perfons having in cuftody, bringing from beyond the feas, printing, felling, buying or receiving any Popish books or relics, are made liable to pecuniary penalties; and, in fome cafes, to imprisonment, and the pain of incurring a premunire; and the books and relics are to be burned and defaced, and magistrates are thereby empowered to fearch for the fame. And various ftatutes were made againft fending children a broad to be educated in Popish principles, and forbidding Pa pifts to teach schools.

1

No. III.

The Formula, or Oath of Purgation, appointed by the act of
K. William to be taken by Papists in Scotland.

I

(See page 225.)

A. B. do fincerely from my heart profefs and declare before God who fearcheth the heart, That I do deny, dif own and abhor these tenets and doctrines of the papal Romih Church, viz. The fupremacy of the Pope and Bishops of Rome over all paftors of the Catholic Church; His power and authority over Kings, Princes, and States; The infalli bility that he pretends to, either without or with a general council; His power of difpenfing and pardoning; The doctrine of tranfubftantiation, and the corporeal prefence, with the communion without the cup in the facrament of the Lord's fupper; The adoration and facrifice profeffed and practifed by the Popish church in the mafs; The invocation of angels and faints; The worshipping of images, croffes, and relics; The doctrines of fupererogation, indulgences, and purgatory; And the fervice and worship in an unknown tongue: All which tenets and doctrines of the faid church, I believe to be contrary to, and inconfiftent with the written word of God. And I do from my heart deny, difown and disclaim the faid doctrines and tenets of the Church of Rome, as in the prefence of God, without any equivocation, or mental reservation, but according to the known and plain meaning of the words as to me offered and proposed-So help me God.

No. IV.

No. IV.

relieving his Ma within England, With the form

At of K. George III. paffed in 1778, for jefty's fubjects profeffing the Popish religion, from certain penalties and difabilities, &c. of the Oath therein required of Papills." WHEREAS it is expedient to repeal certain provifions in an act of the 11th and 12th years of the reign of King William III. entitled, An act for the further preventing the growth of Popery, whereby certain penalties and difabilities are impofed on perfons profeffing the Popish religion: May it please your Majefty that it may be enacted, and be it enacted by the King's most excellent majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons in this prefent parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, That fo much of the faid act as relates to the apprehending, taking or profecuting of Popish bithops, priefts, or Jefuits, and alfo fo much of the faid act as fubjects Popish bishops, priefts, or Jefuits, and Pápifts, or perfons profeffing the Popish religion and keeping school, or taking upon themselves the education or government or boarding of youth within this realm, or the dominions thereto belonging, to perpetual imprisonment; and fo much of the faid act as fubjects perfons educated in the Popish religion, or profeffing the fame under the circumftances therein mentioned, to inherit or take by defcent, devife, or limitation, in poffeffion, reverfion, or remainder, any lands, tenements or hereditaments, within the kingdom of England, dominion of Wales, or town of Berwick upon Tweed, and gives to the next of kin, being a Proteftant, a right to have and enjoy fuch lands, tenements and hereditaments, and alfo fo much of the said act as difables Papifts, or perfons profeffing the Popish religion, to purchase any manors, lands, profits out of lands, tenements, rents, terms or hereditaments, within the kingdom of England, dominion of Wales, or town of Berwick upon Tweed, and makes void all and fingular eftates, terms and other intereft, or profits whatever out of hands, to be made, fuffered or done from and after the day therein mentioned, to or for the use or behoof of any fuch perfon or perfons, or upon any truft or confidence, mediately or immediately, for the relief of any fuch perfon or perfons, fhall be, and the fame and every clause and matter and thing herein before mentioned, is and hereby are repealed.

And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That every perfon or perfons having and claiming any lands, tenements, or hereditaments, under titles not hitherto litigated, though derived from any defcent, devife, limitation or purchase, fhall

have,

have, take hold, and enjoy the fame, as if the faid act, or any thing therein contained, had not been made, any thing in the faid act contained in the contrary notwithstanding.

Provided always, and be it enacted, That nothing herein contained fhall extend, or be conftrued to affect any action or fuit now depending, which fhall be profecuted with effect and without delay.

Provided alfo, That nothing herein contained fhall extend or be conftrued to extend, to any person or perfons but fuch, who fhall, within the fpace of fix calendar months after the paffing of this act, or of accruing of his, her, or their title, being of the age of twenty-one years, or who, being under the age of twenty-one years, fhall within fix months after he or fhe fhall attain the age of twenty-one years, or being of unfound mind, or in prifon, or beyond the feas, then within fix months after fuch a disability is removed, take and subfcribe an oath in the words following.

"I A. B. do fincerely promife and fwear, That I will be "faithful and bear true allegiance to his Majesty King George "the Third, and him will defend to the utinolt of my power

against all confpiracies or attempts whatever that shall be "made against his perfon, crown, or dignity; and I will do 66 my utmost endeavour to disclofe and make known to his Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, all treafons and traitorous confpiracies which may be formed against him or them. "And I do faithfully promife to maintain, fupport and de"fend, to the utmost of my power, the fucceffion of the crown in his Majefty's family against any perfon or perfons whatever, hereby utterly renouncing and abjuring any obedience or allegiance unto the perfon taking upon himfelf the file " and title of the Prince of Wales in the lifetime of his fa"ther, and who, fince his death, is faid to have affumed the "ftile and title of King of Great Britain, by the name of "Charles the Third, and to any other perfon claiming or

pretending a right to the crown of thefe realms. And I "do fwear, that I do reject and deteft, as an unchristian and "impious pofition, That it is lawful to murder or destroy any

perfon or perfons whatsoever for or under pretence of their "being heretics; and alfo that unchriftian and impious prin"ciple, That no faith is to be kept with heretics. I do fur, "ther declare, that it is no article of my faith, and that I "do renounce, reject and abjure the opinion, that princes "excommunicated by the Pope and council, or by any authority of the See of Rome, or by any authority whatfoever, may be depofed or murdered by their fubjects, or any perfon whatever. And I do declare, That I do not believe

“ that

that the Pope of Rome, or any other foreign prince, pres late, flate, or potentate, hath, or ought to have, any tem poral or civil jurifdiction, power, fuperiority, or pre-eminence, directly or indirectly, within this realm. And I do "folemnly, in the prefence of God, profefs, teftify, and de

clare, That I do make this declaration, and every part "thereof, in the plain and ordinary fenfe of the words of this "oath, without any evafion, equivocation or mental referva

86

tion whatever; and without any difpenfation already grant"ed by the Pope, or any authority of the See of Rome, or any perfon whatever, and without thinking that I am, or 68 can be acquitted before God or man, or abfolved of this declaration, or any part thereof, although the Pope or any "perfons or authority whatsoever, fhall difpenfe with or ans "nul the fame, or declare that it was null or void."

Which oath it shall be competent to his Majefty's high court of Chancery, or to any of his Majefty's courts of record at Weftminster, the courts of great feffions within the principa lity of Wales and county palatine of Chefter, the courts of Chancery or Common-pleas within the counties palatine of Lancaster and Durham, or to any court of general or quarter feffions of the peace of any county, riding, liberty, city, borough, town or place in the kingdom of England, or in the principality of Wales to adminifter; and they are hereby required to adminifter the fame accordingly. Of the taking and fubfcribing of which oath a regifter fhall be kept and preferved, in the manner prefcribed by the laws now in being, requiring oaths from perfons taking offices or employments.

Provided always, and it is hereby enacted and declared, That nothing in this act contained fhall extend, or be cons ftrued to extend, to any Popish bishop, prieft, Jesuit or fchoolmaster, who shall not have taken and subscribed the above oath; in the above words, before he fhall have been apprehended or any profecution commenced against him.

No. V.

At for the Relief of his Majefty's-fubjects in the kingdom of Ireland, profeffing the Popish religion, paffed in the 17th and 18th of K. Geo. III.

WHEREAS by an act made in this kingdom, in the fecond year of her late Majefty Queen Anne, entitled, An act to prevent the further growth of Popery; and also another ast made in the eighth year of her faid reign, for cplaining

and

and amending the faid act, the Roman Catholics of Ireland are made fubject to feveral difabilities and incapacities therein particularly mentioned; and whereas from their uniform peaceable behaviour for a long series of years, it appears rea fonable and expedient to relax the fame, and it must tend not only to the cultivation and improvement of this kingdom, but to the profperity and ftrength of all his Majesty's dominions, that his fubjects of all denominations fhould enjoy the bleffings of our free conftitution, and fhould be bound to each other by mutual intereft and mutual affection: Therefore, be it enacted by the King's mott excellent Majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons in this prefent parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, That from and after the first day of Auguft, 1778, it fhall and may be lawful to and for any Papift, or perfon profeffing the Popish religion, fubject to the provifo herein after contained, as to the taking and fubfcrib ing the oath and declaration therein mentioned, to take, hold and enjoy any leafe or leafes, for any term or terms of years, not exceeding nine hundred and ninety-nine years certain, or for any term of years determinable upon any number of lives, not exceeding five.

Provided always, That, upon every fuch leafe, a rent bond fide, to be paid in money, fhall be referved and made payable during fuch terms, with or without liberty of committing wafte, as fully and beneficially, to all intents and purposes, as any other his Majesty's fubjects in this kingdom, and the fame to difpofe of by will or otherwife, as he fhall think fit; and all lands, tenements, and hereditaments, whereof any Papift, or perfon profeffing the Popish religion, is now feifed, or fhall be feifed, by virtue of a title, legally derived by, from, or under fuch perfon or perfons now feized in fee fimple or fee tail, whether at law or in equity, fhall, from and after the time aforefaid, be defcendable, devifeable, and transferrable, as fully, beneficially, and effectually, as if the fame were in the feifin of any other of his Majetty's fubjects in this kingdom.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, that all Papifts, or perfons profeffing the Popish religion, fhall and may, from and after the time aforefaid, be, to all intents and purpofes, capable to take, hold, and enjoy all or any fuch eftate or eftates, which fhall defcend, or be devifed or tranfferred as aforefaid; any thing contained in the faid acts of the fecond or eighth of Queen Anne, or in any other ftatute or law, to the contrary, in any ways, notwithstanding.

Provided, that no Papift, or perfon profeffing the Popish feligion, fhall take any benefit by this act, uniefs he or the

fhall,