C.D. Warner, et al., comp.
The Library of the World’s Best Literature. An Anthology in Thirty Volumes. 1917.

A Tour to Corsica

By James Boswell (1740–1795)

WHILE I stopped to refresh my mules at a little village, the inhabitants came crowding about me as an ambassador going to their General. When they were informed of my country, a strong black fellow among them said, “English! they are barbarians; they don’t believe in the great God.” I told him, “Excuse me, sir. We do believe in God, and Jesus Christ, too.”—“And in the Pope?”—“No.”—“And why?” This was a puzzling question in these circumstances; for there was a great audience to the controversy. I thought I would try a method of my own, and very gravely replied, “Because we are too far off,”—a very new argument against the universal infallibility of the Pope. It took, however; for my opponent mused a while, and then said, “Too far off! Why, Sicily is as far off as England. Yet in Sicily they believe in the Pope.”—“Oh,” said I, “we are ten times further off than Sicily.”—“Aha!” said he; and seemed quite satisfied. In this manner I got off very well. I question much whether any of the learned reasonings of our Protestant divines would have had so good an effect.

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