IRELAND. 



. j"or.d the bounds of political honour and prudence, reforted 

 ill the following reign, when tiiey were riiher encouraged to 

 ,.do fo, to every expedient which Ictjiflative ingenuity could 

 fupply, however likely to prove ultimately detrimental to 

 .tliemfflves, with a view of red\icing their inveterate enemies, 

 the Roman Catholics, to abfolute and irremediable pohtical 

 impotence. A code of defenAve and preventive ftatutes, 

 being the ilamp of the paffions by wliich it was originated, 

 was in the end compiled: a code which was not merely 

 .limited to the precUillon of hollilities on the part of the 

 Roman Catholics, but extended to the abolition of their 

 venerated religion, which, in Ireland, had fcarcely ever 

 been fairly combated by the only weapons that ever 

 (hould have been employed againft it, the pens or tongues, 

 and attractive examples of Proteilants : a code which im- 

 peded the progrefs of the former in the patlis of in- 

 duih-y ; thwarted every fpecies or laudable ambition by 

 which they might have been actuated ; placed them on the 

 footi:ig of aliens in their native land ; expofed them to vex- 

 atious outrages and fpoliation ; reduced them almoll to the 

 condition of ilaves ; obftrufted matrimonial alliances between 

 them and the Proteftants, from whence, it is probable, the 

 happieil efiefts might have flowed ; and, worfe than all, 

 held forth incitements to filial contumacy, to a violation of 

 one of the commandments of God ; and introduced amongit 

 them principles of duplicity and t/eachery. A code, which, 

 while it oppreffed, and feenied to overwhelm the Roman 

 Catholics, facilitated theobtrufion of thofe jealous meafures, 

 thofe commercial reftraints which had long been the effedl 

 of retaining one of the faireft portions of the globe in a 

 flate of poverty and political iniignificancc. The madacre 

 of 1641, which had been induftriouily exhibited in the moll 

 .horrifying colours, together with the cruel perfecution ex- 

 perienced during the (hbrt reign of king James in Ireland, 

 both iHIl fredi in the recollection of the Proteflant?, necef- 

 farily heightened their animolity to the utmoll j while 

 repeated difcomfitures and difafters, and aggravated oppref- 

 fion, together with the accumulated mifery produced by 

 Ihis revengeful code, certainly inconfiiient with the prin- 

 ciples of found policy and true rchgion, naturally rendered 

 the hatred of the Roman Catholics virulent beyond ex- 

 ample. An unparalleled combination of irritating, mad- 

 dening circumftances fomented, on both fides, the mod ran- 

 corous malignity. The idea of a Protellant in the mind 

 of a Roman Catholic, and that of the latter in the mind of 

 the former, now became cloftly alTociated with every idea 

 that could engender wrath, malice, and vengeance in the 

 heart of man. Each abhorred the other ; each longed for 

 the extirpation of the other." — "This among connti-ymen, 

 among the friendly, cheerful, and hofpitable people of Ire- 

 land, among Chrillians, among thofe who looked torward to 

 eternal happinels through the mediation of the fame Saviour, 

 among thofe who adored the fame Trinity, among thofe 

 who agreed in all the effential points of religion, the main- 

 tenance cf a few different fpeculative articles, and the ob- 

 fervance of a few different rites, confeffedly inoperative 

 in focial life, and confequenlly unworthy of fcrious notice, 

 being unhappily combined with oppofite intcrells, being 

 coeval and concurrent with the moit energetic principles of 

 d:fcord, ferving as the tefti, fymbols, or diltinflive charaders 

 af two parties invcterately and unappeaiably hoilile to each 

 other, became at length, what in their natural unconnedlcd 

 Jlatc they could never pofTibly have become, alimentary to 

 the moll vehement deteitation." 



Th >ugh we cannot agree with the refpedable writer of the 

 preceding paffagc in all his remarks, cfpccinlly in thofe which 

 tixm t« think lightly of the difference between the Protcltant 



and Catholic faith ; yet it, on the whole, contains fo jiifl and 

 candid a reprefeiuation of the unhappy dillerences between 

 the parties, and is evidently written with fuch a delire of 

 conciliation, that we have copied it without change, anxioufly 

 wifliing that all the gentlemen of Ireland, of every fed, fau- 

 the matter in the fame light, and were equally defirous of 

 improving pail evils to preleiit harmony. 



The events peculiar to Ireland, excepting the penal code, 

 jufl remarked on, will not require much notice during ti.e 

 four reigns fucceeding the revolution. The uniform policy 

 was to keep Ireland in a ib'eof dependency, and to preveiit 

 her manufadures or commerce interfering with thofe of Eng- 

 land. 



Encouragement was indeed given to the linen manufadure, 

 and it proved a fource of great benefit to the country, but 

 the woollen manufacture was kept down, and the rcftridiori 

 on commerce (hewed a moll unwarrantable jealciufy. As the 

 dependence of Ireland on England was never loll light of, fo 

 fome occafions occurred in which the parliament of the latter 

 diredly exerted its authority. In the reign of William acts 

 were paffed, by which Ireland was hound. In the year 

 169S, Mr. Molyneux publilhed a pamphlet, entitled " The 

 Cafe of Ireland being bound by Ads of Parliament in Eng- 

 land, ftated," in which he called in queftion their right to 

 do fo, and his fentiments were known to be thofe of the 

 In!h parliament and people. This book was condemned 

 by the Englifh parliament, which addrefied the king on the 

 pernicious affertions it contained, and on the dangerous ten- 

 dency of the proceedings of the Irilh parliament, and pro- 

 mifed to give his majeily their ready concurrence and aflill- 

 ance to prelerve and maintain tl-.e dependence and fubordina- 

 tiou of Ireland to the imperial crown of this realm. Wil- 

 liam promifed on his part to fullil their wiilics, and notwith- 

 Itanding the difcontent of the Irilh people, fuch w;>s their 

 divided (late, and iuch the apprehenlion each party enter- 

 tained of the other, that they were oUiged to fubmit. 

 Another caufe of controverfy occurred in 1719, in conl'e- 

 quence of an appeal being carried from the Irilh to the 

 Englifti houfe of lords. The barons of the exchequer, 

 who had carried into effect the decree of the Engliih houfe, 

 were imprifoned by the Irilh one, but the difpute terminated 

 in a nev/ ad, by which it was enacted, " that the kingdom of 

 Ireland is fubordinate unto, and dependent upon, the im- 

 perial crown of Great Britain ; and that the king's majeily, 

 by and with the confent of the lords and commons of Great 

 Britain, has full power and auihority to make laws and 

 llatutes to bind the people and the kingdom of Ireland." 

 Soon after this, iu 1723, a circumffance occurred, which 

 deferves notice, both on account of the example it let, that 

 the united, determined, and perfevcring voice of a people 

 muil be ultimately fuccefsful, and on account of the adivc 

 part taken bv the celebrated dean Swift, then refideiit iu 

 Dubhn. This was the well known affair of IVccJ's half, 

 pence. A patent had been granted to a Mr. Wood, to fupply 

 Ireland with a certain quantity of copper halfpence and 

 farthings for 14 years. It v/as alleged in Ireland, that 

 this coin was greatly inferior in value to what it was 

 made to pals for. Tne parliament of Ireland addreffed 

 the crown againll the mcafure of fending the coin ; and 

 during their foUow^ing biennial recefs, great compLiints 

 continued to be made both by individuals and by pubhc cor- 

 poration.";. It would appe.ir that though the badncfs of 

 Wood's hal.'"pence was the pretext, the difpute was, in reality, 

 a qucilion of rights and independence. Dean Swift contri- 

 buted much to the pubhc difcontent, by a feries of letters 

 figned A Drapicr, for difcovering the author of the fourth 

 cf which, a reward of 300 pounds was o&red. As fuch 



precautions 



