"learned grandfather of happie memorie, king "James, thought no lesse of them when he said, "that such as affirmed roman-catholiques not to "be in a way to salvation, deserved to be burnt,' &c. by which you may perceive what incendiaries

they are, who endeavour to excite your royal "highness and the good people of this nation "against us, by falsely aspersing our religion with "notes of superstition and idolatrie.

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"A fourth motive,-is from the fidelitie of romancatholiques in queen Elizabeth's tyme, testified by "the lords of the privie councell, who told them "that the cause of their imprisonment was not for "any doubt made of their loyaltie, but onely to pre"vent the Spaniard's hopes of their assistance in "his intended invasion; nay, in that of 1588, they besought the lord North, then lieutenant of those

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parts, in the presence of the deane of Elye, that "they might be employed in hastening forces to Tilbury campes, offering to serve in person, with "their sonnes, tenants, and servants, at their owne charge, and to be placed in the front of the bat"tell, to testifie the loyaltie of their harts, and to "stopp the mouthes of envious maligners; all this was freely offered by them, notwithstanding the

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queene had been twice excommunicated: a de"monstrable argument, that they were not condi"tionall (as some objected) but absolute loyal and "obedient subjects.

"A fifth motive,-is, from their immoveable "fidelitie to your majestie's predecessors, and your "title in them strongly evidenced on all occasions,

"witnes the act of queene Mary and her catho

*

lique subjects, cancelling the forged will of her “father, extreamly prejudiciall to your right to "this crowne, disproving it in parliament, and deposing the usurping queene Jane, sett up by protestants to the disinheriting of queene "Mary and his eldest sister's issue, in whose " right the crowne descended to your ancestors "and you, by the law of God, nature, and nations. "We may add to this motive, that Hales his disloyal invective against your majestie's title in "the beginning of queene Elizabeth's reigne was fully answered and confuted by sir Anthony "Browne, one of the justices of the Common Pleas, "and Mr. Edmund Plowden, two famous catholique lawyers, and gentlemen of good qualitie.

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1

"A sixth and last motive,-is, from our constant "fidelitie, obedience, and affection towards your "father of blessed memorie in all his late troubles, "sufferings, and afflictions, as also to your own royall

person, by zealously contributing to your mira"culous preservations and deliveries out of the "hands of bloody and rebell enemies. What have 66 we not beene readie to doe and suffer to the utter"most of our abilities for preserving your majestie's

person, rights, and dignities?-Whose life or "fortune hath been spared?-What one knowne "catholique of note in your three nations hath ever "borne armes against you?-Which of them hath ever betrayed the trust reposed in them? Wee "have beene ever constant to your just claim to the

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* i. e. The issue of the eldest sister of Henry VIII.

"succession of this crowne; not ebbing or flowing "in our affections, (like some others), according to "the vicissitudes of your good or evil fortune, but "alwayes resolute to live and dye with your majesty: 66 nor did your father's or your majestie's declared "zeale to the protestant religion, any way diminish "the loyaltie of our hearts or hinder the perform"ance of our duties: than which what greater or "more convincing testimonies of our fidelitie and "allegiance can be given to you?—

"These things being so, most royall soveraigne, we cannot doubt but your majestie will, in your princely wisdome, clemency, and justice, allow "us to be now restored to that condition, which "nature intended us, and is confirmed on us, as "free borne Englishmen, by the great chartres of "your royall ancestors, of which the violent passion "of one prince, the apprehended title of another "to the crowne, and the wicked attempt of a few "seduced persons, have so unluckily and so long "deprived us. Permit us, therefore, most gratious "soveraigne, to exercise securely that religion, in "which your pious and most famous ancestors have "so long flourished.

"And your petitioners shall pray, &c."

LXV. 2.

Proceedings in Parliament upon the Catholic Addresses.

IN In consequence of these addresses, a committee of the house was appointed, to examine and report all the penal statutes, which reached to the taking

away of the life of any catholic for his religion.The committee met several times, but finally discontinued their sittings, without making a report. The writer has spared no pains to procure a fulland accurate account of them, but without effect: The best information respecting them, which he has been able to procure, is given by lord Clarendon, in his Historical Memoirs of his own Life :we shall transcribe the passage at length:-it is both interesting and ill-natured.

"Because we have mentioned the gracious purposes the king had to his roman-catholic subjects, "of which afterwards much use was made to his dis-service, to which the vanity and presumption "of many of that profession contributed very "much; it may not be unseasonable in this place "to mention the ground of that his majesty's

goodness, and the reasons, why that purpose of "him was not prosecuted to the purpose it was "intended, after so fair a rise towards it by the "appointment of that committee in the house of 66 peers, which is remembered above.

"It is not to be wondered at, that the king, at "the age he was of when the troubles began in England, and when he came out of England, "knew very little of the laws which had been long "since made, and were still in force, against ro"man-catholics, and less of the grounds and mo"tives which had introduced those laws. And "from the time that he was first beyond the seas, "he could not be without hearing very much "spoken against the protestant religion, and more

"for extolling and magnifying the religion of the "church of Rome; neither of which discourses "made any impression upon him. And after the "defeat at Worcester, and his escape from thence "into France, the queen his mother,-(who had

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very punctually complied with the king her "husband's injunctions, in not suffering anybody "to endeavour to pervert the prince her son in his religion, and when he came afterwards into "France after he was king, continued the same reservation),-used much more sharpness in her "discourse against the protestants, than she had "been accustomed to. The liberty that his majesty formerly had in the Louvre, to have a place "set aside for the exercise of his religion, was "taken away and continual discourses were "made by the queen in his presence, 'that he had "now no hope ever to be restored to his domi“nions, but by the help of the catholics; and "therefore that he must apply himself to them in “such a way, as might induce them to help him. "About this time there was a short collection "and abridgment made of all the penal laws, "which had been made, and which were still in "force in England, against the roman-catholics; "that all priests for saying mass were to be put to "death;' the great penalties which they were to "undergo, who entertained or harboured a priest "in their house, or were present at mass, and "the like; with all other envious clauses, which "were in any acts of parliament that had been "enacted upon several treasons and conspiracies of