GENERAL HISTORY. 



[29 



means of a secret oath which he 

 would read to the House It ran 

 as follows. " Intheai\ful pre- 

 sence of God, I, A B. do volun- 

 tarily sw«ar, that I will persevere 

 in my endeavours to form a bro- 

 therhood of affection amonii^st 

 Britons of eveiy description who 

 are considered worthy of confi- 

 dence ; and that 1 will per--evere 

 in my endeav()urs to obt nn tor all 

 tlie people of Great Britain and 

 Ireland, not disriualified by crimes 

 or insanity, the elective frai\chise 

 at the age of iwenty-one, with 

 free and e.|ual lepiesentation and 

 annual Parliaments ; and chat 1 

 will support the same to the ut- 

 most of my power, eitiier by mo- 

 ral or ph/sical strength as the 

 case may require : and I do fur- 

 ther swear, that neither hopes, 

 fears, rewards, or punishments 

 shall induce me to inform, or give 

 evidence, against any member or 

 members, collectively or iiulivi 

 dually, for any act or expression 

 done or made, in or out of this or 

 similar societies, under the jiunish- 

 ment of death, to be inflicted on 

 me by any member or members 

 of such society. So help me God, 

 and keep me stedfast." 



This oath (said the learned 

 membei") was administered to 

 n)any hundred individuals in the 

 city of Glasgow and its neigh- 

 bourhood. Some persons to vvhom 

 it was about to We given felt scru- 

 pulous about that part which re- 

 lated to the using of physical 

 strength. A meeting was imme- 

 diately called, and a motion was 

 made to leave out those words, 

 but it was rejected unanimously. 

 The result, however, had been 

 that a variety of persons were 

 now apprehended ; and he pledged 



his character as a public officer, 

 that when these individuals were 

 taken, it was known to govern- 

 ment that there were others mov. 

 ing in a very difFeient sphere of 

 life connected with the conspi- 

 racy, Some of whom, lie trusted, 

 woLdd yet be apprehemled. 



Sir Samuel RoniUly s[)oke with 

 ror.siderable severity of the negli- 

 gence of the mini-ters, wlio had 

 surt'ered all theso libellous and 

 blasphemous Dublications to be 

 indu.striously circulated amnngthe 

 lower orders without instituting 

 a single pioseciition against tlie 

 authors. Speaking of the infor- 

 mati(m communicated by the lord 

 advocate of Scotland, he said, 

 were ministers aware that the 

 most severe punishment known to 

 the law might be inflicted upon 

 individuals subs ribing that oath? 

 Did they not know that it was 

 felony without benefit of clergy, 

 unless the pers(ni taking the oath, 

 within fourteen days atteiwards, 

 abandoned his associates, and be- 

 trayed their puiposes. Me con- 

 cluded a vigorous speech by say- 

 ing, that in every point of view 

 he thought the suspension objec- 

 tionable : the dangers might be 

 great, but the existing laws had 

 not yet l)een tried ; and if tried, 

 he was convinced that they would 

 be. found sufficient tor every pur- 

 pose of national protection. 



It is unnecessary to carry fur- 

 ther the debates on this subject, 

 since they were little moie than 

 repetitions of the arguments on 

 both sides of the question, which 

 have already been detailed in the 

 sketch given from the House of 

 Lords. After repeated calls for the 

 question, the House divided, when 

 there appealed for the first read- 

 ing 



