powerfully cogent reasons for it) to co-operate with him; and instead of writing a history myself, to consign all my information and materials to him. But I found also powerfully cogent reasons on the other side, and was assured by some men of cultivated minds and undoubted loyalty, some of them protestant clergymen with ample benefices, who knew the baronet, that they expected his work to answer no good purpose, except that of private emolument, from the intemperance with which they supposed it would be written. I have good reason to think that the anonymous invectives, published against me in the Dublin Journal, were the compositions of the baronet, in one of which the tragic fire of his own style is highly praised.* I am also informed, that he speaks in a manner little to his own credit, in various companies, against me; all this excites in me neither fear nor anger. As peace is by the divine mercy restored to this realm, the system of terror must gradually decline, which at present prevents those loyalists, who can prove in favour of my history, from allowing their affidavits to be published; and so must also the influence of a powerful juncto, * This fire appears in very rare flashes, with very great and dark intervals. Inceptis gravibus plerumque, et magna professis, Assuitur pannus. HORAGE. whose members labour by every method, vel prece, vel pretio, vel vi, to throw discredit on my book; and thus the truth, which will at length be fully established by my supplement, will in the mean time be gradually forcing its way. To all of any discernment, who have looked into Sir Richard's book, (very, very few, indeed, are those who have had patience to read it through!) it is evidently a party production, calculated for the political and religious fervour of the day. To those who examine it with attention and discernment, it appears manifestly founded on garbled informations, and garbled affidavits, and : interlarded with fictions. When a man gives evidence in a court of justice, he is bound to declare the whole truth; and by a cross-examination much may be elicited, which otherwise inight lie concealed. But, though an affidavit may contain nothing but the truth, yet, since it may not contain the whole truth, it may be so framed and worded, by garbling the evidence of the affidavit man, as to give a misrepresentation, instead of a fair statement, of a fact. By such garbling a moderately handsome female might be represented as ugly enough, by a selection of all which might favour that idea, and the omission of whatever could militate against it. I am personally acquainted with men, whose affidavits are published in the baronet's collection, whose evidence, on an examination in a court of justice, would prove the truth of what I say. If a history of this period could be written on the croppy side of the question, in the same spirit as that of the baronet, and with a like support of a powerful faction, a picture of the rebellion would be exhibited directly the reverse of his, founded on affidavits in a similar way. On the publication of such a book, my readers might be better able to judge whether investigating the path of truth between the extremes of party, I have endeavoured to confine myself within those bounds, quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum. My wish is to hold the balance even; to expose the faults of all parties alike; to present in plain unornamented language topics of mutual forbearance and forgiveness to both sides, who ought to rest satisfied with mutual vengeance already inflicted. I have reason to conclude that some practical good has already ensued from the faithful mirror which I have endeavoured to place before them, neither distorting the one side, nor flattering the other. I know some, and hear of many, who formerly boasted of shocking atrocities as heroic exploits, or landable effusions of loyalty or zeal for the protestant religion, who are now silent on the subject, or speak in such a tone as denotes either shame or contrition for these acts of theirs. I feel much pleasure in the change, and even some degree of pride in having, in some small measure, contributed to a reformation in my countrymen. The baronet boasts of the rapid sale of his book. All productions absurdly violent in favour of a predominant party, have in the fervour of the moment a quick sale, and are soon forgotten; while works of real merit have a contrary course. The sale of the former sort of books is even forced sometimes in part. Dialogues of the following import are ascribed to a writer of memoirs, perhaps of the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth against king James the Second, when thousands of protestants were put to death, and even women burned alive, by the instruments of a Roman catholic king, the least imputation of disloyalty to whom was fatal to the accused person. I should be sorry to impute such dialogues to our baronet. Author. Pray, sir, how do you like my memoirs? Gentleman. Indeed, Sir Francis, I have not read them. Author. What! not read my book! that is astonishing! well, you have bought it, and will read it immediately. Gentleman. Indeed, I must confess, I have not bought it. Author. What! not bought it! A library is no library without it. You must buy it. I'll send now for it for you. с Gentleman. Indeed I cannot buy it, as I wish to forget my sufferings in that calamitous period. Author. I must insist on your buying it, for you cannot otherwise be a loyalist. Argumentum ad-I forget my logic.-Candid and reasonable men are to be the ultimate judges of my book, as they are of all booksand not Sir Richard, and the divan of which he is the mouth-piece; or the monk-ridden part of the catholics-all of these are equally hostile to me and my book. While I adhere to the salutary spirit, the presiding moderation, and healthful temperament of the constitution of the British empire, I may be excused, if occasionally I indulge a smile at the expence of these worthies; or shed a tear over their infirmities. From the black and angry passions of the hour, and rooted prejudices of a naturally brave, bold and generous, but mismanaged people, I expect not, nor could expect either favour, or approbation.have other sources of comfort-other grounds of hope. Here I intended to end my preface, but I find another objection made from a powerful quarter. Though I have been many years engaged in the naturally blended studies of geography and history, I never once in all that time imagined, that to write on such subjects, in a manner tending to the information of the understandings, and the improvement of the morals, of my countrymen, could be considered as reprehensible |