Great Britain hall find that her power, to far from being diminished, has derived new strength from her justice and the conduct of your Irish fubjects will, we truft, evince to your majefty, that the firmeft basis of your throne is the affection of a free people. Animated with these fentiments, we shall endeavour to fupply, by our exertions the abience of those troops which our parliament have offered to your majefty to be employed against the common enemies of the empire:With the great charter of liberty reared upon our ftandard, the caule of Britain becomes the caule of Ireland; and we are ready to face the foes of both, determined with her to conquer or with her to tall. We cannot conclude this our humble address, without offe ing to your majesty the grateful tribure of our acknowledgments, for the late change which your majelty has been pleased to adopt in your councils and minillers; and for those measures tending to public oeconomy, and diminution of undue influence, which we have been taught to hope are to be extended to this kingdom; and we truft the day is approaching, when corruption will be no more-when an adminiftration compoled of conititutional men, Atanding on the tolid ground of public libertyactuated by no object but public prosperity, will fee a grateful and independent nation crowd to its fupport, and raife it fuperior to any arts which would shake, or any props which would. disgrace it. CHARLEMONT, Chairman. I fhall feel a peculiar pleasure in tranfmitting forth with this dutiful and loyal addrefs to be laid before his majesty. To his Grace William Henry Duke of Portland, Lord Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland. The humble addrefs of the delegates of the feveral corps of voluntees in the province of Leinster, affembled at Dublin the 19th day of June, 1782, by public notice. May it pleafe your Grace, We, his majesty's moft dutiful and loyal fub jects, the delegates of the several volunteer corps in the province of Leinster, beg leave to approach your grace, to express our unfeigned acknowledgments to our moft gracious fovereign, for his paternal regard to his loyal king dom of Ireland, fo recently evinced by his magnanimity in ditclaiming the little policy of making a bargain with his people; and we glory in the confidence his majesty has repofed in the generofity and honour of our countrymen confidence of which we truft his majesty will never have cause to repent. Our gratitude is peculiarly heightened by his majefty's appointment of your grace to the goverament of this kingdom, convinced that your reprefentations have been, and ever will be, faithful, vigorous and beneficial; we have al ways refpected your grace's character, and are firmly perfuaded that the important period is now arrived, when an upright, patriotic, and oeconomical administration, will receive decided fupport from the united efforts of a free people, and an uncorrupt parliament; thefe fentiments are the effufions of genuine gratitude to a chief governor, who has announced from the throne, the ratification of our freedom. We rejoice at the prospect that the re-eftablifhment of our rights and liberties will be perfected under your grace, whose virtuous anceltors were fo intimately connected with the great restorer of the British conftitution, and had to large a fhare in the glorious revolution of 168; and we cannot entertain a doubt, that your grace's eminent virtues will be handed down to the latest pofterity, with the full and perfect restoration of the conftitution of Ireland. With thele fentiments of loyalty to our com mon fovereign, and finceres refpects to your grace, we are well founded in our declaration, that the justelt confidence, with the most friendly and affectionate, dilpofitions, will for ever mutually continue between the two countries. CHARLEMONT, Chairman. To which Addrefs his Grace the Lord Lieutenant was pleased to return the following Anfower: Gentlemen, I facerely thank you for the good opinion you exprefs of my endeavours to do justice to the wishes, the honour, and the gratitude of this nation. The effect produced by the reprefentations, which it was my duty to fabmit to his majesty's wifdom, was fuch as must have been neceffarily expected from a prince, whole glory it is to rule over a free people, and to make their affections the bafis of his government. While the principles, to which we owe the glorious revolution, and all the bleffings we enjoy under his majesty's illuftrious house, thue continue to direct our councils, they must unavoidably infure the mutual confidence now hap pily re-eftablished between Great Britain and this country, and rettore them to that respect and confideration which their united efforts can never fail to procure. Extra of a Letter from the County of Kil kenny. On the 25th of laft March, Mr. Clement Giffard, gauger of Gowran, was violently af faulted at Thomaftown by a riotous mob, on account of a feizure of an unftatutable ftill, and would probably have been put to death had not five volunteers of the Thomaftown independents come to his affiftance, who not only rescued him from the hands of the populace, but enabled him to execute the laws at the hazard of their lives. These circumstances having been reprefented to the commiffioners of the re venue, they generously ordered the commanding officer twenty-five guineas, to be diftributed in fuch manner as he mould think best proportion ed to the merit of the party; and his grace the lord lieutenant upon being acquainted with the affair, as a further encouragement, has been picafed to appoint the volunteer who principally finalized himself on the occafion to an office in the revenue. Births, Marriages, Deaths and Prome tions, in our next, Nr. O'Leary's celebrated Plea for Liberty of Conscience; with a striking Likeness The Editors to the Public. of that In our Magazine for May, p. 241, we have given Anecdotes ef Mr. O'Leary, collected from the best Authorities, with the favourable Opinion which the Learned entertain of his Writings. The following Effy, extracted from bis Works, would reflect Honour on the meft celebrated Au thors of the Age. Religious Difcord is bunifbed from Society, and the original Right of Man to follow the Dictates of his Confcience, is vindicated by the most forcible Arguments, displayed in a Style that captivates the Reader. The Compiment he pays the Quakers for their tolerating Spirit, and bis elegant Address to the Shade of their Legiflator, William Penn, does as much Honour to Mr. O'Leary's Feelings, as it reflects Disgrace on Chriflian Princes, Truth must be expect ed from fuch an impartial Hand: how far the Author can enforce it with Variety and Brilliancy, the Reader may judge. INTRODUCTION. Gentleman. power has ever been commiffioned by heaven to deprive him of, on account of his mental errors; to re-establish the empire of peace, overthrown so often by religious feuds; and to cement all mortals, harmony, by eftablishing toleration on its efpecially Chriftians, in the ties of focial proper grounds. The biftory of the calamities occafioned by difference in religious opinions, is a fufficient plea for undertaking the tafk. But time does not allow me to enter into mifconftrued religion has difplayed. The a detail of thofe melancholy fcenes, which effects are well known: but it is high time to remove the cause. The mind shrinks back at the thoughts of the cruelties exercised against the Chriftians by the heathen emperors, for the fpace of three hundred years. Scarce did the Chriftians begin to breathe, under the first princes who embraced their religion, than they rell out amongst themselves, about the myfteries of the fcriptures. Arianifin, protected by powerful fovereigns, raifed, against the defenders of the Trini. MY defign, in the following sheets, is ty, perfecutions as violent as thofe raised -to throw open the gates of civil toleration for all Adam's children, whofe principles are not inconfiftent with the peace of civil fociety, or fubverfive of the rules of morality; to wrench, as far as in my power lies, the poniard fo often tinged with human blood, from the hand of perfecution; to theath the fword, which misguided zeal has drawn in defence of a gofpel which recommends peace and love; to reftare to man the indelible charter of his temporal rights, which no earthly Hib. Mag. July, 1782. formerly by the heathens. Since that time, at different intervals, error, backed by power, perfecuted truth. And the partizans of truth, forgetful of the moderation which reason and religion preferibe, committed the fame exceffes with which they upbraided their oppreffors. Sovereigns, blinded by dangerous zeal,or guided by barbarous policy,-or feduced by odious counfels,-became the executioners of their fubjects who adopted religious fyftems different from those U u of their rules; or perfevered in ancient fyftems, from which their fovereigns had receded. Had thofe horrors been confined to one fect of Chriftians only, infidels would not have been fo fuccessful in their attacks on the fyftem at large; though religion difclaims the odious imputation. But all fects execrated and attempted to extirpate one another. Europe became one wild altar, on which every religious fect offered up human victims to its creed. them in opinion; and the active and impelling fpring that gives force and elaftici. ty, to the deftructive weapons of the civil power." In corroboration of the charge, the free-thinker will unfold the page of hiftory, and open thofe enormous volumes, made up of religious declamations. He will prove from both, that if popes, and their apologists, have fcattered the fire-brand, their fpiritual brethren have faithfully copied their example, in fucceeding times, wherever their power and influence prevailed." "Though the Proteftant divines," fays Hume, had ventured to renounce opinions, deemed certain for fo many ages, they regarded in their turn, the new fyftem fo certain, that they could bear no contradiction with regard to it: and they were ready to burn in the fame flames, from which they themselves had so narrowly escaped, every one that had the affurance to oppose them." Hence the fcaffolds reeking in Holland with the blood of many illuftrious men, who, after oppofing Philip the Second's efforts to introduce conformity by fire and fword, fell themselves by the hand of the executioner," for denying Gomar's predeftipation. Hence Hecatombs of victims offered upon the gloomy altar of the Scotch league and covenant, and peopling the regions of the dead, for differing in opinion. “Ont of every contelted verse," fays the fatirical Voltaire," there iffued a fury, armed with a quibble and a poniard, who infpired mankind at once with folly and cruelty." The minifters of a religion that had triumphed over the Cæfars, not by refiftance, but by fuffering, became the apologifts of calamities that fwept from the face of the earth, or opprefs to this very day, God's nobleft images-upright, virtuous, and dauntlefs men. Like the warrior in the fcriptures, they ftept into the fanctuary, to grafp the barbarian's fword wrapt up in the ephod. The code of temporal laws teeming with sanctions against robbers and murderers, was fwelled, to the furprise and deftruction of mankind, with additional decrees against heretics and papifts. The inoffenfive citizen who from an apprehenfion of offending the Deity, by acting against his confcience, was confined in the fame dungeon, or doomed to the fagot or axe, with the parricide who laid afide every refraint of moral obligation: and the scriptures were adduced in juftification of the fanguinary confufion. The wreath and the rod have been held forth, not to crown the worthy, and punifh the pernicious, but to fcourge to conformity, candid and steady virtue. The priest gave the fanction of heaven to the bloody mandates of the civil magiftrate: and the civil magiftrate unfheathed the fword to vindicate the caufe of the God of Heaven, who referves to himself the punishment of man's confcience. No perfon has a greater respect for the clerical order, of every denomination, than I have. I am of the number, and feel myfelf wounded through their fides, when the Deilt and Free-thinker, who hold them all in equal contempt, contend "that in all ages, and in all countries, the clergy are the main props of perfecution. That had they been as folicitous to heal, and conciliate men's hearts, as they have been to inflame and divide them, the world would by this time bear a different aspect. That they fould have left the laity in peaceable poffeffion of good neighbourhood, mutua! charity, and friendly confidence. That infead of inforcing the great principles of religion, the very bafis whereof is charity, peace, p. 161. and love, they are ever and always the first oppreflors of those who differ from or Bolton. The fame demon that poured the poifonous cup over the kingdoms, and provinces of Europe, took his flight over the Atlantic, and fpread his baneful influence amongst colonists who had themselves fled from the fcourge. Their new built cities, like fo many Jerufalems, were purified from idolatry. There no Popish priest dared to bend his knee to “ his idols, or transfer to stock or stone, the worship due to the God of Ifrael." There the Qua ker woman's filent groans were raised on the high key of loud fhrieks, when the Lord's deputy ordered her profane breafts to be whipt off by the gospel fcourge, that whipped the profaners out of the temple. There the Quaker was feen, fufpended by the neck on high, for daring to pollute the fiered ftreets with his profane feet, moved by Baal's fpirit. The holy city,† thus purged from the Jebufeuns, and NOTE S. * Hume's History of England, Vol. 4, See the hillory of Malachufets bay, Plerifeans, |