the public would rather pay for tranfporting all our unneceffary mortals, whether Papists or Protestants, to America, as drawbacks are fometimes allowed for exporting commodities where a nation is overstocked. I confefs myself to be touched with a very fenfible pleafure, when I hear of a mortality in any country-parifh or village, where the wretches are forced to pay for a filthy cabin and two ridges of potatoes treble the worth, brought up to fteal or beg, for want of work, to whom death would be the best thing to be wifhed for, on account both of themselves and the public,

Among all taxes impofed by the legislature, those upon luxury are univerfally allowed to be the moft equitable and beneficial to the fubject; and the commonest reafoner on government might fill a volume with arguments on the fubject. Yet here again, by the fingular fate of Ireland, this maxim is utterly false; and the puting it in practice may have fuch pernicious a confequence, as I certainly believe the thoughts of the propofers were not able to reach.

The miferies we fuffer by our absentees are of a far more extenfive nature than

feems

feems to be commonly underflood. I muft vindicate myself to the reader fo far, as to declare folemnly that what I fhall fay of those lords and fquires, doth not arise from the leaft regard I have for their understandings, their virtues, or their perfons. For, although I have not the honour of the leaft acquaintance with any one among them, (my ambition not foaring fo high) yet I am too good a witness of the fituation they have been in for thirty years past, the vencration paid them by the people, the high cfleem they are in among the prime nobility and gentry, the particular marks of favour and diftinction they receive from the court: The weight and confequence of their intereft, added to their great zeal and application for preventing any hardships their country might fuffer from England, wifely confidering that their own fortunes and honours were embarked in the fame bottom.

SENT

SENT то

DOCTOR SWIFT,

A

B Y

QUAKER,

When three hundred pounds were bid for taking up the DRAPIER.

A

I SAM. Chap. xiv. Ver. 45.

ND the people faid unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great falvation in Ifrael? "God forbid: As the LORD liveth, there "fhall not one hair of his head fall to the "ground; for he wrought with GoD "this day. So the people rescued Jona"than, that he died not."

A

A

LETTER from Sir JOHN BROWNE

то

DOCTOR SWIFT.

REVEREND SIR,

B

Dawfon-Street, April 4, 1728.

Y a strange fatality, though you were the only perfon in the world from whom I would conceal my being an author, yet you were unaccountably the only one let into the fecret of it: The ignorant poor man, who was entrusted by me to deliver out the little books, though he kept the fecret from all others, yet from the nature of the fubject, he concluded that I could have no intereft in concealing it from you, who were fo univerfally known to be an indefatigable promoter of the general welfare of Ireland. But though the accident gave me fome uneafiness at firft; yet, when I confider your character, I cannot doubt (however flender the foundation of fuch a hope may be from any merits of my own) but your generosity will oblige you to conceal what chance has revealed to you, and incline you to judge of me, not from the report

さ

of my enemies, but from what I appear in the little tracts which have waited on you.

I fhall not prefume, Sir, to detain you with the narrative of the original, and progrefs of the parliamentary accufations and votes against me; although, would you do me the honour to enquire, I could eafily convince you from my own particular cafe, that men have two characters, one which is either good or bad, according to the prevailing number of their friends or enemies, and one which never varies for either: One which has little or no regard to the virtue or vice of the fubject, and one which regards that alone, is inherent (if I may fay fo) in the subject, and defcribes it what it really is, without regard either to friends or enemies.

All I fhall beg of you, is to fufpend your judgment upon it, fince all parties allow that although I had feveral fummons from the Committee for Monday, and many evidences on the road in obedience to their fummons, yet I was tied down by the Committee the preceding Saturday, and deprived of the benefit of all my evidences, notwithstanding any thing I could urge to the contrary. This I hope I may

fay