Critical and Historical Essays — Volume 2Macaulay, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron
History
Critical and Historical Essays — Volume 2
Macaulay, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron
English literature -- History and criticism; Great Britain -- History
It was in this way that our ancestors reasoned, and that some people in
our time still reason, about the Catholics. A Papist believes himself
bound to obey the Pope. The Pope has issued a bull deposing Queen
Elizabeth. Therefore every Papist will treat her grace as an usurper.
Therefore every Papist is a traitor. Therefore every Papist ought to
be hanged, drawn, and quartered. To this logic we owe some of the most
hateful laws that ever disgraced our history. Surely the answer lies on
the surface. The Church of Rome may have commanded these men to treat
the queen as an usurper. But she has commanded them to do many other
things which they have never done. She enjoins her priests to observe
strict purity. You are always taunting them with their licentiousness.
She commands all her followers to fast often, to be charitable to the
poor, to take no interest for money, to fight no duels, to see no plays.
Do they obey these injunctions? If it be the fact that very few of them
strictly observe her precepts, when her precepts are opposed to their
passions and interests, may not loyalty, may not humanity, may not the
love of ease, may not the fear of death, be sufficient to prevent them
from executing those wicked orders which the Church of Rome has issued
against the sovereign of England? When we know that many of these people
do not care enough for their religion to go without beef on a Friday for
it, why should we think that they will run the risk of being racked and
hanged for it?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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