▁London ▁pub s ▁dressed ▁in ▁elaborate ▁vest ments , ▁attack ing ▁the ▁Ang lic an ▁lit ur gy ▁and ▁the ▁bar bar ities ▁of ▁the ▁Est ab lish ment ▁for ▁what ▁he ▁called ▁its ▁" P agan ▁cre ed ". ▁At ▁this ▁time ▁bl as ph emy ▁was ▁a ▁criminal ▁off ence ▁against ▁the ▁faith ▁" by ▁law ▁established ", ▁and ▁he ▁was ▁sent enced ▁to ▁a ▁year ▁in ▁ga ol . ▁In ▁his ▁cell ▁he ▁wrote ▁The ▁Die ges is , ▁attack ing ▁Christian ity ▁on ▁the ▁basis ▁of ▁compar ative ▁myth ology ▁and ▁attempting ▁to ▁exp ound ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁scheme ▁of ▁solar ▁myth s . ▁ ▁He ▁was ▁an ▁advoc ate ▁of ▁the ▁Christ ▁myth ▁theory ▁and ▁has ▁been ▁described ▁as ▁a ▁" sta unch ▁def ender ▁of ▁the ▁myth ic ist ▁th esis ". ▁ ▁Inf idel ▁home ▁mission ary ▁tour ▁Upon ▁his ▁release , ▁with ▁his ▁book ▁newly ▁published , ▁he ▁joined ▁forces ▁with ▁the ▁Rad ical ▁Richard ▁Carl ile ▁for ▁an ▁" inf idel ▁home ▁mission ary ▁tour ". ▁On ▁Th urs day ▁ 2 1 ▁May ▁ 1 8 2 9 , ▁they ▁arrived ▁in ▁Cambridge , ▁st rolled ▁round ▁the ▁colleg es , ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁evening ▁attended ▁Holy ▁Tr inity ▁Church ▁for ▁a ▁hell - fire ▁ser mon ▁by ▁the ▁Rev d . ▁S ime on , ▁which ▁they ▁s ne ered ▁at ▁as ▁" one ▁of ▁the ▁worst ▁imag in able ▁for ▁the ▁mor als ▁of ▁man kind ". ▁ ▁Next ▁day ▁they