156—192] ANNUAL 
in the oath, or admit any explana- 
tion of it. All the clergy, without 
exception or diftinction, who re- 
fufed to take the oath, were imme, 
diately ejected from their benefices, 
_ and others placed in their room ; 
the bifhoprics were filled up by cu- 
rates. ‘The oath being confidered 
as no lefs than perjury, being a di- 
rect breach of that taken at ordina- 
tion, it may not be difficult to form 
fome judgment of the charaéter of 
thofe men who were now to in- 
ftruét the people in the duties of re- 
ligion and morality. It afforded a 
glorious inftance of the integrity of 
‘the French clergy, that of 131 bi- 
fhops, only three were found fervile 
enough to betray their confcience 
and their honour, in ftooping to 
take the oath for the prefervation of 
their bifhoprics. 
This meafure occafioned a fchifm 
among the people as well as the 
‘clergy; for the more devout and 
{crupulous, who were ftill not a few 
REGIS TER,:1790. 
in the kingdom, refufed to acknow- 
ledge thefe new paftors, and parti- 
cularly to receive the facraments at 
their hands; which, according to 
their religious perfuafion, it was the 
‘height of prophanation, if not fa- 
crilege, for them to. adminifter. 
They were the farther confirmed in 
this opinion, by the utter difappro- — 
bation of the oath which the pope 
had publicly expreffed. Thus did 
France produce in an inftant the 
moft numerous body of nonjuring 
clergy which ever exifted in any 
country: and fuch was the defpo- 
tifm which prevailed in a republi- 
can affembly, that would compel 
men’s perfons, minds, and confci- 
ences, to bend in all things, without 
referve, to its almighty will. Even 
the more moderate of the democra- 
tical writers, regretted and condemn- ~ 
ed, as a harfh and imprudent mes- — 
fure, the forcing of fuch an oath at — 
once upon minds unprepared to re- 
Ceive it. : 
CHRONICLE: 
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