Excerpt from To the Catholics of England

IL. Th'en as to the probable qfimg' of'the plan adopted by the Committee, for conciliating the minds of: the Public The defamation of two hundred and fifty years, under which the Catholics have laboured, has raifed a prejudice againfl them, which is not yet eradicated.-the utmoit change in the fentiments of the Public, that the accumulated efforts of all the writers, and the compleat innocence (in this refpect at leaft} of\ the morals and manners of the Englifh Catholics have been able to produce, is, that, it is become a very general opinion among our adverfaries, that fome, (though but a few) ofthofe, who profefs the Catholic Reli gion, and are confequently in communion with the Sec of Rome, do not maintain the tenets in quef'tion; and that, however'erroneons fome of' the doctrines of the Catholic Church may-be, no Catholic fhould fuffer any civil punifhment for maintaining them, except fo far as they are hurtful to fociety, or-inimical' to Government.. Ã? - Upon-the'fe admiflions of the adverfaries of the Catholic 'caufe, the Committee have thought it prudent to clofe. - They might conteit the pofition, that, few only of the body of Catholics reprobate the doctrines in - But waving allt'difpute u on that point, they rather chufe to'rry the canfo on their adverfaries own admiflions; - They therefore adopt t e form of an Oath, in which the Catholics renounce fuch of the doc trines imputed to them as are flip ofed to be morally or politically evil. Neither do they claim *an exemption from the enal laws or 'all the Body; they claim it for thofe only, who make the renunciation in queftion.' - To them the adverfaries of the Catholics (if they are confiflent with their own principles or even it ith their own' prejudices, ) muit'admit Toleration'ought to be extended - The operation therefore of the Bill is to leave thofe ideal numbers of Catholics who perfilt to hold the tenets in queltion, (mere hon-entities, we hope, ) to continue vit'tims' to the laws enaéted'againfi all Communicants with the See of Rome, indifcriminately, and to the animofities, which gave rife to them but at the fame time to make an opening, through which fuch of the Communicants with that See, as protefi againfl the doftrinescin queftion, (that is, we hope, the whole body of Englifh Catholics, ) may flip from under the operation of the laws in gueftion, unheeded and unobferved. The confcquence is, that, in fact a confiderable portion of relief is procured for all the Englifh Catholics, while at the fame time there is little reafon to apprehend any thing of that fenfelefs, but formidable outcryg-which was raifed in 1780 againft the fiatute which paired in for the relief of Catholics under the appellation of Papifis, - a name we have always confidercd Opprobious, but the only name by which we have been known in the law of England, fince the Reformation. - Upon thefe grounds, therefore, we fubmit to you, whether the praprz'rg' of the defcription in quefiion, and its probaéle efimg', be not indifputable.

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