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"spondence with their friends in England. AT THIS TIME 66 ALSO, THE JESUITS TOOK A MORE ACTIVE HAND IN FREE"MASONRY THAN EVER. They insinuated themselves into "the English Lodges, where they were caressed by the

"Faith, of whom you may see two or three together walking by the "Chapel-door, continually disputing about some point of religion. "As to Prince George, it is yet uncertain what religion he professes. "We gradually begin to get footing in England; we teach human "learning at Lincoln, Norwich, and York; and at Worcester we have "a public Chapel, protected by a Guard of the King's soldiers; and "we are to buy some horses at Wigan in Lancashire. The Catholic "interest grows very strong; and at some Churches, granted to the "Catholics, upon Holydays there are often counted fifteen hundred "present at the sermon. At London also, our business is carried on "with the same good success: sermons are preached upon every Holy"day, and there are so many that frequent the Chapels, that they are "not big enough to hold them. Two of our Society, Dormer and "Bertue, `preach continually before the King and the Queen; Father "Richard Neville, before the Queen Dowager, Father Alexander "Keynes in the Chapel aforesaid; others in other chapels. There are 66 many houses bought in the Savoy, near Somerset House, which is the "Queen Dowager's Palace, towards erecting the first College in Lon"don, for about eighteen thousand florins; and they are hard at work "to bring them to the form of a College, that a School may be open"ed before Easter.

"A Catholic Lord-Lieutenant is shortly to go over to Ireland, because the King cannot be satisfied with any other, to establish the "Catholic interest in that kingdom. The Parliament will certainly sit "in this month of February, of whom his Majesty is resolved to ask "three things: first, that by a general Act all the Catholic Peers may "be admitted to sit in the Upper House: secondly, that the Test may "be abolished: and thirdly, which is the chief point, that all the Penal "Laws against Catholics should be abrogated. And that he may the "better obtain these things, he designs to let them know, that he is re"solved to turn out all those who will not heartily act for the obtain"ing of them; and likewise dissolve the Parliament. At which Reso"lution some Heretics being terrified, came to a certain Earl to advise "him what might be done; to whom he answered, The King's mind is "sufficiently known: what he has once said he will certainly perform; "if you love yourselves, submit to the King's pleasure."" See Tindal's Rapin, vol. xv. b. xxiv. p. 85, Edit. 1731..

*Catholics, who panted after the re-establishment of their faith, "and tolerated by the Protestant Royalists, who thought no "concession too great a compensation for their services. At this "time changes were made in some of the masonic symbols, "which bear evident marks of Jesuitical interference" (p. 27): after describing them, he adds, "All these were con"trivances of the Church of Rome for securing and extend"ing her influence on the Laymen of rank and fortune, "whom she retained in her service by these playthings:" and again, "In all this mummery we see MUCH OF THE HAND "OF THE JESUITS; and it would seem that it was encouraged "by the Church." (p. 30.) Again: "There can be no doubt,

that, in those hidden assemblies, a free communication of "sentiment was highly relished, and much indulged. It was "soon suspected that such use was made of the covert of a "Mason Lodge; and the Church dreaded the consequences, "and endeavoured to suppress the Lodges; but in vain: and when it was found that even Auricular Confession and "the spiritual threatenings of the Church could not make "the Brethren break their oath of secrecy, a full confidence

in their security made these free-thinking Brethren bring "forward with all the eagerness of a missionary, such senti"ments as they were afraid to hazard in ordinary society. "This was long suspected; but the rigours of the Church only "served to knit the Brethren more firmly together, and pro“voked them to a more eager exercise of their bold criticisms. "THE LODGES BECAME SCHOOLS OF SCEPTICISM AND INFIDE"LITY, and the spirit of proselytism grew every day stronger. "CARDINAL DUBOIS had before this time laboured with all "his might to corrupt the minds of the courtiers, by patron"izing directly and indirectly all sceptics who were other❝wise men of talents *. He gave the young courtiers to un

*This Cardinal had recommended a man of his own stamp to "Louis XIV. to fill an important office: the Monarch was astonished; and fold the Cardinal that that would never do; for the man was 4

"derstand, that if he should obtain the reins of government, "they should be entirely freed from the bigotry of Louis

XIV. and the oppression of the Church, and should have "the free indulgence of their inclinations: his own plans were "disappointed by his death; but the Regent ORLEANS was "equally indulgent, and in a few years there was hardly a "man in France who pretended to knowledge and reflection, "who did not laugh at all religion: amidst the almost infinite "number of publications from the French presses there is "hardly a dozen to be found where the author attempts to "vindicate religion from the charges of universal superstition "and falsehood; AND IT MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT "LITTLE ELSE WAS TO BE SEEN IN THE ESTABLISHED RE"LIGION OF THE KINGDOM. The people found nothing in "Christianity but a never-ceasing round of insignificant and "troublesome ceremonies, which consumed their time, and "furnished a fund for supporting a set of lordly and oppres"sive dignitaries, who declared in the plainest manner their "own disbelief of their religion, by their total disregard of ❝ common decency, by their continual residence at Court, and "by absolute neglect and even the most haughty and oppres"sive treatment of the only part of their Order that took any "concern about the religious sentiments of the nation, namely, "the Curés or Parish Priests: the Monks appeared only as

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lazy drones; but the parish priests instructed the people, "visited the sick, reconciled the offender and the offended, "and were the great mediators between the Landlords and "their Vassals, an office which endeared them more to the "people than all the other circumstances of their profession; "and it is remarkable that in all the licentious writings and "bitter satirical tales of the Philosophic freethinkers, such as "VOLTAIRE, who never fails to have a taunting hit at the

Clergy, the Curé is generally an amiable personage, a cha

"JANSENIST. Eh! que non, Sire, said the Cardinal; il n'est qu'Athée : "this was satisfactory, and the man got the Priory." Robison's Proofs, &c. p. 88.

"ritable man, a friend to the poor and unfortunate, a peace"maker, and a man of piety and worth. Yet these were

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men kept in a state of the most slavish and cruel subjection "by the higher orders of the Clergy, and all hopes of ad❝vancement cut off: rarely, hardly ever, does it happen that "a Curé becomes a Bishop: the Abbé steps into every line "of preferment. When such procedure is observed by a "whole nation, what opinion can be formed, but that the "whole is a vile cheat? This, however, was the case in "France, and THEREFORE INFIDELITY WAS ALMOST UNIVER"SAL: nor was this freedom or licentiousness confined to religious opinions; it was, perhaps, more naturally directed to "the restraints arising from civil subordination"-and he then proceeds to shew its results in the levelling doctrines of equality, &c.-See Robison's Proofs, pp. 32, 33, 34.

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Again: "Religion in France appeared in its worst form, "and seemed calculated solely for procuring establishments "for the younger sons of the insolent and useless Noblesse. "The morals of the higher order of the Clergy and of the Laity were equally corrupted."—(Robison's Proofs, p. 60.)

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Now, whether the above Extracts go the length of actually implicating the Jesuits in that great work of destruction which, by eradicating the best principles of the human heart, first alienated man from his Creator, and then from his Brother, it will be for the Public to decide: but at all events, enough, it is presumed, has been advanced to demonstrate upon what a sandy foundation MR. DALLAS has built the main argument of his work; namely, that the Jesuits were the great opponents of Scepticism and Infidelity, as also that their suppression was the death-blow of Religion and Government, and actually brought about the French Revolution,

To return to MR. DALLAS's work-He occupies the whole of p. 17 in expressing his indignation, because, in the Brief Account, the word "professed" (quoted from the Encyclopædia) is printed in Italics. It is not always easy for writers to say, whether they or their Printers have most to answer for

in the use and abuse of Patagonian Capitals and crippled Italics: but charity might have led MR. DALLAS to believe that no perversion of History was intended by the selection of a crooked letter in preference to a straight one; or otherwise he should not himself (as he has done in p. 8) have put several words in that same deformed character, although ROBERTSON, from whom they are quoted by MR. DALLAS, gave those words all the advantage that he considered them entitled to, when he placed them upright on their legs.

In p. 18 MR. DALLAS complains of the "disingenuous"ness" (as he terms it) "of charging the Jesuits exclusively "with rendering Christianity utterly odious in Japan,” where, as he contends, the Franciscan Friars were guilty too.

The answer to this is very simple: It has been no where an object to charge the Jesuits exclusively with the crimes in which they were engaged; but rather to shew that they frequently acted in concert with the Catholic Clergy, and even Laity, when it suited their purpose: indeed, MR. Dallas is so sensible of this, that, in p. 11 of his Preface, he states the ostensible object of the Brief Account to be, to "render "the Order odious, but the real one to be an attempt to at"tach odium upon Catholics in general in the present crisis "of the Catholic question." The fact is, that in stating the Jesuits to have rendered Christainity odious in Japan, the Brief Account does not happen to exhibit the part taken in that affair by those who were not Jesuits, as is done in other instances; and this accidental omission is therefore converted by MR. DALLAS into a charge of an intentional design to fix upon the Jesuits exclusively the crimes in question. When MR. DALLAS, however, finds the other Orders of the Catholic Religion implicated, together with the Jesuits, as in the rela tion of the troubles in France, in the time of the League, or the Gunpowder Plot in England; he then shifts his position, and finds cause for censure because other Catholics are reflected on as well as the Jesuits. In one instance he thinks the Catholics ought to come in for their share of condemnation ;

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