EXTRACT FROM Dг. CHALLONER's "was the first author of this he, tumult, a meré savage, without wit, without learning, without, A man who was common sense. so far from having any sign of the THE CHARACTER OF THE REST OF Spirit of God, that he neither THE CHIEF' REFORMERS. 1. THE first man of any note that adhered to Luther's reformas tion, was Doctor Andrew Carlostadius, who was also the first that declared against the Mass, and the Elevation of the Sacrament; the first Priest that publicly married; the first that in these latter ages renewed the Iconoclasts war against the images of Christ and his Saints; and the first of the reformers that denied the real presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Blessed Eucharist. This man's character is given by Melancthon, who knew him perfectly well, and was himself a leading man in the new Religion.* Carlostadius" says Epift. au Frideric Mycon. Præfat ad Libr. Teftimon. knew nor practiced any of the (To be continued.) Proceedings of the Catholic Bishops, A full and impartial acount of the late treacherous and Anti-Catholic attempt to rob Irishmen of their Hierarchy and Religion, with the names of the Bishops, who voted for and againft granting the King a Veto, (that is, a. Rower of rejecting from the Epif copal Order, any Prieft he pleafed,) in the election of our Bishops. IN our last Number we promised to lay before our readers an account of the Proceedings in the National Council of our Catholic Bishops, held in John's-lane Cha coquetry with Government for the last ten years, be brought before the grand tribunal of fair and open discussion. But as discussion of the kind never suited their taste, they pressed Doctor Reilly, Primare of Armagh, to convene a National Synod, at the earliest day possible, in order, as they hoped, to stifle the cry of the peo pel, on the 14th, 15th, and 16th ult. We have taken much pains to be well informed on this head, and we hesitate not to pledge our selves, that the following statement, which we have condensed from the numerous and respecta ble letters and verbal communications we received, will be found the most satisfactory which has been as yet submitted to our Caple, by voting to the King at once, tholic countrymen. In every thing which affects their interest, which is inseparable from that of the Nation, we shall be ever found at our post. At the end of last June, a meeting of the Board of Trustees took place at Maynooth, from which place they adjourned to this City, and continued their sittings for some days in the month of July, Before the meeting broke up, a very spirited, and, we may now add, a most valuable letter, signed SARSFIELD, unexpectedly appeared in that truly patriotic paper, THE EVENING HERALD.-With this letter we had the pleasure of presenting our readers last month, and such was the demand for it, that it was republished in the following Number of the same respecta ble print-and from that moment to the present, the same able wiiter, and others, who stepped forward lately, kept up a continual alarm, and made the nation in general, acquainted with the subject in all its bearings. The Trustees of Maynooth, particuJarly the day Trustees and their confidan's, became greatly terri-fied; from the boldness of Sarsheld's style, and the knowledge he seemed to possess of the subject. they apprehended the bubble might burst, and all their intrigues and the power of Keto, or, in other words, the power of preventing any Priest of this Kingdom, the never so virtuous and zealous, from ever becoming a Bishop, unless that worthy Priest would be first mean enough to court the favour of Messrs. Giffard, Duigenan, and Dooley, (the great City orator,) and gentlemen of that description, to quality him to appear before some English clerk with their signatures, testifying his good behaviour !!! Immediately after he Rebellion of 98, the men of substance, who call themselves our "Natural Leaders," entered into a compromise with the late Marquis Cornwallis, in which they agreed to give up the right alluded to, for seats in Parliament, and pensions and titles for themselves. After the business was thus far arranged, Lord Castlereagh invited Doctor Trov to breakfast at his lodge in the Park, and there opened the plan in question. The Board of Trustees met in this City, and held their sittings on the 17th, 18th, and 19th of January 99, chiefly for that purpose. The Catholic Lay Trustees and their friends, waylaid and alarmed the poor Bishops with the lash of the cat-o'nine-tails still in their ears, and the terrible instrument of of death, the gibbet, overloaded with guilty and guiltless victims before their eyes with the firm, we will not venture to say, well grounded belief, that general extermination had been a few weeks before proposed by a man very high in power, in a certain Council, and almost adopted--with something more than hints, that the supplies were to be withdrawn from Maynooth, in case of refusal on their part; and with promises of peasions for themselves," and their Clergy; of Emancipa tion, &c. &c. on the other hand -the ten Bishops then assembled, in the midst of consternation and dismay, without the authority of, or even consulting with the other Bishops, the Priests or Lairy, set their hands and seals (in the name of the whole Body!!!) to the worst and most disgraceful document that ever was recorded in the annals of Irish Church History. We do not mention these circumstances with a view to lessen their characters as Divines, or moral men-on the contrary, as such we love and esteem them; but surely they themselves, on reflec, tion, will see and admit that in politics they always took the wrong side, since they came in contact with our Secretaries and Catholic Leaders at the College of May nooth-and this being the case, they connot blame us for remark ing with freedom, on their conduct as politicians, and warning them, if they regard their popularity with their flocks, to keep better company. and what astonishes us the more During the months of July and. Angust, and up to the middle of the present month, the public mind was wonderfully agitatedeach individual interpreted this dark conspiracy according to his own view of the subject, and many threw blame where, as it now appears, it was not mest deserved Doctor Milner's respecta ble name having been cited by Mr. George Ponsonby, as his authority for offering the Veto, brought down universal censure on his conduct; and this censure was changed into something like reprobation, when he refused to explain the mysterious proceedings, or rather when he sent to THE HERALD Office, three letters in his defence, which the whole nation considered as quibbling and evasive. In proportion as the popular ferment encreased, and that Catholics of all ranks and degrees began to cry out Harry the Eighth, Harry the Eight-the silly Leaders The secrecy observed by the went about from house to house Trustees, for nearly ten years, in ineffectually endeavouring to conthis affair of general property, sur- ceal their grief, and in the bitterpasses any thing we ever heardness of soul, wringing their hands and and gnashing their teeth, they involuntarily disclosed their deplor able state of mind-they saw all their fine prospects of titles and pensions blastedthey were ashamed to meet their Castle friends, to whom they had long before promised this promised this "Bonne Bouche," this last article of merchandise, the degenerate wretches had to bring to the English mar ker. Never were exertions greater than those of our Natural Representatives to keep together the ten Bishops who had signed the precious document for Lord Castlereagh in 99-at any rate three of the ten Bishops they justly considered staunch, for, on all Occasions where politics were concerned, these gentlemen went through thick and thin for them, and the Administration of the day, whether good or bad. One of them wrote Pastoral Letters, desiring his people to turn informers-another, in the most public manner, and on the most trying oceasion, resorted to the last authority in the hands of Ecclesiastics, which is to be exercised against the most profligate only, and even then it would be necessary that such profligates should be obstinate, before that terrible denunciation's being carried into execution. The third in his frequent loyal Visitations, the enormous expence of which his Priests would very gladly forgive-in his sermons against the character of Bonaparte-in his long-winded, talkative barangues, at his Visitation dinners, in favour of the Throne and the Altar, and in reading exracts from the political letters of Lard and Lady F and his friend, the dignified Apostate, had given the Lay Trustees sa many strong proofs of his faithful attention to their interests, that they expected great and powerful assistance, in this arduous struggle, from his pen and tongue. When matters stood thus between alternate hope and fear on every side, all the Irish Bishops arrived in town, except Doctors Dillon and French-the presence. of so many Bishops greatly contributed to excite the general anxiety, and one could see thousands walking the streets with evident symptoms of distraction on their countenances!! The morning of the 14th inst. at length appeared-a day, which was to decide upon the fate of the Irish Hierar chy for ever, after its having since, the time of Luther and Calvin, suffered greater persecution than. ever was experienced by any other, National Church on earth which forms an era in our history, and which will, for generations to come, be remembered with pride, and exultation day in fine, which has bruised the Hydra head of the Catholic Aristocracy, and has made them literally Aliens in, their native land--a thing they had themselves, in their kindness, intended for our unfortunate poor and middle ranks, and that at the expence of our religion as well as independence. day, Befors twelve o'clock, the Bisops took their seats, and Doctor. O'Reilly, as Primate of all Ireland, was called to the Chair-Doctors Betagh and Hamill, as Vicars resident in the Metropolis, and in some sort Representatives of the inferior Clergy, and Doctor Bod kin, Warden of Galway, being the the only persons present, except the Irish Bishops-even Doctor Milner, their agent at the seat of Government, (and what interest distinct from that of the general body, the Bishops can have in view at the seat of Government, we cannot possibly conjecture,) even Doctor Milner, we say, was not invited to the discussion, and it was very well for his own feelings he had not assisted there. After a long and argumentative speech from the Chairman, in which he explained the conduct and motives of himself and his nine Colleagues in 99, and pointed out the impropriety of granting to the Crown the power in question, under existing circumstances, he moved a resolution to that effect; but the resolution not meeting the general expectations of the body, an amendment was proposed, to make the rule absolute, or in other words, declaring that they never would under any circumstances whatever, suffer the Crown to interfere in the election of their Clergy. The Debates now became tremely warm, not to say violent some of the body having been urged on by the shame of retracting what they had formerly signed, or by the powerful influence of the Castle, of the Lay Trustees, or by motives of excessiva loyalty i whilst the others, not less loyal, for to do them justice, all our Bishps are men of unimpeachable loyalty,) but convinced, however; that the subversion of Religion would be the certain consequence of this Vetoor a few, perhaps, wishing to atone for their former error, by an honourable repentance, spoke ably and enthusiasti cally for the amendment, which would, they argued. put the question to sleep for ever, whereas the resolution of Doctor O'Reilly, went to leave the measure open for future discussion, and, like the Union, liable to be carried perhaps by surprise, on no very distant day. The names of the Bishops. and Priests present in Council, with their several places of address, are as follows Most Rev. Dr. O'Reilly, Drogheda. Dr. Bray, Thurles. Right Rev. Dr. Plunkett, Navan. Dr. Murphy, Monaghan, -Dr. Cruise, Ballymahon. -Dr. Dwyer, Newry. -Dr. O'Donnell, Londonderry, -Dr. M'Loughlin, Ballyshannon -Dr. O'Reilly, Belturbet. |