Half-Lengths #260446

His name was hardly known to the rising genera tion; and it seemed as though his life was closing in the saddest of failures. The resuscitation of his fortunes came from an unexpected quarter. At the beginning of 1864 Charles Kingsley, then at the height of his vogue as Muscular Christian and Broad Churchman made a sudden and unprovoked attack on Newman 5 veracity. Newman replied with alacrity, demanding the grounds of the attack. And then Kingsley, instead of frankly apologizing for his ill mannered rashness, proceeded to entangle himself in discreditable endeavours to run away from what he had said, and yet leave the imputation of falsehood unrevoked. He struggled in contortions of baffled anger, like a wild bull in a net, while Newman wove that mesh of logic, sarcasm, and contemptuous humour which formed the Introduction to the Apologia pro vim sua. Never was a controversial victory more signal or more complete. Kingsley, all unwitting, had given Newman the opportunity for which he had longed, of vindicating his character and conduct Hence forward, whatever might be said about Newman, all England knew him for an honest man.