The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-23 00:00:00

THE STAMINAN.

they looked to the period of the Revolution they
would also find, that in all the measures of that
period the adherence to the old episcopalian principle ,
was never dissociated from the idea of rebellion, and
the disqualification was directed against, sot the re-
ligion or the .relief Oiled. bnetin• political - dist',
loyalty. This thrrwould find laid don n in the
• Morktref the best writers of the day. The same opt-
;atbn was entertained by altistt Triter, who could'
not-be gape-0W of any great partiality .to..lihostlik
' (Mr. Justice Blackstone) before any relaxation fitak."
pon the sabject -of that
place in the Penal Code. , U
Statutes that writer had the following passage:— J
I• " This is &short iummary of the laws against the Papists, ass- '
dee their three several claws, of Jaquith professing the Pophh
• Religioo, Popish recusants convict, and 'Popish prietei. Of
which the President Montesquieu observes, that they are so• el-
rriiiis, though not professedly of the stingtunary kind, that they
do all the hurt that can possibly be done in add blood But la
answer to *lsis •it may he observed (what foreigners, who only
page from our Statute-book, are not Billy apprised of), that
these laws are seldom exerted to thr4r utmost rigour; and, hat
deed,rif they were, it would be very difficult to escuse dietall
for they are rather to be accounted fur from their history, add.
the urgency of the times Which produced them, than to be tip-
proved (upon a cool review) as -a standingsyttonsof law. The 4
restless mach nations of the Jesuits, daring the reign of Mika-,
limit, the turbulence and uneasiness of the PApists under *ll
new religious establidunent, and the &oldness of their/lopes and
' wishes fur the succession of the Queen of Scots, obliged the PAP,
liameot to connteract so dangerous d spirit by law( of • Frew.
! and perhaps IleCeiNiq, severity. The powder-treason, in the
succeeding reign, struck a panic into James I. which operated
indifferent ways: it occasioned the enacting of new laws againit
; the Papists ; but deterred him from putting them in execution.
—The intrigues of Queen Henrietta, in the rein of Charles 1.
. the prospeet of a Popish successor in that of Charles U. la
Assassination-plot in the reign ile King Ms illiani.arid the avowed
: claim of a Popish Pretender to the Crown, will account for the
' extension of these penalties at those several periodi of our. Ms-
-1 tort'. - But if a thee should ever orris., and pertitspe it is not.
avenfty
trilii:taitt, orhenzilitirers of
aa oat.lehites; :11l
th,acvneinvem;eisehbeiV
' ridiculous, and despicable, note only In finglard, hut in every
kingdom in Europe; it probably would net then be emirs- to
I review and soften these rigorous Edic:s ; at least till the &ill
principles of the Roman Catholics called again upon the 1.e.: I
gi-latu re to renew them; for it ought oat to belef: in the breast
of every. merciless-bigot, to dm down the vengeance of these.
occasional laws upon inultrnsivc, though mrs.alecii, subjects; ia '
opposition to the lenient inclinations of the civil magistrate,and
to the des:ruction of every principle of toleratiou and.religioui
liberty." .
. ..
It would he worth while to examine, whether the re,
laxations which had hitherto been made•in'fiveur of'
the Catholics, were in conformity to the printiple
which Blackstone had in view. We should be Ole
to ascertain, by a reference to the Preambles of the
various Statutes by which these relaxations werief-
fected, what had been the object of the Legislatire.
By the first act passed in favour of the Catholics in
1774, a purgatory oath was exacted from them be-
fore they could enter on the enjoyment of threprivi-
leges thereby conceded, on account of 'certain tell-
. gious tenets, by which they were said to regulate
their conduct.—Tire second Act which was passed
in their favour was four years afterwards, in the
year 1778. In the Preamble to this Act it was stat-
ed, that whereas it was deemed conducive to the
welfare of the. Kingdom- that the different classes of
persons who composed the population thereof should
be united by the bonds of mutual interest and affec-
tion. - Now, said the Hon. Member, no inference
tan be more clear than that which is to be drawn
from the necessity of promoting mutual interest
and affection. The Preadtble to the third Statute,
he observed, after having premised that the oath of
I allegiance should be administered to the Catholics
! in the same manner as to persons of any other reli-
I gious persuasion, went on to -state, that whereas
they, the Catholics, were considered to be good and
l loyal subjects of the Crown. Theu, continued the
Right lion. Member, it was assumed, that they had
a'cquire4the quality, the want of which a former Pre-
amble had left to be inferred. And in the Preamble
of the last Act, by which the privileges were extend-
! ed, similar language was to .he found. The peace-
ful and loyal demeanour of his Majesty's Catholic
I subjects was made the ground of concession. We
found then that this system, to break into which, to
innovate on which, was deemed a violation of the
civii.principles of our ancestors, was the growth ofl
two centuries, and had, when brought to perfection,
remained about fourteen years stationary. During this
i time the Government of Ireland had been a problem
of no small difficulty. The statesmen of this coun-
t try had endeavoured to solve it, by applying priori.
pies of legislation to one country which were only
adapted to the other. And it was but too true,
that io the progress of their efforts they had gone se.
! far as to adopt a system of extermination. When
td act upon this was found iffipracticable, they had
recourse to Statutes framed to grind down the po-
pulation of Ireland, and these too had failed. They
at last had happily turned their thoughts to experi-
ments of It very dille.rent nature ; and the question.
now was, whether a chance of complete operation
should be afforded to those experiments. Much had
been said of the security by which concession ought
I to be accompanied ; but those who dwelt on the ne-
t cessity of such security did not make sufficient al-
tlowance for the different genius and spirit by which I
• different ages would be distinguished : he would, ge-
nally speaking, leave unresolved the philosophical
problem of whether the ^roa I d improved or became
i deteriorated as it grew in years.. But of this he was I
I sure,, that a spirit of mildness at least gave the pie-I
sent age some right to challenge a contrast with I
those which had preceded it. No more forciblell-1
! lastration of this truth could be found than in what i
! had been recently stated in that House—he meant
by the Honourable Gentleman who had brought
forward the Mono% on the Orders in Council. lie
i
I eau stated, that the Treaty of Utrecht, which had
been the sabject of general condemnation, had, in a
more particular manner, attracted the execration of
fosterity, -by-Itaving held out, as the siegle•advan.
tage this country was to obtain from au extension
of the slave trade. This advantage was obtained foi
us at a period which had been distinguished as rite
lAugustan age of England. No one would Impute to
the moral writers of that age any want of those qua:
I.lities which were requisite to fill theieworks with les-
sons, calculated to soften and refine the minds of pos.'
terity ' • bat he would, nevertheless, ask, if a Minister
of the Crown were now to stand up in that Rouse,',
and exhibit to their-notice a treaty, in' which itct,
could boast of but a solitary advantage, and that an
increase of the benefits resulting from the slave
trade, with what feelings his congratulatory oration'
would be listened to? Assuredly, it mould be re..
ceired with a just, a vehement, and universal hurit-
of indignation; the spirit of the times watt clang
ob
lie did not wish to arraign the wisdom of 'our in-,
castors, but without doing so generally, be could'

_

safely assert, that they legislated is a different spirit
from that which could now with propriety actuate,
or did actuate that assembly. The question now
was, not whether we were to renew a system which
it hell been found necessary to depart from ; but
whether, having proved its inefficacy, we were to
give full operation to principles's:4am opposite nature.
We read in the history of ancient Rome that the
Samitites, the inveterate enemies or that Power,
• become masters-of a cooeislerable-aemy, sent
against them, and headed by the Consuls at the Caci-
dini Forks, the victorious General sent a message to
his father, an aged and experienced Senator, to ea-.
cluirtiii to the-manner in which he should proceed at
so important a juncture; the answer of the old man
was, that the Romani should be dismissed unran-
somed ; this answer created much surprise, and some
mistakes being apprehended, the messenger was sent
a second time, and returned with an answer of a
very opposite nature to the former. The old man
i recommended that the environed army should be
I exterminated to the last man. The Samnites flow
I began to conceive that the Reverend Senator was de-
prived of his senses, and a third message desired
that he would come to the camp, and unfold the
reasons of the strange advice he had given. With
'this he complied, and assigned as the reason of his
I first advice, that by conferring a great benefit upou
the Roman people, his fellow-citizens might look to
a corresponding degree of gratitude being awakened
in the minds of a powerful people; if this did, not
please, then, by adopting his smit!, they would..
get rid of a prostrate foe, and strike a decisive
blow against a power„ from the hostility of which
I•they.'hid every thing to dread. The old Senator
(continued the Honourable Member) concluded his
explanatibn by observing, to use , the emphatic
Illvagtmge given him by the historian, indium Yertiu us
clineilium placed, nage alio conceditur ult.. The
advice was not adopted, the son thought himself
. wispr than his. father, took a middle step, pass-
' eel the Romans under the yoke, and sent them
'house; the consequences are welt known, and have
left au,impressive lesson as to the irnpolicy of tem- ,
porising measure, of neither acting decisively on the !
o4e-pide nor the other. But if this principle were ca-
pableof
being applied to the question now under dis-
cussion, in a favourable way, heretofore, how much
mom so now, when the Union of Great Britain and i
Ireland had made so great a difference in its aspect ! '
he could no longer talk of a Protestant garrison in
a Popiih oeuntry. The Protestants of the United
Empire now constituted a majority, there was ae ,
minority of Protestants beset by overwhelming num-

bars, and, therefore, concession, to whatsoever ex-
tent it might go, mild create no danger. There were
alarmists, indeed, who still would maintain the im-
po,sibility of concession, that Papists, placed be-
neath a Protestant Government, would always here
a tendency to shake off the yoke of the Government ;
that the encroaching spirit of the Catholic Cburch
could never be at rest, and that if her spirit of perse-
cution were once set loose, it would soon make us
wish, when, perhaps, no longer possible to retrace the
steps we had taken? impelled by feelings weakly in-
dulgent. Now, with respect to the perpetually en-
croaching spirit imputed to the.Church.of Rome, he
had to rPmark, that in the lapse of Me centuries she
had lost two-thirds of Europe, the smallest portion of
which she had not recovered. When it was sail that
Catholics held it as a principle that they would not
keep faith with heretics, that their watch word was,
Ileretieos pencquar et expugnabo"—he couldnet
but allow that such tenets, if really received, challeng-
ed thedetestation of mankind, and justified their oppo-
sition to those whose conduct they influenced ; but we
were not to allow ourselves to go too fast towards a
, belief that they were really received, we should
pause and consider whether the offensive words of
the creed were not mere words of course,
and whether it could not be shown that words of a
similar import could not be found where we would
must readily admit that they were nothing more
than sound. It was, perhaps, but little known, that
in the oath taken by the Sovereigns of Scotland, and
which had been taken by William and Mary at the
time of the Revolution, there was a clause to
' this effect—" I will carefully root out all here-
ties."—From the taking such an oath he did
not infer. any • thing prejudicial to the characters
of William and Mary. They no doubt took it in
their own sense, that was, that when in words It
pledged them to root Out heretics, it really meant
no sdch thing. He did not mean by. any thing he
had said to justify the Itemtsh Church for inculcat-
ing
tenets of the kind, but be wield say, that if it
was permitted to another Church to put what con-
struction
she pleased on her tenets, it would be
acting unfairly to refuse a similar privilege to the
Catholic Church. It wind& be most unfair to say,
because certain intolerant principles were to be
found in her canons, that•with her alone such prine.l
ciples were to be endowed with a mischievous ac-
tivity, and impel her sons abroad to disseminate her
doctrieei,by the ad of the sword and thettorch.-1
Amin, the Catholics were charged with holding
tenets which absolved them, from keeping faith with
heretian, and -Tee by a curious perversion of or ,
principles of reasoning, au oath was exacted from ;
them by the Statutes, by which they had, privileges ]
extended to them, that was, we exacted oaths from
those Whose creed and trade was perjury.—[hear,
hear, heer.9—He did not see in his place a Right ]
'Ron. and Learned Doctor, with whirl this was a fa-
Arourite doctrine, but it was rather a curious Orem-
stance that this Learned person, who was loudest hi
maintaining that no oaths could bind the fugitive and
volatile spirit of those religionists, was.hiniself en-
trusted with the task of framing the very last oath
which was appointed for them to take. However
little the security of an oath might please a certain
class of persons, they must of necessity be satisfied ,
with it till some more powerful obligation could be,
imposed, and.it could )tot be imposed till it was dia..
covered. Again it was said, that the Catholietl
should be content when they contrasted their sittietl
Hon with that of thOse 'persons who were placed be-
neath .Goveirients less mild than that they had tlitil
.happiness of living under. lf they looked ahroad;l
ipres sea /hey ,could no longer be reasounbly
fitedVith their fraitcbiaes, however limited. But
4eEir
it teachthein te, look abroad !--[dear,
iot
I]--Madh better would it be, that 'they Should be
=yen /yak_ at.henei,
,11.4% leek •Imne without
any Faidfous contrast to make between their

conditiontheyanwdertolitaot
lso)or fellowl4(t.hnoel,:irir(oitutil,l w nate
lintiszt,..rtic.;
bouwtnstipOse
atiodni
irc:rmeilidcethoefyrethlieglito
idlebri:gee,t
nations towards whichtitieh
and hostility ? No ;
InacommiZe l totallyi
n
order o 11: :es' ny:ec.amhiulha:':lgtililrtfi fiejeen(nrsclidst:vineegiy;ts otrfiolbffifteddidirsii'vintlel:
my. Should they turn their errs towardsninny
against elk') the power of that enemy was °li it') k
0 t
...iriius 0,
~
is;!
Iy to be directed, would they find there thatplru:iscpileele*:
! of disunion from which they mightsdeilvethe rad CON
isolation afforded by a participation of evil ? \,,.
'would be recoil::
there they Would find the rulte-Of awh.ittecoitirentryz:
ported by the counsels of a Popish Chancellor, a,"',
y would do, ledbeldvbill:
; tishaessukri ltlhoef
tea
liPerootnesutfa Protestant
tGisere !ell:
4anrayp,aartepoprsiliboiniehoedf
whopan 1
ed, that soave time
tosifiscileuinio
i ditrewsaestosutihvne
supposed,
felt themselves agoiraf•d•d.iiTsiroaue:eitildt,
:iii.
information wiehnottwas not C-olrirtectlin-1 liPere"•
ground ere of
L,
fgeionrelltattowlitherdin
religious
stsciple of iutoleeauce Wry,'(
gary-there was no reli
tphaertauddi. address was 'wfbaitshtoheut effect F
pletely banished. He lamented.. torsotoinylhla,tlhatelotsittwnwit:ries) aou.m;ividaties,
it still subsisted in all its force, as was bat too ap
‘ivsahriecihittfirleomatstosnoief rtehceenct
opliithelsicahtniodusbeaend
trillapo'il
.
hitcir d longa
beenw
-he dpp oirsgat.ctwrithoioscnii:exldiod t
hlaita tinitfollieerraemt
eh euilldrei Irish Catholicweh
ile
.an a
rt
.4
,_n a spirit by
r.o.r,elycoliinectth,
atatcotuhnetrsyaniwe
disgracefully pre-eminent in bigotry.
at the same time, call to mind how freely
systemtd
u hselaGviossvhoermoneforogsuraroifials(tiohvaifeteioc7.o7aiottitiyhye.rtso,llaiduse into their
be
temptede
salutary tact,
d wisht
laudablei'at w
advice v
r'
would
ir
keep
home acol consumption;
that 01.
that acting upon it, we might give to mature Eli
gran isle
andl adult Ireland those privileges she craved and deserted
at our hands, and change the hostile. frown she now
wore teond thesh i
p. lt w
serene andas
not unusualtranqui ! smile
to of.o iprse ti
tile
claims of the Catholics by a reference to the cruelties,
which it was but too certain were practised in thF,
first ages of that mighty religious convulsion Wich
changed thelace of Europe; but what should we say
if we found theiCathorcs. disposed to go hack to that
very period to find grounds for crimirratien against
ourselves? Were they to dwell on the outrages and
cruelties oommitted by Anabaptists in Munster, or
the tyrannical successes of the odious Henry, or the
Protestant prosecutions which are to be found record.
ed even in the annals of the reign of Queen filititsefo
or the creel death which the atrocious Calvin cased
the unhappy Servetus to suffer after he hod eutrapped
him into his power ? And lastly, the erogress of
1 the reformation in Scollalsol, which had given link
to the abominable oath to which he had adverted in a
former part of his speech, as well as to the brie-
r
I lent and sanguinary successes of John Knox and
his followers. But he hoped the Catholics would al-
-1 ways show themselves unwilling to enter into such a
contest, and he had only exhibited die strength
;of their • cause, in order to show more forcibly,
i that it political violence gave birth to politicalani.
mosity, it was the bounden duty of a Government
or a Legislature to remove the possibility'ef its
being brought into action. Al the present time 410
apprehension was to be entertained or this spirit
giving.birth to exoesst.s such as those Which, at a
ruder period of society, it had prodtic,.d ; and while
such was the case, • he could not-express how much ho
i had been shocked of late by obse,Nitr a prmphlet,
purporting to be a History of the Neissacre of S.
Bartholomew. Happily there was but little reason
to fear that such a publication conid produce any ~
rious effect; but the intention of tile author could
' not be perceived without the warmest feelings of in.
• dignation. What good- could now be dine by ob-
truding on the attention of the l'ublic the history of
such 'horrors as were enacted in that lamentalle
tragedy? What had the present ace to do v.ith
the bigotry and cruelty of Charles the Ninth?
What with the Guises, stained with the blood of
their fellow-citizens? What had this country to do
with the character of Frenchmen? Who were the
i
actors in these sanguinary and atrocious scenes; or
why should their atrocious deeds be blazoned by
the pen of the scribe and the graver of the artist,
1 and thrust forward as a lesson to oleo iucapable of
I feelings from which such deeds collet emanate ? To
what he had already stated with .respect to this
pious performance, he was grieved to have to add,
j that it was inscribed to the memory of the Right
Honourable Spencer Perceval, and a parallel vas
drawn between the crime which deprived the Ila'lo3
• of that lamented, and mtrch-honaored individual and
that to which Admiral Coligni fell a sacrifice. It
Iwas - plain from every page of this abominable
, work, that it was not addressed to persons of
that class of mind, which would subject its co, 1.
! tents to a fair examination and discussion of their
l merits; it was addressed to the blind passim
1.
of an infuriate mob—such a mob as, he trusted,
!this country could not afford to reduce to Wad-
i. tide the dark designs of a bigoted incendiary. Like
Spencer Percent, raid thirrespectatile person, did
Coligni fall, in the exercise of. his duty towards hit.
' King, his Conntry,..and his God. Good Waves!
i
laid' the Honourable Gentleman,• rising into all the
Iwarmth and vehemence of honest, virtuous indigna-
tion, and had but one short mouth elapsed after the
perpetration of a crime, the Oriels of %% bleb 0:,
have never ceased to deplore, ere it suppliA ground
for an such attempt as that which I have labourete
to expose—an attempt, the fellow of which is not o
.
be found, multiplied as they are, on the records of 1
s.
biie
.
.11,,,
ferny ? . .It was fartunate that the assassin of Mr. P.es:
t
revel Was neither an Irishman nor a Catholic ;
it was possible that he might have been -both,
if such had been the case, he would ask what might
i have been the effect on the public -mind of sari! .
i paragraph as that to which he had referred, red sure!`
justice
. big, as it would have done, some co.sour ;or
...,_ .
from accidental circumstances, and penned '.ViliP •
spirit of malignity, which assuredly -weak' not
beeu abated by an increase of probability;
with tte
tidings which had been this day received, const!e
toted, he' conceived, additional arguments for
onl.,
taking the subject, now under discussion, into •
sideratien, when it might be discussed with tctso.