ferve death and damnation, what must not be the guilt of those who would flock to the enemy's ftandard, to the total overthrow and deAtruction of an entire kingdom? It would be vain to plead the hardships you fuffer; the profpect of being reinitated in the lands of which your ancestors have been deprived in times of general confufion; a more free and unlimited exercife of your religion; in fine, the last argument of a defperate man, "If they "come, I have nothing to lofe." Those reasons I have not heard from yourfelves: I have read them with furprise in fpeeches and effays against the repeal of the penal laws; and I hope in God, that your conduct shall for ever contradict them.

When an enemy lands in a country, every perfon has fomething to lofe. The labourer who refreshes his weary limbs with balmy fleep, and for whofe foft flumbers the gouty rich man would exchange his bed of down, would lofe his reft from continual fears and apprehenfions. When public works would be difcontinued, and tradefmen difmiffed by their employers, carpenters, mafons, flaters, &c. would lose their hire. It would not be with a view to feed an hungry Irifhman, that a number of French dragoons would make excurfions from their camp: it would be with a defign to carry

off

off his calf or pig, and to kill himself if he refifted. Whatever diftinction the laws of this unhappy kingdom may make between Proteftant and Papist, a conqueror's fword makes none. War levels and confounds all religions, where their profeffors are fubjects of a monarch whose kingdom is invaded.

When the French joined the Americans, it was not from love for the Prefbyterian religion, If they landed here, it would not be with a defign to promote the Catholic cause. When Oliver Cromwell beheaded Charles the first, brother-in-law to the king of France, and iffued a bloody decree, whereby all the English Catholics were commanded to quit the kingdom in the space of two months, the French, far from refenting the injury offered to the blood-royal and to the Catholic religion, fided Cromwell against Spain: and ordered the dutchefs of Savoy to promote and protect her Proteftant fubjects, whilft the English Catholics were (marting under the fcourge of perfecution, and threatened with total extermination.*

Thus all religions are alike to a political people, whofe only aim is intereft and conquest. Hence, in France, Proteftants of all denominations are promoted in the army. Proteftant generals command her forces. The order of Mili

Leti's Life of Cromwell.

tary

'tary Merit is inftituted for Proteftant officers. It is equal to them whether a foldier prays or curfes, whether he handles a bead or a prayer book,-provided he can manage a sword and a gun. And if thirty thousand men, under the denomination of French troops, landed in Ireland, fifteen thousand Proteftants, from France, Germany, Switzerland, &c. would make up half the number.

Neither are you to confide in their promife of protection. The moft part of yourselves can remember, that in the war of feventeen hundred and forty-five, they prevailed on the Pretender to invade Scotland. This adventurer, after fuffering more hardships than any romantic hero we read of, no fooner returned from this chimerical expedition to Paris, than, at the folicitation of the English ambaffador, he was forced to leave the kingdom of France. He died, about two months fince, without iffue;* and by his death has rid the kingdom of all fears arifing from the pretenfions of a family that commenced our deftruction, and completed our ruin. Of this I think fit to inform you,

as,

in all likelihood, if the French landed here, fome might give out, that he was in their camp, in order to deceive you by an imposture that would *Two months before the author wrote this address, the Pretender's death was announced in the papers.

would end in your deftruction. For all those who would join the French, would be strung up after the war, and give occafion of charging the whole body of the Roman Catholics with the treachery of fome of its rotten members. Or what protection could you expect from people who would facrifice the ties of kindred and friendship for the good of their state?

Expect then nothing from the French on the fcore of religion, but remain peaceably in your cottages. Mind your business as ufual, and be free from all ground lefs apprehenfions. Work for those who employ you: for it is against the laws of war to moleft or hurt any but fuch as oppofe the enemy, fword in hand: and the world muft allow that the French are not ftrangers to the laws of war, or the rules of military difcipline. The foldier himself in the rage of flaughter, feels the impulfe of humanity. He is bound to spare the fupplicant who cries out for quarter, and to protect the town or city that furrenders for want of power to refift. Secure your lives, which run the risk of being loft by the fword in fighting for the foe, or by the rope if you chanced to escape the danger of the field but above all, fave your fouls, which would be loft without refource: for among the crimes that exclude from the kingdom of Heaven, St. Paul reckons "fedition :" and what greater

N

1

greater fedition than to rise up against your king and country, and to defile your hands. with the blood of your fellow-fubjects.

Should the king and parliament adopt the policy of France, that rewards the foldier's valour, and leaves his religion to God,-should they enter on the liberal plan of the Proteftant powers of the continent, who level the fences, and make no diftinction between religious parties,-should the Catholic gentry, descended in a long line from warlike chieftains, and animated with the fame courage and magnanimity that crowned with laurels their relations and namefakes on the banks of the Rhine, the walls of Cremona, in the fields of Germany, and the plains of Fontenoy; where hands difqualified from using a gun in defence of their native country, have conquered cities and provinces for foreign kings,-should the Catholic gentry, I fay be empowered by parliament to join their Proteftant neighbours, and prefs to the ftandard of their country, at the head of a fpirited and active race of men, preferved by labour from the weakness of indolence, enured by habit to the rigours of manly exercise, and, like the Spartan youth, already half difciplined from the very nature of their fports and diverfions,then join the banners of your country: fight in fupport of the common cause.

If

you