1809.] Account of Thomas Major's Conf nement in-the Bastille. 547 
veterate malice; even beyond death, rez. 
fusing christian burial to their fellows 
creatures, who worship the same being i in 
fallacies 
: priesteralt, daily. practised on! tte 1nu- 
rant, 
a diffordut form. How inconsistent 1s 
this behaviour, and how repugnant to the 
christian relizion! Lonee hada specimen 
of this kind of benevolence, witha priest 
in an exalted station, wigs findiny his 
arguments had no effect upon me, said, 
I was an obstinate heretic; and. very 
piously told me, [ was damned. To wav 
all further dispute, I replied, I was inpaa 
in one thing, that he was not to be al 
judge. 
Very diferent was the behaviour of a 
charitable old lady, with whom I hap-- 
pened to sup in company; finding I was 
an eee and an heretic, she said, 
it was a pity I should be damned, avid 
went the next morning to pray. to St. 
Genevieve (the patroness of Paris) for - 
my conversion, Whether the saint bad 
not: power, or’ myself grace, I cannot 
determine, as I never felt the effect of 
her good-natured intercessions on wy 
behalf. 
{ had a convincing proof of the ab- 
solute power and influence the priests 
have over unthinking people, by my 
landlord, who was a very good-natured, 
ignorant, weak man; and from the most — 
trivial, and ridiculous circumstance, 
which, if it had not happened to myself, 
J could scarcely have betieved, or given 
credit to its being possible. Frequently, 
on Sundays, he used to bring me a bit of 
cake from the vestry, where the parish 
officers transacted the parochial affairs, 
ind after business, used ‘to eat some 
alia cake, called du pain bénit, blessed 
bread, being biessed by the priest, and ° 
to drink a glass of wine, by way of re- 
freshment, “This cake I bad by ac- 
cident, one day, left on my tabie, where 
it was Geriotished by my cat. 1 told Mon- 
sieur Dennis, had come short of ny 
cake, and in what manner. For some 
time afterwards, I perceived, £ had no 
eake as usual; and telling him, he had 
forgotten me, he said, he must not give 
mé anymore. Upon ‘asking his reasons, 
he told me, with some hesitation, that he 
must not give the blessed bread to dogs. 
Startled at this, I asked him, if he called 
me adog? No Sir, said he, with great 
simplicity, but yeu are an heretic, and 
you know thatis as bad. At Jast, Pdrew 
from hum, that he had been at confes- 
sion, and, rejating this idle affair, had 
received injunctions from the revereud 
‘father, not to give me any more. From 
that ume, ¥ seldom. wag a'partaker avith 
° atti 
The. -real 
him in this heavenly. food. 
“Cause of: this batred ta. pywtestants, pro- 
ceeds from 
and: 
the havingy-exposed: the. 
‘Impositions) dof,,-oman 
‘by which -: means their fraudulent 
revenues are in-danger of being lessened - 
Feat kS 
by the detection. - This makes: the cle: rey. 
endeavour - to suppress learning cand 
knowledge, to keep the people in total 
ignorance: and’ blind. faith “in > the, 
most egregious absurdities of miracles. , 
by their's saints, absvlutions, ‘indulgences, 
&c.- This-is an mexbaust ible. inihe to 
the Romisti clergy, and the main: pillars. 
“by which they ‘are supported, according . 
to their: tenet, - that. ignorance as ihe. 
~ mother. of devation. ee 
On my first arrival at Pari 1Sy I was very 
desirous of seeing all the churches, and 
passing near that of Saint Claire; T-went. 
in, and luckily, for satisfying My curiosity, . 
it was the festival of that saint, by w hich 
means I had the pleasure of seeing ‘the 
ceremony, of curing disorders in the 
eyes, - periormed ' by miracles, accom~— 
eee at the intercession. of that lady, 
At the entrance, on the right hand, was 
a long counter, whereon were placed se- 
veral. ‘plates, ‘at small distances from each . 
other, into which the afflicted petitioners 
put money, according to their abilities; 
then kneeling, the priest invoked the 
saint for ‘redress, and w ith something — 
like a sceptre, (at the end of which, 
between two classes, about the size of a 
crown piece, ” appeared — a black. spot,) . 
teuched the eyes of the supplicants. _ 
This, 1 was told, was. the eye of Saint 
Claire, to effecta cure. If, perchance,. 
no benefit accrued, the saint, however, | 
never got into disrepute; it was. then . 
deemed want of faith in the diseased, 
and not the inability of her saintship. 
I was then in my English dress, and had 
planted myself against a pillar,’ directly 
opposite, to observe this ceremony, which 
I saw performed to many. IL looked 
stedfastly at the operator, for a long 
tine, till I perceived he took notice of - 
me, aud turned pale, then flushed as red 
asscarlet. This I thought very extra- 
ordinary, and retired immediately, but it 
made such a strong impression on my 
mind, that I desired my landlord would 
make particular enquiries, who oticiated 
at that ceremony, without letting him 
know my reasons.’ He brought me in- 
tellivence, that it was an Trish priest. 
‘this man, knowing me to be am Ene 
“ghshman by. my dréss, and the attention 
1 had given to his fallacies, was _con- 
scious 
SEL Sy 
