The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1855-07-05

feaiH1, aUu u iney uiu moi depart, or uepaft
ing returned, were TO suffer death. All Prot
estanis were required, under the most ire
mendous penalties, to swear that they con.
sidered The pope as the head oil the church
II they refused to take this oath, which NIGH
be rendered at pleasure by any two mags.
lraes, they could not act as advocates, pro.
curers, or notaries public. Any Protestant
taking any office, civil or military, was CON-
PEELED 10 abjure the Protestant religion; to
declare his belief in the doctrine of transub.
sanitation, and 10 take The Roman Catholic
sacrament within six months, under the PEN
atty of 10000 livres. Any person protesting
the Protestant religion, and educated in the
came, was required, in six months atler the
age of sixteen, 10 declare the pope to be the
head of the church; 10 declare his belief in
lransubstaniialion, and that The invocation of
SAINTS was according 10 the doctrine OF the
Christian religion; failing this, he could mol
hold, possess, or inherit landed properly; his
lands were given, TO the nearest Catholic re-.
lalion. Many taxes were doubled upon
Pro,es'anls. Proteslants keeping schools
were imprisoned for life, ard all Protestants
were forbidden 10 come within ten miles of
Paris or Versailles. II any Protestant had a
horse worth more than 100 livres, any Cath
ol:c magistrate might lake il away, and
search the house of the said Protestant for
arms. is not this monslrous code OF per.
secu,ion ? Is it any wonder, after reading
such spirit of tyranny as here exhibited,
that the tendencies Of the Catholic religion
should be suspected, and that the cry of no
Popery should be rallying sign 10 every
Protestant nation in Europea For
give gentle reader, and gentle elector, the
trihlng deception have praclised upon you.
This code is not a code made by French
Catholics against French Proteslants, but by
English and lrish Pro,estan,s against English
and Irish Catholics; have given it to you for
the most part; as il is set forth in Burns
Justice Of 1880; it was acted upon in the
beginning oil the late kings reign, and was
notorious through the whole of Europe, as
the most alrocious system of persecution
ever Instituted by one religious sect against
another. OF this code, Mr.. Burke says, that
III is truly barbarous system; where all
the paris are an outrage on the laws of hu-
manity and the rights of nature; it is sys-
tenn of elaborate conirivance, as we'll fitted
for The oppression, imprisonment, and degra.
da,ion OF people, and the debase ment of
human nalnre itself, as ever proceeded from
ther perverted ingenuity Of man, II is in
vain TO say that these cruellies were laws of
political safety; such has always been the
plea Tor all religious cruelies; by such argu.
mens the Catholics defended The massacre
of ST. Bartholomew, and the burnings of
Mary. --
With such facts as these, The CRY Of perse-
cution will not do; il is unwise TO make il
because ii can be so very easily, and so very
justly re,orled. The business is 10 forget and
forgive, to kiss and be friends, and to say
nothing of what has past, which is TO the cred
it of neither party. There have been afro.
cious cruelties, and abominable acls of injus.
lice on both sides.
Ii is not worth while TO conte nd who shed
the most blood, or whether Gas DR.. Su:gess
objects TO DR.. Miller,) death by fire is worse
Than hanging or starving in prison. As far
as England itself is concerned, the balance
may be better preserved Crnellies exercis-
ed upon the Irish go for nothing in English
reasoning: but it were not uncandid and vex.
atious 10 CONSIDER Irish prosecutions as parl
of the case, firmly believe there have Two
Catholics put 10 death for religious causes in
Great Britain for one Protestant who has suf-
fered not that this proves much, because
the Catholics have enjoyed the sovereign
power for so lew yeats between this period
aud the Reformation, and certainly il must be
allowed that they were not inactive during that
period, in the great work of pous combus-
ton.
It ishowever some extenuaion of the Cat.
holic excesses, that their religion was the re-
ligior OF the whole OF Europe, when the inno-
walton began. They were the ancient lords
and masters of faith, before men introduced
the practice of thinking for themselves in
these matters The Proleslants have less ex-
cuse, who claimed the right of innovation,
and then turned round upon other Pro,eslants
who acted upon the same principle, or up
on Catholics who remained as they were, and
visited them with all the cruelties from which
they had themselves so recently escaped
Both sides, as they acquired power, abused
il, and both learnt from their sufferings, the
great secret Of federation and forbearance If
you wish 10 do good in the times in whichyou
live, contribute your efforts 10 perfect this
grand work. have not the most distant in
tenlion TO interfere in local politics, but ad-
wise you never TO give q vote 10 any man,
vhose only title for asking itls, that he means
to continue The punishmenis, privalions, and
incapacilies Of any human beings, merely be.
cause they worship God in the way they think
besl the man who asks for your vote on
such plea, is, probably, very weak man,
who believes in his own bad reasoning, or
veEy arllul man, who is laughing at you for
your credulily: al all events, he is man
who knowingly or un&uowingly, exposes ais
country 10 the greatest dangers, and bands
down TO poslerily all The foolish opinions and
all the bad passions which prevail in those
times in which he happens 10 live. Such
man is SO far from being that friend to the
church which he pretends 10 be, that he de.
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