establish the most ruinous systems of undone, and to take every possible management--they would destroy the means for preventing others from renequality and independence of the peo- dering your combined labours of no ple-they would convert a very large effect. part of your one grand class into ser. If the established Church of the vants, and effectually control them- island resemble that of England, you they would propagate the most mis. must be implacable enemies of the chievous habits and opinions-and clergy, for they will contend against they would produce a variety of other you in everything. You must, as good grievous evils. What we have recom- Liberals and true, detest the Protesmended, touching the landlords, will, tant religion in general, and that of by keeping up rents, be one means of the Church of England in particular. keeping them away ; and what we are It would be most desirable if you could about to recommend, will supply all abolish religion altogether, but this that may be lacking for their effectual perhaps would be scarcely practicable. exclusion.

It seems to be agreed on all hands that You must now direct your attention man is “ a religious animal,” and to that most important point, the sup, therefore, perhaps, if you oppose athe, plying of the people of your island ism or deism to protestantism, you with just opinions and feelings. The will hardly triumph. It will consea divine liberal system must here be quently be wise in you to war against your principal guide. Keep the facts the regular clergy, by means of any for ever before you, that this system other religion that may possess the carries on a war of extermination greatest number of the following cha, against the regular Clergy, the Pro- racteristics :testant Dissenters, and the practice of If it call itself a Christian one, it religion ; that it constantly advocates must comprehend in its creed as much those things which form the primary of what is flatly opposed to the New sources of vice and guilt; that it holds Testament, as will make it practical up the profligates of this and other heathenism. countries as the best of mortals : that It must invest its priests with the it ranks hatred of public functionaries attributes of God-it must place them and governments among the cardinal above God-it must even make God virtues, and that it anxiously sighs to seem to be but their passive instrureverse all that at present exists in ment; a being existing only to save this country. Keep this fact, we say, or consign to perdition as they may for ever before you, and act according- dictate, in the eyes of the people. It ly.

must exact from the people, for the The jobbers will do no little towards priests, the most slavish, blind, and accomplishing what the liberal system abject obedience, and it must give to will prescribe, without you. They will the priests unlimited authority to deconnive at, and encourage, illicit distil- cide, in spite of the scriptures, or any lation, the robbing the clergyman of other authority, divine or human, what his tithes, &c. &c. This will

have the shall, and what shall not, be regarded most beneficial effect in freeing the as religious duty. This will have the people from the restraints which ho- blessed effect of turning the minds of nesty, reverence for the laws, and other the people from their Maker to the feelings of a similarly pernicious na- priests ; it will give the worship and ture, impose. In addition to this, the obedience to the latter instead of the exactions of the jobbers will place the former. people in that glorious state of hunger Its priests, while they must speak and nakedness, of bodily degradation incessantly of their power to forgive and mental darkness, in which it is sins, and to admit into, and exclude almost impossible for men to know and from heaven, any one they please, practise the distinctions between right must instruct the people that salvation and wrong, virtue and vice, innocence depends not on a virtuous and pious and crime ;-in which it is almost im- life ; that it will not be forfeited by a possible for wrong, vice, and crime, to life of the darkest vices and crimes ; assume any other than the most ag- and that all that is necessary to obgravated character.

tain it is, to go through such forms, Your care, of course, must be to repeat such words, and pay such sums complete what the jobbers may leave of money, as they may dictate. They

must make the people believe, that Bible, religious tracts, and all other they may commit the most flagrant obnoxious writings. They must be wickedness again and again, and still permitted to inflict the most severe be forgiven, on such terms as all have personal punishments on all who may it in their power to offer; and that the dare to disobey their commands. They blackest wretch that ever cursed the must impose penances, which are about earth will be sure of entering heaven, equal to the legal punishments of whipif he get that forgiveness from them, ping and standing in the pillory, for which he can so easily obtain. This lighter offences; and they must emwill have the most beneficial opera- ploy excommunication, which is the tion imaginable. It will destroy the loss of character, and ruin—which, if power of conscience,-it will take away not equal to, is but one degree short the fear of future punishment alto of, death—against graver ones. These gether,—it will convince the people punishments must be resorted to, withthat they may commit any wickedness out mercy, against all who may dare to whatever ; that they may rob, burn, enter a Protestant place of worship, and assassinate, as they please, and or retain in their possession a Bible or still be in no danger of perdition ; and a religious tract. it will, of course, make the religion, While the priests must thus effecto a great extent, the pander of the tually prevent the people from reading worst passions and propensities of hu- the scriptures, and obtaining religious man nature. Only depose God, and knowledge, they must shew the utdeify the priest ; make the name of most indulgence to vices; they must the one the tool of the other; and permit the profanation of the Sabbath; substitute the priest's inventions for if they know that they have incendiathe precepts of scripture, and your re- ries and murderers in their flocks, they ligion will inevitably destroy those pes- must conceal it from the legal authotilential things-public morals. rities ; if they know that a plot is con

This religion must, of course, stre- cocting, for ruining and shedding the nuously insist on the suppression of blood of innocent families, they must the scriptures, and all sound expo- not reveal it ; they must tell the dying sitions of Christianity. It must per- felon that his sins are forgiven, though mit the free circulation of writings they know that he is passing, with a that contain direct incitements to vice lie in his mouth, to the presence of and crime; it must sanction the use his Maker; they must on no account of these in the schools, but it must, on excommunicate a man for being a murno consideration, suffer the people to derer or a traitor. read the Bible.

A priesthood teaching a religion It must positively prohibit the peo- like this, and possessing these terrible ple from entering the churches of the powers, cannot fail of obtaining the establishment, and the Protestant cha- most boundless authority over a peopels; it must proclaim the more de- ple so happily circumstanced as those vout, Bible-reading, Bible-obeying of your island. It cannot fail of obProtestants, to be the greatest and the taining, virtually, the sovereign authomost unpardonable sinners; it must rity. It cannot fail of being able to assert that the clergy of the establish- lead, or drag the people, to anything ed Church have no spiritual character, whatever. It cannot fail of establishand are a nuisance to the country; and ing nearly everything that the divine it must maintain, that while there is liberal system wishes to see establishno hell for its own followers, there is ed in point of morals. no heaven for the followers of other It is a most difficult matter to give religions.

to a peasantry the political feelings The priests of this religion ought to which this glorious system inculcates. possess, at least, an hundred-fold more All the circumstances in which a peaof direct authority than the regular santry is placed, have a natural tenclergy; they ought, in truth, to be dency to make it orderly and loyal. Its perfectly despotic. They must insist minute subdivisions, its occupation, upon auricular confession, for this will and the difficulty of supplying it with place their flocks at their mercy. They liberal newspapers, of placing before it must regularly visit the houses of the liberal examples, of establishing amidst people, and carry off by main force the it liberal teachers, and of bringing

within its hearing liberal harangues, from their starving flocks the money
all operate most powerfully against necessary to feed and arm such face
rendering it turbulent and disaffected. tion.
Your main instruments, therefore, in Although miracle alone could pre-
operating upon the politics of your vent a religion and priesthood like
country population, must be your these from rendering such a people as
priests, and, of course, these must be your islanders everything you could
furious political intriguers. Their po- wish in morals and politics, still it
litical, will be as boundless as their re- may not be wise to trust to them
ligious influence, and they will render wholly. It is better to be doubly
your people exactly what the liberal armed, than to be without weapons.
system would wish to make them in It will therefore be highly prudent to
politics.

form a gigantic political faction to act It cannot be necessary for us to as their ally, and to perform such laprove, that the State ought not to have bours in politics as it might be unthe least influence or authority over seemly in the priesthood to undertake. the priests—that it should not be suf- The leaders of this faction ought, fered to interfere in the smallest de- by all means, to, be lawyers. Lawgree in their education and appoint- yers, when they plunge into politics, ment—that the men who, by acting

have far less than other men of such the double part of spies and tyrants- scruples as your faction ought to be who, by compulsion and terror, as wholly free from.

These lawyers well as persuasion and seduction- ought to be fanatical, superstitious, who, by inflicting the most grievous crazy, hot-headed, blind, and ignorant punishments, and producing the be- in the last degree; they ought, more lief, that they can admit into heaven, especially, to be intensely ignorant of or cast into hell, whomsoever they the principles of the British constituplease, hold despotic sway over five or tion, of the principles of liberty, and six millions of the people, and terrify of the character of the British people. the government from taking any mea- When these lawyers form themselves sures that may displease them, ought into a body, your priests must comto be independent of, and above, the bine both themselves and their flocks government. This is too obvious to with them: This will, of course, make need evidence to establish it. The your people religiously obey whatever priests ought positively to deny the the lawyers may dictate. As lawyers, supremacy of the State, and to assert no matter what they undertake, must their supremacy over it. Their head always have money to work with, ought to be some foreign potentate- your priests whom the state educates some crafty and unprincipled Italian : must extract from their starving flocks a man dwelling in the most ignorant -if seduction fail, they can employ and licentious part of Europe ; one threats and punishments—some fifty who will, in the face of the world, at- thousand per annum for the use of the tack your national institutions and li- lawyers. A portion of this money berty, avow his hatred of the Protes- ought to be avowedly employed in britants, and assert that they ought to be bing the newspaper writers of the em“extirpated.” This man ought to no- pire, and this will necessarily procure minate the higher of the priests, and you other most potent allies. It will these, his creatures, ought to nominate be most wise to secure the assistance the inferior ones.

of Cobbett, and all such writers. A It may, however, be most just and hired agent established in London may proper for the State to pay for the edu- be of great service. cation of the priests, provided it be re- You will now be secure. The estastrained from interfering in such edu- blished clergy--the government--the cation. Nothing could be more de- whole world—may do what they please, sirable than that the State should and you may laugh at them alí. educate men to proclaim that the re- You must, however, not slumber gular clergy have no religious charac- in giving to your terrific means operater, and that they are a nuisance to tion. Laws are hateful things to the the island, to combine with any poli- divine liberal system; therefore you tical faction that may put the public must destroy the laws, or render them peace and weal in peril, and to sponge inoperative. The jobbers will disqua

The present

lify your population for furnishing them with silent scorn. functionaries to execute the laws, and liberality of the nation will render any your priesthood and faction must dis- other reply useless. qualify it for furnishing legal witness- If your priests be so indiscreet as to es. This will do much towards ren- enter into sober disputations with the dering the laws a dead letter. If the regular clergy touching the propriety government prosecute traitorsif pri- of circulating the Scriptures, repres vate individuals prosecute rioters, rob- hend such disputations vehemently. bers, and murderers--if a clergyman Swear that they cannot possibly probring an action for tithes lawfully due duce anything but mischief, and to to him if a member of another reli. prove it, shew that the disputations in gion bring an action against a member Parliament-newspaper discussions of yours--the expenses of the defence theological controversies-in fine, armust, in all cases, be defrayed by the gumentation and discussion of every funds of your faction. As no private kind - only stifle inquiry, destroy unconnected individuals, whether poor knowledge, overthrow truth, and proor rich, will be able to contend against duce every variety of baleful conse the purse of your faction in courts of quences. The liberal part of the na law, this will supply all that may be tion will believe you. wanting for rendering the laws a nul. If the government, or any fanatics lity. It will yield another mighty ad and enthusiasts, endeavour to establish vantage it will give employment and schools among your Islanders, be care bread to your lawyers.

ful to prevent any religion and moraThe regular clergy are solemnly lity from being taught in these schools, pledged to their God and their coun- and, above all things, exclude from try to do everything in their power to them the Scriptures. If your people make your people good Christians; are taught reading, writing, and ariththey are expressly enjoined to do this metic, at the cost of the State, it may by the laws. In so far as their efforts be of service to you, provided they are may be successful, they will take the taught nothing else. It will enable sovereignty from your priesthood and them to read whatever your priest faction, and give it to the State-they hood and faction may put into their will establish that horrible state of hands; and, as the wholesome and things in respect of religion and poli- searching laws of these bodies will tics, which is to be seen in Great Bri- suppress

all other compositions, there tain: You must, of course, vigorous- will be no danger of their reading any ly oppose them. If you suffer them to other. circulate the Scriptures, you are ruin- It will be highly necessary for you ed, therefore your mobs, inflamed and to malign and blacken the regular headed by your priesthood and fac- clergy in every possible way. Protest, tion, must put down by force their that when they obtain a portion of the Bible-meetings. Your people must be tithes which are legally their due, they taught to detest the Bible, and to cry, rob and ruin the people. Although it “ Down with the Bible !" and your is a notorious fact that tithe-free land priests must solemnly charge them, in pays more in rent alone than titheable their official character, not to retain land pays in both rent and tithes, the Scriptures, or any religious trea- prove, by the unerring science of Potise, if put into their hands.

litical Economy, that the tithes are a If the bigots declare that it is vir- ruinous impost which the occupiers of tual treason for your priesthood and titheable land have to pay beyond faction to make themselves the censors what is paid by the rest of the comof the press--to prevent the regular munity. Although every one knows clergy from doing what the law and that if tithes were abolished, the landthe religion of the State command holders would demand more than their them to domto prohibit the circula- amount of additional rent, prove, by tion of the religious creed of the State the said unerring science, that the aboa to prevent the people from making lition would put their amount annualthemselves acquainted with this creed ly, and for ever, exclusively, into the and to prevent the reading of that pockets of the occupiers. Although no which is published under the authori. one is ignorant that, if the churchty of the State, and which is the only lands were taken from the clergy, genuine source of Christianity-treat they would, whether sold or given Vol. XVII.

F

away, pass to men who would raise other papers, and then let your faction, the rents, and spend these rents out of and other engines of circulation, dethe island, still prove, by the said luge the island with the papers. unerring science, that the possession The tuition of your people will be of these lands by the clergy involves imperfect, if you do not fill them with the island in ruin. If the clergy at- intense batred of Great Britain. If tempt to perform their duty, protest they indulge any kindly feeling tothat they are generating bad feelings, wards this wretched state, they will and fomenting rebellion. If they la- be in danger of imbibing some of its bour to teach the people the principles pernicious opinions and habits. Your and practice of genuine Christianity, priests, lawyers,and other instruments, without reference to particular creeds, must, therefore, continually tell them, denounce them as men who are a that Great Britain enacted the most plague to the island. Never spare them, cruel and unjust laws against their except when they are silent-when ancestors, but they must conceal the they totally neglect their duty-and fact, that their ancestors provoked

when they suffer your priests to do these laws by their conduct-they whatever they please.

must tell them, that Great Britain On the other hand, you must la- holds them now in chains, and makes vish all the panegyrics that language them the victims of intolerable opwill supply, on your priests de pression, but they must carefully con

; clare that they are the most spotless

ceal all she has done for them. Your and meritorious of God's creatures ;- lawyers must tell them, that nineteen protest that everything they do is twentieths of the British women are most constitutional, lawful, just, and strumpets from reading the Bible. necessary ;-swear that they ought to Cobbett must tell them that England suppress the Bible, and all expositions is “ the land of bastards,” and that its of the religion of the State that they peasantry are monsters of depravity. ought to keep the people in the most The Morning Chronicle must tell them horrible ignorance and depravity- that the English are the most sensual that they ought to prevent the regular and immoral people in Europe. The clergy from performing their religious Edinburgh Review must supply them duties that they ought to occupy the with libels on the British people in first place in, and to form the chief word, all those liberal persons who principle of vitality and power of, a have magnanimously filled themselves tremendous political faction, which with scorn of their country, and who threatens to involve the empire in war can only speak of, to vilify, it, must --in a word, that they ought to do any- assist in causing them to detest Great thing they please. Prove that it is Britain. When everything in the chaimpossible for them to possess too racter and circumstances of your Ismuch influence and authority; and landers, will lead them to devour this that the laws, the Constitution, the with the utmost greediness, and when government, the public weal, the in- everything that may tend to contraterests of society, in short, everything dict it can be effectually kept from in your system, ought to be subordi. them, your success in filling them with nate and subservient to them.

the most rancorous and inveterate ha 'The lawyers and other members of tred of Great Britain, cannot fail of your faction, your priests, and your being most perfect and glorious. newspapers, bribed or unbribed, must After having banished or destroyed daily scatter this profusely in every almost all who could form an upper corner of your island. It must be or a middle class almost all who could served up in such language, and with set proper examples to your people, such adjuncts, as may be the best calm and who would have an interest in culated for making an impression on setting such examples-almost all who the people. If any slanders of the could fashion your population into a Protestant religion, and the clergy of society, and prevent it from becoming the Church of England, can be invented one gigantic, unorganized, ungovernso foul, filthy, revolting, and devilish, able, terrific mob: after having rethat

even your very lawyers and priests duced the mass of your people to the cannot repeat them, let any such per- lowest point of ignorance, penury, deson as Cobbett, print them in his pa- pravity, and lawlessness-taken from per, then let them be copied into your their eyes all beneficial example-fill