CHAP. X.

The catholics addrefs his majesty king George II.

THE Roman catholics of Ireland still fmarting under the lash of the popery laws, after the acceffion of George I. and recollecting that the two laft, and severest of them, were faid to have been enacted as a punishment for their neglect in not having addreffed her late majefty queen Anne, on her acceffion to the throne, were induced to think that they ought to avoid giving the like occafion of offence on that happy event, and therefore, fome of the principal among them, refolved to present an humble congratulatory addrefs to his majefty on that occafion. But the before-mentioned rebellion in favour of a popish pretender, having then broken out in Scotland and England, fo unjust and general a clamour was raised against them on that account, and fuch virulent invectives and misrepresentations of both their civil and religious principles, daily iffued from the pulpit and the prefs, as occafioned them to change their resolution, and to think it more prudent and safe at that period of jealousy and distrust, to remain filent in that refpect; and by ftill perfevering in their wonted dutiful behaviour, to give more fubftantial proofs of their loyalty, and of the falfehood and cruelty of these invectives and mifreprefentations, than could poffibly be conveyed by their most fubmiffive and zealous profeffions of fidelity in a formal address; and in truth, that the behaviour of these people was uniformly and unquestionably fuch, during that whole reign, these very enemies have been fince obliged to confefs.

The consciousness of this behaviour, together with their reasonable hope, that it had fomewhat abated the former prejudices of their enemies, emboldened them to draw up an humble addrefs to his majefty George II. on his acceffion; which was prefented with all due

respect

respect to the lords juftices at the caftle of Dublin, by Lord Delvin and other perfons of the first quality among them; but fo little notice was then taken either of their addrefs or themselves, that it is not yet known whether it was ever tranfmitted to be laid before his majefty, as it was humbly defired it fhould be; or whether even an anfwer was returned by their excellencies that it fhould be fo tranfmitted.

Penal laws enforced in the reign of King George II.

IN the year 1734 application having been made to his

majefty, for the reverfion of fome outlawries, incurred by the infurrections of 1641, the former of which, particularly, as we have already obferved, had been moft iniquitoufly obtained, and had actually reduced fome of the most ancient, noble and opulent Roman catholic families of the kingdom, with their numerous defcendants, to abfolute beggary. The commons then fitting, and juftly apprehending from his majefty's known equity and commiferation, that fuch application might meet with fome fuccefs; refolved upon a petition, wherein among other things, they tell his majefty plainly, and even with a kind of menace," that nothing could enable them to defend his right and title to his crown fo effectually as the enjoyment of thofe eftates, which have been the forfeitures of the rebellious Irifh, and were then in the poffeffion of his proteftant fubjects; and therefore, that they were fully affured, that he would difcourage all applications or attempts that should be made in favour of fuch traitors or their defcendants, fo dangerous to the proteftant intereft of this kingdom." This petition produced the wished for effect. The king in his anfwer affured the commons, "that he would for the future difcourage all fuch applications and attempts."

But the commons not content with this affurance, and ftill fearing, that thofe popifh folicitors, who had

been

been employed by the catholics in their late unfuccefsful attempt, might prevail upon their clients to renew their application at another more favourable juncture, brought in a bill, abfolutely difqualifying all Roman catholics from practifing as folicitors, the only branch in the law profeffion which they were then permitted to practise.

While this bill, which was afterwards paffed into a law, was under debate in the house of commons, certain Roman catholics of Dublin and Cork, not imagining that their making legal oppofition to it, would give the least offence to government, began to fet on foot a collection among those of their perfuafion refiding in these two cities, in order to enable them to defray the neceflary expences attending on fuch oppofition. In this business fome of their clergy in Munfter happened to be engaged; among whom, one Hennefy, a parifh prieft in that province, having, for his notoriously fcandalous behaviour, been lately fufpended by his fuperior, fought revenge, by giving in examinations against him, importing that the money which had been thus collected by him and others, in different parts of the kingdom, was intended for no other fervice, but the bringing in of popery and the pretender, Upon which thefe gentlemens papers were feized, and fubmitted to the infpection of a certain knight, who laid them before the house of commons, where they underwent the ftricteft fcrutiny for many weeks; that venal and verfatile commoner, but conftant brawler against popery, exerting all his boisterous eloquence to perfuade the house, from the fole evidence of these papers, though obviously harmlefs and infignificant in themselves, that a deep and dangerous popifh plot was actually carrying on for the before-mentioned wicked purposes. And yet it appears after all, by the committee's printed report on this occafion, that the fum collected to accomplish this mighty defign of bringing in popery and the pretender, did not amount in the whole to full five pounds.

The committee, however, refolved,' that it appeared VOL. II.

S

' Com. Jour. vol. vi. f. 352.

to

to them, that under colour of oppofing heads of bills, great fums of money had been collected and raised, and a fund established by the popish inhabitants of the kingdom, through the influence of their clergy, highly detrimental to the proteftant intereft, and of imminent danger to the present happy establishment;" and therefore refolved further, "that an humble address fhould be prefented to his grace the lord lieutenant, to iffue his proclamation to all magiftrates, to put the laws against popery in execution." In confequence of this addrefs, the proclamation was iffued by his grace, and the laws against popery were strictly executed by the magistrates in every part of the kingdom."

These frequent refolutions of the commons, aided by inflammatory anniversary sermons, and equally inflammatory pamphlets, occafionally preached and published, diffufed fuch a fpirit of rancour and animofity against catholics, among their proteftant neighbours, as made the generality of them believe that the words popery, rebellion and maffacre, really fignified the fame thing, and thereby excited fuch real terrors in these latter, as often brought the liberties and fometimes the lives of the former into imminent danger. The moft fhocking circumftances of the Irish infurrection in 1641, and of the English gun-powder treafon in 1605, were ftudiously revived and aggravated in these fermons, and pamphlets, with a degree of virulence and exaggeration, which, as it furpaffed the moft extravagant fictions of romance or poetry, fo it poffeffed their uninformed, though often well-meaning, hearers and readers with lafting and general abhorrence of these people. The crimes, real or fuppofed, of catholics dead more than a century before, were imputed, intentionally, to all

thofe

On the 9th of March, 1731, "Refolved unanimously, that it is the indifpenfable duty of all magiftrates, and officers, to put the laws made to prevent the further growth of popery in Ireland, in due execution." It was alfo at the fame time refolved, nem. con. (being the end of the feffion)" that the members of that houfe, in their refpective countries, and ftations, would use their utmost endeavours, to put the feveral laws against popery in due execution." Com. Jour. vol. vi. f. 183.

those who survived them, however innocent, of the fame religious perfuafion. By thefe means, an antient nobleman and privy-counfellor, of great power and influence, was fo enthusiastically incenfed against them, that, in the year 1743, on the threatened invasion of England by the French, under the command of Marefchal Saxe, he openly declared in council," that as the papists had began the maffacre on them, about an hundred years before, fo he thought it both reafonable and lawful, on their parts, to prevent them, at that dangerous juncture, by firft falling upon them." And although the barbarity of that fuggeftion was quickly over-ruled in that honourable affembly; yet fo entirely were fome of the lower northern diffenters poffeffed and influenced, by this prevailing prepoffeffion and rancour against catholics, that in the fame year, and for the fame declared purpofe of prevention, a confpiracy was actually formed by fome of the inhabitants of Lurgan, to rife in the night-time and destroy all their neighbours of that denomination in their beds." But this inhuman purpose was alfo fruftrated, by an information of the honeft proteftant publican, in whose house the confpirators had met to fettle the execution of their scheme, fworn before the Rev. Mr. Ford, a justice of the peace in that district, who received it with horror, and with difficulty put a stop to the intended maffacre.

This atrocious defign was known and attested by several of the inhabitants of Lurgan; and an account of it was tranfmitted to Dublin by a confiderable linen-merchant, then at Lurgan on his private mercantile affairs.