LETTERS ON ANGLICAN ORDERS AND OTHER MATTERS
London: T. Jones, 1859. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Decorated brown cloth. xv, 245p. Spine is sunfaded. Corners are bent. Cracking after title page. Some pages are uncut and unopened, so the reader will need to slice them with a sharp blade in order to access all pages of the book. Otherwise a clean book in acceptable condition. Item #141005
This is a collection of letters that first appeared in the Weekly Register. The letters are written from a Catholic perspective and are focused on the contentious issue of whether or not Anglican ordination is legitimate in terms of apostolic succession and communion with the universal Church. Williams' perspective is that Anglican Orders are null. Williams discusses the famous Nag's Head Fable as well. The Nag's Head Fable was a fiction which purported that Matthew Parker, an Archbishop of Canterbury, was not consecrated solemnly, but instead was consecrated with a Bible pressed to his neck while inside the Nag's Head tavern. The story surfaced more than 40 years after Parker's consecration and was spread by Roman Catholics as fact until the dawn of the 20th century. However, Williams does not make his case rest on the fable but argues by other means.
Price: $50.00