house, an extraordinary guard of soldiers.”  This, probably, was after the open exchange of words between Boulter and Swift.  The Primate had accused Swift of inflaming the minds of the people, and hinted broadly that he might incur the displeasure of the government.  “I inflame them!” retorted Swift, “had I but lifted my finger, they would have torn you to pieces.”  The day of the proclaiming of the order for the lowering of the gold was marked by Swift with the display of a black flag from the steeple of St. Patrick’s, and the tolling of muffled bells, a piece of conduct which Boulter called an insult to the government.

     It is a propos to record here the revenge Swift took on Boulter
     for the accusation of inflaming the people.  The incident was put by
     him into the following verse: 

       “At Dublin’s high feast sat primate and dean,
       Both dressed like divines, with hand and face clean: 
       Quoth Hugh of Armagh, ‘the mob is grown bold.’ 
       ‘Ay, ay,’ quoth the Dean, ‘the cause is old gold.’ 
       ‘No, no,’ quoth the primate, ’if causes we sift,
       The mischief arises from witty Dean Swift.’ 
       The smart one replies, ’There’s no wit in the case;
       And nothing of that ever troubled your grace. 
       Though with your state sieve your own motions you s—­t,
       A Boulter by name is no bolter of wit. 
       It’s matter of weight, and a mere money job;
       But the lower the coin, the higher the mob. 
       Go to tell your friend Bob and the other great folk,
       That sinking the coin is a dangerous joke. 
       The Irish dear joys have enough common sense,
       To treat gold reduced like Wood’s copper pence. 
       It’s pity a prelate should die without law;
       But if I say the word—­take care of Armagh!”

With the lowering of the gold the Primate imported L2,000 worth of copper money for Irish consumption.  Swift was most indignant at this, and his protest, printed by Faulkner, brought that publisher before the Council, and gave Swift a fit of “nerves.” (MS. Letter, March 31st, 1737, to Lord Orrery, quoted by Craik in Swift’s “Life,” vol. ii., p. 160.) Swift’s objection against the copper was due to the fact that it was not minted in Ireland.  “I quarrel not with the coin, but with the indignity of its not being coined here.” (Same MS. Letter.)

     Among the pamphlets in the Halliday collection in the Royal Irish
     Academy, Dublin, is a tract with the following title: 

     “Reasons why we should not lower the Coins now Current in this
     Kingdom ...  Dublin:  Printed and Sold by E. Waters in Dame-street.”

At the end of this tract is printed Swift’s speech to “an Assembly of above one Hundred and fifty eminent persons who met at the Guild Hall, on Saturday the 24th April, 1736, in order to draw up their Petition, and present it to his grace the Lord Lieutenant against lowering said Coin.”  It is from this tract that the present text has been taken.  The editor is obliged to Sir Henry Craik’s “Life of Swift” for drawing attention to this hitherto uncollected piece.

     [T.  S.]