Howitt, William

THIS unfortunate world has been blasted in all ages by two evil principles-Kingcraft and Priestcraft-that, taking advantage of human necessities, in themselves not hard-salutary, and even beneficial in their natural operation-the necessity of civil government, and that of spiritual instruction, have warped them cruelly from their own pure direction, and converted them into the most odious, the most terrible and disastrous scourges of our race.

— from A popular history of priestcraft in all ages and nations