Robert Hugh Benson Set (2 Books)

Enter into the heart of the struggle for the Catholic Faith during the English “Reformation” with this meticulously re-typset edition of two of Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson’s classic novels: The King’s Achievement and its sequel By What Authority?

1. The King’s Achievement

The Torridon family is a divided one. Sir James is a staunch Catholic and a firm opponent of the new ideas and ways that are beginning to make themselves felt in Henry VIII’s England. Lady Torridon is very different; in tune with the world, she holds the old ways in quiet contempt.

This division is echoed in the paths their three children take in life. The eldest, Ralph, shares his mother’s worldliness and is carving out a successful career for himself in the service of Sir Thomas Cromwell in London. His younger brother Chris is, like his father, firmly attached to the Catholic Faith, and goes to join the Cluniac monks at Lewes Monastery. Their younger sister, Margaret, also decides to give her life to God as a nun at Rusper Convent.

When Ralph is appointed by Cromwell as one of the Royal Visitors to the religious houses, the stage is set for a ferocious family clash. Which will prevail: loyalty to God or loyalty to man?

In this gripping and edifying story, Monsignor Benson has us rub shoulders with some of the best-known characters of this “Reformation” period, including St. Thomas More, St. John Fisher, Thomas Cromwell and King Henry VIII.

2. By What Authority?

While Protestant Queen Elizabeth sits on the English throne, the staunchly Catholic Maxwell family and their equally staunch Puritan neighbours, the Norris family, live in relative peace and harmony in the village of Great Keynes, twenty miles from London.

As the persecution of Catholics intensifies, however, the fidelity of the followers of the “old religion” is put to the test. Some hold fast even to the point of martyrdom; others prefer to secure their social status and abandon the Faith of their Fathers. Families are divided. Betrayal and treachery abound.

But in the midst of all this persecution and suffering, the Light of Truth continues to shine, drawing souls of good will from the darkness of error into the One, True Church.