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kind, in introducing industry and knowledge among the Irish; and no country in the world can show greater public spirited efforts than have been made by the government of Ireland, since that time, for these purposes; but many of the parliamentary grants of this kind have been trifled with and perverted. It is said that when St. Patrick landed in Ireland, he found many holy and learned Christian preachers there, whose votaries were pious and obedient. Camden observes, that the Irish scholars of St. Patrick, profited so notably in Christianity, that in the succeeding age, Ireland was termed Sanctorum Patria. Their monks so greatly excelled in learning and piety, that they sent whole flocks of most learned men into all parts of Europe, who were the first founders of Liexeu abbey, in Burgundy; of the abbey Bobie, in Italy; of Wirtzburgh, in Franconia; St. Gall, in Switzerland; and of Malmsbury, Lindesfarran, and many other monasteries in Britain.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

FRANCE.

THE religion of France is Roman Catholic, with religious liberty to all sects. The territorial possessions of the Gallican church has been claimed as national property, and disposed of through the medium of a paper money, called assignats, for the creditors of the state; and the clergy made dependent upon pensionary establishments, paid out of the national treasury; out of which also are paid the expences of worship, the religious, and the poor. All monastic establishments are suppressed; but the present friars and nuns are allowed to observe their vows, and nuns optionally to remain in their convents, or retire upon pensions.

The clergy are elective by the people, and take an oath to observe the laws of the new constitution. They notify to the bishop of Rome their union in doctrine, but do not pay him fees nor acknowledge any subordination to his authority. They are supplied with lodgings upon their livings, whereon they are obliged to reside, and perform the duties of their office. They vote as active citizens, and are eligible to some lay offices in the districts, but no principal ones.

Archbishops, Bishopricks, &c.-France is divided into nine metropolitan circles, has a metropolitan bishop, with a synod in each, besides one for Paris. The metropolitan bishop is confirmed by

the eldest bishop in his circle. Appeals are made from the bishop to their synods.

A bishop is appointed to each of the eighty-three departments, each forming so many dioceses. They are appointed by the electoral assembly of the department, and confirmed by the metropolitan bishop, but must have held an ecclesiastical office fifteen years. The salaries are from £500 to £840, .per annum. Each diocess has a seminary, with three vicars and a vicar-general, to prepare students for holy orders, and these vicars form a council for the bishop. Vicars of bishops are chosen by the bishop from among the clergy of his diocess, who have done duty ten years. The salaries are from £84 to £250, per annum.

Ministers of cures or parishes in the districts, are confirmed by the bishop, and they must have been vicars to ministers five years. They have salaries from £50 to £160 per annum, and when infirm receive pensions. Vicars of ministers are chosen by the minister from among the priests admitted in the diocess by the bishop, and receive salaries from £30 to £100 per annum.

France contains more than two millions of noncatholics; and the protestants, who are greatly increasing, are in proportion to the catholics as one to twelve. There are already many regular congregations; viz. German Lutherans, French and Swiss Calvinists, Bohemian Anabaptists, and Walloon or Flemish dissidents, besides many chapels for ambassadors. It also contains many Jews.

CHAPTER XL.

NETHERLANDS.

THE established religion here, is the Presbyterian and Calvinistic. None but Presbyterians are admitted to any office or post in the government, excepting the army; yet all religions and sects are tolerated, and have their respective meetings or assemblies for public worship, among which the Papists and Jews are very numerous. And indeed this country may be considered as a striking instance of the benefits arising to a nation from universal toleration. As every man is allowed to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, persons of the most opposite opinions live together in the most perfect harmony and peace. No man in this republic has any reason to complain of being oppressed on account of his religious principles, nor any hopes by advancing his religion, to form a party or

break in upon the government; and therefore, in Holland, men live together as citizens of the world; their differences in opinion make none in affection, and they are associated together by the common ties of humanity and bonds of peace, under the protection of the laws of the state, with equal encouragement to arts and industry, and equal freedom of speculation and enquiry.

CHAPTER XLI.

GERMANY.

THIS might be made a copious article; but I shall confine myself to what is most necessary to be known. Before the reformation introduced by Luther, the German bishops were possessed (as indeed many of them are at this day) of prodigious power and revenues, and were the tyrants of the emperors as well as of the people. Their ignorance was only equalled by their superstition. The Bohemians were the first who had an idea of reformation, and made so glorious a stand for many years against the errors of Rome, that they were indulged in the liberty of taking the sacrament in both kinds, and other freedoms not tolerated in the Romish church. This was in a great measure owing to the celebrated Englishman, John Wickliffe, who went much further in reforming the real errors of popery than Luther himself, though he lived about a century and a half before him. Wickliffe was seconded by John Huss and Jerome of Prague, who notwithstanding the emperor's safe conduct, were infamously burnt at the council of Constance. The reformation introduced afterwards by Luther, of which we have spoken already, though it struck at the chief abuses in the church of Rome, was thought in some points (particularly that of consubstantiation by which the real body of Christ, as well as the elements of bread and wine is supposed to be taken in the sacrament) to be imperfect. Calvinism, therefore, or the religion of Geneva (as now practised in the church of Scotland) was introduced into Germany, and is the religion professed in the territories of the king of Prussia, the landgrave of Hesse, and some other princes who maintain a parity of orders in the church. Some go so far as to say, that the numbers of protestants and papists in the empire are now almost equal. Germany, particularly Moravia and the Palatinate, as also Bohemia, is overrun with sectaries of all kinds; and Jews abound in the empire. At present, the modes of worship and

forms of church government, are by the protestant German princes considered in a civil rather than a religious light. The protestant clergy are learned and exemplary in their deportment, but the popish, ignorant and libertine.

Archbishops and Bishops sees.-These are differently represented by authors; some of whom represent Vienna as being suffragan to the archiepiscopal see of Saltzburg, and others as being an archbishoprick, but depending immediately upon the pope. The others are the archbishop of Metz, who has under him twelve suffragans; Cologne has four; Magdeburg has five; Saltzburg has nine besides Vienna; and Bremen three.

At different periods since the reformation, it has been found expedient to satisfy the claims of temporal princes, to secularize the following bishop's sees: Bremen, Verden, Magdeburg, Halberstadt, Minden, Lubec, and Osnaburgh, which last goes alternately to the houses of Bavaria and Hanover, and is at present held by his Brittanic Majesty's second son. Such of the sees as were bishopricks are now considered as duchies, and the bishopricks as principalities.

CHAPTER XLII.

POLAND.

THE number of protestants, consisting of Lutherans and Calvinists, in the republic of Poland, is very considerable, and when these are joined to the Greek church, the whole are called dissidents. At the same time, the Polish nobility and the bulk of the nation are tenacious of the Roman catholic religion. The treaty of Oliver, concluded in 1660, tolerated the dissidents, and was guaranteed by the principal powers of Europe; but was so disregarded by the Poles, that in the year 1724 they made a public massacre of the protestants at Thorn. Numerous provisions were made for the protection of the protestants, who were persecuted, when Jews, Turks, and infidels of every kind, have been tolerated and encouraged. The monasteries in Poland are by some writers said to be 576, and the nunneries 117, besides 246 seminaries or colleges, and 31 abbeys. The clergy are possessed of a very large proportion of the lands and revenues of the kingdom, but are in general illiterate bigots, and the monks are some of the most profligate of mankind, without apprehending any disgrace to their order, or dreading the censure of their superiors, who require equal indulgences. Vast sway the Popish

clergy have had in Poland at different periods, notwithstanding the treaties and capitulations which have been made in favour of the protestants and the members of the Greek church. Indeed, it has been chiefly owing to the influence and conduct of the popish clergy that the peasants in Poland have been reduced to such a state of wretched slavery.

The principles of Socinianism made a very early and considerable progress in Poland. A translation of the Bible into the Polish language was published in 1572; and two years after, under the direction of the same persons, the catechism, or confession of the Unitarians, was published at Cracow. The abilities and writings of Socinus greatly contributed to the extensive propagation of his opinions; but though the Socinians in Poland have been very numerous, they have at different times been greatly persecuted. However, it was lately resolved be- : tween the republic and partitioning powers, that all dissidents should henceforth enjoy the free exercise of their religion, though to continue excluded from the Diet the Senate and the permanent Council. They are to have churches, but without bells; also schools and seminaries of their own, they are capable of sitting in the inferior courts of justice, and three of their communion are admitted as assessors in the tribunal to receive appeals. in religion.

Archbishops and Bishopricks-Poland contains two archbishopricks; Gnesna and Lemburg. The archbishop of Gnesna, besides being primate, and during an inter-reign prince-regent of the kingdom, is always a cardinal. The other bishops, particularly of Cracow, enjoy great privileges and immunities.

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THE religion of the Italians is Roman catholic. The inquisi- . tion is little more than a sound; and persons of other religions live unmolested in Italy, provided no gross insult is offered to their worship. We have given an account of the rise and establishment of popery in Italy, from whence it spread all over Europe; likewise of the causes and symptoms of its decline. The ecclesiastical government of the papacy has employed many volumes in describing it. The cardinals who are next in dignity to his heliness, are seventy: but that number is seldom or never complete. They are appointed by the pope, who takes care to have a ma

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