The Sun.
London, England, 1809-12-11 00:00:00

UNIVERSITY pF OXFORD.

THE THIRD AND LAST LETTER TO THE MEMBERS

OF CON VOCATION, FROM AN INDEPENDENT IIASTER

01? ARTS 4

Oxford, Dcc. 9.

In my, last letter I endeavoured to point out; to
you the peculiar and specific canseqtences with
whiCh the University must be unavoidably affected
from 1...0rd GRENVILLE'S equalising system between.
the Catholics and the Members of the Established
Church.. I shall pursue that subject a little further.
,Sh,iuld any one ask what authority I have to shew
that his Lordship's plans would introduce Papists
amongst us, I should refer you to his Own prdtest of
the 427th of May, 1787 ; one section. of which
stands thus :—" Dissentient because we arc fully
satisfied that the removal of the UNi‘:IERITED and
DEGRADING EXCLUSION to which a most numerous
and valuable part of the' community have been so
intig subje6,tcd, and the imparting to the whole people
of this United Kir:glen-1 ALL THE PRIVILEOES AND
DUTIES of the British Constitution, vequid be-a mea-
sure of unquestionable iiistice and wisdom." Surely
here is a proposal for a 'cornprehensive and a, per-.
fe& equality. 'The Uni'lersity indeed.: is not here
mentioned, nominaliet, as a place where the exclu-
skiiesis he'tiiscontinued; But' is not this aimed.
'at.? Is it intended, I ask, to deny to theCatbolicS
tht• inivilege •of insttuaion and
_the: attainment of
degrees; preferments,' and honours, amongst us,
When- _tights,. beyond, all' Corupariso? larger, have
been conceded to them ? Is it meant to put awls
-into their hands, but refuse them the-use of books ?
—to say to them, you may be Admirals if you
choOse, or Generals, Legislators .or Ministers, but.
,you shall not be Mathematicians or' Scholars:, Mas-
ters,-of Arts or Dodors. ,Isit. meant that a Catholic.
should be allowed to preside in' dress robes titi tfie
Woolsack,,-or in the. Chair in the House:of Com=
Commons„and yet be prevented 'froth-, Wearing a
plain
,g-owri
_and , cap inter. siluas Academi
too ridiculous is.such a- conceit as this. ' ,What Lord,
ORENVLLE's.meatling a-nd intention may be, I-can
only collect from-his,ptoteskand his .speeclies, which
are surely broad, -plain, and 'unqualified. But if I
have misfaten am- =sure that I do not tnis-
take the views. and intentions of , the Catholics. As
soon as Lord GRENVILLE has shewn themihe, WaY
to cross the Thames at Eton; and enjoy the, honour
ofb.eing on the Civil List in the King's household at.
Windsor Castle, do you suppose that they, will stop,
and, not come on a few'thilts further to' look at the
Gothic Towers of Oxford, built- formerly by. Cardi-
nals in better tunes ? The-genius of the University
May exclaiw, indeed, before therpass•the shallow
fords of the Isis, as the gecius of the Roman Empire
addressed-Csati beforene passed the Rubicon—..
• Quo tenditisAtitra .
•
Quo Testis yiri, si jure venitis
Si rives usyse licet ?
_

But the exclamation will have no better effea ;
the Cat holies Willapproacji us not in armour, pet haps,
hut .with some sharp weaprins neverthelesi; with
Lotd GaENVlLLE'Sspeeches, protest, and equalizing
bill, and they will tell us, not.only that it is then- •
right, but that it is actually their DUTY, to coalesce
and intermix' with us in every place and station, in
every office and endowment in the University. Am
I misconstruing the operation of Lord GRENVILLE'S
projeCt, or the meaning.of his langolge? I assert,
that on the very same day when the "unnterited
and degrading exclusion" of the Catholics shall cease
elsewhere, it will also cease HERE : that the moment
they. become possessed of equal rights with .the
members of the Established.Chureh-under the State
and the Government, the same moment will bring
thm equal right: in our Colleges; that the sera of
imparting to them the duties and privileges of the
Constitution and of the University will be one and
the same. Can any one doubt that it is the view of
the adherents of the Roman Catholic Communion to
obtain a participation in the, patronage and founda-
tions of the University ?--Whoever doubts. of this
has forgot some of the most important transactions'
of the reign of -.I :01,ES the 2,4 What, did they not'
malie that unfOrtunaieMOnateleatteropt in order to
force a pas-age for them ,into the University ?At
Cambridge, Doctor PEA'CIIEE, the then Vice phanr.
celror and Master of Magdalen College, was sus-
pended and deprived of both those otbces, for not
admitting FRANCIS ALAN, a Benedictine Motsx, to
the /degree of Master of Arts, without taking
,the
oath of.AcorcArtox, the' Monk bringing with him
the K:ttg's sign. Manual, directing. that he shall be
admitted WITHOUT TAKING ANY OATH .WHAT.
EVER." In our own Univt.istty, -Doctor HOHGH,
the Piesiclent of Magdalen, and 29 I-4'eilows, were
expelled, for not, gin ing up the Prt.eidentslep to a
yew Convert, named. FARMER, who brought in his.
pocket.. a kind of Gouge tt! El ire, !rum
_Whitehall ;
aod after some tit.ie, Dodor GiteFonte a Doctor of
the' ,ork,:nm and I itular Bishy gut pos-
session of the President's loigings, which he.: kept
till he gales. which blew over the Prince-of ORANGE,
blew out the hallowed tapers of the Papists. Are
these things et:ough to slew what were the designs
of the Papists upon us about a century since ) And
is there ors;, living man who will believe that a Papist
is' not new as anxious to become the head of a.Col-
lege, or obtain degrees in our University, as he was,
belcre.,the revolution delivered us irum the Papal ty- .
nanny. These proceediegs, it may be said, were those ,
of violence and outrage ; certainly : nor isit imputed
to Lord GRENVILLE, that he would countenance at-
tempts of that sort. The objection to his notions is
not that be would grant- the Catholic any kind of
dispensation to proceed against a 13W ACTUALLY-
OUSTING, but that he propbses- to repeal any law
w Inch a. Ca►bolic says ought 16 exist no longer. The
misfortuee I impute to his system lis-,--that it origi-
nates- an extensive arid deep innovation in some
most tund:irnental ,rnakims of the COnstittititin, and.
t.,3 fronting a new Bill of Rights antf Privileges tor
"the Papists, in reality supersedes that invaluable Bill
el Rights on which the Revolution itself was found-
ed; and which all its consequences. depend. A
very large porviOn 'of Lord GkErivteers's project
would, in toy apprehension, injure the University,
the Cherch, and the Government, through the very
medium of a Pusetc Law, in a manner not very
.d.qerent, nor in cite& less extensive, than that
s-:,,ente of policy; the attempt to establish which
o -rasioned the last Prince of the:liouse of STU AiiT
the loss of ,the Throne of these Kingdoms. The
same ends -mould in many respe&s result, through
mesas in their apparent
.nature opposite to those
whieh were practised before the Revolution. King