HISTORY OF EUROPE. [141 



Mr. Windham admitted, that, if 

 any necessity existed for a restrain- 

 ing measure of this kind, that he 

 knew of none more unexception- 

 able than the one proposed; but, 

 instead of the Roman catholic reli- 

 gion springing up again into im- 

 portance, its friends had to fear a 

 change of quite a different kind. 

 What could be more absurd than to 

 suppose, that, in the present order 

 of things, in this sera of the world, 

 at the latter end of the eighteenth 

 century, in the tenth year of the 

 French revolution, in the gene- 

 ral renunciation of every popish 

 tenet throughout Europe, when 

 even the fate of that quarter of the 

 world was trembling on the balance, 

 and the period was arrived, which 

 must either establish or overturn for 

 ever the power of France — how 

 absurd to suppose, that, in such cir- 

 cumstances, any apprehension could 

 be entertained of the propagation 

 and dominion of popery.'' A few 

 stragglers only had come to us, who 

 had happily survived the destruction 

 of the Galilean church. This ge- 

 neral abasement and overthrow had 

 more weakened the catholic faith, 

 than any endeavours of the remain- 

 ing few who adhered to it could 

 effect towards its restoration. Those 

 who had fled to us were but mi- 

 serable remains as to their means 

 and power, though not as to the 

 virtues they had uniformly display- 

 ed. Mr. Windham defended mo- 

 il a&ticinstitutions,in general, against 

 the prejudices, the calumnies, and 

 the narrow and persecutingspirit of 

 their enemies. He insisted, that 

 the law should not interfere to pre- 

 vent converts to popery, any more 

 than to any other sects and persua- 

 sions. If, indeed, conversion to po- 

 pery were an evil, law, Mr. Wind- 



ham observed, was not its proper 

 remedy. The divines of the esta- 

 blished church,(at whose instigation 

 chiefly the present resolutions were 

 moved) should feed their flocks with 

 spiritual food, and thus enable them 

 to withstand the first feed of this : 

 they were too fond of raising the 

 cry, "The church is in danger!'' 

 If proselytism existed, it was a dis- 

 grace only to that clergyman in 

 whose parish it took place. What, 

 if they did their duty, could minis- 

 ters of the church of England fear? 

 They met their antagonists on more 

 than equal ground. If any one in- 

 deed attempted to preach up the 

 rights of man, and insubordina- 

 tion to lawful authority : to silence 

 such doctrines would be a work of 

 necessity; but popery had nothing 

 in it of that dangerous tendency, 

 and might be met fairly in the field 

 of argument. — A little opposition 

 was no bad thing; it made persons 

 attentive to their duty, and might 

 be as useful in the church as in the 

 senate. — Another objection to the 

 bUl, in Mr. Windham's mind, was, 

 that it raised prejudices in the minds 

 of the illiberal against a number of 

 unoffending persons, who had fled 

 to our shores from the tempest that 

 threatened their destruction. When 

 that should subside, they would be 

 very ready to seek their own coun- 

 try again, and carry all their own 

 customs and sentiments along with 

 them; butwhy should wesend them 

 back lame and crippled.!* While 

 they remained here, it was not ge- 

 nerous to mark them out as objects 

 of public scorn and suspicion. — On 

 the whole, Mr. Windham consider- 

 ed the bill in question as, at least, 

 but useless. " Where no danger 

 exists," said he, " no precaution is 

 necessary ; where no disease, no re- 



