of imposture, about to turn upon their employers, as with those of the Indexes of prohibited books, which are capable of the same retro-action. These, in the first instance, and as long as they could be continued so, were a work of darkness. But the unwelcome light broke in, and made them manifest,
currence, but such crimes would very often (as in this country) be openly acknowledged, and thus the ends of justice obtained. Have there not been numerous instances, in this kingdom, of murderers voluntarily surrendering themselves and confessing their guilt, owing to the dreadful weight with which the consciousness of their crime naturally oppressed them? Instances of this kind are unknown in Ireland, owing to the safety-valve of the Confessional, by which the instinctive pangs of conscience are completely removed. The priest, according to the Maynooth Class-book, acts as God in the Confessional, (sacerdos peccata confessa excipiens Christi vices ac personam gerit,) and can therefore absolve from all sin, no matter how great; nor can he ever disclose any communication made to him in confession. Nay more, were he summoned before any tribunal of the country, for example, before a judge of assize, to give evidence relative to any of the prisoners at the bar, although he knew them, by confession, to be robbers or even murderers, he is bound to swear as in ignorance of the fact that they are good and honest men, because their guilt he became acquainted with as God; but the judge can examine turn only as man, 'judex confessarium interrogare non potest nisi quatenus hominem.' Admirable system of education, and well worthy of being supported by annual Parliamentary grants of the public money!"
I could wish the reader to peruse with some attention pp. 197-208, where he will find a brilliant detection of the artifice, perhaps originally brought into complete practice by French encyclopedists, of opposing by weak argument what is maintained by stronger, for a politic demonstration and
