Part 9 (1/2)

[71] As testified by Mr Stuart Reid

[72] Carlyle's description of Dr Arnold's house at Rugby

[73] Henry Luttrell (1765-1835), wit and epicure

[74] Frederick, 5th Earl of Carlisle (1748-1825) aret Caroline Leveson-Gower

[75] In old age Sydney Smith wrote--”Castle Howard befriended et all”

[76] _See_ Appendix B

[77] (1757-1839)

[78] The Hon and Rev George Spencer (1799-1864)

[79] _See_ p 83

[80] The Residence Act, 1817

[81] Acts xxiii 3

[82] St Luke x 25

CHAPTER V

”CATHOLIC EMANcipaTION”--BRISTOL--COMBE FLOREY--REFORM--PROMOTION

The first quarter of the nineteenth century was now nearing its close, and thetopic in domestic politics was the emancipation of the Roman Catholics The h checked by the death of Pitt, had never completely collapsed, and noas quickened by the exertions of the ”Catholic association” in Ireland, and stimulated by the eloquence of O'Connell and Sheil Session after Session, eht into Parlia in opposition to their colleagues The clergy of the Church of England--fashi+oned, almost to a man, on the model of Abrahaainst the proposed concession Clerical s all over the country petitioned Parliaainst insidious attacks on our national Protestantis, the story of the Archdeaconry of Cleveland was asse a Resolution was subainst the emancipation of the Roman Catholics A counter-petition was sub for an inquiry into all laws affecting the Ro a hope” that only those which were absolutely necessary to the safety of Church and State ht be suffered to remain It is difficult to conceive a milder proposition, but it was defeated by twenty-two votes to ten--Archdeacon Wrangham[83] and the Rev Willia in the minority Sydney Smith's speech in support of his uments which, as Peter Plye of the saed that a Ro as a Protestant's; that the English Constitution, with great advantage to its subjects, tolerated, and behaved generously to, all forer to civil order in Ireland was averted by the stringency of the restrictions hich it was proposed to safeguard the gift of Eenan,[85] in the full vigour of his incapacity, in the strongest access of that Protestant epilepsy hich he was so often convulsed, to have added a single security to the security of that oath If Catholics are formidable, are not Protestant members elected _by_ Catholics formidable? But ill the numbers of the Catholics be? Five or six in one house, and ten or twelve in the other; and this I state upon the printed authority of Lord Harrowby, the tried and acknowledged friend of our Church, the amiable and revered patron of its poorestthe war carried on for a Catholic king, in the year 1715, nor in 1745 The government armed the Catholics in the American war The last rebellion no one pretends to have been a Catholic rebellion; the leaders were, with one exception, all Protestants The king of Prussia, the emperor of Russia, do not complain of their Catholic subjects The Swiss cantons, Catholic and Protestant, live together in harer are always land (if you will believe so, sickly, hysterical institution that ever existed in the world Every thing is to destroy it, every thing to work its dissolution and decay If land is to perish If six old Catholic peers, and twelve commoners, come into Parliament, these holy hypochondriacs tear their hair, and beat their breast, and mourn over the ruin of their Established Church! The Ranter is cheerful and confident The Presbyterian stands upon his principles The Quaker is calest, and wisest, and best establishour of e

”I conclude, Sir, reht be carried to al to you a petition to Parlia And upon this petition, I beg leave to say a feords:--I am the writer of the petition I lay before you; and I have endeavoured to make it as mild and moderate as I possibly could If I had consulted my own opinions _alone_, I should have said, that the disabling laws against the Catholics were a disgrace to the statute-book, and that every principle of justice, prudence, and humanity, called for their i useful in this world, must consult the opinions of others as well as his own I knew very well if I had proposed such a petition to my excellent friend, the Archdeacon and Mr William Vernon, it would not have suited the mildness and moderation of their character, that they should accede to it; and I knew very well, that without the authority of their na The present petition, when proposed to them by me, met, as I expected, with their ready and cheerful coh I propose this petition as preferable to the other, I should infinitely prefer that we do nothing, and disperse without co to any resolution

”I a a disgrace upon us and upon our profession, andwe could have done, would have been never to havewe can do (noe areThe third choice is to take my petition The fourth, last, and worst, to adopt your own The wisest thing I have heard here to-day, is the proposition of Mr Chaloner, that we should burn both petitions, and ride hoymen, at the 'Three Tuns,' at Thirsk, like flies on the chariot-wheel; perched upon a question of which we can neither see the dia force What good can such s do? They enorance; make men, who are venerable by their profession, ridiculous by their pretensions, and swell that ot up with infinite rural bustle, and read without being heard in Parlianed to merited contempt”[86]

So ended Sydney Smith's first political speech; and he took two years'

holiday from the labours of the platfore He had now acquired, in addition to Foston, the Rectory of Londesborough, which he held fro friend and neighbour, Williah, he attended a , held at Beverley to protest against the Roman Catholic clais, and co was unaniainst the claims of the Roman Catholics--one individual only excepted, the Rector of Londesborough This gentle on the inexpediency of refusing the Roh by no s froh, as they had reason to anticipate fro in another Archdeaconry about two years ago, were yet perfectly astonished to hear hied from what it was formerly, and that the oath of a Papist may, in all cases, be relied upon with the same confidence as that of a Protestant It is certainly due to the Rector of Londesborough to state in conclusion that he bore his defeat with his usual good hu the intention of his curate to attend, but that he was hesitating out of delicacy to the declared opinions of his rector, the latter gentleman made it a particular request to his curate that he would persevere in his original intention”

Sydney Sh it failed to persuade his brother-clergy, is so good that it deserves to be reproduced--