could do nothing but harm. Without referring directly
to the part he had taken in the protest of the four
tutors, he explained the consistency of his action then with
his action now.
"
Mr. Ward," he said,
"
has publicly and
boldly challenged the Church and the . University, . .
and unless I much mistake his character, after an
intimate acquaintance with him for above ten years, I
am sure that he will look with very great contempt upon
the Protestantism of any who are not ready to urge the
necessity of his challenge being accepted."
But "by the third proposition which they intend to
bring before Convocation, [the Heads of Houses] have
plunged into a new field, in which they must lose the
support of those who are most able and willing
The new test was to contain the following words :
to stand
"
Ego, A. B.,
. . .
profiteer ... me Articulis istis omnibus et singulis eo sensu subscripturum
in quo eos ex animo credo et primituseditos esse, et nunc mihi ab Universitate
propositos tanquam opinionum mearum certum ac inclubitatum signum."