the revolution of 1688 was founded," is a matter
of opinion. These principles are the right of re-
fifting oppreffion, and even of calling in foreign
aid, in fupporting the right; that these were my
principles, I appeal to every act and word of my
life. If my writings and fpeeches do not go to the
proof, why did not the Crown lawyers produce
them? They could have brought evidence to
prove they were mine; they found a manu-
fcript copy
of my fecond addrefs to the county of
Antrim in my defk, when I was arrested in 1796,
and they found two copies of my State of Ireland,
when I was arrested at Margate in 1798. The
fact then being admitted, how does the general af-
fertion, that these were my principles as given in
evidence, bind thofe who gave it, to any refponfibi-
lity for the prudence, propriety, or fitness, with which
I applied them. That the oppofition of England
were United Irishmen, or that I made those men,
who on a change of miniftry muft form the admi-
niftration of England, acquainted with my defign
of feparation, is too abfurd to be mentioned by the
moft malignant calumniator, or to be credited bý
the most deludable dupe. The charge against me
at Maidstone, was wholly confined to England;
Ireland or its politics were not mentioned in the
indictment. Hence the oppofition were, not only
not called on to give an opinion, on any tranfaction
relating to Ireland, but, if they had attempted to
fay a word on the fubject, the Judge must have
ftopped them. In a word, that I have impeached
one tittle of the evidence, which was given at Maid-
ftone, by any thing which has come from me,
verbal

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verbal or written, is fo utterly falfe, that if I was to be tried over again, at this inftant, on the former indictment, without fubtracting a letter, and that every fyllable I have fince delivered, was published, fo far from retracting any part of the evidence they have given, they would be bound to declaré innocence of the whole charges in pofitive terms, which they gave only as a matter of opinion before; and as to the part I have acted in my own country, it would be now, as it was at my trial, they would not be called on, or even fuffered to give an opinion-nay, if all the reports of the Irish Parliament that ever were printed, with their appendices, were produced in evidence, they would not avail, for this plain reason, neither Ireland nor a particle respecting it are fo much as mentioned in the indictment. Thefe remarks on what has fallen from me, as it refpects the evidence given at Maidstone, muft affure every man who has not fhut his mind against all conviction, that nothing ever has, or ever can, confiftent with truth, come from me, which can impeach the credit of the great and good men in question.

For the part I have taken in my own country, my acts fhall be my vouchers; neither the force of foreign mercenaries, nor the corruption of traitors, nor the falfhood of minifters, nor the calumny of hired defamers, nor the torture of tyrants can condemn me, as long as conscious integrity finds a place in my heart. Difloyalty, rebellion and treafon are confounded, by the mafs of mankind, with the fuccefs that attends them; whilft with the magnanimous, fuccefs conveys no acquittal, nor defeat condemnation. That the ⚫ conftitution

conftitution contained fome of the pureft principles of liberty, that they have been moft violently affailed, that the affailants have been enormously criminal, and that they fhould be felected for exemplary juftice, I have uniformly afferted-then let those vital principles of the conftitution, be the standard, and let their violation be the criminal teft. I ask but that the world should be informed of the part I have acted; there have been inftances of virtue which might challenge the brightest page of the world, there have been crimes which cannot be equalled in the records of Hell, I demand a fair allotment of my fhare in a juft diftribution, and with the claims of a calumniated man, I call on my calumniators for publication, not only by the impreScriptible right of felf-defence, but by the right of exprefs ftipulation. The whole of what has been delivered by me verbal and written, fills one hundred pages, of which only one has been published; publifh the ninety-nine which have been fuppreffed, and when the world are informed of the crimes I have detailed, the criminals I have expofed, and the principles upon which I have acted, then let them judge whether I have had recourse to refiftance and to foreign aid, against the conftitution, or against racks, tortures, lafhings, half-hangings, burning houses, rape, military execution, baftiles, free-quarters, and every fpecies of oppreffion. If thefe ninety-nine pages contain falfhoods, why have I not been expofed by their being published? If they contain confeffions of confcious guilt, contrition, or humbly imploring of mercy, why are they not published? If thefe contain undo pages not

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answerable charges against the King's minifters, if they contain any thing that can be tortured into their juftification, and above all, if they contain a fyllable that impeaches the credit of the oppofition of England, is it credible that they would not have been published? Give them every line to the world, and if they contain a thought, which the man who loves his fpecies can difclaim, if they contain dereliction of iny principles, breach of my engagements, treafon to my caufe or my country, or perfidy to my friends, let me be overwhelmed by the infamy attendant on inftant expofure. You dare not, like the witless bird, you hide your head and think you have escaped detection. When it is known that of one hundred pages, ninety-nine have been kept back, are you fo weak as to imagine, that any other reafon will be affigned, than that your own crimes have made you fupprefs them? Can the fillieft dotard fuppofe that you have broken your falemn engagements, and held out thofe Septemberizing menaces in Lord Cornwallis's name, to prevent the publication of thofe ninety nine pages, if they contained a particle that could criminate me, or impeach the honor of the oppofition of England? No, they will furmife the truth, they will be convinced that 'you have uttered falfhoods, that you have given grounds for calumny, that you have deceived the Parliament, and that you have proftituted the name of a man of honor, to moft infamous, murderous menace, and to moft difhonorable breaches of the moft folemn engagements.

So truly Protean have you been with the state prifoners, from the beginning of this tranfac

tion to this inftant, that I am wholly at a lofs to find any two parts of your conduct, which have any accordance with truth, with each other, or with the agreement. Immediately after we had performed our parts of the conditions, and before a fenfe of your difhonorable conduct induced you to violate your's, you clearly perceived that by the 'compact, we had referved a choice of country for exile, and that we had not excluded ourselves from paffing into any country on the globe, that was not at war with Great Britain; you were convinced, that by your own ftipulation" that we should not pafs into an enemy's country," it is implied that we were to emigrate during the war, while there was a country to come within your exception, nor had you yet forgotten all thofe profeffions of liberal conftruction, good faith and honor, of which you had been fo lavish. In this mood you fent Mr. Cooke to our prifon, on the 18th of Auguft, with a fair conftruction of the compact verbal and written, that we were to emigrate to any country, not at war with Great Britain;-on the 16th of September you fent Mr. Marsden to inform us, that we should be detained during the war ;-on the 21ft of October you again informed us by Mr. Cooke, that we fhould émigrate to America, and not be fuffered to pass into any other country whatever ;-on the 22d, the very next day, you fent Mr, Marfden to tell us, we' fhould not be fuffered to go to America ;on the 5th of December you again fent Mr. Marfden to tell us, that all the ftate prisoners might emigrate to any country on the Continent, not at war with Great Britain, with the exception of fif

teen,