530 
L E S 
ftrong diflike to it as a profeffion, and therefore relin- 
quiffied it, applying himfelf clofely to the ftudy of divi¬ 
nity. In 1680, he was admitted into holy orders; and, 
in 1687, was made chancellor of the diocefe of Connor. 
About this time he rendered himfelf extremely obnoxious 
to the popiffi party in Ireland, by his zealous oppofition 
to their doftrines, and to the indefatigable induftry with 
which they propagated them; which was particularly 
called forth by the following circumftances. On the 
deatli of Robert Boyle, bilhop of Clogher, in the year laft 
mentioned, Patrick Tyrrel was made titular popilh bilhop, 
and had the revenues of the fee affigned him by king 
James. Upon this, he eftabliffied a convent of friars in 
Monaghan ; and, making that the place of his reiidence, 
held a public vifitation of his clergy, with great folemni- 
ty. As he was attended in this vifitation by fome fubtle 
logicians, he had the boldnefs to challenge the proteftant 
clergy to a public difputation. The gauntlet was imme¬ 
diately taken up by Mr. Leflie, who defended the protef¬ 
tant caufe with fuch ability and fpirit as afforded the higheft 
fatisfaftion to its friends ; though it happened, as is ge¬ 
nerally the cafe in fuch contefts, that both fides claimed 
the viftory. Afterwards he held, another public difputa¬ 
tion with two celebrated popifh divines, in the church of 
Tynan, in the diocefe of Armagh ; in which he argued fo 
fuccefsfully againft the tenets of popery, that he induced 
Mr. John Stewart, a popiffi gentleman, folemnly to re¬ 
nounce the errors of the church of Rome. Encouraged 
by the partiality of the reigning prince, the papifts now' 
aimed at engroffing civil as well as fpiritual offices, and a 
popifli high-ffieriff was appointed for the county of Mo¬ 
naghan. This proceeding alarmed all the gentlemen in 
that county; and, as Mr. Leflie’s knowledge of the law, 
and of his duty as a juftice of peace, was held in high 
efteem, they applied to him upon the occafion. In an- 
fwer to their application he informed them, “ that it 
would be as illegal in them to permit the flieriff to aft, 
as it would be in him to attempt it.” The gentlemen 
being of opinion, that Mr. Leflie’s prefence on the bench 
at the approaching quarter-feffions u'as very defirable, 
and promifing to be guided in their conduft by him, he 
was carried thither, though not without great difficulty, 
and in much pain, as he was now fuffering under a fevere 
attack of the gout. At this feffions the enquiry was 
made, whether the pretended flieriff was legally qualified ? 
when he pertly obferved, “that he was of the king’s own 
religion, and that it was his majefty’s will that he ffiould 
be fheriff.” Upon this Mr. Leflie replied to him, “ that 
they were not enquiring into his majefty’s religion, but 
whether he had qualified himfelf according to law for aid¬ 
ing as a proper officer. That the king’s fubjefts had no 
other way of knowing his will but as it is revealed to 
them in his laws; and it mult always be thought to con¬ 
tinue fo, till the contrary is notified to them in the fame 
authentic manner.” To this found doftrine the court 
aflented, and unanimoufly agreed to commit the pretended 
fheriff for his intrufion and arrogant contempt of the 
court. Mr. Leflie alfo committed fome officers of that 
tumultuous army which lord Tyrconnel railed for rob¬ 
bing the country. 
Hitherto Mr. Leflie had acted in a manner becoming a 
proteftant divine, and a conftitutional magiftrate; and it 
would have been happy for himfelf, and beneficial to fo- 
ciety, if he had perfevered in a conduft fo commendable. 
It was his misfortune, however, to imbibe the abfurd and 
pernicious doftrines of paffive obedience and non-refift- 
ance; which fo biaffed his judgment, that at the revolu¬ 
tion he refufed to take the oaths to king William and 
queen Mary. We are far from throwing out the mofl 
riiftant infinuation againft the purity of the motives on 
which he acted on this occafion ; and the facrifices which 
he made, indeed, bear ample teftimony to his integrity ; 
for, in confequence of his refufal, he was deprived of all 
his preferments; and in 1689, when the troubles began 
to arife in Ireland, he withdrew with his family intoEng- 
L I E. 
land. Here he employed his pen in fupport of the caufe 
and party which he had embraced ; and, as he poffeffed 
confiderable learning, and no fmall (hare of acutenefs and 
wit, he was efteemed one of their ableft champions by the 
nonjurors. Among other things, he wrote a paper called 
The Rehearfal, which was at firft publifhed once a-week, 
and afterwards twice, in a folio half-fheet, by way of dia¬ 
logue on the affairs of the times. It was begun in 1704, 
and continued for fix or feven years. Thefe papers were 
afterwards collected together,and publifned in feveral vo¬ 
lumes. Bifhop Burnet obferves, that he purfues a thread 
of argument in them all, againft the lawfulnefs of refin¬ 
ance in any cafe whatfoever; deriving government wholly 
from God, denying all right in the people, either to con¬ 
fer or to coerce it. But Mr. Leflie’s attention was not 
confined to political fubjefts. He became alfo a ftrenuous 
champion for the church of England, againft the quakers, 
and other diffenters. Of the former he made many con¬ 
verts from their peculiar principles; but, as they were all 
inclinable to return to prefbyterv, which was their origi¬ 
nal profeffion, he found himfelf obliged to treat on the 
fubjeft of church-government; and indifferent publica¬ 
tions maintained the caufe of epifcopacy, and the divine 
right of tithes. He alfo wrote fome treatifes againft the 
Deifts, the Jews, the Papifts, and the Socinians; and fome 
fmaller pieces on different fubjefts, particularly in the 
difpute concerning the rights of convocations, and the 
authority of Chriftian princes over the church. All thefe 
theological and ecclefiaftical works, excepting one illibe¬ 
ral piece againft: the excellent Dr. Tiilotfon, Mr. Leflie 
collefted together, and publifhed in two volumes folio, 
in the year 1721. 
In the mean time, Mr. Leflie’s writings, and the fre¬ 
quent vifits which he paid to the courts of St. Germain, 
and Bar le Due, had rendered him obnoxious to the go¬ 
vernment. But he became much more fo upon the publi¬ 
cation of “The hereditary Right of the Crown of Eng¬ 
land affertedof which he was the reputed author. And 
it has been related by his different biographers, that, in 
confequence of his being thus obnoxious, he found him¬ 
felf under the neceflity of leaving the kingdom ; when he 
repaired to the pretender, at Bar le Due. At that place 
he was permitted to officiate in a private chapel accord¬ 
ing to the rites of the church of England; and he was not 
fparing in his endeavours to convert the pretender to the 
proteftant religion; but without fuccefs. According to 
lord Bolingbroke, he was ill ufed by the pretender, who 
had fent for him, and had promifed to hear what he 
ffiould reprefent to him on the fubjeft of religion ; but 
was far from keeping the word which he had given, and on 
the faith of which Mr. Leflie had gone over to him ; for 
he not only refufed to hear him himfelf, but ffieltered the 
ignorance of his priefts, or the badnefs of his caufe, or 
both, behind his authority, and abfolutely forbade all dif- 
courfe concerning religion. Notwithftanding this, when 
towards the dole of queen Anne’s reign the partifans of 
the pretender were aftive in promoting his interefts in 
England, Mr. Leflie wrote a letter from Bar le Due, 
which was printed and difperfed by the Jacobites, and 
opens with a flattering pifture of the pretender. It dwells 
on “ his graceful mien, magnanimity of fpirit, devotion 
free from bigotry, application to bufinefs, ready appre- 
henficn, found judgment, and affability; fo that none 
converfed with him, but what were charmed with his 
good fenfe and temper.” Then, after mentioning the 
proceedings of parliament againft him, and difeufling the 
fubjeft of his birth, it offers, in the name of the pretender, 
fome romantic propofals for the fecurity of the church of 
England as by law eltablilhed, on condition of his being 
reftored to his crown. Many other propofals, of a like 
nature, were made foon afterwards, and various projefts 
were concerted in England for fecuring the accelfion of 
the pretender; and, in the year 1715, an infurreftion in 
his favour aftually took place in Scotland, and the nor¬ 
thern parts of England. This rafli and ill-digefted enter- 
3 pnfe. 
