them There may be several particular methods proposed for weakning that Interest and incapacitating them of being any further troublesome to England such as Banishing their Priests and Fryars taking care to have their Children or the greater part of them educated in the Principles of the Protestant Religion as the French do to have those of the Protestants in their Country brought up to Popery The prohibiting of Papists by Law to purchase any Lands or Freeholds in that Kingdom and so forth But if the Government of England would think convenient to have Parliaments more frequently call'd in Ireland than they usually have been especially in the Reign of King Charles II. who never called one from the time of the Settlement of that Country to the day of his Death which without dispute gave the Irish Papists great opportunities of growing upon us and being in a Condition of giving England such vigorous Opposition as they did in the late War whether his design in that omission was to give that People those opportunities or no I shall not determine but am confident that if Parliaments were frequently call'd there and the management of Affairs were in some measure left to their discretion there would be such prudent and effectual courses taken for suppressing the Natives of that Country as would for ever prevent their being mischievous or uneasie to England and 't is certain that there is nothing which the considering and cunning Men among them do dread more but have had in all former Reigns the Interest in the English Court to prevent it By this means of frequent Parliaments and allowing the freedom of Trade in some measure to the English of that Country it would in a few Years appear that Ireland is of greater advantage to the English than any thing they ever added to their Dominions of which the Kings of England would be very sensible by the vast Revenues that would accrue to them and this without prejudice to the Trade of England whose Commodities out-sell those of Ireland in all Foreign Markets and considering that the Traders of Ireland lie already under such Restrictions that 't is impossible they should ever injure England either in relation to its Manufactures at home or its Commerce abroad tho' there are some of that unsatiable Temper that they think whatever the poor English of Ireland do gain by their Industry and the blessing of God upon their Endeavours to be just so much lost out of their own Treasures Having said something of the Irish Natives in general I come now to their Commerce and manner of living and how far such a Law if enacted will affect them Tho' it is not to be doubted but that many more of the Ingenious sort of them are fallen into Trade in imitation of the English yet they are no farther concern'd in the Woollen Manufactures than in buying from the Protestant Tradesmen some small quantities of them for their own use and some perhaps to Transport by way of Merchandize into other Countries Nor are the Gentry or the better sort of them much addicted to the keeping of Flocks or raising Sheep for such of them as are possessed of any considerable quantities of Land especially if they be ancient Families think themselves above any business of that kind or at least never mind it but live after a careless and prodigal way pleasing themselves with a great company of Followers Servants and Tenants the last of which are in the nature of Villains to them and so that they have but a sufficient number of Sheep for their own use do not much care nor indeed understand how to propagate them Sometimes where their Women are extrordinary Housewives which is rare among 'em they make Frize and ordinary Linnen for the use of their Families this is all the Manufacture they are concern'd in and indeed is scarce worth mentioning But lest it should be imagined that the Generality of the Irish may be further concern'd in the Manufacture of that Kingdom 't will not be amiss to give an Account of their Commerce and manner of Living and there are two Degrees of them the first is a kind of People that call themselves Gentlemen and Old Proprietors and hope at one time or other to be restored to their ancient Estates and the Number of this kind of Men is very considerable for in the late War when they were by virtue of the Act of Repeal restored to their diminutive Estates there were many of them that could not claim above 12 some not above 10 and other 6 Acres of Land 50 or 60 Acres were large Fortunes among them for it was a Custom among most of the ancient Irish to make an equal dividend of whatever Lands they purchased among all their Sons which is the true reason that there are so many of those People in that Country and which next to their Priests and Fryars are the Persons that of the whole Irish Nation are most dangerous and vexatious to the English for they think themselves injured Persons being as they say unjustly dispossessed of their Estates those small Proprietors being excluded by the Act of Settlement passed in that Kingdom after the Wars of 41. They are generally careful to procure some kind of Learning for their Children whose Accomplishments are chiefly the speaking of Latin Writing tolerably well and Playing on the Harp they think themselves too much Gentlemen to put their Sons to Trades or breed them up to any thing that is Laborious which is what they never betake themselves to but sometimes walk about with their Snush-horns enquiring for News heretofore concerning the French King and his Successes against the Confederates but now I suppose their Enquiries will be concerning the Prince of Wales what kind of Spark he is like to prove and whether they may expect ever by his means to be restored to their Estates at other times they smoak Tobacco by their Fire sides or if the Weather be warm Sleep or Lowze themselves under the Hedges and spend the rest of their time after some lazy and fruitless manner but they are always in a readiness upon the least Commotion to joyn the Enemies of England and by the assistance of their Clergy do compel the poor ignorant Common-People to follow them to all the Mischiefs imaginable giving themselves the Titles of Colonels Captains and what other Officers they think convenient according to the Numbers they can assemble But it will now be convenient to give some short account of those other poor common Irish their Commerce and manner of Living They are a People of so tame and cowardly a Disposition that were they not actuated by their Gentry and Clergy and they were in never so great a Tumult did the English but appear to them with their Cudgels and Scourges only they would undoubtedly betake themselves to their several Labours and Employments which being considered it will appear how far they are concern'd in the Woollen Manufactures
A DISCOURSE Concerning IRELAND AND THE Different INTERESTS thereof In Answer to the Exon and Barnstaple Petitions SHEWING That if a Law were Enacted to prevent the Exportation of Woollen-Manufactures from IRELAND to Foreign Parts what the Consequences thereof would be both to ENGLAND and IRELAND Pro Aris Focis Lâ—NDON Printed for Tho. Nott at the Queen's-Arms 〈…〉 the Pall-Mall and are to 〈…〉 by E. Whitlock 〈◊〉 Stationers-Hall 1697 8. PREFACE HAving seen in the Votes of the Honourable House of Commons the Contents of two Petitions one preferred by the Inhabitants of Exon and the other by those of Barnstaple c. which in the Opinion of all such as I have conversed with who know the Affairs of Ireland have a malign and fatal Aspect upon the English Interest and the Established Church of that Nation and being desired by some well-wishers to both Countries to publish my Thoughts upon this Subject I think my self bound by the Sacred Tyes of Religion as well as the Common Obligations of Nature to gratify their Desires in this Particular and do hope to make appear in the following Tract that the fore mentioned Petitions are not only the most unreasonable but the most unconscionable Requests that could be made to that August Assembly for if they mean as it is universally believ'd they do that the High Court of Parliament to gratify the Petitioners Request should enact a Law to prevent the Exportation of Woollen Manufactures from Ireland to Foreign Parts and consequently to Ruin the English of Ireland I know nothing more extravagant which they could have desired unless it were that a Law should be enacted against the Church of England or the City of London the English of Ireland having been upon all Occasions since they were a People the truest and stanchest Friends the Monarchs and People of England ever had I had I confess some Thoughts relating to this Affair the last Session of Parliament but after the prorogation thereof being persuaded by some I conversed with that the Parliament of England would not proceed further upon that Matter I forbore to make them publick but seeing the fore-mentioned Petitions I am forced to put them together after the best manner I can in that small compass of time I have for doing it so that it cannot well be expected the following Paper should appear so correct and accurate as it might if I had time either to consider further of it or consult my Friends but Truth I hope will not be rejected because She appears in a mean and humble Habit and I do affirm that to the best of my Vnderstanding I shall deliver nothing else in this Discourse There may perhaps some small Mistakes be occasioned through haste or inadvertency but the main Scope of it is Fair and Honest and I shall not in any one particular endeavour to impose upon those to whose Consideration it is submitted It may perhaps be objected that I might have written more politely if I had done it with that brevity which is now usual upon other Occasions but indeed the Subject is of so great Consequence that I think I have not altogether done right to it having to avoid Prolixity omitted several things I might have said and I would desire those who may think it tedious or whose Occasions may not suffer them to read the whole to omit the first part which is Historical and begin at Page 37 where that which is most material begins to be treated of and which will not take up much time in the perusal The great Motive I am told which induced the Western People to prefer Petitions against Ireland is the Notion they have of our being grown Rich and full of Money and Trade since the late War which was undoubtedly occasioned partly indeed because one particular People among us of whom I shall speak at large in the following Pages have engrossed the greater part of what Riches there are in Ireland and make a greater figure than ever they did before and partly by the unwary Discourses of some of our own Country that travel into England who cannot bear the very beginnings of Prosperity and are so vain-glorious that they think they cannot sufficiently extol their own Riches and Magnificence when God knows that poor Ireland in her highest Prosperity never was nor is like to be guilty of so unpardonable a Sin as being Rich to that degree that the English Nation should have cause to envy her or be jealous of her A DISCOURSE Concerning IRELAND c. THE greatest and the wisest Nations under Heaven being subject to human Frailties are apt sometimes to conceive wrong Notions of things and I know no Opinion more groundless and withal more universally received by the People of England than that which they entertain concerning that unhappy Kingdom of Ireland which of all the Territories that they have by their powerful and victorious Arms subdued to the Obedience of this Crown has been as they imagine and would perswade others the most dearly purchased They generally believe that Aceldama to have cost England greater Numbers of Men and vaster Quantities of Treasure computing the Expence of both from the time that the English had first footing there till the Conclusion of the late War than it really did the Greeks to Conquer the World by the Prowess of Alexander the Great or the Romans to do the same under the Conduct of Julius Caesar For we are told by Historians that the Armies commanded by those Generals were recruited by every fresh Victory they obtained and the People that had one Day the misfortune to be subdued by them must the next Day assist in the Destruction of their Neighbours The Spoils of conquered Nations in hand and the Prospect of Empire at length were the great Encouragements those Conquerors had to undergo their Toils and Labours The Riches of the Foreign World were their principal Funds for the payment of their Forces and tho' it would be absurd to imagine that they had not frequently and especially upon all urgent Occasions Succors from their own Countries yet those great things which in their different Ages in the World are attributed to them were principally atchieved at the Expence both of the Blood and Treasures of their vassal and tributary Provinces which daily increased as they went forward with their Conquests But a great many of the English Nation are fully perswaded that the course of their Victories in Ireland was not so swift and easy but that the Methods by which it hath been brought under subjection have been very different and the Work much more difficult and tedious For that being a poor and moneyless Country there were no very great Encouragements for an Army to Conquer it so that it was gained by piece-meal and England was at the whole Expence of subduing it for from the Reign of King Henry II. till the latter end of Queen Elizabeths Days being 432. Years it was not entirely conquered in
Foreign Plantations as those of Newfoundland in particular whose Case is not very unlike to ours the French not long ago invaded those Coasts landed a Party of Soldiers there who committed all manner of Hostilities where-ever they came took one or more of their Fortifications and reduced the Inhabitants who are Subjects of England to a most wretched and lamentable Condition insomuch that some hundreds of them were forced to fly for Refuge into other Countries or Plantations And to redress these Injuries England thought convenient to fit out a Squadron of Ships with some Regiments of Land-Forces which were sent upon that Expedition not without a considerable Expence to the Nation Now this Expedition being over and those poor People being settled in their former Habitations begin to follow their respective Imployments and retrieve some part of the great Losses which they sustained by the Enemy should England now take up a prejudice against them give them the denomination of Americans or Indians and impose such severe Rules or Laws upon them in respect to their Trade or Commerce that such of them as could live elsewhere must quit that Country and such other poor People as could not so easily remove from thence must be reduced to so miserable and low a Condition that they must lie obnoxious to the cruelties and fury of the neighbouring Indians or any other Enemy that should think fit to attack them this would in all probability bring England in some few Years under the necessity either of quitting their Pretensions to that Colony or sending another Fleet and Army to regain it and would rather be thought Cruelty or Infatuation than Prudence or good Management And yet I know not how it comes to be thought otherwise in reference to Ireland which is esteemed by all the wise Men of England as much more necessary and precious than Newfoundland or any other Plantation or Colony of that kind as their Gold and Silver is in comparison to their Half-pence and Farthings And if they rightly consider the matter they cannot but conclude that the English of Ireland let them call us Irish-men or what they please are a body of Men which next to themselves in Great Britain they ought to love and value more than any People under Heaven since we are Flesh of their Flesh and Bone of their Bone and there is so natural and intimate a Relation and Connexion between them and us that we are always ready to stand or fall to be happy or miserable with them It would be thought very unnatural and barbarous were there any one so mad as to be guilty of such a thing that a Man should be angry with his Hand or Foot and should therefore use means to prevent the Circulation of the Blood and stop the Passage of the common Nutriment of the Body into that part this would in all human probability cause such violent Distempers in the Body as might occasion the Stagnation of the whole Mass of Blood and the Dissolution of the Body And this is certainly in a politick Sense the Case of England and Ireland If it be necessary for the Security and well being of this Nation that the Soveraignty of Ireland should still be continued to the Kings of England and yet that the People of England will rather choose to ruin the intire Interests of their Friends in that Country than suffer them to turn the most beneficial Productions thereof to their Advantage it may in some time prove very prejudicial if not fatal to the People of England themselves which will further appear from the more than probable if not the necessary Consequences of such a Statute which I shall endeavour as briefly and plainly as I can to offer to the Consideration of such as will vouchsafe to peruse this Paper And 1. The first and immediate Consequence that must necessarily follow the promulgation of such a Law will be the unavoidable Ruin of those many Thousands of English Families who live by the Woollen Manufactures in Ireland and in which the Strength of the English Interest in that Kingdom doth in a great measure consist when their Trades are rendred useless to them and they are incapacitated of earning their Bread thereby they must at least the greater part of them remove themselves and their Families into some other part of the World where they may hope for a livelihood for in Ireland 't will be morally impossible they should have it since Tradesmen of this kind are generally Strangers to all Callings except those in which they were educated To England great part of them dare no more venture than those who since last Session of Parliament transplanted themselves from the Fryars and other priviledged Places and tho' 't is not to be believed that the Parliament of England would deliberately and wilfully do any thing that may lessen the number of the English and weaken their own Interest in Ireland yet if we should suppose that they should enact such Laws for the Encouragement of those Tradesmen by which their Creditors in England must be very easy to them or indeed forgive them their whole Debts even this would not prove a sufficient motive to them for returning into England for if they could not live here in the beginning of their time much less will they be now able to subsist by what they shall earn having been accustomed to the exuberant Plenty and Cheapness of Ireland and having generally very numerous Families that Country being remarkably fruitful for the procreation of Children If they should remove to Scotland as 't is not unlikely many of them would upon such an occasion that Country being much cheaper than England and it being not improbable that there would be great Encouragements proposed to them there they must in all probability imbody with the Scotch and become one People with them in relation both to their Religion and Civil Interests for we know by woful Experience that Men of those ordinary Capacities are but too prone and easy to be drawn away from the antient established Church of these Nations especially when they can propose to themselves any temporal Advantages thereby and by this means the People of Scotland with their Correspondents and Friends in Ireland both their Interests being inseparable will not only be the easier and cheaper furnished with Woollen Manufactures to carry on their East-India Trade but will be capacitated to Trade to the West-Indies also and that notwithstanding the Restriction laid or to be laid upon them by England that they should not carry any Commodities to the Western Plantations except Servants and Provisions which is all the People of Ireland are allowed to transport into that part of the World they will I say by this means be in a great measure enabled to carry on a Trade to America that is if what they have lately said in the Case of the Royal-Fishery be allowed them that being a free unconquered People no Laws can affect them
notwithstanding the People of Exon's Complaint of the want of Irish Wool I can produce undeniable Proof that the very last Summer the Wool of the Western part of that Kingdom lay on the Owners Hands for a considerable time the Factors concern'd for the English Dublin and Cork Merchants having offered but five Shillings a Stone for the best Wool of a full Years growth which is sixteen Pound Averdupoize Weight and 't is certain that in Dublin the current Price of it was but seven Shillings and six Pence and I am ready to demonstrate that good three Year old Weathers in as full Wool as they could be at that time of the Year were sold in November last at five Pound a Score in the same part of Ireland So that all the People of Ireland that are now in England with whom I have had the Opportunity of Discoursing upon this Subject are of Opinion that it had been a greater piece of Prudence in the Inhabitants of Exon c. to have petitioned the Parliament of England that the People of Ireland might be encouraged to propagate that kind of Cattel and not hindered of their little Manufactures which do not really injure any People in England than to prefer a Petition which if it occasion such a Law as I have already mentioned will in all human probability be so grand a Discouragement to the Sheep masters of Ireland that the Merchants and Manufacturers of England will not find the tenth part of the Wool to be imported from Ireland which in two or three Years they might have otherwise expected But to conclude the whole I am partly assured that the main Body of the People of England are of Opinion that all effectual means ought to be used that the Irish Papists may never grow upon the English of that Nation and become again vexatious and chargeable to England and I think I have sufficiently demonstrated that there can be no greater Service done to the main Body of the vulgar Irish than the passing of the forementioned Law And as for the Scotch perhaps many in England may think that they prove as good Trustees in Ireland as the English of that Country and that if the English Interest there were ruined or broken Episcopacy deposed and Presbytery establish'd 't would do as well But I am confident all true Friends to the present happy Constitution of the Government of England and Ireland both in Church and State will be of Opinion that it will be much more prudential and infinitely more advantageous to England that the Government and Estates of Ireland should be continued in the Hands of the English and we should be preserved in a Condition of standing by England upon any occasion both with Men and Money of which this Law must render us wholly uncapable than that we should for the bare prospect of some poor inconsiderable Profit to some particular Persons be weakened and left at the Mercy of those that 't is known to the World would have but little Compassion upon us could they be assured of carrying their point against us This I say I believe will be the Opinion of the great the wise Counsellors and Senators of England to whose Wisdom I most humbly submit what I have written upon this Subject and refer the further confideration of what the Consequences of such a Law as I have already so often mentioned may be to that unfortunate Kingdom of Ireland and even to England it self and whose Consultations I pray God to direct to the advancement of his own Glory the good of his Church the honour of his Sacred Majesty and the safety and welfare of these Kingdoms ERRATA PAG. 25. lin 21. read than those p. 33. l. 3. for that r. tho' p. 37. l. 23. for Masters r. Owners p. 44. l. â—9 dele Families l. 31. r. 30000. p. 69. l. 23. dele two FINIS