The Sun.
London, England, 1825-04-08 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

CATHOLIC QUESTION.
MR. EDITOR—As I stated,•in a fornwr letter,
the paramount importance of Catholic Claims, I
may, perhaps, be excused for recurring to the
same subject ; and I do so under the hope that
my public efforts may tend, even in the most
remote degree, towards inducing reflection, and 1
firmly believe, that conviction must follow reflec-
tion, provided the subjects be impartially dis-
cussed. As one of the measures of Emancipa-
tion, we are told, that the Irish Catholic clergy
should be paid by the Government. If this
is to be done, we ought likewise to pay all the
tectarish preachers ; this would be equally just,
for they have surely as great a right to be re-
munerated out of the pockets of the people,
as the Catholics. So part of our taxes are to pay
the Catholic Clergy of Ireland I—but, say they,
you are paying two or three millions to the sol-
diery, whereas, we do not want 300,0001. ; only
consider what a saving to the country ! All this
sounds very well, and may be thought an excel-
lent scheme by those who know no better ; but
it is right, first to examine a question, and then
to decide. Now, it is a query, whether the mi-
litary will be recalled ; but, suppose they will,
what are to become of them ? are they to be dis-
banded ? if not, we are still to pay what we
have hitherto done, with the addition of be-
tween two and 300,000 pounds per annum
and if they are to be unorganized, what are they
to do ? Men, (I mean the privates) who have,
for years led a soldier's life, frequently upon
quitting the army, become paupers, and conse-
quently increase the poor's rates ; and this, sure-
ly, is any thing but desirable.
Are not the military retained in Ireland to
preserve peace ? and does not daily experience
evince the necessity of this establishment ? then,
why recal or disband them ?- is it in order that
peace may be broken ? If they say, no—pay our
Priests, and there will be no danger of the peace
being broken,—it is declaring the Priests' du-
plicity and detestable conduct ; for they
might as well say,— we can preserve tran
quillity if we choose, pay us, and we will !
Bribery and corruption are words in frequent
use, and what is this? is it, or is not, bribery, to
give the priests 300,0001. per annum, that they
may preserve the peace ? They may be in in-
digent circumstances, I grant, but no circumstances
can be sufficiently cogent to force a man to be a
roue, or, as Scripture bath it, to have a double
heart. Now, the Roman Catholic priests are
unquestionably double-dealers, if they can act
as efficaciously as the military, and do not. And
are we to give people, equal power with our-
selves, who have such unbounded influence over
the minds of the laity ? (an influence which the
Protestant Clergy can only obtain by the exer-
cise of virtue.) Suppose this done (which, God
forbid l), could they not, if they so willed,excite
the people to commit any acts they chose I If
so, let me ask, is it safe to make further conces-
sions ? Let those who hope the horrors of for-
mer times will not be repeated, by all means, ad-
vocate the cause of Catholic Claims.

Mr. O'Connell once said---" he was sincerely
44 attached to the Catholic religion, because it ex-
" tended its blessed charity to ALL mankind." Then,
it is changed, which is denied, since the time,
when four Bishops, thirteen other Ecclesiastics,
and fifty Lay, were burnt in .One year, because
they were Protestants ! It will he found, in
Rapin's History of England, that "-Sir Nicholas
" Throgmorton, being accused and tried as an
" accomplice in a conspiracy, was acquitted by
" the Jury, for want of sufficient proof to condemn
" him : for this the Jury was fined;" that is to
say, they were punished for ADMINISTERING
JUSTICE ! ! This was when the Roman -Catholics
had power ; and I merely mention it, as an in-
stance of the impartial administration of justice.
The worthy Bishop of Chester, said not long
ago, in a short but comprehensive speech, deli-
vered in the House of Lords, that 44 there was a
" Catholic Journal circulated through the King-
" dom, and most extensively through hiS own
" diocese, the Editor of which, who had received
" the thanks of every Catholic Association, had
" stated in December last, that he could net
" approve the regulations introduced by the
" King of France into the Gallician Church, be-
" cause they seemed to infringe on the authority
" of the Pope; and he deprecated any interference
" of the Civil Power in the SvraEMACY OF THE
" POPE,"

Whilst upon this subject it may not be irre-
levant, (particularly as the Rev. 3. Doyle, D.D.,
in his late examination, denied that the Pope
had power to deprive, his Majesty of his king-
dom, or to absolve his .Catholic subjects from
their oaths of allegiance) it may not, I say, be
irrelevant, to refer all who may chance to peruse
this letter, to the POtei CunsE, which I would
transcribe, but, really it is too horrible to appear
in a newspaper, or. in fact, any where else ; for
it is the most dreadful and horrid denunciation.
that was surely ever invented ; and it astonisheth
me not a little, that any being, the Evil One ex-
cepted, could have devised such a production. It
is to be found in the Gentleman's Magazine for
1745, which:was taken out of the lager book of
thet e church
and Chapter of Rolchetsetrer now, in the custody of
there.

.Suppose the Pope, having the full power of
supremacy, and exercising it over this, our
hippy Isle, by issuing a Curse, like the one
just mentioned, or a Bull, like the one fol.
lowing, whit!, was once
.directed against
England and hgr King. He (the Poet.)
tended, that as God's 'Vicar, 44 he had power to
cc root out and to destroy and had authority over
44 all the Kings in the world: and therefore, after
44 he had enumerated all the King's crimes, he re.
44 RORIE', either in person, or by
'proxy,
quired himself to appear in ninety days at
and all
44 his complices withitt.sixty days ; and if he and
" they did not appear, he declared him to have
"tailor; from his Crown, and them, from their
44 estates : he absolved his subjects
from their oaths
44 of aliegian:';e.' If a declared • him, and his corn--
plices, infarnoas. He charged all his subjects
" to rise in arms against him, and that none
" should help hint. He absolved e ll other. Prin.res
44 from their confederacies 1% nth him. He re-

cc quired. all Christians to make war on him, and
" to seize on the persons and goods of ALL his
" subjects, and to make sr.A.V.Es -of t,hem ! ! I'l
this is the very essence of mildness, compared
with the curse before mentioned. •
Must we accelerate the reorganization of su-
tz
a complicated mass of determined wickedness
and consummate bigotry ? Can a Briton and
Christian answer this question in the affirmative •
If he dues, I leave him to ask and answer him-
self, whether he deserves the gibbet, the gallW'
or the highest honours ?
Ramsgate, April 6, 1823. P. V. }C*