"with their Proteftant brethren, to maintain "order and tranquility. Their pastoral letters, "public difcourfes from the pulpit, and private

admonitions, were equally directed for the fer"vice of the government."*. Yet these clergy were the members of that church, the principles of which are stated to be of fuch a nature by many of the English clergy, as to render it abfolutely impoffible, that a Catholic can be a good fubject; an opinion, however, which must vanish, before this and other equally strong proofs, of the uniform and deeply rooted loyalty of the Irish Catholics.

On the 26th September, 1757, the Duke of Bedford was fworn in Lord Lieutenant. His open declarations of liberal fentiments towards the Catholics, and fome communications that were made for the first time fince the paffing of the ferocious act of Anne, to pervert the growth of Popery, of an intention to repeal fome part of the penal laws, encouraged them to hope for a change in the fyftem of Irish government. Ten days

Chefterfield's Works, 1. 150. Ir. Ed.

after

after his arrival, the Catholic clergy of Dublin, influenced by these communications, read the following exhortation to their respective congregations. This exhortation forms the first and a very important document in proof of the fufferings, the refignation, and the loyalty of the Catholic body. It is one peculiarly deferving of the attention, as being well calculated to remove the ignorance and prejudices of thofe who still perfift in calumniating the Catholic clergy of Ireland as enemies to the King and Conftitution.

Exhortation of the Roman Catholic Clergy of Dublin, read from their Altars on the 2d of O&ober, 1757.

moft

grate

It is now time, Chriftians, that you return your ful thanks to the Almighty God, who, after vifiting you with a fcarcity, which approached near unto a famine, has been graciously pleafed, like a merciful father, to hear your prayers, and feed you with a plentiful harvest; nor ought you to for get thofe kind benefactors, who, in the severest times, mindful only of the public good, generously bestowed, without any diftinction of perfons, thofe large charities, by which thoufands were preserved, who otherwife muft have perished the victims of hunger and poverty. We ought efpecially to be most earnest in our thanks to the chief governors and magiftrates of the kingdom, and of this city in particular, who, on this occafion, proved the fathers and faviours of the nation. But as we have not a more effectual method of fhewing our acknowledgment

L 2

acknowledgment to our temporal governors, than by an humble, peaceful, and obedient behaviour; as hitherto, we earnestly exhort you to continue in the same happy and Christian difpofition, and thus, by degrees, you will entirely efface in their minds those evil impressions, which have been conceived fo much to our prejudice, and induftriously propagated by our enemies. A feries of more than fixty years spent, with a pious refignation, under the hardships of very fevere penal laws, and with the greatest thankfulnefs for the lenity and moderation, with which they were executed, ever fince the acceffion of the prefent royal family, is certainly a fact which must outweigh, in the minds of all unbiaffed perfons, any mifconceived opinions of the doctrine and tenets of our holy church.

You know that it has always been our constant practice, as ministers of Jefus Chrift, to inspire you with the greatest horror for thefts, frauds, murders, and the like abominable crimes; as being contrary to the laws of God and nature, deftructive of civil fociety, condemned by our most holy church, which, so far from justifying them on the score of religion, or any other pretext whatsoever, delivers the unrepenting authors of such criminal practices over to Satan.

We are no lefs zealous than ever in exhorting you to abftain from curfing, fwearing, and blafpheming; deteftable vices, to which the poorer fort of our people are moft unhappily addicted, and which must at one time or other bring down the vengeance of heaven upon you in fome visible punishment, unless you abfolutely refrain from them.

It is probable, that, from hence, fome people have taken occafion to brand us with this infamous calumny, that we need not fear to take falfe oaths, and confequently to perjure ourselves; as if we believed that any power upon earth could

authorife

authorise fuch damnable practices, or grant difpenfations for this purpose. How unjust and cruel this charge is, you know by our inftructions to you both in public and private, in which we have ever condemned fuch doctrines, as falfe and impious. Others, likewife, may eafily know it from the constant behaviour of numbers of Roman Catholics, who have given the ftrongest proofs of their abhorrence of those tenets, by refufing to take oaths, which, however conducive to their temporal interest, appeared to them entirely repugnant to the principles of their religion.

We must now intreat you, dear Chriftians, to offer up your moft fervent prayers to the Almighty God, who holds in his hands the hearts of kings and princes, befeech him to direct the counfels of our rulers, to infpire them with fentiments of moderation and compaffion towards `us. We ought to be more earnest, at this juncture, in our fupplications to heaven ; as fome very honourable perfonages have encouraged us to hope for a mitigation of the penal laws. Pray then the Almighty to give a blessing to these their generous defigns, and to aid their counfels, in fuch a manner, that, whilft they intend to affift us, like kind benefactors, they may not, contrary to their intentions, by mistaking the means, moft irretrievably destroy us.

To conclude, be juft in your dealings, fober in your conduct, religious in your practice, avoid riots, quarrels, and tumults; and thus you will approve yourselves good citizens, peaceable fubjects, and pious Chriftians.

Instead, however, of a repeal taking place of any of the penal laws, rumours began very gene

rally

rally to prevail, of its being the intention of government to proceed to carry into effect a bill, that had been prepared by the former administration, for altering the law refpecting the registry of the clergy. The exifting law, which passed in the reign of Queen Anne, had been found too penal to admit of its being carried into execution; and thus, by an excefs of tyranny, was the object of it wholly defeated. In the place of this law, it had been propofed to pafs one with fuch provi fions, that it fhould, like the other penal laws, execute itself; and, upon this project being now revived, the Catholics, for the first time fince 1704, took measures as a body to vindicate their religious and civil principles. Mr. Charles O'Connor, the celebrated Irish scholar and antiquarian, with the affiftance of Dr. Curry, the author of the Review of the Civil Wars of Ireland, and Mr. Wyfe, of Waterford, exerted themselves 'with good effect in perfuading their fuffering countrymen of the neceflity of coming forward to induce their rulers to admit them into a particiAs a pation of the privileges of the conftitution. ground-work of their future labour, Dr. O'Keefe, the titular Bishop of Kildare, proposed, at a meet