The second day of our revival, I had sent messages to four of the neighboring curates, respectfully requesting them to come and see what the Lord was doing, and help me to bless Him. But they refused. They answered my note with their contemptuous silence. One only, the Rev. Mr. Roy, curate of Charlesbourg, deigned to write me a few words, which I copy here:
Rev. Mr. Chiniquy, Curate of Beauport.
My dear Confrere:—Please forgive me if I cannot forget the respect I owe to myself, enough to go and see your fooleries.
Truly yours,
Pierre Roy.
Charlesbourg, March 5th, 1839.
The indignation of the bishop knew no bounds. A few days after, he ordered me to go to his palace, and give an account of what he called my “strange conduct.”
When alone with me, he said: “Is it possible, Mr. Chiniquy, that you have so soon forgotten my prohibition not to establish that ridiculous temperance society in your parish? Had you compromised yourself alone by that Protestant comedy—for it is nothing but that—I would remain silent, in my pity for you. But you have compromised our holy religion by introducing a society whose origin is clearly heretical. Last evening, the venerable Grand Vicar Demars told me that you would sooner or later become a Protestant, and that this was your first step. Do you not see that the Protestants only praise you? Do you not blush to be praised only by heretics? Without suspecting it, you are just entering a road which leads to your ruin. You have publicly covered yourself with such ridicule that I fear your usefulness is at an end, not only in Beauport, but in all my diocese. I do not conceal it from you, my first thought, when, an eye-witness told me yesterday what you had done, was to interdict you. I have been prevented from taking that step only by the hope that you will undo what you have done. I hope that you yourself will dissolve that Anti-Catholic association, and promise to put an end to these novelties, which have too strong a smell of heresy to be tolerated by your bishop.”
I answered: “My lord, your lordship has not forgotten that it was absolutely against my own will that I was appointed curate of Beauport; and God knows that you have only to say a word, and without a murmur, I will give you my resignation, that you may put a better priest at the head of that people, which I consider, and which is really, to-day, the noblest and the most sober people of Canada. But I will put a condition to the resignation of my position. It is, that I will be allowed to publish before the world, that the Rev. Mr. Begin, my predecessor, has never been troubled by his bishop for having allowed his people, during twenty-three years, to swim in the mire of drunkenness; and that I have been disgraced by my bishop, and turned out from that same parish, for having been the instrument, by the mercy of God, in making them the most sober people of Canada.”
The poor bishop felt at once that he could not stand on the ground he had taken with me. He was a few minutes without knowing what to say. He saw also that his threats had no influence over me, and that I was not ready to undo what I had done.