tent with Roman catholics abjuring all civil power and temporal jurifdiction in popes over other princes, infist that it is abfolutely neceffary for the fafety of every proteftant government, under which they are fuffered to live, that they fhould alfo renounce the pope's fpiritual fupremacy (the belief of which is an effential article of their religion, and has not the leaft connexion with, or relation to the temporal dominion of other princes); at the fame time that thofe men, under a false notion of their chriftian liberty, and a ftrange prefumption that they are authorised to interpret the fcriptures in their own private fenfe, and to fquare their conduct accordingly, even in the highest political affairs, have themselves often ufurped a fpiritual authority (not controulable by any earthly power, as imagined to be founded on facred writ), in virtue of which they have often excited, and afterwards justified, the most dangerous tumults and commotions; I may fay, the fubverfion of government, civil and ecclefiaftical.

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ftand here branded with an incapacity for civil and military employments. We do affirm, that the catholics can bring many more inftances of the fame kind; fome thousands of their religion having been forced by the facramental teft, to retire into other countries, rather than live here under the incapacity of wearing fwords, fitting in parliament, and getting that share of power and profit which belongs to them as fellow chriftians, whereof they are deprived merely upon account of conscience, which would not allow them to take the facrament after the manner prefcribed in the liturgy. Hence it clearly follows, in the words of the fame author [Reasons against the Teft], that if we catholics are incapable of employments, we are punished for our diffent, that is, for our confcience, which wholly turns upon political confiderations." Swift's Works, vol. viii. p. 56-7.

CHA P. VI.

Perfecution of the catholics in the reign of queen Anne.

DURING all queen Anne's reign, the inferior civil officers, by order of the government, were inceffantly hampering the Roman catholics with oaths, imprisonments, and forfeitures, without any other visible cause, but that of their religious profeffion; but the conduct of these people was ftill found fo blameless, that it fometimes made their very perfecutors afhamed of their feverity. In the year 1708, on the bare rumour of an intended invafion of Scotland by the pretender, "no fewer than forty-one Roman catholic noblemen and gentlemen were imprisoned in the caftle of Dublin."

R 2

And

a This perfecution of the catholics of Ireland, had no other foundation but the pretender's being of the fame religion with them; at the fame time that the Irish prefbyterians were highly favoured by government; although it appears from Mr. Hook's authentic Memoirs, that "the prefbyterians in the western and fouthern counties (of Scotland), namely, in Clydesdale, Nithfdale, Galloway, Air, Kirkudbright, with thofe of the provin ces of Tiviotdale, Tweedale, and the Foreft, were a that juncture) refolved to take arins, and declare for the king (the pretender), and to raife 13,000 men, whom they were in a condition to be able to inaintain; that they were ready to join themselves to the friends of the king, whether catholics or epifcopals; that they would begin, and thereby give an opportunity to the rest to rise; and that they would put the strong castle of Dunbarton, on the river Clyde, into the hands of the perfon named by the king; that they had a correfpondence with the north of Ireland, and were certain that the Scots who inhabit that province, would declare for them; that they were ready to declare unanimoufly for king James; that all they asked was liberty of confcience for themselves, as well as the catholics." Hook's Mem. p. 40, 41, 42.

"They are certain, that the inhabitants alone of the north of Ireland, who are Scots, will directly furnish 20,000 men, compleatly armed, under a commander of great reputation among them, who has thereto engaged himself." Id. ib. p. 4.

And when they were afterwards fet at liberty, "because they had acted nothing against the government,' the ftate was fo fenfible of the wrong done them by their long and irksome confinement, "that it remitted their fees, though they amounted to eight hundred and odd pounds."

What pitiful occafions were then taken, from every trifling circumstance of their religion, to perfecute the perfons of these unhappy people, appears, among numberlefs other inftances, from the following paffage ; which, however inconsiderable in itself, has acquired fome weight and importance from the remarkable notice taken of it by the Irish commons. It seems there is a place of pilgrimage with them in the county of Meath, called St. John's well, which had been frequented every fummer from time immemorial, by infirm men, women, and children of that perfuafion, in hopes of being relieved from their several disorders, by performing certain acts of devotion and penance there. This the Irifh commons deemed an object worthy of their most serious confideration, and a matter of the greatest national concern; and accordingly paffed a vote, that these fickly devotees, "were affembled in that place to the great hazard and danger of the public peace, and fafety of the kingdom." In confequence of which, fines, imprisonments, and whipping were made the penalties of "fuch dangerous and tumultuous affemblies." A penance much more fevere than, probably, these poor people intended to inflict on themfelves; and from which they could hardly obtain any other cure of their diforders, but that never-failing one, death; which, in thofe times of religious rancour, frequently happened, by the extreme rigour of their punishment.

The scheme of the original framers of this law feems to have been, to drive the Roman catholic natives out of the kingdom (which effect it certainly produced on great numbers),

b

And even fuch of the Roman catholic natives, as were afterwards willing to return, were not permitted. For in 1713,

the

numbers), and to introduce foreign proteftants in their room. Accordingly, in the year 1709, at the request of the lords and others of the council, eight hundred and twenty-one proteftant Palatine families were brought over to Ireland, and the fum of twenty-four thoufand eight hundred and fifty pounds, five fhillings and fixpence, appointed for their maintenance, out of the revenue, on a refolution of the commons, that it would much contribute to the fecurity of the kingdom, if the faid Palatines were encouraged and fettled therein." But the error of that policy was foon after difcovered; for the lords, in their addrefs to the queen, in 1711, thankfully acknowledge, "that her majesty's early care had even prevented their own endeavours to free the nation of that load of debt, which the bringing over numbers of useless and indigent Palatines had brought upon them." It is remarkable that only four, out of this great number of protestant strangers brought over for the fecurity of the kingdom, enlifted in her majesty's army, though fhe was then actually engaged in a war with France.

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the commons ordered, that "an addrefs fhould be made to her majefty, to defire her, that fhe would be pleafed not to grant licences to papifts to return into the kingdom." Com. Journ. vol. iii.

It was even dangerous for them to attempt, or endeavour to hear, what paffed in the house of commons concerning themfelves. For in the fame year, an order was made there," that the ferjeant at arms fhould take into cuftody all papifts, that were or fhould prefume to come into the galleries." Ib. f. 976.

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In the fame year the house of commons in England, fays Burnet, " came to a fudden vote, that thofe who had encouraged, and brought over the Palatines, were enemies to the nation. They even repealed a bill for the naturalization of all protestants, which had paffed two years before, pretending that it gave the encouragement to the Palatines to come over." Hift. of his own Times, vol. ii. f. 338.

IN

Penal laws of discovery and gavel-kind enacted.

May 1709, was introduced into the house of commons, by Mr. Serjeant Caulfield, a bill for explaining and amending an act, intitled an act to prevent the further growth of popery. This bill was paffed and tranfmitted into Great Britain, in due form, on the 20th of June following, and got the royal affent from Thomas Earl of Wharton, lord lieutenant of Ireland, on the 30th of Auguft in the fame year.

As this fecond act to prevent the further growth of popery did, indeed, complete the misery of these people, without even the pretence of any recent provocation on their part; it will probably throw light on this dark and iniquitous tranfaction, to give fome sketches of the character of that chief governor, by whofe influence and management, this new calamity was brought upon them, which I fhall now do from the account left us of him and his administration here, by that real and venerable patriot, Dr. Jonathan Swift, who was perfonally acquainted with him.

"Thomas Lord Wharton, by the force of a wonderful conftitution, had paffed, by fome years, his grand climacteric, without any vifible effects of old age, either on his body, or his mind; and in fpite of a continual prostitution to thofe vices, which ufually wear out both. His behaviour is in all the forms of a young man at five and twenty; whether he walks, or whilstes, or fwears, or talks baudy, or calls names, he acquits himself in each beyond a templar of three years ftanding... He goes conftantly to prayers in the forms of his place, and will talk baudy or blafphemy at the chapel door. He is a prefbyterian in politics, and an atheist in religion; he had imbibed his father's principles of government, and took up no other in its ftead, excepting that circumstance, he is a firm prefbyterian. It

was