the impatience of the moment fuggefted, nor emulated the fuperior energy of their more powerful advocates.

In the last feffion of parliament, when I had the honor in co-operation with my right hon. friend, to move you for a further repeal of the laws affecting the Roman Catholics, I certainly wifhed with as much ardour as any gentleman who hears me, that the public fentiment, the temper of parliament, the probability of fuccefs, had allowed me to make my plan more extenfive than that which was adopted; to have connected with the ftate by nearer and closer ties, fo great and valuable a part of the community as the Catholic body. But the impatience of pursuit, and the acrimony of contention were my opponents; circumftances of intemperance on one fide, revived old prejudices on the other, which made me confider accommodation and atchievement. At the fame time, when I confider (as I faid before) the value of progreffive acquifition, I muft fay the conceffions of laft winter were in themselves important, and their manner ineftimable. The unanimity that conceded, ftamped a double value on the thing conferred; and whatever (from my own attachment to the Roman Catholics, or the liberal difpofition of thofe with whom I acted) whatever might have been the amount of my wifhes, and would have been the extent of my efforts, had I found the occafion favourable; yet, as the friend to the Catholics, I. am decidedly of opinion, that any forbearance I might have yielded to on that occafion, was more than recompenfed by the unanimity it produced; that unanimity, which was the fymptom of depart

ing prejudices, and the token of returning love; that graciousness of conceffion, followed by a grateful acceptance, held out to my view those flattering profpects, which are brightening before me at this day, of ftill chofen communications of interefts and affections between us. The object was a conqueft of affection, not competition of power; and the means of fuccefs, mutual deference and conciliation.

I was then fatisfied, and I think fo ftill, that whatever appears from the temper of the times impracticable to be obtained, it is imprudent to folicit; for we know too well, that religious diffentions are not to be conquered by controverfy and recrimination, but muft yield to the returning tide of human benevolence; toleration is a plant not to be forwarded by art, or forced by the heat of contention; the exceffes of heat and of cold are alike fatal to it. It must be the growth of temperate affiduity, cultivated by the hand of moderation, and matured by the warmth of the heart. And even when toleration itself has been reared, a communication of political power, which is and ought to be amongst its natural productions, cannot in the course of things be inftantaneous; like the fruit of the tree, it must be the growth of maturity, and the gift of time.

It has always been the paffion and the principle of my mind, to lend my humble affiftance to every measure, which in its operation might tend to make the Proteftant and Catholic, by the progress of time, grow to be one people; that let them regulate their religious worship under whatever different modes, they may unite in devotion to one

country; like two ftems rifing from one root, though they may differ in the forms in which they fhape their courfe towards Heaven, yet as they derive from one common origin, and draw their fuftenance from the fame land, that in their growth they may become a fhelter and protection to each other. I have long wifhed that the time was come, which would form a new era of Irish concord, of Irish confequence and Irish profperity, in which religious diffention fhould be loft in civil operation, in which community of interefts, and reciprocal good offices, fhould root out our prejudices, and unite our hearts. But until the enlightened fpirit of liberal policy had given a progrefs to thefe rational difpofitions a communication of political power could not be expected; for you must reconcile, before you unite; you must affimilate, before you incorporate.

Befide, Sir, every body knows, who knows any thing of the hiftory of the world, that violent and fudden changes of power and property, whether the parties have been divided by religious diffention, or by confederacies on political difference, have always been dangerous, and generally fatal to the ftate. The fact is, thofe who have been accuftomed to power, cannot bear the privation or fudden diminution of it with patience.-Thofe who are unaccustomed to it, will not exercise it with prudence; it is the progrefs of time alone that can reconcile and affimilate; it is the progrefs of affection alone that can regulate thofe paffions, which make one fide intemperate, and the other fide intolerant.

And now, Sir, I must beg leave to make an obfervation, fuggefted to me (I forget where) by a

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right hon. friend of mine, in which I agree with him in his fentiments of difapprobation as to the fact, but difagree with him in his fufpicions of its origination.

When I recal to your recollection fo difagreeable a circumstance, I do it rather as an admonition for the future, than animadverfion on the past. It is true, Sir, that at the time when every thinking man faw the neceffity of an union of interests and affections between his majefty's loyal fubjects of all perfuafions, the most mifchievous industry was employed to raise an emulation of ill will, and fow the feeds of perpetual discord between the Proteftants and Catholics. It was indeed the work but of a few, but the undifclaimed fentiments of the few are apt to be confidered as the fentiments of the many, and therefore they are injurious.

Whilft I am ready to difclaim the exaggerated and acrimonious charges with which our newfpapers have recriminated on the Catholics, although I cannot but difapprove, as prefumptuous, that fpirit that would arrogate from futurity, limit the faculties of legiflation, bind down pofterity, and give to exclufion immortality. Though I reject fuch notions as unjuft, and indeed laugh at them as impotent, becaufe, though like the father of Hannibal, you were to carry your fons to the altar, and make them fwear never to be at peace with the Romans, yet neither your votes nor their yows could controul future ages. Though I utterly disclaim fuch notions as unjuft and impolitic, I muft, however, with equal juftice fay on the other hand, on the part of the Roman Catholics, there were circumftances attending the

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agitation

agitation of this queftion highly exceptionable. In my opinion it was abfurd in a bufinefs of this kind for the Roman Catholics to ftate cafes to eminent lawyers, to decide whether their proceedings were or were not defenfible within the letter of the law: It had too much the appearance of a guarded hoftility; it looked more like the precaution of enmity, than the interceffion of amicable intercourse, or conftitutional folicitation.

It is not enough that their applications do not violate the laws, they alfo fhould not violate the feelings; it is not enough that they are cautious, they should be refpectful. No body of men should for a moment fuffer themselves, in their pursuits, to be unmindful that there is a fettled fupreme power in the state; to which, fo long as the conftitution exifts, every man owes refpect; that it may be folicited, but must be obeyed; that it may be foftened, but muft not be fubdued.

When the Roman Catholics fay, they wish to fhare in the rights and privileges of the conftitution of their country, they speak the language of reafon and common fenfe.-The idea is fo natural to the mind of man, that it was unneceffary to convene a great reprefentative body of the Catholics, in order to decide, whether it was or was not their general wifh, to enjoy the elective franchife and right of juries. Why to be fure it was their general with! No Catholic ever afferted or infinuated the contrary; nor if he did, would any Proteftant have been dupe enough to believe him. The notion is fo congenial to the mind of man, that it is impoffible to controvert or condemn it; nay there is a virtue in the wifh, that is a title to its fuccefs; however, in the profccution of it, the

beft