. ried on in favour of a popifh pretender; though all the acting rebels, almoft to a man, were Scottish prefbyterians; and none of the catholics in Ireland were known to be any way connected with them. Yet fuch was the government's affected fear, or real hatred, of these catholics, that the penalties for the exercise of their religion, were then generally inflicted. Their chapels were fhut up; their priests dragged from their hiding places; fometimes from the very altars, in the midst of divine fervice, hurried into loathfome prifons, and from thence banifhed for ever from their native country. This perfecution was the obvious, and but the natural, effect of a refolution of the commons at that juncture: "that it was the indispensable duty of all magiftrates, to put the laws in immediate execution against popifh priests; and that fuch of them as neglected to do fo, fhould be looked upon as enemies of the conftitution." And although this rebellion of the prefbyterians in Scotland, was the fole pretence for this feverity; and the very fame law which banishes popish priests, prohibits alfo diffenters to accept of or act by, a commiffion in the militia or array; yet so partial were the resolutions of that parliament, that, at the fame time that they ordered the former to be rigorously profecuted, they refolved unanimoufly," that any perfon, who fhould commence a profecution against any of the latter, who had accepted, or fhould accept of, a commiffion in the array or militia, was an enemy to king George and the proteftant interest." Thus of the only two main objects of the fame law, its execution against one of them was judged highly meritorious; but it was deemed equally culpable, even to attempt it against the other; though the law itself makes no difference between them. Such was the justice and confiftency of our legiflators of that period. The frequent exertions of this particular prejudice against the Roman catholic clergy of Ireland, feem not to have been the effects of any new or fudden provocation, arifing occafionally from their mifconduct, with refpect to the government; but appear to a have been owing to a fpirit of intolerance, on account of their religion only; and to have been uniformly carried on, upon principle, for many years after; until they were at length heightened to fuch a degree of wanton cruelty, as rather difhonours the religion it was intended to ferve. For in the year 1723, it having been again unanimoufly refolved in parliament, "that it was the indispensable duty of all magiftrates to put the laws in immediate execution against popish priests and that the neglect of feveral magiftrates, in executing the laws against papifts, did greatly contribute to the growth of popery." Leave was given to bring in heads of a bill, for explaining and amending the two acts before mentioned, to prevent the growth of popery. Upon which occafion, one of the most zealous promoters of that bill, having gravely taken notice, in a long and laboured fpeech, that of all the countries wherein the reformed religion had prevailed, Sweden was freest from those secret, but irreconcilable, enemies of all proteftant governments, popish ecclefiaftics; which, he said, was visibly owing to the great wisdom of their laws, inflicting the penalty of caftration on all fuch dangerous intruders into that kingdom. He feriously moved, that this gothic and inhuman penalty might be added as a claufe to the bill before them to which the house, after a fhort debate, agreed; and ordered it to be laid before his grace the lord lieutenant, to be transmitted into England, with this remarkable requeft on their part, "that he would re commend a Dean Swift, in his Plea of Prefbyterian Merit, after taking notice, that the Roman catholics of Ireland " abhorred the Jacobites and high-flyers above all other men, on account of feverities against their priests in queen Anne's reign, when that party was in power;" adds, "this I was convinced of fome years ago, by a long journey into the southern parts (of Ireland), where I had the curiofity to fend for many priests of the parishes I paffed through, and, to my great fatisfaction, found them every where abounding in profeflions of loyalty to the late king George; for which they gave me the reafons above-mentioned; at the fame time complaining bitterly of the hardships they fuffered under the queen's last miniftry." Works, Dubl. edit. vol. iii. p. 274. commend the fame, in the most effectual manner to his majefty." To which his grace was pleafed to answer, "that as he had fo much at heart a matter, which he had recommended to the confideration of parlia ment, at the beginning of the feffion; they might depend upon a due regard, on his part, to what was defired." The bill was accordingly tranfmitted to England; but rejected there, by means of the humane and earneft interpofition of Cardinal Fleury with Mr. Walpole, whofe great power and interest at that jun&ture, were then univerfally known. His grace the lord lieutenant, in his speech to that parliament, at the close of the feffion, in order to confole them for the lofs of their favourite bill, gave them to understand, "that it miscarried meerly by its not having been brought into the house, before the feffion was fo far advanced." And after earnestly recommending to them, in their feveral stations, the care and prefervation of the public peace; he added, " that, in his opinion, that would be greatly promoted, by the vigorous execution of the laws against popifh priests; and that he would contribute his part towards the prevention of that growing evil, by giving proper directions, that fuch perfons only fhould be put into the commiffion of the peace, as had diftinguished themselves by their steady adherence to the protestant intereft." Thefe general words, "proteftant intereft," feem to carry with them a vague and indefinite meaning; but if the proteftant religion is here, in any respect, fignified by them, I will venture to affirm, that in no other age or nation, has religion ever been attempted to be ferved or promoted, by fo fhameful and cruel an expedient, as that propofed in this rejected bill. CHA P. CHA P. 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 feverest 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, some 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 popifh pretender, having then broken out in Scotland and England, fo unjust and general a clamour was raifed against them on that account, and fuch virulent invectives and mifreprefentations of both their civil and religious principles, daily iffued from the pulpit and the prefs, as occafioned them to change their refolution, 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 addrefs; and in truth, that the behaviour of thefe 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 refpe& respect to the lords juftices at the castle 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 themfelves, 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 answer was returned by their excellencies that it fhould be fo tranfmitted. CHA P. XI. 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 most 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 justly apprehending from his majesty'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 so effectually as the enjoyment of those estates, which have been the forfeitures of the rebellious Irish, 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 wifhed for effect. The king in his answer affured the commons," that he would for the future discourage all fuch applications and attempts." ઃઃ But the commons not content with this affurance, and still fearing, that those popish solicitors, who had been |