A BILL to provide for the Removal of the Disqualifications under which his Majesty's Roman Catholic Subjects now labour.

Whereas the Protestant Succession to the Imperial Crown of this united kingdom and its dependencies, is, by the act for the further limitation of the Crown and the better securing the liberties of the subject, established permanently and inviolably:

And whereas the Protestant episcopal church of England and Ireland, and the doctrine, discipline, and government thereof, and likewise the Protestant Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the doctrine, discipline, and government thereof, are, by the respective acts of Union between England and Scotland, and between Great Britain and Ireland, therein severally established permanently and inviolably:

And whereas after due consideration of the situation, dispositions, and conduct of his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects, it appears just and fitting to communicate to

and

them the enjoyment of the benefits and advantages of the constitution in this united kingdom, so that all government happily established his Majesty's faithful and dutiful subjects may grow into one nation; whereby there may be an utter oblivion and extinguishment of all former dissensions and discords between them, thus consolidating the Union between Great Britain and Ireland, and uniting and knitting together the hearts of all his Majesty's subjects in one and the same interest, for the support of his Majesty's person, family, crown, and government, and for the defence of their common rights and liberties:

And whereas by certain acts passed in the parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland respectively, certain declarations, commonly called the declaration against Transubstantiation, and the Invocation of Saints, and the sacrifice of the Mass, as practised in the church of Rome, are required to be made and subscribed as qualifications for the enjoyment of certain offices and franchises: And whereas the said declarations are

in the words following; that is to

say:

"I, A. B. do declare, That I do "believe, that there is not any transubstantiation in the sa"crament of the Lord's Supper, "or in the elements of bread "and wine, at or after the con"secration thereof, by any per"son whatever."

"I, A. B. do solemnly and sincerely, in the presence of God, "profess, testify and declare, "That I do believe, that in the sacrament of the Lord's Sup"per there is not any transub"stantiation of the elements of "bread and wine into the body " and blood of Christ, at or after "the consecration thereof, by "any person whatsoever;-and "that the invocation or adora"tion of the virgin Mary, or "any other Saint, and the sa"crifice of the mass, as they are "now used in the church of "Rome, are superstitious and *"idolatrous. And I do solemn"ly, in the presence of God, "profess, testify, and declare, "that I do make this declara"ration, and every part thereof, "in the plain and ordinary sense "of the words read unto me, "as they are commonly under"stood by English Protestants, "without any evasion, equivo"cation, or mental reservation "whatsoever, and without any dispensation already granted me for this purpose by the "pope or any other authority "or person whatsoever, or with"out thinking that I am or can "be acquitted before God or "man, or absolved of this de"claration, or any part thereof, "although the pope or any other "person or persons, or power "whatsoever, should dispense

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"with or annul the same, or "declare that it was null or "void from the beginning:"

And whereas the said declarations relate only to matters of spiritual and religious belief, which do not in any manner affect the allegiance of his Majesty's subjects:

May it therefore please your Majesty; That it may be enacted; and be it enacted, by the king's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that all such parts of the said acts as require the said declarations, or either of them, to be made or subscribed as a qualification for the exercise or enjoyment of any office, franchise, or civil right, by any of his Majesty's subjects, be, and the same are, hereby absolutely repealed; save as hereinafter provided:

And whereas by divers acts passed in the said parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland respectively, the oaths of allegiance, supremacy, and abjuration, therein provided, are required to be taken, for certain purposes therein mentioned: And whereas his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects in Great Britain and Ireland have been at all times ready and desirous to take the said oaths of allegiance and abjuration, in common with his Majesty's other subjects, but entertain scruples with respect to taking the oath of supremacy, inasmuch as they apprehend that the same might be construed to import a disclaimer of the spiritual authority of the Pope, or church of Rome, in matters of religious belief; be it therefore further en

acted, that from and after the it shall and may be lawful for all or any of his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects, in all cases where the said oath of supremacy is now by law required to be taken as a qualification for the taking, holding, or enjoying any civil right, office, or franchise, in lieu and place thereof, to take, make and subscribe the oath following (that is to say):

"I, A. B. do sincerely promise and

66 'swear, That I will be faithful "and bear true allegiance to his "present Majesty, and will de"fend him to the utmost of my "power against all conspiracies "and attempts whatever, that "shall be made against his per"son, crown, or dignity; and I "will do my utmost endeavour "to disclose and make known "to his Majesty, his heirs and "successors, all treasons and "traitorous conspiracies, which "may be formed against him or "them: And I do faithfully "promise to maintain, support, "and defend, to the utmost of

my power, the succession of "the Crown, which succession, "by an act, intituled, 'An Act "for the further Limitation of "the Crown, and better secur"ing the Rights and Liberties "of the Subject,' is and stands "limited to the Princess Sophia, "Electress and Duchess Dow"ager of Hanover, and the heirs "of her body, being Protestants; "hereby utterly renouncing and

abjuring any obedience or allegiance unto any other person claiming or pretending a right to the Crown of these 86 realms ; And I do swear, that

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I do reject and detest, as un"christian and impious, the po"sition, that it is lawful to

"murder or destroy any person "or persons whatsoever, for or "under pretence of their being "Heretics or Infidels; and "also, that unchristian and im"pious principle, that faith is not to be kept with Heretics or Infidels: And I do further "declare, that it is not an arti"cle of my faith, and that I do "renounce, reject and abjure "the opinion, that princes ex"communicated by the Pope and "council, or any other authority "of the see of Rome, or by any "other authorities whatsoever, 'may be deposed or murdered 'by their subjects or by any person whatsoever; and I do "promise, that I will not hold, "maintain, or abet any such opi"nion or any other opinion, "contrary to what is expressed "in this declaration: And I do "declare, that I do not believe "that the Pope of Rome, or "any other foreign prince, pre'late, state, or potentate, hath

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or ought to have any tempo"ral or civil jurisdiction, power, "superiority or pre-eminence, "directly or indirectly, within "this realm: And I do hereby "disclaim, disavow, and so"lemnly abjure, any intention "to subvert the present Church "establishment, for the purpose "of substituting a Roman Ca"tholic establishment in its "stead: And I do solemnly

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"thereof, in the plain and or"dinary sense of the words of "this Oath, without any eva"sion, equivocation or mental "reservation whatever, and "without any dispensation already granted by the Pope, or any authority of the see of "Rome, or any person whatever, and without thinking "that I am or can be acquitted "before God or man, or ab"solved of this declaration, or any part thereof, although the Pope, or any other person or "authority whatsoever, shall dispense with or annul the same, and declare that it was "null or void.

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"So help me GOD." And that the person so taking, making, and subscribing the same, shall be capable of taking, holding, and enjoying such right, office, and franchise, as fully and effectually to all intents and purposes, as if such person had made, taken, and subscribed the said oath of supremacy; save as hereinafter provided. Provided always, and be it further enacted, that nothing in this act contained shall extend or be construed to extend to dispense with, repeal or alter any of the laws now in force respecting the succession of the imperial Crown of these realms in the Protestant line, or respecting the marriages of the descendants of his late majesty king George the Second, or for establishing the uniformity of public prayers or administration of sacraments in the united episcopal Church of England and Ireland.

Provided also, and be it further enacted, that nothing in this act contained shall be construed to enable any person or persons, otherwise than as they are now by law, enabled to hold, enjoy, or to

exercise any office, beneficial place or dignity, of, in, or belonging to the said united Church of England and Ireland, or to the Church of Scotland, or any place or office whatever, of or belonging to any of the ecclesiastical courts of judicature of this realm, or any court of appeal from or review of the sentences of such court or courts, or of or belonging to any cathedral or collegiate or ecclesiastical establishment or foundation within the same; or any office or place whatever of or belonging to any of the universities of this realm, or any office or place whatever, and by whatever name the same may be called, of, in, or belonging to, any of the colleges or halls of the said universities, or of the colleges of Eton, Westminster, or Winchester, or any college or school of ecclesiastical foundation within this realm; or to repeal, abrogate or in any manner to interfere with any local statute, ordinance, or rule, which is or shall be established by competent authority within any such university, college, hall or school, and by which Roman Catholics shall be prevented from being admitted thereto, or from residing or taking degrees therein: Provided also, that nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed to extend to enable any person professing the Roman Catholic religion, to exercise any right of presentation to any ecclesiastical benefice whatsoever, and that in every case in which a right of presentation is or shall be vested in a person professing the Roman Catholic religion, the same shall be, and continue to be, exercised in the same manner, and in no other, than is now by law required; save and except where such right of presentation shall belong to any

office in the gift or appointment of his majesty, his heirs and successors, in which case if such office shall be held by a person professing the Roman Catholic religion, it shall and may be lawful for his majesty, his heirs and successors, to appoint by commission under the great seal, such member or members of the privy council, being a Protestant or Protestants, as he or they shall think fit, to be a commissioner or commissioners for exercising such right of presentation, whilst such office shall be held by a person professing the Roman Catholic religion: Provided also, that nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed to extend, to enable any person being a Roman Catholic to hold and enjoy the office of lord high chancellor, lord keeper or lord commissioner of the great seal of Great Britain or Ireland, or of lord lieutenant or lord deputy, or other the chief governor or chief governors of Ireland.

And be it further enacted, that it shall and may be lawful for any of his majesty's Roman Catholic subjects personally to appear in any of his majesty's courts of Exchequer, King's-bench, Common Pleas or Exchequer, at Westminster or Dublin, or before any judge of assize, or in any court of general quarter-sessions in Great Britain or Ireland, or in any of his majesty's courts of session, justiciary, or exchequer, or in any sheriff or stewart court, or before the magistrates and councillors of the royal burghs, or before the council of their respective burghs in Scotland, and there in open court, between the hours of nine in the morning and two in the afternoon, to take, make, and subscribe the said oath hereinbefore described to be taken; and that the proper of

ficer of such court with whom the custody of such record shall remain, shall make, subscribe, and deliver a certificate of such oath having been duly made, taken, and subscribed, to the person who shall have so made, taken, and subscribed the same, as often as the same shall be demanded: and such certificate shall be sufficient evidence of such person having duly taken, made, and subscribed such oaths as aforesaid; and that from and after the

no oath or oaths shall be tendered to or required to be taken by his majesty's Roman Catholic subjects, who shall take, make, and subscribe the said oath last hereinbefore described, and obtain such certificate thereof as herein before prescribed for enabling them to hold or enjoy any real or personal property, other than such as may by law be tendered to and required to be taken by his majesty's other subjects; and that the said oath hereinbefore prescribed, being duly made, taken, and subscribed, and such certificate thereof obtained as aforesaid, shall be in the place of, and as valid and beneficial to all intents and purposes, for the persons so making, taking, and subscribing the same, as if such person had duly made, taken, and subscribed the several oaths now by law required to be taken by his majesty's Roman Catholic subjects, as qualifications for the enjoyment of any civil right, office, or franchise, or of any real or personal property: Provided always, That nothing herein contained shall be held to dispense with the taking of the said oath hereby appointed to be taken in the place of the said oath of supremacy, in all cases where the said oath of supremacy is now by law required to be taken.