Page:Catholic Magazine And Review, Volume 3 and Volume 4, 1833.djvu/211

 ed to wear the canga for life, are noticed as being subjects of great edification both to the faithful and the pagans, in as much as they wear it with humility and patience and fearlessly go through all the exercises of religion, as far as they are able, and say their accustomed prayers in the presence of their keepers. Thus does their constancy under insults and injuries become one uninterrupted profession of their faith and a continual triumph to Christianity.

—I do not join with Mr. Andrews, in calling down on Catholics the vengeance of the Legislature for the infraction of the Oath, which they have taken for admittance into Parliament. He surely might have left others in possession of their opinions, without charging them with the heinous crime of perjury, but, however that may be, I think he has the better of the argument in the discussion of the nature of the oath. Your Rev. Hinckley correspondent's reply to him, seems to me more ingenious than solid. I think, with Mr. Andrews, that to defend means to defend, that is to support, to uphold. The same correspondent again says "It is pretty clear that the legislature intends to alter the Church Establishment, &c." It may be so: but the legislature at present is not composed of the same members as that which formed the oath. From these then we cannot gather the sense in which the oath was framed, but as we swear that; we take it in the plain and ordinary (No question here of defensive alliance) sense of the words, it is clear to me that no Catholic member can concur, either by speech or vote in the subversion of what he has sworn to defend. I enter not here into the conscientious lawfulness of the oath. My opinion has all along been adverse to it. But this I say that he who has taken it, is obliged to defend what he has sworn he will defend, and not to weaken what he has sworn he will not weaken, whether he did right to swear all this, is another question. He thought so. That is enough for him.

London, January 14, 1833. Rh