SPEECH DELIVERED ON THE LOWERING OF THE COIN.

I beg you will consider and very well weigh in your hearts, what I am going to say and what I have often said before.  There are several bodies of men, among whom the power of this kingdom is divided—­1st, The Lord-Lieutenant, Lords Justices and Council; next to these, my Lords the Bishops; there is likewise my Lord Chancellor, and my Lords the Judges of the land—­with other eminent persons in the land, who have employments and great salaries annexed.  To these must be added the Commissioners of the Revenue, with all their under officers:  and lastly, their honours of the Army, of all degrees.

Now, Gentlemen, I beg you again to consider that none of these persons above named, can ever suffer the loss of one farthing by all the miseries under which the kingdom groans at present.  For, first, until the kingdom be entirely ruined, the Lord-Lieutenant and Lords Justices must have their salaries.  My Lords the Bishops, whose lands are set at a fourth part value, will be sure of their rents and their fines.  My Lords the Judges and those of other employments in the country must likewise have their salaries.  The gentlemen of the revenue will pay themselves, and as to the officers of the army, the consequence of not paying them is obvious enough.  Nay, so far will those persons I have already mentioned be from suffering, that, on the contrary, their revenues being no way lessened by the fall of money, and the price of all commodities considerably sunk thereby, they must be great gainers.  Therefore, Gentlemen, I do entreat you that as long as you live, you will look on all persons who are for lowering the gold, or any other coin, as no friends to this poor kingdom, but such, who find their private account in what will be detrimental to Ireland.  And as the absentees are, in the strongest view, our greatest enemies, first by consuming above one-half of the rents of this nation abroad, and secondly by turning the weight, by their absence, so much on the Popish side, by weakening the Protestant interest, can there be a greater folly than to pave a bridge of gold at your own expense, to support them in their luxury and vanity abroad, while hundreds of thousands are starving at home for want of employment.

MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.

IRISH ELOQUENCE.[196]

I hope you will come and take a drink of my ale.  I always brew with my own bear.  I was at your large Toun’s house, in the county of Fermanegh.  He has planted a great many oak trees, and elm trees round his lough:  And a good warrent he had, it is kind father for him, I stayd with him a week.  At breakfast we had sometimes sowins, and sometimes stirrabout, and sometimes fraughauns and milk; but his cows would hardly give a drop of milk.  For his head had lost the pachaun.  His neighbour Squire Dolt is a meer buddaugh.  I’d give a cow