ESSAY XI. ON THE CATHOLIC QUESTION. THE question upon which Lord Grenville's administration ventured to try their strength with the king, and in which they were compelled to yield not only the measure in dispute, but their authority also, increased the load of unpopularity under which they laboured. After the manner in which the subject of Catholic Emancipation had previously been waived, they lost more credit now by the want of sagacity which was betrayed in thus bringing it forward, than they gained by their adhering to the principle, even among those who favoured it. But they who favoured this Emancipation, as it is absurdly and falsely denominated. (for the word implies a previous state of bondage), were chiefly of two descriptions;.. Dissenters, who consider a repeal of the Test Act as its necessary consequence; and men whose readiness to tolerate any system proceeds from their indifference to all. A third class may be added,..those who, knowing the truth, and loving it sincerely and ardently, believe that pure religion may grant safely to all forms of error that perfect liberty which is all that it requires for itself; but these persons are few in number, and are not those whose voice is heard abroad. The majority of the people had never thought of the question, till an appeal was made to them concerning it by a general election; but they knew that Popery was a bad thing, against which their fathers had borne testimony at the stake, which had been subdued with great difficulty, and which, for two centuries, had been considered as perilous to the state; this they knew,..and their natural conclusion was, that it could not be right now to encourage, what it had so long been our object to destroy. ་ The opponents of the measure were of two classes: the first and loudest were a base crew, the hired retainers of party, and the noisy hunters after preferment. Their cry was, 'The church is in danger; they represented the fallen ministers as enemies to it, and their clamours were dishonourably and dangerously fomented by some of those who came into power upon the dismissal of their rivals. Others reasoned thus:..The proposed Emancipation would be useless at all times, and dangerous at present; dangerous, because its 'immediate effect would be to introduce Irish priests into our army and navy; men acting under orders from a church which Buonaparte has ostentatiously restored, and which he will use in whatever manner his policy may require;. . useless*, because it will not satisfy those whom it is intended to conciliate. It is not with such concessions that Popery will be contented, nor with anything short • The state-prisoners in Ireland told the Privy Council this, and it has been repeated by Emmett and M'Nevin, in their Fragments for History, published in America. of its full and paramount supremacy. Are, then, its advocates prepared to concede this? and have they forgotten that they who are themselves intolerant, have no claim to toleration? and that intolerance has been the uniform practice of the Catholic Church, whenever and wherever it has had power to act upon its immutable and necessary principles ? Further it was urged, the English Catholics enjoy full liberty of conscience, and as many indulgencies as are compatible with the well-being of the Established Church. The religion of the country is the law of the country; and, to admit into parliament those persons whose desire and duty it is to bring about the subversion of that religion,..to place them in the situation of law-givers, ..would be a manifest and palpable absurdity. The rigorous penal statutes, which their own desperate measures formerly rendered necessary to the safety and very existence of government, have been relaxed as time and circumstances changed; they have the free and public exercise of their religion, and the unrestrained use of the press. More could neither reasonably be asked, nor consistently granted. And, indeed, indulgence was already carried too far; for, though it was not pretended that the increase of Popery was now likely to endanger the public weal, there were instances of its occasioning great private distress, which could not have happened, if the old wise precautions were enforced. The monks and nuns who took refuge here from the revolutionary troubles in France, had been permitted, as many of them as pleased, to follow their accustomed way |