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[Letter of Francis William Newman to Dr. Chapman] 10 Circus Road, NW, Dear Sir, I blame myself for not earlier telling what will please you. The trouble you gave me in rewriting my last Art. for the W.R. was all well bestowed. After I had undertaken the task, Mr. Froude applied to me to write for Fraser on the inevitable Colenso, but of course I was obliged to refuse. Nevertheless, when I found how much material you rejected, I reopened communications with him; & it immediately appeared, that each of you coveted the element which the other rejected. He wanted my churchmanship & dared not to take my heresy; you reversed the case. In the result, I not only made him a complete article, (which is in type long since, & will appear on the 1st of May,) but I have received from him higher thanks & Compliments than for any article I ever wrote. This is to me at once satisfactory & ludicrous. Moreover, in spite of two or three coincidences of expression, which might seem remarkable, an ordinary reader would be incredulous as to the possibility of both being from one mind: so great is the force in mere omission. I will add (in confidence) that a friend[†] at Bristol writes to tell me, that the Dean of Bristol says, He would have liked to have written the article in the Westminster himself: thus Colenso is not the only far-going dignitary in the Church. Sincerely yours,
[†Probably F. P. Cobbe, who worked philanthropically in Bristol with the Dean's daughter, Margaret Elliott (Life of Frances Power Cobbe, by Herself, 2 vols. [London: Richard Bentley and Son, 1894], 1: 307f).]
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