opinions of Peter Dens. I believe, therefore, you will have no hesitation in passing the second resolution; and I do humbly trust that I have brought, by statements of plain simple facts which I have made, conviction to all your understandings, that these two resolutions are strictly according to truth, and that you will not be ashamed to lay your hands upon your hearts, and say that in passing them you believe you do your duty as Christians.

III. Now, the next subject to which I would call your attention is the third resolution, which is one of a very painful character. "It appears from the incontrovertible documents laid before this meeting, that the Roman Catholic hierarchy have not only fully propagated their intolerant and persecuting doctrines among their clergy, but patronised and propagated them to a vast extent among the people of Ireland." I believe that you will at once come to this conclusion with me, in the first place, that these documents are not only identical with the principles of Dens's Theology, but that they enlarge and amplify those principles to an enormous degree; and I believe you will come to this other conclusion with me, that if I prove to you, on the most irrefragable testimony, that the Roman Catholic Bishops of Ireland have patronised and propagated the doctrines, of which those you have heard form but a small part, for there are many more-I say, you will agree with me that they have circulated these principles, not in Latin, but in too plain English, among their people, and that, alas! it is impossible for these poor people, receiving such principles on the high authority of their clergy, not to be stimulated with those passions which are but too congenial to the human mind, against their Protestant brethren in England and Ireland. It now becomes my painful duty to lay before you the evidence of this fact.

The first document I bring before you is a Bible. Those extracts to which I have already so frequently referred, are copies verbatim from the notes, not of this Bible, but of another which I shall show you. They are, however, all contained in this Bible, though not copied from it. Now I must give you the history of this Bible, and I call your particular attention to it. It was published in 1816 in Dublin. The following is the title-page :

No. I.

The Title-page of Coyne's Bible, published A. D. 1816.

"The Holy Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgate: diligently compared wi theth Hebrew, Greek, and other editions in divers lan

guages; the Old Testament, first published by the English College at Douay, A. D. 1609. And the New Testament, first published by the English College at Rheims, A. D. 1582. With Annotations, and an Historical and Chronological Index. Revised and corrected according to the Clementin edition of the Scriptures. And approved of by the Most Rev. Dr. Troy, R. C. A. D. Dublin: printed and published by Richard Coyne, Parliament-street; and sold by Keating, Brown, and Keating, Duke-street, Grosvenor-square, London. 1816."

Attend to the dates; it was published in 1816. In 1817, some of these notes reached the editors of the British Critic, some of these which I have read to you. The British Critic brought them forth, saying, "that these were pretty practical polemics, and leading to the most practical conclusions ;" and, I believe, you will agree with the British Critic, that they are so. The consequence of this was, that these remarks got from the British Critic into the English and Irish papers, and raised a considerable ferment in the public mind against the Roman Catholics, it being naturally considered, that if these were their principles against Protestants, they ought not to be trusted with that political power which at that time they were seeking. In consequence of this, the Roman Catholic Primate of Ireland, Dr. Troy, wrote a disclaimer of this Bible; and now I beg of you to lend me your attention to this. That Prelate writes

No. II.

Censure of Coyne's Bible of 1816, and Disavowal by Dr. Troy. "Having seen a new edition of the Rhemish Testament, with Annotations, published by Coyne, Dublin, and Keating & Co. London, 1816, said to be revised, corrected, and approved by me, I think it necessary to declare, that I never approved, nor meant to approve, of any edition of the Old or New Testament which was not entirely conformable, as well in the notes as in the text, to that which was edited by R. Cross, Dublin, 1791, containing the usual and prescribed formula of my approbation, and which has served as an exemplar to the several editions that have since been published with my sanction. As in the said new edition, the notes vary essentially from those of the last mentioned editions, which exclusively I have sanctioned for publication, I should think that circumstance alone fully sufficient to induce me to withhold every kind of approbation from it; but having read, and now for the first time considered, these notes, I not only do not sanction them, but solemnly declare that I utterly reject them

generally, as harsh and irritating in expression, some of them as false and absurd in reasoning, and many of them as uncharitable in sentiment. They further appear to countenance opinions and doctrines which, in common with the other Roman Catholics of the empire, I have solemnly disclaimed upon oath.

"Under these circumstances, and with these impressions on my mind, I feel it an imperious duty to admonish that portion of the Catholic body which is intrusted to my charge, of the danger of reading or paying attention to the notes or comments of said new edition of the Testament; and I enjoin the Roman Catholic clergy of this diocese to discourage and prevent, by every means in their power, the circulation amongst Catholics of a work tending to lead the faithful astray, and much better fitted to engender and promote among Christians, hostility, bitterness, and strife, than (what should be the object of every such production) to cultivate the genuine spirit of the gospel, that is, the spirit of meekness, charity, and peace.

"Dublin, 24th October, 1817."

"J.T. TROY.

Now, you will easily suppose that after that letter I cannot bring forward the notes of that Bible as sanctioned by Dr. Troy. But suspend your judgment until you have heard the letter, in reply to Dr. Troy, of Mr. Richard Coyne, the Roman Catholic bookseller, and publisher of this Bible-a name which I believe will be transmitted to posterity, and deserves to be, as an honest conscientious man. You will judge, as I have said, from the letter of Mr. Coyne.

"Parliament-street, Oct. 26th, 1817.

"MOST HONOURED LORD,-It is with pain and difficulty that I am obliged to controvert, for a moment, any statement coming from your Grace; but the character which I have earned and maintained, these fifteen years, unsullied, in the opinions of the Catholic clergy and hierarchy of Ireland, as the only publisher and bookseller in the kingdom, of works exclusively Catholic, puts me under the indispensable necessity of addressing your Grace in public. The declaration which your Grace has published leaves no alternative, but that of either submitting to the imputation which it fastens upon me, or of giving, as I now do, a simple statement of facts, for the truth of which I appeal to your Grace's candour, and which shall, I trust, substantially remove the impression which your Grace's declaration is calculated to produce on the public mind with regard to me. On Monday, the 13th instant, your Grace sent me a message, by your servant, requesting to see me at Cavendish Row, at the hour of two o'clock. I had scarcely entered

6

your Grace's apartment, when the Very Rev. Dr. Hamill, your Grace's Vicar-General, and the Rev. Mr. Kenny, of Clongowes College, appeared. Your Grace then produced and read a paper, purporting to be an extract from the British Critic, and containing animadversions on the notes of a late edition of the Catholic Bible, bearing in the title-page the approbation of your Grace. You then observed, that you were sure that I had no bad intention in putting your Grace's name to the work, but that very bad consequences had followed that, finding its way into England, it had armed our enemies against us, and this at a time when we were seeking emancipation.' Upon these remarks, I asked, Did not your Grace approve and sanction the publication of a Bible by a Mr. M'Namara of Cork?’— your Grace replied, 'I did.' I then asked, Did not your Grace depute the Rev. P. A. Walsh, of Denmark-street Chapel, to revise, correct, and approve for publication in your Grace's name, the said Bible of M'Namara ?-your Grace answered, I did.' Then, my Lord,' said I, 'that is the Bible now in your hand.' 'I never authorized,' replied your Grace, the Rev. Mr. Walsh to approve a Bible with the Rhemish notes.' 'Of any private understanding,' said I, 'between your Grace and Mr. Walsh I know nothing; but this I know, that Mr. Walsh is accountable for your Grace's approbation, which is now in the title-page.' 'But,' said your Grace, are not you the person that published this Bible?—it bears your name.' 'No, my Lord,' said I, 'I am neither the printer nor publisher, and I shall now relate to your Grace how it bears my name. Mr. M'Namara, the publisher of the work to which your Grace gave your sanction, became a bankrupt before the work was completed. Mr. John Cumming, of Ormond Quay, assignee to the bankrupt, purchased the unfinished work, and, to cover his own losses, resolved upon perfecting the publication. Having called upon me, and requested of me to allow him to put my name to the work, I refused, except on the condition that the clergyman deputed by your Grace continued to correct the unfinished part. This I did without any interest whatever in the transaction. Mr. Cumming accordingly applied to the Rev. Mr. Walsh, to whom he paid £20, on completing the revision of the work, and took his receipt for the amount.' When I had finished this narrative, your Grace, in the most unequivocal terms, in the presence of Dr. Hamill and the Rev. Mr. Kenny, acquitted me of having any thing to do with the pub lication. I then remarked that your Grace having in different conversations disclaimed your approbation, and certain individuals having in consequence denounced me as the forger of it, I should in my own defence publish the whole transaction; upon which your Grace promised me to take every opportunity of disabusing those to whom you

had spoken on the subject. For the truth of what I have now related, touching the interview of Monday, the 13th instant, I appeal to your Grace, to Dr. Hamill, and to the Rev. Mr. Kenny. Did I not afterwards send your Grace the numbers of this said Rhemish Testament, on the covers of which are printed these words- Now publishing, by M.Namara, the Catholic Bible? To render it the more complete, the elegant, copious, and instructive notes or annotations of the Rhemish Testament will be inserted, by permission of his Grace Dr. T. Troy, Catholic Lord Primate of Ireland. This work is carefully revising by the Rev. P. A. Walsh, Denmark-street, Dublin. Printed by Cumming. Moreover, did I not accompany these numbers with a letter, calling on your Grace to make good your promise of clearing my character from the imputations it had lain under, through your Grace's misconception of the facts? This letter, my Lord, I suppress, from the same motives of delicacy which have kept me silent, until your Grace's declaration forced me thus to state the facts; nor shall I add one single comment, but leave the public to draw their own conclusions.

"I am, most honoured Lord,

"Your Grace's very humble and obedient servant,

"RICHARD COYNE."

There is only to be added to this letter the following:-

"To Mr. Richard Coyne, Parliament-street,

«10, Lower Ormond-quay, Oct. 27, 1817. "SIR, I have received the address to the Most Rev. Dr. Troy, which appeared in the Freeman's Journal of this day, bearing your name; and I think it but justice to you to declare that the statement therein contained is perfectly correct, so far as it relates to me, and to the appearance of your name as the publisher of the Bible and Testament therein mentioned.

"I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

"JOHN CUMMING."

The next document to which I shall call your attention is the examination of Dr. Murray, who, in 1817, was coadjutor to Dr. Troy. He was examined before the House of Commons, on the 17th May, 1825, nine years after this transaction. I hold in my hand the actual Report of the Committee of the House of Commons, which contains the following: