Proteftant neighbour; though it was long enough to fet all Scotland in a blaze, and to deprive lord G *** G*** of his fenfes.

Should any of the Scotch mifionaries attend Mr. Wefley into this kingdom, and bring with them any of the ftumps of the fagots with which Henry the eighth, his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, and the learned James the firft, roafted the heretics of their times in Smithfield, or fome of the fagots with which the Scotch faints, of whofe proceedings Mr. Welley is become the apologist, have burnt the houses of their inoffenfive Catholic neighbours, we will convert them to their proper ufe. In Ireland the revolution of the great Platonic year is almost completed. Things are re-instated in their primitive order. And the fagot, which, without any miffion from Chrift, preached the gospel by orders of Catholic and Proteftant kings, is confined to the kitchen. Thus, what formerly roafted the man at the ftake, now helps to feed him. And nothing but the severity of winter, and the coldness of the climate in Scotland, could juftify Mr. Wefley in urging the rabble to light it. This is a bad time to introduce it amongst us, when we begin to be formidable to our foes, and united amongst ourselves. And to the glory of Ireland be it faid, We never condemned but murderers and perpetrators of unnatural crimes to the fagot.

By

*

By a statute of Henry the fixth, every Englishman of the Pale was bound to have his upper lip, or clip his whiskers, in order to diftinguish himself from an Irishman. By this mark of distinction, it feems that what Cam-pion calls in his old English, glib, and what' we call the beard, as well as the complexion and fize of both people, were much the fame. In my opinion it had tended more to their mutual intereft, and the glory of that monarch's reign, not to go to the nicety of splitting a hair, but encourage the growth of their fleeces, and infpire them with fuch mutual love for each other, as to induce them to kifs one another's beards, as brothers falute each other at Conftantinople, after a few days abfence. I am likewise of opinion, that Mr. Wefley, who prefaces his letter with, "The intereft of "the Proteftant religion," would reflect more honour on his ministry, in promoting the happiness of the people, by preaching love and union, than in widening the breach, and increafing their calamities by divifion. The English and Irish were at that.time of the fame religion; but, divided in their affections, were miferable. Though divided in speculative opinions, if united in sentiment, we would be happy. The English fettlers breathed the

* See the ftatutes of that king, and lament the effects of divifions fomented by fovereigns.

vital air in England, before they inhaled the foft breezes of our temperate climate. The present generation can fay "Our fathers and "grandfathers have been born, bred, and bu"ried here: we are Irishmen, as the defcen"dants of the Normans, who have been born "in England, are Englishmen."

Thus, born in an ifland in which the ancients might have placed their Hefperian gardens and golden apples, the temperature of the climate, and quality of the foil, inimical to poi Jonous infects, have cleansed our veins from the four and acid blood of the Scythians and Saxons. We begin to open our eyes, and to learn wif dom from the experience of ages: we are tender-hearted: we are good-natured: we have feelings we fhed tears on the urns of the dead; deplore the lofs of hecatombs of victims flaughtered on the gloomy altars of religious bigotry; cry in feeing the ruins of cities over which fanaticism has difplayed the funeral torch, and fincerely pity the blind zeal of our Scotch and English neighbours, whose conftant character is to pity none, for erecting the banners of perfecution, at a time when the inquifition is abolished in Spain and Milan, and the Proteftant gentry are careffed at Rome, and live unmolefted in the luxuriant plains of France and Italy.

The

The ftatute of Henry the fixth is now grown obfolete. The razor of calamity has thaved our lower and upper lips, and given us smooth faces. Our land is uncultivated, our country a defart. Our natives are forced into the fervice of foreign kings, ftorming towns, and in the very heat of flaughter, tempering Irish courage. with Irish mercy *. All our misfortunes flow from long-reigning intolerance, and the storms which, gathering firft in the Scotch and English atmosphere, never failed to burst over our heads.

We are too wife to quarrel about religion. The Roman Catholics fing their pfalms in Latin with a few inflections of the voice. Our Proteftant neighbours fing the fame pfalms in English on a larger fcale of mufical notes. We never quarrel with our honeft and worthy neighbours, the Quakers, for not singing at all; nor shall we ever quarrel with Mr. Wesley for raifing his voice to Heaven, and warbling forth his canticles on whatever tune he pleases, whether it be the tune of Guardian Angels, or Langolee. We like focial harmony, and in civil mufic hate difcordance. Thus, when we go to the shambles,

* Count Dillon and the Irish Brigade could not be prevailed on by D'Estaing to put the English garrifon to the fword. "We will not kill our Countrymen," faid they. Would it not be wifer to let these gallant men go to mafs, and ferve their own king?

we

we never enquire into the butcher's religion, but into the quality of his meat: we care not whether the ox was fed in the pope's territories, or on the mountains of Scotland, provided the joint be good for though there be many herefies in old books, we discover neither herefy nor fuperftition in beef and claret. We divide them cheerfully with one another, and though of different religions, we fit over the bowl with as much cordiality as if we were at a love-feast.

The Proteftant Affociations of Scotland and England may pity us; but we feel more comfort than if we were scorching one another with fire and fagot. Instead of finging " peace to "men of good will on earth," does Mr. Wefley intend to found the fury Alecto's horn, or the war-shell of the Mexicans? The Irifh, who have no refource but in their union, does he mean to arm them against each other? One maffacre, to which the fanaticifm of the Scotch and English regicides gave rife, is more than enough Mr. Wesley should not fow the feeds of a fecond. When he felt the firft-fruits and illapfes of the fpirit,-when his zeal, too extenfive to be confined within the majestic temples of the church of England, or the edifying meeting-houses of the other Chriftians, prompted him to travel moft parts of Europe and America, and to establish a religion and houses of worship of his own, what oppofi

tion