he converted the Irish nation to the faith of Christ. Dr. Ledwich tells you, oreover, that this plot fucceeded completely, and that it was never difcovered till he, Dr. Ledwich, wrote his book. Infulting as thefe paradoxes are to common fenfe; outrageous as they are to the honour of literature; yet, in an age of novels and newspapers, they have gained credit with fome writers; and it is eafy to forefee, that if they are not oppofed they will, on their joint credit of their novelty and irreligion, become fafhionable opinions! There is no danger that you or your catholic friends will take up with these particular extravagances of Dr. Ledwich. You are not likely to difcard your great apoftle St. Patrick to the region of "fictitious pagan deities" without the fhadow of an argument, upon the authority and recommendation of Dr. Ledwich, but I take this opportunity of cautioning you against trusting to this writer as an antiquary upon any fubject whatsoever he treats of; affuring you, that his book called the Antiquiries of Ireland, is chiefly distinguished by the fingularity and extravagance of the opinions which it contains, and the confidence and difingenuity of the author in fupporting them. 1 find I must referve for another letter the fubject of ecclefiaftical architecture, which I had originally defigned should be the principal matter of this. I fhall therefore, by way of nifhing with you at prefent, take the liberty of giving you and other friends a few words of advice. Circumftances then, dear Sir, have certainly been irritating; the times are critical and eventful; but for heavens fake keep your felves cool: a great part of your paft miferies have been owing to the intemperate warmth of fome of your countrymen. Be patient: for it is better to bear the ills we have, than fly to others we know not of. Remind the poor people over whom your influence extends, of the accumulated mifery which too many of them drew upon themselves nine years ago, by htening to the exaggerated hiftories, falfe alarms, and delufive promifes of anarchifts and agitators of different manners and habits, and of a different creed from their own, men who fought not the relief of the people, but their own aggran lizement and emolument. They excited and fanned the firme, and then, fecking their fafety in flight, they left it to be ex estinguifhed in the blood of their deluded victims. If I had the voice of thunder, I would cry throughout your island, at this momentous period in particular : Irifhmen, be cool: command your temper. Your evils are working their own cure; they can laft but a very little time longer, In a word, increafing as you are fo rapidly in numbers wealth and influence, you must find your proper level in fociety, and your weight in the fcale of the em pire. Thole ftate fmen who pretend to fix the ne plus ultra of your privileges at any point whatever hort of thofe enjoyed by the rest of your fellow fubjects, might juft as well ufurp omnipotence, and fay to the flowing tide: hither halt thou come, but no farther; and here fhall thy proud waves be stayed.' Job xxxviii. 11, To the Frinter of the Irish Magazine. jenterprizing and fuccefsful defpor; Sir, AS I always differed in opinion with the old cotard Epicurus, who among other reveries withed to perfuade us this world is the effect of blind chance and hazard, that there is no rational or moral cilinction be tween the actions of man and braft; I must acknowledge the late patition of the aldermen and commons against the Catholi claims fomewhat ftag gered my Philofophical pri ciples; I could hardly perfuade my tell that a number of men whom I fuppofed to enjoy at least a certain fhare of reafon and common fenfe, could deliberately act in direct oppofition to both. However a few moments' reflection foon difpelled this cloud. I immediately recollected that tho' man may be called a rational animal, his conduct is not always influenced by reafon, that in fonie men this luminary fuffers a total, in others a partial, or penodical, or temporary eclipfe; I reflected that he is liable to all the vifitations attending the brute creation, and particularly that called the Hy drophobia, which renders him infinite ly more noxious than the maddeft Dog: I recollected that fermented liquors, of en caufe a temporary diforder of the fame fpecies, which, during the paroxvifm is equally dangerous; finally, I knew by experience of prefent and past times, that the gloomy, fiend Bigotry accompanied by his near relatives hatred and revenge had often buift afunder the strongest ties of kindred, affection and friendship. In thefe preettablished principles I faw the origin and caule of this petition and the folution of my problem fo clearly that I defy the most trenuous advocates of afcendancy, to affign any natural caule which could induce our City fages to declare eternal warfare, flavery and degradation against a whole nation at a time when our thores are threatened by a powerful, which all the ports of Europe are al his command and all cordially combine in our deftru&ion. I fhould however, Sir, be underfood not to pats this judgment indifcriminately on atl the inea bers of thefe bodies; I know there are amongst then men of virtue, fenfe and underlanding: neither do I impute to all who figned this charitable deed, an equal thare of paffion and folly. I know how to make allowance for anibition, for vanity. I hall likewife compound with poverty, dependance and diffrefs; let thefe poor wretches have all the benefit from the plea of Romeo's Apothecary, not my will but my poverty confents." I know there are aldermen who have not as yet pfd the cufhion, whole poverty or avarice would not permit them to forfeit five hundred pounds which would be the certain punishment of their liberality; that there are amongst the commons men who afpire to all the city honors and emoluments, whofe hopes would be blafled by a confcientious vote. I agree there are amongst thefe commons fome who figned this petition folely through the hope of obtaining fome little city poft which may keep them from bankruptcy, the houfe of induftry, or the horrors of a jail: but it mult in return be allowed that fuch motives, however they may extenuate, can never juftify the fault, it must be granted that fuch pertons thus biaffed were by no means qualified to fit in judgment on the dangerous fituation of the nation, on the liberty and property of their fellow fubje&s. And here, Mr. Printer, I think it but just to exculpate the prelent Adminiftration from any fhare in the measure; for, however eff anal the cry of No Popery" may have been in their promotion, however averfe you may ftill fuppofe them to the Catholic claims, this meafure would at prefent tend only to injure or embar rafs them. I fhall like wife allow that this petition will not in itfelf have the weight of a feather on the delcerations of Parliament. But I thal at the fame time fubmit to the better judgment of Government, would it not have been more prudent to fifle this unnatural embryo in the womb? Perhaps I may be told that thefe gentry have a right to delberate to petition, this I believe true in many inflances. But I contend there are points and amongst the rest the one in queftion, where their intermeddling is not only improper, but even highly cenfurable. Will any reasonable man affert that thele gentlemen are qualified tongitate queftion which tends to fow the feeds of difcord through the land, to divide the energies of the empire at a time when union is moft neceffary, to endanger its exiflence. "Salus populi fuprema lex efto," the fafety of the itate is paramount to all laws, and no right, no privilege however antient, however juftly acquired can stand in oppofition to this first of all laws.. But yon will here afk, How put a top to the proceedings of thofe Po-valiant heroes, thofe faft friends of afcendancy, without cooling their high-mettled loyalty, without wounding their delicate feelings? I fhall answer, that former adminiftrations have found this a very eafy talk, without bustle or noife, without any appearance of interference they have often found means to appoint aldermen and sheriffs, and when expedient, even the lower officers of these refpectable bodies, The fmoke of a caf tle lupper, the promife of a paultry place, even the shake of a hand has often converted a turbulent demagogue into a staunch friend: have not the prefent adminiftration the fame means as well as former ones? Are the board of aldermen compofed of more ftern ftuff than formerly? Are they more opulent, more independent than formerly? Are they les ambitious, lefs vain than lurmerly? Te I may be here told, The Catholics are never to be jatisfied, that they have already obtained all the effential teneft of the Conftitution, that a bat litle remains can only tend to granny the ambition or vanity of the very few who could a one afpire to thoje fituations. This specious argument minds me of Mr. Sheridan's wity ftory of the Drummer who was wapping a poor foldier; the latter wretch when writhing with pain and torture requested the drummer would change his hand and whip him higher up, the drummer, for he was naturally obliging, immediately complied with his request, fcarce had he received a few ftrokes in this place, when he again requefted the drummer would change his hand, the drummer was again kind enough to grant the request, in a fhort time the foldier was to unreafonable as to afk a third boon by requefting him once more to change the fpot; on this the drummer lofing all patience. cried out," damn me, brother foldier, there is no pleafing you. But for argument fake, let us fuppofe the Catholic complaints are merely ideal, that the little to be granted is of no confequence. Here I fhall only fay that if this affertion, befounded, it doesnot argue much wifdom or prudence in Government to refufe this little; for to pass over numberless inftances of convulfions and revolutions caufed by trifles; was not Peter the third hurled from the imperial throne for having attempted to change the uniform of the Ruffian foldiery? Did not his present Catholic Majefty expofe his lie to imminent danger by ordering the Spaniards to lay afide the long cloak and broad brim'd hat? And to bring the matter home to ourselves, did not a late : a late order of our military comman- converts are only fo in appearance, der to make the Hindoflan foldier as it is notorious that thefe conforincut his hair after the English fashion, ifts it not furprized by a fudden death, caule an infurrection which proved exhibit towards the clofe of life denearly fatal to our power in that part monftrative proo's of their perjury of the globe? So far for trifles. But and hypocrify, in their endeavours to Sir, I thall now thew that the com- be reconciled to that church they had plaints of frith Catholies are not calumniated and reviled. Have not me ely idéal or imaginary, they are the Catholics reafon to complain of real and fubftantial grievances, which the numberlets vile, calumniating they feel every day in both perfon books and catechifns which every and property. For not to mention day teem from the prefs: the many té fuperio: ftations in the army, the flanderous and abufive effays publishnavy, and the bar not to mentioned in certain periodical papers, the the bank, where a Catholic will not authors of which are rewarded in be allowed to fill even the humble proportion to the degrees of virulence ftation of a porter; to pafs over the they exhibit aft inft this body? Has corporation, where they are to often not the Catholic to complain that calumniated and reviled with inipuni- while the Turk, the Jew, the Atheist, ty, and all which exclufions have a the Deift, the Socinian, &c. &c. who direct tendency to deprive the Catho- never before trod on hith ground lic body of friends, of protection. meets a friendly reception, partakes Is there any impartial man converfant of all the advantages of the conftituin the tithe fftem of this country, tion; the Catholic is an alien, an who must not allow that Catholics outcaft in his native foil, merely befuffer many and fevere grievances on caule his integrity will not permit him this fcore. to commit the crime of perjury, by conforming to a creed which his conicience forbids. Sir, were I to enumetate all the grievances of Catholics, I thould introduce you even to the beggars houfe of channel-row, &c. &c. But this I intend to make the subjc&t of another letter. I fhall then, at prefent conclude this fhort catalogue of injuries with the words of the poet Virgil. Had I an hundred mouths and a hundred tongues, I fhould not be equal to relate the grievances. the heart burnings felt by the Irish Catholies for many years past. What have they not fuffered from packed juries, where the judge from the bench has been obliged to país devere cenfures on their Thamefully partial, unjut verdicts; can it be denied that notwithstanding the repeal of the penal laws, whereby Catholics are eligible to many inferior lucrative places, this repeal may be called a dead letter, from the partiality and bigotry of thofe who have the appointment to thofe places? Can it be contradicted that while the Catholic who contributes principally to the fupport of the church and flate by his valor, his labor, his industry, is thrown into the fhade and treated with contempt, the unprincipled renegado who apparently conforms to the efiablifhed religion, is railed to the honors of church and ftate, and careffed,not in the ratio of his talents, but in proportion to his virulence against Catholics. I believe I fhall not be required to prove that fuch As reproof is not always palatable to those who deferve it, the learned body of Aldermen may perhaps take umbrage, and along with other favors, lay me down a leveller, a revolutionit. But I fhall here affure thefe worthies, there never was an imputation farther from truth, I must confefs as a Roman Catholic, I feel the painful effects of Catholic exclufion, but if the aggrieved have any kind of right, 'tis furely that of complaint and re-, monftrance; I fhall further tell the men of color, that, from a principle of Religion, from my independa: t fituation, from intereft, from reflection, I have the peace of this unhappy country as much at heart as any one E amongst the Aldermen or Com mons. From a principle of my religion, I conceive my felf bound to obey the powers that are over me; placed beyond the gripe of poverty, with a competence equal to all my wants, arrived at the evening of life, without profpects or wishes for advancement, I have nothing to hope, every thing to lofe by a revolution, I deprecate it as the greatest of misfortunes: not unacquainted with ancient and modern hif tory, reflecting on the convu fons and changes of empires, I have made up my mind that no revolution, however fuccefstul in its refult, can compenfate for the evils attending it. As the afcendancy gentry grasp at even the shadow of an argument, in order to justify their proceedings, as a drowning man will catch at a traw, I have been grave 'yan!wered by one of thefe gentlemen 'it it be a principle of the Rouan Catholics to obey the powers that are placed over them, treat them as we may, what have we to fear? The petition of the Aldermen and Commons cannot then be productive of any harm.' I anfwered, not without fome inclination to fuile, by faying, pray fir, can you inform nie at what period, in what country, under the influence of what religious Chriftian perfuafion, has the Gofpel been the golden rule which exclufively guided the conduct of Christians? Were there not infurrections, rebellions, and revolutions in every country, in all times, and under the influence of every Religion, whether Pagan, Jewish, Mahometan, or Chriftian, But should you with farther proofs to fhew that theory and practice are often at variance in matters of morality, I fhall refer you to fuch as you will not refuse. Dr. Duignan, Meffrs. Cope, M Gauly, and Dooly will eafily convince you there are really baptized Chriftians, who can live not only days but years in the habitual violation of its effential law, "Love and even glory in the deed. your neighbour as you love your felf" Tho', fir, I am not indebted to either the Blue-coat hospital or Charter fchool for my education, (for thanks to Providence I had a Father as well as a Mother) I conceived an early predeliation for thefe pious afylums, on account of the genuine principles of christianity brotherly love, and philanthropy which have always dillinguifhed their offspring, I fhall beg leave to trefpafs a little farther on your obliging magazine, by a fable which may afford fome amufement to my little favorites. Once on a time a man travelling through a lonefome place, faw at a diftance a band of robbers; unable to make refiftance, he told his ass the robbers were coming, and that if he did not halten his pace they would take both away; the ass then asked the mafter, will they in that cafe make me carry three panniers inftead of the two I am now compelled to carry? No, replied the mafter. Will they give me lefs to eat, will they beat me more than you? No, replied the mafter: for though he was cruel, he was at least candid, the afs then rejoined, Pray mafter, why then fhould I haten my pace? I leave, fir, the comment to my friend Mr. Giffard. PHILOPATRIÆ. Tho |