74] 
general principles. Yet he faw no 
yeafon but the example of France 
ought to have its influence; the 
church there was now fuffering for 
its former intolerance. However he 
might rejoice in the emancipation 
of near thirty millions of his fel- 
low-creatures, and in'the fpirit which 
gave rife to the revolution; yet he 
was free to own there were fome 
acts of the new government which 
he could not applaud. The fum- 
mary and indifcriminate forfeiture 
of the property of the church came 
under this defcription. But the vio- 
lence of this proceeding might, in 
fome meafure, be attributed to form- 
er ecclefiaftical oppreffions ; and, in 
particular, to the impolitic revoca- 
tion of the edi& of Nantes. Before 
that period, there exifted no teft in 
France; proteftants and catholics 
were indiicriminately admitted into 
civil and military offices: but by 
that rafh meafure, liberality and to- 
leration were thrown away; the 
arts and manufactures were driven 
into other countries, to fléurifh in a 
more genial {oil, and under a milder 
form of government! This fhould 
ferve as a caution to the church of 
England; perfecution may prevail 
for a time, but it generally termi- 
nates in the punifhment of its abet- 
sors. 
After animadverting upon the 
condutt of the bifhop of St. David’s, 
who had, about that time, fent a cir- 
cular letter to the clergy of his dio- 
cefe, difluading them, in the ftron get 
terms, from giving their votes for a 
certain member of the houfe of com- 
mons, on account of his having fup- 
ported the petition of the diffenters, 
and thereby attempted to overthrow 
our ecclefiaftical conftitttion; Mr. 
Fox concluded an able, temperate, 
and judicious {peech, by declaring, 
that he was fufficiently aware of the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1790. 
unpopularity of the caufe he had un- 
dertaken ; that he knew that fome 
of the perfons, whom he moft va- 
lued and refpected, differed with him 
in opinion upon the fubje&ts that he 
had no particular connexion with 
the parties, who confidered them- 
felves as aggrieved, but, on the con- 
trary, that they had been amongft 
his moft violent: political enemies ; 
but regarding their caufe. as the 
caufe of truth and liberty, he fhould 
give -it his warmeft fupport both. 
upon the prefent and on every fu- 
ture occafion. 
The att of the 13th of Charles II. 
« for the well governing and regu- 
«« lating corporations, &c.”” and the 
aét of the 25th of Charles I]. * for 
*« preventing dangers which may 
“« arife from popith recufants, &c.” 
having been previoufly read at the 
table, Mr. Fox moved,—* That this 
houfe will immediately refolve itfelf 
into a committee of the whole houfe, 
to confider of fo much of the faid 
acts as requires perfons, before they 
are admitted to any office, civil or 
military, or any place of truft under 
the crown, to receive the facrament 
of the Lord’s {upper according to 
the rites of the church of Eng- 
land,” 
The motion was feconded by Sir 
Henry Hoghton, and oppofed in a 
long and able {peech by Mr, Pitt. 
‘ He began by exprefling his obliga: 
tions to Mr. Fox for his clear and 
candid ftatement of the precife objet 
of the diffenters in their prefent ap-- 
} 
plication, and of the full extent to_ 
which his motion was intended to. 
be carried. Whatever doubts he 
might before have entertained rela- 
tive to the expediency of admitting 
any alteration in the atts, which had 
been read, he certainly could not 
hefitate a moment in oppofing their | 
direét and total abolition. 
K 
