Chapter 42: The Strange Priest
Chapter 42 The Strange Priest
Greenwich Police Station, in Arthur’s office.
Arthur and the rumored uninvited guest sat at opposite ends of the desk.
Just as the officer who went to send a message to Arthur described, this guest was wearing a black burqa on the outside, a white shirt with a lapel inside, a silver cross hanging on his chest, a high nose on his thin face, and a pair of white hands with no calluses to be found, so it was obvious that he hadn’t done any heavy physical labor.
All of the above information indicates that this guest must be from a middle-class family or above, and has received a considerable degree of education.
Arthur couldn’t figure out the other party’s intention, so he only had to inquire in as affable a tone as possible, “I don’t think I should recognize you, so I don’t know what to call you?”
The other party also smiled politely as he spoke, “Mr. Hastings, it’s really a bother to come to your door suddenly.
I am the pastor of St. Mary’s Parish of the Oxford University Church, and also a special fellow of O’Leary College at Oxford University-John Newman.
You can just call me the vicar, or Mr. Newman, or just call me John if you are happy.”
Oxford University?
Chaplain?
Arthur couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
For him, it was already hard enough to deal with one of these two things, and the two in one this could still be a person?
Even worse, this guest in front of him was actually a researcher at Oxford University’s O’Leary College.
If Oxford University is the base camp of the entire conservative faction of Great Britain, then O’Leary College, which specializes in teaching theological knowledge and cultivating nationalist priests, is simply the base camp of the base camp.
It was no exaggeration to say that, given Arthur’s values and knowledge of O’Leary College, everyone in there should be sentenced to death, and it would have to be a death sentence that was repeatedly carried out to make it work.
However, it was good that Arthur had already met Darwin, a graduate of Emanuel College at Cambridge University, before, so he was always barely able to maintain a calm expression when confronted with Mr. Newman, who worked at O’Leary College at Oxford University.
But that still didn’t stop the Red Devil sitting at his desk from laughing uproariously.
Agareth pointed at Arthur’s face, holding his stomach and drooling with laughter.
“Arthur, look at that look on your face, you’re going to cry or laugh, if you didn’t know better you’d think you’d sniffed the poop from Barr’s cesspool.”
Arthur heard this and just squeezed a breath out of his nose and mumbled, “Agareth, I forbid you to insult poop like that.”
But Rev. Newman, sitting across the table, apparently didn’t hear Arthur, and he froze, “What did you say?”
Arthur hurriedly changed to a smiling face, “Nothing, I said that the rain today has caused a lack of light in the office.”
He took advantage of the fact that Newman didn’t think about it carefully, and busily changed the topic, “I wonder what exactly is the reason you came to see me today?”
Hearing this, Newman pulled out two books from the cowhide bag he was carrying and placed them on Arthur’s desk.
Arthur looked down and saw that the two books were Thomas Penn’s Human Rights and Common Sense.
His eyebrows jumped as he opened his mouth and asked, “Can I confirm your profession again? Are you a priest?”
Newman nodded, “That’s right.”
Arthur asked again, “And a graduate of Oxford University?”
Newman continued to nod, “Graduated in 1820.”
Arthur took a deep breath and cupped one hand over his mouth as he looked at Newman and then at the two books.
After looking at them for half a day, he then spoke, “To be honest, Mr. Newman, I kind of can’t read you. Because there’s really no way I can connect a pastor who graduated from Oxford with these two books.”
Hearing this, Newman suddenly revealed a hint of a smile, “You have indeed read these two books.”
Arthur shook his head as he flatly denied, “I haven’t read them.”
Newman froze at this, “Then how do you know you can’t associate an Oxford priest with these two books?”
Arthur picked up his teacup on the table and took a sip, “Because of Scotland Yard’s rules, so I can’t at least admit that I’ve read it. Although the two books are no longer considered illegal publications, it’s only been a year since they were unbanned.
Besides, our group of Scotland Yard police officers are still at least nominally under the direct orders of His Majesty the King, and you should know very well how the late King George III is referred to in these two books.”
“You mean this paragraph?”
Newman took up the book of Common Sense, skillfully turned it over to the place where the bookmark had been made, and read out the contents in his usual tone.
“George III. is nothing but the Royal brute of Great Britain, and he is the chief source of evil in the North American affair. The British crown is not sacred, for, according to the history of the conquest of the British Isles, the originator of the King of England was nothing but the leader of a certain band of miscreants who did evil.”
The corners of Arthur’s mouth tugged and he exhaled and inhaled and exhaled again, and it took him a long time to barely pull the raised corners of his mouth back.
Arthur rubbed his face with both hands and spoke calmly, “Mr. Newman, there are things that you have just read, there is no need to read them out. If you want me to lose my job, just say so, it’s just too underhanded to use such tactics.”
“Lose my job? Why would you want to lose your job for that?”
Newman stood up, pointing in disbelief to the text on Common Sense, “Doesn’t that tell the truth?”
Arthur glanced at the line and pursed his lips, his voice trembling as he spoke.
“Mr. Newman, you must know that in most cases it is the truth that hurts the most.”
The Red Devil took the opportunity to come over and pat his shoulder, falsely cracking Arthur up, “Arthur, if you want to laugh, you can laugh. It’s not good for your body to always hold it in.”
Newman sat back in his chair as if deflated, “To be honest, before reading these two books, I always thought Thomas Paine was a cynical and evil man.
But now, I’m convinced by him. Though he is an unbeliever, he is more of a devout believer in what he does, in his ideals, than anyone else.”
“And you forgive him for that?”
Arthur said, “I remember he also criticized the Church, saying that ‘the Christian system in religion is an insult to common sense.’
He also said ‘It’s a total blasphemy that they take that book called the Bible and say it’s the word of God. It’s a book full of lies and contradictions, recording a history of very bad times and very bad people.’
Just because he said those things, I remember Oxford had to drag him out every other day to criticize him!”
Newman was perplexed, “Maybe other people think that, but I think that’s because none of them know Thomas Paine. Look at all the ideas he expressed, look at all the contributions he made.
He proposed public education, a customized minimum wage, he criticized George III and had to leave England because of it.
He helped free the North American colonies from Great Britain, he was personally involved in combat, American soldiers had a copy of Common Sense in their hands, and all Americans recited what he said.
However, after the independence of the United States, he was sidelined and dismissed for exposing corruption scandals within the government and left the United States in disgrace.
He participated in the French Revolution, but was forced to leave France because he opposed the execution of Louis XVI by Robespierre and their bloody policies.
His opposition to Napoleon’s claim to the throne and his refusal of his call-ups and invitations did not detract from Napoleon’s admiration for him.
Often times, he could have spent his life in peace and glory if he had just kept his mouth shut, instead of dying alone in a rented cottage.
But he didn’t, he never stopped speaking out, he only insisted on what he thought was right, on following through with his virtues, just as you did in court earlier.
Is he an unbeliever? I think he was a true devotee.
Unfortunately, Penn is dead and can no longer answer questions for me.
But to my relief, I saw you in the paper.
So I have come here today to ask you, who like him was not willing to be silent, what you think of these questions?”
(End of chapter)