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totally to preclude them from all ambitious views, they have no sooner reached a certain degree of eminence, than they begin to aim higher. Their endeavours had at first no other object, as they professed, and perhaps with sincerity, than to see the laws impartially executed: their only view now is to set themselves above them; and seeing themselves raised to the level of a class of men who possess all the power and enjoy all

duce that of Cardinal Baronius. Should any unlearned Romanist cast his eye upon the description of his church, and be struck with wonder, that the depository of Infallibility and Divinity, should ever have been so grossly debased, and impiously prostituted, it may not be irrelevant to remind such an individual, that Cardinal Baronius, is an author of the highest celebrity, and most unimpeached veracity, of any that have ever hazarded, or dedicated their genius and talents, to defend or protect the doctrines of Romanism. He was elected Superior of the Congregation of the Oratory; and about the latter end of the sixteenth century, Pope Clement VIII. made him his Confessor; to which he afterwards added the situation of Apostolical Prothonotary, and, subsequently the dignity of Cardinal. He was also appointed Librarian to the Roman See, and had at one time thirty-one votes in favour of his election to the vacant Papal chair (Moreri). In his "Annales Ecclesiactici," which is now received in every Romish University in Europe, as their noblest bulwark of learning, research and genius; -the writer there dared not have the hardihood to suppress the disgusting account of those early ages. Discoursing upon the state of the church in the tenth century, Baronius says, "What then was the face of the Roman Church? How very filthy, when the most powerful and sordid Harlots (!) then ruled at Rome, at whose pleasure Sees were changed, and Bishopricks were given; and-which is horrible to hear, and most abominable-their Gallants (!) were obtruded into the See of Peter, and made False Popes; for who could say that those men are lawful Popes who were obtruded by such harlots without law? There was no mention of the Election or consent of clergy; the Canons were silent, the Decrees of Popes suppressed, the Ancient Traditions proscribed, lust, armed with the secular power, challenged all things to itself!!! What kind of Cardinals, do you imagine, must be then chosen by those monsters (!) when nothing is so natural as for like to beget like? Who can doubt, but they all in all things did consent to those that chose them? Who will not easily believe that they animated them, and followed their footsteps? Who understands not, that such men must wish that our Lord would have slept continually, and never have awoke to judgment to take cognizance of, or punish their iniquities!!!" (Annal. Eccles. vol. x. A. D. 912. No. 8.). In short, Baronius, with an extraordinary degree of historical faithfulness, labors, it would appear, for adequate terms to express the base

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the advantages in the state, they make haste to associate themselves with them!" (De Lolme, chap. ix. as above.). Now thus with good truth, this acute, political writer, observed, that, "the people are necessarily betrayed by those in whom they trust ;" and he furnishes as with a remarkable example in the case of the Roman Republic-an example, it cannot but be noted,-extremely apposite to that furnished in the

degeneracy of the Popes, and the frightful deformity of the Popedom. Of this same century, he says, " many shocking Monsters thrust themselves into the Pontifical chair, who were guilty of robbery, assassination, simony, debauchery, tyranny, sacrilege, perjury, and all kinds of abominations!!!" (Ibid. "Plurima horrenda in eam Monstra intruserunt, &c. &c."). It may furnish a sufficient explanation to the reader, to remind him, of the facts, that induced Baronius thus to declare, that the electors and elected, were kindred spirits. The Electors were neither, as Baronius says, the clergy, nobility, or people, but two Courtezans, Theodora and Marozia, mother and daughter, women distinguished by their rank, wit, and beauty, and, at the same time, though of Senatorial family, notorious for their rregularity, debauchery, and prostitution! These polluted patrons of licentiousness, according to their pleasure, passion, humour, whim, or caprice, elected Popes, collated Bishops, disposed of diocesses, and in reality were possessed of the whole administration of the Church!!! (Baron. ibid. Bruys' "Histoire des Papes," vol, ii. p. 209, 222.). It was these vile harlots, which obtruded their filthy gallants, or spurious offspring, on the Pontifical throne. The proceedings of these infamous wretches pollute the pages of every ecclesiastical chronicler of the times. Theodora raised John X. her paramour to the papacy (A. D. 912,); but his Holiness (!) fell a victim to the bloody-mindedness of her intriguing daughter-Marozia. Marozia, in her turn, had her gallant-Sergius III. elected to the Popedom (A. D. 907); and she brought her Pontifical paramour, a son; and this hopeful scion of bastardy and the Popedom, was, by his precious mother, raised to the Papal dignity, under the name of John XI. (A. D. 931) ; and consequently became to the Romish church a Vicegerent of Heaven, and an Infallible guide!!! To these horrid enormities, so disgraceful to human nature, as well as to Religion, we have the unanimous testimony of all the ancient and modern historians; nor have the warmest advocates of Popery itself, attempted to disprove of such an awful, and melancholy picture of the Popedom. Among these we may mention Platina, Panvinius, Luitprand, Genebrard, Stella, Bini, Pagi, Fleury, Labbé, Du Pin, Giannone, Agobard, Sabellius, Sigonius, Gerbert, Werner, Bruys, Spondanus, Petavius, Bellarmine, &c. &c.-writers of the highest authority, and esteemed as oracular in the Roman Communion; who All unanimously, bear their reluctant testimony, to the fact, that in

present day. "At Rome (says De Lolme) after the feeble barrier which excluded the people from offices of power and dignity had been thrown down" (or, as it may now be interpreted, after all the TESTS had been abolished, which excluded Papists, Dissenters, and Infidels), "THE GREAT PLEBEIANS, whom the votes of the people began to raise to those offices, were immediately received into the senate. From that period their families began to form, in conjunction with the ANCIENT PATRICIAN FAMILIES, a new combination or political association of persons; and this combination was formed of no particular class of persons, but of all those who had influence enough to gain admit

this century, the overwhelming inundations of every species of impurity, poured on the Christian world, through the channel of the Roman Hierarchy. I can myself also declare this unanswerable fact, from a personal reference, and close review of the original works of these celebrated writers. In the whole range of historians of all ages, and of all countries, there is but one, and only one, who even attempts to draw a palliating veil over these monstrous crimes. It is Eccard, a German historian and antiquary; who, to show the sincerity of his conversion from the Protestant to the Romish communions, in his work entitled (" Origines Guelphicæ," tom. i. lib. ii.), ventured to clear Marozia of the greater crime of an adulterous commerce with Sergius III., and maintained the lesser papal crime, of this infamous woman being, before his elevation to the Pontificate, his lawful and first wife! The attempt however is as super-extravagant, as it is super-impudent, to pretend to make a discovery in the eighteenth century, of Marozia's virtue, in despite of all the corroborating authorities of preceding ages, and such a host of Romish authors; and this, likewise, without adducing one single proof, or testimony of her innocence. Of the authors, whose names have been just mentioned, Genebrard says, -" fifty popes, in 150 years, from John VIII. i. e. (A. D. 872.), to Leo IX. i. e. (A. D. 1049.), entirely degenerated from the sanctity of their ancestors, and were Apostatical, rather than Apostolical!" ("Sacra Chronologia," lib.iv.---"Apostatici potius quàm Apostolici, &c."). Gerbert declares, -" Roman morality was at this time the horror of the world!" (Epist. 40.). The learned and elegant scholar Sigonius records, -" the foulest and blackest (i. e. the 10th Century), both in respect to the wickedness of the princes and madness of the people, that is to be found in all antiquity!" (De Regn. Ital. lib. vi.). The learned Platina, whom Sixtus IV. patronized, and appointed Librarian of the Vatican (Tiraboschi), in his great work "History of the Popes," designates the Pontiffs of this age as "Monsters" (Ibid. p. 128.).

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tance; a SINGLE OVER-GROWN HEAD was now to be seen in the republic, which consisting of all who had either wealth or power of any kind, and disposing at will of the laws and the power of the people, soon lost all regard to moderation and decency;" and the inference which this celebrated, and distinguished writer draws, is no less equally true, -" if it be a fatal error entirely to rely on the justice and equity of those who govern, it is an ERROR NO LESS DANGEROUS to imagine, that while virtue and moderation are the constant companions of those who oppose the abuses of power, -all ambition, all thirst after dominion, have retired to the other party." (De Lolme, chap. ix.). But, it is feared, that ambition, and thirst for dominion are, indeed, very indulgently generic terms, adequately, to describe those, who by being corrupted and corrupting, under the specious guise, of curing and reforming the people's wrongs,-mount on the pinnacle of power; and pamper their own vile interests, by contemptuously exulting over the demolition of what they had so long envied and coveted :-whilst, to their underlings, who had played the second part, in raising them above the herd, they give, too often, no higher reward than Verres did, who, to the crimes of gross corruption, extortion, and plunder, added still further this additional proof of his gratitude-tyrannically, scourging the inferior citizens with rods, and putting them to death upon crosses, through mere caprice and cruelty. (Cicero, Orat. in Verrem.).

And how many such Verres', are now to be found! How many examples of men, concealing, under deceitful professions of public virtue, and modern reformation, the fell designs of petty usurpation, selfaggrandizement, and the rapid annihilation of those sacred barriers, whether of religion, rank, or property; which, as they once, with the Divine Blessing, secured the Church and state, in the midst of many a threatened whirlwind, against their incroachments, -are now defencelessly exposed to their eager thirst of destructive innovation, -to their rude attacks of indignant jealousy ;-and what is still more horrifying-to their savage inroads, of revolting blasphemy, and avowed infidelity! And, in short, how many modern Catilines, vauntingly, exclaim in the language of that arch-traitor,-" our ardour increases daily to redeem our COMMON LIBERTY!" But they should be regarded as the agents of that Evil Being, who being also himself the servant of corruption, held out Liberty to the First Progenitors of mankind, as an alluring bait-as a dazzling prize-to tempt, cajole, and deceive. And their watch-word of Liberty, may easily be interpreted by the designs and patriotism of their prototype-Catiline,-murdering the Consuls and Senators; and consequently effecting the extirpation of the Aristocracy, whom the miscreant, knew full well, constituted the venerable springhead of honour, which served as the established, and permanent bulwark of all the laws, that protected the rank, property, and institutions of Rome :-added to this, the inevitable effects were intended to follow the plunder of the state, and putting the greatest villains, and the most infamous reprobates, into all places of honour, of trust, and profit! (Sallust. Bell. catil. cap. xx.).

I must however, check myself, before I find myself carried away to an extravagant extent, beyond the purpose of my remarks. I might be fully aware, of the utter hopelessness, of the task, of endeavouring, by reason, to open the blinded eyes of those ill-fated dupes, that serve as minions, to promote the selfish projects of the ambitious demagogues of the day. To bring forward the principles of enlightened jurisprudence, in order to persuade those creatures of their error, would be as absurd, as to endeavour to give the faculties of reason to the beasts of the field: than which, indeed, they would appear to claim no higher superiority, if we would but cast a glance at the striking coincidence of their mutual habits. They who are driven along by a tempest of excited passions, and barbarous prejudicies-who are brutified by the stupidity of ignorance, enslaved by the darkness of superstition, chained

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