▁required ▁" t iring ▁arch ival ▁vis its "; ▁Cow ling ▁much ▁preferred ▁writing ▁these . ▁In ▁research ing ▁for ▁these ▁books ▁" He ▁spent ▁his ▁days ▁in ▁his ▁college ▁rooms , ▁mus cular ly ▁gra pp ling ▁with ▁books , ▁indeed ▁often ▁phys ically ▁ri pping ▁them ▁apart . ▁Made ▁up ▁of ▁hundreds ▁of ▁ess ays ▁on ▁the ▁thought ▁of ▁individuals , ▁the ▁work ▁neither ▁engaged ▁with ▁other ▁scholar ship ▁nor ▁developed ▁an ▁interpret ative ▁model ▁for ▁understanding ▁modern ▁Britain ". ▁Cow ling ▁placed ▁Christian ity ▁square ly ▁at ▁the ▁centre ▁of ▁English ▁culture ▁post - 1 8 4 0 ▁and ▁claimed ▁that ▁anti - Christ ians ▁more ▁often ▁than ▁not ▁held ▁traditional ▁religious ▁assumptions ▁and ▁pre jud ices . ▁Sec ular isation ▁was ▁not ▁so ▁fast ▁or ▁complete ▁as ▁had ▁been ▁previously ▁argued , ▁but ▁" def enders ▁of ▁orth odox y ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁their ▁ass ail ants ▁were ▁subject ed ▁to ▁p ith y , ▁provoc ative ▁ir ony " ▁by ▁Cow ling . ▁ ▁Writ ings ▁ ▁Books ▁The ▁Nature ▁and ▁Lim its ▁of ▁Political ▁Science ▁( C amb ridge ▁University ▁Press , ▁ 1 9 6 3 ). ▁Mill ▁and ▁Liberal ism ▁( C amb ridge ▁University ▁Press , ▁ 1 9 6 3 ). ▁ 1 8 6 7 : ▁Dis ra eli , ▁Glad stone ▁and ▁Revolution . ▁The ▁Pass ing ▁of ▁the ▁Second ▁Reform ▁Bill ▁( C amb ridge ▁University ▁Press , ▁ 1 9 6 7 ). ▁Selected ▁Writ ings ▁of ▁John ▁Stuart