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"in the manner now directed.

As the law now

"stands, any priest or schoolmaster, merely on "his own avowal, however notoriously bad his "character may be, provided he scruple not to "take the oath, may demand a license, on paying one shilling for his certificate. It is unnecessary

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to observe, that the law is not so loose with respect to the clergy and schoolmasters, professing the established religion, in view to those func"tions: testimonials and certificates are required "qualifications.

"And further, with respect to the statute of the "13th of Eliz.-by not enforcing its provisions, "which we are constrained to connive at, from their "excess of severity, we tacitly permit the circula"tion of every sort of papal instrument, without "resorting to those safeguards, which other states, "as I have observed, have wisely instituted. Those, "who are apprehensive, that the rescripts of the "Thuilleries may be occasionally imposed upon us "in the guise of decretals of the Vatican, will necessarily be alive to the possible abuse of a want "of some rational and practical restriction.

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"The restrictions, to which I allude, are in strict "conformity to the provident institutions of the old "Gallican church, ever jealous of the encroach"ments of Rome. Her privileges depended on two prominent maxims-1st, That the pope had no authority to order or interfere in any thing, "in which the civil rights of the kingdom were "concerned :- 2dly, That notwithstanding the "pope's supremacy was acknowledged in cases

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"purely spiritual, yet, in other respects, his power "was limited by the decrees of the ancient coun"cils of the realm. The supreme council of Pro

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vence, in the year 1482, decreed, 'That no letters

coming from foreign jurisdictions, though only "in spirituals, should be executed without the rati"fication of the court.' In consequence of these "recognised principles, it was provided, that every "rescript from Rome should be presented to one "of the courts of parliament; where it was ex"amined, lest it should contain any thing hostile "to the privileges of the Gallican church, and the temporal rights of the crown. It afterwards be"came current, under a certificate, as a matter of "mere ecclesiastical discipline."

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By this speech, the arrangement of the veto was first brought before the public; but it mentioned it only in very general terms; little more respecting it was intimated, than that it should be formed on the model of the legislative provisions of France against papal encroachments; and that it was to supersede altogether, the sanguinary provisions, enacted, ostensibly at least, for that purpose, by queen Elizabeth and her parliaments.

LXXXVI. 7.

1805-1808.

The Approbation given by the Irish Prelates to Sir John Cox Hippisley's Speech, and their earnest Request to him that he would print it.

In various publications, sir John Cox Hippisley

substance of his intended speech to Dr. Troy, Dr. Moylan, Dr. Milner, and some other catholics of distinction; that Dr. Troy returned his copy to sir John, with some corrections, and verbal emendations; but, without the slightest remark or observation on the passages, we have extracted from it, as suggesting the veto; that, in his letters to sir John, Dr. Troy uniformly mentioned the speech, in terms of the highest commendation; and repeatedly urged, in the strongest language, its republication for general sale; that Mr. Clinch, the prelate's confidential friend, wrote, by his desire, a letter to sir John, to inform him, that "his "speech had been very generally read, by intelli

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gent and prudent persons ;" and that "the wish "of all those, who had read it, was, that sir John

might be prevailed on to publish it, or to allow "it to be printed in Ireland ;”—that Dr. Milner, to whom also sir John Cox Hippisley sent his publication, equally approved it, and equally solicited its extensive circulation: that Dr. Milner also informed sir John, that, "in Ireland, there were the

highest encomiums of his speech;" that "they "waited there for his permission to reprint it:" That he repeatedly mentions Dr. Troy's desire to have it printed; and called it an "admirable "speech"-That, in the copy, which he received from sir John, and afterwards returned to him, he made two alterations only:-That, by those, he suggested an exception to the inspection of papal bulls and rescripts, in cases of the penitentiary, or forum internum:-That with this, lord Castlereagh, as the reader has seen, disclaimed every

kind of interference: and finally, that, in 1808,. Dr. Milner published four long and elaborate letters in its vindication.

Sir John Cox Hippisley has also informed the public, that he printed one thousand copies of his speech; that they were not sold, but generally dis-. tributed; and that sixty copies of it were sent to Dr. Troy, and distributed by him.

The petition of the Irish catholics in 1805, was presented to the house of lords by lord Grenville, On the 10th of May, he moved for its being taken into consideration:-On a division, the numbers appeared,

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49 178

129.

On the 13th of May, a similar motion was made by Mr. Grattan in the house of commons :-On a division, the numbers appeared,

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1. The Proposal of the Veto, in the House of Commons, by Mr. Ponsonby;-2. And in the House of Lords, by Lord Grenville, at the suggestion of Dr. Milner.

1. THE Irish roman-catholics having presented

repeal of the penal laws in force against them, Mr. Grattan, on the 25th of May 1808, moved, in the house of commons, that the house should go into a committee on the petition. He introduced his motion by a speech, of equal splendor and moderation. For the first time, the veto, and the resolutions of the Irish roman-catholic prelates, were now formally introduced to the notice of parliament. Mr. Grattan* explicitly called the attention of the house to them.

Mr. Ponsonby spoke of them, in the following terms:-"I have heard it asserted," said the right honourable gentleman, "that there has been no "alteration of circumstances, since this question

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was last discussed in parliament. Now, I con"ceive that there is the greatest alteration of cir"cumstances, that could possibly take place. The "catholics have considered amongst themselves, " and they determined to give to the government every information upon the subject, and to make "their superior clergy subject to the crown. When a catholic bishop in Ireland dies, the other "bishops in that province, in which the diocese of "the deceased is situated, meet, and conferring

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amongst themselves, fix upon three persons, "whom they think the most fit to succeed him.

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They send those names to receive the approba"tion of the pope; for, according to the catholic faith, it is impossible for certain offices to be per"formed but by appointment from the pope, as if by the immediate delegation of Christ himself.

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* See the Debates on the catholic question in 1808.

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