esent
a petition long enough to reach from the speaker's chair to the
centre window at Whitehall, out of which Charles I. had walked to his
execution! The grand aim of the Protestant Association was, indeed, to
get up a monster petition, in order to procure the repeal of the late
concessions to the Roman Catholics, This was the creature of Lord George
Gordon's own brain. Having presented several anti-Catholic petitions
from the county of Kent, he made it his business to get up a similar
petition from the good citizens of London, which he considered might
have the effect of overawing ministers; and procuring the repeal of
the obnoxious act. Aided by the heads of the Protestant Association,
he canvassed the capital and the neighbourhood; and by his exertions he
quickly obtained 120,000 signatures to his petition. These signatures
were chiefly the handwriting or _marks_ of men of the lower orders of
society, and who were as far from being Protestants as they were from
being Papists. And this may also be asserted of many members of the
Protestant Association. Some well-meaning people may have enrolled their
names as members, but it is certain that for the most part they were men
regardless of the profession of religion. Moreover, it is clear that the
principles of the Protestant Association were rather of a political than
of a religious nature; or, at all events, it is certain that politics
mingled themselves in the question. There is no doubt, however, that
Lord George Gordon himself was a dangerous fanatic; the more so, because
his station in life gave him influence among the rude and ignorant
multitude. This was his character before he became president of
the Protestant Association, and it became still more evident as
his popularity increased. His inflammatory harangues were printed,
published, and scattered far and wide; and the people were told by him,
that if they were not content to run all hazards with him, they must
look out for another leader. After he had succeeded in getting up his
monster-petition he put them, indeed, to the test. In presenting it to
the house of commons, he said he expected to be backed by a host of
good Christians; and that he would not present it at all unless he was
attended by at least 20,000 men. Having made this declaration, Lord
George appointed St. George's Fields as the place of meeting, and
pointed out the lines of march they were to pursue, in order to
concentrate in front of the hou