Page:An Index of Prohibited Books (1840).djvu/182

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98

1788. In the last, page 23, answering an opponent, the unconverted Dr. Carroll, he introduces him as asserting, "that Roman Catholics read, without censure or hesitation, whatever controversial books they please. This," he adds, "is notoriously untrue, as Mr. Pilling has confessed." And he refers immediately to a full and decisive passage in the Conferences d'Angers, a work of great repute, published about the time of the author. We shall hear more of this from another convert. But before we come to that, we observe, that Mr. Hawkins in his first work, the Appeal, and in connexion with the Bull Cænæ Domini, mentioned in the text, writes in a note, page 29, "The reading or keeping of books written by Protestants, or even published by them, is prohibited under pain of excommunication incurred by the very fact. The severity of discipline which prevails in this regard, if we give any credit to your best modern divines, is scarce to be conceived by any who are unacquainted with their writings." At page 130 and onwards, he expresses his indignation at the Index of prohibited books, especially the Spanish, which was new to him. And at 300 and the two following, he again dwells upon