assumed character of a traveller from mere motives of curiosity.

"his function, but as his majesty should limit;"—that the king required Panzani should first declare, whether the pope would allow him to take the oath of allegiance:-Panzani declined giving an answer: "The court of England and the “prelates, with much zeal and passion, sought to procure a "toleration of the said oath from the pope ;-that if it were "in the king's power to change it, he would retrench all such "words as seemed opposite to his holiness's authority: but "the same being conceived and enacted solemnly in parlia"ment, to change it was beyond the king's power; yet the ex"planation appertained to his majesty, what the intendment. "should be; and so by a declaration his majesty would clear "that he intended no prejudice to the pope."

The writer then mentions some suggestions made on each side for a reconciliation, and Panzani's great attempts to con

ciliate persons in power of every rank, but without effect. "That both the archbishop of Canterbury and bishop of "Chichester have often said, that there are but two sorts of persons likely to hinder reconciliation, to wit, puritans among the protestants, and jesuits among catholics."

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Some mention of Panzani's attempts to effect an amicable arrangement of the differences between the secular and regular clergy occurs in the last book of father More's history: we shall present our readers with some extracts from it in the annotations to this chapter. The Memoirs were translated into English by Mr. Dodd; he published some passages of his translation in the third volume of his Church History,(vol. iii. p. 128.)

The whole was published by the rev. Joseph Berington, in 1793, and he added-" an introduction and a supple"ment containing the state of the English catholic church, " and the conduct of parties before and after that period to "the present time."

To this work, the rev. Charles Plowden replied, by his

He arrived in London before father Leander had left it. He seems to have agreed with him in some respects, and to have disagreed with him in others. Like Leander, he thought that the dispositions of his majesty and his ministers were favourable to the object of his mission, that an intercourse between the courts was both desirable and practicable, and that it should begin by a letter from the pope to his majesty, expressing, in general terms, the respect of his holiness for the king, his esteem of the English nation, and his wishes for their prosperity, but avoiding to intimate any specific object, or make any particular proposal.

To this suggestion of Panzani, the ministers of the see of Rome immediately and positively objected. Cardinal Barberini informed him in the most precise terms of the pope's determined resolution to forbear from any such advances: it was, he tells him, the uniform custom of the holy see, to expect that the first advance should be made to her. The cardinal remarks, that the pope could not, consistently with his own character, write to the king of England, without some exhortation to

"Remarks on a book intituled Memoirs of Gregorio Panzani, "by the reverend Charles Plowden, preceded by an address to the reverend Joseph Berington, 1794." He calls in question the authenticity of the Memoirs, but it is evident that the writer of them had under his eye the Report and copies of the letters, from which extracts are given. This is also corroborated by the documents in the Clarendon State Papers, and the publication, intituled the Pope's Nuntioes. Both Mr. Berington's introduction and supplement and Mr. Plowden's answer to them contain valuable information.

him, to return to the bosom of the church; and this, he observes, might not be well received.

We have seen that Leander was unfavourable to the appointment of a bishop; Panzani favoured it. On this point, Leander concurred with the jesuits; but in other respects he appears to have been jealous of them. They were very far from being favourites of Panzani: accusations of them incessantly occur both in his Report and his Memoirs.

We have seen that Leander advocated, to a certain extent, James's oath of allegiance; Panzani seems to have thought it substantially objectionable, He proposed to the cardinal, that a new profession of allegiance, should be settled and approved at Rome; and then transmitted to England. To this, cardinal Barberini peremptorily objected: such an oath, he observed, would be a subject of parliamentary discussion, and it was not proper that the court of Rome should propound any document which was to be so discussed.

Here, Rome acted with her usual wisdom and penetration: she foresaw, that parliament would never sanction any oath, as a satisfactory profession of civil allegiance, unless it contained an absolute and unequivocal disclaimer of the deposing doctrine. This, the pope was determined not to sanction; but he was aware of the importance of avoiding an explicit declaration of such a decided resolution. In the papal dominions, the deposing doctrine was still professed; in some catholic states, it was still tolerated; and among all the regular and many even of the secular clergy, it was still a received opinion.

It was more therefore than a feather; but even a feather, which adorns a royal bird, hath in his eyes both a charm and a value.

The mention of the oath was so unpleasant, as to draw on Panzani a severe reproof from the cardinal. He was ordered to abstain from all discussions of public topics, and to confine himself to the pacification of the dissentions between the secular and regular clergy respecting the appointment of a bishop; but still to discover, if possible, his majesty's sentiments on that point, and his general views concerning the catholics.-The result of Panzani's mission, in these respects, we shall give in his own words, from his report.

"The catholics of England amount to one hun"dred and fifty thousand; among whom are some "noblemen, many gentry, and many of inferior "condition, of whom not a few have great riches.

But, in regard to the public good, among these "is a great difference: some are catholics only to "themselves, contriving so outwardly to live, as "not to be known to be such: whence it follows, "that other catholics derive no advantage from them. "Some of the first nobility are in this number;

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who, living in greater fear, and anxious to preserve the favour of his majesty, if they keep

priest in their house, do it with such secrecy, "that neither their children, much less their ser"vants shall know it. From them, the neighbouring catholics have no means of hearing mass, or going to the sacraments. On the other hand, many of the three orders I have mentioned,

"either because they have more zeal, or, from "some cause, being more bold, and openly pro"fessing their religion, give opportunity, some "more, some less, to their neighbours to practise "their duty. Without this help, the poorer class, severely oppressed and fearful of the laws, would "experience the greatest difficulties; there not being in the country a single priest, really obliged "to administer the rites of the church.

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"Besides the above, there are others, who, though cordially enemies to heresy and schism, yet apprehensive of losing their property or their places, "and to advance themselves at court, live in appear

ance, as protestants, frequenting their churches, "taking the oaths of supremacy and allegiance, and

occasionally speaking against catholics; yet, in "their hearts, they are catholics, and some of them "that they may not be without help, if necessary,

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keep in their houses, one or more priests. Such "men by the better catholics are called schismatics: "and among them, I include some of the first protestant nobility, secular and ecclesiastical, and many of every other rank. While I was in London, almost all of the principal nobility who died, although generally reputed protestants, died ca"tholics; whence, with great probability, some

infer, that the English are generally aware of their "bad state; and therefore, to secure their salvation, "die catholics. Yet heaven has, sometimes, shewn "fearful signs of indignation against these persons, "who knowing the truth, through fear do not em

brace it. They have had, I observed, priests in