At first glance, the title A Discourse Shewing the Reasons why Protestant Subjects Cannot enjoy their Laws, Religion, Liberty, and Property Under a Popish Prince, appears to indicate that the following text intends to espouse an anti-Jacobite position. A closer reading reveals the subtle Jacobite sentiments which are shrouded behind the calculated use of language and literary perspective. The ‘Protestant Englishman’ in this dialogue represents a commonly held fear amongst King James II and VII’s former Protestant subjects; that a restoration of the House of Stuart would entail the mass repression of all those who were not Catholic, since it was believed that those disposed to promote the ‘Roman Cause’ were more inclined to tyranny and absolutism. In contrast to the—sometimes elaborate—claims made by the English Protestant, the ‘Roman Catholic’ in the dialogue challenges such convictions succinctly and patiently. A Jacobite reading of this text may be supported by the dialogue occurring on pages 28 and 29, which depicts the English Protestant as raging in his pursuit to establish those who are Catholic as devoid of human compassion. This document most likely found a readership amongst covert Jacobites but was superficially written so that it might circulate undetected.

A Discourse Shewing the Reasons: Why Protestant Subjects Cannot Enjoy Their Laws, Religion, Liberty and Property Under a Popish Prince in a Dialogue Between a Romanist and an Englishman. London: Printed by S. Keimer and Sold by Ferd. Burleigh, 1714. 48 P. ; 19 cm. Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library (s0462b05)

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