propofed to the Roman Catholics: as it is worded in a manner which, at first sight, seems abftrufe. And, far from believing it lawful to "violate faith with heretics," I folemnly fwear, without equivocation, or the danger of perjury, that, in a Catholic country, where I was chaplain of war, I thought it a crime to engage the king of England's foldiers or failors into the fervice of a Catholic monarch, against their Proteftant fovereign. I refifted the folicitations, and ran the risk of incurring the displeasure of a minifter of state, and lofing my penfion; and my conduct was approved by all the divines in a monaftery to which I then belonged, who all unanimously declared, that, in conscience, I could not have behaved otherwife.

Mr. Wesley may confider me as a fictitious character: but fhould he follow his precurfor, (I mean his letter, wafted to us over the British channel) and on his miflion from Dublin to Bandon, make Cork his way,-doctor Berkely, parith minifter, near Middleton,captains Stanner, French, and others, who were prifoners of war, in the fame place, and at the fame time,-can fully fatisfy him as to the reality of my exiftence, in the line already defcribed; and that in the beard which I then wore, and which, like that of fir Thomas More, never committed any treafon, I never concealed

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glecting to appear on this great occafion,

they give our rulers reafon to conclude, that it is the fenfe of the nation that Popery should be tolerated.

It is fincerely to be lamented that Proteftants in general, are not more apprehenfive of the danger. Have they forgot the reign of bloody queen Mary? Have they forgot the fires in Smithfield, and can they behold the place without emotion where their fathers died? Will it. ever be believed in future times, that perfons of eminent and diftinguished rank among the Proteftants, and persons of high and exalted religious characters, refused to petition against Popery; and let it overfpread our nation without oppofition? Will it be believed that Englishmen were fo far degenerated from the noble spirit of their ancestors, as tamely to bow the neck to the yoke of Rome'? "Tell it not in "Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; "left the daughters of the Philiftines rejoice; "left the daughters of the uncircumcifed "triumph."

It is not to be wondered at that the Papifts, either openly or in difguife, take every method to prevent the juft and reasonable view of the Proteftant affociation, and therefore reprefent them as factious, feditious, and ene

mies to toleration. These charges, and every, other which the malice of our enemies, or the groundless fears and prejudices of our mistaken friends shall hereafter exhibit, will be separately and diftinctly confidered in the course of these letters; and such an account given of the views of the Proteftant Affociation, and the line of conduct which they have pursued, and intend to pursue, in order to accomplish the great end for which they affociate, as will, I hope, obviate every objection, remove every fcruple, and excite the Proteftants to join hand in hand, and unite as one man, in that caufe, in which their present and future welfare is fo, nearly concerned, by

J. W.