But to go on.  To remove our direful apprehensions that he will drain us of our gold and silver by his coinage, this little arbitrary mock-monarch most graciously offers to take our manufactures in exchange.  Are our Irish understandings indeed so low in his opinion?  Is not this the very misery we complain of?  That his cursed project will put us under the necessity of selling our goods for what is equal to nothing.  How would such a proposal sound from France or Spain, or any other country we deal with, if they should offer to deal with us only upon this condition, that we should take their money at ten times higher than the intrinsic value?  Does Mr. Wood think, for instance, that we will sell him a stone of wool for a parcel of his counters not worth sixpence, when we can send it to England and receive as many shillings in gold and silver?  Surely there was never heard such a compound of impudence, villainy and folly.

His proposals conclude with perfect high-treason.  He promises, that no person shall be obliged to receive more than five-pence half-penny of his coin in one payment:  by which it is plain that he pretends to oblige every subject in this kingdom to take so much in every payment, if it be offered; whereas his patent obliges no man, nor can the prerogative by law claim such a power, as I have often observed; so that here Mr. Wood takes upon him the entire legislature, and an absolute dominion over the properties of the whole nation.

Good God!  Who are this wretch’s advisers?  Who are his supporters, abettors, encouragers, or sharers?  Mr. Wood will oblige me to take five-pence half-penny of his brass in every payment.  And I will shoot Mr. Wood and his deputies through the head, like highway-men or house-breakers, if they dare to force one farthing of their coin upon me in the payment of an hundred pounds.  It is no loss of honour to submit to the lion; but who, with the figure of a man can think with patience of being devoured alive by a rat?  He has laid a tax upon the people of Ireland of seventeen shillings at least in the pound; a tax, I say, not only upon lands, but interest-money, goods, manufactures, the hire of handicraftsmen, labourers and servants.  Shop-keepers, look to yourselves.  Wood will oblige and force you to take five-pence half-penny of his trash in every payment, and many of you receive twenty, thirty, forty, payments in one day, or else you can hardly find bread:  and pray consider how much that will amount to in a year; twenty times five-pence half-penny is nine shillings and two-pence, which is above an hundred and sixty pounds a year, whereof you will be losers of at least one hundred and forty pounds by taking your payments in his money.  If any of you be content to deal with Mr. Wood on such conditions they may.  But for my own particular, let his money perish with him.  If the famous Mr. Hampden rather chose to go to prison than pay a few shillings to King Charles I. without authority of Parliament, I will rather choose to be hanged than have all my substance taxed at seventeen shillings in the pound, at the arbitrary will and pleasure of the venerable Mr. Wood.