AN AP PEA L, My Fellow-Subjects and Friends! W HEN I wrote the annexed Preface and de- ́ dicatory Addrefs, prefixed them to the Work dedicated, and had them prefented to the chief Magiftrate of your City, I thought I had finished my Courfe, though I might not have boafted of having fought a good Fight: I then threw afide the political Pen; because I saw nothing further for me to do in mine humble Sphere, nor any Room to hope for good Effects from my paffed Labours. And being wearied, and almoft worn out, with long inceffant Toils and Watchings for the Health of the Body politic, 1 betook myself to obtaining the means of preferving the Body natural. Then, finding myself divefted of the Freedom of mine own City, rendered a Citizen of the World at large; and, after vifiting fome Parts of the neighbouring Continent, finding no other Place, that offered me fo much true Liberty, fo many of the real Comforts, with fo few of the Inconveniencies of Life, as London, I chose at once for my Refidence and Sanctuary. I was not mistaken in my Choice: With due Gratitude, I acknowlege having received many Inftances of your Favor and Bounty, exceding any Thing, my Portion of Pride or Avarice could prompt me to hope. Under fuch Obligations, it must have been ungenerous to want a juft Senfe of them, or an Ambition to be found worthy of the Regards of good Men. I muft fay, I fought and ever Thall feek for Opportunities of proving this Difpofition: But, have had the Mortification to find, as yet, few or none offer. B My My Sollicitude to fhew mine Intentions made me anxious to know what Reception the following Papers met with in the Common-Council. I foon learned how they were difpofed of, and take this Method of informing you; because I apprehend, you are not lefs ill-treated, than I am upon this Occafion. However, I fhall for a while fufpend mine own, and fubmit the whole to your Judgment. After I was forced to fly hither for an Asylum from the Tyranny, then raging like an horrid Peftilence in mine illfated Country, and found no Means here, to which a Man of any Senfe of Honor or Freedom could ftoop, of ftopping or mitigating its Progrefs, with Refpect to myself; I determined to profecute the Study of Phyfic Abroad, to which I had devoted all my vacant Hours here, as well as before my Banishment. But judging, that thofe, who already facrificed every Sense of Religion, Morality and Laws to injure me in every tender Point, and who, to give their fhameful and iniquitous Perfecution fome Color of Justice, attempted to blot my little Share of Reputation with the foul Charge of Difaffection and Disloyalty to the prefent Government; I first layed my Cafe and myfelf open to one of his Majesty's Secretaries of State, with the onely Request of being taken and treated with the utmost Rigour of the Laws, if any legal Accufation was, or might be layed against me. Not contented with this, I refolved to depofite a fuller Teftimony of mine Innocence and Loyalty, in the Hands of the City of London. I now found I had made every secret and avowed Enemy of our happy Eftablishment, to whom my real Character became known, mine implacable Foe; while I was not able to perceive the flighteft Mark of Favor or Clemency from any of the few real or numberlefs, pretended or imaginary Friends of the Eftablishment. Yea, I found that a too open Avowal of my political Principles foon loft me the Countenance of fome powerful, promifing great Men in the City. No Man could have been more oddly circumftanced! My perv rfe Perfecutors in Ireland, by reprefenting me as a difaffected Perfon, procured me the Countenance of the deluded Men of that Caft, till they saw their Miftake. After which, they became my bittereft Enemies. But, this Folly was not confined to London. For, in the firft Town in this Kingdom, at which I arrived after mine Exile, it was difputed, of which of the nominal Factions I must be a Member. The Generality believed what the Tools of the Miniftry in Ireland had thought fit to re prefent. prefent. The few, that read my Papers, thought otherwife. Even the Clergy were divided upon the ridiculous Question. One reverend Levite, remarkable for a zealous Attachment to his Party, moft precipitately, quitted the House, in which I happened to take Lodgings; not venturing, as he sayed, to tarnish his Reputation, with his Friends, by living under the fame Roof with a violent Whig. Another, the Curate of the Parish, would not vifit me a fecond Time in my Sickness, though frequently follicited; and at length, feverely chid the Landlady, who called upon him, for bringing him to rifque the Lofs of his reputation by vifiting, and praying by, fuch an abandoned Tory and Jacobite. And thus I might have wanted a chriftian minifter to converse with, were it not for the good Senfe and Humanity of a Gentleman, who does Honor to his Function, as well as to his high Rank, Thus you fee, no Subject can be too infignificant for the Attention of factious Men! Thus have I been hauled out of my peaceful Obfcurity and held out to public View, in the Light that every outragious Faction chofe to place me! And thus has my Character been banded about from mighty Minifters of State and their Subftitutes, to Basha Aldermen of Cities, and hackney Juftices, and even to ftarving Country Curates! Ambition is the nobleft Paffion, that warms the human Breaft, when it is directed to the proper Ends. The Love of Fame is a Vice or a Virtue, as it is founded upon this or that Quality. I own myself ambitious, to obtain the Approbation of fenfible, honeft and free Men. I confefs, I thirst for nothing more than the Establishment of a fair Reputation, with Men of the fame Caft. But, as neither can be acquired from any other than virtuous Motives, the feeking them with ardent Zeal, upon thefe Principles, can never be deemed a Crime. View, when I wrote and prefented, or atthem to you, through The one was to give Two Objects, I confefs, I had in the following Preface and Dedication, tempted at different Times to pfelent, the Hands of your chief Magiftrates. you an Idea of the Sufferings of your Fellow-Subjects and Friends, I might have fayed, your Offspring or Brethren in the Kingdom of Ireland in general, in the City of Dublin in particular; in Order to inculcate the proper and neceffary Cautions against the Time of Need: The other, to vindicate mine own innocent, but much injured Reputation. Had I not held you in the highest Estimation, in Point of B 2 In Integrity and Judgment, I could not have thought of being at that Trouble or Expence, more than at this. I hope I shall not find myself mistaken. Laying pitiful Self afide, let me afk you were my Fears groundlefs or my Cautions unneceffary? How happens it, that nearly about the fame Point of Time, new Demands, I had like to have fayed, new Incroachments, if common Fame fpeaks Truth, have been made, or attempted, by feveral of the Governors under our Crown, as well in our several Colonies in America, as in the Kingdom of Ireland? Had thefe Attempts fully fucceded, might we not have Cause to dread a defpotic, instead of a free, popular, Government in those Settlements and that Kingdom, in fome future Time? And, what evil Confequence may not, fome Time, be apprehended from the evil Spirit that attempted fuch a fhocking Change? Who has authorised thefe daring Men to attempt these horrid Innovations? Have the evil Machinations been evaded? Have the Contrivers of them been punifhed or called to Account? Has any body had public Spirit, true Patriotifm enough to take Part with the Oppreffed? Has any Man given cautionary Hints of the wicked Designs? Have these been taken and applied, rejected or fuppreffed?You are interested in these Queftions and the Answers to them. It is fit you should know the Obftacles to your Information. I hope it will be found, that I discharged my Duty to you, in mine humble Sphere. I could not have been converfant enough in the Affairs of our American Colonies, to have pointed out the Schemes Jayed to disturb their Peace and fap the Foundation of their civil Liberties. But, had you been permitted by your Magiftrates to have received the cautionary Information I gave them, with relation to the Affairs of Ireland, your Countenance might poffibly have helped to prevent the Shocks given that unhappy People, by certain Men in Power, whom I am not permitted to name. I would have warned you of a Peftilence raging on your Coafts; but your wife Magiftrates prevented it, and feemed not to feek its being prudently circumfcribed or kept at a Distance, much lefs to with its being timely cured. Mark well the Confequence : The Ruler, who fucceded him, that wrought my Ruin, judging, that a Parlement, which could condemn to Ignominy, and banifh the only Man, that dared to affert the natural and legal Rights of his Country, must be qualified to perpetrate the fouleft Deed, that Malignity could prompt; feared not introducing a Claufe into a Pill, the very next Seffion |