sure the crimes of their rulers. 4th, Oaths which are taken to confirm contracts, or civil negotiations, are unlawful. So much for those canons by which they have endeavoured to spirit up envy and odium against catholics.

Catholics have been taught by St. James the apostle, that their speech must be yea, yea; nay, nay: guided by this wisdom, the catholic church has ever reprobated falsehood. But to swear or to promise any thing without actually performing it, is a falsehood. The catholic church is not so devoid of judgment as to have enacted a law, or promulgated a decree, which would banish from the catholic world excellent virtues, truth, fidelity, and justice, without which there could be no happiness for individuals, no civil societies, nor intercourse among men. What catholic ever taught that it was lawful to lie, to deceive, or to violate any natural right? Our religion, on the contrary, teaches that faith must be kept with all men, whatever be their religion, or though they be of no religion, without a single exception, in every promise, which of its own nature is lawful and valid, whether in peace or in war, in the concerns of religion, in matrimony, in safe conducts, in civil commerce with friends, with enemies.

These being our sentiments, as may be evinced likewise by what has been said relative to the first and second questions, that the doctrine of the catholic church may be clearly and distinctly understood by all the world; we shall only add, that no obligation arising from the laws of nature, of nations, or of men, which is founded in natural reason, has been altered or weakened by our Redeemer; but that every such obligation has been rather heightened and exalted to greater perfection, has been strengthened by his doctrine and example, and by the addition of other moral precepts and councils; that the order of nature might be preserved

in all human things, and that his grace might assist men to discharge their natural duties. This is the excellent philosophy which he brought from heaven, and introduced into the world, that he might form men to be useful and beneficial one to another, and obedient to the commands of the Divine Being.

These are the unanimous decisions of this university, after a mature deliberation, in a full assembly of the doctors, the 17th day of March, in the year of our Lord 1789.

(Signed by the Rector, and the Deans of the Three Faculties of Theology, Canon Law, and Medicine; and countersigned, by command of the University, by its Secretary.)

VALLADOLID.

A Decision concerning the three underwritten Propositions, laid before the university of Valladolid, in the kingdom of Spain, by the English Catholics.

Question the First.

HAS the Roman pontiff, or the cardinals of the holy Roman church, or any council, or any individual of the catholic church, by virtue of their communion with that church, any civil authority, civil power, jurisdiction, or pre-eminence, in the kingdom of Great Britain?

Question the Second.

CAN the Roman pontiff, the cardinals of the holy Roman church, or any council, or individual of the catholic church, absolve the subjects of his Britannic majesty from their oath of allegiance, or dispense with its obligations?

Question the Third.

AMONG the articles of the catholic faith, is there any which teaches, that catholics are not bound to keep faith with heretics, or any other persons who dissent from them in matters of religion?

Answer to the First Question.

THE university of Valladolid, in the Roman pontiff, in' the cardinals of the holy Roman church, in any council, even a general assembly legally assembled, much less in any individual, acknowledges no civil authority, civil power, jurisdiction, or pre-eminence, by virtue of their communion with that church, neither directly nor indirectly, in the kingdom of Great Britain, nor in other kingdoms or provinces, whether catholic or not, over which they possess no temporal dominion, in consequence of any spiritual power granted by Christ our Lord, either to the universal church, or to its head, or its members, however exalted in dignity and rank.

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Answer to the Second Question.

NEITHER the Roman pontiff, nor the cardinals of the holy Roman church, nor any council, not even a general assembly legally assembled, nor any individual of the catholic church, can any way absolve the subjects of the king of Great Britain, or any other person, whether catholic or not, over whom they hold no temporal dominion, from their oath of allegiance, nor dispense with its obligations.

This is the unanimous determination of the university of Valladolid, respecting the first and second propositions; a determination founded on a variety of arguments drawn from the sacred writings and ancient monuments: and not only the university of Valladolid, but all the universities in the Spanish dominions, are even com

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manded by royal authority to maintain this doctrine; for the professors of the Spanish universities, in order to qualify themselves for any academical degree, or for obtaining any professor's chair, are obliged to take the following oath before the supreme council of the state: "I, N. call God to witness, and swear by the cross, "which I now touch, that I will never directly or indirectly promote, defend, or teach, any opinions contrary to civil authority and the king's regalia.” Moreover, neither can the rector, the chancellor (who is a bishop of this city and diocese,) the deputies, nor counsellors, be on any pretext admitted to perform their respective offices, till they have taken a solemn oath, binding them to the observance of the aforesaid academical law.

Answer to the Third Question.

AMONG the articles of the catholic faith, there is none which teaches, that catholics may lawfully break their faith with heretics, or any other persons whatever, who dissent from them in matters of religion: the obligation of keeping faith is grounded on the natural law which binds all men equally, without regard to their religious opinions; and with respect to catholics, it has still greater force, being confirmed by the precepts of the catholic religion.

This is the decision of the university of Valladolid, signed by all and each of the professors, on the 17th day of February, in the year of our Lord 1789.

(Signed by the Rector, the Vice Chancellor,

the Dean, and twenty-four Doctors and Professors; and countersigned by the Secretary of the University.)

SALAMANCA.

A Determination relating to the concerns of the English Catholics, which, being consulted by his Majesty, the university of Salamanca offers and presents to the most puissant Charles the fourth, king of Spain.

Consultation.

THE catholics of England being desirous to enjoy the privileges, and to be admitted to discharge those offices in the state, to which every member of a commonwealth possesses a kind of inherent right, and from which they will ever be excluded, unless they make a public declaration, that they will never be induced to withdraw themselves from their allegiance to the civil and established power and jurisdiction of the kings of Great Britain, by motives coloured over by a pretended regard for the interest of religion, by any pretext, or any dispensation; convene the university of Salamanca, by the favour and under the patronage of his most puissant majesty, our sovereign lord Charles the fourth, king of Spain, that they may learn our sentiments, and obtain our decision with respect to certain questions which they are to propose to us. Therefore, all the doctors and professors being in council assembled, as is customary for the discussion of any important matters, and the questions having been for some time weighed and considered, six members of the university, chosen out of the faculties of divinity and canon law, were appointed to draw up the answers: and they, with minds wholly divested of prejudice, as far as is compatible with the condition of human beings, consulting together in private, framed distinct answers to each question;