them, and have even denied them a right to open their mouths in behalf of the reformed religion; the opinion of two or three, or two or three dozen, of such men as those who have found fault with the Clergy, is hardly worth notice. Norfolk and Norwich! Ermine and Lawn! one had the bravery to abjure the errors of Popery in the year 1780, and the other is bold enough to blame the clergy for interfering in the Popish question in 1813. Surely we might hope that such liberal souls as they are, might allow permission to the Clergy to think for themselves, and to endeavour to strengthen their brethren in the maintenance and the propagation of those doctrines which, at least, are sanctioned by the law of the land. The noble editor of Mr. Fox's poor attempt at a bit of history, disapproves of the active part taken by our Clergy. What would these exalted personages have! Would they muzzle the shepherd's faithful dogs when the wolves are prow ling round the fold? Would they hang them up as useless curs? To drop the metaphor; wou'd they re-open the star-chamber, establish a court of new whigs-and silence the anti papistical Clergy; much in the same way that some great men once acted at Jerusalem, when they "called" two primitive Clergymen before them, "and commanded them not to speak at all, nor teach?" Those holy men of God were not to be tongue-tied; they disregarded the injunction of the people who tried to supply a deficiency in argument by an act of power. Peter and John were not to be intimidat ed, and we hope that the Ciergy of the united Church of England and Ireland will not be daunted by Norfolk, by Norwich, nor yet by the noble accoucheur who brought the abortion of St. Anne's Hill into the world; and likewise endeavoured to embalm the remains of Lope Felix De Vega Carpio, Doctor in Divinity. It is not generally known that Pope Urban VII. created this Spanish Comic Poet, D.D. He sent him also the cross of the order of Malta, and, what perhaps was most acccptable of all, (unless the finances of Urban VII. were in a state of dilapidation like those of the late Mr. Fox) he gave De Vega a place in the apostolic exchequer.-The noble editor, biographer, annotator, and translator, is fond of Spanish literature. What does his Lordship think of the conduct of the Spanish Clergy withia these last six weeks? The Popish Clergy in Spain have ventured to interfere in a question of some moment to the natives of that country, viz. the suppression of the inquisition. Shall the Popish Ecclesiastics resist the royal authority with which the Spanish regency is invested, and shall it be deemed improper for our Protestant Clergy to declare themselves in favour of their country's constitution? Can nothing convince the understandings of our English concessionists? Look at the wretched effects of Popery of! the human mind. See how it hardens the heart against the emotions of pity, the pleadings of charity, the yearnings of natural affection, and the

feelings of self-defence. Miserable, besotted creature! To-day thy neighi bour is racked, is tortured ;-to-morrow thy brother may suffer," the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend which is as thine own soul," or lastly thine own self. Has bigotry prevailed over that fear of corporal anguish, and of death itself which is planted in thy heart by nature? Can the shedding of blood in secret be acceptable to God? Are the stones of the Romish Church to be cemented with gore? Is it for the Spanish monarchy to connive at the sacr fice of human victims, professing a horror at Montezuma's butcheries, and making them a pretext for the subversion of the Mexican empire? The Cortes sitting at Cadiz resolved on the suppression of the inquisition; but the abolition of this dreadful tribunal was opposed by the Clergy in the very district where the legislative assembly exercised its salutary functions. On the 8th of March last, three memorials were communicated to the Cortes, by order of the Regency; -one from the Vicar General of the Diocese; another from the parochial Clergy of Cadiz; and a third from the chapter of the Cathedral; assigning reasons for disobeying the order of the Cortes of February 22d, enjoining them to sead in the Churches the decree for abolishing the inquisition; principally, because it was deemed improper to read resolutions purely civil in a sacred place; and because the decree was contrary to the doctrines taught the people. It is remarkabe that, according to the opinion of some of our well-meaning but misJudging Senators, the agitation of the Roman Catholic Question is held to be an affair of a purely civil nature, and therefore it has been maintained that our Clergy ought not even to pet tion Parliament on the subject! and surely if the Clergy of Cadiz think themselves justified in refusing to read the decree because it is contrary to the doctrines taught the people; the Clergy of England may be allowed to express their sentiments in support of Protestan ism endangered, as they believe it to be, by the mistaken partizans of the Romish cause. The Cortes, however, have taken a decided part. Unlike the conduct of the late House of Commons, they have not attempted an impossibility, they have not voted a resolution to endeavour to conciliate all classes of the Spanish people; those who are friendly to the inquisition, and those who abhor it; those who work the rack, and those who suffer tortures; those who approve the practice of extirpating heretics, and those who know better of what manner of spirit it becomes Christians to be, and to exhibit a charitable toleration to all who differ from them in religious sentiments. The Cortes have I obly enforced the cause of humanity. They -have e stigmatized with disgrace, and have turned out of their seats the vacillating temporizing, regency. Its three members were removed by a majority of 87 against 48. Cardinal Bourbon, Archbishop of Toledo, an

ecclesiastic of high family, great moderation, and equal firmness; Don Pedro Agar, and Don Gabriel Ciscar, have been appointed Regents, These good and intrepid men have given efficiency to the legislative enactment of their country-on Sunday, the 21st of March, the third and last publication of the decree for abolishing the inquisition was read in the Churches of Cadiz. We trust that it will never more be re-established. We hope that no concessionists will be found in Spain, capable of being worked upon by the adherents of the holy office to relax the decree which has been made, registered, and published. We flatter ourselves that the greatest bigots to Popery will not be indulged the pleasure of luxated joints, lacerated skins, scorched bodies, or a protracted imprisonment, which can never be abbreviated by the operation of a writ similar to our English Habeas Corpus. We hope that no Spanish conciliators will seek to make themselves popular, or court distinction, delivering speeches, or publishing substances of speeches in favour of a gradual restoration of an inquisitorial power to the Dominicans.-We shall conclude with two observations. 1. The Cortes and the present Regency did not wait till the Pope should escape from the custody of Buonaparte, before they resolved upon shutting up the inquisition ;-very unlike the conduct of the Irish Roman Catholic Prelates who, in their address of Nov. 18th last, declared that they could not even venture to make a change in the mode of appointing Romish Bishops in the Sister Kingdom, till they could communicate with the Pope. They say in their fifth resolution,-" As we are at present precluded any intercourse with our supreme pastor, we feel ourselves utterly incompetent to propose or agree to any change in the long-established mode of appointing Irish Roman Catholic Bishops."-Happily for a whole nation, the Archbishop of Toledo, though perhaps full as great a man as either J. T. Troy, who signs the address just quoted, or E. Derry, (who it is to be hoped would have had more discretion, had he signed this instrument in person, instead of the zealous Papist who wrote for him by proxy, than to use the signature of E, Derry instead of his family name ;) Cardinal Bourbon, who perhaps may be allowed to vie in respectability with J. O'Shaughnessy and C. Sughrue,* did not let the formality of consulting the Pope, prevent him from using his best endeavours to liberate the unhappy prisoners in the cells of the inquisition; to restore them to the light of day, and the arms of their friends, and for ever to close the doors of that foul den of murder, that stain of blood on the fair face of Christianity. 2. The conduct of the Cortes shews the propriety of placing Papists under restrictions, and compelling them by Legislative authority to respect the dictates of charity, and to devise more eligible methods of defending and propagating their religion than those adopted by the inquisition. Notwithstand

* See Protestant Advocate for Jan. p. 208.

*ing the lengths which some people have gone, in the late debates, we humbly hope that no one will be found amongst the New Whigs mad enough to call the suppression of the Holy Office an infringement on the rights of man! and we most earnestly intreat those members of the House of Commons who, during the agitation of the Roman Catholic question, sitting on the side of the Treasury Bench, have voted with the Opposition; who, holding with the hare (the poor Church of England, with many friends), have given mouth, and run with the hounds; not to think of giving a hint to the Cortes to continue their salaries to the Inquisitors, since their office has become a sinecure. We have to be thankful, however things may eventually turn out in England, that in SPAIN, at least, THE SPIRIT OF POPERY HAS BEEN CHECKED BY THE WISDOM OF EDITOR.

THE LEGISLATURE.

DR. MARSH AND MR. GANDOLPHY.

1. An Inquiry into the Consequences of neglecting to give the Prayer-Book with the Bible; interspersed with Remarks on some late Speeches at Cambridge; and other important Matter relative to the British and Foreign Bible Society. By Herbert Marsh, D. D. F. R. S. Margaret Professor of Divinity.

II. A Congratulatory Letter to the Rev. Herbert Marsh, D. D. &c. By the Rev. Peter Gandolphy, Priest of the Catholic Church.

III. A Letter to the Rev. Peter Gandolphy, &c. with Remarks on the the Consequences which must result from the Concession of the Catholic Claims. By Herbert Marsh, D. D. &c.

WITH all the regard and respect which we feel and avow for Professor Marsh, we must nevertheless declare that it was ever a subject of the deepest regret with us that, in our opinion, in his controversy with the defenders of the Bible Society, he had not brought forward the most efficient arguments possible against that society. He grounded his objections on the danger which might be apprehended to the Church as an Establishment, from omitting to annex the Liturgy to the Bible given away gratuitously; but he did not lay much, if any stress, on what has most alarmed many serious and reflecting Christians, namely, the danger which the genuine doctrines of Christianity were likely to incur from an association of persons professing different forms of Christianity. Dr. Marsh, indeed, might feel that any injury done to the Established Church would be an injury done to Christianity, and, on this account, he might object to the Bible Society; but an objection of this kind could have little weight, either with the great body of dissenters, who are separated from

the Church, for various reasons; nor with those churchmen who think, with Dr. Marsh, that public utility, or the will of the majority, is the foundation upon which the Establishment rests. We are as firm in our objections to the Bible Society as Dr. Marsh himself; but we object to the Society on higher grounds than the Doctor. We do not object to it merely from the injury it is likely to do to the Established Church; but we object to it from the indifference which it is likely to promote, as to any particular form of faith, from an association of churchmen with the various denominations of Christians, and persons professing themselves Christians. We have high authority for what will be ever found prac tically true, that "Evil communications corrupt good manner." And our objections are accordingly derived from an apprehension that any association, for the purpose of distriburing Bibles, with Socinians, Quakers, and persons holding similar tenets, must tend to lessen the veneration which all Christians should hold for the sacred doctrine of Atonement, and for the Christian Sacraments; or, what is the same thing, must abate their abhorrence of exploding or impugning those saered doctrines, and disbelieving the efficacy of the Sacraments. In taking this ground of objection, we would not be thought to view with less alarm, than Doctor Marsh, the injury which the Church, as an establishment, is likely to sustain from omitting to distribute the Liturgy; but we cannot help repeating our regret that he should have felt it necessary to abide so strictly by the title of the tract now belore us, as to have confined his objections to this point, and, consequently, to have omitted the more weighty arguments again t the Bible Society; even asserting, more than once, that "an association of churchmen and disseaters, for the purpose of distributing Bibles abroad, would be entitled to the approbation of every churchman;' for, according to our principle and feeling, the same mischief, though different in degree, would arise from an association for promoting foreign purposes. The E-tablishment, at home, might not, indeed, be equally injured; but the essential doctrines of Christianity would be endangered in proportion as countenance should be given to persons denying those doctrines, particularly the Socinians and Quakers.

It was necessary to say thus much as an introduction to the remarks which we have to offer on Mr. Gandolphy's Congratulatory Letter to Dr. Marsh, and on Dr. Marsh's Letter to Mr. Gandolphy, in reply.

From the apprehension expressed by Dr. Marsh, in his Inquiry, that the neglecting to give the Frayer-Book with the Bible, might become injurious to the Established Church in this country, Mr. Gandolphy draws a most unwarrantable conclusion, that Dr. Marsh would contend that