This book is abridged from the 1886 edition published in London. It is the page turning autobiography of one Charles Chiniquy who was born in Quebec and raised as a Roman Catholic. He became a priest and served as such for 25 or so years. Everywhere he served (various parishes, a hospital, a monastary, Canada, U.S., etc...) he found significant corruption in Romanism. Ninety plus percent of the priests and bishops were constantly drunk, sleeping with women, involved in sexual affairs with their own close relatives, involved in theft, simony, and all sorts of evil behaviors. Some even murdered others. Chiniquy fought with these bishops and others over the purity of the "church" until eventually he resigned from his parish and left the church, leading his congregation of thousands from Romanism to form their own independent church. Later, they joined the Presbyterians. In the 1850s, Chiniquy hired Abraham Lincoln for legal defense against some bishops and priests. Lincoln helped him win the day twice. The book claims to prove that the Jesuits were behind the initiation of the U.S. Civil War and Lincoln's assassination. After reading Chiniquy's work, even skeptics may believe that he is probably correct about this or at the very least that they (the Jesuits) contributed significantly to the Civil War and Lincoln's demise. Protestants and Catholics alike should read this work. It is excellent.