For oh! 't is more than hell's revenge to see
That England trusts the men who 've ruin'd thee!
That, in these awful days, when every hour
Creates some new or blasts some ancient power,
When proud Napoleon, like the burning shield1
Whose light compell'd each wondering foe to yield,
With baleful lustre blinds the brave and free,
And dazzles Europe into slavery!

That, in this hour, when patriot zeal should guide,
When Mind should rule, and-Fox should not have
died,

All that devoted England can oppose

To enemies made fiends, and friends made foes,
Is the rank refuse, the despised remains2

Of that unpitying power, whose whips and chains
Made Ireland first, in wild, adulterous trance,

Turn false to England's bed, and whore with
France!-

Those hack'd and tainted tools, so foully fit
For the grand artizan of mischief, P-tt,
So useless ever but in vile employ,

INTOLERANCE.

PART THE FIRST

"This clamour, which pretends to be raised for the safety of Religion, has almost worn out the very appearance of it, and rendered us not only the most divided but the most im moral people upon the face of the earth."—Addison, Free holder, No. 37.

START not, my Friend, nor think the Muse will stain
Her classic fingers with the dust profane
Of Bulls, Decrees, and fulminating scrolls,
That took such freedom once with royal souls,'

ful in commerce, he says, "According to the nature and
common course of things, there is a confederacy against
them, and consequently in the same proportion as they in-
crease in riches, they approach to destruction. The address
of our King William, in making all Europe take the alarm
at France, has brought that country before us near that ine-
vitable period. We must necessarily have our turn, and
Great Britain will attain it as soon as France shall have a
declaimer with organs as proper for that political purpose
With-
as were those of our William the Third. .
out doubt, my Lord, Great Britain must lower her flight.
Europe will remind us of the balance of commerce, as she
has reminded France of the balance of power. The ad-
dress of our statesmen will immortalize them by contriving
for us a descent which shall not be a fall, by making us
rather resemble Holland than Carthage and Venice."— Let-

So weak to save, so vigorous to destroy!
Such are the men that guard thy threaten'd shore,
Oh England! sinking England!3 boast no more.
tion of their law of treason and the imposition of the malt-
tax (measures which were in direct violation of the Act of
Union,) these worthy North Britons arrayed themselves in
opposition to the Court; but finding this effort for their
country unavailing, they prudently determined to think
thenceforward of themselves, and few men have kept to
laudable resolution more firmly. The effect of Irish repreters on the French Nation.
sentation upon the liberties of England will be no less per-
ceptible and no less permanent.

a

Which Heaven has freed from poisonous things in mirifica carnis mollitie et propter musculorum teneritatem

While G-ff-rd's tongue and M-sgr-ve's pen remain benigniori oculo respexisse.'"

Whose wrongs, though blazon'd o'er the world they opposition, in their own old system of intolerance and injus

they admit those very decisions, they are branded as bigo's and bad subjects. We are told that confidence and kind-sixth century, and that eminent divines, like Jortin, have not ness will make them enemies to the Government, though we know that exclusion and injuries have with difficulty prevented them from being its friends. In short, nothing can better illustrate the misery of those shifts and evasions by which a long course of cowardly injustice must be supported, than the whole history of Great Britain's conduct towards the Catholic part of her empire.

2

Tyrants by creed, and torturers by text,

Corrupts both State and Church, and makes an oath Make this life hell, in honour of the next!

The knave and atheist's passport into bothYour R-desd-les, P-rc-v-ls—oh, gracious Heaven! Which, while it dooms dissenting souls to know If I'm presumptuous, be my tongue forgiven, Nor bliss above nor liberty below, When here I swear, by my soul's hope of rest, Adds the slave's suffering to the sinner's fear, I'd rather have been born, e'er man was blest And, lest he 'scape hereafter, racks him here !! With the pure dawn of Revelation's light, Yes !-rather plunge me back in Pagan night, which are in their original, end, business, and in every thing, And take my chance with Socrates for bliss,' perfectly distinct and infinitely different from each other."

First Letter on Toleration. Than be the Christian of a faith like this,

The corruption of Christianity may be dated from the Which builds on heavenly cant its earthly sway, period of its establishment under Constantine, nor could all And in a convert mourns to lose a prey ;

the splendour which it then acquired atone for the peace and

purity which it lost. Which, binding polity in spiritual chains,

1 I doubt whether, after all, there has not been as much And tainting piety with temporal stains,

bigotry among Protestants as among Papists. According

to the hackneyed quotationof which you accuse us of breaking faith with heretics, we

Iliacos intra muros peccatur et extra. do not hesitate to pronounce that Decree a calumnious forgery, a forgery, too, so obvious and ill-fabricated, that none whom Jortin calls" a divine of much mildness and good

The great champion of the Reformation, Melanchthon, But our enemies have ever ventured to give it the slightest nature,” thus expresses his approbation of the burning of credit for authenticity."-When the Catholics make these Servetus : " Legi (he says to Bullinger) que de Serveti declarations (and they are almost weary with making them;) blasphemiis respondistis, et pietatem ac judicia vestra probo. when they show too, by their conduct, that these declarations Judico etiam senatum Genevensem recte fecisse, quod hoare sincere, and that their faith and morals are no more regu- minem pertinacem et non omissurum blasphemias sustulit; lated by the absurd decrees of old councils and Popes, than ac miratus sum esse qui severitatem illam improbent."their science is influenced by the Papal anathema against I have great

pleasure in contrasting with these mild and that Irishman, (a) who first found out the Antipodes:-is it good-natured” sentiments the following words of the Papist not strange that so many still wilfully distrust what every Baluze, in addressing his friend Conringins: “Interim amegood man is so much interested in believing? That so mus, mi Conringi, et tametsi diversas opiniones tuemur in many should prefer the dark-lantern of the 13th century to causa religionis,' moribus tamen diversi non simus, qui the sunshine of intellect which has since spread over the eadem literarum studia sectamur."—Herman. Conring. world, and that every dabbler in theology, from Mr. Le Me

Epistol. par. secund. p. 56. Burier down to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, should dare to oppose the rubbish of Constance and Lateran to the Charles the First's reign, " attacked 'Montague, one of the

Hume tells us that the Commons, in the beginning of bright triumphant progress of justice, generosity, and truth?

i There is a singular work " upon the Souls of the Pa: King's chaplains, on account of a moderate book which he gans,” by one Franciscus Collius, in which he discusses, saved virtuous Catholics, as well as other Christians, from

had lately composed, and which, to their

great disgust, with' much coolness and erudition, all the probable chances eternal torments.”—In the same manner a complaint was of salvation upon which a heathen philosopher may calculate. He damns without much difficulty Socrates, Plato, lodged before the Lords of the Council against that excel

lent writer Hooker, for having, in the Sermon against etc. and the only one at whose fate he seems to hesitate Popery, attempted to save many of his Popish ancestors for is Pythagoras, in consideration of his golden thigh, and ignorance. - To these examples of Protestant toleration I the many miracles which he performed; but, having ba. shall beg leave to oppose the following extract from a letter lanced his claims a little, and finding reason to father all of old Roger Ascham (the tutor of Queen Elizabeth,) which these miracles on the devil, he at length, in the twenty-fifth is preserved among the Harrington Papers, and was written chapter, decides upon damning him also. (De Animis Paga- in 1566, to the Earl of Leicester, complaining of the Archnorum, lib. iv. cap. 20 and 25.) - Dante compromises the bishop 'Young, who had taken away his prebend in the matter with the Pagans, and gives them a neutral territory Church of York: “ Master Bourne (a) did never grieve me or limbo of their own, where their employment, it must be half so moche in offering me wrong, as Mr. Dudley and the owned, is not very enviable--"Senza speme vivemo in desio." Cant. iv. Among the many errors imputed to Ori- Byshopp of York doe, in taking away my right. No gen, he is accused of having denied the eternity of future byshopp in Q. Mary's time would have so dealt with me; punishment, and, if he never advanced a more irrational so dealt with me. For suche good estimation in those dayes

not Mr. Bourne hymself, when Winchester lived, durst have doctrine, we may forgive him. He went so far, however, as even the learnedest and wysest men, as Gardener and Carto include the devil himself in the general hell-delivery dinal Poole, made of my poore service, that although they which he supposed would one day or other take place, and knewe perfectly that in religion, both by open wrytinge and in this St. Augustin thinks him rather too merciful. Mise: pryvie talke, I was contrarye unto them; yea, when Sir ricordior profecto fuit Origenes, qui et ipsum diabolum,") Francis Englefield by name did note me speciallye at the etc. (De Civitat. Dei, lib. xxi. cap. 17.)

--St. Jerom says, council-board, Gardener would not suffer me to be called that, according to Origen, “the devil, after a certain time, thither, nor touched ellswheare, saiinge suche words of me will be as well off as the angel Gabriel"-"Id ipsum fore in a lettre, as, though

lettres cannot, I blushe to write them Gabrielem quod diabolum." (See his Epistle to Pamma: to your Lordshipp. Winchester's good-will stoode not in chius.) But Halloix, in his Defence of Origen, denies that spoaking faire and wishing well, but he did in deede that for he had any of this misplaced tenderness for the devil.-I take the liberty of recommending these notitiæ upon dam-me, (b) whereby my wife and children shall live the better nation to the particular attention of the learned Chancellor If men who acted thus were bigots, what shall we call Mr

when I am gone." (See Nugæ Antiquæ, vol. i. p. 98, 99.)of the Exchequer.

P-rc-v-l? 2 Mr. Fox, in his Speech on the Repeal of the Test Act (1790,) condemns the intermixture of religion with the politi- assertion : “ Papists, that positively hold the heretical and

In Sutcliff's "Survey of Popery," there is the following cal constitution of a state: “What purpose (he asks) can false doctrines of the modern church of Rome, cannot possiit serve, except the baleful purpose of communicating and bly be saved.' -As a contrast to this and other specimens receiving contamination? Under such an alliance corrup- of Protestant liberality, which it would be much more easy tion must alight upon the one, and slavery overwhelm the than pleasant to collect, I refer my reader to the Declaration other." Locke, too, says of the connexion between Church and this pious man upon toleration, I doubt not he will feel in

of Le Père Courayer, and, while he reads the sentiments of State, "The boundaries on both sides are fixed and im- clined to exclaim with Belsham, “Blush, ye Protestant movable. He jumbles heaven and earth together, the things most remote and opposite, who mixes these two societies, bigots! and be confounded at the comparison of your

own wretched and malignant prejudices with the generous (a) Virgilius, surnamed Solivagus, a native of Ireland, who maintained, in the 8th century, the doctrine of the An- (a) Sir John Bourne, Principal Secretary of State to tipodes, and was anathematized accordingly by the Pope. Queen Mary. John Scotus Erigena, another Irishman, was the first that (6) By Gardener's favour Ascham long held his fellow ever wrote against transubstantiation.

ship, though not resident.

But no-far other faith, far milder beams

Ma come i luoghi i fatti ancor son foschi, Of heavenly justice warm the Christian's dreams

Che non se'n ha notizia le più volte. ! His creed is writ on Mercy's page above,

“Hence it is that the annals of Ireland, through a By the pure hands of all-atoning Love!

long lapse of six hundred years, exhibit not one of He weeps to see his soul's Religion twine

those shining names, not one of those themes of naThe tyrant's sceptre with her wreath divine, tional pride, from which poetry borrows her noblest And he, while round him sects and nations raise

| inspiration; and that history, which ought to be the To the one God their varying notes of praise, richest garden of the Muse, yields nothing to her Blesses cach voice, whate'er its tone may be, here but weeds and cypress. In truth, the poet who That serves to swell the general harmony!' would embellish his song with allusions to Irish Such was the spirit, grandly, gently bright,

names and events must be content to seek them in That fill'd, oh Fox! thy peaceful soul with light; those early periods when our character was yet unWhile blandly spreading, like that orb of air alloyed and original, before the impolitic craft of our Which folds our planet in its circling care, conquerors had divided, weakened, and disgraced The mighty sphere of thy transparent mind us; and the only traits of heroism which he can Embraced the world, and breathed for all mankind! venture at this day to commemorate, with safety to Last of the great, farewell !-yet not the last- himself, or, perhaps, with honour to the country, are Though Britain's sunshine hour with thee be past, to be looked for in those times when the native lerne still one gleam of glory gives,

monarchs of Ireland displayed and fostered virtues And feels but half thy loss while Grattan lives. worthy of a better age; when our Malachies wore

collars of gold which they had won in single combat

from the invader, and our Briens deserved the blessAPPENDIX.

ings of a people by all the most estimable qualities

of a king. It may be said indeed that the magic of tradition has shed a charm over this remote period,

to which it is in reality but little entitled, and that The following is part of a Preface which was in- most of the pictures, which we dwell on so fondly, tended by a friend and countryman of mine for a col- of days when this island was distinguished amidst the lection of Irish airs, to which he had adapted Eng- gloom of Europe, by the sanctity of her morals, the lish words. As it has never been published, and is spirit of her knighthood, and the polish of her schools, not inapplicable to my subject, I shall take the liberty are little more than the inventions of national parof subjoining it here.

tiality, that bright but spurious offspring which vanity

engenders upon ignorance, and with which the first “Our history, for many centuries past, is creditable records of every people abound. But the sceptic is neither to our neighbours nor ourselves, and ought scarcely to be envied who would pause for stronger not to be read by any Irishman who wishes either to proofs than we already possess of the early glories love England or to feel proud of Ireland. The loss of Ireland; and were even the veracity of all these of independence very early debased our character, proofs surrendered, yet who would not fly to such and our feuds and rebellions, though frequent and flattering fictions from the sad degrading truths which ferocious, but seldom displayed that generous spirit the history of later times presents to us ? of enterprise with which the pride of an independent “ The language of sorrow however is, in general, monarchy so long dignified the struggles of Scotland. best suited to our music, and with themes of this naIt is true this island has given birth to heroes who, ture the poet may be amply supplied. There is not under more favourable circumstances, might have a page of our annals which cannot afford him a subleft in the hearts of their countrymen recollections as ject, and while the national Muse of other countries dear as those of a Bruce or a Wallace; but success adorns her temple with trophies of the past, in Irewas wanting to consecrate resistance, their cause land her altar, like the shrine of Pity at Athens, is to was branded with the disheartening name of treason, be known only by the tears that are shed upon it; and their oppressed country was such a blank among 'lacrymis altaria sudant." nations, that, like the adventures of those woods “There is a well-known story, related of the Anwhich Rinaldo wished to explore, the fame of their tiochians under of reign of Theodosius, which is not actions was lost in the obscurity of the place where only honourable to the powers of music in general, they achieved them.

but which applies so peculiarly to the mournful meloErrando in quelli boschi

dies of Ireland, that I cannot resist the temptation of Trovar potria strane avventure e molte,

introducing it here.—The piety of Theodosius would

have been admirable, if it had not been stained with

intolerance; but his reign affords, I believe, the first and enlarged ideas, the noble and animated language of example of a disqualifying penal code enacted by this Popish priest."— Essays, xxvii. p. 86.

1 "La tolérance est la chose du monde la plus propre à Christians against Christians. Whether his interramener le siécle d'or et à faire un concert et une harmonie de plusieurs voix et instruments de différents tons et notes, 1 Ariosto, canto iv. aussi agréable pour le moins que l'uniformité d'une seule 2 See Warner's History of Ireland, vol. i. book ix. voix.” Bayle, Commentaire Philosophique, etc. part. ii. 3 Statius, Thebaid, lib. xii. chap. vi.-Both Bayle and Locke would have treated the 4 " A sort of civil excommunication (says Gibbon,) which subject of Toleration in a manner more worthy of themselves separated them from their fellow-citizeus by a peculiar brand and of the cause, if they had written in an age less distracted of' infamy; and this declaration of the supreme magistrate by religious prejudices.

tended to justify, or at least to excuse, the insults of a fa

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ference with the religion of the Antiochians had any Flavianus, their bishop, whom they sent to intercede share in the alienation of their loyalty is not expressly with Theodosius, finding all his entreaties coldly reascertained by historians; but severe edicts, heavy jected, adopted the expedient of teaching these songs taxation, and the rapacity and insolence of the men of sorrow, which he had heard from the lips of his whom he sent to govern them, sufficiently account unfortunate countrymen, to the minstrels who perfor the discontents of a warm and susceptible people. formed for the Emperor at table. The heart of TheoRepentance soon followed the crimes into which their dosius could not resist this appeal; tears fell fast into impatience had hurried them, but the vengewice of his cup while he listened, and the Antiochians were the Emperor was implacable, and punishments of forgiven.-Surely, if music ever spoke the misfortunes the most dreadful nature hung over the city of An- of a people, or could ever conciliate forgiveness for tioch, whose devoted inhabitants totally resigned to their errors, the music of Ireland ought to possess despondence, wandering through the streets and those powers ! public assemblies, giving utterance to their grief in dirges of the most touching lamentations. At length, M:VO", T605. Mesawdoseos, sandov.-Nicephor. lib. xii. cap. 43.

This story is also in Sozomen, lib. vii. cap. 23; but unfor

tunately Chrysostom says nothing whatever about it, and ho natic populace. The sectaries were gradually disqualified not only had the best opportunities of information, but was for the possession of honourable or lucrative employments, too fond of music, as appears by his praises of psalmody (Exand Theodosius was satisfied with his own justice when he posit. in Psal. xli.) to omit such a flattering illustration of decreed, that, as the Eunomians distinguished the nature of its powers. He imputes their reconciliation to the interthe Son from that of the Father, they should be incapable ference of the Antiochian solitaries, while Zozimus attriof making their wills, or receiving any advantage from testa- butes it to the remonstrances of the sophist Libanius. mentary donations."

Gibbon, I think, does not ever, allude to the story of the mu 1 Μέλη τινα ολοφυρμου πληρη και συμπαθειας συνθ: [sicians.