testant religion, to be put to death. Jing the Protestant religion, and educated in the same, was required, in six months after the age of sixteen, to declare the Pope to be the head of the Church; to declare his belief in transubstantiation, and that the invocation of saints was according to the doctrine of the Christian religion; failing this, he could not hold, possess, or inherit landed property; his lands were given to the nearest Catholic relation. Many taxes were doubled upon Protestants. Protestants keeping schools were imprisoned for life, and all Protestants

miles of Paris or Versailles. If any Protestant had a horse worth more than 100 livres, any Catholic magistrate might take it away, and search the house of the said Protestant for arms." Is not this a monstrous code of persecution? Is it any wonder, after reading such a spirit of tyranny as is here exhibited, that the tendencies of the Catholic religion should be suspected, and that the cry of No Popery should be a rallying sign to every Protestant nation in Europe? Forgive,

Death to any Protestant priest to come into France; death to the person who receives him; forfeiture of goods and imprisonment to send money for the relief of any Protestant clergyman: large rewards for discovering a Protestant parson. Every Protestant shall cause his child, within one month after birth, to be baptized by a Catholic priest, under a penalty of 2000 livres. Protestants were fined 4000 livres a month for being absent from Catholic worship, were disabled from holding offices and employments, from keeping were forbidden to come within ten arms in their houses, from maintaining suits at law, from being guardians, from practising in law or physic, and from holding offices, civil or military. They were forbidden (bravo, Louis XIV.!) to travel more than five miles from home without licence, under pain of forfeiting all their goods, and they might not come to court under pain of 2000 livres A married Protestant woman, when convicted of being of that persuasion, was liable to forfeit two thirds of her jointure; she could not be executrix to her husband, nor gentle reader, and gentle elector, the have any part of his goods; and during trifling deception I have practised upon her marriage she might be kept in you. This code is not a code made by prison, unless her husband redeemed French Catholics against French Proher at the rate of 200 livres a month, testants, but by English and Irish Proor the third part of his lands. Pro-testants against English and Irish Catestants convicted of being such, were, tholics; I have given it to you, for the within three months after their con- most part, as it is set forth in Burn's viction, either to submit, and renounce Justice," of 1780: it was acted upon their religion, or, if required by four in the beginning of the last king's magistrates, to abjure the realm, and if reign, and was notorious through the they did not depart, or departing re- whole of Europe, as the most cruel and turned, were to suffer death. All Pro- atrocious system of persecution ever testants were required, under the most instituted by one religious persuasion tremendous penalties, to swear that against another. Of this code Mr. they considered the Pope as the head Burke says, that "it is a truly barbarof the Church. If they refused to take ous system; where all the parts are an this oath, which might be tendered at outrage on the laws of humanity, and pleasure by any two magistrates, they the rights of nature; it is a system of could not act as advocates, procureurs, elaborate contrivance, as well fitted or notaries public. Any Protestant for the oppression, imprisonment, and taking any office, civil or military, was degradation of a people, and the decompelled to abjure the Protestant basement of human nature itself, as religion; to declare his belief in the ever proceeded from the perverted indoctrine of transubstantiation, and to genuity of man." It is in vain to say take the Roman Catholic sacrament that these cruelties were laws of politiwithin six months, under the penalty cal safety; such has always been the of 10,000 livres. Any person profess-plea for all religious cruelties; by such

arguments the Catholics defended the | in these matters. The Protestants have massacre of St. Bartholomew, and the less excuse, who claimed the right of burnings of Mary.

innovation, and then turned round upon other Protestants who acted upon the same principle, or upon 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 it; and both learnt, from their sufferings, the great secret of toleration and forbearance. If you wish to do good in the times in which you live, contribute your efforts to perfect this grand work. I have not the most distant intention to interfere in local politics; but I advise you never to give a vote to any man whose only title for asking it is, that he means to

With such facts as these, the cry of persecution, will not do; it is unwise to make it, because it can be so very easily, and so very justly retorted. The business is, to forget and forgive, to kiss and be friends, and to say nothing of what has passed; which is to the credit of neither party. There have been atrocious cruelties, and abominable acts of injustice, on both sides, It is not worth while to contend who shed the most blood, or whether (as Dr. Sturgess objects to Dr. Milner) death by fire is worse than hanging or starving in prison. As far as England itself is concerned, the balance may be better preserved. Cruelties exercised upon the Irish go for nothing in En-continue the punishments, privations, glish reasoning; but if it were not uncandid and vexations to consider Irish persecutions as part of the case, I firmly believe there have been two Catholics put to death for religious causes in Great Britain for one Protestant who has suffered: not that this proves much, because the Catholics have enjoyed the sovereign power for so few years between this period and the Reformation; and certainly it must be allowed that they were not inactive, during that peri d, in the great work of pious combustion.

It is however some extenuation of the Catholic excesses, that their religion was the religion of the whole of Europe when the innovation began. They were the ancient lords and masters of faith, before men introduced the practice of thinking for themselves

and incapacities of any human beings, merely because they worship God in the way they think best: the man who asks for your vote upon such a plea, is, probably, a very weak man, who believes in his own bad reasoning, or a very artful man, who is laughing at you for your credulity: at all events, he is a man who knowingly or unknowingly exposes his country to the greatest dangers, and hands down to posterity all the foolish opinions and all the bad passions which prevail in those times in which he happens to live. Such a man is so far from being that friend to the Church which he pretends to be, that he declares its safety cannot be reconciled with the franchises of the people; for what worse can be said of the Church of England than this, that wherever it is judged necessary to give it a legal establishment, it becomes necessary to deprive the body of the people, if they adhere to their old opinions, of their liberties, and of all their free customs, and to reduce them to a state of civil servi

Thurloe writes to Henry Cromwell to catch up some thousand Irish boys, to send to the colonies. Henry writes back he has done so; and desires to know whether his Highness would choose as many girls to be caught up: and he adds, "doubtless it is a business in which God will appear." Suppose bloody Queen Mary had caught up and tude? transported three or four thousand Protestant boys and girls from the three Ridings of Yorkshire!!!!!!

SYDNEY SMITH.

VOL. II.

R

Government for places to the Lord to see an honest King, in whose word Williams and Lord Charles's, and his Ministers can trust; who disdains others of the Anglophagi? Teach a to deceive those men whom he has million of the common people to read called to the public service, but makes -and such a government (work it common cause with them for the comever so well) must perish in twenty mon good; and exercises the highest years. It is impossible to persuade the powers of a ruler for the dearest mass of mankind that there are not interests of the State. I have lived to other and better methods of governing see a King with a good heart, who, a country. It is so complicated, so surrounded by Nobles, thinks of comwicked, such envy and hatred accumu- mon men; who loves the great mass late against the gentlemen who have of English people, and wishes to be fixed themselves on the joints, that it loved by them; who knows that his cannot fail to perish, and to be driven, real power, as he feels that his happias it is driven, from the country by a ness, is founded on their affection. I general burst of hatred and detestation. have lived to see a King, who, without I meant, gentlemen, to have spoken pretending to the pomp of superior for another half hour, but I am old intellect, has the wisdom to see, that and tired. Thank me for ending - the decayed institutions of human but, gentlemen, bear with me for policy require amendment; and who, another moment; one word before I in spite of clamour, interest, prejudice, end. I am old, but I thank God I and fear, has the manliness to carry have lived to see more than my obser- these wise changes into immediate vations on human nature taught me I execution. Gentlemen, farewell: shout had any right to expect. I have lived for the King.

223

LETTER TO THE
TO THE ELECTORS

UPON

THE CATHOLIC QUESTION.

with human passions than to resist | consideration of that which the accused them; but the ministers of God must party has to offer for defence or explado their duty through evil report, and nation. It is impossible, I admit, to through good report; neither prevented examine everything; many have not nor excited by the interests of the pre- talents, many have not leisure, for such sent day. They must teach those pursuits; many must be contented general truths which the Christian with the faith in which they have been religion has committed to their care, brought up, and must think it the best and upon which the happiness and modification of the Christian faith, bepeace of the world depend. cause they are told it is so. But this In pressing up on you the great duty imperfect acquaintance with religious of religious charity, the inutility of the controversy, though not blameable opposite defect of religious violence when it proceeds from want of power, first offers itself to, and indeed ob- and want of opportunity, can be no trudes itself upon, my notice. The possible justification of violent and evil of difference of opinion must exist; acrimonious opinions. I would say to it admits of no cure. The wildest the ignorant man, "It is not your visionary does not now hope he can ignorance I blame; you have had no bring his fellow-creatures to one stan- means perhaps of acquiring knowledge: dard of faith. If history has taught us the circumstances of your life have not any one thing, it is that mankind, on led to it-may have prevented it; but such sort of subjects, will form their own then I must tell you, if you have not opinions. Therefore to want charity had leisure to inquire, you have no in religious matters is at least useless; right to accuse. If you are unacit hardens error, and provokes recri- quainted with the opposite arguments, mination but it does not enlighten -or, knowing, cannot balance them, those whom we wish to reclaim, nor it is not upon you the task devolves of does it extend doctrines which to us exposing the errors, and impugning appear so clear and indisputable. But the opinions of other sects." If charity to do wrong, and to gain nothing by be ever necessary, it is in those who it, is surely to add folly to fault, and know accurately neither the accusation to proclaim an understanding not led nor the defence. If invectives, — if by the rule of reason, as well as a dis-rooted antipathy, in religious opinions position unregulated by the Christian be ever a breach of Christian rules, it faith. is so in those who, not being able to become wise, are not willing to become charitable and modest.

Religious charity requires that we should not judge any sect of Christians by the representations of their enemies Any candid man acquai ted with alone, without hearing and reading religious controversy will, I think, what they have to say in their own admit that he has frequently, in the defence; it requires only, of course, to course of his studies, been astonished state such a rule to procure for it gen- by the force of arguments with which eral admission. No man can pretend that cause has been defenced which he to say that such a rule is not founded at first thought to be incapable of any upon the plainest principles of justice defence at all. Some accusations he -upon those plain principles of justice has found to be utterly groundless; in which no one thinks of violating in the others the facts and arguments have ordinary concerns of life; and yet I been mis-stated: in other instances the fear that rule is not always very accusation has been retorted: in many strictly adhered to in religious ani- cases the tenets have been defended by mosities. Religious hatred is often strong arguments and honest appeal to founded on tradition, often on hearsay, Scripture, in many with consummate often on the misrepresentations of no- acuteness and deep learning. So that torious enemies ; without inquiry, religious studies often teach to oppowithout the slightest examination of nents a greater respect for each other's opposite reasons and authorities, or talents, motives, and acquirements;