The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-24
From the Boston Transcript.
William Peuu-NO. A.

too long for my limits, and is, withal unnecessary
here, since there is neither doubt nor denial of the
fact The mediatorial agency Of Penn was en-
poyed. The king was enraged, and resolved TO
have his way. His obstinacy proverb There
were three courses for Penn-right, left, and me-
dial-to side with the king, to side with the Fell
| lows, or TO act as a mediator Mr.. Macaulay is
pleased In his index, TO speak of the transaction as
| ''Penns mediation
Had he sided with the Fellows entirely, he would
have lost his influence utterly to serve them with
the king. Had he sided with the king entirely, he
would have lost all confidence with the Fellows.
MIR. Macaulay here, as elsewhere, is evidently bent
upon showing up Penn the stool of the king"
and, if there is any thing more unjust upon his
torical record, j know not where TO look for it,
SWith manifest effort and in stinted measure
Mr. Macaulay lets down few drops of the milk of
human kindness in the outset, and says of Penn,
she had too much good feeling TO approve of the vio-
lent and unjust proceedings Of the government, and
ecen uentured 10 cypress part Of iohat he thought"
Here, that which proceeded from fired and lofty
principle is ascribcd to a less honorable motive;
''good feeling" bonhomnaie and the "part Of
,ohat he thought" was neither more nor less than
bold and frank remonstrance, committed to wri-
ting, and sent to the king by Penn.
When they met at Oxford, says Clarkson, VOL
| J., chap. %, civilian Penn had an opportunity
of showing not only his courage, but his consist
ency in those principles of religious liberty which
he had defended during his whole life" After
giving an account of the princes injustice, Clark
son says "Next morning William Penn
horseback ready to leave Oxford, but knowing
what had taken place, he RODE up to Magdalen
College, and conversed with the Fellows the sub
| ject. After this conversation he wrote a letter.
and desired them to present it to the king" =
'sDr. Sykes, in relating this anecdote of Will
liam Penn, by letter to DR.. Chazlett, who then
absent, mentions that Penn, after some discourse
with the Fellows Of Magdalen College, wrote short
letter, directed to the king. He to this pur-
pose-that their case was hard, and that in their
circumstances, they could not yield obedience'
| This was confirmed by Mr.. Crcech, as Clarkson
states and by Sewel, who states, in his history of
the Rise and Progress of the Quakers that Penn told
the king the act 'scoud not in justice be defended
since the general liberty Of did not dllo,o
ought to do The Fso,os Of the said College appeared
to haze done" This is the part Of tchat he thought
referred to by MIR. Macaulay, who has not found it
convenient, upon this occasion, to quote syllable
from Clarkson, nor from Sewc, of whose work
Chalmers and others have spoken with respect.
know of no better mode of presenting this mat
ter fairly, than by laying before the reader con-
trasted passages from MIR. Macaulay and from
Clarkson relating to the conduct of Penn, upon this
occasion Mr.. Nlacaulay shall lead off: FLAMES
was as usual obstinate in the wrong. The courty
Quaker therefore did his best to seduce the college
from the path of right" Therefore! Wherefore?
Penn did his best to seduce the college from the path
Of right, because James usual obstinate in the
wrong! This is based, of course, upon Mr. Ma
tool Of the king and Tie jesuits." He tried first in
timidation. Ruin, he said, ilnpended over the So
ciety. The king was highly incensed. The case
might be hard one; Most people thought it So
his own way, and could not bear TO be thwarted
Penn therefore, exhorted the fellows not to rely on
the goodness of their cause, but to submit, or at
least to temporiZe. Such counsel came strangely
from one who had been expelled from the Un!ver-
sity for raising a riot about the surplce, who had
the risk of being disnherited rather than take
off his hat to the princes of the blood and who had
been than once sent to prison, for haranguing
in conventicles. He did not succeed in frightening
the Magdalen men,"
1t may be thought scarcely worth while to charge
lttnk fhn fn.f,, fb.aa h
ency, because his views had somewhat altered,
since he was wild young man, at ttoenty-one.
1t is also clear, that Penn viewed the Magdalen
question one quite much of property Of con
science and that he could see no good reason with
his eyes of federation wide open, why all the great
educational institutions should be forever in the
hands of one denomination.
Mr.. Macauay again: '.Then Penn tried gen
tier tone He had an interview with Hough and
some of the Fellows, and, after many professions
of sympathy and friendship began TO hint at a
compromise The king could not bear to be crossed.
The college must give way. Parker must be add
mtted But he was in very bad health All his
preferments would soon be vacant. DIR. Hough,'
said Penn may then be Bishop of Oxford. How
should you like that, gentemen?' Penn had passed
his life in declaiming against hireng ministry.
He held, that he was bound TO refuse the payment
of tithes, and this even when he had bought lands
chargcable with tithes, and had been allowed the
value of the tithes in the purchase-money. Ac-
cording to his own principles he would have COM
United great sin if he had interfered for the pur-
terms, for the most pous divine Yet TO such de-
gree had his manners been corrupted by evil COM
munications, and his understanding osscured by
nordinate zeal for a single object, that he did not
sctuplc 20 become a broker in simony of pecu-
iarly discreditablc kind, and to bishopric as
bait TO tempt divine TO perjury"
Are these the words of truth and soberness? /
rather think they not. In the sacred name of
common sense, did Penn become a broker in sinionu
Of peculiarly dscreditable kind, and bishopric
as bait 10 tempt dirne 10 perjury, by stating that
Do ,,.f,r. al. II
Hough might be his successor If this is history,
give fiction, for Heavens sake, which is said 20
be less marvellous than fact. There is not the least
prccnce that he offered, or was authorized 10 offer
any such "bdu." He spoke Of a mere contingency;
and did the best he could TO mediate between the
king and the Fellows, both of whom were highly in
censed.
As TO the matter of tithes, Penn was mediating
between men Tho had scruples about tiLhss II
recognised, pro hdc rice, the usages of the parties
and Christian Judge may as shrewdly be charged
with indeity for conforming TO the established law
of evidence, and permitting a disciple Of Mahomet
10 be sworn upon the Koran.
When Hough replied that the Papsts had robbed
them Of University College and Christ church, and
were now after Magdalen, and would have all the
rest, Penn" says Mr.. Macaulay, "was foolish
enough 10 answer that he believed the Papists
would now be content. University said he, is
pleasant college. Christ church is n noble place.
Magdalcn is a fine building the situation is con-
vcnient; the walks by the river arc delightful II
the Roman Catholics arc reasonable, they will be
satisfied with these
And now will present Clarkson's Just and sensi.
BILE view of this Transaction. Mr.. Macaulay has
said (vol. H., page 1861 that " the agency Of Penn
tcds Employed" meaning, az the context shows cm-
ploycd by The king. Clarkson (vol J., chapter 23)
says expressly that, October 3, 1857, DR.. Bailey
wrote 20 Penn, A." stated the merits of the case and
solicited his mediation" Penn told the Fellows,
appears from Or. Houghs letter, tori1fen The
eUe,ing after their last interuelc, that he feared
they had come too late. lie would use, however,
his endeavors; and if they were unsuccessful,
they must attribute it to want Of power in him,
and not of good will 90 serve them" The
diation came TO nothing. The Fellows grew
dissatisfied with Penn-falling, doubtless, into the
very common error of parties highly excited and
differing widely, that all who are not for them IN
toto, arc against them. They seem to have been
specially offended by the following liberal remark
Of Penn's: q" For my part have always declared
my opinion that the prcfcrmcnts of the church
should not be put into any other hands but such
they ut present arc in ; but hope you would not
have the two universities such invincble bulwarks
Of the church of England that none but they must
IL IL.