ples here laid down by the venerable Vicar Apostolic of the London district? And, yet, this desire on the part of the Romish Priests" to make their flocks sincere Christians and honest men, is held out by this bigot-ments and glosses-that they vilify Bible ted writer as a bar to their being permitted to become free citizens in a free state. Aye, but then, says he, they oppose the reading the Bible as a means of education, and that is a favourite system of the present day; therefore it must be dangerous to admit those who will not allow every one to coin his own faith out of the scriptures, into the pale of the constitution; because, (oh, the logic of this profound writer,) it must be hazardous to Protestants to place implicit confidence in the solemn professions of men of inflexible integrity! So, then, according to this man's reason. ing, if the Catholics wish to obtain their emancipation, they must violate their consciences and forfeit their honour; or, in other words, to become worthy to be entrusted with the privileges of Britons, they must become traitors to God. Whether this writer's principles do not savour more of intolerance than the conduct of "Romish Priests, I will leave the reader to judge; but I cannot help observing that the same spirit which actuated the legislators in Elizabeth's days to consign the Catholics to the gibbet for not allowing her to have the spiritual supremacy of God's church, is equally predominant in this malevo- sion, which while the voice which we lent who is slandering them, and wishes them to be persecuted, because he cannot convince them that the notions of the Bible-mongers are not absurd, foolish, and impious. But let us see a little more of his rhapsodical theology, contained in the following Introduction; which deserves to be recorded as a specimen of Bible insanity in the nine teenth century: "It will be found, on reference to Vol. I. pp. 353-363 (meaning his History of the Jesuits) that the Church of Rome is as much opposed at this moment, as she has been at any former period of her his ΤΟ hear is the voice of JACOB,' the hands be not the hands of ESAU. awo 1190 Catholics, which is published monthly in London, and is entitled "The ORTHODOX JOURNAL," subsists by the abuse which it pours upon our Protestant Church, our Protestant Parliament, and our Protestant Government and if there be one tenet of Popery which that work is more anx ious to uphold than another, it is the vir tual denial of the Holy Scriptures to the great mass of the population; and, above all, to Schools, and other places of instruction, in defiance and contempt of the observation made by St. Paul in praise of Timothy, and that, FROM A CHILD, thou "The accredited oracle of the Roman' hast known the whether facts of this description, attested by the evidence of the Catholics themselves, before one branch of the Legisla ture, tend to encourage any reasonable hope, that if the Religion of Popery were to be strengthened with POWER, the Religion of Protestantism would be tolerated, or the free use of the Bible be endured; whether, in fact, the spiritual Tyranny from which the Reformation delivered us, would not again revive in all its force, and the blood of CRANMER, of HOOPER, of LATIMER, and of RIDLEY, be found to have flown in vain ? "It is generally admitted that Bishop Poynter and Mr. Butler (whose examination is here detailed) are among the most enlightened, candid and moderate men of their religious persuasion; and that, if it were possible, they would readily concede something to oblige and conciliate their_Parliamentary friends: but even these Gentlemen cannot depart from their fundamental principles, when ever they are put to the test; and, therefore, in a moment of conflict or severe trial, it will be seen that no approximation whatever can be made towards the septiments and feelings of Protestants. "As a further illustration of that remark, it is of importance to subjoin a portion of the printed Evidence recently published, by a Select Committee of the Honourable House of Commons, on the Education of the Poor; from which it will evidently appear that the Catholic Clergy, residing at this moment in our own Metropolis, are decided as one man, against the employment of the Bible in the work of Education, except to serve a purpose; that their objections are not only to the Bible, as translated by Protestants, but also to the indiscriminate use of their Own version of the Bible; and that such is the length to which their prejudice and bigotry have conducted them, that they object altogether to any Extracts being used by children from the Protestant version, although it should be certain that the passages extracted were, totidem verbis, the same as in the Catholic version !!! We likewise find a sufficiently distinct Before I touch upon this sublime avowal, on the part of the Catholic jargon, let me return my thanks Priesthood, that the most profound igno-to this Champion of Biblemongers for rance and vice are more desirable in the children of Roman Catholics, than that they should be permitted to associate with other children of different religious denominations, for the purpose of Education, although no mixture of religious instruc tion should be attempted to be inculcated beyond the use of the Bible as a Class Book. "It further appears, that a school in St. Giles's, which was founded upon this, broad principle, and had been remarkably instrumental in cultivating the minds, and improving the morals, of the poor in that quarter of the Metropolis, had excited the indignation of an active Romish Priest, who publicly preached against the Schools from his pulpit; immediately after which the School was attacked by the Catholics, and a child of the Master was finally made a cripple for life. "Let it now, be fairly considered by MR. CANNING, and the other "enlight ened advocates of the Catholic Claims," "Under such discordant circumstances, how is a political union to be effected? and what stability can they possibly give to a Protestant Constitution ?" the high testimony he has borne to the zeal of my exertions.-Indeed, he is much too flattering; for in a note subjoined, he says, "There are two monthly Popish Magazines published in London; but the fame and zeal of the Orthodox Journal' almost eclipses the other, although they well agree in supporting the Jesuits, and in opposing the free use of the Bible."For his kindness I can assure him, that Journal, I shall exert myself to obtain so long as I continue to publish the the good opinion he has been pleased to honour me with, and shall be ever ready to expose the misrepresentations and falsehoods which he may vend to the public through the means of the press. He says the Journal "subsists by the abuse which it pours upon our Protestant Church, our Pro testant Parliament, and our Protestant Government."-This assertion is false, and discovers at once the intolerance of the writer, who is ready enough to abuse all those who believe in Popery, but he is not willing that any one should exercise the freedom of the press, which is considered as the bulwark of the Constitution, to unmask the egregious folly and base malignancy with which he and other scribes assails them. Neither is it true, that I am anxious to uphold the virtual denial of the holy scriptures to the great mass of the population, since I am now engaged in publishing a quarto edition of the New Testament in numbers, that it may meet with a more general circulation, but I find the mass of the people so impoverished by the pressure of the times, occasioned by the overwhelming weight of taxation and the improvident expenditure of the public money, which, next to the want of religious instruction, are the grand obstacles to the improvement of the people, that they have no money to spare to gratify their desires to passess the sacred scriptures. That I am anxious to prevent the spread of that favourite dogma of Protestantism, Search the scriptures and judge for yourselves," I am ready to admit; and I do this, not from a desire to abuse our Protestant Church, and our Protestant Parliament, and our Protestant Government, but from a wish, as far as my exertions will go, to arrest the progress of such dangerous doctrines, which history informs us, not two centuries ago, destroyed the former, abolished the latter, and brought the sovereign to the block. If the sapient writer will consult the records of Protestant historians, he will find that the Poritans justified their resistance to the authority of the executive by the text of scripture, and the Independ. ents annihilated episcopacy by the same rule. Nay, at this very day, the celebrated Mr. Cobbett, in his twopenny address to the Journeymen labourers and mechanics on their present distress, has quoted scripture in favour of murder and revenge. I do not say that the efforts now used to "Their Bibles thus fit to an hair They bound 'em up 'twixt Psalms and Prayers And in one volume quickly spread 'em O'er all the land, for folk to read 'em, And their religions thence to take, Just as themselves were pleas'd to make. To kirks, with Bibles under arm Like Bag-pipes, from each country farm, They trudge, each plough-man had his book, In which the texts and proofs to look, As parsons in the pulpits quote 'em ; Which so much pains and study took 'em, That little else they gain'd from him, Than hearing proofs and seeking them: And he to profit most was Whose Bible was the biggest swell'd With dogs-ear'd leaves he had turn'd down, At places by the parson shown. "Return'd from kirk the pious flock Of texts and proofs stor❜d with a stock, Would fall a seeking out from thence To every text a proper sense. From Lord to Beggar none were idle, But all employ'd in text of bible. The zealous Lady and her Woman Fonnd senses out that were not common; And for sound Doctrines, set 'em out To all the neighbour-hood about: Who from authority of Madam, Believ'd 'em true, and glad they had 'em, To mix with points of faith, already Gain'd by themselves from scripture study; As judging Madam's would set off With better grace their homely stuff. "So Moll the kitchen wench was stor'd With doctrines learned from the word, And wou'd set up to teach the Groom, Or any else that pleas'd to come. The prentice boys of ev'ry trade Before 'em had their bibles laid, On which their understandings fed, [bread. While with their hands they wrought for "The Weaver, nodding at his loom, Could bring a text for ev'ry thrum, Prove it forbid, From the Beginning, To weave up Woollen yarn with Linen. The housewife search'd for texts as plain, And when she could not find 'em thought For contradicting this again; Some cunning rogue had stole them out: For she had dreamed long ago, From the Beginning 'twas not So. "Smiths fell with Fidlers in contention, About their handicraft's invention, Whether of more antiquity, And who more noble in degree: For both alledg'd the text shew'd plain with the highest indignation and disgust by every faithful and upright Catholic subject of this realm, since they develope a system of duplicity and intrigue directly opposed to the unbending principles of our holy religion, and contrary to the genuine spirit of the British constitution. Since the determination of the Irish people, in which they were seconded by their prelates and clergy, to reject the vetoisticalarrangements announced by our parliamentary friends, as con"Their bibles cannot reconcile trary to the pure maxims of British Parsons themselves when once in broil, liberty, and as leading to the total Or any else fallen into wrath subversion not only of the independAbout self-found out points of Faith: For every one has leave to cite enee of their pastors, but also of the Texts to his fancy, wrong or right, few remaining privileges now excluAnd put what sense he pleases on 'em: sively enjoyed by their Protestant felThis brought ten thousands sects among'em." low-subjects, the Vetoists have attachSensible of the follies and inconsist- ed themselves to the leaders of the encies of our self-interpreting Bible- two contending factions, and with the teachers, to say no worse of them; and accustomed modesty of place-hunters ocular witnesses to the blasphemous and pension-seekers, claim a superior reveries of the maiden Johanna, as right to the appellation of Loyalty. well as the mad prophecies of the "We and you (say they, meaning inspired Brothers, ought it to be a the English Catholics) are loyal and matter of reproach that the Catholic faithful subjects to our most glorious clergy are decided, as one man, Sovereign. We and you are known against the employment of the Bible to be so."-Thus conveying an insiin the work of education? Ought it nuation, a mean unmanly insinuation, not rather to mark the infamy of that that the Irish Catholics were, on the writer, who attempts to slander the contrary, seditious, turbulent, and characters of men for discharging the disloyal, at the very time too when duties of their calling with zeal and they filled the ranks of our army, and integrity; and who charges those with the crews of our fleets, and were intolerance that adhere with consist- supporting in every quarter of the ency to their unbiassed and conscien- globe the honour of the British flag, tious principles, when he is guilty of in- and the glory of the British arms. tolerance himself. As to the appeal Nor is this all; at the period this made to Mr. Canning and the other despicable work was going on in Eng"enlightened advocates of the Catho- land, the same disingenuous system it lic claims," on the stability Catholics appears was pursued at Rome to pres can give to a PROTESTANT Constitu-judice the Propaganda against the tion, I must content myself with referring Mr. Ralib-Lacius to the foregoing article, and proceed to more important matters. -- ILLUSTRATIONS OF VETOISM.-In the subsequent pages will be found some very interesting extracts of letters tending to elucidate the disgraceful means used to obtain the late Rescript signed Quarantotti, from the Propaganda at Rome, which will be read Irish Catholics, who were represented Truly reconcile this conduct with the oath | Mr. Locke in his Essay on Tolerations But had this prejudiced writer been living at the present day, there can be no doubt but the conduct of the Irish Catholics would have convinced him of the falsity of his assertion, and clearly demonstrated to him, as it must to every candid man, that the vociferous outcry raised about the absolute power of the Pope was a mere bugbear, invented by interested bigots to alarm the feelings of the peo ple, and serve as a cover for their own which your Government obliges you to take, when called upon to give a test of your loyalty. You are compelled in open court to swear that neither the Pope nor any foreign Prelate has or ought to have any temporal influence in these realms; how then can you consistently employ a corrupt political ecclesiastic to be your agent at Rome, for the purpose of promoting your temporal interests, for it cannot benefit your religious welfare, by means of a Papal decision in fa-sinister motives. Happily, this point vour of your emancipation? I could wish these Vetoist gentlemen would favour me with an explanation on this subject, because I really cannot comprehend how they can justify their loyal conduct with a strict observance of the oath imposed upon us. And I am the more confirmed in the opinion I have formed on this point, by the fixed determination of our illustrious Holy Father, not to interfere in the contest in any way, until the work of our emancipation be complete. And even then, as the measure of a Veto must necessarily combine the interest of our political rights in its operation, his Holiness will not on this account take upon himself to ordain or command the Catholics to submit to it as a duty, but, justly discriminating between the spiritual and temporal powers, he contents himself with granting his permission to those whom it may concern to do as they may judge most proper. This decision of his Holiness has been lately communicated to the Rev. Mr. Hayes, as will be seen in that gentleman's correspondence with Cardinal Litta in the present epitome. The publication of these documents are truly consolatory and heart-cheering to every independent Catholic, who feels for the honour of his religion and his country, inasmuch as they completely disprove, that foul calumny so often brought against us, that the Pope can persuade the members of his church to what he lists, and enjoin it them on pain of hell fire; which base slander we find recordedby of objection to our claims is com pletely destroyed, by the firm resist ance of the venerable hierarchy of Ireland to the uncanonical and dictatorial Rescript issued by M. Quaran totti, and obtained through the corrupt intrigues of loyal English Catho lics, as well as by their subsequent de-, claration to oppose any attempt on the part of the see of Rome to force the Veto upon them without their own free consent. Here then we have an incontestible proof of the freedom of the Catholic church. Here we see that the Pope is bound by the laws of the Church as well as the Bishops; and we observe the Irish prelates solemnly appealing to those laws, in order to resist the workings of deceitful and trea cherous men. Let the reader contrast the conduct of our loyal English vetoists, as exhibited in the extracts inserted from the letters sent by them to their agent at Rome, for the purpose of obtaining Quarantotti's rescript to frighten the timid Catholics into an acquiescence of the pernicious Veto Bill, with the manly and open conduct of the reverend agent of the Irish Catholics, in resisting the adoption of a Veto, as injurious to the purity of their church; and let him then decide on the respective claims of the parties to loyalty and attachment to the British Constitution. But it appears that the system of imposition is not confined to the Propaganda, it has even been practised before a Committee of the House of Commons. Mr. Charles Butler, in his examination before the Committee on Education, in |