My Proteftant reader will here call to mind, that all these provocations were offered to " equitable and unoffending proprietors," near half a century before the troubles of FORTY-ONE---

AND THE TROUBLES OF FORTY-ONE, WERE CREATED BY A CONTINUATION OF SUCH PERSE

CUTION, AND OPPRESSION.- -We are informed by Mr. Carte, in his first Vol. p. 50, "That in the perplexity of the affairs of Charles ift, the Roman Catholicks of Ireland OFFERED to pay conftantly an army of five thousand foot, and five hundred horfe, for his majefty's fervice, provided they might be tolerated in the exercise of their religion---The toleration they defired was no more than fame refpite from the oppreffions and extortions of the ecclefiaftical Courts, and to have rigorous proceedings against them in thefe Courts, FOR RELIGION, fufpended----To be released from thefe exorbitant fums which they were compelled to pay for their Christenings and Marriages: And in particular, to have the extravagant furplice-fees of the Proteftant Clergy, and the unconftitutional warrants for levying them, abolished

Now it is very fingular to learn, from the most authentic documents of the time, the fpecies of oppreffions, and the denominations of exactions at this time fanctioned by the ecclefiaftical Courts, and levied upon all Catholicks by the Proteftant Clergy, as complained of by the Catholicks in the above OFFER to Charles the Firft

In the Irish Commons' Journals, we find a Remonflrance to the King, Commons' Journals, vol. I. page 258] in which is ftated "That the Judges of the Ecclefiaftical courts were guilty of

barbarous

barbarous and unjuft exactions, and that too, for fuch rights and customs as had been formerly in use with the Popish natives, but had long fince been condemned, and renounced by Proteftants, viz. money for holy-water, for anointing, mortuarymuttons, Mary-gallons, St. Patrick's ridges, foulmoney, and the like.-"And how fhamefully, and oppreffively the Proteftant Bishops did expose their religion to fale, and to contempt, in thofe Ecclefiaftical courts, from whofe tyranny the Catholicks were willing to purchase their redemption at fo dear a rate as maintaining an army of five thousand foot, and five hundred horse, is manifefied by bishop Burnet, [Life of bishop Bedel]" In thefe courts," fays Burnet, "bribes went about barefaced, and the exchange they made of penance for money was the worft fort of fimony." And in the above-mentioned Remonfrance of the House of Commons it ftands recited, "That divers complaints had been referred to them, by fundry perfons from all parts of this kingdom, of the many grievous exactions, preffures and vexatious proceedings of fome of the Clergy of this kingdom, and their officers and minifters, against the laity, and especially the poorer fort, to their great impoverithing, and the general detriment of the whole kingdom-which it was conceived by the unanimous, votes of the House, after many debates thereupon, that all of them were very great and enormous grievances; and fome whereof, being moft exorbitant, and barbarous, they were of opinion ought to be quite abolished.

"

But let us now inquire what was the EVENT of this GREAT OFFER of the Irish Catholicks to Charles I. TO OBTAIN TOLERATION UNDER A PROTESTANT GOVERNMENT?

• Upon

Upon the first tender of it to the govern ment, a PROTESTATION againft it was drawn up by Primate Ufher, and fubfcribed by twelve Bybops; which proteftation was folemnly pronounced by Dr. Downham, bishop of Derry, in Chrift-church, before the Deputy, Privy Council, and Parlia ment; upon whom it had fo powerful an effect, that the Catholicks' offer was SCORNFULLY REJECTED, and their religion SCURRILOUSLY ABUSED" [Dr. Corry, Vol. I. page 109-and Sir Edward Walker's Hiftorical Difcourfes, page 337, folio-]

And Mr. Bayle, a foreigner, under the ar ticle of USHER, whofe memoirs he relates in his Dictionary, obferves "That upon this occafion the Bishops of Ireland (his French expreffion is, Primate Ufher and his Suffragans) proceeded

UPON THE PRINCIPLES OF THE MOST EXTRAVAGANT INTOLERANCE: That this PROTESTATION was not founded upon maxims of ftate, but merely, and folely againft the religious worship of the

church of Rome."

Now, gentlemen, this learned and accom plished man wrote fo little under the influence of the church of Rome, or of any other church, that he was univerfally impeached of fcepticism and infidelity.

I would now have done with the ecclefiaftical portion of that perfecution which has been inflicted upon Irish Catholicks fince the æra of the Reformation, but I cannot find in my heart, tho' fatigued as you must be, both with me, and my quotations, to refift making you as fapient as myfelf regarding the nature of thefe ftrange extortions from the poor Catholics, by the Proteftant clergy

clergy of those days, which I have juft communicated to you, upon the authority of the journals of parliament-you must know, then, you heretical diffenters! [for John Knox himself fubfides into AN INDULGENT, AND MERCIFUL QUAKER, when brought into competition with thefe ecclefiafticks] that- There were great fums of money received by feveral bishops of this kingdom, for computation of penance; that in Conaught, and elfe where, the clergy demanded fixpence per annum of every couple, Holy-water-clark-of every man who dies a muttue, fixpence by the way of anointing money-from a poor man that has but one cow, they take that for mortuary -from one who is better able, his best garment for mortuary-if a woman, her beft garment for mortuary-a gallon of ale from every brewing, by the name of mary-gallons for every beef which is killed at the funeral of any man, they demand the hide and the tallow, and they challenged a quarter betides-Sixpence per annum from every parishioner for foul-money--a ridge of winter-corn, and a ridge of oats for every plow, by the name of St. Patrick's ridges-The tenth part of the goods, after debts are paid, for portion-cannons, &c. &c. [Remonftrance of the Commons-See Commons Journals, Vol. I p. 261.]

Now, gentlemen, I have put you in poffeffion of the arcanum of anointing-money, mortuary, mary-gallons, foul-money, and St. Patrick's ridges; which you never knew before, I am fure; and of itself, it is worth the price of the book-fo buy me not, grudgingly

I am aware, it may be retorted that these im. pofitions were learned from the Catholic clergy themselves

themselves of darker times: But that were only to aggravate the guilt of the Reformed clergy, who protested againft impofitions, which, when they obtained power, they inftantly put in practice; adopting and exercifing the oppreffions which they had abjured.

If the Catholic clergy HAD an undue influence, I believe that influence is nearly verging to its clofe.-Through Europe those ambitious wings are clipt, by which the fpiritual order foared to the dominations "of the kingdom which is of this world" But God forbid, their influence fhould ever fo far decline, as to render impotent their fpiritual comforts, and exhortations; and defeat the labours and the example of learning, meeknefs, experience, difintereftedness, charity, and christian zeal.

And if these unfortunate Catholicks, "efpecially the poorer fort," as ftated in the Commons' Remonftrance, did pay these levies to their own clergy, the hardship and perfecution only became the heavier, of being compelled to disburse them a fecond time, to a clergy who were not their own in either way it argues against the Proteftant tyranny.

But though they were taxed for fuppofed fuperftitions, they were totally precluded from the exercise of their devotions. -Mr. Hammon L'Eftrange relates, [and with triumph, for he was himself a perfecutor-fee Harris's Fiction Unmasked, page 99, Dub. Edit.] "That on St. Stephen's-day, 1629, while the Lords Juftices were at Chrift-church in Dublin, the Papifts were celebrating Mafs in Cook-ftreet; which their Lordships taking notice of, they fent the ARCH