and most respectable divines, and in particular their last pope, Clement XIV. (who surely must be supposed to have known the essential of his religion) condemn and renounce it, as unchristian and inhuman. "The great misfortune in this case," says that eminently learned and pious prelate, " is, that some people confound religion with her ministers, and make her responsible for their faults. It never was religion, but false zeal pretending to her, that seized fire and sword, to compel heretics to abjure their errors, and Jews to become Christians. And what is more dreadful than to see good men fall victims to a zeal displeasing in the sight of God, and condemned by the church, as equally hurtful to religion, and the rights of society The example of Jesus Christ, who during his residence on earth, bore patiently with the Sadducees and Samaritans (the infidels and schismatics of those times), obliges us to support our brethren, of whatever communion they be; to live peace. ably with them, and not to torment them on account of any system of belief, which they may have adopted. The power of the church is purely spiritual Our blessed Saviour himself, when he prayed for his executioners, taught us how his cause is to be avenged. Had the ministers of the gospel been always careful to follow that divine model, the enemies of christianity would not have been able to bring against it the unjust reproach of favoring persecution. The church always disavowed those impetuous men, who, stirred up by an indiscreet zeal, treat those who go astray with asperity; and its most holy bishops, at all times, solicited the pardon of the apostates, desiring only their conversion. Men, therefore, ought not to impute to the church those excesses, of which history has preserved the memory, and which are repugnant to the maxims of the gospel."

CHAP. IX.

Persecutions in the reign of king George I

NOTWITHSTANDING the great lenity and general be neficence introduced to the throne of these kingdoms, by the accession of his majesty George I. the popery laws were still

Canganelli's Letters, passim.

rigorously executed, during the greatest part of his reign. Such of them as affected the property of Roman catholics, lay not within the sphere of the royal clemency, because they necessarily executed themselves. And some unlucky circum stances in the beginning of it, contributed to enforce the execution of those acts, which prohibit the exercise of their religion, under very severe penalties. Among these, the Scottish rebellion in 1715, was the principal; as that rebellion had been raised and carried on in favor of a popish pretender; though all the acting rebels, almost to a man, were Scottish presbyte rians; and none of the catholics in Ireland were known to be

any way connected with them. Yet such was the government's affected fear, or real hatred, of these catholics, that the penalties for the exercise of their religion, were then generally inflicted. Their chapels were shut up; their priests dragged from their hiding places; sometimes from the very altars, in the midst of divine service, hurried into loathsome prisons, and from thence banished for ever from their native country. This persecution was the obvious, and but the natural, effect of a resolution of the commons at that juncture: "that it was the indispensable duty of all magistrates, to put the laws in immediate execution against popish priests; and that such of them as neglected to do so, should be looked upon as enemies of the constitution." And although this rebellion of the pres byterians in Scotland, was the sole pretence for this severity; and the very same law which banishes popish priests, prohibits also dissenters to accept of or act by, a commission in the mi litia or array; yet so partial were the resolutions of that parliament, that, at the same time that they ordered the former to be rigorously prosecuted, they resolved unanimously, "that any person, who should commence a prosecution against any of the latter, who had accepted, or should accept of a com mission in the array or militia, was an enemy to king George and the protestant interest." Thus of the only two main objects of the same law, its execution against one of them was judged highly meritorious; but it was deemed equally culpable, even to attempt it against the other; though the law itself makes no difference between them. Such was the justice and consistency of our legislators of that period.

The frequent exertions of this particular prejudice against the Roman catholic clergy of Ireland, seem not to have been the effects of any new or sudden provocation, arising occasionally from their misconduct, with respect to the government; but appear to have been owing to a spirit of intolerance, on account of their religion only; and to have been uniformly carried on, upon principle, for many years after; until they were at length heightened to such a degree of wanton cruelty, as rather dishonors the religion it is intended to serve. For in the year 1723, it having been again unanimously resolved in parliament," that it was the indispensable duty of all magistrates to put the laws in immediate execution against popish priests and that the neglect of several magistrates, in execut ing the laws against papists, did greatly contribute to the growth of popery." Leave was given to bring in heads of a bill, for explaining and amending the two acts before mentìoned, to prevent the growth of popery. Upon this occasion, one of the most zealous promoters of that bill, having gravely taken notice, in a long and laboured speech, that of all the countries wherein the reformed religion had prevailed, Sweden was freest from those secret, but irreconcilable, enemies of all protestant governments, popish ecclesiastics; which, he said, was visibly owing to the great wisdom of their laws, inflicting. the penalty of castration on all such dangerous intruders into that kingdom. He seriously moved, that the gothic and inhuman penalty might be added as a clause to the bill before them: to which the house, after a short debate, agreed; and ordered it to be laid before his grace the lord lieutenant, to be transmitted into England, with this remarkable request on their part, "that he would recommend the same, in the most effectual

* Dean Swift, in his Plea of Presbyterian Merit, after taking notice, that the Roman catholics of Ireland "abhorred the Jacobites and highflyers above all other men, on account of severities against their priests in queen Anne's reign, when that party was in power;" adds, "this I was convinced of some years ago, by a long journey into the southern parts (of Ireland), where I had the curiosity to send for many priests of the parishes I passed through, and, to my great satisfaction, found them every where abounding in professions of loyalty to the late king George; for which they gave me the reasons above-mentioned; at the same time complaining bitterly of the hardships they suffered under the queen's last ministry."-Werks, Dubl. edit. vol. iii. P. 274.

manner to his majesty." To which his grace was pleased to answer, "that as he had so much at heart a matter, which he had recommended to the consideration of parliament, at the beginning of the session; they might depend upon a due regard, on his part, to what was desired "

The bill was accordingly transmitted to England; but rejected there, by means of the humane and earnest interposition of cardinal Fleury with Mr. Walpole, whose great power and interest at that juncture, were then universally known. His grace the lord lieutenant, in his speech to that parliament, at the close of the session, in order to console them for the loss of their favorite bill, gave them to understand," that it miscarried meerly by its not having been brought into the house, before the session was so far advanced." And after earnestly recommending to them, in their several stations, the care and preservation of the public peace; he added, "that, in his opinion, that would be greatly promoted, by the vigorous execution of the laws against popish priests; and that he would contribute his part towards the prevention of that growing evil, by giving proper directions, that such persons only should be put into the commissions of the peace, as had distinguished themselves by their steady adherence to the protestant interest.” These general words, "protestant interest," seem to carry with them a vague and indefinite meaning; but if the protestant religion is here, in any respect, signified by them, I will venture to affirm, that in no other age or nation, has religion ever been attempted to be served or promoted, by so shameful and cruel an expedient, as that proposed in this rejected bill.

CHAP. X.

The catholics address his majesty king George II.

THE Roman catholics of Ireland still smarting under the lash of the popery laws, after the accession of George I. and recollecting that the two last, and severest of them, were said to have been enacted as a punishment for their neglect in not having addressed her late majesty queen Anne, on her accession to the throne, were induced to think that they ought to

avoid giving the like occasion of offence on that happy event, and therefore, some of the principal among them, resolved to present an humble congratulatory address to his majesty on that occasion. But the before-mentioned rebellion in favor of a popish pretender, having then broken out in Scotland and England, so unjust and general a clamour was raised against them on that account, and such virulent invectives and misre presentations of both their civil and religious principles, daily issued from the pulpit and the press, as occasioned them to change their resolution, and to think it more prudent and safe at that period of jealousy and distrust, to remain silent in that respect; and by still persevering in their wonted dutiful behaviour to give more substantial proofs of their loyalty, and of the falsehood and cruelty of these invectives and misrepresentations, than could possibly be conveyed by their most submissive and zealous professions of fidelity in a formal address; and in truth, that the behaviour of these people was uniformly and unquestionably such, during that whole reign, these very enemies have been since obliged to confess.

The consciousness of this behaviour, together with their reasonable hope, that it had somewhat abated the former prejudices of their enemies, emboldened them to draw up an humble address to his majesty George II. on his accession; which was presented with all due respect to the lords justices at the castle of Dublin, by lord Delvin and other persons of the first qua lity among them; but so little notice was then taken either of their address or themselves, that it is not yet known whether, it was ever transmitted to be laid before his majesty, as it was humbly desired it should be; or whether even an answer was returned by their excellencies that it should be so transmitted.

CHAP. XI.

Penal laws enforced in the reign of king George II.

IN the year 1724, application having been made to his majesty, for the reversion of some outlawries, incurred by the insurrections of 1641, the former of which, particularly, as we have already observed, had been most iniquitously obtained,