the priesthood. They are not loyal to Louis-Philippe, because he is not sufficiently submissive to their views. They caused the superstitious populace of Belgium, against the interest of the country, to revolt from Holland because its King is Protestant. They are not truly loyal to Leopold, because not sufficiently their creature. In Prussia, they occasionally give trouble; but the government being Protestant, absolute, and military, and a succession of princes possessed of considerable vigour having held the crown, they have been with some difficulty kept tolerably quiet. What we are chiefly interested in, is the question how Popery ought to be treated in tho British isles.
Letter III.
Any man of common sense, who considers the subject with tolerable attention, must be satisfied that it must prove extremely difficult and embarrassing to manage with success the affairs of a people, if Protestants and Papists are to be joined together in forming the legislature. The objects which the parties have in view, are totally different. The object which the system of Popery has in view is, to render all mankind subject to the associated priesthood. For that purpose the members of the association are made to abjure every tie that might divert their minds and efforts from that sovereign purpose. They must not marry—they must obey the superior of the corps to which they belong, and hold themselves to be the subjects of its head, the prince bishop of Rome—the sacred and infallible vicar of God upon earth, and superior of all kings and potentates. To all this, every member of the incorporation is sworn. Every priest, monk, and nun, therefore, is devoted to the task of subduing mankind to obedience to the Church. Hence, in a free country, they devote their highest efforts to influence the election of the members of the legislature, and to direct the people to the nomination of individuals devoted to the Church. For that purpose they spare no exertion. All the influence is called to his aid, by every priest, that can be derived from superstition, from the horror of heresy, the fear of hell and purgatory, and the influence derived from the power to create God in the mass—the power to grant or refuse absolution from eternal damnation. He regards only the interest of the Church, and disregards that of the members of his ignorant congregation. It is nothing to him that an individual, by voting as he directs, will quarrel with his landlord or best employer, and lose the bread of his family. Even were the man a king, endangering his crown by obeying the priest his confessor, that hazard would be disregarded by the priest. They urged Charles X. of France and James II. of England to patronise Popery, obviously at that risk. What then? The Popish priesthood cared not for the interest of these unhappy princes or their families. They said, let these kings reign for our benefit, or let them perish in a miserable exile.
Well, the Legislature is met, and Protestant members and the delegates of the Romish priesthood are mingled together. The Popish members must obey their constituents. If money is proposed to be expended in the education of the people, the Popish member readily concurs; but their priesthood must be the teachers, or have influence in the nomination of the teachers, so that little may be learned at the national schools but to repeat Popish prayers to saints and catechisms—to abhor all heretics, and to adore the priest. If judges or magistrates are to be appointed, or officers of any description to be employed, the King or Queen's ministers will be opposed in Parliament by every Popish voter, if the crown's patronage is not placed in the hands of their priesthood. If the preferment to be granted form a part of the Protestant church establishment, so that it cannot openly be given to a Papist, the influence of the body is exerted in favour of a man of unsound faith, or so unprincipled that he may safely be relied on as a man who will make no opposition to Popery, and will even support all indirect measures demanded by that body. In short, it is in every respect the interest of the Popish system to subdue or retain the people under the
