Seffion, that gave or acknowleged in the Crown, a diferetionary Power over all present and future redundant Funds in the Treafury; though after the Exigencies of State, for which they were calculated, were fatisfied, the Surplus must unqueftionably have reverted to the Donors, by every Principle of common Senfe and Equity. He was not disappointed: The fame Tools that banifhed me, without any Oppofition or Debate, without Hefitation or one diffenting Voice, paffed a Bill, which not onely left, or confeffed, the public Treasure at the Difpofal of the Crown, in this and all future Times, but changed the very effential Form of an Act of Parlement, by introducing, in the Preamble of a Bill, the Confent of that Eftate, that is not to be supposed to know any Thing of a depending Bill, before it be paffed in due Form, and prefented to be ratified by the Royal Affent, in the Prefence of the two other Eftates, that conftitute the Legislature. What might have been intended by this Clause, I shall not presume to, determine. It needs no tedious Commentary: It appears very obvious. Happily we live under a Prince, who cannot be supposed to ufe a Power, however obtained, to the Prejudice of his People, or in any Inftance abuse it. Yet, fure no wife, no virtuous Parlement would give up fo effential a Part of the Privileges of them and their Conftituents, leave the public Treasure at the Mercy of any future rapacious Minifter, or receive the Dictates or Confent of the Crown to the bringing in or debating a Bill, to the framing an Act of Parlement! Such notwithstanding was the Iniquity or Infatuation of this Parlement; they, like the poor Remnant of the Gallic States, ftill retaining the Name without any of the Effentials of a Parlement, agreed to receive the Confent or Permiffion of the Miniftry to debate upon and pass a Bill, under its Sanction and Direction; as the others are constrained to register Arrets of the Crown, not otherwise. And thus at once gave up the Freedom of Parlement and the People's Right to the Redundancies of public Money, after the Exigencies of the State are ferved; And fhamefully fubfcribed to the illicit Dictates of the Ministry!

Is this to be wondered at? No; it is the neceffary Confequence of their Condemnation of the firft Man living among them, that fhewed, that their Parlement was free as that of Britain, and had by Law and by Right the fame. Authority, Privilege and Power, within that Realm, as yours has within this. Had that been allowed by the Irijh Parlement, which they fhould at the Peril of their Lives and

Fortunes

Fortunes have maintained; what Minifter would have been hardy enough to prefcribe fuch fhameful and destructive Terms to them, as giving up at once the Rights of both People and Parlement, which in more wife and virtuous Times would have been deemed one and the fame? But he, that afferted the Rights of both was voted an Enemy to his Country! proclaimed as a Rebel!. His Principles, of Course, must have been condemned. It was confeffed, with Cox, that they had no political Conftitution; that all depended on the Will of the Minifter. This became therefore the fovereign Law, and it was deemed a fufficient Honor to the Parlement, to be called and confulted to register it in Form; and they, humbly contented, and fully payed, did fo.-Can Britain look on this unconcerned? What Pestilence, what Rebellion can look fo dreadful, fo formidable? -If that Parlement may not be entrusted with the Government of that People, upon the Principles of the British Policy; can Britain in Prudence, with any Affurance of her own Preservation, fee the effential Form of Government reversed in a neighbouring, confederate Kingdom? A Kingdom united in Intereft, as well as under the fame common Head with you? Will it not rather be more wife and just, while any Senfe of Liberty remanes among the People to intitule them to inroll with the Family of Britain, with the fame Care to rescue them from domestic as from foreign Destruction, and unite them effectually, as Scotland has been, with this Kingdom?

Of this, you will judge better from the confequent Conduct of a fubfequent Seffion. In the laft, all Things went on as smoothly and uniformly as any Minifter could expect. The Reafon is obvious; every Tool of the Adminiftration was gratified with Penfions, Places, or more potent Promifes. Not a Mouth was left unftopped, that was prefumptuous enough, or even able to fay No, against the Direction of the Court. No unpleafing Queftion could be carried, no favorite Question loft, in an Affembly thus documented, thus influenced. It therefore required but a little Steadiness, with fome Portion of modern Court Cunning, to hold the Reins, and turn the ambling Palfry, as the Rider lifted.

The Nag in Queftion was pretty tractable; required neither Whip nor Spur. He ran the Pace required readily; and had continued probably to do fo ftill, were it not for fome few Irregularities in his Keeping. Slack Reins, high Feeding, and little Exercife, is enough to fpoil the beft managed, the

best

beft bred Horse. The ill managed, and unbred, bear it still worfe. After fuch a Courfe, these are moft apt to run refty. The beft Carriers keep their Beafts of Burden well muzzled, that they may not by ftopping to feed any where, but at the Places appointed, rifque the Damage of their Loading. Our Pack-Horfes had done extremely well with this Management. But the Carrier's Man fpoiled the leading Horfe and all the Followers. When the Beasts were tardy or fullen, he fometimes rid and fometimes walked before the Gang, with a Trufs of Hay and a Bag of Corn, which he held in the View of them all, and of which he gave them all Hopes to fhare. Now and then he gave the Bell-Horfe, and a few more of those that kept closest to him, a Wad of the Hay and a Mouthful of the Corn, to encourage them, and to ftir up the others to emulate their Pace. Thefe at laft gained fo much of the Man's Confidence, that he took their Muzzles entirely off, and left them a difcretionary Power to eat and to drink where they would, provided they kept their Followers in Order.

This injudicious Courfe could not long answer with British Pack-Horfes, much lefs with Irish Garrons *, who are generally more intractable, though much cheaper kept. It is not reafonable to imagine, that Cattle permitted long to go without Reins and Muzzles, and frequently trusted to the Care of the leading Beaft onely, could bear again to be curbed or muzzled, ftinted in their Allowance, and drove harder into the Bargain. This being done, what was to be expected?-That fuch Cattle would take the first Opportunity of difappointing the Carrier and his Man; that they would ftop fhort in the Midft of their Journey, and in full Career break the Bands, and caft their Burdens to the Ground.

The Paffions of Men and Brutes bear great Analogy. While the Leaders of the Irish Senate were pampered by the Miniftry, while they and their Creatures were poffeffed of all the Places of Profit and Truft in the State, with all their Emoluments and Perquifites, what Trouble, what Oppofition did they give the Adminiftration ?-What could the Ministry direct, that they were not ready to carry into Execution? What Commands were layed, that were not implicitly received and paffively obeyed?-I fay, what I am ready to prove, none, that the Miniftry thought worth infifting upon. The leading Men were never then afhamed of being called Courtiers. Whigs and Courtiers became fyno

An Irish Horfe, or Jade.

nymous

1

nymous Terms. All were contented. All was well; very

well.

What broke the Connection of this long Chain of minifterial Tranquility?-Two or three different Factions contending for Precedency and Power, divided the House of Commons. The Government judged they might avail themfelves of these Divifions, and extricate themselves out of the Hands of their Managers. The Powers, which for a long Time were left in the Hands of the Speaker, without any Controul, fince the Time of that too fhort-lived Lord Lieutenant, who fcorned to govern by the Influence of Party or Faction, or by any Means, to keep up Diftinctions, that had long broke and difunited the People; thefe Powers, particularly that of naming Governors and Sheriffs of Counties, and approving Magiftrates of Cities and Boroughs, too much to be trufted in a fingle Hand, and too much to be given up by any one at once, were abridged, if not wrested out of the Hands of the Speaker, and lodged in Hands where they were thought fafer and more for the Purposes of the Government. And all this, while others of the leading Men were at the fame Time disappointed in their Hopes, which are more eafily raised to the moft extravagant Pitch in Ireland than any where else in the World: For, a Parson's being told by a facetious Lord Lieutenant in his Levee, that he would make a good Figure in Lawn Sleeves; a Lawyer, that he would look magnificent in a Judge's Robes; or private Gentlemen, that they or their Sons would become a Pike or a Troop of Horfe; or the dignified fenatorial Soldier, that he well deferved a Regiment or a Staff; upon fhewing the Splendor of the outward Trappings of thefe Places, and afking how Bishop fuch an one, Judge fuch an one, Captain, Colonel or General fuch an one did, who were perhaps indifpofed, or reported to be indifpofed for the Purpose; fuch Compliments and Enquiries never were known to fail paffing with the Dupe for a Promife, or gaining a Vote for the Court, in Ireland.

When the Power was thus wrefted out of the Hands of Mr. Speaker, and a few other leading Men were at the fame Time offended, the Confequences may be eafily foreseen, which without this previous Confideration might feem wonderful. Angry Men confulted together. Hot Spirits chafed and heated one another. Each determined to make his Confequence known; which more effectually to atchieve, an Union was brought about. Since the Days of the Irish Apoftle, Patrick, no Converfion like this was known in

the

the ifland of Saints. Had Employments and Claret been known in Ireland, in the Time of that venerable Miffionary; if he had had none in his Power, he never could have made fo many Profelites with the utmoft Force of his Miffion, feconded onely by cold Water.

Now, Courtiers confeffing their Sins, making Profeffions of a new Faith, and changing their Appellations to that of Patriots, were univerfally baptifed in Claret. Sciemb Leagues and Covenants were made, not with the I ord, but with the People. Nothing was to be done without them. Therefore a popular Question must be started; which if the Court had happened to have foreseen and omitted, the new Converts had never made the Progrefs they did; they had never affumed the captivating Title of Patriots; the very Name of which had still layen dormant in accustomed Contempt and Obfcurity, in that Iland.

Now, Clubs and Confederacies were to be univerfally formed by the Infant Patriots, and more than clerical Anathemas were to be pronounced against Courtiers of all Ranks and Denominations. No Character fo facred, on this Side the Question, was to escape the blackeft Calumny. The fouleft Reproach was poured out indifcriminately on all! But all this was onely grumbled in the Dark; till like an immature Earthquake, gathering Force by Degrees; when all the Fuel was collected and prepared, it was by fome lucky Spark to be fet on Fire, in order to burt forth in an overwhelming, confuming Volcano, in the Midft of the next Seffion.

The Seffion was opened without any new Demands from the Throne. The ufual Supplies for the Establishment were alone offered to the Confideration of the Senate, And whatever Jealoufies and Difcontents, between the Governor and the difobliged Chiefs, might have been raised; there was no vifible Reason to apprehend that the ufual Supplies would not have been granted; or that any Thing for which there was a recent Precedent could be oppofed in Parlement. The Crown was univerfally, confeffedly beloved, revered, and boundlessly confided in, at all Times. Who could fufpect any Retraction, when no Offence from that Quarter could be pretended or infinuated? Who could think a Courtindicted Bill for difpofing of the publick Money, paffively received and unanimously paffed in the laft Seffion, should, though in the fame exprefs Form and Words, be not onely oppoled, but rejected in this? But what will not Infant

C

Patriots,