you die, you die with honour and a pure confcience. The death of a plunderer and rebel is infamy and reprobation.

I repeat it you have nothing to expect from the French. Ireland they will never keep; or if they kept it, is it a reason that you should forfeit foul and confcience by plunder, treachery, and rebellion? St. Paul lays it down for a rule, that "the damnation of thofe is juft "who do evil that good may come."* What must not be the damnation of those who do evil' for the fake of mifchief? And Chrift declares, that "it availeth a man nothing, if he gain the "whole world and lofe his foul."

But by the coming of the French, your gain would fall fhort of your expectations, if any amongst you would be mad enough to entertain any expectations of the kind. When the French take a Roman Catholic captain, do they ever return him back his ship or restore him his liberty, in compliment to his religion? Are we to expect more from them by land, than by fea? If then in compliment to the Catholic religion, they would not return a fishing-boat to our diftreffed families, who would imagine they would give us all the eftates in the kingdom? Or is it because these estates belonged in remote times to our ancestors, that we could in confcience N 2 difpoffefs

* Romans, chap. iii.

difpoffefs the present owners, were it even in our power? The remains of old castles, formerly the feats of hofpitality, and the territories which still bear our names,-may remind ús of our origin, and inspire us with spirited fentiments, to which the lower clafs of people in other countries are entire ftrangers, and which a wife government could improve to the advantage of the state. Yet thefe memorials of ancient grandeur and family-importance, entitle us to no other pretenfions than that of scorning to do any thing base, vile, or treacherous.

We must imitate that defcendant of the Sidonian kings, who, from extreme poverty, worked in a garden: being asked by Alexander the Great, "How he fupported poverty ?" "Better,” replied he, "than I could support "grandeur. My hands fupply my wants: and "I want nothing, when I defire nothing." Pity, my brethren, that this man was not a Christian! Or pity, that the Christians do not refemble this Heathen! The most flourishing empires have fallen with time: the world is in á continual change: and the Roman Catholics muft share the fame fate with the rest of mankind.

There is no reviving old claims in this or any other country. Or perhaps, if we revived them, they could not stand the teft of fevere justice.

Our

Our ancestors have they ever encroached on their neighbours? On their firft landing in this kingdom, have not they taken these estates from the Carthaginians, Firbolgs, and ethers who were fettled here before them? If then the Proteftants, who are now in poffeffion, gave them up, to whom would they give them? If they have no right to them, because they belonged to our ancestors, our ancestors had no right to them, because they belonged to others. If a French general founded a trumpet, and defired us to take our lands, would not there be a thoufand pretenders to every eftate? Would not every one be eager for the best spot? And would not this spot fall to the fhare of the strongest, who would kill or overpower the weakest? I am afhamed, my brethren, at your reading fuch trifles in this paper. I fhould never have mentioned them, had not I read fuch a nonfenfical charge in the writings of some paltry scribblers, who, in order to keep our Proteftant neighbours in perpetual dread of inoffenfive fellow-fubjects, do not blush at an infult offered to common fenfe, and to the rights of mankind.

For, where property is once fettled,-secured by the laws of any realm,-and confirmed by a long poffeffion, there is no disturbing the proprietor. It is the general consent of nations, and the universal voice of mankind. By the

Roman

Roman laws, thirty years poffeffion fecures the poffeffor in the enjoyment of his property. Even in fcripture we read, that, when a king of the Ammonites had challenged fome lands which the Ifraelites had taken from his ancestors, Jephtah, the ruler of God's people, amongst other reasons, pleads a long poffeffion: "While "Ifrael dwelt in Hefhbon, why therefore did ye "not recover them within that time?"* Thus, from the first establishment of civil society, a long poffeffion annihilates all claims. And by the fame principles, every Proteftant gentleman in Ireland, has as good a right to his estate, as any Milesian had before him, For this I appeal to your confciences. As you are to appear before God, if you cut corn in the field of a Proteftant, or stole his hay, would not your confeffor compel you to reftitution? What right then fhould you have to the land, where you would fcruple to take the growth of it? Far then from giving you eftates, the French could not, by the laws of war and the principles of conquest, univerfally agreed on by civilized nations, take a foot of ground from any perfon in the kingdom, for their own ufe; much lefs for yours. If the nation fhould be unable to make head against them, and that the chief men of the kingdom, and the representatives of the people, fhould prefer prefervation to death, (as doubt

lefs they will, if they have not fuperior forces to oppose them)—they neither will nor can require any more than the allegiance of the inhabitants, the fame rates, taxes, and government-support, that were granted to the king of England. The natives will be fecured in the free exercise of their religion, the full enjoyment of their property, their laws, and privileges. This is always done. The reverfe would be an open violation of the laws of nations, which are binding on the very conquerors; and which, according to the prefent fyftem, they strictly obferve,

you

Thus, the common people are never interested in the change of government. They may change their masters: but they will not change their burden. The rich will be ftill rich. The poor will be poor. In France, they have poor of all trades and profeffions: it will be the fame here. But you will tell me," that at least "will have the free exercife of your religion." Pray, my brethren, do not your Proteftant neighbours grant you the free exercise of your religion? Would they not esteem you the more, in proportion as you would live up to its maxims? Even the worthy, learned, and charitable Dr. Mann, the Proteftant bishop, at the head of an affembly of his clergy, recommended benevolence and moderation towards the Roman

Catholics,

1