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with perfect consistency, be-jon sale for the purpose of keepcause we have not done any acting out witches, laying the which necessarily implies that we Devil, curing the itch, turning think we understand the word of aside thunder-bolts, curing weak GoD as well, as the Parson. Our eyes, preserving gluttons from going to hear him; our sub- apoplexy, and for various other mitting to his superior judg-important uses. This was all ment, is perfectly consistent: very impudent and at the same but you who have taken upon time hypocritical. It was gross you to decide; who have sitten imposture; it exhibited a set in judgment upon the preach-of crafty men, living an easy ings of the Church; who have life, through the means of the dissented from her; have no credulity of the mass of the apology at all for applying people. The Monks and Friars to any human being for reli- were a set of impostors; but, gious instruction. What apo- we can hardly venture to call logy, then, can you have for our forefathers fools; for, if squandering upon a Priest, that those forefathers could rise which ought to go to the feed- from their graves, they might ing of your hungry children? justly retort upon us; and with

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We have all of us heard from this advantage: they might say, our infancy about the tricks of" our impostors succeeded, beMonks and Friars. Those cause we had not the Bible to tricks were very numerous, and read: yours succeed, though many of them very farcical.«. you have the Bible in your They shewed, in a phial, some" hands:" and these words blood, which they pretended they might address to every was a part of the real blood of Dissenter, who has the folly Christ. They exhibited the pa- and the wickedness to pay a rings of St. Anthony's nails. Priest. They had a bit of the skin of The Monks and Friars, with St. Laurence. They had the all their tricks, had but one wonder-working breeches of single object in view; namely St. Pacomo, which they em-that of living well upon the ployed as a charm for barren labour of others. This was women. Holy water and sanc-with them, the law and the tified crosses they always had gospel. There might be some

amongst them who were not so thousand Priests contrive to get

plenty of money from you, though every man of you is in possession of the Bible, and though there is no law to compel you to give them one single penny. For my part I can see no difference between the obtaining of money by exhibiting the parings of St. Anthony's nails or a snip from the petticoat of the Virgin Mary; I can

lazy and so unfeeling as the main body; and indeed they might possibly all be very good sort of men in their natures; but no man likes labour. Labour is pain; and no man likes pain; and he will avoid it if he can. There may be inducements strong enough to make him encounter labour; the love of riches, the dread of poverty, and various other inducements; see no difference between tricks but no man likes labour for of this sort and the means that labour's sake. Every one tries are made use of to obtain money to shift the burthen of labour from you. Call the things by from his own back to that of what name you will, they are another. I do not therefore still the same in their nature. blame your Priests for making A Friar sells absolution and deyou maintain them at their liverance from purgatory. He ease, any more than I blame the takes money, in short, from what Monks and Friars of former the payer regards as the means times; but I blame you a of salvation from Hell. Now, great deal more than I blame if another man pretends that his our credulous forefathers who ministry is necessary to produce had not that light which you the same effect; and if he dehave, and who, therefore, are mands and receives money for more excusable. The Monks the services rendered in this and Friars took care that the way; and if this demand be Bible should be read hy nobody founded on no law, where is the but themselves. They thought difference between this man and that if the people could once get a Friar? Your Priests pretend a sight of the Bible, they would to intimate communication with no longer give them money, but invisible power; they pretend it appears that they might have that under certain circumstances been in error in this respect, for they can answer for your salvawe now see that your five or tention. They pretend to be able

to say, in certain cases, that your making a will. So that all that salvation is certain. They cate-they could possibly want was chise you as to the state of your something to fill their own belsouls. They make you render lies; and the overplus of their an account of your very thoughts, collections they would necessa What difference is there, then, rily give away, and they did between a Friar and one of your give it to the poor. Strike the Priests? Why, there is this dif- balance fairly, then, between ference, that the Friar wears a the Monks and Friars and your mean and ugly dress that disfi- Priests; and you will find that gures his person, while your our forefathers, whom we have Priests are amongst the neatest the impudence to call gulls and and primmest and most pompous dupes, were not half so much prigs in the kingdom. Ven-worthy of those names, as are ture, therefore, not to laugh at those Dissenters who give their the Roman Catholics, because money to a Priest. It is said they pay for masses and absolu- very frequently, that every getions; and because they main-neration grows wiser and wiser; tain by their labour a set of men but, if I compare your conduct, who labour not at all. with regard to your Priests, with There is one difference be-the conduct of our forefathers tween the Monks and Friars and with regard to the Monks and your Priests, and this difference Friars, I see but too good reais clearly in favour of the for- son to doubt of the truth of the mer; namely, that the Monks maxim. and Friars had no wives; where- Thus far, my friends, I have as your gentlemen indulge them-viewed your conduct solely as selves in that greatest of all between you and your Priests: earthly enjoyments. The Monks let me now take a view of it and Friars needed but little to with regard to your country, maintain them. To hoard or towards which you appear to become rich was useless to me to have been induced by the them; for they could have no CONCLAVE to act a part, not family to provide for; and the only unworthy of Englishmen; law prevented them from pos- not only unworthy of really sessing any real property at all, loyal subjects; but also unwor and also prevented them from thy of Christians, and wholly

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at variance with every principle | männer even the most notori of morality. ous sinners and reprobates. Where then are you to look for an apology for treating in this manner whole masses of your countrymen and neighbours, against whom you have no offences to allege, and who are

The love of country is a feelibg so natural to the breast of man; the desire to see others as well as himself happy, is so necessarily an inmate of man's mind; an abhorrence of injustice and oppression is naturally only seeking for a change in so strong in the mind of every the mode of electing the Memgood man; that it is matter of bers of Parliament? Let me astonishment to observe the beg you to consider well the apathy that you have discovered nature of your conduct in this for several years past. I speak respect, and to remember that here, however, with numerous you will find no justification, exceptions; and I shall by and with either God or man, in the by have to speak of the laudable conduct of that part of you, who have broken loose from the CONCLAVE, rather than suffer yourselves to be neutralized, and kneaded into clods; but I Where have you found any am here speaking of the great thing to justify your hostility tomass, of the main body, who wards the Reformers, or to jushave been induced to hold their tify your luke-warmness in the tongues, while others were call-cause of Reform? Have you ining out for the means of saving quired what it is that the Rethemselves and their neigh-formers wish to accomplish? If bours from starvation, and their you have not, your conduct is country from disgrace; who extremely reprehensible; and if have been induced to shake you have, nothing short of downtheir heads at the Reformers, and even to cast at them the dust from the bottoms of their feet.:

plea of having thus acted by the command of your Priests, who, whatever they may pretend, can give you no acquittance for any of your misdeeds.

right wickedness can be ascribed to you. What the Reformers seek is this: to put an end to bribery, corruption, false swear+

It is not acting a very Chris-ing, drunkenness, rioting, and tian-like part to treat in this all sorts of profligacy, now, to

they are hateful in their very sound; they are in the word of God and in the laws of the land marked with infamy, and de

the great scandal of the nation, and pious men may differ very and the great injury of morality widely in opinion; but, as to and religion, witnessed at al- corruption, bribery, and false most every election in every swearing, there can be no difpart of this kingdom. This is, ference of opinion; they are however, only one of the ob- things seen and understood; jects which the Reformers have in view; but, this alone, if it be not sufficient to rouse your zeal and call forth your co-operation, ought, at any rate, not to be nounced as worthy of the se an object of your opposition, verest punishment. Yet, these and to expose the advocates of horrible crimes appear as no it to your hostility. The facts thing to you, while a speech you cannot deny; nor can you from a Reformer, calling for a be ignorant of their existence. measure to put an end to this You talk about sin; but what national disgrace, calls forth sin is there which can exceed your disapprobation and re the sins which are here sought proach. You may talk of your to be put an end to? Of all piety as long as you please; the crimes known to the law, you may pretend to superior wilful and malicious murder on-sanctity; you may think your ly excepted, none are a tenth selves the elect; but while part so great, because not a

such is your conduct, I shall con tinue to regard you, not only as being no better, but as being one degree worse than the rest of mankind.

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tenth part so injurious to society, as the crimes of bribery, corruption, and false swearing; and yet very silent are your Priests upon the subject of You see your country plunged these crimes, while they have into a state of misery, such as no scruple to pronounce the sen- never was before known in Eng tence of everlasting fire upon land, and perhaps in no part of those who take the liberty to the world. You see ruin spread laugh at their peculiar opinions all around you; you see a great about redemption and grace part of your neighbours actually and inward light. These latter perishing slowly for the want of are matters upon which honesta sufficiency of food, while at the