the Emerald Isle; but, Patrick, he hated the absurdities of Popery. The Dean, in his Tale of a Tub, gives a very humorous and satirical history of the rise of some of the corruptions of Popery, and, among the rest, of transubstantiation. He represents Peter, by whom he means the Pope, inviting his two brothers, Jack and Martin, by whom he means Calvin and Luther, to dine with him on a shoulder of mutton. Having sat down to table, Peter says, "Come, brothers, fall to, and spare not; here is excellent good mutton; or hold, now my hand is in, I'll help you.' At which word, in much ceremony, with fork and knife, he carves out two good slices of a loaf, and presents each on a plate to his brothers. The elder of the two, not suddenly entering into Lord Peter's conceit, began with very civil language to examine the mystery. 'My Lord,' said he, 'I doubt, with great submission, there may be some mistake.' 'What,' says Peter, 'you are pleasant; come then, let us hear this jest your head is so big with.' 'None in the world, my Lord; but unless I am very much deceived, your Lordship was pleased a while ago to let fall a word about mutton, and I would be glad to see it with all my heart.' 'How!' said Peter, appearing in great surprise, I do not comprehend this at all.' Upon which, the younger interposing to set the business aright; 'My Lord,'

said he, my brother, I suppose, is hungry, and longs for the mutton your Lordship hath promised us to dinner.' 'Pray,' said Peter, 'take me along with you; either you are both mad, or disposed to be merrier than I approve of: if you, there, do not like your piece, I will carve you another, though I should take that to be the choice bit of the whole shoulder.' 'What then, my Lord,' replied the first, it seems this is a shoulder of mutton all this while.' 'Pray, Sir,' says Peter, 'eat your victuals and leave off your impertinence, if you please, for I am not disposed to relish it at present.' But the other could not forbear being over-provoked at the affected seriousness of Peter's countenance. 'My Lord,' said he, 'I can only say, that to my eyes, and fingers, and teeth, and nose, it seems to be nothing but a crust of bread.' Upon which the second put in his word: 'I never saw a piece of mutton in my life so nearly resembling a slice from a twelvepenny loaf.' 'Look ye, gentlemen,' cries Peter, in a rage, to convince you what a couple of blind, positive, ignorant, wilful puppies you are, I will use but this plain argument: I swear it is true, good, natural mutton, as any in Leadenhall market; and confound you both eternally, if you offer to believe otherwise.'"*

You per

* Swift's Works, vol. xii., pp. 74, 75. 12th Edition.

1751.

ceive, Patrick, that both Jack and Martin were very much like you; and that they would not believe, though Peter swore it, that a loaf of bread was a shoulder of mutton.

Patrick. Well, I do perceive it. But what does the Dean mean by Peter's curse upon them if they refused to believe that bread was mutton?

John. He meant, that the Pope and Popish Priests pronounce all accursed who will not believe that a bit of bread, over which the Priest has uttered his hocus pocus, is not entirely changed into the body and soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. Many have been burned at the stake, Patrick, for not believing this, which no man can believe, without at once renouncing all sense and reason.

Patrick. Well, I confess, it does appear to be directly opposed to both. Indeed, when I have sometimes proposed a few questions to the Priest about it, he has always put me off, by saying, it is not to be reasoned about, but believed.

John. But why did he say it was to be believed?

Patrick. Because he said it was affirmed by Jesus Christ, and has always been the doctrine of the Church; and that the thing is altogether miraculous.

John. Did he say where Christ teaches it?

Patrick. Yes, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, chap. xxvi., verses 26-28.

John. I remember the words referred to: they are these,-" And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Do you, Patrick, understand these words literally or figuratively?

Patrick. I have been taught to understand the whole literally.

John. Do you think our Lord is a tree, or a door, or a public road?

Patrick. No, indeed, I don't believe he is.

John. But you have as much reason for believing these, as that the bread and the wine which he gave to his disciples were his body and blood; for he as expressly says, "I am the vine," and, "I am the door," and, "I am the way," as he said, "This is my body." Why then not understand these literally, as well as this? And why not stoutly maintain that every vine and every door you see, and road on which you travel, is Jesus Christ? You have the same authority for the one as for the other.

every

Patrick. I have always been taught by the Priest to understand these figuratively, but the

body of Christ literally; though I confess I could never understand why, for they always appeared to me of the same character.

John. Undoubtedly, neither the one nor the other can be understood literally, without the most manifest absurdity. If you understand the passage literally, then it will follow that the disciples not only eat their Lord, which you know is mere cannibalism, and drank his blood, as Shungee or any New-Zealand Chief drinks the blood of his captives; but also that they actually swallowed the cup, for he took the cup and said, "Drink ye all of this, for this"—this what? this cup; nothing else is mentioned" is my blood."

Patrick. But the cup cannot be understood literally it is a figurative expression to denote what was in the cup. It would be absurd to suppose they literally swallowed the cup.

John. Just so. But if this part is to be understood figuratively, why may not the whole be so understood? Is it not infinitely more absurd to suppose they ate and drank our Lord, whom they still saw entire and perfect, both sound and whole before them, than to suppose that they even swallowed a cup?

Patrick. I must say, I think it is.

John. Have you, Patrick, observed the introductory words of the Evangelist," As they were eating?"