“terius natura fua refertur." "That the pope "has an indirect power in temporals is proved

by the example of the art of making bridles, " and the art of riding for as these two arts "are different, because they have different objects, and fubjects, and actions: and notwithstanding, because the end of one is ap"pointed for the end of the other, therefore one prefides over the other, and prefcribes laws "to it in like manner, the ecclefiaftical and

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political powers feem to be diftinct powers, "and the one nevertheless fubordinate to the "other, because the end of the one is by its "own nature referred to the end of the other."

There, fir, is learned gibberifh, faddling the pope on the backs of kings, by Ariftotle's metaphyfics, the object, subject, action, relation, and end of bridle-making.

Another advocate for the depofing power difapproves the fimile: "Becaufe," fays he, very gravely, "if the art of riding were taken away, bridles would be useless: but the poli"tical power can fubfift without the ecclefiafti"cal." "Si enim non fit ars equeftris, fuper"vacanea eft ars frænorum faciendorum

An attempt to rectify the lameness of the comparison, by one quite as lame. If I had not

*Bellarmin, lib. v. de Rom. Pontif.

the

the authority of a cardinal to apologize for an abfurdity, I should not mention it, for fear of being cenfured: but I expect, that, with his eminence's paffport, it will be well received by the public. He compares then the pope to a Shepherd, and the king to aries. "Paftori eft poteftas triplex: una circa lupos, altera circa "arietes, tertia circa oves: unde debet arietem "furiofum depellere." *

You have in these two fimiles as folid arguments in favour of the depofing power, as Albertus Phigius and Bellarmin have ever advanced in support of their hypothefis and to them and their authors, I grant the fame paffport the fatirift granted Annibal in crofling the Alps:

:

I, demens, et fævas curre per Alpes, "Ut pueris placeas, et declamatio fias." t

You are to expect fome fcripture, in like manner for there never has been an error, how monftrous foever, but fcripture was quoted to give it fome colour. Arians, Eutychians, Neftorians have wrefted the facred writings to a wrong fenfe. The advocates for the depofing power have done the fame. They quote St. Paul who blames the Corinthians for pleading before

*Bellarmin, ibidem.

Juvenal, fat. x.

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heathen

heathen magiftrates. This proves that you and I could depose a king, because we would advise our neighbour to avoid troublesome and fcandalous law-fuits, and leave the decifion to the arbitration of two honeft neighbours. "Jehoiada, the high priest, ordered queen Athalia to "be flain. Ergo, the pope has an indirect power over bad kings."

*

This proves a direct power, not only to depofe, but to murder them: a power which neither Bellarmin nor any Catholic divine has ever vouched. Second: Athalia, who had murdered all the princes of the royal house of Judah, except. Joafh, was no longer queen, when the fentence was executed on her for the young prince. was crowned in the temple, and recognized by his fubjects. His minority could not have deprived him of the right of the fword: and Jehoiada acted as minifter of ftate, not in his pontifical character. This evinces Bellarmin's blunder in confounding together the queen and fubject, the pontiff and counsellor. Third: during the fix years fhe fwayed the fceptre, none of her fubjects revolted against her, much less did the pious pontiff abfolve them from their allegiance, though fhe re-established Baal's worfhip, and maintained his priests in the templet of the true God. A circumftance which Bellar

Fourth Book of Kings.

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min should have attended to, had he a mind to read his condemnation. Solomon depofed Abiathar, the high priest will Bellarmin grant me the liberty to infer from this fact, that kings can depofe popes?

Such are the ridiculous fhifts to which the patrons of a bad cause are inevitably reduced! Wild and unnatural fimiles, or facts that prove too much, and can be justly retorted on them- · felves. Am I accountable for their folly? Or muft an Irish Catholic ftarve, because an Italian wrote nonfenfe in bad Latin, two hundred years ago?

Had he not flackened the reins of an enthufiaftic imagination, and let it loose to its random flights, he could have fpared himself the trouble of foaring to Heaven, in purfuit of this offspring of human ambition, or the zeal of earthly kings. For that the depofing power originated either in privileges granted by pious zeal, or covenants entered into and fealed by ambition, history leaves no room to doubt, and religion forbids to believe otherwife.

Let us begin at home. Inas, king of the weft Saxons, renders his kingdom tributary to the Holy See. This conceffion paves the way to future claims. Henry the fecond folicits and obtains a bull from pope Adrian, in order to invade Ireland. The pope grants it: but, in bleffing this

new

new dish that is to be ferved on the English monarch's table, he carves his own portion. And why not? The one had as good a right to it as the other.

It is inferted in the bull, that the annual 'pension of one penny from every house, 'fhould be faved to St. Peter.' If the holy father and his dear and illuftrious fon, as he ftyles him, had afterwards quarrelled about the spoils, the religion of the fubject should not be concerned in the difpute. King John, in his conteftations with Philip Auguftus of France, appeals to the pope, and renders him the arbiter of rights that should be decided by the fword. 'The French monarch lays in his exceptions to the pope's tribunal, as incompetent in fuch a cafe. The Englishman chooses a master. Lo, the gradual progreffion of the pope's temporal power in Great Britain. It takes its first rife from the piety, acquires additional degrees of strength by ambition, and is confirmed by the weaknefs of English monarchs. Hence queen Elizabeth's excommunication, and the absolution of her fubjects from their allegiance by pope Sixtus, were more owing to Peter's pence than to Peter's keys. The noise of the thunder of the Vatican did not reach Sweden or Denmark, becaufe the effluvia of their mines, and the filings of their gold were never carried by royal ftipulations