e of which the public were soon gratified by
the appearance of his letters to Blair, whose discomfiture was so
complete that he never wrote a public letter afterwards.

CONTROVERSY WITH JOHN WESLEY.

Wesley published in January, 1786, what he called, "A Letter containing
the Civil Principles of Roman Catholics;" also, "a Defence of the
Protestant Association." In these letters he maintained that Papists
"ought not to be tolerated by any government--Protestant, Mohometan, or
Pagan." In support of this doctrine, he says--

"Again, those who acknowledge the spiritual power of the Pope, can give
no security of their allegiance to any government; but all Roman
Catholics acknowledge this: therefore they can give no security for
their allegiance."

In support of this line of argument, he treated his readers to this bit
of lively information:--

"But it might be objected, 'nothing dangerous to English liberty is to
be apprehended from them.' I am not so certain of that. Some time since
a Romish priest came to one I know, and after talking with her largely,
broke out, 'You are no heretic; you have the experience of a real
Christian.' 'And would you,' she asked, 'burn me alive?' He said, 'God
forbid! unless it were for the good of the Church.'"

In noticing which Father O'Leary humorously replies--

"A priest then said to a woman, whom Mr. Wesley _knows_, 'I see you are
no heretic; you have the experience of a real Christian.' 'And would you
burn me?' says she. 'God forbid!' replied the priest, 'except for the
good of the Church!' Now, this priest must be descended from some of
those who attempted to blow up a river with gunpowder, in order to drown
a city. Or he must have taken her for a witch, whereas, by his own
confession, she 'was no heretic.' A gentleman whom _I know_ declared to
me, upon his honor, that he heard Mr. Wesley repeat, in a sermon
preached by him in the city of Cork, the following words: 'A little bird
cried out in Hebrew, O Eternity! Eternity! who can tell the length of
Eternity?' I am, then, of opinion that a _little Hebrew bird_ gave Mr.
Wesley the important information about the priest and the woman. One
story is as interesting as the other, and both are equally alarming to
the Protestant interest."

Alluding to the statute of Henry VI, which bound every Englishman of
the Pale to shave his upper lip, or clip his whiskers, to distinguish
himself from an Irishman, he says: "It had tended more to th