Wood by it was empowered to coin 360 tons of copper into halfpence and farthings, which would have made L90,000, about the fifth part of all the current cash of Ireland; for that is not reckoned, by those who suppose it most, to be L500,000.  Now, the current cash of England is reckoned above twenty millions; in proportion, therefore, if Ireland wants L90,000 England will want four millions.  It is easy to imagine what would be said to a man that would propose to his majesty such a coinage; and it is agreed, that the people of England would not be more alarmed by such a patent, than the people of Ireland are, by the prospect of turning the fifth part of their current coin into brass.

“’This, so far as I can remember, is a brief of what passed in the meeting before my lord lieutenant’” ("History of St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” pp. lxxxvii-lxxxviii). [T.S.]]

How shall I, a poor ignorant shopkeeper, utterly unskilled in law, be able to answer so weighty an objection.  I will try what can be done by plain reason, unassisted by art, cunning or eloquence.

In my humble opinion, the committee of council, hath already prejudged the whole case, by calling the united sense of both Houses of Parliament in Ireland an “universal clamour.”  Here the addresses of the Lords and Commons of Ireland against a ruinous destructive project of an “obscure, single undertaker,” is called a “clamour.”  I desire to know how such a style would be resented in England from a committee of council there to a Parliament, and how many impeachments would follow upon it.  But supposing the appellation to be proper, I never heard of a wise minister who despised the universal clamour of a people, and if that clamour can be quieted by disappointing the fraudulent practice of a single person, the purchase is not exorbitant.

But in answer to this objection.  First it is manifest, that if this coinage had been in Ireland, with such limitations as have been formerly specified in other patents, and granted to persons of this kingdom, or even of England, able to give sufficient security, few or no inconveniencies could have happened, which might not have been immediately remedied.  As to Mr. Knox’s patent mentioned in the Report, security was given into the exchequer, that the patentee should at any time receive his halfpence back, and pay gold or silver in exchange for them.  And Mr. Moor (to whom I suppose that patent was made over) was in 1694 forced to leave off coining, before the end of that year, by the great crowds of people continually offering to return his coinage upon him.  In 1698 he coined again, and was forced to give over for the same reason.  This entirely alters the case; for there is no such condition in Wood’s patent, which condition was worth a hundred times all other limitations whatsoever.[5]

[Footnote 5:  It will serve to elucidate this paragraph if an account be given of the various coinage patents issued for Ireland.  Monck Mason gives an account in a long note to his biography of Swift; but as he has obtained it from the very ably written tract, “A Defence of the Conduct of the People of Ireland,” etc., I have gone to that pamphlet for the present resume.  I quote from pp. 21-24 of the Dublin edition, issued in 1724 and printed by George Ewing: