Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species,’ the volume entitled ‘Essays and Reviews’ was issued. It contained a series of seven papers, all but one by clergymen, which aimed at showing how Christianity was affected by the modern conditions of knowledge and thought. Two of the writers—Benjamin Jowett, tutor (afterwards master) of Balliol, and Frederick Temple, headmaster of Rugby (afterwards archbishop of Canterbury)—were Tait’s personal friends; and when an outcry was raised in orthodox circles against the book, the bishop held a conference with them, at which they gathered that he saw nothing in their essays which could fairly be blamed. He also defended them when the matter was brought before convocation, though saying that they should distinctly dissociate themselves from the other writers. But, when largely signed memorials were sent in to the archbishop, in which, notwithstanding the disclaimer in the preface of any common responsibility, the book was treated as a whole, and the authors were spoken of as holding rationalistic and semi-infidel views, Tait joined the rest of the bishops in a reply deprecating the publication of such opinions, and declaring them essentially at variance with the formularies binding on the clergy. The effect of this utterance was violently to fan the flame of popular alarm, and to give an apparent justification for indiscriminate condemnation. The position of Jowett and Temple was seriously compromised; the governors of Rugby school all but resolved to call upon the latter, who was their headmaster, to resign; a correspondence ensued between Tait and Temple, in which Tait defended himself against the charge of treachery to his friends, but it was long before confidence between them was restored. The agitation led to proceedings against two of the essayists, Rowland Williams [q. v.] and Henry Bristow Wilson [q. v.], in the ecclesiastical courts; but of the numerous counts of accusation, the larger number were disallowed by the court of arches. Two points—namely, whether it was lawful for a clergyman (1) freely to criticise the scriptural writings, and (2) to express the hope for the ultimate salvation of all mankind—came for final decision before a committee of seven privy councillors, including Tait and the two archbishops. The decision of the majority of this committee, which was not given till February 1864, was on both counts favourable to the accused. Tait concurred in this judgment, and his action was made more conspicuous by the fact that, contrary to all precedent, the only other prelates in the court, Archbishops Longley and Thomson, announced their dissent in pastoral letters. Tait held his ground amid much obloquy, and, to prevent undue alarm, published a volume of sermons showing his views on some of the fundamental points in dispute. He also suggested the publication of the ‘Ecclesiastical Judgments of the Privy Council’ (edited by the Hon. G. C. Brodrick and the present writer), which appeared in the beginning of 1865, with a preface by himself.
In 1862, on the death of Archbishop Sumner and the translation of Charles Thomas Longley [q.v.] from York to Canterbury, the archbishopric of York was offered to Tait, and declined by him. He had been suffering then, as on many intervening occasions, from his old weakness of the heart. But he preferred the risk of remaining in London, believing that his proper place was at the centre of government.
The charge at his quadrennial visitation in 1862 was chiefly remarkable for a definite pronouncement in favour of a relaxation in the forms of subscription demanded from the clergy. The mass of the clergy resisted all change. The archdeacons of London and Middlesex, on behalf of the diocese, had recently addressed the bishop in that sense, and the convocation of Canterbury had passed resolutions to the same effect. But the government determined to act. A royal commission was appointed in 1863, and unanimously recommended the adoption of a simpler and looser form of declaration. In 1865, at Tait’s request, the government introduced and passed a measure for giving this arrangement the force of law. Convocation co-operated in making the needful changes in the canons.
Another matter which was agitating men’s minds was the publication in 1862 by Colenso, bishop of Natal, of the first volume of his work on the Pentateuch and the Book of Joshua, which showed complete divergence from orthodox views on the subject of inspiration. There was a great outcry against Colenso, who had come to England; several of the English bishops inhibited him from preaching in their dioceses, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel withdrew from him the disposal of their grant for Natal. To both these steps Tait was opposed. He believed that the bishop ought to be tried by the courts in England, and that pending the trial he must be treated as bishop of Natal. Robert Gray (1809–1872) [q. v.], metropolitan of Cape Town, summoned the bishops of South Africa and St. Helena to form a court, which deposed the bishop of Natal and formed a new see—that of Maritzburg—whose bishop was to replace the bishop
