Bridgett, T.E. - Blunders and Forgeries

PREFACE:


The seven Essays that make up this volume are reprints, enlarged or curtailed, of papers that have appeared in various Reviews and Magazines. I have „ selected them as bearing on one subject misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the Catholic Church, for the most part as regards historical facts. There is, however, a notable difference between the two parts into which the volume is divided. In the second part I expose some deliberate perversions of truth, forgeries conceived in open-eyed malice, and handed on to our own days by prejudice wilfully blind.  the first part treats merely of blunders, neither conscious lies nor yet innocent mistakes. To err is human, but there is alwavs blame attached to blundering. In the examples which I have given, the blame varies from that of haste, or undue self-reliance, to that of prejudice and willingness, or even eagerness,
to believe evil. Several of the writers whose blunders I have L-xiiibited
are eminent in literature, and of course far superior to myself iii general learning ; yet a common sailor may set right a philosopher or a statesman as regards nautical terras and facts. My contention tliroughout the volume is this, that the landsman
sliould not swagger about the deck as if he were bred to the sea, while he cannot distinguish between a
binocle and a binnacle. There is a well-known saying attributed to a great scholar : Verify your quotations. Quotations must not only be verified, but traced to their origin. The last Essay in this volume will show that writers of our own day, who take pride in accuracy, are perpetuating old calumnies because, while they verify the correctness of their quotations from Strype, they are content to take on trust the references of Strype himself. A second rule, not less important to the historical or theological student, is : Consult. " There is no such folly," writes Mr. Mozley, " no such cause of utter breakdown and disgrace, as the silly pride of doing
things quite by oneself, without assistance." In addition, then, to the various historical points recorded
in my Index, there is a general maxim enforced throughout these Essays, and which is one of charity as well as of accuracy, a maxim I would willingly have printed on my title-page : Consult and Verify,
Verii-'y and Consult.

416 Pages
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