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generals, dexterous Irish diplomatists, Irish Counts, Irish Ba- chap.rons, Irish Knights of Saint Lewis and of Saint Leopold, of the 16i)| -~ -White Eagle and of the Golden Fleece, who, if they had re-mained in the house of bondage, could not have been ensignsof marching regiments or freemen of petty corporations. Thesemen, the natural chiefs of their race, having been withdrawn,what remained was utterly helpless and passive. A rising of theIrishry against the Englishry was no more to be apprehendedthan a rising of the women and children against the men.*

There were indeed, in those days, fierce disputes betweenthe mother country and the colony: but in those disputes

dinand the Sixth and Charles the Third, will be found in the letters ofSir Benjamin Keene and Lord Bristol, published in Coxe’s Memoirs ofSpain.

* This is Swift’s language, language held not once, but repeatedly andat long intervals. In the Letter on the Sacramental Test, written in 1708,he says: “If we (the clergy) were under any real fear of the Papists in thiskingdom, it would be hard to think us so stupid as not to be equallyapprehensive with others, since wo are likely to be the greater and moreimmediate sufferers; but, on the contrary, we look upon them to boaltogether as inconsiderable as the women and children. . . . The commonpeople without leaders, without discipline, or natural courage, being littlebetter than hewers of wood and drawers of water, are out of all capacity ofdoing any mischief, if they were ever so well inclined.” In the Drapicr’sSixth Letter, written in 1724, he says; “As to the people of this kingdom,they consist either of Irish Papists, who are as inconsiderable, in point ofpower, as the women and children, or of English Protestants.” Again, inthe Presbyterian’s Plea of Merit, written in 1731, lie says: “ The estates ofPapists are very few, crumbling into small parcels, and daily diminishing;their common people are sunk in poverty, ignorance and cowardice, andof as little consequence a3 women and children. Their nobility and gentryare at least one half ruined, banished or converted. They all soundly feelthe smart of what they suffered in the last Irish war. Some of them arealready retired into foreign countries: others, as I am told, intend tofollow them and the rest, I believe to a man, who still possess any lands,are absolutely resolved never to hazard them again for the sake of estab-lishing their superstition.”

I may observe that, to the best of my belief, Swift never, in anythingthat he wrote, used the word Irishman to denote a person of Anglosaxonrace born in Ireland. Ho no more considered himself as an Irishman thanan Englishman born at Calcutta considers himself as a Hindoo.

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