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daughters, among the collateral kindred of the father.

By the 15th clause, no person shall be exempt from the penalties of this act, that shall not take and fubfcribe the oath and declaration required. by this act to be taken.

By the 16th clause, all persons whatsoever who fhall receive any office, civil and military, shall take and fubfcribe the oath and declaration required to be taken by the English act of 3d Wm. and Mary; and also the oath of abjuration required to be taken by another English act of 1ft Anne; and alfo fhall receive the facrament.*

The 23d claufe provides, that no Papist, except under particular conditions, fhall dwell in Limerick or Galway.

The

* Upon this claufe of the bill Bishop Burnet makes the following obfervations: "A clause was added (in England) which they (the Roman Catholics) hoped would hinder its being accepted in Ireland. The matter was carried on fo fecretly, that it was known to none but those who were at the Council, till the news of it came from Ireland, upon its being fent thither. It was hoped, by thofe who got this claufe added to the bill, that thofe in Ireland, who promoted it, would be lefs fond of it when it had such a weight hung to it." Hift. v. 2. p. 214.

This claufe has fince been called the Sacramental Teft, the firft impofed on diffenters in Ireland. It was repealed without any oppofition in the Seffions of 1782.

The 24th, that no perfons fhall vote at elections without taking the oaths of allegiance and abjuration.

And the 25th claufe, that all advowfons poffeffed by Papists fhall be vested in her Majefty.

The Catholics, who had fubmitted in filence to all the unjust tranfgreffions of the last reign, felt it neceffary, when this act was first brought before Parliament, to use their utmost exertions to prevent it from paffiing into a law. They, however, appealed in vain to the English Cabinet to respect the folemn engagements of the treaty of Limerick, and were obliged to have recourse to a petition to the Irish Parliament.

Sir Theobald Butler was heard, as counsel for the petitioners, at the bar of the Houfe of Commons, on the 22d February, 1703: He stated, "that the bill would render null and void the ar"ticles of Limerick; that thofe articles had been "granted for the valuable confideration of the "surrender of that garrifon, at a time when the "Catholics had the fword in their hand, and were "in a condition to hold out much longer; and " when

"when they had it in their power to demand and "make fuch terms as might be for their own fu"ture liberty, fafety, and fecurity: That the al"lowing of the terms contained in these articles "were highly advantageous to the government

to which they fubmitted, as well for uniting "the people that were then divided, quieting "and fettling the distractions and disorders of "this miserable kingdom, as for the other advan

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tages which the government would thereby "reap in its own affairs, both at home and "abroad, when its enemies were fo powerful, "both by fea and land, as to render the peace " and fettlement of these countries a circumstance "of great uncertainty: That these articles were "ratified by their late Majefties, for themselves, "their heirs, and fucceffors, and the public faith "thereby plighted to all thofe comprised in these "articles, in the most binding manner it was pof"fible for faith to be plighted, and than which "nothing could be more facred and folemn: That, "therefore, to violate and break thofe articles

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would, on the contrary, be the greatest injuftice "poffible for any one people of the whole world

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"to inflict upon another, and contrary to both "the laws of God and man." He then proceeded to fhew that the clauses of the bill which take away from Catholics the right to purchase, bequeath, fell, and inherit eftates, were infringements of the 2d article of the treaty: That the 9th claufe of the bill, impofing upon Catholics new oaths, was another manifeft breach of the articles, for that, by the 9th article, no oath is to be administered to, nor impofed upon fuch Catholics as fhould fubmit to government, but the oath of allegiance, appointed by an act made in England in the first year of the reign of their late Majesties; that the clauses for prohibiting Catholics from refiding in Limerick or Galway, from voting at elections without taking certain new oaths, and from poffeffing advowfons, were likewise infringements of the treaty. "For if," concludes Sir Theobald Butler, "there was no law in force in "the reign of Charles II. against these things, as "there certainly was not, and if the Roman "Catholics of this kingdom have not fince for"feited their right to the laws that then were in "force, as for certain they have not, then, with

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"humble fubmiffion, all the aforefaid clauses, " and matters contained in this bill, entitled, An

"Act to prevent the further growth of Popery, are "directly against the plain words and true interest "and meaning of the faid articles, and a violation "of the public faith."*

In confequence of the paffing of this act, and of those other acts which were paffed of a fimilar tendency in the last reign, the Catholics were deprived of all those privileges and immunities, which they trusted had been fecured in confequence of a King of England having bound himself, his heirs and fucceffors, to fulfil the conditions of the treaty of Limerick. In place of being the free fubjects of a prince, from whom they were taught to expect only justice and mercy, they were made the flaves of every one, even of the very meanest, of their Proteftant countrymen. They faw the English government, on whom they had claims for protection against their own parliament, directing its fanatic councils and confirming its crimes. By the treaty of Limerick they were

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* Vid. App. No. 1. for the Speech at length of Sir Toby Butler.

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