Le Courayer's Defense of Anglican Orders (Chapters 1-7)

Le Courayer, as previously mentioned, was an 18th-century Roman Catholic canon regular of St. Genevieve's Abbey in Paris (see Wikipedia article), who undertook to defend the validity of Anglican episcopal succession and her rite and form of consecration.

It was widely charged and believed by Roman Catholics that the Anglican episcopacy was broken in the case of Matthew Parker, who was Archbishop of Canterbury (1559), because there were no Catholic bishops who would consecrate him. So, as the myth goes, by secret assemby at Nag's Head tavern, one deposed bishop under Queen Mary, John Scory of Rochester, conducted the service of consecration by placing a Bible on Parker's neck saying, "Receive the power of preaching the Word of God sincerely."

Well, that story was thoroughly debunked by folks like Le Courayer, and many Roman Catholics were later ashamed that such a legend was propagated in their own ranks (which arose some 45 years after the fact of Parker's consecration). Le Courayer painstakingly compares the public Registers and dispelled any idea that Parker received invalid ordination.

More importantly, the objection to the Edwardian Ordinal raised by certain Roman Catholics at the time is just as skilfully dealt with by Le Courayer. He diligently compares the Roman Ordinal with the Edwardian Ordinal and shows that the substance of the prayers are kept intact, even if worded differently; but most of all, that the essential act of the sacrament, the laying on of hands, is present and therefore meets the requirements of valid ordination.

Le Courayer masterfully proves that Rome's rite of consecration was only 400 years old in the form that was used during the 16th century, and could not justly uphold their ritual as the standard since no monolithic service of consecration has existed if the Maronite, Greek, and Oriental churches are considered (since these omit words that the Roman rite has). This would equally invalidate their bishops and priests if Rome were consistent, but Rome readily accepts their antiquity and validity. Point being, all Sees have a right to form their own service of consecration as they see fit, amending those parts not essential to the rite.