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 458 O'LEARY. seven years war, for which he received a small pension from the French government, which he retained till the revolution in that country. Having obtained permission to go to Ireland, he ob tained, by his talents, the notice and recompence of the Irish government; and took an early opportunity of shewing the superiority of his courage and genius, by principally attacking the heterodox doctrines of Michael Servetus, revived at that time by a Dr. Blair, of the city of Cork. After this, in 1782, when there was a disposition to relax the rigour of the penal laws against the Roman Catholics, and establish a sort of test-oath, he published a tract, entitled “Loyalty asserted; o r , the Test-Oath vindi cated,” i n which, i n opposition t o most o f his brethren, h e endeavoured t o prove that the Roman Catholics o f Ire land might, consistently with their religion, swear that the pope possessed there n o temporal authority, which was the chief point o n which the oath hinged; and i n other respects h e evinced his loyalty, and his desire t o restrain the impetuousity o f his brethren. His other produc tions were o f a various and miscellaneous nature; and several effusions are supposed t o have come from his pen which h e did not think i t necessary o r perhaps prudent t o acknowledge. He was a man gifted liberally with wit and humour, and possessed great acquirements. He wrote o n polemical subjects without acrimony, and o n politics with a spirit o f conciliation. Peace indeed seems t o have been much his object. Some years ago, when a consider able number o f nocturnal insurgents o f the Romish per suasion, committed great excesses i n the county o f Cork, particularly towards the tithe-proctors o f the Protestant clergy, h e rendered himself extremely useful, b y his various literary addresses t o the deluded people, i n bring ing them t o a proper sense o f their error and insubordina tion. This laudable conduct did not escape the attention o f the Irish government; and induced them, when h e quitted Ireland, t o recommend him t o men o f power i n this country. For many years h e resided i n London, a s