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guilty of defection from the See of Rome, that is, as guilty of rebellion (including his Majesty's sacred person in that description,) it cannot be expected that vulgar men should think themselves bound by any tie of allegiance to a King thus represented to them, as himself guilty of a breach of what is termed a higher duty of allegiance. That liberty of conscience, which those of the Roman persuasion desire for themselves, they ought to allow to others; and they do not allow that liberty of conscience, but, on the contrary, sanction the worst of persecutions, whenever they treat any man sincerely believing in Christ, the Redeemer of Mankind, as not a member of the Catholic or Universal Church, founded by Christ and his Apostles, because that man does not believe all that they believe of the See of Rome, and of the doctrines taught by it. I can consider no man (whatever his profession of loyalty may be) as truly the loyal subject of a King, whom he thus holds up to his people as an object of disaffection, nay, of hatred, because that King holds a different opinion in matters of religion, from those who adhere to the See of Rome, and because he refuses any obedience, in matters temporal or spiritual, to that See. It will be your duty, my Lord, as a Justice of the Peace, to watch the preservation of the peace, with the most anxious attention, to respect no man whose conduct shall tend to disturb it; to exhort all men, by patience and forbearance, as well as by exertion, to use their utmost endeavours to preserve it. And however anxiously they may wish for a change in the establishment provided by the Law of the Land, for the maintenance of religion; however conscientiously they may think that the ends of religion would be better answered by putting those of the Romish persuasion in place of those of the Protestant Faith, they cannot, consistently with the duties of their allegiance, pursue that purpose, by abetting, or even by declining to resist and suppress the rebellious conspiracy formed for that purpose.

I have no doubt that the firm and distinguished loyalty which has marked your Lordship's character in every other situation of life will guide your steps in the dis charge of your duties as a Magistrate.

May God, to whom alone all our errors and imperfec tions are known, protect and guard you, and lead you to that end which will most accord with the beneficent purposes for which the office of Magistracy was intended,

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and for which, alone, I am persuaded, you prevail on yourself to undertake so arduous a charge, under circumstances of so much difficulty.

I have the honour to be, with the most sincere respect. and esteem, My Lord,

Your Lordship's faithful humble Servant,

To the Right Hon. the Earl of Fingall, &c.

LETTER II.

REDESDALE.

ANSWER TO THE FOREGOING, BY THE RIGHT HON. THE
EARL OF FINGALL.

MY LORD,

Great Denmark Street, Aug. 19. 1803.

I HAVE the honour to receive your Lordship's letter, and am much obliged to you for appointing me a Magistrate of the County of Meath, at a time when the task is so arduous. I must beg leave to assure your Lordship, that nothing but my most anxious desire to be useful, by every means in my power, would have induced me to solicit the Commission of the Peace. Permit me to return your Lordship my best thanks for the very able and excellent instructions contained in your letter-it shall be my unceasing endeavour to prove myself not unworthy the post of trust confided to me, for which I should feel myself very ill qualified, if I did not understand the duties of active loyalty to be exactly such as are laid down by your Lordship. I have always been taught that that man was a traitor, and violated his allegiance, who concealed any plot against the state;-to this opinion all those who profess the same religious faith that I do are bound by the most solemn pledge. I am very sorry any have deviated from it; they cannot be, I am persuaded, those remarkable for their religious and good conduct.

It gives me much concern, and I should be extremely sorry were it generally conceived, that your Lordship, the person to whom the Catholics of another part of the United Kingdom never cease expressing their obliga tions; with your superior talents, enlightened and liberal mind; holding the high situation you do in this country, with so much credit to yourself and advantage to the

public, should have an opinion in any degree unfavoura→ ble to the Irish Catholics. My Lord, the Catholic religion is the same every where: I very reluctantly enter upon the subject. Religious disputes I have always considered the greatest misfortune any country could experience. I must, however, beg leave to state to your Lordship, what I have always found to be the conduct and faith of the Catholic. I need not speak of his attachment to, and respect for, an oath; were he less delicate, why should he labour under any exclusion now, or have suffered many years of penal restriction? I must say, I never heard a Catholic wish for the overthrow of the Protestant Establishment, and setting up in its place one of his own religion-this was not, as is well ascertained, the object of the promoters of the Rebellion in 1798; nor do I believe it was that of the ruffians and murderers who disgraced this country on a late occasion.-The Catholic is ready at this moment to sacrifice his life, his property, every thing dear to him, in support of the present Constitution, in defence of that beloved Sovereign, to whom your Lordship does not seem to think we look up with that veneration, gratitude, and attachment, which I assure you we do.

The Catholic wishes no other family on the throne, no other Constitution; but certainly wishes to be admitted, whenever it shall be deemed expedient, to a full share in the benefits and blessings of that happy Constitution under which we live-a participation which, I trust, we have and shall continue to prove ourselves not undeserving of. Catholic loyalty and allegiance, I need not tell your Lordship, would oblige every one of that persuasion to resist or repel even the head of the See of Rome, were it possible to suppose that the usurper who now disturbs the peace of the world could send him here with his invading armies. My Lord, the doctrine of allegiance is perfectly understood, and unceasingly preached by the Catholic Clergy. I have just seen an address, in the Newspapers, from Dr. Coppinger to his flock, at Cloyne, in which Catholic principles and allegiance are much more ably and fully explained and inculcated than F could attempt doing. The late exhortation of the Rev. Dr. Troy, in Dublin, your Lordship has probably seen, and his character for distinguished loyalty is known to every one. In the year 1796, when Hoche's Flect was in Bantry Bay, the Rev. Dr. Moylan published an AdVol. VI. Churchm. Mag. March, 1804. A a dress

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dress to his People in Cork, for which, had the French landed, he would undoubtedly have lost his head. Surely, my Lord, solemn pledges and distinguished acts of loyalty are the best proofs that can be given.

I have, my Lord, taken the liberty of stating to your Lordship what I consider Catholic principles and Catholic conduct. Standing in the situation I do, I feel it my duty to vindicate the Catholics from any unfavourable opinion entertained of them. That your Lordship should know and properly appreciate their sentiments and conduct is my only aim, and would I am sure, be highly gratifying to them.

I beg pardon for trespassing so long on your Lordship; but, when there is question of the conduct and opinions of so large a portion of his Majesty's subjects, at a time that every arm is wanting to defend the empire, you will, I trust, excuse me; and I think I could not give your Lordship a better proof that I shall endeavour to merit the good opinion you are so kind as to entertain of me, which I hope I shall never forfeit.

I have the honour to be &c. &c.

To the Right Hon. Lord Redesdale, &c. &c.

FINGALL.

LETTER III.

FROM THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD CHANCELLOR TO THE EARL OF FINGALL.

MY LORD,

Ely-place, Dublin, 21st Aug. 1805.

MANY parts of your Lordship's letter have given me much pain. I have no doubt that your Lordship has every feeling of Christian charity towards those who differ from you in religious opinion; but I have daily experience, that the same charity does not prevail amongst a great many who profess to be of the same religious persuasion with your Lordship. I am fully persuaded that the want of true Christian charity, one towards the other, has been the real cause of all the unfortunate events which have of late disgraced this country; and I think it

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the duty of every man, however he may differ in points of faith from others, to endeavour to impress the great doctrine of Christian charity on the minds of all, as the only means of restoring peace to this distracted country. Your Lordship seems to imagine that those inhabitants of Ireland, who adhere in matters of faith to the doctrines of the See of Rome, are disposed to discontent; because, as your Lordship is pleased to express yourself, they are not admitted to a full share of the benefits and blessings of the happy constitution under which they live. If your Lordship means they are discontented, because they are not admitted to be members of either House of Parlia ment; or to hold certain great offices; or because they are excluded from the throne; I must confess, I cannot believe that the lower orders of the people in Ireland, amongst whom the ferment principally prevails, have any anxiety on the subject, except as it may be raised in their minds by others; and your Lordship must allow that no disturbances, of the same description, are excited amongst the Quakers, who certainly are liable to more disabilities, for conscience sake, than those of which your Lordship complains. I am afraid, or rather, I am persuaded, that the difference arises from the different temper given to their minds by their religious instructors; that the Quaker is taught to live in charity with all men, whilst those who follow the See of Rome, are unfortunately taught a very confined charity, being told they are exclusively members of the Church of Christ; and those whose minds have not been enlarged, by education or habit, feel it difficult to conceive how those whom they are taught to consider as not Members of the Church, can be deemed Christians; and, accordingly, your Lordship will find, upon enquiry, that the appellation of heathen is applied by those to every Protestant. If those who are considered as holding a higher rank in the priesthood used their influence to correct this impression on the minds of the lower orders, we might hope, that by degrees they might be taught to consider all who believe in Christ as their Redeemer, though not adhering to the See of Rome, as their brethren in Christ; but, unfortunately, that is not the case. Dr. Troy, in his pastoral instruction on the duties of Christian citizens, published in 1793, holds up high, the exclusive doctrine; which those who think humility a Christian virtue, in all respects most becoming so weak and fallible a creature as man, cannot but consider as savouring of presumption.

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