are now governed despotically: the generality of them were so governed before the French revolution; and the Popery laws, with all their provisions, were solely calculated to prevent Roman Catholics from having, or obtaining, any political power. With what justice, then, is the state of the Romanists of Ireland, during the existence of the Popery laws, painted in such glowing colours, as a state of slavery and political torture? And with what justice can it be asserted, that the stripping a class of people, the inveterate enemies of the Constitution of the state, of political power, and leaving them the enjoyment of all the other privileges of the state, the mildest in its regulations of any other political 'community on the face of the earth, is contrary to the precepts of a religion founded on the prin ciples of justice and humanity?

It very ill becomes the advocates of Popery to make such charges, and such appeals to the principles of Christianity. Doctor Troy, the Romish titular Archbishop of Dublin, lays it down, in a publication so late as 1793, that the decisions of general councils are of infallible authority in the Romish church. The decrees of the fourth Lateran council, particularly, quoted by Doctor Troy, enjoin the utter extirpation of Heretics, (that is, all Christians differing from the church of Rome,) and the dethronement of He

retical Sovereigns, and all others, who either refuse or neglect to purge their dominions of them; it decrees, that all engagements entered into with Heretics, though sanctioned by oath, are nullities in themselves. These decrees, in the first place, not only warrant the breach of all oaths of allegiance taken by Romanists to our Sovereign, being nullities in themselves, as made to an Acatholic, or Non-catholic, that is, an Heretical Prince, but command and enjoin resistance to his government, and extirpation of all Protes-" tants, as well as dethronement of the Monarch." The Romanists being aware of the prejudice which this ill-timed disclosure, respecting the' authority of general councils, had done to their applications for political privileges, endeavoured, by various subterfuges, to lessen the face of it. He and his associates have stated, in several sub-' sequent publications, that the decrees of the fourth Lateran council, respecting Heretical Sovereigns, and other subjects, were not decrees determining points of faith, but points regarding discipline only. The vulgar herd of Romish advocates, not understanding such subtle distinctions, allege, in their declamations and ephemeral essays, that the decrces of the fourth Lateran council against Heretics, being made six hundred years ago, are now obsolete, and worn out by age. With respect to the first

extenuation, it is incumbent on those who plead it, to shew that the decrees of a general council, respecting discipline are, as to practice, less binding on Romanists than their decrees, in points of faith, as to belief. The decrees of a general council, on points of discipline, may, perhaps, be altered or modified by a subsequent general council; but they are as binding on Romanists, in practice, till so altered or modified, as their decrees, in point of faith, are in belief. The universal practice of the court of Rome, in exact conformity with these decrees, ever since the fourth Lateran council, shews that the decrees of that council, respecting Heretics and Heretical Sovereigns, never were altered, nor modified, by any subsequent general council; but, on the contrary, were confirmed by the councils of Basil, Constance, and Trent. As to the second mode of apologising for those truly ferocious decrees of the fourth Lateran council, that their antiquity operates as a repeal of them, the very same argument might, with much greater force, be urged against the doctrines of Christianity, which, in point of age, precede the fourth Lateran by twelve hundred years; and these decrees have, uniformly, since their promulgation, and within the last century, been acknowledged and acted upon by the Pope and the court of Rome, as the known and established

law of the Romish church. The next expedient resorted to by the Romanists, to get rid of the unlucky disclosure of the doctrines of the Romish church, respecting the authority of the decrees of their general councils, is the publishing certain answers, stated, by them, to be received from the faculty of Divinity of Paris, from the University of Louvain in Flanders, and that of Valladolid in Spain, to certain questions proposed to them, at the desire of Mr. Pitt, which answers tend to controvert the obligation of the decrees of the fourth Lateran council, respecting Heretics, Heretical Princes, and their subjects. It is not stated upon what authority the authenticity of these answers depends; they were produced and published by a Romish Priest, of the name of Hussey, educated in Spain, the author of an inflammatory libel on the Protestants and government of Ireland, published by him under the title of a Pastoral Letter; in which he alleges that he was appointed Bishop of Waterford by the Pope. Supposing these answers to have been genuine, what weight can they bear against that of a general council, of the Pope and court of Rome, and of all the other Romish universities in Christendom? If any person wishes to know the very minute value of the opinions of Romish universities, let him read the Histories of the Reformation in England. He will there find

the opinions of most of the Italian, French, Spanish, and German universities, respecting the marriage of King Henry the Eighth and Queen Catharine, in direct contradiction one to the other; some of them holding it a lawful marriage, others, that it was unlawful, incestuous, and void; he will also find the methods by which these opinions were procured, every one of them by bribery, or the corrupt influence of the contending parties; to wit, the Emperor Charles the Fifth, nephew to Queen Catharine, and Henry the Eighth. This will teach him the contempt that is due to the garbled opinions of a few intriguing, corrupt, and ambitious leading members of a Romish University, though he should give credit to Hussey, as to the authenticity of these answers.

The decree of this fourth Lateran council, that all engagements, stipulations, or agreements with Heretics, though confirmed by oath, are, with the oath, absolute nullitics, affords a full answer to a specious argument used by Romanists, and their abettors, against what is so often, and with so much reason, objected to them; that they do not consider themselves as bound by oaths. They reason thus-if we took the oaths of qualification for offices, and employments, and for seats in Parliament, prescribed by law, we might enjoy all the civil privileges