The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

142 THE CANON LAW.and liberties which they confer would henceforth be amongthe things that were. The government of the realm wouldbecome priestly, and the secular jurisdiction would be amere appanage of the sacerdotal. Red hats and cowlswould fill the offices of state and the halls of legislation, andwould enact those marvels of political wisdom for which Spainand Italy are so justly renowned. A favoured class, combiningthe laziness of Turks with the rapacity of Algerines,would speedily spring up ; and, to enable them to live in idle^ness, or in something worse, the " tale of bricks"" would bedoubled to the people. Malefactors of every class, insteadof crossing the Atlantic, as now, would simply tie theFranciscan's rope round their middle, or throw the friar''scloak over their consecrated shoulders. The Bible woulddisappear as the most pestiferous of books, and the goodold cause of ignorance would triumph. A purification ofour island on a grand scale, from three centuries of heresy,would straightway be undertaken. As Protestants (the worstof all heretics) our lives would be of equal value with thoseof the wolf or the tiger ; and it would be not less a virtue todestroy us, only the mode of despatch might not be so quickand merciful. The wolf would be shot down at once ; theProtestant would be permitted toprolongation of his dying agonies.edify the Catholic by theOur Queen would havea twelvemonth's notice to make her peace with Rome, orabide the consequences. Should she disdain becoming avassal of the Roman see, a crusade would be preachedagainst her dominions, and every soldier inthe army of theHoly League would be recompensed with the promise ofparadise, and of as much of the wealth of hereticalas he could appropriate.the introduction of the canon law, asfollows the setting of the sun.AlbionThese consequences would followcertainly as darknessBut these effects would not be realized in a day. Thistremendous tyranny would overtake the realm as nightovertakes the earth.First the Roman Catholics in Britainwould be habituated to the government of this code ; and it