10 THE NEW TORY REFORM GOVENRMENT, 



of the King's subjects from which another class was excluded, those regu- 

 lations ought to undergo modification, with the view of placing all the 

 King's subjects, whatever their religious creeds, upon a footing of perfect 

 equality with respect to any civil privilege." 



And why, " instead of making new professions," does he refer "to 

 the course which he took upon these subjects when out of power ?" 

 That course, were it ten times more liberal, does not bind him to 

 bring forward measures of a similar character. The great point is, 

 what lie will do, not what he has said. " If," says Shakspeare, " to do 

 were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been 

 churches." Sir Robert Peel, perhaps, knows well enough what were 

 just to be done for the relief and liberty of conscience, but we shall 

 not see dissenters' chapels put upon an equality with churches by Sir 

 Robert Peel, nevertheless. 



" Then, as to the great question of Church Reform, on that head I have 

 no new professions to make. I cannot give my consent to the alienation of 

 church property in any part of the United Kingdom from strictly ecclesias- 

 tical purposes. But I repeat now the opinions that I have already ex- 

 pressed in Parliament in regard to the church establishment in Ireland, 

 that if, by an improved distribution of the revenues of the church, its just 

 influence can be extended, and the true interests of the established religion 

 promoted, all other considerations should be made subordinate to the ad- 

 vancement of objects of such paramount importance. As to church pro- 

 perty in this country, no person has expressed a more earnest wish than I 

 have done that the question of tithe, complicated and difficult as I acknow- 

 ledge to be, should, if possible, be satisfactorily settled, by the means of a 

 commutation, founded upon just principles, and proposed after mature 

 consideration." 



There is a little too much of the " necessary vagueness" in these 

 paragraphs. One thing is, however, clear enough. Sir Robert Peel 

 will not consent to the alienation of church property ; but then come 

 two ifs, exceedingly useful crutches to a prime minister desirous of 

 hobbling out of a difficulty. If, by an improved distribution of the 

 revenues of the church its just influence can be extended, then all 

 other considerations (of what nature?) should be made subordinate; 

 and, again, if possible, the question of tithe should be satisfactorily 

 settled. Dry den has told us that, 



" Two ifs scarce make a possibility ;" 



