"A. Yes, Richard Carlile is now going his fifth year* of close imprisonment, for disturbing the faith of the people in the disputed portions of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, and many others, male and female, are now suffering for a similar offence.

"Q. Does Jesus Christ give any commands in the New 'Testament, to his followers to punish those who disturb their Faith?

"A. He does not. It appears that he had disturbed the Faith of the Jewish nation in some of their Traditionary doctrines. He was accused by an association of well meaning Fanatics, Priests, and Lawyers of deceiving the young, and the ignorant, by the dissemination of Blasphemy; he was tried and condemned by a Judge, who acted more in accordance with the intolerant prejudices of the people, than principles of justice; and the sentence was carried into execution, by the constituted authorities, with the consent and approbation of a deluded superstitious multitude, who continued to insult the victim of persecution, and to mock his sufferings to the last.

"Q. What feelings did this treatment produce?

"A. He knew that his persecutors acted in this way, because their intellects had been destroyed in infancy, by erroneous impressions having been made upon their minds, before they were capable of distinguishing Truth from Frror; and so sensible was he of the wretched condition of those who, by these means, were thus placed under the influence of delusion and intolerant prejudice, that instead of blaming them for their intolerance he seemed to forget his own sufering, through pity and compassion for them.

"Q. Is every species of persecution the effect of Ignorance?

"A. Persecution is meant to prop up Truth, and to keep down Error. Truth is a well connected Fabric, founded on a rock, sound at the heart,-and all composed of the same materials, so firmly put together, that (so far from requiring artificial support), it is found that no Human Power is able to pull it down; while Error is an unshapely mass of unsound materials; and through the attention of its supporters is continually occupied in making it resemble Truth in its outward appearance,-yet, being founded on sand, and rotten at the heart,-when the foundation is undermined, it tumbles to the ground,-covering its supporters with confusion,-in spite of all the props which human ingenuity can * Twelfth December, 1823.

bring forward to keep it up; and the past experience of the world has shewn, that Persecution, or intolerance, (these artificial props,) have been invariably brought forward to support Error and Delusion, in opposition to Truth,-Whọ then, who knows what Truth is, and who has any reasoning power remaining, will fail to discover, that all Intolerance or Persecution, proceeds, in every instance, from Ignorance. and Delusion?"

(6.) AND FURTHER, on the 14th, or one or other of the days of February 1824, or of January immediately preceding, or of March immediately following, within premises in Adam's Square, South Bridge of Edinburgh, then and now or lately occupied by you as a bookseller's shop and reading-room, you the said James Affleck did wickedly and feloniously publish publish, vend, and circulate, by then and there delivering to the said John Nugent in exchange for fourpence, or some other sum of money, then and there paid by the said John Nugent to you as the price thereof, a printed copy of the profane, impious, and blasphemous book or work, last above libelled, denying the truth and authority of the Holy Scriptures, and tending to asperse, vilify and ridicule, or bring into contempt the Holy Scriptures, and the Christian Religion, (7.) AND FURTHER, on the 19th, or one or other of the days of the said month of February 1824, or of January immediately preceding, or of March immediately following, and in the premises in Adam's Square, on the South Bridge of Edinburgh, particularly above libelled, you the said James Affleck did wickedly and feloniously publish, vend, and circulate, by then and there giving to the said John Negent, in exchange for the sum of money, then and there paid by the said John Nugent to you as the price thereof, a profane, impious, and blasphemous book or printed work, entituled "Queen Mab, a Philosophical Poem, with Notes, by Percy Bysshe Shelley," which book or printed work contains many passages denying the truth and authority of the Holy Scriptures and Christian Religion, and tending to asperse, vilify, ridicule, and bring into contempt the Holy Scriptures and Christian Religion; and particularly the following passage:

"They have three words;-well tyrants know their use,
Well pay them for their loan with usury

Torn from a bleeding world!-God, Hell, and Heaven.
A vengeful, pityless, and almighty fiend,
Whose mercy is a nick-name for the rage
Of tameless tygers hungering for blood.

Hell, a red gulf of everlasting fire,

Where poisonous and undying worms prolong
Eternal misery to those hapless slaves

Whose life has been a penance for its crimes.
And Heaven a meed for those who dare belie
Their human nature, quake, believe, and cringe
Before the mockeries of earthly power."

And also the following passage:

"AHASUERUS.

"Is there a God? aye, an Almighty God,
And vengeful as almighty! Once his voice
Was heard on earth: earth shuddered at the sound;
The fiery-visaged firmament expressed

Abhorrence, and the grave of nature yawned
To swallow all the dauntless and the good
That dared to hurl defiance at his throne,
Girt as it was with power. None but slaves
Survived, cold-blooded slaves who did the work
Of tyrannous Omnipotence; whose souls
No honest indignation ever urged

To elevated daring, to one deed

Which gross and sensual self did not pollute.

These slaves built temples for the omnipotent fiend,
Gorgeous and vast; the costly altars smoked
With human blood, and hideous pæns rung
Through all the long-drawn aisles.

A murderer heard

His voice in Egypt, one whose gifts and arts
Had raised him to his eminence in power,
Accomplice of omnipotence in crime,
And confidant of the all-knowing one.

"These were Jehovah's words.

"From an eternity of idleness

I, God, awoke; in seven days days' toil made earth
From nothing; rested, and created man:
I placed him in a paradise, and there
Planted the tree of evil, so that he
Might eat and perish, and my soul procure
Wherewith to sate its malice, and to turn,
Even like a heartless conqueror of the earth,
All misery to my fame. The race of men
Chosen to my honour, with impunity
May sate the lusts I planted in their heart.
Here I command thee hence to lead them on,
Until, with hardened feet, their conquering troops
Wade on the promised soil through woman's blood,

And make my name be dreaded through the land.
Yet, ever burning flame and ceaseless woe
Shall be the doom of their eternal souls,
With every soul on this ungrateful earth,
Virtuous or vicious, weak or strong, even all
Shall perish, to fulfil the blind revenge
(Which you, to men, call justice) of their God.
"The murderer's brow

Quivered with horror.

"God omnipotent,

Is there no mercy? must our punishment

Be endless? will long ages roll away,

And see no term? Oh! wherefore hast thou made

In mockery and wrath this evil earth?

Mercy becomes the powerful-be but just:

O God! repent and save.

"One way remains:

I will beget a son, and he shall bear

The sins of all the world; he shall arise

In an unnoticed corner of the earth,

And there shall die upon a cross, and purge

The universal crime; so that the few

On whom my grace descends, those who are marked
As vessels to the honour of their God

May credit this strange sacrifice, and save
Their souls alive: millions shall live and die,
Who ne'er shall call upon their Saviour's name,
But, unredeemed, go to the gaping grave:
Thousands shall deem it an old woman's tale,
Such as the nurses frighten babes withal
These in a gulph of anguish and of flame
Shall curse their reprobation endlessly;
Yet, tenfold pangs shall force them to avow,

Even on their beds of torment, where they howl,

My honour, and the justice of their doom.

What then avail their virtuous deeds, their thoughts

Of purity, with radiant genius bright,

Or lit with human reason's earthly ray?

Many are called, but few will I elect.

Do thou my bidding, Moses!

(To be continued.)

Printed and Published by R. CARLILE, 84, Fleet Street.--All Correspondences for "The Republican" to be left at the place of publication.

No. 13, VOL. 10.] LONDON, Friday, Oct. 1, 1824. [PRICE 6d.

TO THE REVEREND DR. COTTON, CHAPLAIN OF NEWGATE.

LETTER IV.

REVEREND SIR,

Newgate, September 8, 1824. I SHOULD not have carried my remarks to such a length on any other article of your creed; than the one On the being of a God. This article your author considers to be the ground work of his religion; so I do; and being convinced, that it is founded on falsehood, I have directed my attack solely at the foundation. If I overthrow that foundation, I presume that I may be excused from noticing the errors which are built upon it. It may, perhaps, appear ridiculous on my part to address arguments against Christianity to a man, whom I already consider to be a hypocrite, and whose well paid services destroy even the possibility of his ever being otherwise. Did these lines meet no other eye, it would be ridiculous indeed; but since they are intended for the press, and may fall into the hands of men who may not have given this subject the attention it deserves, it is not improbable but that they may carry conviction to the minds of some who are not so much interested in the support of falsehood. I have ever found a priest ready to argue on the tenets of his belief, until he had discovered that his opponent was capable of answering him-capable of discovering the difference. between sophistry and sound argument. But this discovered, I have never found one who was not desirous to give up the argument, rather than risk the chance of a defeat: so well do the priests know the weakness of their cause, and so careful are they not to expose it. This being the case, it becomes an imperative duty on every man, who is capable to answer the sophistry of the priest, whenever he has an opportunity. Not merely for the sake of exposing his opponent, but in order to provide weapons for those who have

Printed and Published by R. Carlile, 84, Fleet Street.