SIR.-As Mr. Pinnington, who cannot so lightly dismiss the witness of early Fathers with a Mediterranean origin. advances five "positive" arguments against me, may I be permitted five briet observations?
(1) It was not suggested that the ancient British Church was other than poor; but spiritual virility cannot be measured in terms ot wealth.
(2) Paganism dies hard! It could be expected to survive longest and contemporaneously with Christianity in the more distant Roman provinces.
(3) Although the British Church was troubled with Pelagianism, it is said that in a public disputation at Verulam victory was assigned by acclamation to St. Germanus. St. Augustine was subsequently supported in the controversy, and the heresy was ultimately eradicated.
(4) Although rare, early Christian graves in Britain do not support the postulate that Christianity had not inculcated "even a rudimentary reverence" for burials.
(5) Identifiable remains of ancient British churches are naturally few. In some cases newer buildings have arisen on their foundations; and, although Bede and Gildas (or whoever wrote under that name) tell us that after the Diocletian persecution Christian churches in Britain were rebuilt, they were mostly of comparatively poor material.
These would suffer heavily when. after the withdrawal of Rome's legions, successive waves of invaders pushed the British Christians not only into the forests but into the south-west, Wales, Cumberland, and Ireland, among kindred Celts.
L. M. Hopkins
Wick Crest, Devizes, Wilts.