RELIGION. 45 



4. If one child abjures that religion, he inherits the whole 

 eftate, though he is the youngeft. 



5. If the Ton abjures the religion, the father has no power 

 over his eftate, but becomes a pensioner on it in favour of 

 fuch fon. 



6. No Catholic can take a leafe for more than thirty-one 

 years. 



7. If the rent of any catholic is lefs than two-thirds of the 

 full improved value, whoever difcovers takes the benefit of the 

 leafe. 



8. Priefts who celebrate mafs to be tranfported, and if thejr 

 return to be hanged. 



9. A catholic having a horfe in his poffefllon above the 

 value of five pounds, to forfeit the fame to the difcoverer. 



10. By a conftru&ion of lord Hardwick's, they are incapa- 

 citated from lending money on mortgage *. 



The preceding catalogue is very imperfecl, but here is an 

 exhibition of oppreffion fully fufficient. The great national 

 objects in framing laws againft the profefiion and practice of 

 any religion, may be reduced to three heads, ift. The pro- 

 pagation of the dominant faith, zd. Internal fecurity. jd. Na- 

 tional profperity : the faireft way to judge of the laws of Ire- 

 land will be to enquire how far they have anfwered any or all 

 of thefe ends. 



That it is a deferable objeft in fome refpe&s to have a peo- 

 ple if not all of one perfuafion, at leaft in good friend/hip 

 and brotherhood, as to religion, is undeniable. Though I 

 think there are reafons againft wifliing a whole kingdom to 

 profefs only one (imiiar fa.th. It excludes a variety of difqui- 

 fitions which exercife and animate the talents of mankind ; it 

 encourages the priefts of the national religion to a relaxation 

 of their ftudies, their activity and even their morals, and tends 

 to introduce a lazy, wretched, vicious, and ignorant clergy : 

 it is oppoluion and contraft that fiiarpen the wits of men. 



But waving thefe objections, and cor.fidering the queftion 

 only in a political view, I admit that fuch a fnnilarity of wor- 

 fKip as is followed by laws equal to the whole community to 

 be an advantage, let us therefore examine whether the Irim, 

 intolerant laws have had the effect or not. 



Thai they have leffened the landed property in the hands of 

 the catholics is certain ; their violence could not have had 

 any oiher effect, but not, however, to fuch a degree as might 

 have been imagined. There are principles ot horrour, religi- 

 on, and ties of blood too powerful for tyrannic laws to over- 

 come, ar.d which have prevented their full effefl. I am not 

 convinced that the converfion of the land owners while all 

 the rabble retained iheir religion, was an advantage to the 



kingdom. 



* Some mitigation of t faff penal la>ws hn; taken f>/ace,ty an aft of 

 the legijiature in 1778, in favour of thefe *who take and Jubjcribe an 

 oath framed on the occajton. 



