And let it be accompanied by a Novello:-A service, thus performed, will excite the finest feelings of piety, promote rational devotion, and in time equally satisfy the scientific and the unlearned. Thousands quitted France to sing the psalms of

the Revolution. In the interval, the king created Henry Stafford Howard, the eldest son of the unfortunate viscount, an earl, and conferred the rank of countess on his mother, -describing her as Mary, Baroness of Stafford, widow of William late Viscount Stafford. The patent of their creations has this remarkable preamble:" Seriously considering the misfortune, condition, "and unhappy state of Henry Stafford, eldest son of William "Viscount Stafford, who was impeached of high treason and "convicted, and put to death on the testimony of oaths of cer"tain abandoned persons, as to all is now sufficiently manifest, "of whom one of them who was the leader, (Titus Oates), has "been lately found guilty of perjury, and is yearly to undergo "the punishment of so great a crime, and that he the aforesaid

Henry is paternally born of the most illustrious and noble "family of the Mowbrays and Howards, dukes of Norfolk, and maternally, of the most illustrious and most ancient race of "the Staffords, dukes of Buckingham, great constables of Eng"land, through the marriage of Anne, daughter and heir of "Thomas of Woodstock, sixth son of our most glorious ancestor king Edward the third, and duke of Gloucester and earl of "Buckingham, with Eleanor, eldest daughter, and coheir of Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford, Essex and Northamp"ton, and great constable of England.-We," &c. &c.

46

It is observable, that, in the debates on the continuance of Mr. Hastings's impeachment, all parties, however differing in other points, agreed, that Oates's popish plot was an imposture; and that lord Thurlow called the execution of lord Stafford a legal murder. Surely every rule of national justice, every principle of national honour, every feeling of national or individual humanity, calls on the legislature for a reversal of his attainder. May it not be confidently asked, if, in the annals of this kingdom, there be a single instance of the reversal of an attainder, which approached nearer,—for it never can quite become,—a claim of strict right?

Marot: would any have quitted it to hear the psalms, though exquisitely beautiful, of Marcello? If the evangelical sects gain so much on the establishment, is it not in some measure owing to the superior attraction of their music, and that a part in it is allowed to every one who will bear a part in it*?

* Pope John the twenty-second + inveighs, in one of his decretals, against the musical vagaries, introduced in his time into the service of the church, particularly the lightness of the airs, the minute divisions of the notes, the repetitions of the words, and the singing of different words in the different parts of the harmony. He prescribed that the notes should never be less than the breve; that they should be sung slowly; that counterpart, or music in parts, should never be used except on great festivals; and that, when it should be used, the same syllable should be sung, at the same time, by all the singers of the different parts. Mr. Southey, in his interesting life of the late Mr. John Wesley ‡, notices the great attention which that eminent man paid to the psalmody of his chapel. "He especially enjoined," says his biographer," that "the whole congregation should sing; that there should be no "repetition of words, no dwelling upon disjointed syllables, and "that they should not sing in parts, but with one heart and voice, "in one simultaneous and uninterrupted feeling.-He wished "the service to be concluded within the hour."

+ Extravag. Commun. 1. iii. cit. 1. de Vitâ et Honestate Cler. cap. xi. Vol. ii. ch. 21. p. 223.

APPENDIX.

NOTE I.; referred to in p. 176.

The Apologetical Epistle addressed by the Right Reverend Dr. William Poynter, Vicar-apostolic in the Southern District of the Catholics of England, to his Eminence Cardinal Litta, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation de Propagandâ Fide, against the Charges brought against him and the other Vicars-apostolic in England, by the Right Reverend Dr. John Milner, Bishop of Castabala, Vicar-apostolic of the Midland District of the Catholics of England; translated from the Latin Original, by the Author of the Historical Memoirs of the English, Irish and Scottish Catholics.

I.

Most Eminent and Reverend Sir!

WHEN unwillingly and with sorrow, I present to your eminence a narrative, in some degree apologetical, of certain catholic transactions in England, which I have judged it necessary to prepare, it is my wish, in the first place, that your eminence should be persuaded, that, in writing it, I have been influenced neither by anger nor resentment against any of my beloved and venerable brethren: although, for the sake of truth and justice, I have been obliged, in defending the authority and character of my brethren and myself, and in refuting the ill-conceived opinions formed of our councils and actions, and even the erroneous expositions of facts, to deny the truth of the charges brought against us. Certainly, in executing the duty thus imposed on me, I am

most sure, that not even a shade of an angry mind lurks in my breast, inasmuch as, from the inmost feeling of my soul, I have for the sake of Christ our Lord, long forgiven the injuries, which have personally affected me and my individual character.

But, while my beloved and venerable colleagues, the vicars-apostolic in England, as well as myself, are beyond all doubt, placed in a situation which makes us feel, that, to the detriment both of ourselves and of the religion, of which we are the protectors, not only a heavy injury has been brought, but an unexpected wound has been inflicted upon our authority and reputation, which both as bishops and as vicars of the supreme pontiff, we are bound, by indispensable necessity, to uphold and defend with all dignity,—we have judged it to be no longer allowable to persevere in that silence, which, solely for the love of peace, has been observed in England up to this time. We have also thought it our duty to expose and present to the sacred congregation De Propaganda Fide all the charges against us, which have come to our knowledge, together with our answers, supported by proper proofs of their truth; to show that all these charges have been and are made without reason. In adopting this method, we most earnestly urge by our entreaties, that such a sentence may be pronounced by the holy see, as will make it manifest to our respective flocks, that we have performed, in their regard, all the duties of good shepherds, under the supreme shepherd, Christ our Lord, with the greatest care, and in every thing; and that we have deserved some mark of the approbation of Pius the seventh, the visible vicar of Christ, the most illustrious shepherd of the flock upon earth, the successor of St. Peter, not only on account of our filial devotion towards his sacred person, our profound reverence towards the holy see, which he fills with so much dignity and renown, and our most humble sub

mission to the supreme authority, which he exercises; but also on account of the fidelity, with which we have discharged a most weighty office, which he has conferred upon us, his vicars; and on account of the zeal, with which we have endeavoured to sustain the dignity and authority of the episcopal character. Finally, to the sacred congregation we appeal,-not as men injured by men, and therefore seeking satisfaction, with the feeling of a resenting mind, but as bishops, and as representatives of the chief pastor, and who, in that character, have been assailed and wounded, by injurious, factious and false accusations. And, with every affectionate sentiment of charity, and for the cause of religion, we pray that the integrity of our character, which has been thus injuriously affected, may be restored.

I cannot doubt, even for a moment, that, among the vouchers and documents which I have delivered with my narrative, the most ample proofs will be found, by which the falsehood of all the charges brought against my colleagues and myself,--at least the falsehood of all those, which are known to us, will be demonstrated. This also I think should be observed, that, while I stay at Rome, I profess myself to be the advocate both of our catholic clergy and laity in England, whom I see injured in common, but particularly those who belong to the London district. It would be most hard indeed, and ill accord with the religion of the holy see, that any evil report of catholics, so attached to the holy see, such followers of christian piety, so full of devotion towards the holy father, should, without the most evident proofs, be listened to at Rome. For I know that many false charges have been made against us, to the sacred congregation, which I hope I have refuted in the most ample manner. Now, therefore, I most earnestly entreat, and shall never cease to solicit, that, if any accusations, besides those to which I have answered,