symptoms of whose dissolution increase daily With evident reluctance, but from an irresisti ble impulse, point after point is conceded. Every session of our Parliament acquires great accessions of strength to the cause of truth and charity. Let but the Catholics of Ireland, and the Dissenters of England unite as one man against the mistaken forces of intolerance, and by a moderate but steady application-by reiterated petitions, constitutionally obtained, and respectfully presented, continue to thunder in the ears of their oppressors the cry of liberty and emancipation, and they must at length be heard. So sure as the bloody trade in human beings fell by these means-so certain as the British Constitution possesses within itself the power of accomplishing its own reform, even so must the demands of Catholics and Dissenters be complied with. Only let us not fall out by the way -a grand and noble object is to be attained, and it is to be attained by means honourable in their nature, and certain in their effects: let us not thwart them by intemperance, nor retard them by imprudence.

It requires no supernatural powers of prophecy to discern, that we are fast approaching a new and distinguished era. Light breaks in on every side. The mouldering walls of bigotry and superstition are daily sinking-" Corruption is exhausting the means of Corruption." Intolerance is, itself, forcing the doors of religious ex

clusions; and the opposition that is made to the freedom of man tends but to elicit new arguments in his favour-new reasons for his enfranchisement.

A concise View of the Laws now in force relating to the Roman Catholics of England and Ireland, interspersed with occasional remarks.

THE following summary of laws relating to Roman Catholics has been collected, principally, from Mr. Butler's Historical Account of the Laws against the Roman Catholics of England; and from the "Statement of the Laws which aggrieve the Catholics of Ireland,"* to which I have added such variations and occasional remarks as obviously presented themselves. It is unnecessary to make many comments upon the disgraceful nature and injurious tendency of these laws: they are standing monuments of the fatal effects of mistake and prejudice; and a consideration of them should at least silence the cry of Protestants against popish intolerance and persecution.

The following Statement, says Mr. Butler, may be found to give-I. Some account of the laws, which, since the Reformation, have been past against the Roman Catholics. II. Some account of the effect and operation of the laws, which have been past, since the accession of His Majesty's family to the throne of England, for the relief of Roman Catholics. III. And some account of the penal laws, the effect of which is felt by Roman Catholics, but the effect of which is not felt by Protestant Dissenters.

* In making use of these books, I have the consent and approbation of their respective authors; and I take this opportunity of thanking them for this and other instances of their kindness.

I.

With respect to the laws, which, since the separation of the Church of England from the Church of Rome, at the time of the Reformation, have been past against those who remained in communion with the See of Rome-the laws against them may be reduced under five heads :

I. 1. The first, are those, which subjected them to penalties" and punishments for exercising their religious worship;-under which head, may be ranked, the laws respecting their places of education, and the ministers of their church. By these laws, if any English priest of the church of Rome, born in the dominions of the crown of England, came to England from beyond the seas, or tarried in England three days, without conforming to the church, he was guilty of high treason, and those incurred the guilt of high treason, who were reconciled to the see of Rome, or procured others to be reconciled to it. By these laws also, papists were totally disabled from giving their children any education in their own religion; for, if they educated their children at home, then, for maintaining the schoolmaster, if he did not repair to church, or was not allowed by the bishop of the diocese, they were liable to forfeit 101. a month, and the schoolmaster was liable to forfeit forty shillings a day; and if they sent their children for education to any school of their persuasion abroad, they were liable to forfeit 1001. and the children so sent were disabled from inheriting, purchasing or enjoying any lands, profits, goods, debts, duties, legacies, or sums of money.-Saying mass was punishable by a forfeiture of 200 marks: hearing it, by a forfeiture of 100. See 1 Eliz. ch. 2. 23. Eliz. ch. 1. 27 Eliz. ch. 2. 29 Eliz. ch. 6. 35 Eliz. ch. 2. 2 Jac. 1. ch. 4. 3 Jac. 1. ch.4, 5. 7 Jac. 1. ch. 6. 3 Car. 1. ch. 2.. 25 Car. 2. ch. 2. 7 and 8 W. 3. ch. 27. 1 Geo. 1. ch. 13.

I. 2. Under the second head, were those laws, which punished the English communicants with the church of Rome for not conforming to the established church. These are generally called the Statutes of Recusancy. It should be observed, that absence from church, alone, and unaccompanied by any other act, constitutes recusancy, in the true sense of that

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word. Till the statute of the 35 Eliz. chap. 2., all nonconformists were considered as recusants, and were all equally subject to the penalties of recusancy: that statute was the first penal statute made against popishi recusants, by that name, and as distinguished from other recusants. From that statute arose the distinction between protestant and popish recusants; the former were subject to such statutes. of recusancy, as preceded that of the 35th of queen Elizabeth, and to some statutes against recusancy, made subsequently to that time; but they were relieved from them all, by the Act of Toleration in the first year of king William's reign.* From the 35th Eliz. ch. 2. arose also the distinction, between papists and persons professing the popish religion, and popish recusants, and popish recusants convict. Notwithstanding the frequent mention in the statutes of papists and persons professing the popish religion, neither the statutes themselves, nor the cases adjudged upon them, present a clear notion of the acts or circumstances that, in the eye of the law, constituted a papist, or a person

* This is true only of such Protestant recusants as subscribe to the following "Profession of Christian belief:" "I, A. B. profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ, his eternal Son, the true God, and in the Holy Spirit, one God, blessed for evermore; and do acknow ledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration." See § 13. of the Toleration Act. Sect. 17 of the same act provides, "That neither this act, nor any clause, article, or thing herein contained, shall extend, or be construed to extend, to give any ease, benefit, or advantage, to any papist, or popish recusant whatsoever; or ANY PERSON WHO SHALL DENY, IN HIS PREACHING OR WRITING, THE DOCTRINE OF THE BLESSED TRINITY, as it is declared in the aforesaid articles of religion;" referring to § 13 above quoted. The reader will find some remarks on this clause in the Protestant Dissenters' Almanack, for the year 1810, at that time published under my superintendence. I am happy to find, that Mr. W. Smith, one of the most liberal and patriotic members of the House of Commons, has just given notice of his intention to attempt a repeal of this most scandalous and disgraceful clause of the act, by a strange misnomer, called the Toleration Act. On the day (July 15, of the present year, 1812) fixed for Mr. Smith's notice, there were so few members present, that they could not make a house, as they phrase it; so little interest do many of our worthy representatives feel in the subject of religious toleration!