Cromwell settled themselves in the lands from which they had expelled their opponents; and after the restoration, the Act of Settlement confirmed the transference of eight millions of acres from Irish Catholics to English Protestants. It was most natural that the native proprietors should aim at recovering their possessions. They joined, accordingly, with James the Second; and during the short period of his success, they rescinded the act of Settlement. The arms of William overthrew the last remnant of Ca

tholic government or ascendency in these kingdoms; and, by the articles of Limerick, which closed the scene of hostility in 1691, it was expressly stipulated, "That the Roman Catholics should enjoy such

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privileges in the exercise of their religion as are consistent with the laws of Ireland, or as they did enjoy in the reign of Charles the Second; and their majesties, as soon as they can summon a parliament in this kingdom, will endeavour to procure the said Roman Catholics such further security in that particular as may preserve them from any disturbance en account of their religion." The solemn instru

ment of pacification, granted in the moment of victory, was ratified and published in letters patent under the great seal, in the fourth year of King Wil liam; and in three years after that, was passed in direct violation of it, the famous act for preventing the growth of popery, the foundation and model of the many barbarous enactments by which the Catholics were oppressed for little less than a century afterwards. The history of this act, as recorded by Burnet, and other contemporary writers, is edifying, and deserves to be noticed.

*That treaty remains a monument of the most flagrant perfidy that ever disgraced a nation; upon the faith of it, the Irish Catholics gave up that power and influence, which you neither will nor can restore to them. And till that treaty is fulfilled in its most liberal sense, no ingenuity can remove the stain of deliberate perjury from the character of the English nation. Surely it is a conscience which will strain at gnats, and yet swallow camels, which stickles for an oath of ceremony, doubtful even in the meaning of the animus imponentis; and yet will be content to violate a compact so important as the treaty of Limerick, for which you have received your consideration, and on which millions rested their confidence and their interests.

Parnell's Hist. Apology, p. 166.

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The disposition of the king was known to be decidedly tolerant; and his ministers had, of course, adopted his principles. The recent troubles and contest, on the other hand, had excited a great popular prejudice against the Roman Catholics; and the party in opposition resolved to avail themselves of these circumstances, to discredit, and if possible, to displace the existing administration. With this view they introduced a very severe and preposterous bill against the Catholics, not so much from any real fear or detestation of that body, which had been perfectly quiet and submissive, as in the hope that the court party would oppose it, and thereby subject themselves to the odium of protecting popery. The courtiers, however, were too cunning to be the dupes of this manœuvre; and unluckily attempted to defeat it by another, which still more unluckily succeeded, Instead of opposing the bill in the Lower House, they added to it a variety of cruel and absurd clauses; in consequence of which, they conceived that it would certainly be rejected by the House of Lords, or, at least, sent back with considerable alterations;

a measure that, in the temper which then prevailed between the two Houses, would infallibly have caused it to be withdrawn. In this expectation, however, they were unfortunately deceived. The dread of popery, and still more the love of popularity, deterred the members of the Upper House from rejecting the bill, or from taking any steps by which its rejection might have been produced; and it was passed contrary to the wishes and intentions of the greater part of those who had been engaged in its discussion. This, at least, is the history of the English act, which was avowedly the model of that which was passed for Ireland. By this barbarous act, and the statutes by which it was followed up, Catholics were disabled from purchasing or inheriting land-from being guardians to their own children-from having arms or horses-from serving on grand juries-from entering in the inns of court-from practising as barristers, solicitors, or physicians, &c. &c.

At the close of the reign of Queen Anne, in short, when the privileges and liberties of Englishmen stood on so triumphant a footing, nothing remained to two

thirds of the inhabitants of Ireland, by which they could be distinguished from slaves or aliens, but the right of voting at elections. Of this, too, they were deprived under the succeeding sovereign; and thus at length disconnected in every way from the constitution of the country, and annihilated altogether in a political capacity.

Having given this short view of the origin and principles of Catholic humiliation, it only remains to state precisely what restraints and disqualifications are still in force. The Catholics of Ireland, then, are liable, by the subsisting laws, to the following disabilities. They cannot sit in either of the Houses of Parliament. They cannot be appointed to any of the following offices:-Chief Governor, or Governors of the Kingdom; Chancellor, or Keeper, or Commissioner, of the Seal; Lord High Treasurer; Chief Justice of K. B. or C. P; Lord Chief Baron of Exchequer; Chancellor of the Exchequer; Judge in four Courts, or of Admiralty; Master of the Rolls Secretary of State; Keeper of the Privy Seal; Vice Treasurer, or his Deputy; Teller, or Cashier of the