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CHARLES BUTLER, ESQ.

LETTER I.

Introduction.-Reasons for the present publication.— Title of Roman-Catholics.

SIR,

I HAVE read your "Book of the RomanCatholic Church;" and in common, I conceive, with all your Readers, have been much gratified with the tone and temper in which it is written. If, in one or two instances, your zeal has made you, for a while, forget your charity, yet your politeness is always unimpaired; and you never appear to be more in your natural character, than in smoothing the asperities of controversy, and deprecating its violence. It has, indeed, been suggested by some of your Critics, that you have no objection to see your cause supported by others, in language which you would yourself be ashamed to use: and they appeal,

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for the justice of this suspicion, to your strog recommendation of a work, from which every moderate person of every party turns with disgust, I mean "Strictures on the Poet Laureate's Book," written, as you tell us, by Dr. Milner.

I am not disposed to regard this matter so seriously; but look upon it rather as a very pardonable instance of the veneration you are accustomed to pay even to the foibles of an Apostolic Vicar. That dignitary, it seems, occasionally amuses himself with appearing in Masquerade; literally appearing,-for, though he wears a Masque, he writes upon it his own name, under the ingenious anagram of John Merlin: and, in the person of that old Deceiver, scruples not to indulge in certain licenses of language, which decorum would forbid him to adopt in his proper character. As, however, I have no inclination to join in his revels, I shall not waste time in descanting on them. But on another work of the same author, for my knowledge of the existence of which I am likewise indebted to your Book,-I mean the " End of Controversy," I shall have frequent occasion to remark in the course of these pages. Meanwhile, I hope I shall remember, during the whole of my address to you, that in courtesy at least, you have set an example, which it will

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