he Jesuits, to the universal joy of the capital; and
immediately Napoleon seized {330} the kingdom, and dismissed them. Other
princes have equally regretted the rash deed of their destruction. Even the
emperor Joseph II once assured me in private conversation, that he much
lamented the suppression of the order of the Jesuits. He repeatedly said,
that, in his mother's time, in which it was accomplished, he was never
consulted upon the measure, and that he would never have acceded to it.

Our country has happily escaped the horrors of modern revolution; but our
country has had its alarms. To prevent the recurrence of them, it must
surely be sound policy to trust, favour, and protect all those persons,
who, from a motive of self-preservation, as well as of duty, will always
employ their influence among the lower orders of society, to maintain peace
and tranquillity in the several religious classes, which form the bulk of
the people, however denominated. With regard to the numerous body of
catholics, this line of conduct has been uniformly pursued by their Irish
bishops, by the {331} English apostolic vicars, and by all the missionary
priests, Jesuits, and other regulars, who have appeared among us: and, I
add, in finishing, that, in this respect, they would all be co-operators
and steady allies of the bishops and clergy of the establishment, who can
have no greater interest, at the present day, than to preserve general
tranquillity. Protestant and catholic prelates, with their respective
dependants, all equally professing zeal for purity of doctrine, though
differing in their tenets, would thus be friends _usque ad aras_, and
general peace would be the precious fruits of their agreement. Thus we have
often seen catholic and protestant legions, Austrians and British, arrayed
under the same banners, and successfully pursuing their warfare against a
common enemy. This matter is susceptible of extension, but Laicus would not
understand it. I finish this Letter, as I ended the first, seriously
advising him to meddle no more with this subject.

CLERICUS.

* * * * *

APPENDIX;

CONTAINING

THE BULL OF CLEMENT XIII,

AND THE

JUDGMENT OF THE BISHOPS OF FRANCE,

IN FAVOUR OF THE JESUITS.

* * * * *

{335}

APPENDIX.

* * * * *

No. I.

_Sanctissimi in Christo Patris et Domini nostri Domini Clementis Divina