XV. 1.

Your Remark upon my alleged Omission of any notice of the State of Europe and England, at the Accession of Queen Elizabeth.

IN the beginning of this letter, addressing your+ self to me, you say, "In your examination of the "circumstances which accompanied and followed "the Reformation, you would almost seem to have "demonstrated to your countrymen, that you re"served your talents for your own profession, "and your sincerity for the courtesy of private "life.

"You attempt a long and laborious vindication "of the Romanists in the reign of Elizabeth, from "the charges of plots and conspiracies against the queen, and her government. You would then "endeavour to prove, that the priests who suffered were executed for religion, not for treason. In

prosecuting your inquiry upon these points you "omit all considerations of the state of parties, and "of the difficulties in which the legislature of the

day must have been involved, whatever might "have been its consequent decisions. You do not "tell your readers that civil wars were raging on "the Continent, and almost in England, on the subject of religion; that on the Continent, the

opposite opinions of the Protestants and the Ro"manists were embodied in the shape of armies; " and that in England, their open collision could "only be prevented by the most consummate prudence, and by occasional severities."

As a complete answer to the personally abusive charge which You bring against me, at the beginning of the extract which I have just transcribed from Your work, it would be sufficient to say, that, as both Dr. Southey's work and mine are addressed to the well informed, and as every thing stated by You is fully known to these, there was no obligation upon me to state the facts which You specify, and therefore no ground to criminate me for omitting them it would have been both a needless and incongruous expansion of my work.

I MIGHT ALSO OBSERVE, THAT MY WORK MOST EVIDENTLY WAS NOT OFFERED AS A HISTORY OF THE TIMES, BUT AS A DEFENCE OF THE CATHOLICS AGAINST CERTAIN CHARGES OF DR. SOUTHEY.

But I am not reduced to the necessity of resorting to either of these defences. To repel your charges, I shall transcribe an extract from my "Historical Memoirs," and leave it to your own decision, whether the account which You have given, either of the state of Europe, or the state of England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, is more full, or more favourable to that princess, than mine.*

"Ancient and modern history differ in nothing so much, as the absence of religious wars and "controversies from the former, and the large "space which they occupy in the latter. During "the successive periods of the Assyrian, Persian, "Macedonian and Roman empires, the grand

Chapter XXVIII. With some addition, it is inserted in "The Reminiscences, Sec. XII. 6. Art. Holy Alliance.""

political division of the world was, into the states "within the sway of those powerful empires, and "the states beyond it. At the end of the fifth "century of the Christian æra, by far the greater part of Europe was Roman; but after the "death of Trajan, the Romans ceased to be conquerors, and soon afterwards, the barbarians "of the north and the north-east, began to invade "their territories on every side, and to erect on "their ruins multitudes of principalities, inde"pendent on each other, but united by the pro❝fession of a common religion, by a common re

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gard for its interests, and by common sub"mission, in religious concerns, to the Pope, as "their common head. By degrees, Austria,

France, Spain and England, became the Euro"pean powers of the first order. The union of

the Imperial and Spanish crowns on the head of "Charles V. produced confederacies against him. "The French monarch was always at their head; "and Europe thus became divided in two new "parties, the Austrian and the French. The "Reformation arrived; and then, according to "Schiller, the interests of the European states,

" which, till that time, had been national, ceased "to be such, and the interests of religion formed "a bond of union among subjects of different governments, who, till this time, had been un"known to each other. A sentiment more power

"Histoire de la Guerre de Trente Ans:-Cited by M. "Bonald, in his interesting Essai, De l'Unité Religieuses en "Europe.'"

"ful in the heart of man, than even the love of "'his country, rendered him capable of perceptions "" and feelings which reached beyond its limits : "The French Calvinist found himself more in ""contact with England, Germany, Holland "'or Geneva, than with a Catholic of his own country.'

"This effected a new political division in "Europe; France siding with the separatists from "the Church of Rome, and introducing to the "aid of their common cause the Ottoman power, "became the real head of one power; Austria (6 was the head of the other. But when, upon "the abdication of Charles the Fifth, his German "were divided from his Spanish territories, and "the civil wars of France weakened his connections "with the Protestant powers and the Porte,

Philip the Second of Spain, and Elizabeth "of England, became the conspicuous characters.

Philip, with the aid of Bavaria, was the centre "of the Catholic system: Elizabeth, with the "United Provinces at her disposition, was at the "head of the Protestants. During this period,

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Germany, under the peaceable influence of Ru"dolph, took no part in the contest; but all the "temporal, and, (which was of much greater con"sequence), all the spiritual power of Rome, co

operated with the Spaniard, and placed the Pope "in the van of the Catholic array. Then, if "Schiller's remarks be just, the Protestants in "every country subject to the Spanish sway, "would be partizans of Elizabeth, and every

"Catholic in the territories subject to her do"minion or controul, would be favourable to the

designs of Philip and the Pope. Pursuing his "reasoning, it would follow that this would be

particularly the case of the clergy of each di"vision, on account of their nearer interests in the concerns of religion; and still more the case of "the Catholic clergy, on account of their intimate "connection with the Roman See, and graduated dependence upon her."

You tell me, (p. 185), that, "You use my own "words when you add, that Elizabeth's religious "reformation seems to have been conceived on a "conciliatory and comprehensive scheme." You refer to my Historical Memoirs, Vol. I. p. 145 and page 234, of the 2d edition. No such expression is to be found in the pages to which you refer: neither is any such expression applied as you apply it, to the general character of Elizabeth's religious reformation, to be found in any of writings.

XV. 2.

my

Your Eulogy of the Pacific Tendency of Elizabeth's first measures respecting Religion.

PERMIT me to ask, if, while You brought forward, in this and other parts of your work, the persecution of Protestants by Catholics in foreign countries, You should not have equally brought into view the persecutions of Catholics by Protestants? Justice required it of You. I beg leave to refer