The Henson Journals

[335]

Tuesday, November 24th, 1925.

If they (i.e. the clergy) be familiar, we call them light. If they be solitary, we call them fantastic. If they be sad, we call them solemn. If they be merry, we call them mad. If they be companionable, we call them vicious. If they be holy, we call them hypocrites. If they keep few servants, we call them niggards. If they keep many, we call them pompous. If a lewd priest do a lewd deed, then we say, Lo, see what example the clergy giveth us, as though that priest were the clergy. But then forget we to look what good men be therein, & what good counsel they give us, & what good example they shew us. But we fare as do the ravens & the carrion crows that never meddle with any quick flesh. But where they may find a dead dog in a ditch, thereto they flee, & thereon they feed apace. So where we see a good man, & hear & see a good thing, there we take little heed; But when we see once an evil deed, thereon we gape, thereof we talk, & feed ourselves all day with the filthy delight of evil communication.

Sir Thomas More. 'Dialogue' Bk.iii.c.II

[336]

I remained indoors all day, and employed myself in my study, mainly in reading More. His account of the famous Hunne case is written with much humour and vivacity. His reasoning against an indiscriminate circulation of the vernacular Bible may still be heard from Papists and Anglo–Catholicks, only waged with vastly less ability and humour.

Trotman came to discuss his coming here as Chaplain, and we agreed that he should take office for a period of three months, retaining his curacy at Gateshead, it being understood that, if all things went well, he should continue in office until his going to India as a Chaplain on the Civil Establishment in October. I stipulated further that he should ender on his duties during the week January 4th–9th.

The speeches on Queen Alexandra in both Houses yesterday have more the ring of sincerity than most such utterances. It has been decided – and plainly the decision – matches the mood of the Nation to make the Day of the Funeral a Day of National Mourning. All sorts of functions have been cancelled or postponed from the Locarno Reception to the prize–distribution at Blyth.

[337]

Nor I never yet heard any reason laid why it were not convenient to have the bible translated into the English tongue, but all those reasons seemed they never so gay and glorious at the first sight, yet when they were well examined they might in effect, for ought that I can see, as well be laid against the holy writers that wrote the Scripture in the Hebrew tongue, and against the blessed Evangelists that write the Scripture in Greek, and against all those in likewise that translated it out of every of those tongues into latin, as to their charge that would well and faithfully translate it out of Latin into our English tongue. For as for that our tongue is called barbarous is but a fantasy. For so is, as every learned man knoweth, every strange language to other. And if they would call it barren of words, there is no doubt but it is plenteous enough to express our minds in anything whereof one man hath used to speak with another.

Sir Thomas More. l.c. ch. xvi

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