To the Editor of the Irish Magazine. this clergyman to have preached an SIR, In reading over your last number, the letter figned LAICUS, on the preaching of the Rev. Dr. Clarke, particularly attracted my attention. appeared to me that the writer of that letter must have written his ftrictures on the information of fome perfon not qualified to judge on matters of fuch importance. Certainly the writer must not have seen Mr. Clarke, elfe he never could have advanced fuch an infertion as that his appearance was against him.' I have been a conftant hearer and admirer of Mr. Clarke. I have ftudied his genius, his manner and all his oratorical qualifications. In my mind the paffions are difplayed with impreffive firmness, and with an aftonishing variety of afpect both in his countenance and gesture. But this is of a minor confideration when compared to the folidity of argument and depth of research, manifefted fo ftrongly by the fermons of Dr. Clarke. I have heard him on Holy Thurfday and Eafter day, on the eucharift, and the refurrection. And I retired from his fermon with a conviction of the truth of my religion on my mind and content that I was a catholic, not from the prepoffeffions of my education. I think that LAICUS has not done juftice to Dr. Clarke, and I offer you this little tribute to his talents and his learning. It is fomewhat aftonishing alfo, that this lay critic who has affumed the power of difpenfing praise and difpraife to whom he pleaf es, has never mentioned many other preachers who do not deferve his fi lence. I particularly allude to the Rev. E. French, a young clergyman, remarkable for his rifing reputation in the pulpit, and who has already earned the well-deferved applause of the difcerning & the judicious. I know extembore fermon, on an hour's notice, and to have acquited himself with ability; fuch an unstudied effort difplays more the powers of the mind than any poffible elucubration the production of a month, or the offspring oftoil and mental labour. I now leave the fubject to Laicus, who has a kind of presciptive right to this cle rical criticism. I am, Sir, Yours, &c. Sermonicus. The developement of the confpiracy against the Catholic Church of Ireland. In reading the debates on the catholic petition, we find the proof, the damning proof of what we have solely announced, through the medium of the Irish Magazine, namely, that a dark and dangerous confpiracy was organized and exifted in Dublin, for the purpofe of felling the hierarchy of the catholic church of Ireland to the king. Such was the apoftacy of this intended measure, that numbers of well-meaning men and religious catholics, who had not the fame certain information which we poffeffed, would not believe our statement and the very article entitled the ANTIPOPERY CLUB AT FITZPATRICK'S taifed our Magazine not a few enemies. Irifhmen, whofe ancestor's fhed their blood, and loft their property fooner than defert the rights and privileges of their faith, could not easily be brought to believe at this period of the world, when the face of Europe, has become catholic, when their caufe outlafting the horrorS of perfecutions was triumphing almoft at at the gaol, that a party of men could be found fo abandoned, and so bafe, as to give up treacherously thofe very rights and privileges, which our Countrymen always held moft dear. Indignant at the mean place-hunting policy of thefe nominal catholics, we denounced them to the public as the worst enemies of our country; we knew that it was actually in agitation to give the nomination of Bilhops to the king, we knew the men who were affociated for this infamous purpofe, and who it appears had affumed the infolent right of notifying to the mover and fupporter of the catholic bill, that the whole catholic people were ready to renounce the integrity and unity of their church. Mr. Grattan is reported to have faid that he had a propofition to fuggeft which indeed he was inftructed to make, namely that his Majesty may interfere upon any fuch occafion (the nomination of catholic bith ops) with his negative. That this would have the effect of preventing any catholic ecclefiaftic, being advanced to the government of that church in Ireland (the catholic church) who was not politically approved of by the government of that country.' Mr. Ponfonby is flated to bave faid, that the catholics with the confent of their clergy, & to remove the grand & only obftacle formerly oppofed to their claims, on the ground of their fubmiffion to the exclufive ecclefiaftical jurifdiction of a foreign Potentate, had agreed to acknowledge his Majefty TO ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, HEAD OF THE CHURCH.' Mr. Pontonby is alfo reported to have faid upon a queftion of Mr. York, that his authority was Dr. Milner, who was appointed by the Catholic Bishops to make this offer of nomination to the government. It is abfolutely impofble that this can be true. The newspapers must contain falfehood What! even our very bishops betray us the paftors to whom we are committed! must we even by them be turned over to the wolf. It is mondrous. we will not believe it, we call on Dr. Troy to come forward for himself and his fellow-bifhops, and deny the foul calumny. They could not, they dare not make fuch an affertion, as that it was the with of the people and clergy of Ireland, to yield to the king the nomination of their bithops.' Lord Fingal and his crew, the OLD SECEDER and his battalion of apoftates might and probably did inform Mr. Grat tan and Mr. Ponfonby, that fuch was the ftate of the catholic public mind. But fhall we be told that the reverend men who govern our church, could fo far enter into little temporal views, fo far forget the cause for which arch-bifhop Plunket laid down his life on the gibbet, and for which arch-bishop Talbot perished in a loathfome dungeon, as to mifreprefent the feelings of their people as to defert their unfortunate fuffering flock. Forbid it, heaven! Forbid it virtue! Forbid it, fhame. No, tho' Dr. Troy may have committed many and great political fins, yet furely he would not fuffer his grey hairs to be ftained with infamy, he would not fuffer his bones to fink into the grave loaded with the curfes of his countrymen; he would not leave the poor Irish man to point at his tomb, and exclaim, there refts the betrayer of the catholic church-there lies an apoftate.' We addrefs ourselves to our fellow-country men and fellow catholics. We exclaim to them that nothing fo flagrant, nothing fo nefarious has ever been attempted against the unity and exiftence of their church. as this very propofition of the antipopery, faction; we call on then to a wakon indolence and ftupid gratification, and vainly expects that when his parliamentary friends come into power, he will be granted the full enjoyment of thofe envied rights fo long the object of his folicitude. This delufion is fo pleafing that the moft evident experience will not operate on his fancy to teach him an unerring fact that there never were five of his advocates either in the British or Irish legiflature, who advocated ca Part waken to the defigns of thefe bad men and the danger of their fociety, to embrace each other before that crofs, and on that altar which comforted their fathers thro' ages of difficulties and affliction. Would not they indignantly purn with abhorrence the paftor bought and fold, temporizing, timid, and corrupt who should come fromthe bands of our new most Holy head of the Catholic Church; would they not refuse to commune with that paftor, whofe claim to atholic emancipation in the hope or mitre was perhaps his wealth or his the defire of its completion, meannefs, who fhould be pleafing of the catholic aristocracy, and many to fuch men as compofe the Irish of our rich tradesmen or merchants government, to Dr. Duignan, to who offered the church for fale, have Lord Norbury, to the Berresfords. in defiance of common fenfe ignorantLet not even the illufive plea of ly conceived it a measure thought emancipation be ufed in favour of fo by any English minifter compatible intamous a measure. The English with the integrity of the prefent Briparliament will give us no emanci- tifh empire. pation. Parliament is now merely the national ARENA where the place hunters, and the place-holders contend with each other, for the difpofal of influence and legal fpoil, and amongst the weapons which the Ours ufe against the INS, Catholic emancipation is wielded with un. common dexterity. It is a mifiile which the unpensioned fling against the pensioned. It is not for love of us, nor our caufe, that we hear fo many fine ufelets fpeeches; that we fee fo much fweetnefs wafted on the defert air of the treasury benches. Emancipation is a mere cant of annoyance which has been conveniently fung in the deaf ear of the minifter, without any hopes of making an impreffion, but folely to throw an unpopularity on him. We have always feen it decked out in all the frippery of patriotic eloquence, and we have leen the filly catholic becoming the dupe of the fame eloquence, and miftaking a place feeking advocate for a friend. He loiters away his years in anxious No British minifter will ever agree to filence their proteftant corporations the colonial affemblies of British interest, by difpiriting and by overwhelming their factions and inveterate paffions, by the introduction of a popish majority, for were the corporations wielded by catholics, the British minifter who incautiously extinguished and abandoned proteftant corporate, real and political irritation, would find it a difficult cafe, to reanimate it, once neglected by the foftering hand of power. It would fi Jently melt into the mats of the people, it would conciliate with its neighbours, as it ceafed to be important in generating domeftic agitation, and in a few years, the people would think it more convenient and honourable to be even denoted degenerate English, than duped Irish. Civil war would ceafe, but British influence won'd gradually disappear. Ireland is too populous and too important for her fize and fituation, to be expofed to the errors of independence, by any minifter attempting to break up fo fertile fertile and ancient an inftrument of domeftic variance, and external influence, as the colonizing wifdom of the adventurers, inftituted to fecure their influence, that of corporation monopoly, Canada & Corfica, have been quoted frequently as catholic countries where it was not deemed inconfiftent with the Royal pledges to the church and state, to establifn the catholic faith. Were Ireland fo infignificant in men and national spirit as the two countries of Canada and Corfica, where a couple of battalions, could be fufficient to filence any claims to independence. British piety would not be io intermingled with British policy, as to refule the harmle's boon of emancipation. Several gentlemen on the late debate, among others, fuch of the minifters who refifted the claims expreffed in the catholic petition, deprecated the measure, as it would tend to inflame the public mind, the people of England being decidedly hoftile to the idea of allowing catholics to participate in the higher branches of the ftate, or to get admiffion into the houfes of parliament. This imprudent explanation tends to commit the people of the two countries against each other, it plainly fays to the Irish, the people of this country are your enemies, while it compliments the British, that their bigotry and intolerance are too valuable articles, to be facrificed to do juftice to a great and high fpirited na tion. We would willingly have an anfwer from this religious nation of woollen drapers, and hardware-men, to the following queries, who are thefe people of England. Who are to be indulged in fuch an outrage upon the feelings of the men, who are fighting their battles? Are the London favages who burnt the catholic dwellings and chapels, under Lord George Gordon, this great people of England? Or are the illiterate weavers of Manchester, the fmiths of Birmingham, or the miners of Cornwall, the people of England ? Are 7 million of Englishmen, to be libelled by any minifter, fo grofsly as to make them exprefs a fentiment fo dangerous to the fifety of the em pie, that fix millions of Irifhmen, are not worthy to be admitted to participate in all the benefits of the conftitution. Character of the Irith, from a late Speech in the English Parlia ment. A Sir Samuel Romilly, brought in a bill for compenfating fuch unfortu nate perfons, as fuffered imprifonment on charges of felony, and were afterwards acquitted, who if the judge certified as not of vicious habits, fhould have remuneration to indemnify them for the injuries fuftained by themfelves and fa milies. This law dictated by found and genuine philanthropy, was oppofed by a Mr. Herbert, particularly if it was intended to extend its operation to Ireland, the learned gentleman obferved, it would be an evident abfurdity, and a waste of the public money, to apply it to the innocent Irifh, acquitted felons,' a people, who are fo ignorant, poor, idle and profligate, that it would be the greateft enjoyment they could be gratified in, to be in prifon, where their natural propenfity to vice and idle nefs 1 nefs being gratified, would be premium enough, without having the additional advantage of receiving pecuniary rewards, not for abiolute in jury fuftained, but for real benefits conferred. Anecdote of Charles XIIth of Sweden. This hero is well known to have been to admirer of the fair fex: but few perfons are acquainted with the chief caule of his averfion. Soon after his acceflion to the crown, while he was breathing nothing but war, and continually revolving the readielt and most expeditions means of waging it, an artift of Stockholm thewed him one day the defign of a piece of artillery of a new invention, The king was charmed with it, and ordered it to be carried it into execution without delay. But as his natural impatience made him think that the work went on but flowly, he one morning, having, as ufual, rifen before day break, walked alone to the artif's who had, from the preceeding day by a fever, been confined to his bed. Charles knocked so hard and so often as to gain admittance, and having converfed with the artift on the fubject of his vifit, retired, and was lighted to the door by a handfome housemaid. Here a fancy came into the king's head that proved him to be not infenfible nor averfe to the he attempted to take fome liberties with the girl, who being, perhaps, a native of Delecarlia, repaid his careffes with smart and vigorous refentment. This is faid to have made to deep an impreffion on him, that in Poland, be abfolutely refufed to fee the countefs of Koenigf mark, and for ever banished the ladies from his parties of pleasure and his prefence. lex ; Algarotti's Obfervations. The money which we spend on fnuff-boxes, &c. was by the ancients expended on bufts and ftatues; and inftead of a firework, by which we celebrate a victory, they erected a triumphal arch. It has been faid that a nation of fages would be the most foolish nati on in the world; as an army entirely confifting of captains would be a very indifferent army. Whoever knows not how to live by himself, fhall die in a crowd. Foreigners are more juft to a man's talents than his own countrymen; he lives not under their eyes, they, have no perfonal concern with him, exempt of envy, they referve him for pofterity. Cimon loved, and love made him ingenious. Sometimes a man b.comes polite as foon as he meets a woman, who prompts him to reveal the fecrets of his heart. A proud and rich man is certainly an ideot; a proud and poor man is generally a man of fenfe. The northern ladies are like their aurora boreales, they fhine without heating. Many honeft people are like the inhabitants of Hindofton, who are fo tender hearted as to fcruple to make capons; and every day they make eunuchs, Alexander was unwilling to con fefs, that he owed the conqueft of Afia to the foldiers formed by Philip his father. Plato fays not a word of Xenophon, who has been the ornament of the school of Socrates. Xenophon himself makes Not the leaft mention of Plato. Ariltotle, as it has been remarked by queen Chriftina, never names either his mafter or his difciple. Jul us Cæfar gives to the younger Craffus almost all the honour of the victory, which he gained over Ariovistus. |