299 



He keeps a pair of hunters, and a harlot. He indulges himfelf, in all the 

 pleafures of the table. He frequents the gaming houfe. In fliort, he lives 

 in the flyle of a man, who had already acquired an ample fortune. 

 He flatters himfelf, that, by frequent entertainments, and conviviality, 

 he fliall acquire friends, and form ufeful connexions. — His credit tot- 

 ters, — he gets a wife, with fome money ; this wards off the evil day, 

 for a feafon, only to return with greater certainty ; for the wife is 

 not lefs extravagant than the hufband. — The man becomes a bank- 

 rupt ; pays two and fixpence in the pound ; and is happy, if, he can 

 become a tide-waiter, a ganger, a hearth-money colleftor, or an enfign 

 of militia. He dies, and leaves a race of idle, uneducated beggars, 

 to burthen the community. Such is the hiflory of many a merchant, 

 and mailer manufafturer, in Ireland. 



Squires, without eflate ; merchants and tradefmen, without capital ; 

 artifans, without morals, or induflry, are vermin, more noxious than 

 any that St. Patrick is fabled, to have expelled from Ireland ; and un- 

 happily, they abound too much in this countiy. 



From a view of the habitations, furniture, and equipages, of the 

 gentry ; and of the houfes, fhops, and manner of living;, of the mer- 

 chants, and traders ; a flranger might be induced, to fuppofe the opu- 

 lence, and refources of the country greater, than, in truth, they are : 

 And, I am convinced, that from hence, the means of the country have 

 been falfely eflimated. 



A very brief examination will convince the judicious obferver, that this 

 appearance of opulence, in the overgrown, and difproportionate me- 

 tropolis of the country, is falfe and hollow, like the feeble corpulency 

 of a relaxed and difeafed body. When he rccollefts, that the gentry 

 flaunt, in unpaid-for fplendor j that the merchant fills his warehoufe 

 with unpaid-for goods ; he will not wonder, at the rapid fucceffion 

 of bankruptcies ; at the ephemeral generations, of decorated fliops and 



( P p 2 ) warehoufes. 



X 



