who is reported to have fome hundreds of houfes in this town, is said to have purchased the greater part of them at half value from ruined undertakers, hath intelligence of all new houses where the finifhing is at a stand, takes advantage of the builder's diftrefs, and, by the advantage of ready money, gets fifty per cent. at leaft for his bargain. It is another undifputed maxim in government, that people are the riches of a nation; which is fo univerfally granted, that it will be hardly pardonable to bring it in doubt. And I will grant it to be fo far true, even in this island, that, if we had the African custom or privilege, of felling our useless bodies for flaves to foreigners, it would be the most useful branch of our trade, by ridding us of a moft unfupportable burthen, and bringing us money in the ftead. But, in our prefent fituation, at least five children in fix who are born, lie a dead weight upon us for want of employment. And a very skilful computer af fured me, that above one-half of the fouls in this kingdom fupported themselves by begging and thievery, whereof two-thirds would be able to get their bread in any other country upon earth. Trade is the only incitement to labour: Where that fails, the poorer native must either beg, fteat, or ftarve, or be forced to quit his country. This hath made me often wifh, for fome years past, that, instead of discouraging our people from feeking foreign foil, that the public would rather pay for transporting all our unneceffary mortals, whether Papists or Proteftants, to America, as draw-backs 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-parish 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 pu blic. Among all taxes impofed by the legislature, thofe upon luxury are univerfally allowed to be the most equitable and beneficial to the subject; and the commoneft reafoner on government, might fill a volume with arguments on the subject. Yet here again, by the fingular fate of Ireland, this maxim is utterly false; and the putting it in practice may have fuch a pernicious confequence, as I certainly believe the thoughts of the propofers were not able to reach. The miferies we fuffer by our abfentees, are of a far more extenfive nature than feems to be commonly understood. 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 arife from the leaft regard I have for their underftandings, their virtues, or their perfons. For, although I have not the honour of the leaft acquaintance P 3 1 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 veneration paid them by the people, the high efteem they are in among the prime nobility and gentry, the particular marks of favour and distinction they receive from the court, the weight and conféquence of their interest, 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 TO DOCTOR SWIFT, B Y A 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." LE T A T T TER FROM SIR JOHN BROWNE to DOCTOR SWIFT. REV. SIR, B Dawfon-Sreet, 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 uneafinefs 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 generofity will oblige you to conceal what |