.ft

LoA(Aon I y' 2.!r

A LETTER

LETTER TO THE KING

»>

©atftolic QBmmti^ution:

AN ANSWER TO CERTAIN STATEMENTS

LATE PUBLICATION,

EKflTLED A

" LETTER FROM THE KINO TO HIS CATHOLIC SUBJECTS.'

By M. a. T.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR SHERWOOD, JONES AND CO,
' PATERNOSTER ROW.
1825.

LONDON :
«U1^KEI.I..ANS ARsawstiitH, JOHNeON'E-eOUIlI, r^BM-tTRHT; ¦*v

LETTER, Sfc.

To the King's Most Excellent Majesty.
At a moment of intense, arid, perhaps,
iunprecedented anxiety amongst the Catholics
of these kingdoms ; When seven millions of
your Majesty's proscribed subjects are uniting
their constitutional endeavours, to . obtaiin the
abolition of the penal restrictions, by which
they feel themselves oppressed; when almost
the whole energies of the legislature are drawn
to the consideration of their claims, and the
discussion of a measure is still , pending, in
which the defeated hopes of ages are again
jCentred ; at such a ihoment, an humble indi
vidual qf their body presumes to st9.nd forward
from the riaultitude, and offer this letter to your
Majesty's consideration. For his motives in
thus iritPUding himself into the presence of his
Sovereign, it were, at any time, sulSBcient to
refer *to the liberal, the warm-hearted, and

paternal feelings of your Majesty ; and to say
that HE, whose anxious and affectionate solici
tudes are extended alike to every individual of
his subjects, must feel a corresponding interest
in listening to the complaints, which are pre
ferred, through however humble a medium, by
so numerous a body as the Catholic population
of the United Kingdom. At the present mo
ment, however, there is another, and a stronger
inducement for presuming on your Majesty's
gracious attention. It can hardly be necessary
for me to remind your Majesty, that within the
last two months, a letter has issued from the
press, purporting to be addressed by " The
King tohis Catholic Subjects." This letter,
it is true, is not generally. considered, by those
who are qualified to judge, as the production of
your Majesty : at the same .time, as so long a
period has elapsed since its publication, and no
expression of displeasure has gone forth, at the
assumption of a name too august. to be em
ployed as a stalking-horse for every letter-
writer, -vvhb may wishi for concealment or
effect, it will be easily imagined that persons,
even of information and discernment, will ..be
induced to conclude that the sentiments it
expresses are in accordance with those of your
Majesty; whilst the more ignorant and illiterate,
will look only at the title-pagie and the signa
ture, and give your Majesty the undoubted
eredit of the performance. Hence, independ
ent of its own merit, or authority, it as'sumies

an adventitious importance of the most solemn
and imposing kind. To say the least, the sanc
tion of the royal name must, of itself, be a very
general passport forthe opinions contained in
such a document; but if, in addition to this, it
shall appear that the King, who, in the libe
rality of an enlarged and enlightened mind, de
clares that he appreciates the loyalty, and
accepts the devoted homage of his Catholic
subjects, is represented, at the same time,
(rather inconsistently, it must be acknow
ledged) as accusing those very subjects of pan
dering to "the vitiated appetite of faction,''
(p. 15), and under the plausible appearance of
seeking the redress of their grievances, resort
ing to " the basest machinations against the
constitution," (p. 1) ; if the same exalted per
sonage, whilst he is made to approve the cdui
condemns the manner, in which it is pri
cuted ; if he argues in the body of his letter,
that the Catholics have no idea of interfering
with the church establishment, and asserts at
the outset, that the only object of their clergy
is " an addition to their temporal advantages,"
(p. 9) ; if he passingly acknowledges in one
place the injustice of adducing the circum^
stances of their enactment, as a plea for the
continuance of prescriptive laws (p. 36), yet,
in another, lays it as a formal repr&achupon us,
that in our endeavours to obtain relief, we have
forgotten to " look at the circumstances which
created" the penal code, under which we suffer
b2

(p. 6) ; if, in fine, the argument of his address
looks with a certain degree of favour at the
justice and policy of emancipation, and yet, in
one of its earliest passages, he insinuates that
justice is not involved in the discussion, and
tells the Catholics that their situation is not
singular, and that their complaints are un
founded, (pp. 6 and 7) ; will not such declara
tions, in spite of all the contradictions they
contain, fling an odium on the body against
which they are directed> and retard the pro
gress of the very cause which the address
•would pretend to advocate ? Will not an enemy
gladly overlook an inconsistency, when he can
thereby strengthen the grounds of his hostility ?
Will not the very liberality which the writer
affects, in supporting the interests of those>
whose demerits he proclaims, operate most
powerfully in confirming the justice of his accu
sations ? Will not the voice of our opponents
grow loud in reprobation, when it is seen that
even the advocacy of our friend is coupled with
a censure ? And, Sire, if that friend is repre
sented as our King ; if the sacred name of the
" Father of his People" is attached to such con
demnation ; will not the mischief operate witb
tenfold effect, since the very respect which is
universally paid to the well-proved benevolence
of your Majesty, is enlisted in the cause against
us ? On these grounds, then, I rest the motive
of m^ address. If they are conclusive, then
may I ju&tly claim the indulgence of your

Majesty, whilst I endeavour to seek a refuge in
that name", which has been employed to darken
the character, and frustrate the hopes of seven
millions of loyal and devoted subjects.
What may have been the real object of the
letter to which I am about to reply, I must
candidly acknowledge that I am unable to
imagine. I am unwilling to believe that it
was written purposely -to insult the feelings, or
injure the cause of the Catholics;— and yet, so
strangely are censure and approbation alter
nated through it, — with a balance, however,
always carefully preserved in favour of the
former, that it were difiicult to regard it as
the production of a sincere friend. , There, is>
indeed, a want of design in the whole, and
of connection, and consistency in the partSj
Which might well warrant the assumption of its
being the promiscuous contribution of various
authors, influenced by feelings equally -v^ariouS
¦and distinct ; and, might I be permitted to in
dulge a conjecture, I should almost be inclined
to say, that, instead of being the address of the
King, each member of your Majesty's Cabinet
had supplied a paragraph in accordance with
his own views, and that, thus prepared, the he^
terogeneous composition had been sent out, for
the purpose of satisfying the cravings of public
expectation, at a moment of much excitement,
and offering a something to amuse the pre
judices of all parties, whilst, however, it was
eareful to leave the Catholics as tow, and, as

'degraded as ever. As in the Cabinet, Sire, the
fatal majority is here -sdsible against us ; the
liberality of one paragraph is borne down by
the narrow feelings and illiberal accusations of
the next; like the . Ministry, this letter is di
vided against itself, and against us; and the
very candour of its partial, and occasional con
cessions, is assumed as the justification of
general intolerance. In making these obser^
vations, however, I wish them to be understood
as applying immediately to the earlier part of
the letter in question ; that part which, I sup
pose, was intended to convey some notices
preliminary to the agreement on Emancipation;
which comprises the latter portion of the ad
dress. On that argument I shall have nO
occasion to remark ; , and I consider it but
justice to say, that, had the introductory pages
been written in the same spirit of conciliation;
and Christian charity, which appears in the
defence of Catholic principles and allegiance,;
I should have thanked the author for his
exertions, and your Majesty would have been
spared this intrusion on your indulgence.
Since, however, a different, and, I must say;
less praiseworthy course has been adopted,—
since the -writer has thought fit, as a prepa
ration for his argument, to fortify every pre
judice against the cause whiclx he woijld
advocate, and, as if afraid of proving Aactoriousj
has assisted, as it were, in strengthening the
Very post which he is afterwards to attack, I.

have no alternative but to endeavour to break
down the force which he has marshalled against'
himself, and thus give some additional security
to that just and righteous cause, which must,"
I am convinced, eventually triumph over all
the efforts of opposition.
The Letter, to which I am about to call the
attention of your Majesty, is entitled "A Letter
from the _ King to his Catholic Subjects ;" but
with what propriety I am at a loss to imagine.
It contains, as I have already intimated,- an
argument on the policy, and justice of Eman
cipation, prefaced by some criminatory remarks
on the conduct that has been manifested in the
prosecution of the Catholic Claims, With re
gard to the argument, I am apprehensive that,
under any circumstances, it would be deemed
at least unnecessary, • to prove the ;right of
redress to an injured body of men ; but if, year
after year, and age after age, those men shall
have been suing for relief, — if they shall have
pointed to their persecutions and their pati^ice,
their fidelity and their oppression, — if they shall-
have clanked the fetters of centuries in our
ears, and, as they led us to the graves of
their fathers, shewed the footsteps of six
hundred years still wet with the blood from
whieh they have descended ;— if they shall
have demanded justice on the faith of promises
which we have made, and treaties which we
have broken,— -and if, with all this, they shall
have proved themselves, the most suffering, ill-
treated, oppressed, and still patient, forgiving.

bravej loyal people, on the face of the earth,-*^
then I say that such an argument^as this Letter
addresses to themj is an insult and an outrage
to their feelings. It is the voice of the op
pressor exulting ih their sufferings, and telling
them only that he is conscious of his cruelty.
Of the argumerit itself I am not speaking, I
complain only of the inhuman mockery of
making the very Personage, whO may be sup
posed to possess mOst influence in such matters;
—of making, I say, even ypur- Majesty demon
strate to the Catholics the justice of their claims;
whilst, not only every application in their
behalf is rejected, but measures are actually
proposed to abridge the little liberty they al
ready possess, and thereby prevent^ if pOsSible;
the prosecution of their rights.
Biit the intemperate conduct of those en
gaged in the discussion of Emancipation : —
yes; Sire, — but are not the Protestants equally
included in the author's strictures on this
subject? — Did he not know that; if there has
appeared any thing like intemperance in the
language (he has not even attempted to give
it a more substantial existence than the mere
language) which the Catholics hia.ve adopted, —
did lie not know that it has been wrung from
thpm by the taunts, and insults, and calumnies
of the dominant piarty ? Did he not know that
whatever of pride, whatever of insolence, what
ever of false testimony against our neighbaur,
and of stern, deliberate, selfish oppression the
Wprld has ever devised for the curse of any

people; has had its origin, it-s pirogress, and
its perfection amongst this party? — But, if
he knew this, why are the Catholics— the
reviled, calumniated, injured Catholics— alone
addressed as the agitators of the country?
Why, when it is necessary to preserve a sem
blance of impartiality, why are the violences
of the violent to be cut down to a paragraph,
or pdged in but as an unwilling concession, —
when the victim of their cruelty is upbraided
in lengthene4 pages, for cries that escape him
in the writhings of his agony? Why are the
aijthor^ and promoters of discord to pass un
noticed and unreproved ? — " A Letter", Sire,
'.'from the King to his Protestant " or " his Irish
Subjects" might have effected the most bene
ficial consequences— it might have been founded
in truth and justice, and would have beenr the
heavenly harbinger of " peace on earth, to men
of goodwill.'' It would hav^ promoted con-
ciliatipn, by shewing one party that their
wrongs were not disregarded, and the other
that their proceedings were not approved;
It would have deplored any warmth or irrita
tion in the expressions of the Catholics^T~but
it would have pointed to the worse than pro
vocations, which their enemies held out. .It
wojild have condemned the' revilings, the
slanders, the base and iniquitous artifices,
¦which have been employed by the few, to
peipetuate |;he degradation of the many, and
it wtmld have healed the bruised mind, and

10
bteeding heart of those, who, like the people
of God on the rivers of Babylon, have hung
up their instruments "and wept, when they
that led them into captivity required of them
the words of songs." The authority of such
a letter as this. Sire, would have effected mor6;
in the way of conciliation, than any measure
that could be adopted short of an actual aboli
tion of the odious distinctions that continue
to divide Catholic and Protestant. If the on^/
bowing to the mandate of that power which
he professes to revere, would have consulted
his duty, and his interest, by listening to
its injunction, and abandoning the unworthy
proceedings into which he has been betrayed,'
— the other would have been no less ready
to wipe the tear from his eye, and the
remembranee from his heart, and, with the
warmth of his generous nature about him-,
whilst he blessed the Sovereign, who he be-^
lieved could send them such an addresSj
would have extended the' hand of fellowship,
and run to the embraces of his enemy. He
would have regarded such a letter as this
as the " olive branch with green leaves, "
to tellr him that " the waters had ceased upon
the earth" ^— -it would have been the rain
bow 1 1 promise, tO which, however dark the
clouds above, he would have turned his eye,'
and toped for better things. — But no : — ^To
have addressed a letter in this spirit would
have been a novelty in the treatment of Catho-

11
lies in these countries. To have sujipdsed
that .Catholic complaints could be the conse
quences of Protestant intolerance, would have
been as monstrous as for the Archdeacon and,
Clergy of Bath to believe -the protestations
and the oaths of seven millions of their feiloW
subjects, backed by the solemn declarations of
Catholic Europe, Certainly, if time can
consecrate a usage, never was there a practice
more unequivocally approved, than that of
holding Catholics responsible for the enormities
of their enemies. The order , of cause and
effect .has, for ages, been inverted in their
regard. Their agony has proceeded firom their
groans, not their groans from their agony. If
they have made an effort to defend themselves
against the oppression that bore them down,
they have at once been denounced as the
aggressors, — 'whilst the aggression itself has
been elevated into a just and necessary re
sistance. Priority of time is, with them, a
mere nothing. No matter how long a society
has existed, for the purposes of persecution :— ^
in Ireland, and where Catholics are'concernedi
it must necessarily be of later date than any
which is afterwards established, to counteract
its proceedings. It becomes instantly the
" counter association,"- — and the poor deluded
creatures, who could presume to flock together
for protection* and talk themselves into the
'notion that they were worthy of liberty, are

12
reminded, at the instance of their enemies;,
that they are agitating the country with their
designs, and are dispersed and sent home
again to their slavery and their despair ! — Do
I then offer these remarks in the ¦ spirit of
crimination ? God forbid ! God forbid, Sire,
that a single thought, inconsistent with the
Gospel of the Redeemer; should accompany
this expression of my feelings ? — But when we
see a brave and generous people trodden to
the earth, and wrongfully condemned for the
very efforts, which they make to regain the
station from which they have been torn, is it
matter of surprise that the bitterness of the
heart should run over, and we should look at
the means, that have been employed to per-^
petuate their slavery? Surely, Sire, it is time
to put an end to the present order of things^
as they relate to Catholics ; — surely it is time to
act with some degree of liberality towards that
proscribed body, and, if their degradation is
to be continued, to let the resolution be
honestly avowed. Such a course would be
infinitely more creditable, than to seek to
create pretexts for delaying what will never be
willingly conceded. It would certainly be
better than to '*bear false witness against
our neighbour," — to make the Catholics guilty
of what their enemies perpetrate, and to
address letters to them, in your Majesty's
name, whose only tendency can be to injure

13
their feelings, and strengthen the delusioh,
behind which their adt^ersaries are fortifying
their designs.
I now come to the charges which the
Letter- Writer has advanced against the Catho
lics. As well as I have beeri able to collect
them, they are as follows : —
First. We are afccused of having forgotten
the spirit of the Christian Religion, as well
in the manner as the matter of Our claims.
Secondly. We are charged with having
overlooked the just causes of the penal exact-
ments that affect us.
Thirdly. We are said to have complained
of grievances, of which justice does not de
mand the abolition, arid to have aspired to
privileges to which we are nOt necessarily
entitled. Fourthly. We are upbraided with having
abandoned that moderate line of conduct, which
should distinguish persons in our situation; and
"had recourse to the disaffected portion of the
press, to advocate our cause, and fix the atten
tion of the public.
I will trouble your Majfesty With a few re
marks On each of these charges, in the order in
which I have set them down.
The -writer, after a sentence, of which, I must
confess, I have been unable to gather the pre
cise meanirig, but in -which he irifonris us that,
in thte question of Emancipation, " Religion is
made the subservient pretfext of Policy," pro-

14
ceeds' to say that — " if it be admitted- that
Religion is the basis of the existing differ
ences alluded to, how far, how lamentably far,
have both parties strayed wide of the mark !
There are those, surely, who must have felt, or
who ought tp have felt, that it was their duty,
to say the least of it, to have instructed their
partisans, or followers, in the principles of
moderation ; but the spirit of peace has been
scared from her prescribed abode by the sound
of the tocsin of faction,"
Of the charge conveyed, in this passage,
against the Catholic body — as of the qthgrs, to
which I am about to call the attention of your
Majesty—rjiot even a shadow of proof is ad-;
vanced by the writer ; and the task, therefore,
of disproving it must be more difficult, in pro
portion to the uncertainty of the ground on
which I am to meet my adversary. But, Sire, a
falsehood may be repeated, until even its inven
tor shall believe it ; and we have so often been
accused of uncharitable and unchristian con
duct, that, unless we loudly and unequivocally
repel the slander, our enemies will soon per-:
suade themselves that we are actually the per
secutors, and themselves the victims of our
violence. Sire, we have not "strayed wide of the
mark" which religion has pointed out; — we
have not lost sight of " Christian charity, meek
ness, resignation," in the endeavour to prose
cute our just claims. Our clergy have un-

15
ceasingly inculcated submission to our opr
pressors, and charity even towards those who
would exterminate us. The body of our people
have returned affection for hostility, and fidelity
for violated promises. They have evinced
gratitude for trifling concessions, and patience
under the severest persecutions. We are
taught, Sire, to' regard the " powers that be,"
as the power of God ; — We are enjoined to
" overcome evil with good," and exceed the
malice of our enemies, only by the measure of
our forbearance. These are the lessons that
are impressed upon our earliest infancy; — to
these have our hearts been turned, fi-om the
moment that we could appreciate the wrongs
of our country, and the precept of divine for
giveness ; upon our . mothers' knees we re
ceived the sacred charge, and upon our graves
we will lay it down again inviolate.
But, Sire, how strange must have been the
perversion of that mind, which could read the
history of our long-suffering people, and draw
from it the accusation of unchristian deport
ment ! How terrible must have been the prin
ciple of destruction within, which, from ages of
resigned endurance, could extract nothing but
anger, enmity and faction ! Has the writer of
this (address never cast his eye along the dismal
annals of Catholic proscription, and has he
never there beheld the spirit of forgiveness,
like hope. upon the death-bed of; the Christian,
shedding its blessed, but solitary light, upon

16
the gloom of the surrounding scene ? If he has
yet to learn -what religion has effected amongst
us, in stifling^ the passions, extinguishing our.
animosities, and teaching tis the resignation of
the gospel, your Majesty, who is acquainted
with the history of your people, can shew him
where to look for information. You, Sire, haV-e
perused the p%es of our historians ; yOu krtoW
if submission arid forbearance are not, as they
ever have been, the characteristics of our per
secuted body. Are the many, and immOrtai
examples, which we have held up to an as
tonished world, of pitienfee, resignatiqii arid
loyalty, under the- most cruel and satiguinary
treatment,^ — are these in opposition -to the
spirit of Christianity ?, When, during the sub^
cessive reigns of Henry the Eighth, an4
Edward the Sixth, Ireland had felt the oppres
sion of those enactments, which, as Lord Glare
has well observed, originated " the grand
schism, which hias been the bane, and pesti
lence of Irfeiatid, and rendered her a blank
among the nations of Europe,'' — when she had
seen her shrines pillaged, her^ altars profaned,
her religious communities scattered over the
land, and herself called on to renounce tbe
faith of her fathers,— and when, after this,
thl^ accession of M^ry restored religion to its
ancient footing, and placed the power of reta-
liatibri within her reach, — was it nothing that,
uridfer such cirdumstaiices, and with such
Mcitenientfe, she forgot the wrongs .^he had

17
0ndured, arid afforded even a secure asylum to
those Protestants of England, who felt them'-
selves unsafe amidst the agitations of their own
country;* Was it nothing that the Catholics
of that day, as Mr, W, Parnell has observed,
" entertained no resentments for the past,
and laid no plans for future domination,"— that
they proved themselves the only sect, that
evfer resumed power, without exercising ven
geance ?t Was this nothing I — or was it it
Violation of the Christian precept Of charity ?
' — Again, when EUzabeth had ascended the
throne, and the violences which accompaMied
the introduction of the new religion, had
spread horror and devastation through the
larid, — when her spiritual supremacy had
been asserted, with fines, imprisonments, and
prsemunires, and statutes of treason had been
framed, to support, and exemplify the meek
spirit of the reformed gospel, — when the
severest p^naltips had been inflicted on every
individual, who had dared for the sake of coii^
science, to absent himself ¦from the Established
Ch'urch, where the service of the Common
Prayer Bobk Was performed ia Latin, for th&
special beneflt pf those, who were tOo ignorant.
to understand English ! — When numbeirs pf
their bishops, priests, and religious had suf
fered death, by the most cruel, and protracted
* See Ware.
<' f IB^torical Apology for Itisb Catholics. '"^ *
C

18
,agonies, and the most perfidious murders,
and cold blooded massacres had been perpe
trated in every part of the country, amongst
the peaceful and unoffending Catholics,-^
when, in the language of the Lord Deputy
Mountjoy, "their fear to be rooted out, and to
have their old faults punished upon particular
discontents^ and, generally, all over the king
dom, their fear of a prosecution for religion,
the least of which alone have been many times
'sufficient to drive the best and most quiet
states into suddfen confusion.;"* when these had
goaded the natives almos^t to distraction, and
the necessary consequences — discontent and
dissatisfaction — were beginnings to spread
themselves through the country, • — at that
moment the Spanish fleet, under Don Juan
D'Aguila, appeared off Kinsale, and, a nume
rous body having effected a landing, published
a manifesto, declaring that their only object
¦was, to rescue the Irish " frOm the oppres
sion which they had so long groaned under,
on account of their religion," and promising
" to re-establish" that religion " in a free and
flourishing state. "-j- And, Sire, what was the
conduct of the Catholips on that occasion ?— -
Did they suffer even the still reeking- blood ,pf
their kindred to' keep alive the memory of their
woes, and avail themselves of the opportunity
of throwing off the tyranny, at the same time
• Curry, !B. I, cap, 7. ' f. C""y, B, i. cap. 9,

19
that they revenged themselves on the tyrants
that oppressed them ?— Did the.y sacrifice their
allegiance to their feelings, and accept the
proffered assistance of the invader ?— No :—
they preferred .endurance to retaliation, and
rejected all the offers of the Spaniards ;— they
treated them as they had already treated the
Bulls of Pius the Fifth, Gregory the Thirteenth,
and Clement the Eighth, and maintained their.
fidelity to an ungrateful Gov6rnment,-t-But
this is not all. These men, who could thus
exemplify and adorn the meek religion: they
prpfessed, are the same, who, after the , con
fiscations of the thoughtless and extravagant
James, and the increasing severities and violated
engagements, which distinguished the earlier.
career of his unfortunate son, still clung to
their Sovereign in his adversity, and foj-med
a phalanx around the very thrpne from which
their own proscription had gone forth. They
are the same, who, when the blood of the first
Charles had cemented the power of the usurpa
tion, still adhered, through the midst of the most
unheard of persecutions, to the fortunes of his
son, — and when, under the last. Monarch, of the
House of Stuart, they had regained the ascendy
|ency, and held the .power of retribution in
their hands» showed the world, a second time,
how well they had learned the lesson of forgive^
ness, and left. the. period of their power un
marked by one act of retaliation. In fine. Sire,
qtpt tp trpuble your Majesty with an unne-
c2

cessary detail, these are the men, Avho, since
the Revolution, ¦which placed your Majesty's
Family on the throne of these kingdoms, have
continued, until a late period, to suffer under
the cruelty of a code, in comparison with which
the enactments of earlier times were but as the
bubble on the ocean,— these are the men, for
whom the privacies of home have been held no
longer sacred— for whom the charities of life have
been broken down and destroyed — these are the
men for whom the laws of nature and of God
have been reversed, and Who are, at this mo
ment, as they have been throughout, only pray
ing and petitioning to be allowed to fOrget the
calamities, with which they have been afllicted,
and to dwell with their enemies, in peaces, and
"¦without fear, every one under his vine, and
rinder his'fig-tree !"— And, Sire, are these the
men, and is this the conduct that is to be
taunted with uncharitableness ? Is there no
" meekness," ao " resignation" in the behaviour
I have thus described ? Are the magnani
mity, arid long suffering, which emblazon every
page of Catholic history, to be immersed in the
oblivious current of party and persecution?
Will the tim^ never arrive, when

-.  " Incipient magni procedere menses ?"
Will the reign of justice, and of truth never com
mence in Ireland ?— I am afraid. Sire, that come
when it may^ there wiH Be found some persons,'

21
who can boast of "Christian charity, meek
ness," and other such virtues, to, whom such an.
event will prove but an ungrateful occurrerice!
I am aware that the charge on which I
have been remarking, will, probably, be
confined, by the Letter-writer, to the
language of, the Catholics,— or in other
words, to the publications, they have put
forth, and the disputations in which they have
lately been engaged^ But, Sire,, supposing —
what, however, I am prepared to deny— sup
posing even that some warmth and irritation
have manifested themselves in the manner , in
which, after centuries of ill usage, this de
graded ¦ body has coiuplained of its sufl^eringSj
yet, is it not the very childishness of hypocrisy)
to talk of Christian charity, ajid Christian
meekness, as violated in the remonstrances of
men, whose actions I have shewn to have been
influenced by the very breathings of the spirit
of Christianity ? I talk not of the cruelty of
adding insult to punishment, of torturing the
victim, and making the very complaints he
utters a pretext for renewed inflictions, . I am
not the apologist, of violence, in any shape, oj-
under any circumstances ; but, if a nation hass,
for ages, endured.silently, patiently, resignedly ;
if it has bowed beneath the swordof the tyrant,
^almost without a murmur, and cherished, in
the moment of its power, the very enemy
whose hoof prints were still visible upon its
hearths; if it feels the : hourly aggression, that

22
5s made upon the little liberty which has been
doled out to it, in the shape of concessions
and relief, and presumes, at length, to tell the
unauthorised spoiler of the injustice he is com
mitting, — is it not disgusting to every better
feeling to hear meekness and charity preached
up to such a nation ? and should we not be in
clined, if the solemnity of the subject would
permit us, to laugh at the intolerable self-pos
session of the man, who could gravely request
such a people hot to forget their gentility, and
prefer their complaints in "gentlemanly" terms?
(p, 9,) — Certainly, these gentlemeri are some
of the civilest people in existence !
But, Sire, I am not quite sure that the
meekness, charity, and so forth, which are so
strenuously inculcated by the Letter-writer;
form any essential part of that Christian code,
which he seems so anxious to uphold. In the
course of my reading, I have sometimes had
occasion to look into a book, of which we have
lately heard a good deal, and which contains,
amongst other matters; an account pf the life;
and many of the instructions of the Founder of
the Christian Religion, I need not tell your
¦Majesty that I alhide to the Bible, and, par^
ticularly, to that portion of it called the New
Testament, Now, unless my memory strangely
deceives me, the passive kind of submission;
sought to be established by the Letter before
me, will scarcely find its support in the sacred
volume to which I allude. Though, on one

23
Occasion, our Redeemer enjoined his followei-s
not to " resist evil," and added, " if any man
strike thee on the right cheek, turn to him the
other also;" yet, he, by no means; thought it
necessary to enforce the letter of this injunc
tion in his own example. On the contrary,.
we see him acting in opposition to it; we hear
him condemning the Jews as " an evil and
adulterous generation;" we hear him per
petually denouncing his woes against their
unbelieving race; and, in the course of his
passion, when one of the servants of the High
Priest actually struck him on the face, he not
only did 720^ "turn the other cheek also," but
instantly rebuked the insolence of the man :
"If I have spoken evil give testimony of the
evil ; but if well, why strikest thou me ?" In
deed, I may be allowed to question whether
the author, who is so zealous in the cause of
Christian forbearance, ever considered himself
bound by the letter of this commandment, and
whether he would be more willing to "turn
the other cheek" to the man who should strike
him, than to give his " cloak also to him who;
Would take away his coat." It is most probable
that one would be indicted for an assault, and
the other prosecuted as a felon,
• However, be this as it may, I am rather at a
loss to discover, in the language or publications
of -the Catholics; any traces of the spirit-
Christian or unchristian-^ which is attributed to
them. I need scarcely remark that this part

24
of the charge can affect, as the Writer seems to
have intended, only the clerical portion of our
body. They principally have discussed the
subject of our claims in print, — they have con
ducted the Catholic cause, in the late disputa
tions ; — but where the writer could discover,
in either of these proceedings, the want oi
" Christian charity, meekness, resignation! or even
gentlemcmly feeling," with which he is pleased
to tax them, is utterly beyond the power of my
leomprehension. ' Of the publications of the Irish Catholic
xjlergy it is unnecessary for me to speak, at any
length. Their tendency and spirit are to be
gathered from a perusal ofthem. They are in
the hands of the public — neither numerous nor
bulky :— The " Letters of Hierophilos to the
EngUsh People'Und 'fToMr, Canning," with
the masterly " Vindication of the Civil and
Religious Principles of the Irish Catholics," by
"J, K,. L," — generally supposed to be Dr,
Doyle, and one or two other pamphlets by the
same author, form the chief, if not the whole^
of these writings. The public will compare
tiiem with the charge in this Letter, and I am
not apprehensive for the result;
But the discussions which h&ve taken place^
at some ofthe meetings ofthe 'f Bible Society,''
in Ireland; will claim a more particular atten
tion, To/these, I suspect, the Letter more
immediately alludes, when it speaks of their
"late proceedings," bijt whether)- with more

26
justice than it has manifested in the preceding
parts ofthe accusation, we shall presently have
ari opportunity of judging.
In the dispVttatioris of which I am speaking,
the Catholic clergy have appeared in a light,
which has been differently regarded, according
to the different bias of the., parties who . have
examined it. Some havp approv.ed their con
duct, on the ground both of right and of pro
priety 5 others, whilst they denied the propriety
of their opposition to the introduction; of the
naked text ofthe Scriptures, still asserted their
right to resist the. innovations of the "Hiber
nian Bible Society;" whilst a third, and no
inconsiderable 1 party, has sent forth its un
qualified-denunciations against a bpdy, of
men, who, they have been taught, tp believe,
have . declared war against the sacred Word
of God, and are abaut to crush the intellect,
and trample down, the ..spirit of their deluded
fisUo^yvers, With which of these, parties the
truth will ultimately be found tO; lie, is not the
subject of the present enquiry. Yet, as the
humble apologist of the Catholic body,, I may,
perhaps, be allowed to range myself with the
first, and, in stating the reasons of my approval,
Gonvince . yoilr Majesty of the injustice of
charging these clergy with a,n, unchristian,
and uncharitable spirit. •. o':
-The doctrine and practice of the Catholic
Church, with . respect to the promiscuous ,0ir-
eulation of the, Scriptures, ; without note or

26
comment, hiave lately been the subject of
such general discussion, and have been so
ably treated in detail, by the author of the
" Vindication" above alluded to, that I may
be dispensed from trespassing on your Majesty
with any very particular or minute statement;
We believe. Sire, that the Scriptures are the
inspired Word of God,— the dictates of Divine
Wisdom, — the revelations of the Almighty to
his creatures. We believe that, through them,
as through the trumpet, and the. cloud of
Mount Sina> the Deity has spoken with his
people, — that they contain the precepts of
the law, and the words of eternal life. We
believ6 that, by diligently conforming ourselves
to their injunctions, we shall secure to our
selves the reward of everlasting happiness, —
but that if, instead pf this, we are "tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, by the wickedness of men, by
cunning and craftiness, by which they lie in
wait to deceive," — if, " being alienated from the
life of God," we become " corrupted according
to the desires of error," — we shall "fall from
our steadfastness," and have "no inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and of God." In
fine, we believe with St. Paul that " all Scrip
ture inspired of God is profitable to teach, to
reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice,"—
(ii. Tim.) buti with St, Peter, Ave likewise
hold that> in the Scriptures, there are " some
things hard to .'be .understood, which the un*

'It
learned and unstable wrest to- their own de--
struction," (Pet. ii,) Su'ch, Sire, is the faith.
Of the Catholic Church, and, and on this faith
the following articles of practical belief are
founded. We believie that these Scriptures
are to be received with the respect, which is
due to the mainifestation of the Deity, — that
they are to be held sacred, as the oracles of
God, — and are to command the unqualified
Assent of our reason and our will. We believe
that they are not to be idly flung: to the giddy,
and profane — the silly child, and untutored
hind, — bnt are to be " confined, as much- as
may be, to be read by grave, and serious per
sons, by heads of families, for themselVes; and
their household, when assembled in prayer."*
We believe that the chief delight of th'e pious-
Christian should be in perusing their contents,
meditating their doctrines, imbibing their
he&,venly truths, and fashioning his life accord
ing to the divine original they present, ¦ We
believe that we should have them continually
in our hands, or in our hearts, — with a constant
recollection of the spirit who dictated them,
and an humble devotion towards the God
from whom they have proceeded. We believe
that humility shonld go along with us, as our
guide and companion in the sacred journey
towards "the mount of God," — that the pride
¦* Vindication of Civil and Bdigibus Principles, p. 66,

28f
of human reason, like the Prophet, should
" cover its face," in the presence of the Most
High, •— that " no prophecy of Scripture is
made by private interpretation," — (Pet. ii,).
and that in those things "hard to be under
stood," we should have recourse, for their
explanation, to that authority which God has
appointed, who has given " some pastors, and
doctors, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ," (Ephes, iv.)
It is not true, then, that the Catholics, or
the Catholic Clergy, are the enemies of the
Bible. It is not true that they wish to keep it
as "a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up,"
—or that, by claiming the right of interpre
tation, they take the WOrd of God from
aanongst the people. No, Sire ; they venerate
the sacred volume,— they revere its contents,
— they appreciate the value of its divine code,
they know that itis powerful to every good work
—they are anxiouS; and zealous, and persever-
in'g in their endeavours to bring the whole
body of the faithful acquainted with it: — but
then they are not blinded by a' false and pernic
ious zeal; — they wish 'the gift of God to be
employed as a blessing, not converted to a
curse,— they are solicitous to secure it against
the "unlearned and unstable," who 'would
" wrest it to their own destruction," in a word
they are anxious to accompany it with those
explariatory monitions, which may protect it
from " the error of the unwise," and, whilst

29
they preserve "the unity pf the spirit in the
bond of peace," may enable the people to read
it, with real profit to their souls.
If, then, the doctrine and practice of the
Catholic Church, in this particular, are wrong,
1 think it must, at least, be allowed that we
err with reason on our side. Certainly,
our error is one which we partake with
all the wise and good pf ancient times, as
well as the great majority of the Christian
world at the present day, — a tolerable proof,
if it be an error, of the infallible sufficiency
of human reason to direct us! — However, j be
this as it may, it will hardly be denied that,
believing conscientiously, as we do, in the
propriety of the doctrine above stated, we
have the right of requiring submission- to it,
from those of our own communion, — nor
will it be'said that our Clergy, in the discharge
of their duties, are not bound to protect it
against the attempts arid innovations of the
professors of a different creed, s If we believe
that it is unsafe, to put the Scriptures, with-
out note or comment, into promiscuous cir
culation, and think it advisable to accompany
the sacred text, with some explanation, for
the benefit of the illiterate, — and certain mem
bers of a Society— of whose odour of sanctity
the Established Church begins now, I believe,
to entertain some unpleasant doubts — choOse
to consider themselves the enlighteners of
the world, and come to disturb our religion.

30
by thrusting this unexplained— and dangerpuSy
iecausci unexplained — book into the hands of
every unlettered peasant ; — if we are persviade4
that the reverence, which is due to the sacred
volume, as well as the efficacy of its precepts
in regulating the conduct pf our people, are
more effectually consulted, both for the present
andr the future, by keeping it unconnected
\5fith the studies, and consequently with the
disgusts of children, — and these persons
availing themselves of the pretext of education-
insist on making it th^ task-book of every little
lisping idler, whpm they may decoy to their insti
tutions : Surely, under such circumstances, it
becomes the duty of our Clergy to lift up their
voices, and exert their energies, to stop the pro-
. gress of the evil ;— surely, if the shepherd would
be condemned who should carelessly regard his
fold ravaged, and his flock scattered, — if the
watchman would be guilty, who should "hold
his peace upon the walls," that were assaulted;
surely, I say, those who have received a charge
over the flock of Christ, who have been " ap
pointed watchmen on the walls of the city of
God," (Isaiah, 52,) could never be excused in
•the ?ight of heaven ; if, without an effort to re^
sist these intruders, they should suffer them to
continue the work of division they have com
menced ; and, Sire, is it a breach of Christian
charity tp perform the work of God ? Would it
be " meekness" to suffer patiently the invasion
of our religion, and the violation of our cpn-

31
seientious feelings ? Can we never "be angry
and sin not," when all that we hold dear, op
earth, and in heaven, i? sought to be trampled
on and destroyed? Would it be the " resigna-
tien" of Christ Jesus, tp surrender ourselves
into the hands of every prophet ^{ho should rise
up amongst us ? Or would the Clergy of the
Established Church consider themselves justi
fied in offering no resistance to a similar attempt
on our part ? And, by what effect of perversion,
does that become criminal in us, whiph, in
them would be deempd meritorious? Have we
not the same souls to save ; the same consciences
to applaud or reprove us ? Are we not attached
to our belief, by convictions as firm, and as rea
sonable as theirs ?— Yes, Sire, we are, and we
have all this. We have not, itis true, the same
privileges, nor, thank God, quite so large a
portion of intolerance; but we have those
feelings,— rperhaps they are antiquated — ¦which
make us cling tp the faith of our fathers, and
which tell u§ that, though St. Paul pr " an
angel from heaven should preach another gos
pel to us, besides that which we have received,"
(Gal, i.) we a^o bound in conscience to resisit it.
I give the persons, who, .by their missionary
intrusion, originated the discussions to which I
have alluded, full credit for the benevolence of
their intentions. Dpubtless they pitied the
darkness in which, triey had heard, the poor
benighted Irish were sitting, no less than
he misery which they saw them enduring ;

doubtless they imagined that the Bible would
prove both light to their minds, -and sUstenanc©
to their' bodies, and therefore hastened, in th%
fulness of their hearts, to dispense its blessings ;
but does it follow that^ because persons are
found, who can seriously entertain such extra*-
vagant ideas, there are none who may eis
seriously dissent from them? Is it necessary
that, because they took their rise in a principle
of goodness, every opposition to them must
fto^w from a contrary source 7 Surely, duty may
sometimes find a place among the virtues of
Catholics; nor can it be for ever requisite to
maintain their moral, whatever may be thought
of their civil disqualifications !
But, Sire, it is not only the spirit of thg
Catholic Clergy, and of our body generally/ as
manifested, iti what he calls our " late -^rot
ceedings," that the Letter-writer conderrins.
He talks oi^" design that is sought to be dis
guised," and accuses our Clergy of being actu
ated solely by "the hope of an addition to their
temporal advantages." This " hope," on Our
part, he balances against a " fear," on the side
of the Established Clergy, " of losing part of
what is possessed ;" aud concludes by telling us
that, " an accessipn pf wealth arid power is the
iilUmafum ofthe unnatural struggle," in which
the reverend antagonists are engaged. Sire,
as the advocate of the Catholic body only, and
as one who wishes to condemn no set, or so^
ciety of men, it is not my business here to en-

33
quire, with whalt degree of propriety or trut^
this charge is advanced against one of the
parties in question. Neither shall I stop now to
dispute the matter, as to whether the 'f struggle"
between conflicting religious opiriions, brought
into immediate and practical opposition, is
really, as the writer asserts, "unnatural:" all I
can say to this is, that if it is unnatural, nature
has forgotten herself for many ages ; and what is
more, I suspect we shall now find it very difficult
to convince her of her mistake. And, for the
other personages, who share with us the cen
sures of the writer, they, of course, if they feel
themselves aggrieved, will, in due time, give
utterance to their complaint.
Meanwhile, Sire, I am anxious to repel the
accusation as it affects our calumniated body,
I am anxious to protest against the injustice of
charging motives on a meritoriotis class of men,
for which, neither their conduct, nor the circum
stances in which they have acted, afford the
slightest foundation, I am anxious to fling
froni' us the unworthy reproach-^— as false as it is
foul, as ridiculous as it is mean; and to tell
our accuser and the world , that the Catholic
Clergy have sei-ved their conscience, their
religion, and their God, through too many ages
of penury and prpscription, to thirik now of
Worshipping in the temple of the silver Diana,
or bartering the affections of their people, for
the paltry advantages of wealth or power ! A
jCatholic clergyman. Sire, amongst his flock.

is a father in the midst of his family, Witlj no
anjcieties, but such as centre inthem — no duties,
.but those pf providing for their welfare ; his
parish is the little wprld of all his joys, and all
his sorrows. The young run after him, to share
his smile — the old bless him,; as he pass^, and
teach their little ones to lisp .his name. He
.rules them by love— and they obey him from
affection. If they have much, he shares, it
with them— if they are possessed of little, he
takes what they can spare. He rejoices ¦s^tli
them in their prosperity, hje counsels them in,
their difficulties. In the hour of gladness he is
with them, to cheer thena with his smile ; in the
moment of affliction he is there, tp soothe the
achirig mind, and rais^ the drooping head. He
is their guide in health -in sickness their com
forter — and at the bed of deat^, when the world
with its joys, and its pains, is about to close
upon them for ever, he is still at hand, to ani
mate the faltering spirit, to smooth the way»
and support it to the threshold of eternity,,
where he is to deliver it into the hands of it&
Creator ! These, Sire, are the bonds— not of
silver, nor of gold — but of the affections, and
the heart — which unite the CathoUc clergyman
to his flock. There are feelings in alt this,
which are infinitely beyond whatever weilth
or power Could convey, and I may well replEat.
what the author of the " Vindication'' already
cited has deelarfedi, that " so far from desiring
the possessions of the Establishment, they (the.

35
Catholic clergy) would not accept of the tythes,
and all the odium that accompanies them, were
they (Which is impossible) resigned in their
favour, by the established church."* Indeed,
Sire, our religion is a .religion of love, not of
tyranny ; we would rather rule by an impulse
6f the heart, than by an act of parliament ; for
I am not quite sure, whether, if any thing cmld
shake the foundation of our religion, the method
proposed by Dean Swift would not be th6
most effectual that could be devised, for the
accomplishment of that object.
But, Site, in what have the " late proceed
ings" pf the Catholic clergy m^anifested a tend
ency at a,ll calculated to jvarrant this jiart' of
the writer's charge? Whence, and by what
pieAns, Wer0 they to obtain this " accession of
wealth and power," at which they are aiming"?
Was it at the Bible disputations, in which they
have been engaged, that they were to Carry
this magnificent design intp executioh? Were
they to persuade the Very llev, and Rev.
Messrs. Lee, Wingfield, and POpe, tO resign
the whoje, or a portion of their tythes to them,
or, by shewing their hostility to the system of
proselytism that had been Commenced, to pre
vail on any of the Rev. Brethren Of those
Worthy gentlemen, and the Legislature into the
b'ai'gain, to transfer tp theiri their seats upon
the Justice Bench, or their share in the half
* Vindication, p. 41.
d2

36
pay army or navy list ? Really, unless some
thing of this sort was to have been effected, I
hardly see how their dreams of " wealth and
power" were Ukely to be realized ! But then,
there were the charges of the Bishops, and the
Letters of Hierophilos, and Dr, Doyle, with his
" Vindicatiori," at their head ! Certainly, this
is a formidable array against the entrenchments
of the Establishment, and the bulwarks of the
Constitution, — against acts, and the framers pf
acts of Parliament, — against petitioning Clergy
without, and hostile Prelates within the House !
I will not positively assert. Sire, that Doctor
Doyle has never cast an eye on the mitre, or
the tythes of Doctor Magee, or that he has
never meditated a plah for placing himself in
full " Episcopalibus," on the Right Rev, Bench,
—I will not, I say, undertake ppsitively to a.s-
sert all this ; but the Bishop must have been
infinitely more short sighted than his readers
ever imagined, if he could seriously think of
ejftending the horizon of his power beyond the
length of his pen, or look for any other retum
p^ pecuniary profit, than such as might appear
in his bookseUer's account. If this is the point
of the writer's charge, we shall not be dis
posed to quarrel with it, at least in a literary
sense. We are wilUng to employ our talents
in every honest, and, if he pleases, profitable
way; and now, that it is no longer a crime in
Ireland to cultivate our minds, we shall not
expect to be taunted either with sinister de-

37
signs or an uncharitable spirit, for so doing.
Of this, however, he may rest assured, that ouf
powers will always be exerted in defending our
religion against the unjust accusations Of its
enemies. I have detained your Majesty longer than t
originally intended on this point. As the
writer had made a general assertion, without
reference. to proof, it was necessary to meet his
charge in every bearing. Besides, I have beeri
more particular iri setting forth the real views,
and feelings of our body, because 1 was con-
viriced that the accusation, which I have had
to Combat, was set up as a new branch only of
the old, and .varied, slander, which ha,s so often
denounced our religion, as an intolerant and
antiTchristian institution. Whether there is
truth, or candor, in the writer's statement, your
Majesty will judge. Meanwhile, I have only
to entreat your Royal indulgence, whilst !
hasten, as briefly as possible, over the other
charges. It. is asserted that we overlook the just
causes .of the penal enactments, that affect
us, " Catholics," says ¦ the writer, "see only
their disabilities ; Protestants look only to
the prospect of their no longer continuance.
The first look not to the Circumstances which
treated them ; the latter care not-, so that they
but continue to exist."— {t^. 6.) • NoW), Sire, I
must candidly acknowledge that, for it to be

3s
adduced, as a subject of accusation against
the CathoUcs, that they hav.e forgotten, of
overlooked " the circumstances which created
their disabilities," is a matter of as much, asto
nishment to me — seeing what those circum,'
stances really !were~- SiS it must, be to reflect on
the effrontery of the man, who,- whilst he
declares, in your Majesty's name, ^ " that frona
the Pulpit alone he ever W;ishes conviction, in
point of religious truths, to emanate," (p. 27.)
can unblushingly loOk back to the origin of the
proscriptive laws against the Catholics, and-
pretend to set up a foundation for them, either
of justice, or of decency. Does he p.pt knew.
—does not the wide earth bear testimony to th©
(act, that religion, and religion only, has been
the source and channel. of all the grievances
that oyersyhelm us ? Did not religion introduce
the statutes of 'supremacy, and .conformity,^
with all the Odioi^s train of fines/and imprison-
irients, that accompanied them? Was it npt
this, which deriiolished our altars; proscribed
our church service, and banished our clergy
from the kingdom ? At the Treaty of Lime
rick, did the Catholics ask for any, thing but
liberty of consjcience, and security of property ?
And was riot He, who had agreed to thes^
Cpnditions, and pledged his Royal word fpir
their fiilfilment, compelled by the religious
intolerance of the English Pariiament, not.
only to yiptate his engagements, but to increase

39
the infamy even of the penal code ? Is it not reU-'
gion. Sire, which, up to this hour, has continued
to sanction this inroad upon public faith; which
has shut the gates of the constitution against
the Catholics, and held them up, as a pro-'
scribed, degraded body to the world? — Your
Majesty is acquainted with the statutes of your
kingdom. Is there one word, in the whole
sanguinary catalogue, which affects our body,
that does not point immediately to our Reli^
gion? Is not our faith the only object of attack^
in every law that has gone forth against us?
At the. very moment, when danger was made
the pretex:t of persecution, — when a Pretender
yvas upon our shores, and your Majesty's
femily was scarcely settled on the throne,—
might not the very men, who were the victims
of persecution, and the pretended objects of
suspicion,— might they not have cancelled, all
their sins, by violating their consciences, and>
having renounced their religion, obtained the
trust of the nation, by shewing that they were
amworthy of it ? — It is idle, Sire, to talk of
such laws being made to " restrain the evil
doer.'' They are levelled, not against actions,
but opinions, — they are not. the safe-guards
flf the constitution, but impious intruders
between the conscience of the creature and
his God !— And the Catholics^ who still suffer
wrider their severity, are to be rebuked for
Overlooking the origin of such enactments.

4"d
They, who but just now, Were reviled for their
uncharitable, and unchristian spirit, are to be
reproached for an excess of that very virtue, of
which the Letter- Writer Would, have us to
believe they were destitute! They have for
gotten the Cause — the bitterest ingredient in
the cup of their proscription, — and this is
imputed to them, as a crime ! — Verily; Sire,
what must be the virtues of that people, to
whoria charity like this is objected as a
reproach !
But I am nbt sure that in his eagerness to
Condemn, the writer has not somewhat over-
fated the forbearance of the Catholics. That
we have forgiveri our oppressors, is indeed true;
in the widest acceptation of the term. We are
taught to forgive our enemies ; we are taught
to wish them well, and even assist them, if we
possess the abiUty, Every night, upon our
bended knees, before the God of charity, we
renounce Our animosities, and piray for them
that revile and persecute us : but Sire, can we
forget the causes which have sent down to us
the entailed miserjr of ages, and made us stran
gers in the land of bur nativity ? Is it possible
to feel the frightful pressure ofthe effect, .with
out glancing, in our agony, at the object that
produced it ? Can we behold the foot-marks;
and not remember that the giant has passed
along? Turn where we will, we behold the
memorialsof our sorrows, and our wrongs i If

4-1
we look to the nobility, they are there— in eji:-
clusion, suspicion, and disgrace ; if we turn to
our peasantry, they are there — in the penury
entailed upon them, by the exactions of an
establishment, to which they owe nothing but
their miseries ; in the igriorance that has been
ilecured for them, and the vices that have been
forced on them by their rulers ! If we look to
Our lands, they are almost a desart ; if we ask
for our ancient churches; they are in ruins, or
have passed to other hands. Every corner
of our country is filled with recollections ;
every mountain and every valley has its spirit;
that points to ' the ages that are gotte ! And
can we meet our degradation and our misery;
at every turn ; can We firid them in all the de
tails and intercourse of life ; can we see them
mixed up with all our best and holiest associa
tions ; and can we know that we must be con
tent to suffer, or sacrifice our consciences and
our God : can we do all this, and not remember
the origin Of our woes ? Would to God, Sire;
that it were possible ! Would to God that we
could forget " the circumstances which created
our disabilities !" Then, indeed, we might be
excluded, despised, degraded ; then, indeedi
we might have to regard our " Protestant
fellow-subject as an elder brother, born to
inherit privileges; in which we were not destined
to share." (p, 35.) But we should at least
be spared the pain of reflecting, that we had
l3een wronged of our birth-right, and were

42
groaning under the pressure of laws, as cruel
as they are unjust !
But we are said to have complained of griev
ances, of which justice does not demand the
abolition ; and to have aspired to privileges, to
which we are not necessarily entitled. " Had
the Roman Catholics of Ireland," says the
writer, " suffered under the grievances of which
they ' complain, in consequence of the mere
caprice of authority, then would justice at
oncesayj that they should be instantly removed:
but," he continues, without, however, informing
TIS from what source our disabilitie&i6i(Zwe sprung>
ifnot from the- "caprice of authority," or some
thing worse ; " waiving the cause that imposed
them.; it must be admitted that the loyalty j,
patience, and- sacrifices made by the Catholics
in the time of need, amount to an equal extent
of those virtues 'practise^ by the protestants."
This surely,, Sire^ is a strange conclusion for
such a.beginniiig 1 This is " Qualis ab incepto"
with; a vengeance ! Who ever could have
djjeamed that, when the writer started 'vyith the
justice of the proscription, we should so spon
have found him in the very midst of thfi merits
"and virtues of th^ proscribed ? And, by what
effprt of the- imagination,, could we have sup
posed, that by the side of th© very words, in
which he iitttimates the propriety of continuing
the exqlusip»,^f the Catholics^ he would hav^
irkark#4 up in their fiavour,, every best a^
gt(©wgf#tf:claiiin to the benefits of the cpnstituf

43

tipn ? I scarcely think that the painter or th,^
poet could have connected more incongruous:
nKip.r.t.si ! — . .

objects : —

' utnec pes, nee ^aput uivi

" Reddatur formse."
That the writer should have "waived the
cause that imposed"^ the various peual restric-^
tions, under which we suffer, is a matter, of
Uttle surprise :-r-but if, whilst he declared a
wish to pass it by, he felt himself unable to
defend it, it would surely have argued more,
generosity, not tp have alluded to it, as ppsse'ss-n
ing a foundation in justice : — and, if h^ waSi
sensible, as he declares, of the iniquity of
" adducing as a proof of the necessity pf the
'cpijt^nuance of Catholic proscription, the ; cir--
cumstances under which laws were, enacted to
enforce it" (p. 36,) it would certainly haM
'savoured more of justice, and generosity tpo^
if he iiad not attempted to vindicate the seven
rities pf the present day, by affecting to tt^Jlus
that they did npt priginally emanate frpj^ "the
mere caprice of authority," — I have np pbjfci
tion, Siri^, — a CJathoJic c«ra, have po obj ectiour^
to.lppk back tP the prigin pf our misfortunes.
There is a proud, though a painful r^cpUectio^S
overhanging the. ages of our sprrow. "^e; re
member that our. qhijiiEcheB,* , and ourselves
became a ruin .together ; ^d we «re iPet
ashimjed to have been mk\Xt^ by the sac^e

44
hand that destroyed our temples! But we
are not anxious to recur to thtese things, before
the worid,— far less are we desirous to employ
them, for the purpose of upbraiding. We are
contented to weep, in secret, over the cause of
our calamities, and to rest our title to relief on
the undeviating rectitude of our conduct^
That Conduct, Sire, is before the world ; to that
conduct even the writer of the Letter before
me has borne his testimony, — and it is im
possible that the same justice, which wouM
instantly remove the grievances, that had been
€apriciomly imposed, would not equally demand
the abolition of those, which were undeservedly
•endured. But, are we necessarily entitled to what we
ask in Emancipation ? Is it sufficient to have
been loyal-, patient, and enduring ; to have
been firm in the day of trial, and faithful in the
hour of peace ; to have borne the burthens of
our country, and fought and bled in her
defencei-^is this sufficient tO constitute a claim
to her protection, and to a share in the liberties
which we have assisted to preserve ? Perhaps,
Sire, such an inquiry may excite a smilfe for its
simplicity ; perhaps I shall be accused of imper
tinence, or silliness for making it. However,
Sire, the question is not mine, and your Majesty
shall hear how the Letter-writer answers it.
«' The question," he says, "isnatnral  But
as the laws of the nation are supposed to be
framed for the pepple's good, so are good sub-

45
jects obedient to the laws. In Englarid every
man, from the highest to the humblest, is born
free ; yet, has the latter a just cause of com
plaint that the law has made so wide a dis
tinction between the duties of himself and his
superior in station?" (pp. 6, 7,) Such, Sire,
is the reply,— such the petty quibbling, and
unworthy sophistry, to which writers of this
sort are reduced, when they set themselves to
argue away the rights of miUions of their fellow
subjects ! And is it surprising that we should
spmetimes feel an emotion of indignation rising
within us, to see ourselves shut out from aU the
¦blessings of the constitution, which we love so
much, by such degrading artifices as these?
We know, as well as this writer, that " the
laws of the nation are supposed to be framed for
the people's good," — nor will we yield either
to him, or ariy other, in our obedience to the
existing statutes ofi the country. But, is this
supposition on the one hand, or this obedience on
the other, to prevent our canvassing their tend^
ency, and effects? Does it follow, that be
cause we giv^ our legislators credit for good
iritentions, the public benefit is the necessary,
and infallible consequence of all their enact
ments? May not a law sometimes prove a
grievance, and, if we feel the pressure of such
grievance, may we not seek to obtain relief?
Does not the constitution itself, in securing to
•the subject the right of petitioning for redress,

46
ackno^vvledge the possibility of Vexatious, and
oppresisive acts of legislation t We are, Sire,
and we have been, " obedient to the laws;"
we bow before the inflictions of ojir rulers ; -^
but your Majesty and the wOfld would
scarcely deem us worthy of the liberty we
seek, if we did not employ every legal means
in oiir power, to obtain the reversal of the
ktws that degrade us.
'/(It ia true,. indeed, that the writer has placed
ais somewhat below the genferal level of spciety>
and has drawri a comparison between oUr situa
tion, and. that Of the. " humblest" member of
the community; but this, as it could nevef
prove that emr fidelity and our services did not
'entitle us to the common privileges of our
country, so, on the other side, it has had its
effect, in shewing us the dekisive species pf
seasoning, and illustration, which men will
sometimes adapt, in support of a favourite
position. Whatever distinctions the law has
drawn between the duties of the different de^
partmettts in society, they relate solely to those
departments in their collective shape. The iti-^
(MtMmh are free. To the peasant, as to th*
^eir, the constitution, with ail its honours, and
®mx349iiMents, is Open, provided only that he 1^
apt a Catholic, The law kno'w^s of no exclu
sion; but for the Catholic, He alone is dis-
qiualifiedi^he alone is shunned,— like the
Mastod tree upari the heath, he stands alohfef.

47
; without blossom, and without leaf, whilst all
around bim is thriving, and flourishing in luxui-
riance! But, Sire, the writer has another argunaent
ito invalidate our claims : " The Roman Cst-
tholics," he says, " were excluded from the
performance of certain functions, by enact
ments which passed before any of the present
race were born : and if circumstances have oc
curred that render it necessary to change such
proscriptive measures of legislation, it can
only be done by proper applications to those
\yho. are appointed by the nation to watch over
their mutual interest^." (p.. 7.) .
If a man should deny that the sun was round*
or maintain that the moon was square, or assert
any other ridiculous doctrine, contrary to the
evidence of our senses* and the first principles
of knpwledge, we should. have no other means
pf convincing him of his error, than to tell hina
what we understood by the terms " round,"
" square," and sp forth, and endeavour to apply
our explanation, as well. as ^e could^ to the
bodies before us. . In like manner, J must in-
fiarni the writer that, by tiie word " Ja^iccj"
is implied "that, virtue, by which we give to every
man his dm," and that, if there are certain privi
leges or honours, marked down in the constitu
tion as the reward of merit, and i, who have
proved myself deserving, am excluded from
such reward,— iAa# is an act of p(^itive.e«^«*^<?».
I care not when the laws were enacted, by

4€
which I am excluded ; if they are not in thje
spirit of the constitution, with which, as. with
the Almighty, " there is no respect, of per
sons," they are .bad laws, and the length of
their continuance is only an aggravation of their
iniquity. ¦
I proceed now,, to the fourth, and, last charge
of those which, I have enumerated^ namely,
that we have abandoned that moderate course
of conduct, which should distinguish persons
in our situatiori, and have had recourse to the
disaffec ted portion pf the press, to advocate our
cause, and fix the attention of the .public. In
a former charge, our religious feelings were con
demned : in the present, our constitutional spirit
is arraigned. The ¦vyriter, in answer to a supposed, question
ori the part of the Catholics, relative to the in
justice of accepting their "oath of allegiance,"
when danger is to be shared, but denying its
sufficiency where reward is to be obtained,
makes- the following remark, " W^e admit;"
he says, " that the question has a right to be
honestly replied to ; but, at the same time, it is
equally fair to examine the pfOofs of the exist
ing spirit in which it is urged, and ¦which ought
to be considered in the light of the future gua
rantee of pacification on the part' ofthe Roman
Catholics," (p, 12,) . How'far the ¦writer is cor
rect in his estimate o{ fairness, considering that
the claims of the Catholics are a matter of
justice, npt of grace and favour, may perhapsi

49
tie tjuestioned. At the same time. Sire, I may
¦declare, on the part of the Catholic body, that
they have no objection to the ordeal ; that
they are willing to submit to an examination of
the spirit by which they are animated, and that
they are content to let that spirit stand as a
pledge of the line of conduct they will continue
to pursue, in the event of emancipation. All
they ask, is an impafdal trial — all they demand,
is candour. " Examine our spirit," we say ;
" try the feelings by which we are actuated : —
but do nOt pervert^-do not misconstrue the
.actions by ¦which you judge us," How then does
the Letterr writer proceed ? " The well-wishers,"
he says, "to the cause .^f what is called
Roman Catholic emancipation, would wish to
see Catholic proceedings marked on all occa
sions by energy and moderation : " but," he
continues, " are not our Catholic subjects
drawn up in poUtical array against their Pro
testant countrymen ? Has not moderation been
forgotten in the enthusiastic furor of party, and
the object of the many about to be half sacrificed
to the interested views of a few ?" (p. 13) and he
concludes, that, if such are -5' deemed the best
means that can be found for attaining the
proposed dbject," no " reUance can be placed
on the promises of those who thus employ
them." (p. 15) There are no words. Sire, in
more frequent, and, at the same tune, more
indefinite use, than "Hberalky, " "mode-
rdtton," and so forth ; and the very uncertainty
JE

50
<tf their application, is a security for their
general adoption. They are serviceable, in
differently, to all parties and opinions. All
'Opposition, either to doctrines, or to measures
may be conveniently denounced as a want of
¦" moderation." They are the alarm-words
both of the tyrant and the infidel ; and it
generally happens that those, who possess the
least of it themselves, are the first to proclaim
.the want of it in their opponents, — as those,
who have lost their own character, are always
•most busy with the reputation of their neigh
bour. Nothing, Sire, is more easy, than to tax the
datholics with a want of " moderation." There
never was, — and I scarcely suppose there ever
will be — a party, which did not employ, this
charge against those who were opposed to
it. At the same time, if, by the term " mode
ration,''' is meant that firm, but equable tenor
of conduct, vdiich, whilst it avoids the angry
extremities of party, pursuesits course, steadily
and .unremittingly, towards its destination; —
if we are to understand, by it, that virtue,
which places a check upon our feelings, —
which teaches us to act from reason, ^and not
from impulse, — and which, whiistit permits us to
defend ourselves against aggression, foriids us only
to employ offensive violence in the .prosecution of
a lawful oiyject, — if this, as I think it must be, is
the import of the word,— then wiU it be difficult
indeed to fix upon our body the accusation

51
which is here advanced. The fact is," Sire,
the Catholics are seeking to obtain what, in
justice, belongs to them. Another, and, as
far as regards Ireland, an inconsiderable party,
who. have long continued to monopolize all the
"good things" of the Constitution, are exerting
every endeavour to prevent their success.
The Catholics have not interfered with them, —
but they have assailed the Catholics, If the
latter are " drawn up in political array" against
any portion of their countrymen, it is only
because those countrymen were first mar
shalled .against them ; and I should as soon
expect to hear myself upbraided with a want
of moderation, for defending myself against the
attack of a street-robber, or an assassin, whilst
employed in my lawful business, as to firid the
same charge adduced against the Catholics,
for . resisting the unwarrantable hostility with
which they have been assailed.
The writer next asks, "whether the boon
sought to be obtained is to be requested or de
manded," — and says that " if it should be
demanded, vfith a threat in case of refusal, our
Roman Catholic subjects should kriow that
such an application precludes the Consti
tutional Authorities at once, from enteririg iipon
a discussion of their grievances," {p. J 3^ 14.)
The charge, which is insinuated in this latter
sentence, and is afterwards (p. 50) more
openly declared, the writer could hardly have
jbeUeved himself. If such > threats as he
j; 2

52
describes, "habe been held out, the law is com
petent to punish the factious individuals, who
have uttered them: — but if, on the other hand,
th^y have not been put forth ; which since' the
law has not interfered, I haJve a right to infer
— how dare this writer charge the whole body
of your Majesty's loyal Catholic subjects with
so scandalous a falsehood?-— But, is "the
bo'pn sought to be obtained to be requested or
demanded^ To this I answer, — first, that we
iSCek not a boon but the restoration of ovsr
rights ; secondly, that we are justified in
demanding (not with a threat', which we never
indeed employed ; but simply ^ demanding)
those rights; and lastly, that such demand
does not " preclude the Constitutional Autho
rities " from aflbrding the fullest, and most
efficient relief.
We ask for the restoration of our rigiits ;
those rights, whidh our fathers forfeited, not for
their offences, but for their religion; not for
their disaffectioa to the state, i)ut for their
fidelity to their God : those rights, -which we
have fought and bled to preserve for our fellow
subjects, but from the enjoyment of which we
are ourselves excluded : those rights, in fine,
for which we recei\'ed the royal honour in
pledge," at the treaty of Limerick, and which
were since promised to us, at the period of the
Uriion ! " ~^ ¦
And" are we merely to requeU such rights as
these ? are we to pl^cB justice on the footing of

53
Q. favour ? are we to resign, our claim, by soli
citing, a boon? No, Sire; in justice, to our
selves and to our children, we must continue to
demand our emancipation ; we must remind the
legislature of what is due to us, though I trust
it, "will ever be in respectful and submissive
langiwge. ; Such an appUcation as this. Sire, can never
ppesent an ixnpediment to the exertions of the
government in our behalf. If the strongest
ground of our a})peal is in the justice of our
cl9;tos, our <s5e3Wfl«rf is, necessary to keep that jus
tice in view , It must be an additional reason for
the attention of the legislature. We can^nomore
request a rights than we can dememd a favour.
Were we to drop the demand, we should virtu
ally abandon the right; , and we might then
d'iiscov©B that there was no disposition to con
cede the fevour.
As ,to our connection with the disaffected
portion of the press, the charge, it appears tO'
me , is s.om.ewhat u-nreasonably advanced ; fOr
my own part, I am not sufficiently acquainted
Vifith the private concerns of the Irish Catho
lics, to speak positively ; but I must confess,
that to me the charge is novel; I have never
h«ard, and I think, had it been, true, I am
as likely to have known it as the Letter'-writer,
,th«tt the CathoUcs have, in any manner, in
trusted their cause to the description of
persons he ment fens; nor wiU I believe, unless
ie adduces something stronger than mere

54
assertion, that such is actually the fact. That
persons, of the pernicious principles described,
have espoused, and vindicated our claims, is
neither for me to , acknowledge, nor deny. I
judge no man's views or intentions. If such
persons have written in our defence, so far
they are entitled to our gratitude ; and it
must, at least be acknowledged that in so
doing, they have, " with all their sins upon
their head," shewn us more justice than we
have met ¦with elsewhere.
But, Sire, is it certain, that all, who have
exercised their plans in our behalf, have been
"employed?" — If "the only aim" of these
writers, as the Letter says, "is obviously to
create an abhorence of all Law, Uberty, and
religion," (pp. 15-16) one can hardly imagine
that they would wait to be employed. To
such persons any subject, at all:likely to assist
in realizing their views', is sufficiently attractive
of itself, without any external agency to induce
them to enter into its discussion ; and, there
fore, if they have adopted the cause of the
Catholics, it is infinitely more probable that
they have been influenced, by a conviction ^f
its aptitude for their own criminal purposes,
than by any persuasion or. commission from
the Catholics themselves.
And here, Sire, a consideration presents
itself, which the Letter-writer probably over
looked. If the men he has described are em
ploying the subject of Catholic Emancipation!^

55
to bring about their own anarchial designs. Or,.
in his own words, to create an abhorrence of
ALL LAW, liberty, and religion, it can only be
because the claims of the Catholics are founded^
in the principles of each of these. They would
never attack the " law," but when it was
evidently unjust ; they would have no pretence
to assail " liberty," if it was not unsocial and
intolerant ; nor would they venture to aim at
"reUgion," but through the vices and uncha
ritableness of its professors. Such persons-.
always take care to be right in the beginning,
their mischief consists in their going too far.
They invariably commence on the side of
justice. By this means, they are enabled tO'
make an impression, and then, it requires but
little effort to bring their schemes to the most
destructive maturity.
How infinitely wiser, then. Sire, would it be
if danger is to be apprehended, either to law,
liberty, or religion, from the efforts of thesef
writers ; how infinitely wiser to deprive them
of the pretext they possess in the intolerance
and injustice with which we are treated at the-
hands of a " free, and reUgious government,"
than to adduce the very purpose, to which they
are'applyirigour sufferings, as a-motive for their
continuance, and upbraid us with the advocacy
of men, whose profession teaches- them to avail
themselves of the misdoings, in order to over
turn the institutions of the state I There is an
obstinacy, Sire, in this latter mode of proceed-

56
ing, which argues Uttle pf sense, 9.td less; of.
generosity. To persist in error,, because the
disaffected have discovered it, is about as wise
as to have your doors open, because your house
is known to contain a treasure,. and thet thieves
are in your neighbourhood; as on the other
hand, tp condemn those whom we ; have op
pressed, for the natural consequences of our
oppression, is but a practical illustration of the
worst species of ungenerous tyianny. "Fas
est et ab hoste doc&ri" had nevermore truth than
in the present instance. , An. infidel may teaehi
usjgood. Christianity, and ari anarchist may de-,
liver- sound principles of liberty and , governr
ment. These men, if suqh there are, haye evi
dently disGoyered the weak points in the
administration, and shewn us where a breach
is most practicable. Will it not be feetter then
to strengthen those, points at wice, than through
them to leave, the whole constitution open to,
the attacks of its enemies ? , >
I have thus. Sire, disposed of the pharges^
which the Letter* writer has proclaimed against
the Catholics. I should have replied to them;
before now, had I met ¦with the JLett^r earlier:
but, whether they would have deserved the
notice J have bestowed on them, had they not;
appeared under the sanction of ypur, Majesty's
Venerated name, may, perhaps, justly be;
doubted. .With ,the impprtaAc'e, hcfwey^jf,,
wtuch ihey.. derived firom that cirjcumStance, I
thought they. .ought not to pass wholly uiire-.

67
garded'; and, if I shall have induced your
Majesty, or the writer, to think better of our
calumniated body, I shall be sufficiently recom
pensed for my trouble, I regret, certainly,
the circumstances which have forced me into
the presence of your Majesty, I regret that I
should have had to combat the assertions of a
writer^ who, in the argument of his Letter, has
asserted our claims "with the zeal of a friend, I
regret that one, who appears to judge so justly
of our principles, should have been induced to
think so indijferently of our conduct. At the
same time, 1 Can hardly help flattering myself
that he may rejoice to be convinced Of his
errOT, and may be glad to adopt a more fiivour-i
able opinion of so numerous a class of his feh
low subjects.
I have confined my observations to Ireland,
in pursuance of the course which the ¦writer
had marked out. i might have strengthened
my observations, in some inst'ances, l^ referring
to England;'but I thought it'better to confine
myself to the ground on which ray adversary
had taken his stand. '
In taking leave then. Sire, of a subject,
on which I am afraid I Iiave detained your
Majesty too long, I must confess that I do
it with many Varied, and— shall I say it ? —
melancholy emotions. Who ever looked at
Ireland, and her woes; without a tear? Who
ever turned from her, As^ithout a cloud on the
brow, and a weight upon the heart ? All the

58
sensibilities of our nature crowd .about us^ at
that moment of feeling, and we seem almost as
if parting from the friends that we love, ta
leave them only in sorrow and desolation!
I am- not an Irishman, Sire, though I have
spoken in the name of hCr sons : I have never
seen her green hills ; but I have " sorrowed
at her grief," and, as a Catholic, have shared
in some of the wrongS she has endured ! How
long her day of mourning may yet continue, or
what additional inflictions may still be reserved
for; her, is known, of course, but to the All-
ruling Providence above; but this, at least,
r sincerely pray, that, whether the redeeming
hour is at hand, or far distantj she will remem
ber the motto of our Saviour, and learn "in
patience to possess her soul !"
This, Sire, is the moment of hope. Since
I commericed this Letter, we have witnessed
the enactment of one law, which is calculated
sensibly to diminish the liberties of the Irish
people ; but we have seen also, on the other
hand, a disposition' to Usten to their claims of
Emancipation, and thus render the encroach
ment but of trifling importance ; for the Asso
ciation was but the creature of disability, and
must naturally have expired, when the dis
ability was renioved. ^ The Irish Catholics
are looking, with all the freshness; but anxiety,.
of hope, to the measure now in progress for their
relief. -They have frequently. Sire, beenv

6&
doomed to see the cup dashed from their lips,
but still they have returned again, and again
have trusted the hand that proffered it ! In a
less generous peOple, we might pronounce this
credulity, in them, it is the sublimity of virtue !
They read their rulers' hearts by the consci
ousness of their own ; they are resolved to
forget the past sickening disappointments, and
make use of whatever opportunities for con
ciliation may present themselves ;— in a word
Sire, they look to their conduct, and their
cause ; and both alike forbid them to despair !
I have the honour to be.
With all respect, and attachment,.
Your Majesty's most dutiful.
And Most devoted Subject,
M. A. T.

NOTES.

No. 1.— Page 11.
On Monday, Februaiy 28, the Bishop of Bath and Wells
is stated in the public papers to have presented a petition from
the Arch-deacon and Clergy of the Arch-deaconry of Bath,
against any farther concessions to the Calholics, The petition,
it is added, " mserted among various other allegations, that the
Catholics aimed only at restoring the Pope's supremacy in
these realms." It was severely censured by Earl Fitzwilliam
end Lord Holland, as well for its dictatorial and uncharitable
language, as for .its " gross and unjust accusations ;" and was
defended most^ vigorously, on the other side, by the Right
Reverend Bishop of Chester, who declared that, in Lancashire
particularly, the object of restoring the Pope's supremacy in
this country was openly avowed. If this, as an argument
against emancipation, means any thing, by the " Pope's su
premacy" must be understood temporal or ciwl authority ; for
it could hardly be necessary, at this time of day, to tell the
world that Catholics maintained the spiritual power of the
successor of St. Peter. That the Right Reverend Prelate
believed the existence of the danger which he proclaimed-,
and, consequently, mistook the meaning of the term " supre
macy," we may very well ima^ne ; for few persons, even of
the clergy, think it necessary to understand the religion they
condemn. But that Dr. Moysey, after the many lectures he

62
has received, should not have been better informed ; or that,
knowing the principles, he should have ventured, in the face of
Parliament, to calumniate tho religion, for the purpose of
crushing the liberties of his Catholic fellow subjects, is beyond
measure astonishing. It would be well, if, before he draws
lUp his next petition, he would take the trouble to read over
our " ©ath of Allegiance," and then tell the legislature if he
means to condemn us of perjury, as wdl as superstition and
disaffection. The answers of the foreign Catholic universities,
cited by the Letter-wriier, (p. 47,) will likewise be very
serviceable to him, as they will afford him. an opportunity of
charging those eminent bodies with duplicity and falsehood,
in their exposition of Catholic principles ; and all Europe 'with
knavery or folly, for not declaiming against doctrines which
were in opposition to their'belief. Dr. Moysey is an expe
rienced hand a.t this sort of work, and I think he might found
a .very effective petition on these grpunds,
. No, 2  Page 19, .
, The Bull of Pius the Fifth,, deposing Queen. Elizabeth, and
absolving . her subjects from allegiance to her, was comrau-.
nicated to the Irish by. Dr. Sanders, as, Nuncio from the. Pope
iu/J579.. It was followed by the other Bulls mentioned in
the text,— thc first dated May the ]3th, 1580, the other April
the 16th,, 1600, They were addressed to lihe Arch-Bisbops,
Bishops, Prelates, Counts, Barons, and People of Ireland ;
and eadiorted. thern to recover their liberties, and- defend them
selves against the Queen's power. They, moreover,- offered
the same .indulgences iwhich were usually bestowed on. those
who fought against , the Turks. And yet "most certain, it
is," says Dr. Curry (B.i, c, 12.) that the principal nobility and
gentry, of the kingdom, and all the cities, and corporate
towns, persisted in their allegiance to her Majesty, notwith^
standing the many teajipting offers made them by the
Spaniards, in order to withdraw them from it. It is also cer
tain that more than one-half ;of that gallant, army under Lord
Mountjoy, which so successfully attacked, and, at.last erjtjrely

63

defeated Tyrone, was Irish,"— " and, consequently,' as Mr-
Butler adds, " Catholic."— These were the Catholics even of
Queen Elizabeth's time. "What will my Lord of. Chester,
and Dr. Moysey, say to this ?

No. 3.— Page 30.
Lord Byr'on, who, whatever may have 'been his faults,
will, at'loast, be acknowledged'as an authority in any question
regarding the nature and character of the human heart, has a
.passage, which forcibly illustrates the propriety of oiir practice^
in refusing to make a school-book of the Bible. It occurs in
the 4th Canto of Childe Harold, Stanzas 75 and 76, It is
too long for insertion here, but I may, perhaps, be allowed to
jtranscribe a portion of the note, with which the noble Poet
has accompanied it. — " I wish to express," he says, "that we
become tired of the task before we can comprehend the
beauty ; that we learn by rote before we can get by heart ;
that the freshness is worn away, and the future pleasure and
advantage deadened and destroyed, by the didactic anticipa
tion, at an age when we can neither feel nor understand the
power of compositions, " &c.
If this is true of Latin and Gree'k, will it be less so of an
^English reading-lesson } If we are tired of Horace and
.Homer, or if " the pleasure and advantage"' to be derived from
them are '• deadened and destroyed," because we have had to
translate them in our class at school, will the Bible be likely
to share a better fate with those persons, who, in their infancy,
have been drugged with it on the form, and in whose minds it
it is connected with, perhap.s, the only irksome hours of their
early years ? I think not.
Noi 4. — Page 47.
To the insinuation conveyed in the word " proper,'' printed
-in italics, I have no other answer to give, than a reference to
the journals of .Parliament. We have never, I believe, applied

64
for relief, but hy petition ; and I do not remember that any of
our petitions have been rejected for djsrespoctftil or improper
language. No. 5 — Page Sl
it is a mistake to talk of ihe Protestants generally as
either opposed to Emancipation, or regarded by the Catholics
with feelings of hostility. The Protestant petitions in favour
of our claims, which have lately been presented to Parliament,
bear 3u£S£ient evidence to the truth of this assertion.

THE END,

LOSDOJJ :
SHACKELIi AND AHROWSUITH, JOHNBON'S-COCDT, FLEET-ITRRBT.