С НА Р. XVII.

Reflections on the foregoing fubject.

YET fome perfons there were, who, in order to fave the characters of these their friends, from the horrible imputation of fuborning others to commit perjury and murder, ftrenuously endeavoured, and with fome fuccefs, to have it believed, that credit ought to be given to the teftimony of thofe approvers, in preference to the folemn and unanimous declarations of thefe dying men. But let us advert a moment to the miferable weakness of this credulity. Thofe approvers were imprisoned on a charge of murder, and ftruck with the fear of an ignominious death; being certain, at the fame time, that their pardon was to be obtained only by the teftimony they gave, however falfe. On the other hand, the dying prifoners before mentioned, had often rejected the like offers of pardon, and folemnly denied their being guilty of the crimes for which they fuffered, in the very article of death; confcious that they were instantly to account for fuch denial, before an all-juft and all-feeing Judge. Now when we confider this material difference in the circumftances of the teftimonies of the accufers, and the accused, who can forbear concluding, that the oaths of the former were wilful perjuries, prompted by the hopes of a pardon, of which the fhedding of innocent blood was to be the only purchase; and that the folemn declarations of the latter, were noble and fuccefsful efforts of truth, confcience, and honour, against all the strongest temptations to the contrary, that the love of life, and the tendereft endearments and connexions of this world, could have thrown in their way."

Such, during the fpace of three or four years, was the fearful and pitiable state of the Roman catholics of Munfter, and fo general did the panic at length become, fo many of the lower fort were already hang

ed,

ed, in jail, or on the informers lifts, that the greatest part of the rest fled through fear; fo that the land lay untilled, for want of hands to cultivate it, and a famine was with reafon apprehended. As for the better fort, who had fomething to lofe (and who, for that reason, were the perfons chiefly aimed at by the managers of the profecution), they were at the utmost lofs how to difpofe of themselves. If they left the country, their abfence was conftrued into a proof of their guilt if they remained in it, they were in imminent danger of having their lives fworn away by informers and approvers; for the fuborning and corrupting of witneffes on that occasion, was frequent and barefaced, to a degree almoft beyond belief. The very ftews were raked, and the jails rummaged in fearch of evidence; and the most notoriously profligate in both were felected and tampered with, to give informations of the private tranfactions and defigns of reputable men, with whom they never had any dealing, intercourse, or acquaintance; nay, to whofe very persons they were often found to be ftrangers, when confronted at their trial.

In short, fo exactly did these profecutions in Ireland' resemble, in every particular, thofe which were formerly fet on foot in England, for that villainous fiction of Oates's plot, that the former feem to have been planned and carried on intirely on the model of the latter; and the fame juft obfervation that hath been made on the English fanguinary proceedings, is perfectly applicable to those which I have now, in part, related, viz. " that for the credit of the nation, it were indeed better to bury them in eternal oblivion, but that it is neceffary to perpetuate the remembrance of them, as well to maintain the truth of history, as to warn, if poffible, our pofterity and all mankind, never again to fall into fo fhameful and fo barbarous a delufion."

CHA P.

С Н А Р. XVIII.

Some profpect of mitigating the rigour of the popery

laws.

ALL this while, the chapels of the Roman catho·lics were fuffered to be open, and the exercife of their religion was actually connived at; although that religion was, at the fame time, accufed, in the spirit of the framers and advocates of the popery laws, of prompting its profeffors to these pretended acts of rebellion; which proves to a demonstration, that these laws, notwithstanding their pompous title, were primarily intended, rather to deprive these people of their property and fubftance, than of the free exercise of their religion; fince having long fince taken from them almost all that was real of the former, they have left them unmolested with regard to the latter.a

By this connivance, however, the defenders of these laws pretend, that the objection from the breach of the articles of Limerick is removed; as these articles promised nothing more than that the Roman catholics

fhould

"But it seems (fays Mr. Young) to be the meaning, wish and intent of the discovery laws, that none of them (the Irish catholics) should ever be rich. It is the principle of that fyftem, that wealthy fubjects would be nuifances; and therefore every means is taken to reduce, and keep them to a state of poverty. If this is not the intention of these laws, they are the most abominable heap of felf-contradictions that ever were issued in the world. They are framed in such a manner that no catholic fhall have the inducement to become rich....... Take the laws and their execution into one view, and this ftate of the cafe is so true, that they actually do not feem to be fo much levelled at the religion, as at the property that is found in it. .... The domineering ariftocracy of five hundred thousand protestants, feel the fweets of having two millions of flaves: they have not the leaft objection to the tenets of that religion which keeps them by the law of the land in subjection; but property and flavery are too incompatible to live together: hence the fpecial care taken that no fuch thing should arife among them." Young's Tour in Irel. vol. ii. p. 48,

fhould not be disturbed in the exercife of their religion. But (befides that there is a wide difference between a meer connivance and a privilege, the former being purely negative, or a non-hinderance, depending folely on the will or caprice of the perfons conniving; the latter, an actual and pofitive power of doing what is not otherwise prohibited, which power or privilege was the thing ftipulated by the faid articles, not only to be preserved, but also to be enlarged by a future parliament; whereas the quite contrary has been fince done by these laws;) how can it be seriously imagined, that the catholics of Ireland enjoy, at this day, the free exercise of their religion, when that very exercise is precifely the cause of their being robbed, pursuant to thofe laws, in fo many inftances, of both their liberty and property! Nothing certainly can equal the abfurdity of fuppofing the exercife of that religion to be free and undisturbed, at the fame time that it is forbidden and restrained by a multiplicity of fevere legal penalties, which are still occafionally inflicted.

Under all these unjust fufpicions, preffures, and restraints, did the Roman catholics of Ireland labour, by the operation of the two felf-executing popery acts of the second and eighth of queen Anne, without the leaft glimpse of any reasonable hope of redrefs, until the year 1775; when a profpect feemed to be opened to them of fome future alleviation in the legiflature's free and unfolicited tender of an oath of allegiance, which has afforded them the long-wifhed-for opportunity of wiping off, effectually, thofe foul afperfions which for fo many years past have been caft upon both, by their ignorant or malicious enemies. In that year, a majority of humane and enlightened members, in both houses of parliament, having been themselves witneffes of the conftant dutiful behaviour of the Roman catholics of Ireland, under many painful trials; and confcious that their long perfeverance in fuch be haviour was the best proof they could have given of the integrity of that principle, which had hitherto withheld them from facrificing conscience and honour

to

to any temporal intereft, fince rather than violate either by hypocritical profeffions, they have, under all trials, patiently fuffered in that particular: these truly patriotic members, I fay, influenced by fuch -motives, caufed the aforefaid oath to be framed; which as it is the most certain teft, that can poffibly be required or given by men, of the fincerity of their profeflions muft fufficiently enfure their civil duty and allegiance.

As the conciliating spirit of the framers of this oath manifeftly appears in the preamble to it, it may not be improper to infert it in this place at large.

"Whereas many of his majesty's fubjects in this kingdom are defirous to testify their loyalty and allegiance to his majesty; and their abhorrence of certain doctrines imputed to them; and to remove jealoufies, which hereby have, for a length of time, fubfifted between them and others, his majefty's loyal fubjects; but upon account of their religious tenets, are by the laws now in being, prevented from giving public affurances of fuch allegiance, and of their real principles, good-will and affection towards their fellow fubjects; in order, therefore, to give such persons an opportunity of teftifying their allegiance to his majefty, and good-will towards the conftitution of this kingdom, and to promote peace and induftry among the inhabitants thereof, be it enacted, &c."

This teft, fo well calculated to anfwer all the neceffary purposes of civil duty and allegiance, was, at its first promulgation, voluntarily and chearfully taken by a great and respectable number of the Roman catholic clergy, nobility, gentry, and people; when no other apparent benefit to them was either propofed or expected from it, but that of testifying, in the most effectual manner, their loyalty and attachment to his majesty's person and government, as well as their abhorrence of certain impious doctrines, moft uncharitably imputed to them by their enemies.

CHA P.