WII. The suppression of Monasteries.... Celibacy of the Clergy....Importance of domestic and social relations.... Utility of a married Clergy.... Morality of the Monks.... Literary character and influence of Monasteries ... Their political tendencies

VIII. The Reformation vindicated from the charge of "devastation".... Character of Cromwell, Earl of Essex.... Legality of his measures .... Insurrections on account of the suppression of Monasteries.... The plunder of Monasteries overrated.... Their wealth useless to the nation.... Dishonourably and unjustly obtained.... Tombs of Austin, Alfred, and Becket.

IX. State of the Reformation at the accession of Edward VI....The manner in which the memory of Henry VIII. has been treated .... Cobbett's false statements of the early events of Edward's reign.... The charge of "the love of plunder” examined..........Impoverishment of the Romish Church necessary and justifiable.... Cranmer's Bible, &c..... Insurrections.... Causes of public sufferings and popular discontents

X. Character of Mary.... Cobbett's eulogy.... Facility of her accession... Her dishonesty and treachery.... Conduct of the Parliament.

. Mary's marriage.... Her tyranny and oppression.... War with France.... Reconciliation of England with the Church of Rome..... Dreadful persecutions.

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- 145 XI. Recapitulation...State of the nation at the accession of Elizabeth.... Facility of her accession.... Conduct of the Pope.... Mary Queen of Scots.... Foreign transactions.... Massacre of St. Bartho lomew.... Prosecution of Roman Catholics.

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XII. Review of Events from the accession of James I. to the abdication of James II..... The Revolution of 1688.... The American and French Revolutions.

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'XIII. On the population of England and Wales.... National wealth....

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Political power and freedom.... Poverty of the people. XIV. General Review of the History of Popery.... Its intolerant and persecuting spirit..... Its oppressive exactions.... Its injurious influence on the political liberty of nations.. .Its hostility to mental improvement.... Imperfection of its policy, and the certainty of its destruction.

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PREFACE.

Had the Author, when he commenced the following work, fully contemplated its appearance before the public in its present complete form, he would probably have shrunk from the responsibility incurred; and have declined the undertaking, from a fear of his incompetency to engage public attention. Local excitements

prompted the effort, and little was at first proposed but the gratification of a few friends; and if the undertaking, commenced with some portion of acknowledged inconsideration, should be found unworthy the approval of the impartial and distant reader, it will not occasion the disappointment of ambition in authorship, so much as prevent that feeling for the future, which has never been excessively indulged hitherto. There is, however, one consideration, which he proposes as a mitigation of the severity of the just, and as a humble claim on the regard of the candid and condescending the facts of the English Reformation have seldom been condensed, so as to put persons of restricted reading and little leisure in possession of answers to the popular calumnies of Roman Catholics. Burnet's History will always be valued for the variety, and minuteness of its detail; and destroys the necessity of any elaborate and extended publication of the same nature. But Burnet will never be read by the majority of Protestants of the present day; independent of which, the statement of old facts by a new writer, may invest them again with that influence over the public mind which the lapse of time had destroyed, and the renewal of which is necessary to perpetuate the interests, and spread the triumphs of truth. Beside, the prejudices of men are always shifting, and objections which the original historian of a great event scarcely thought worthy his notice, become of great magnitude in the estimation of others, and require to be specifically met on account of their influence..

The attempts which have recently been made in various parts of the country for the revival of Popery, have roused the attention of many Protestant writers; and it is matter of congratu lation, that in the excitement of Controversy, the History of Popery, and of Protestant Reformations, has been discussed with learning and care. The various publications of Dr. Southey, the Rev. J. B. White, and Mr. Butler, will no doubt possess an important influence, in fixing the attention of the present generation on facts, which once recorded, are too frequently forgotten.

Aistory of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland," by the author of the "Political Register," excited" surprize among all parties. And though its effect in favour of the Roman Catholies in this country has been very weak, and many have considered that whatever is published by this writer, at the present period of his career, is unworthy a reply, because doubted by every one, it appeared to the writer of the following pages to afford a fair opportunity for reviewing our own religious history, and for providing, in a compendious form, an historical refutation of those calumnies, which are repeated in various publications, and echoed by almost every Papist in the kingdom. Historical misrepresentations ought not to be left to circulate without correction, for though the sophistry of an argument may sometimes be left to common sagacity to detect, the perversion of a fact can only be exposed by a few for the satisfaction of the many. The progress of the English Reformation is instructive, its events are illustrative of the principles at issue'; and a careful enquiry will show, that whatever wore the imperfections and crimes by which it was occasionally impeded and injured, it gives us many rules for our conduct-exhibits many patterns for our imitation-and is the source of the most valued privileges we enjoy. Any attempt, therefore, to familiarize the history of this event should be encouraged, honoured its success, and deplored in its failure.

The author is aware that he is open to critical objections, on account of an apparent confusion in his arrangement, and many errors of composition. But while he prepares himself to bow to any correction he has merited, he ventures te remind his reader, that the publicatian of a work in numbers, at different periods, and in answer to another at the same time in course of publication, did not allow of a clear and prospective arrangement, which might have prevented many irregularities and repetitions. For errors in composition, he can offer as his only apology, what perhaps may itself require an apology, as inconsistent with the respect due to the public, that much of it was written in hoste, and amidst numerous interruptions. Conscious of its imperfections, he does not presume to offer it at the temple of Literature ; but casts it, mistrustingly, into the current, which, though occasionally beneficial in its course, soon consigns its burden to oblivion.

OBJECTIONS exploded in one age, are generally revived in the next. Distortions of facts, and puerile arguments, which the triumphant disputant considered as consigned to oblivion; aud for defending which, his opponents were exposed to public disgrace, are often, after the lapse of a few years,' repeated with unblushing effrontery, as if they had never been previously answered, nor even announced. This is the case with Cobbett's History of the Reformation in England and Ireland. The facts and arguments employed by this writer, have long since been discussed and disposed of, and while the blackened page of the calumniator has been forgotten, the Reformation has taken its place in all standard and authentic History, as the most splendid era of liberty and truth. It is, however, unfortunately our fate, to behold in Cobbett the revival of defeated hostility, with no small portion of original effrontery, Scarcely a misrepresentation can be found in the pages of the most blundering and dishonest scribe of former days; scarcely a calumny was ever invented by hatred the most profound; nor any disgusting artifice resorted to by the › basest drudge of the Romish Church, for the purpose of dis-> torting truth, libelling excellence, and deceiving the multitude,

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which this modern Champion does not seize with an avidity the most amusing, and dwell on with an irritation the most splenetic. It is difficult to imagine that a man of Cobbett's age and reading can believe the things on which he so strongly insists, and equally difficult to suppose that he can expect to be believed by others. He must either himself have been so much engaged in examining the Politics of the day, and in the manufacture of Straw Hats, together with the culture of Ruta Baga, as with perfect ignorance of Popery and Pro. testantism, to become the dupe the former; or he i e is drawing largely on the ignorance of his readers, and treating them as void of discrimination. Our readers may choose which supposition they please, we have no doubt of being able to assist them to the concluions, that he is either to be derided for his ignorance, or condemned for an insult on their understanding,

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If the History of the Reformation before us, had been distinguished by nothing but a perversion of facts, we should calmly examine it without any allusion to the author; but, when the most unqualified abuse is heaped on whole bodies of Christians, and on all who venture to protest against the Church of Rome, when solely on account of our Protestantism, we are to be proclaimed as ignorant, our motives are to be defamed, and all our activity denounced as mischievous; we are obliged to tell our opponent what we think of his character, to express the honest feelings his treatment natually awakens, and to analyze his proud claims to infallibility Cobbett evidently trusts to the confidence of his spirit and the boldness of his assertions for success; if, therefore, we can show that he outrages in these respects all that is decorous and decent, our efforts will not be useless in warning the reader against an influence of which he ought always to be jealous. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" It may perhaps be considered an unprecedented violation of propriety, to commence a controversial discussion with such personalties; but

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