hoher Staatsbeschluß des wohldblichen Rathes von NeuYork vom 16. März 1816 mitgetheilt, in welchem verboten wird, die Bildnisse des heil. Patritius öffentlich in den Häufern, über dem Eingange oder an den Fenstern der Wohnungen auszustellen, oder in den Straßen und auf den öffentlichen Pläßen der Stadt zum Verkaufe herumzutragen.

Noch darf nicht übergangen werden, daß unter den Dokus menten der katholischen Höfe sich stets ein guter Theil jansenis stischen Geifers gegen die Bullen « In Coena Domini » und « Unigenitus» befinde.

Hier werfen sich zwei Fragen auf: Welchen Zweck sollte dieses Werk in der Angelegenheit der Emancipation haben, und wie war es für denselben geeignet? Der Zweck konnte allerdings seiner Natur nach ein guter und löblicher gewesen sein, oder håtte es wenigstens werden können, wäre die ganze Sammlung mit Rechtlichkeit und Gewissenhaftigkeit veranstaltet worden. Das Werk sollte eine vollständige Sammlung aller Grundgeseße der katholischen Kirche in den verschiedenen katholischen wie akatholischen Staaten enthalten, um nach ihrem Muster die katholische Kirche Englands, wenn sie frei werden sollte, zu bilden und zu gestalten. Enthält es nun aber derartige für die katholische Kirche brauchbare Geseze? Gewiß nicht. Es ist vielmehr nur ein gemeines Zeughaus von fluchwürdigen Erlassen gegen die Kirche! Um bei den Dokumenten über Oestreich anzufangen, enthalten sie wohl ein einziges Statut, was im strengen Sinne des Wortes als Geseß für die katholische Kirche angenommen werden könnte? Die Kirche hat vielmehr öffentlich dagegen reklamirt. Es mag nicht am unrechten Orte sein, hierüber die Stimme eines gefeierten Geschichtsforschers, des berühmten Lingard, zu vernehmen,

*) But what do these pages contain? The ancient regulations, which for centuries preserved harmony between the Church and State in that powerful empire? No: they offer us nothing but the pretended reforms of the Emperor Joseph, which were asterwards adopted and improved by the National Assembly in France. If some of them were reconcilable, others were irreconcilable with Catholic principles. The emperor might indeed

welcher in dem einzigen Beispiele von Oestreich das Absurde und Abgeschmackte dieser Gefeßsammlung für die katholische

enforce them by pains and penalties. His right to do so was denied by the bishops in every part of his dominions: and the exercise of such disputed right was considered as a religious persecution.

1

The character and history of this prince are well known. Possessed with the mania of innovation, and conceiving that every obstacle must yield to his imperial authority, he formed the most visionary schemes, and pursued them with a pertinacity bordering upon madness. His experiments extended to every thing; to the law, the army, the church, and the cons stitutions of the provincial states. He consulted neither the opinions nor the feelings of his subjects. Institutions the most ancient and most sacred, confirmed by treaties and charters, were swept away: every remaining vestige of the liberty of former times was abolished: and decrees on all kinds of subjects; sometimes indeed salutary, sometimes absurd and impious, were issued in rapid succession. Irritated by the opposition of his clergy, he conceived, in 1785, the idea of separating his dominions from the communion of the Church of Rome. It was the Chevalier Azara, the Spanish minister at the Papal court, who convinced him that his subjects were not yet ripe for such a measure. He therefore reverted to his former plans of reform, and continued to encroach on the spiritual authority of the bishops. It was in vain that the prelates of Austria, of Hungary, of Bohemia, of Germany, and of the Netherlands, protested against them. The remonstrances were treated with contempt: the disobedience of some was punished with fines, of others with exile. Many lost with part of their dioceses, the greater portion of their incomes; and all were stripped of the situations which they held in the provincial states. At length the effect of his innovations, civil and religious, recoiled upon himself. Austria was in a ferment: Hungary was on the point of insurrection: the Netherlands had revolted and established their independence; when his death opportunely saved the monarchy.

While Joseph was acting in this manner, his brother Leopold was Grand Duke of Tuscany. Guided, perhaps driven by the emperor, te pursued a similar course, and was aided by the

*

Kirche schön und treffend dargethan hat. Was sagen wir erst von den Dokumenten über Spanien, Portugal u. s. w.?

counsels of Ricci, Bishop of Pistoia. The same cdicts were published by the Tuscan government, and equal opposition was made by tke Tuscan bishops. In 1787, the Grand Duke convoked a national council at Florence to sanction these innovations. But the influence of the court was ineffectual: and out of seventeen prelates, four only could be induced to favour the measures of government. After nineteen sessions, the assembly was dissolved with marks of the strongest displeasure on the part of Leopold.

This short statement will, it is presumed, warrant the inference, that the religious edicts of Joseph and Leopold are entitled to very little authority: that, if they show how far an arbitrary sovereign can sport with the religious liberties of his people, they do not shew, as it might be supposed they do, how far a Catholic prince may conscientiously interfere with the doctrine and discipline of the Catholic church. To adopt such ordinances without inquiry or discrimination, would be to sanction the encroachments of despotism, and to convert the abuse of power into the legitimitate exercise of right.

In opposition to this reasoning may be urged, 1) the resolutions of the congress at Embs, 2) the extracts from some Catholic jurists published among the documents, and 3) the fact that many of Joseph's regulations remain still in force. To such objections the answer is easy.

1) The resolutions of the congress at Embs are of no authority. They are merely articles of a project which was never carried into execution. The emperor had induced Frederic d'Erthal, the Prince of Saxe, and his own brotheé Maximilian, who were electors of Mentz, Treves, and Cologne, and Jerome of Colloredo, archbishop of Saltzburgh, to second him in his plan of reforming the church of Germany. Each of these prelates, in 1786, clandestiuely sent an envoy to the baths of Embs, a singular spot for an assembly of such importance, as it was a Lutheran town in which the exercise of the Catholic religion was severely prohibited. The fruit of the congress was a long memorial of three and twenty articles, which the electors presented to the emperor, and which the emperor returned to the clectors, with a request, that they would procure the

Niemanden, wåre er auch noch so bethört und ganz von Sinnen, Niemanden kann es einfallen, die Punktation von Ems, die Geseße eines Josephs II., eines Choiseul, Pombal, Aranda und Lanucci, die mit Hülfe der Philosophen die kathos lische Kirche anfochten und zu vernichten strebten, für Geseze der katholischen Kirche auszugeben. Warum hat man sie also gesammelt? Warum hat man sie der neuen Gestaltung der Jahrhunderte lang ihrer Erlösung entgegenseufzenden katholis schen Kirche von England, Irland und Schottland unterlegen wellen? Und warum hat man jenen Månnern, welche diese hochheilige Völkerfrage zu entscheiden hatten, ein so elendes. Machwerk in die Hånde gegeben? Bloß um ihr Urtheil zu

signatures of the other German prelates. One only could be obtained: after some time the very authors of the plan began to feel ashamed: the Elector of Treves was the first to withdraw from the confederacy; he was sollowed by the Elector of Mentz: the two remaining prelates gradually desisted from their pretensions: the French revolution ensued: and all fuor were driven from their dioceses and dominions. Such was the termination of the affair.

2) The opposition which Joseph had experienced, suggested to him the idea of new-modelling the education of the clergy. With this view he dissolved the universities, abolished the episcopal seminaries, in which the candidates for holy orders were educated under the eye of their respective prelates, and established general seminaries, to which every bishop was ordered to send the young clergymen of his diocese. The professors in the new schools were appointed by the emperor himhelf: and the theology which they taught, was accommodated to his opinions and ordinances. Their chief authority

was the Belgian canonist Van Espen, who had been accused of having, to favour his friends the Jansenists, exalted the jurisdiction of the crown by the depression of that of the church: but they pushed his principles to the utmost extent, and drew from them conclusions, which he had not admitted. It is to this new school that we owe the work of Rechberger, from which copious extracts are given in the Appendix to the Reports. Lingard, loc. cit. pag. 452–455.

täuschen! Bloß um die Emancipation zu vereiteln, oder sie in ihren Wirkungen wenigstens zu beschränken und zu henmen! Kann es uns nun wundern, wenn wir die Lordbischöfe, die Mylords und die Deputirten in den Sigungen der beiden Häuser während der Zeit der Emancipations ☛ Verhandlung so schöne und erbauliche Liraden gegen die katholische Kirche haben vorbringen sehen!! Die ganze Weis, heit dieser Herren war ja aus dem eben besprochenen Werke ges schöpft. Hier suchten sie ihren heiligen Geist, hier ihre Waffen, um in brüderlicher Liebe gegen die katholische Kirche zu Felde zu ziehen.

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Ist es uns erlaubt, eine historische Parallele mit diesem Werke anzustellen, so hat es überaus große Aehnlichkeit mit einigen am Anfange der Reformation erschienenen Schriften, wie 1. Fasciculus rerum expetendarum et fugiendarum von Ortainus Gratius, einem jener edlen Schwertbrüder der virorum obscurorum, die bereits alle Atheisten und Freigeister der Reformation in ihren Reihen zählten; 2) Die Samms lungen von Vor Acta martyrum etc. 3) Von Flacius Illyricus Catalogus testium veritatis; 4) Von Christoph Wolf Lectiones antiquae, und endlich 5) von Baleus Scriptorum rerum brittanicarum collect. etc., die, so wie unser Report, allen Schmuß gegen die katholische Kirche aufgehäuft und zusammengetragen haben. Nur hat unser Report in gewisser Beziehung, wenn man die hohen Stellen bedenkt, von denen er ausging, den Preis über seine Vors gånger davon getragen. Man sieht demnach aus diesem Werke am besten, wie stationår der Kampf gegen die katholis sche Kirche geblieben, obschon seit dem Beginne desselben drei glanzvolle Jahrhunderte des Fortschreitens in Bildung, Wiss fenschaft und Civilisation verflossen sind.

Was nun die von uns aus diesem Report gelieferten Dokumente betrifft, so haben wir alle ausgewählt, die sich nur auswählen ließen. Sie sind sämmtlich von der größten Wichtigkeit und beziehen sich meistens auf die Lage und Stellung der katholischen Kirche in den protestantischen Staaten, wes rüber die Notizen sø selten und so ungenau sind. Die Dokus