The Henson Journals

[144]

Thursday, June 13th, 1929.

[symbol]

There was rain in the night, but the weather continued to be sultry. After breakfast, I walked to Lambeth, and continued there all day. The proceedings were mortally dull, and mainly unprofitable. The Bishops of Liverpool and Salisbury aired their pet notion of "renewing" the clergy by meetings. I called them both "viewy", an adjective, borrowed from the Tractarian mint, which commended itself to the bishops as befitting. I had some talk with the new Bishop of Chelmsford (Wilson), and, I imagine, did something to open his eyes to the real danger implied in Establishment in the not improbable contingency of an unfriendly exercise of the Crown patronage. Haigh said that he had read through my Charge, and admired its "beautiful English". There seems reason for thinking that his opinion in that respect is generally held by the Bishops. Old Lord Davidson sent me a message by Bell, now Bishop of Chichester, that he has not received the copy of my charge [145] [symbol] which I had promised him. This surprised me as I thought Macmillans had been directed to send him one. I looked in at Hugh Rees, and was told that "a good many copies" of the Charge had been sold. But experience has taught me to expect little. My books have never sold well, and never will, for they fit in to no party's interest, & on some count or other offend everybody!

Lang asked me whether it was true that I had coined the following. "Have you seen 'The Pig in Clover'? "No: but I have seen the Dean of Durham in bed!" I replied that it was inconceivable that I could say anything so profane.

The Bishop of Oxford informed us that rather more than 100,000 copies of the Revised Prayer Book had been sold.

I dined in the Athenaeum with the brothers Pearce. They are worthy fellows, and properly devoted to one another, but to speak sooth rather dull.

Lloyd George's reply to MacDonald is rather a fierce reminder that the Government is wholly dependent on the Liberal support!

---