GENERAL HISTORY. 



[65 



following passage was much talked 

 of at the time : " The ministers have 

 drawn, as it were, a magic circle 

 rouud the throne, into which none 

 are (jermitted to enter, on whom 

 the confidence of* the illustrious 

 person has been accnstomed to re- 

 pose. Within its range the arti- 

 ficers of mischief have not ceased 

 to work with too successful indus- 

 try. What phantoms have they 

 not conjured up to warp the judg- 

 ment, to excite the feelings, and 

 appal the firmness of the royal 

 mind ? But though the evil ge- 

 nius should assume a mitred, nay 

 more than noble form, the sainted 

 asjject which political bigotry de- 

 lights to wear, or the lineaments 

 of that softer sex which first be- 

 guiled man to his destruction — 

 though to the allurements of Ca- 

 lypso's court, were joined the ma- 

 gic and the charms of that matured 

 enchantress — should the spirit of 

 darkness take a human shape, 

 and issuing forth from the inmost 

 recesses of the gaming house or 

 brothel, presume to place itself 

 near the royal ear; — what though 

 the potent spell should not have 

 worked in vain, and that the boast- 

 ed recantation of all incumbering 

 prepossessions, and inconvenient 

 prejudices had already marked the 

 triumph of its course — though from 

 the royal side tliey should have 

 torn the chosen friend of his youth 

 and faithful counsellor of his raa- 

 turer years — though they should 

 have banished from the royal coun- 

 cils talents, integrity, honour, and 

 high-mindedness like his, and 

 should have selected for liis illus- 

 trious perion an associate and an 

 adviser from Change-alley and the 

 stews — though they should thus 

 have filled up to its full measure 

 Vol. LIV. 



the disgusting catalogue of their 

 enormities, we must still cling to 

 the foundering vessel, and call to 

 our aid those characteristic British 

 energies by which the ancestors of 

 thoje, whom I have now the ho- 

 nour to address, have so often and 

 so nobly saved the sinking state." 

 After a variety of other animated 

 references to the opposition declar- 

 ed against the catholic claims, and 

 the necessity of persevering in the 

 cause, his lordship moved for the 

 appointment of a committee to 

 take into consideration the laws 

 imposing disabilities on his ]Ma- 

 jesty's subjects professing the ca- 

 tholic religion. 



His Royal Highness the Duke 

 of Sussex then rose, and made an 

 elaborate speech in favour of gene- 

 ral toleration, which was afterwards 

 published with copious explanatory 

 notes, indicating an uncommon 

 degree of attention to subjects of 

 ecclesiastical history in one of his 

 exalted rank. 



In the long debate which en- 

 sued, every topic was agitated 

 which had been touched upon in 

 the former discussions of the ca- 

 tholic question, chiefly, however, 

 by those who were friendly to the 

 concessions desired, who took a 

 wider compass of argument than 

 their opponents, who lor the most 

 part confined themselves to the 

 dangers which the protectant esta- 

 blishment would incur from such 

 concessions. The Marquis of Wel- 

 lesley again greatly distinguished 

 himself by the enlarged and states- 

 man-like views which he gave of 

 the suljject. In arguing upon the 

 impolicy of contii.uing exclusions 

 which were sure to perpetuate a 

 spirit of hostility to the protestant 

 church, he presented a picture of 



[F] the 



