The Sun.
London, England, 1829-03-03 00:00:00

stuff. If it be, Sir Peter, attend. just to this rea-
soning.
The Catholics are excluded from all offices by no
ether means than by requiring, as a qualification, the
taking of certain oaths. If the Catholics took these
oaths, they would be admissible to all offices. But
they prefer exclusion and degradation to taking
these oaths, because they cannot conscientiously
take them.

Now does it not follow, as clearly as that the sun
shines at noon-day, that the Catholics respect the
sacred obligation of an oath when they thus prefer
to remain ru a degrading and insulting, and most
injurious inferiority in their native land, rather than
sully their souls with an oath to which their con-
sciences cannot assent ? Is not this a most satisfac-
tory, and indeed conclusive proof, of the respect we
bear to the sanctity of an oath ?

One step further, Sir Peter, if you please. You
have arrived with me at this conclusion, that the
Catholic body practically proves its inviolable re-
spect for an oath. Recollect, now, that we who
thus respect the sanctity of an oath, readily take the
oath of allegiance to the Royal Family on the
Throne; and the oath of abjuration of the Stuart
family. You have too much discrithination not to
see that we are entitled to perfect confidence in the
oaths which we do thus take.

You easily perceive how very fertile is the first
objection of Mr. Savage. We deteSt, and despise,
and abjure upon oath the Stuart family. Let him
rest in perfect security on that point.
His second objection is a curious one. He ob-
jects—that we have only to take the oaths Protes-
tants take, and then the grievance is at an end.
What ! would it be no grievance in his opinion to
commit perjury ? A Catholic believes in the doc-
trine of transubstantiation.. Now all that Mr.
Savage requires is that he shbuld swear that such
doctrine is impious and idolatrous—that is all. Just
swear, says he; that you are an idolator. Surely,
cries Mr. Savage, no reasonable man Would con-
sider that a grievance !! See, Sir Peter, how light
your worthy colleague makes of rank perjury.
I sould be glad to know whether Mr. Savage
would consider it no hardship upon him if he were
placed in this situation. Suppose.he were a native
of a country in which a Catholic Government acted
by Protestants as our Protestant Government acts
towards Catholics, and that he found he could not
be Lord Mayor or Sheriff, or Alderman or Common-
Councilman, or vote at an Election—that he could,
in fine, have no share in the framing or in the ad-
ministrating. the lawc, unless he should swear that
he believed in the doctrines of the Church of Rome

—would he not be rather angry with any Catholic
who told him that it was no hardship at all ; it re-
quired for its cure nothing but a perjury ; and that
he had only to perjure- himself, and he then would
hare nothing to complain of?

I pass willingly from Mr. Savage to the second
of the antagonists of the Catholics, Mr. Bousfield.
He is, I presume, a respectable person. He is also,
lam told, an attorney. One is, therefore, not at
all surprised at t he extreme delicacy of his conscien-
tious and scrupulous attention to the purity of re-
ligion. I hope I shall, be able to do away soma
part of his religious fears. I promise him to answer
any arguments he may advance against the Catholics.
His objections appear to be these—
First—That my friend Mr. Sheil and myself are
demagogues, and itinerant mountebanks, and unfit

for Parliament.
Secondly—That it is absurd to suppose tha
Shell and O'Connell care one straw for the seven
millions of Irish people.
Thirdly—That Mr. O'Connell, who, with his
usual impudence, calls himself the Representative
of seven millions of people, prostrated himself in the
town of Ennis before the Roman Catholic Priest-
hood, which was superstition in the worst sense.
Fourthly—That Charles the First and Charles
the. Second were Catholics in their hearts, and be-
longed rather to Catholic than to Protestant history.
Fifthly—That nothing would satisfy the Catho-
lics but entire and undivided power; and,
Sixthly—That, though the Catholics may be
changed, yet that the Catholic Religion was the
same now that it ever had been.
Such being the sum and substance of Mr. Bous-
field's objections, I proceed to notice, in a profes-
sional fashion, all these difficulties, just as I would
if Mr. Bousfield had been employed to submit them
to me as his Counsel. I make but one preliminary
remark—that Mr. Bousfield is not civil. He, how-
ever, I suppose, makes up in sincerity for his defect
in politeness ; at all events, it is no part of my duty
to turn dancing-master to grown gentlemen; and,
therefore, I leave Mr. Bousfield in full possession of
all his rudeness. I reply to him thus :
To the first—Mr. Sheil and I are, I believe, de-
magogues, in the original meaning of the word ; but
that is Greek to 111 r. Bousfield. I, therefore, ad-
mit the name—but I deny that we are itinerant
mountebanks—we are as little itinerant, and as much
stationary, as possible, and are not mountebanks at
all, being regular practitioners both in law and po-
litics; and as to our unfitness fur Parliament, there
really are not so many brilliant stars there that my
friend and I should veil our heads before them.
But, suppose we were all this polite gentleman
calls us, that would be no reason why the Catholics
should not be emancipated ; on the contrary, it
would be an additional argument to prove that the
disordered situation of public affairs should be taken
out of the hands of mountebanks and empirics, and
committed to the legitimate physicians of the State,
to prescribe for it the unfailing lenitives of wise and
salutary concession and cordial conciliation.
To the second I do assure Mr. Bousfield he is
mistaken. Mr. Shell, and I care for the Irish people
more than ten thousand straws. In fact, more than
sufficient straws to compose all the scare-crows
which the tithe-consuming Parsons of England are
now setting up to terrify honest, but gullible John
Bull out of his seven senses—bless the mark. I
wish Mr. Bousfield a happy delivery, now he is in
the straw
.Te the third—As to my impudence, it is entirely
at Mr. Bousfield's service; but as to my represen-
tative capacity there may be more modesty, because
more truth, in asserting than in denying that I re-
present the wants and wishes, and possess the affec-
tions of seven millions pf as. fine a people as are to
be found on this terraqueous globe. But, passing
that by, I proceed to the direct charge made against
me by Mr. Bousfield.
He says that I prostrated myself at Ennis before
the Roman Catholic Priesthood.
I say that the charge is totally false; I do not ac-
cuse Mr. Bousfield of being the inventor of this
falsehood, but, whoever invented it, I assure him
and you, Sir Peter, and the public, that it is totally
false.
I never prostrated myself at Ennis, or any where
else, before the Catholic Priesthood, or any one or
more of the Catholic clergy. I never prostrated
myself before created man, and never will. Ikly
temper, disposition, and judgment, all concur to pro-
hibit my being guilty of such debasetnent ; and, if I
were inclined to such guilt, I do solemnly assure
you I do not' know any one of the Catholic
Clergy in Ireland who would suffer me to prostrate
myself before him—not one.
I never prostrate myself before any being save that
eternal and ever-living God, before Whose awful
tribunal Mr. Bousfield and you, Sir Peter, and I,
shall one day most assuredly stand, and before whom
we must answer for every thought, word, and action
of our lives. I never prostrate, myself save before
that God in whose written word I am told, ,‘ if I
should have all faith, so that I could remove moun-
tains, and have not charity, I am nothing."
Such is the superstition which I fondly cherish.
If there be in it any arguments against Emancipa-
tion, I cheerfully abide the result.
It may be worth while here, Sir Peter, to apprise
you of a matter of fact. My return for Clare has
been attributed to the Catholic Clergy, The fact is
this—mark, Sir Peter :—the Catholic Bishop—a
venerable and ancient gentleman, of the 'highest
moral worth, and having a considerable fortune of
his own, was in the adverse interest to mine—all his