American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-08-07
History Reversed.

Great political wrongs rarely, per-
hapS never, stand unrrctltcd in this
world; but it is seldom that ST.
thorough and complete all undOing
of history is witnessed as is now
about 10 be effected hy the - 'dises-
tahliShnent movement in England
The establishment of the An.ican
church i'll Ireland, over people who
were not AnglicanS, was the work of
Henry the VIII and his daughter
(hy unhappy Anne BoIeyn) Queen
Elizabeth. The d+SPStablishnent, or
overthrow of that church in Ireland,
is about to be the work, not of any
king or queen, but of the English
people, led by Quaker John Bright,
destined hereafter to figure as one of
the greatest names IN English IIist,-
ry. The diSeStablishment bill is a
dry, stiff. and formal legislative doe
umeht, whose words and terms sup-
gest nothing but the piece of bu
ness to be effected. But, in reality.
it brings up, with immense vividness.
the most tremendous chapter of T
glish history-the long and mortal
struggle. between Catholicism and
Professionalism, the combat between
the Pope and Henry, the combat he.
tween Elizabeth and her lover, the
cold and malignant Philip Second,
of Spain, who trst made love to. her.
and then made war on her, and the
tragic rivalry between the fierce
Il Al.
trail Mary of Scotland. In these
combats, religion, love. jealousy aud
personal hatred mingled in sucb
equal measure, that it is hard to tell
which played the greatest part. Tho
drama was long and free, Itlasted
through the reigns of Henry, Mary
and Elizabeth, the second of whom
tried to undo the work of her father,
and the third to undo the work of
her sister. The contemplation of it,
even at this remote day, stirs up pas
slons and emotions that the lapse of
three centuries have not been abba
to cool, and brings back OIL the stage
popes, kings, queens, cardinals, pre-
micrs, prlmates, bishops. II pbles,
captains, armies. spies, perjurers, and
vulgar villains, all mingling, schen-
ing and lighting like actors in play.
The fat and brutal Henry, with his
six wives, and sore legs. extorting
from his own ecclesiastics the a.
vOrces which the Pope refused to
grant, and taking vengeance On the
pope for his refusal, by despoiling
the abbeys and monasteries, the
loud clangOr of strife between the
Reformers aud the Pope in Germany;
the cold and cruel Philip, immured
in the Escorial, planning the subju
CATION of the sturdy NetherlanderS
to bis religion and his scepler, aud
the re establishing of his religion in
England by means of the great Ar
mada; the lighting of the beacon
fires al Ound the coast of the island;
the long and dea lily fight in the Eng
lish channel between the unWleldY
Armada and the nimble British fleet;
the disastrous tempest, that swept
the Armada i'll fragments down the
west coast of Scotland, the brilliant
campaigns of Alexander Farnese.
and the bloody campaigns of Alva,
in the Netherlands; the quarrel be
tween Protestant Elizabeth and
Catholic Mary; The murder of Darn
ley at Kirk o Field; Mary's marriage
to Boutwell,, her arrest and trial;
Elizabeth's shameless duplicity and
treachery towards the rival whose
beauty she could not forgive: and
the dismal execution at Fo:heringay
Castle-all these and many more
great events are features i'll the great
religious and political struggle that
led to the forcible establishment of
the Anglican Church in Ireland.
The result is now about to be undone
by those who were the authors of it
the English. Professionalism is
about TO be overthrown in Ireland by
Rrotestants themselves, not through
armed force and violence, but thro'
peaceful legislation, rromted by d
sense Of justice. How little would
the actors in the brilliant drama
we have referred to think of thework
they performed, if, after a slumber
of three hundred years, they could
arise from their graves, and see Mr..
Gladstone and John Bright over
turning one half oft by a single Par
liamentary enactment