The Sun.
London, England, 1818-02-26 00:00:00

LI !MARY REVIEW.

THE DRAGON KNIGHT: a Poem, in Twelve Cantos. By
Sir J.cnEs BLvN'n BURGES, Bart.—Printed for LONGMAN,
HURST, REES, ORME, and Bnows.

\Ve have to announce a poetical Romance from
the pen of Sir .1 AMES BLAND BUIIGES, a Gentleman
well known. in the Republic of Letters rot' many
works of acknowledged taste,learning, and genius,
not only of a poetical description, but for others of
legal research and profundity. This Gentleman
also manifested his political acumen and integrity
in an active and able support of the system and
measures of our great departed Statesman, the
illustrious PITT, during the early periods-of the
French Revolution, which threatened to diffuse
universally such doctrines as were calculated to
overthrow all the m.iin supports of regular Go-
vernment in every part of. Europe. The Drago7i
Knight is a poem of considerable. length, abounding
in incidents of a dramatic cast : -the fable, though
complex, is gracefully unfolded. Of the general
style and spnit of the versification, an adequate
indginent may be forint(' from the following pas-
sa!2o-,, in which are ponrirayed t%lO female per-
sonages. opposed iti character as vice and virtue.
Iphimedia is an ambitions Queen, a tyrannical
Ustirpv7.. enslaved by her passions, and revelling
in volupt,ous enjoyment :

Hi h on livr sumPtuous throne, in royal state,
By comities. crowned, with fiatt'ri+►g hope elate,
Repos'dßithynia's Queen. llcr splendid board
With all that luxury could cra►e was stor'd;
The dulcet flute, the harp's enlivening note
Her ear with harmony enchanting saute,
While intermingling voices sweetly sung
The charms of Bacchus ever fair andyouteg,
Or her who, springing from the frothy main,
O'er love and pleasure holds despotic reign.

Zapheria is the sell-devoted 'victim of piety and
love, her, passion is exalted to heroism, af-
fection ennobled
,by enthusiasm, and fortitude
sanctified by religious resignation. No contrast
cau be more sti

She said.. Her eyes in holy rapture
On heav'n, where lay her treasur'd hope, the gaz'd.
On his loy'd ituage,•as repos'd her thought,
Her speaking features its retleetion caught,
A more than human grace her form assun►'d,
A chaste and holy fire her eves
She looted as4f, her painful ordeal o'er,
She had already reach'd the blissful shore,
‘Vbere hopes and fears no longer pang the breast,
But all is transport, certainty, and rest.

We have, confined ourselves to these brief spe-
cimens of the Poetry, because we could not enter
into the narrative parts without exciting curiosity,
which we have not space to gratify, and therefore
we must refer our Readers to the Work itself,
assuring them, that it will throughout excite a
strong and animated interest.

As this Poem seems to form a new species,
which may be stiied the DRAMATIC EPIC, the
Ithor has prefixed a list of persons, with their
names and designations, usual in histrionic com-
positions. The work is dedicated, ‘rith elegant
brevity, to the Countess of CHARLEVILLS.

OLD BAILUY —NO ttikti ut general interev took

prate ytsterday.

THE CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

FOlt THE SUN.

ADDRESS AND APPEAL OF THE ROMAN CATHO-
LICS OF IRELAND TO Trim PROTESTANT BRE-
THREN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF„ GREAT
BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

LETTER XI. •
[Concluded from yesterday's SvN.l

It was 'proffered, and might have been- accepted!
What would have been the consequence ? IVhether
the rash intemperance Of Dr. DuemGooLa still
might have impelled him to let the secret out—
whether he would have been satisfied that the Lay
Romanist should have taken the oath, which the
Romanist Ecclesiastic could not be " so lost and
abandoned to take," and thus have obtained offices
of Power and Trust—whilst the Church remained
-exclusive in their allegiance to Rome, I am not
sufficiently a casuist to determine, but we have a
fact connected with this question which leaves no
doubt as to the insecurity of any oath given as a
public pledge from the spiritual Subjects of Rome
to the temporal Government of Protestants.—
rhis very oath, proffered and brought for-
ward by the Roman Catholic AdvoCates, was
referred as part of this very Relief Bill, and dis-
cussed AT ROME, and it was THERR declared " in
a lull Council of the most learned Bishops and
Divines, after having read the. letters from Dr.
POINTER and from Dr. TROY (the Romish Arch-
bishop of Dublin), and the matter being duly
considered in a Meeting convened for the express
purpose, it was DECREED that the Catholics should

receive with GRATITUDE the Law which was pro-
posed in the year preceding."—(See the Rescript
of M. QUARANTOTTE)
'Without referring at present to Dr. Daum-
. GOOLE -(whom, however, we must not yet finally
dismiss), we may suppose that, upon such nicit
AUTHORITY, if all other objections had been ob-
viated in the views taken by the Legislature,' the
question might hare been carried! A large.propor-
tion of the Romeo Catholics might have qualified
themselves for office and fur seats. in Parliament,
by taking the oath thus. sanctioned by a Roman
Council. What would such men have done %viten
a few months afterwards, in consequence of A
MisstoN'from the Irish. Roman Catholic Priest-
hood, this Council at Rome, held under THE POPE,
and , ALL THE CARDINALS,- did actually " SET
ASIDE this proposed Bill, (which on the same aut.,
thority.bad been decreed to be received with gra-
titude) and Cardinal ALBEA, the President of the
'Propaganda, expressed himself IN UNQUALIFIED
TEEMS OF ABHORRENCE OF THE OATH AND SOME
OF THE CLAUSES of the late Bill."---(See Dublitr
Evening Post, the Roman Catholic Official Jour-
nal, Aug. IS, 1814.)
Would those who had taken the oath have ad-
hered to it, in the face of this judgment i Would
-they have dared,to do it ? Were they not ipso facto
• absolved from it t Would they, who are bound to
the Papal Decrees, as " TO THE ORAL TESTIMONY
OF GOD HIMSELF," have • dared to resist the
Church ? It they were absolved however, (it may
he said) from the: effect of their oath, the adroit-
tages.granted to them -in consequence by. the Go-
vernment, would, of course, be resumed—and
matters would remain.upon their old lowing I
It may be so—but the resumption of privileges,
on the part of Goveinment, is not a very popular
measure- at. any time, and it, no period of our
History would it more prepbAly have led to
evil conseqnences, than at the moment to which
we icier. This is, however, but a narrow view
of the subject
With the experience of the character of Romish
Councils, .we may fairly be led to doubt, whe-
ther, in the event of the Bill haring been CARRIED,
any such open violation of consistency, as the
reversal of • their own Decree would ever have
been-made PUBLIC,—We have only.access to these
Secret /Ifisions-of .the Popißll Clergy to the Court
of Rome through the partial information of their
own Official Press ; and the arraying the Vatican
Conclave against the Legislature of Great Bri!,-ii„
might have been rejected as impolilichaul the Ro-
man Catholics been gratified, under auy circum-

stances, BY A PULL CONCESSION OF THEIR CLAIMS.
At all events, this peat and important Truth is
brought to light and confirmed, that the Court of
Rome has the power, and continues to exercise the
power, of sanctioning or annulling at will, and ac-
cording to its political bearings upon the interests of
its Church, the validity of an Oath, and that In-
dulgencies are granted, as plenary, and, as • in the
days of LEO X. is admitted by the Expositor and
Defender of the present Roman Catholic Faith.
We must not imagine that in the course of one
year the Vatican Council decreed that the pro-
posed terms of Legislative Relief to the Roman
Catholics should be received with gratitude, and
subsequently, that they Should he rejected with
abhorrence, iron the simple merits of the case.—
No, Sir, the motive lies ()inn to our view, from

the extraordinary disclosures of imprudent and in-
temperate men, who, considering the game in
their hand, no longer restrained the expression of
their triumph and their hopes !

The Bill was, in the secotid instance, acCompa-
'lied 'by a solemn Mission of Right Reverend
Priests to the Coaveil at lions, who represented
thait "it' was preenant wilt incalculable mischief
to the CAUSE OF CATH.LICITY ttl
I
RELAND !.' awl,
upon thiSrepresemation, it was rejected with abhor-
rence, after it had been received with gratitude. The.
Moor Cardinals wcte not such subtile Poidiciurq as
their Priestly Coadjutors in Ireland ; they,saw
obvious advantage, and hailed its approach will
gratitude, but after they had been enlightened
through the official commUnication of the Niission,
and had leai'ned by heart almost the whole of a
FALSE, SEDITIOUS, awl :MALICIOUS LIBEL (SO re.
corded by a Jury of Irishmen) against the Kingly,
Government and Contirtition of Ireland, their
eyes were opeeed, and THE OATH was rejected with
abhorrence Now, Sir, !et us see how THIS OATH,
would have operated against the Cause of CATHO-
LICITY in IRELAND. We will first transcribe a
shOrt Extract from this Libel, which was pro-
ductive of so powerful effect upon the conviction of
Cardinal At-BRA, " conned his lesson o'er" till
he had it by heart. After stating the existence in full
force of all the Penal Laws which had become a
dead Letter, or were abroated repeated Conces-
sions to the Roman Catholics, the author represents
that Body as possessing such powers and advan-
tages as would enable them to make the attempt
to pull down the Protestant Church and the Esta-
blished Government by force. In the usual mode
observed by all the Roman Catholic writers and
speahers, and by their supporters, their numbers
are grossly exaggerated, and they ate emphati-
cally called " THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND."—He
then states, " that they occupy the most valu-
able POSITIONS, whether for commercial or NMI-.
TARY purposes ; the boldest COASTS, the most
navigable rivers, and the most TENABLE PASSES ;
the most fertile districts, the readiest supplies of
FORAGE, the readiest means of ATTACK and DE-
YENCE."—Now-then let us see how this formida•
ble array of means is to be employed, should that
portion of POWER he granted which is NOW ALoNfi
WANTINO to bring them into Play !—We have be..
fore seen something of Dr. DEUMGOOLR, we Witt
again refer to him as the readiest INFORMER Ht
hand. He has already declared, in the Meeting of
the Irish Roman Catholic Board of Deceinbec
1813, that the Irish Priesthood could " never he
so lost and abandoned as to take. THE OATH, NOT
to seek directly or indirectly THE SUBVERSION OF-
THr: PROTESTANT CHURCH," and this he himself
glories in stating (in a subsequent speech) was
received with " marks of enthusiastic approba-
tion." In the same speech, the Doctor, speaking
of the Church of England, said, " IT SHALL FALL,
and nothing but the memqry of the mischiefs it has
created shall stirvioe! ! !" In a subsequent speech
Ire repeats this, and adds, that not only such was
his belief, " but, the belief of every Catholic in the
world." He boasted (says the Author of The Dan-
gers, &c.) amidSt the zealous cheering of the Assem-
bly, that si•the solid columns of CATHOLICITY
were collecting against the Established Church ;
that they were to unfurl tlie.Auriflontilte and-dis-
play its glorious motto; that THEY CHALLENGED
-THE POSSESSION OP THE ARK," in other words the
surrender of the Protestant Cllt,reh in Ireland,
and the National Establishment of • PoPERY in its
place 1--Nord, Sir, let yOur readers digest this
thoroughly, and make diligent inquiry itito the
troth and authewicily of these facts. It is the
test to which I appeal ! Let them then recollect
what is THE CAUSE OF CATHOLICITY, which in-
duced the Counsellors of the infallible Head of
the Chereh of Rome to reverse their own decree;
and further, let them undersaud that the oven
declaration just cited conies from a great Leader,
who has been publicly acknowledged to be " THE
MosT POPULAR MAN IN IRELAND, and wHosg
OPINIONS ARE IRisH AND CATHOLIC."

LANFRANC.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
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as we have opportunity.
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wzl'rr,ll. AT LONDON 13RIDV To-MORROW_
Murning, t Z minutes after 6. I Evening, 37 minutes :After G.

THE SUN•

SOLEM QUIS DICERS: FALSUNI AUDEAT

LONDON ,
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1818.

We have again to announce the non-arrival of
Paris Papers. Two days' Journals are due. The
high winds Have, no doubt, prevented any packet
fr,in leaving Calais.

We are concerned to observe, in our Port Let.
ters received this morning, that much damage has
been occasioned by the harricane amongst• the

Shipping.

The silence of the French Papers respecting the
late atrocious attack upon the Duke of WELLING'
TON has excited surprise, and even lonlit degree

I