fpeaks) to their first principles, never letting abuses grow inveterate, or multiply fo far that it will be hard to find remedies, and perhaps impoffible to apply them. As he, that would keep his house in repair, must attend every little breach or flaw, and supply it immediately, elfe time alone will bring all to ruin; how much more the common accidents of ftorms and rain? he must live in perpetual danger of his house falling about his ears; and will find it cheaper to throw it quite down, and build it again from the ground, perhaps upon a new foundation, or at least in a new form, which may neither be fo fafe nor fo convenient as the old.

A LET

Received your letter, wherein you tell me of the strange representations made of us on your fide of the water. The inftance you are pleased to mention is that of the prefbyterian miffionary, who, according to your phrafe, hath been lately perfecuted at Drogheda for his religion:

This tract was reprinted in Ireland in 1735, when the attempt to repeal the facramental teft was revived. There was an explanatory advertisement prefixed, which is faid by lord Orrery to have been dictated, or ftrictly revised, by the Dean himself: but there are inaccuracies in it, which may well be thought fufficient

to deftroy its authenticity: that which in the first paragraph is called the following treatife is afterwards faid to be an extract of a difcourfe, and it is immediately added, that this extract is the whole, except fome paffages of no confequence: thefe are included in a parenthesis.

but

but it is easy to observe, how mighty induftrious fome people have been for three or four years paft, to hand about ftories of the hardships, the merits, the number, and the power of the prefbyterians in Ireland, to raise formidable ideas of the dangers of popery there, and to transmit all for England, improved by great additions, and with special care to have them inferted with comments in those infamous weekly papers, that infeft your coffeehoufes. So, when the claufe enacting a facramental teft was put in execution, it was given out in England, that half the juftices of peace through this kingdom had laid down their commiffions: whereas, upon examination, the whole number was found to amount only to a dozen or thirteen, and those generally of the lowest rate in fortune and understanding, and some of them fuperannuated. So, when the earl of Pembroke was in Ireland, and the parliament fitting, a formal story was very gravely carried to his excellency by fome zealous members, of a priest newly arrived from abroad to the northweft parts of Ireland, who had publickly

preached

preached to his people to fall a murthering the proteftants; which, though invented to serve an end they were then upon, and are still driving at, was presently handed over, and printed with fhrewd remarks by your worthy fcribblers. In like manner the account of that perfon, who was lately expelled our univerfity for reflecting on the memory of king William; what a duft it raifed, and how foully it was related, is fresh enough in memory. Neither would people be convinced till the university was at the pains of publishing a Latin paper to juftify themselves. And, to mention no more, this ftory of the perfecution at Drogheda, how it hath been spread and aggravated, what confequences have been drawn from it, and what reproaches fixed on thofe who have leaft deferved them, we are already informed. Now if the end of all this proceeding were a fecret and mystery, I fhould not pretend to give it an interpretation; but fufficient care hath been taken to explain it, first, by addreffes artificially (if not illcgally) procured, to fhew the miferable ftate of the diffenters in Ireland by reafon VOL. III. е

of

our

of the facramental teft, and to defire the queen's interceffion, that it might be repealed. Then, it is manifeft, that fpeaker, when he was last year in England, follicited in perfon feveral members of both houfes to have it repealed by an act there; though it be a matter purely national, that cannot poffibly interfere with the trade and intereft of England; and though he himself appeared formerly the most zealous of all men against the injuftice of binding a nation by laws, to which they do not confent. And lastly, thofe weekly libellers, whenever they get a tale by the end relating to Ireland, without once troubling their thoughts about the truth, always end it with an application against the facramental teft, and the abfolute neceffity there is of repealing it in both kingdoms. I know it may be reckoned a weakness to fay any thing of fuch trifles, as are below a ferious man's notice; much less would I difparage the understanding of any party, to think they would chufe the vileft and most ignorant

* Mr. Allen Broderick, afterwards chancellor of Ireland, and lord Middleton.

among