cognizes a paramount authority, which can discharge his conscience from the obligations of the oath and disclaimer.

If this be the fact,-if, while the Catholics take the oath, or make this disclaimer, they recognize a paramount authority, which may dispense with its obligations, they are PERJURED VILLAINS!!! There is no medium.

And their villainy is aggravated, by the circumstance, that in the same oath, in which they swear allegiance to his Majesty and his successors, they swear to the disclaimer of the dispensing authority.

"And, I do solemnly," says the Roman Catholic in this oath," in the presence of God, "profess, testify and declare, that I do make the "declaration and every part thereof, in the plain "and ordinary sense of the words of this oath, "without any evasion, equivocation or mental "reservation whatever, and without any dispensa"tion already granted by the Pope, or any authority "of the see of Rome, or any person whatever, "and without thinking that I am or can be ac

quitted before God or man, or absolved of this "declaration or any part thereof, although the Pope, or any other person or authority whatsoever, shall dispense with or annul the same, or "declare it was null or void. So help me God."

If your meaning be what I have represented,

THE CHARGE WHICH IT BRINGS AGAINST THE

CATHOLICS, IS MOST HORRIBLE:

AND IS MOST UNJUST.

"When I consider," said Mr. Fox, in moving the Catholic claims in 1805,* "the state of reli

gion in Europe, of which perhaps three-fourths "of the people are Roman Catholics, I am asto "nished that such opinions respecting that religion are entertained. Is it possible, that any man can be found bold enough to say, of three-fourths "of the inhabitants of civilized Europe, that they

are not to be believed upon oath? Such an "assertion implies that Roman Catholic nations

are not only incapable of the relations of peace "and amity, but unfit for the relations of any "society whatever. Every enlightened mind,

every man who wishes well to his country, must "treat it both with scorn and indignation.

This is the language of a gentleman, a statesman, and a scholar. With all the rest of the world it will have weight :-but with You!-You yourself assure us, it has none. "Will you allow "me," You thus address me, (p. 308), "to re"commend to you in your next edition, to

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expunge the frequent argument, which is rather "insinuated than expressed, arising from the use "of such names as Pitt, Burke, Fox, Grattan, Canning, the Earl of Liverpool, and many others. "Believe me, they have no weight with him who "desires facts, and rests his argument on this "solid foundation."-I shall not take your advice: no opportunity of using these names to serve

* Proceedings and Debates upon the Petition. Printed for Cuthell and Martin, in 1805. 8vo.

the Catholic cause shall ever occur, in which I will not use them. Names so honourable to the Roman Catholics, and so serviceable for the jus tification of them against the horrid charges too often brought against them, nothing shall induce me to expunge. Worthy are the honourable persons, whom these names denote, of immortal memory :-In my remembrance they shall ever live; and while my humble pages shall remain, my humble pages shall record their names, their kindness to us, and our gratitude to them.

IX. 6.

Alleged necessity, that to give validity to Catholic denial of the Pope's universal Temporal Dominion, the Pope and his government must deny it.

I confidently assert,-1st, that such a denial by the Pope and his council is perfectly unnecessary: 2dly. That, whether necessary or unnecessary, it has been given :

-

3dly. And that it is the universal opinion of the Roman Catholic church, that Roman Catholics may conscientiously believe that the Pope has NO RIGHT, DIVINE OR HUMAN, to universal temporal dominion, or to any temporal dominion, except in his own temporal territory.

1.-All your arguments to show the necessity of requiring from the Pope and his government a denial or disclaimer of his temporal dominion, rest on your reasoning upon the third canon of the Fourth Council of Lateran;-I have abundantly

shown, that this canon, if, as to its temporal provisions, it ever was in force, does not now exist. Such a denial is therefore perfectly unnecessary. 2.-It has, however, been given.

A few lines will place this beyond controversy. I beg you to recollect the total disregard shown to Pope Innocent's protestation against the treaty of Westphalia; the Gallican declaration of 1682; and the oaths of the English, Irish, and Scottish Catholics, by which the universal temporal dominion of the Pope is absolutely denied.

I request you to observe, that I use the words universal temporal dominion of the Pope," because they are your words. In my use of them, I wish them considered to extend also to any temporal dominion whatsoever beyond the limits of his own realm.

3.-Now, mark my Two SYLLOGISMS.

I. It is the universal opinion of the Roman Catholic church, that whenever the church of any country professes a religious doctrine,--and the Roman see, and the other Roman Catholic churches, being apprised and aware of her holding it, continue in communion with her, the Roman see, and the Church of Rome, acknowledge that the doctrine so professed by that church, is consistent with the faith of the Roman Catholic church:

But, the Gallican declaration of 1682,-the disregard of Pope Innocent's protestation against the peace of Westphalia, and the oaths of the English Irish, and Scottish Roman Catholics, are explicit

and unqualified disclaimers of the Pope's temporal dominion ; and the Roman see and the other Roman Catholic churches have been apprised of them from the first to the present time;-yet the Roman see, and the other Roman Catholic churches, have always been in communion with the churches and states, in which these explicit and unqualified disclaimers have been made :

Therefore, the Roman see and the Roman Catholic church have acknowledged and do acknowledge, that this disclaimer of the Pope's temporal dominion is consistent with the faith of the Roman Catholic church:-

II.-Now, if the Pope, or the Roman Catholic church, can, in the opinion of Roman Catholics, absolve or discharge them from the oaths of allegiance and disclaimer taken by them, it can only be, because those oaths contain something contrary to the faith of the Roman Catholic church:

But, by communicating perseverantly with the churches in which these oaths of allegiance and disclaimer have been taken, the Roman see and the Roman Catholic church, acknowledge that these oaths of allegiance and disclaimer accord with the faith of the Roman Catholic church :

Therefore,-neither the Pope nor the Roman Catholic church can absolve or discharge Roman Catholics from these oaths of allegiance and disclaimer.

It remains only to observe,--that this acknow