him, upon the information of one of these reprobate witnesses, and a party of light-horse fent to take him prisoner. Bier, upon his removal afterwards to Newgate in Dublin, declared, in a dangerous fit of ficknefs, to the ordinary of that prifon, with evident marks of fincere repentance, "that for any thing he knew to the contrary, the before mentioned Edmund Sheehy, James Buxton, and James Farrell, were intirely innocent of the fact for which they had fuffered death; and that nothing in this world, but the prefervation of his own life, which he faw was in the most imminent danger, fhould have tempted him to be guilty of the complicated crimes of perjury and murder, as he then confeffed he was, when he fwore away the lives of thofe innocent men."

On Saturday morning, May 3d, 1766, the convicts were hanged and quartered at Clogheen. Their behaviour at the place of execution was chearful, but devout; and modeft, though refolute. It was impoffible for any one in their circumftances, to counterfeit that refignation, ferenity, and pleafing hope, which appeared ftrikingly in all their countenances and geftures. Confcious of their innocence, they feemed to haften to receive the reward prepared in the next life, for those who suffer patiently in this. For, not content to forgive, they prayed for and bleffed their profecutors, judges, and juries, as likewife all those who were otherwise inftrumental in procuring their deaths. After they were tied up, and juft before they were turned off, each of them, in his turn, read a paper aloud, without tremour, hesitation, or other visible emotion, wherein they folemnly protefted, as dying christians, who were quickly to appear before the judgment-feat of God," that they had no fhare either by act, counsel, or knowledge in the murder of Bridge; that they never heard an oath of allegiance to any foreign prince propofed or administered amongst them; that they never heard, that any scheme of rebellion, high treafon, or a maffacre, was intended, offered, or even thought of, by any of them; that they never knew of any commiffions, or French or

Spanish

Spanish officers being fent, or of any money being paid to these rioters. After this, they feverally declared, in the fame folemn manner, that certain gentlemen, whofe names they then mentioned, had tampered with them at different times, preffing them to make, what they called ufeful discoveries, by giving in examinations against numbers of Roman catholics of fortune in that province (fome of whom they particularly named) as actually concerned in a confpiracy,' and intended maffacre, which were never once thought of. But above all, that they urged them to fwear, that the priest, Nicholas Sheehy, died with a lye in his mouth; without doing which, they faid, no other difcovery would avail them. Upon these conditions, they promised and undertook to procure their pardons, acquainting them at the fame time, that they should certainly be hanged, if they did not comply with them." Thus did thofe virtuous men, prefer even death to a life of guilt, remorfe, and shame, the just punishment in this world of their tempters, as well as the wretches feduced by them.

CHA P.

"I was three times in Ireland (fays an English commoner) from the year 1760 to the year 1767, where I had fufficient means of information, concerning the inhuman proceedings (among which were many cruel murders, befides an infinity of outrages and oppreffions, unknown before in a civilized age) which prevailed during that period, in confequence of a pretended confpiracy among Roman catholics against the king's government." Lett. Eng. Commoner, &c. ubi fupra.

CHA P. XVII.

Reflections on the foregoing fubject. YET fome perfons there were, who, in order to

fave the characters of these their friends, from the horrible imputation of fuborning others to commit perjury and murder, ftrenuoufly endeavoured, and with fome fuccefs, to have it believed, that credit ought to be given to the teftimony of those approvers, in preference to the folemn and unanimous declarations of

thefe dying men. But let us advert a moment to the miferable weakness of this credulity. Thofe approvers were imprisoned on a charge of murder, and ftruck with the fear of an ignominious death; being certain, at the fame time, that their pardon was to be obtained only by the teftimony they gave, however falfe. On the other hand, the dying prisoners before mentioned, had often rejected the like offers of pardon, and folemnly denied their being guilty of the crimes for which they fuffered, in the very article of death; confcious that they were inftantly to account for fuch denial, before an all-juft and all-feeing Judge. Now when we confider this material difference in the circumftances of the teftimonies of the accufers, and the accused, who can forbear concluding, that the oaths of the former were wilful perjuries, prompted by the hopes of a pardon, of which the fhedding of innocent blood was to be the only purchase; and that the folemn declarations of the latter, were noble and fuccefsful efforts of truth, confcience, and honour, against all the ftrongeft temptations to the contrary, that the love of life, and the tendereft endearments and connexions of this world, could have thrown in their way."

Such, during the fpace of three or four years, was the fearful and pitiable state of the Roman catholics of Munfter, and fo general did the panic at length become, fo many of the lower fort were already hang

ed,

ed, in jail, or on the informers lifts, that the greatest part of the reft fled through fear; fo that the land lay untilled, for want of hands to cultivate it, and a famine was with reafon apprehended. As for the better fort, who had fomething to lofe (and who, for that reafon, were the perfons chiefly aimed at by the managers of the profecution), they were at the utmost lofs how to difpofe of themselves. If they left the country, their ablence was conftrued into a proof of their guilt: if they remained in it, they were in imminent danger of having their lives fworn away by informers and approvers; for the fuborning and corrupting of witneffes on that occafion, was frequent and barefaced, to a degree almost beyond belief. The very stews were raked, and the jails rummaged in fearch of evidence; and the most notoriously profligate in both were felected and tampered with, to give informations of the private tranfactions and defigns of reputable men, with whom they never had any dealing, intercourfe, or acquaintance; nay, to whose very persons they were often found to be ftrangers, when confronted at their trial.

In fhort, fo exactly did these profecutions in Ireland resemble, in every particular, thofe which were formerly fet on foot in England, for that villainous fiction of Oates's plot, that the former feem to have been planned and carried on intirely on the model of the latter; and the fame just observation that hath been made on the English fanguinary proceedings, is perfectly applicable to thofe which I have now, in part, related, viz. " that for the credit of the nation, it were indeed better to bury them in eternal oblivion, but that it is neceffary to perpetuate the remembrance of them, as well to maintain the truth of hiftory, as to warn, if poffible, our pofterity and all mankind, never again to fall into fo fhameful and fo barbarous a delufion."

С НА Р.

CHA P. XVIII.

Some profpect of mitigating the rigour of the popery

laws.

ALL this while, the chapels of the Roman catho

lics were fuffered to be open, and the exercise of their religion was actually connived at; although that religion was, at the fame time, accufed, in the spirit of the framers and advocates of the popery laws, of prompting its profeffors to these pretended acts of rebellion; which proves to a demonstration, that these laws, notwithstanding their pompous title, were primarily intended, rather to deprive these people of their property and substance, than of the free exercise of their religion; fince having long fince taken from them almost all that was real of the former, they have left them unmolested with regard to the latter."

By this connivance, however, the defenders of these laws pretend, that the objection from the breach of the articles of Limerick is removed; as thefe articles promised nothing more than that the Roman catholics

fhould

"But it seems (fays Mr. Young) to be the meaning, with and intent of the difcovery laws, that none of them (the Irish catholics) fhould ever be rich. It is the principle of that system, that wealthy fubjects would be nuifances; and therefore every means is taken to reduce, and keep them to a state of poverty. If this is not the intention of thefe laws, they are the most abominable heap of felf-contradictions that ever were iffued in the world. They are framed in fuch a manner that no catholic fhall have the inducement to become rich. . . . . . . Take the laws and their execution into one view, and this state of the cafe is fo true, that they actually do not feem to be so much levelled at the religion, as at the property that is found in it. . . . . The domineering ariftocracy of five hundred thousand proteftants, feel the fweets of having two millions of flaves: they have not the leaft objection to the tenets of that religion. which keeps them by the law of the land in fubjection; but property and flavery are too incompatible to live together: hence the fpecial care taken that no fuch thing should arise among them." Young's Tour in Irel. vol. ii. p. 48.