CHAPTER VI.

Ken makes the Tour of Italy with Izaak Walton's fon-At Rome in the year of Jubilee-Returns home-His attachment to the Church of England confirmed.

NEW and refreshing scene opens before us, as we turn from the fearful picture of Charles's Court to the perfonal hiftory of Ken. Having given to the Winchester scholars a Manual of prayers

to fuftain their devotion, he prepared himself for a journey through Italy, at that time (towards the end of 1675) the wealthiest and most populous country in Europe. Fertile in the various productions of the earth, and abounding in the rare works of ancient and modern art, the nurse of mufic, of poetry, painting, and fculpture, and illuftrious for men of science and literature, Italy formed the natural point of attraction for those whofe tafte impelled them to enlarge their experience beyond their own country. The houses of English noblemen, even in this our luxurious age, cannot vie with the stately palaces of Doria, Farnefe, Medici, Pitti, Colonna, Aldobrandini, Pamfili, Barberini, Borghefe, and others. Their marble halls and galleries were decorated with unrivalled pictures and ftatues, frefcoes, and museums of precious ornaments and jewels, many of which are now defpoiled and scattered abroad.

The tour of Italy, not eafy to accomplish in those days, was an object of general interest and defire, as it was fuppofed to give the last finish to a gentleman of birth and fortune. Moreover, the policy and doctrines of the Court and Church of Rome began, more than ever, to form a theme of warm difcuffion in England. The hopeless janglings, to which controversy always gives rise, were aggravated by the prejudices of various fects and parties. Every difference of opinion feemed to discharge men from the obligations of common justice towards each other. We have feen how the confufion and difcord of the Rebellion had banished all the meek and lowly affections enjoined by the bleffed Saviour on the Mount. They who adhered to the primitive doctrine and ceremonial of the Church had been branded with the name of Papifts; whilft fectarian fanaticism, holding up religion as a cloak for perfecution, gave loose to all the implacable paffions of our nature.

With the Restoration the tide changed: but an intolerant spirit prevailed with thofe now replaced in power; the fectaries in their turn were oppreffed, and forbidden the exercise of their worship. The Church recovered much of her temporal poffeffions, but not her spiritual rule. The bands of discipline were loosened; the pure services of religion, long in disuse, were negligently performed by the clergy, many of whom had been feceders, and being ftill only outward conformists, had little reverence for the liturgy. Added to this, the King secretly desired to restore the influence of the Church of Rome; an object constantly urged forward by the Duke of York. Charles was

restrained by motives of policy from implicitly following his advice; yet his own inclinations prompted him to all compliances within the verge of policy. To fave appearances, he was often compelled to proclaim fevere penalties against Romanifts; but they were negligently enforced. There is little doubt that he had himself in heart conformed to Rome, though he durft not avow the change. He had long been a penfioner of Louis XIV., to whom he had bound himself by a secret treaty, for the restoration of Popery in England. Whenever his perfonal neceffities were most urgent, he applied to Louis for fresh advances, under plea that the interests of the Roman Catholic Church required such aid. "After having paffed a law," fays Mr. Fox, " to make it penal to affirm (what was true) that the King was a Papist, he pretended (what was not true) to be a zealous and bigoted Papift."

The few letters from Coleman, the Jefuit, to M. La Chaife, which were overlooked when he committed the rest to the flames, may be selected from a mass of other evidence to show the hopes that were entertained of establishing the Roman authority :—

"We have here a mighty work (he says in 1675) on our hands; no less than the converfion of three kingdoms; and by that, perhaps, the subduing a peftilent heresy which has domineered over part of this northern world a long time. There was never fuch hopes of fuccefs, fince the death of our Queen Mary, as now in our days, when God has given us a Prince who is become (I may fay by a miracle) zealous of being the author and instrument of fo glorious a work. But the opposition we are sure to meet with is also like to be

great fo that it imports us to get all the aid and affiftance, for the harvest is great, and the labourers are few.”*

Examples, however, were not wanting of Christian forbearance, which teaches men to hold their opinions with courage, yet with meekness, neither yielding on the one hand, nor reviling on the other. Of this number was Ken; and probably with a view to judge of the Papacy, in the very feat of its power, he refolved to vifit Rome. That he might give his nephew, young Ifaac Walton, the advantages of foreign travel, under his watchful guidance, he made him the companion of his journey. It appears that he was not unacquainted with the modern languages, for in his will he bequeathed all his "French, Italian, and Spanish books to the Library in Bath."

Clement X. had proclaimed the Roman Jubilee, which was to be celebrated with great fplendour. Papal briefs were distributed to the prelates throughout all the provinces of Europe, enjoining them to more than ordinary zeal in training their flocks for the approaching folemnity. Independent of this great feftival, which drew hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and devotees from every corner of Chriftendom, other motives befides curiofity might reasonably prompt an earnest-minded and reverent man to`make the tour of Italy. None could behold without a ftirring of heart the Church of Milan, into which St. Ambrose refused to admit the Emperor Theodofius, ftained with the blood of the Chriftians at Theffa

* State Tracts, folio, 1693, vol. ii. p. 145.

lonica; nor the Chapel where St. Augustine, with his little Adeodatus, and his friend Alipius, received baptifm, and from whence, in their proceffion to the great Church, St. Ambrose and St. Auguftine were supposed to have first sung the Te Deum by responses. Above all, the city of Rome must ever present to us objects of great intereft. Not to mention the Baths of Antoninus, the Circus and the Coloffeum, the Arches of Titus and Severus, the ruined Temples in the Capitol, and other veftiges of Roman grandeur, she had in early Christian times been the depofitory (thus St. Irenæus called her) of the holy apoftolical traditions and doctrines.

As the imperial city of Conftantinople was the centre of Catholic communion in the east, so once was imperial Rome in the weft, until her Bishops affecting an univerfal fupremacy, fhe became the author of her own schism, by which she still divides the Christian world. Then, it may be, for her punishment, she was permitted to wander from the straight and narrow path of scriptural truth into the broad road of error; adding, at her own will, novel and strange doctrines, unknown to the Apoftles as articles of faith: until, in this our day, as if to perpetuate her character of the Great Schifmatic, she has invaded the rights of other and independent churches, setting up altar against altar, and pretended Bishops, who being fecundi, are by the ancient rule of the Church mere nulli. Nevertheless, the city of Rome, once bedewed with the blood of St. Peter and St. Paul, is fuppofed to contain the remains of thofe holy apostles, and of St. Philip, St. James, St. Simon, St. Jude,