And also, in the last year of Queen Anne, the Toleration was further straitened by an act to prevent the growth of schism, for with these gentlemen all Dissenters were schismatics; and in order to prevent the growth of schism, the education of their children was taken out of the hands of their friends, and intrusted only with such as were full and entire conformists. "And if any schoolmaster or tutor be willingly present at any conventicle of Dissenters for religious worship, he shall suffer three months imprisonment, and be disqualified as above for teaching school for the future." This act was made to take place August 1, 1714, the very day the Queen died. But King George I, who succeeded to the throne, being fully satisfied that these hardships were brought upon the Dissenters for their attachment and steady adherence to the Protestant succession in his illustrious family against the tory and jacobite ministry, who were paving the way for a Popish pretender, had these insidious and oppressive laws repealed in the fifth year of his reign.t As this act is not so unreasonably long, it shall now be given entire, as a sample of the spirit of the times:

The repeal, entitled an act for the strengthening the Protestant interests in these Kingdoms.

Whereas an act of Parliament was made in the tenth year of the late Queen Anne, entitled an act for preserving the Protestant religion, by better securing the Church of England as by law established, and for confirming the Toleration granted to Protestant Dissenters, and for supplying the defects thereof, and for the further securing the Protestant succession by requiring the practisers of law in North Britain to take the oaths and subscribe the declarations therein mentioned; and whereas part of the said act, and also another act hereinafter mentioned, have been found to be inconvenient, be it therefore enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice of the Lords, spiritual and temporal, and Commons in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the said recited act, passed in the tenth year of the reign of the late Queen Anne, from the beginning thereof, and also one other act made in the twelfth year of the late Queen Anne, entitled "an act to prevent the growth of schism, and for the further security of the Churches of England and Ireland as by law established," shall be and are hereby repealed, annulled, and made void.

Provided always, and be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that if any Mayor, Bailiff, or other Magistrate in that part of Great Britain called

* See 12th Queen Anne.

+ See the Act of Toleration as above.

See 5th George 1st, chap. 4.

England, the dominion of Wales, or town of Berwick upon Tweed, or the Isles of Guernsey or Jersey, shall knowingly or willingly resort to or be present at any meeting for religious worship, other than the Church of England as by law established, in the gown or other peculiar habits, or attended with the ensign or ensigns of or belonging to such his office, that every such Mayor, Bailiff, or other Magistrate, being thereof convicted by due course of law, shall be disabled to hold such office or offices, employment or employments, and shall be adjudged incapable to bear any public employment whatsoever, within that part of Great Britain called England, the dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick upon Tweed, or Isles of Guernsey or Jersey.

JW