Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-09-28

| .'ic itsh SnOtho De ConSidercu anu puniSilcd as
htSh treason" 1t was also made highly penal
IN the English to '.pcrrnit their Irish ncighbors
To Craze their lands, 10 present them 10 ecclesi
astical benetices, or TO receive them into nonas-
taries or religious louses.' 1t was made penal
also "to entertain their bards who perverted The
imagination by romantic tales"
The reader will not be surprised to hear that
the natives, ground down by these infamous en-
actments, were weary of their birth place, and
desired to leave the will, however, doubtless,
scarcely credit the fact that, though their coun-
try was thus rendered intolerable 10 them as a
residence, they were, by statute of Henry w.
actually forbidden to emigratc. s,Thosc whom
the English refused to incorporate with as sub
Jccts, they would yet compel to remain as re-
beis or as slaves. e have heard of bridge OF
gold Tor flying enemy, but an Act of Parlia-
inent to compel him 10 stand his ground could
not have been passed by an Irish Legislature
1t was in the eleventh year Of this reign enacted.
that ''no Irish enemy should be permitted TO de-
part from the realm.n Irish enemy was the cur
rent appellation given By the invaders 10 the
people, amongst whom they came to settle
Thus those who remained were excluded from
every constitutional privilege or human right,
and those who attempted TO escape from the UNI
natural helOtry were condemned as criminals,
Suffering under such impolitic and oppressive
miilcton, this people over ANA over again APP
realed to the Kings of England for protection
The appeals and the answers are on record.
Such was the British policy up to the period of
Henry VIII. whom find, with the utmost
simplicity, expressing his surprise that ''hs sub
Jects OF this land should be so prone 10 faction &
rebellion, and that SO little advantage had been
hitherto derived from the acquisitions of his pre-
dccessors, notwithstanding the fruitfulness and
natural advantages of Irclaud.r "Surprisine-
indeed, (eXclaims Captain Rock that a policy,
spch As we have been describing, should moi
have converted the whole country into aperfect
Atlantis Of happiness-sliould not hav e made il
like the imaginary island of Sir Thomas Moore
where 'tota insula velut una tarnila esG' Most
stubborn, truly, and ungrateful must that people
be, upon whom, up TO the very hour at which
write, such a long and unvarying course OF pcnaI
laws, considerations aud Instruction acts, has
been tried. without making them in the least de-
gree in love with their rnlers!"
Such were the acts by which the people of
Ireland we're prepared for the reformation Un-
der any circumstances, total and radical
change IN the religion of country is not easily
eftected bnt when that change was advocated
by those who had grown hoarse in shouting the
war-cry against the selected converts, there was
no wonder that it was s.fcrcely AMI at once re
jected-" The hands which erected the altar of
| Procstantlsm IN Ireland were red with the
/ blood OF the natives, and those who survived ma
turally shrunk from what they considered no,
the shrine OF peace, bnt the sanctuary of inir.
der. Many who preached the reformation in
! that country, indeed, set about The good WOOL,
rather with the fury of renegades t.iai,ihc yea
| oil Christians. Let ms hear what Leland saws on
/ Tins subject. Leland is the s'onlv irish a,ltho
| rity"on which Captain Rock rests, but he SAYS
land says very truly, unless the character of tho
Fellows of Trinity College Dublin was much
more liberal IN Leland's time than it is now :,
that this historian ''wss sufficiently protected a.
gainst any undue partially TO his country by a
/ fellowship IN the university of Dublin, Pre-
| bend in st. Patrick's cathedral, and a CHAPLAIN
cy at the Castle--aji good securities against no.
iitical heterodoxy." ''under pretence - sa VS. he
"of obeyIng the orders of the state thew GiIat *
| the advocates of the rcformation,l seized all the
most valuable furniture OF the churches, which
they exposed TO sale without dcccncy or reserve
The Irish annalists pati,etically describe the
garrison at Athione issuing forth with barbar-
Gus and heather fury, and piiaging the famous
church OF Ciommac noise, tearing awav the
most inoitensive ornaments, so as 10 leave the
shrine OF their favourite saint, Kiernon a hide
Gus monument of sacrilcge.n These vandal re-
formers evcn burned the venerated crozier az
ST. PatrIck-an act Of barbarisIn as useless as
1T was inhuman. There was but one body nj
men in Ireland who grasped with, at least a n an
parent, cordially tie bloody hand of the Re-
tormaiIon-strange aud almost incredible 10 re-
late, that body was the bishops.-"Most of the
temporal Lords" adds Leland, "wcre those
whose descendants, even TO our own DAYS. CON
tinued firmly attached 10 the Romish cominuui.
on; but far the g1'eoter part Of tie p,elates ,ce,-e
such us quietly enjoyed their sees Jy co1,f,,Uj,o
occasionaltyto different modes If religion. ~
| This disereditable versatility, however did not
extend beyond the church,; the Iaily were sted
fast in their faith, and Captain Rock at once.
| triumphantly vindicates his Milesian, and erat;
hes his anti. Saxon preiudices by the declaration
that ''the obstinate perseverance of the Irish in
their old belief is not perhaps more remarkable
than the readiness with which the pcop,e of
| England veered about from one reiioion tc .no
ther during the three reigDs that succeeded tbe
re!ormatioD;" ''lhcy were fsays he. ouotipo
Lloyd, during the interval between Marv,s ar
cession and her first parliament, like the Jewish
Children after the captivity, speaking middle
language, between Hebrew and AsI,dodD Tic
| captain, OF course, is no great friend to The
statesmen and bishops of any country: but. 10
DO hun justice, he is impartial in his aninositv
and, lest those of England should sheer al the
''arlequlnade just described as having been so
nlmbiy performed by the Irish prelacv. be de-
ciares, quoting good authorities as he eoes-tbat
the great reformer Latimer changed his on;ui.
on no less than eight different tiues!-fbat
IrahHlcrs ialth was continually changing. he
oe'hg AT one tune prosecutor Of all who denied
'rahsuDslantlation, sticlsler for pigritnaees
Purgat0Ty,. &C.; and at another denoDncipo ali
such principles as heretc9l--tfat many emf
heDt and excellent worthless cOntrycd Dotwith.
UoE.y,,