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in your own house only; and we hereby expressly and ❝strictly forbid and interdict you to celebrate mass elsewhere. "And we further order and peremptorily command you not to "suffer or allow any congregations or assembly of people "to come even to your own house, or to hear your mass there. "Given in Ballaine, March 19th, 1800.

"To the Rev. Bryan Murphy *.”

"James Caulfield.

The very interesting narative of the Landing of the French in Ireland, in the year 1798, written by Dr. Stock the late Bishop of Killala, will confirm the above authentic statements, as to the part taken by the Catholic Priests, against their native country, on every occasion of trial. They have, from that period to the present moment, lost no occasion of inculcating sedition; they openly rejoiced in every success of Buonaparte on the continent, and did not conceal their sorrow on being acquainted with his overthrow, as the final defeat of their own unlawful hopes: they have sought to corrupt the youthful mind by poisoning the springs and fountains of early instruction, placing such elementary books in the hands of Catholic children as are only calculated to instil principles of disloyalty and hatred to the existing order of things; and in particular, a Priest of Cork has very lately written a sort of Political Catechism for the use of Schools, which is unhappily in general circulation throughout Ireland, the great object of which is to shew that the whole Catholic population groans under the severest tyranny, and that resistance to such a government is a duty +. They have been active in the collection of funds, throughout Ireland, contrary to the laws, in aid of their objects; and this has been effected by a species of subordinate taxation on their own people, which, so far from

* See all the above Affidavits at length, with much other valuable information, in SIR RICHARD MUSGRAVE'S History of the Irish Rebellion in 1798.

This new Catechism is called, “ A Sketch of Irish History, com"piled by way of Question and Answer.”

being recognised by the Constitution, is in direct opposition to it: they have very recently appealed to the Pope against their own Government and Laws, and sent a formal Deputation from their own country to Rome, to induce the same Pontiff who has revived the Inquisition, and restored the Order of Jesuits, to interpose in their behalf, as an oppressed and persecuted race, and besought him to rid them of their grievances, by asserting their right to complete Emancipation ; which is, in other words, a right to exercise complete power, both ecclesiastical and civil, over their Protestant fellow-subjects. It is unnecessary to proceed further on this head,

There is no man, in any degree acquainted with the present state of Ireland, who is at the same time ignorant of the factious and turbulent spirit of the Catholic Priesthood, and their unwearied efforts to embroil and ruin their unhappy country. In a word, to use the eloquent language of Mr. Bushe, the Solicitor General, in his address on opening the late Special Commission at Clonmel, "Every opportunity has "been seized to keep alive the flame of discontent, and up"hold the licentiousness of the people: for this purpose, "Missionaries have visited them, and seditious magazines and "other libellous publications have been circulated among "them almost gratuitously, as if it were to pervert one of the "first of human blessings, by making whatever education "they enjoyed instrumental in the corruption of their prin

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ciples. In these poisonous writings, their fellow-subjects are "held up to hatred, their superiors denounced for assassina❝tion, the laws of their country are defamed, justice slan❝dered, loyalty derided, rebellion applauded, and the Ruler "of the French nation proclaimed as their ally, and upheld as the champion and deliverer of Ireland."

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* See an able Pamphlet recently published by Dr. Thorpe, of Dublin, entitled, "An Examination of the Address of the Roman Catholics of Ire"land, to Pope Pius VII. with Remarks on other Documents connected with the Subject of Catholic Emancipation.”

Mr. Bushe is at once one of the ablest Lawyers, and one of the most enlightened and dispassionate men in Ireland.

In the second place, with respect to the Bigotry and Intolerance of the Priesthood; specimens of these shall be extracted from the Correspondence recently published by the Society in London, called "the Protestant Union," of which the late GRANVILLE SHARP was Chairman till his death, and for the authenticity of which Letters, that Society has expressly pledged itself to the Public.

In a Letter from Kilkenny it is observed," From much "experience and observation, I am convinced that the Romish" Clergy have neither renounced nor relaxed any of the ex"ceptionable doctrines of their Church, but, on the contrary, "their Bigotry appears to be increasing every day. I am "convinced that the Roman Catholics are neither candid nor "liberal in their temper and spirit towards Protestants; but, on the contrary, they regard them as Heretics, and out of the 66 pale of salvation. This opinion of theirs was, I believe, at no period more firmly held, than at this moment; indeed, it appears to be completely interwoven with their entire system "of religious instruction. The interests of the Church are "with them paramount to every other; and whilst there is "such a bond of union, as at present exists between the

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Clergy and Laity, and whilst the Pope is acknowledged by "both, as Christ's Vicar on earth, it would appear to be the

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height of infatuation to give power to a people who never "loved any but themselves. The advocates for Emancipation 66 appear to view the question in the abstract, without taking into account the spirit and principles of Popery: if these "ceased to exist, Emancipation might be granted at once; "but unless Popery has changed its nature, it must be the

enemy of liberty, civil and religious, and therefore subversive "of the happiness of man. And that it has not changed its nature, Ireland is a sad evidence.

"There are two well-known circumstances which evince "the nature of priestly influence and bigotry. During the

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"Cork election, in both city and county, some Priests threat"ened to deny the consolations of religion in their dying "moments to any Popish electors, who should vote for the "Protestant candidate. And it is not more than a fortnight "since a Priest went into an Infirmary in Cork, found a poor

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patient reading the New Testament, which he violently "snatched out of his hand, thrust into the fire, and crushed "his heel on it, to bury it more effectually in the flames.

"As to Securities, what could they give? And, if they "had any to offer, I believe it would not be consistent with "their creed. Indeed, I cannot conceive it to be consistent "with the creed of any honest man to bind himself not to "advance what he conceives to be the true religion in every "possible manner. Intolerance is of the very essence of the "Roman Catholic religion; in relaxing which, they virtu

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ally, though not nominally, become Protestants. Popish "ascendancy is what every lover of the truth (I think) ought "to deprecate. It is not on account of the Papists sharing "our privileges, that I am of this opinion; but loving, as I do, "the free circulation of the word of God, the unshackled "exercise of private judgment in religion, and the unob"structed public opportunities of acting upon these principles, "I cannot but tremble, (not, indeed, for the ark itself, but) "for the peace and comfort of those who bear it, or are here"after to bear it."

In another Letter from the County of Limerick is the following passage: "I can assure you, the Priests' influence "over their flocks is much greater than Protestants are in

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general aware of; and so far have they carried it, that not "long since, a servant quitted my house, the day after we "hired her, for being asked up to family prayers, declaring "the Priest would punish her in the severest manner, if she "dared to kneel down with Heretics. And many, who have "been by the beds of the sick, where I lately lived in the "country, for daring to remain in the house whilst a Protest

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"ant was at prayer by the bed-side of the sick person, were "sent to the Bishop, eleven or twelve miles distant, in very "severe weather, to be punished by him for so heinous an "offence against their Church. And I can also assure you, "that in a school, which I established in the country for the "instruction of sixty poor children in reading, writing, and "arithmetic, providing them with books and paper, the Priest, "because the Testament was read in the School, made the "parents of all the Popish children in his parish, about thirty ❝ in number, to remove them all from the school; and though "the inducement was to them great, which they frankly ac"knowledged, yet they sacrificed all to the Priest's request."

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In a Letter from the County of Tipperary we read as follows: "The Roman Catholics of Ireland have not, so far I can see or learn, renounced or relaxed any one excep❝tionable article or tenet of their Church; but seem to be, "if it were possible, more firmly rooted in them. The doc❝trine of exclusive salvation,' they openly and strenuously 66 avow. One of them declared to myself, in the most serious "and confident manner, "If you die as righteous as the saints "in heaven, you must go to hell, unless you die a Roman "Catholic.' And this is their common sentiment. They "hold the Pope to be the immediate successor of St. Peter;

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and say he has the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and "that he can admit and exclude whom he pleases. His poli"tical degradation does not, in the least degree, lessen his "spiritual power; for, in their estimation, they are quite dis ❝tinct and independent. The Pope delegates his power to "the Bishops, or such a proportion of it as is necessary, and "through them it descends to the Priests, who are held here "in the most profound veneration by the common people. "They say he (the Priest) can work miracles. I knew a per

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son, who said once to a Roman Catholic young woman in the "County of Limerick, after she had declared all she believed "the Priest could do, and hoped he would do for her, Why,

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