An Essay on the Antient and Modern State of IrelandBrooke, Henry
History
An Essay on the Antient and Modern State of Ireland
Brooke, Henry
Catholics -- Civil rights -- Ireland; Ireland -- Church history; Ireland -- History; Patrick, Saint, 373?-463?
It must afford real Satisfaction to consider the universal and visible
Reformation in the Lives and Morals even of our common People, clearly
evinced in this, that (thank Heaven) fewer legal Punishments succeed an
entire Circuit, in our happy Days, than did a single Assize in former
Reigns: And, without Question, this Reformation must still rise higher, in
Proportion to the Lenity of our worthy Legislature, and wise Indulgence of
our landed Men, who must certainly find it more conducive to the Welfare
of the State, and to their own Strength, Honour, and Interest, to have
their Estates farmed and inhabited by a great Number of honest, laborious
improving Families, than wasted by a few Purse-proud Bullock-Brokers, who
rarely allow the wretched Herd of an hundred, as much Ground for his own
and poor Family’s Support, as is equal to that of two Bullocks.
Suppose a Gentleman was to let two thousand Acres of arable Ground to
farm; were it not demonstrably more conducive to all the foregoing
Motives, to dispose of these to twenty honest, industrious Families, at an
hundred Acres each, than to any one Beau-Grazier whatever? From the twenty
Tenures, the Landlord may, in any national Shock, raise a considerable
Number of effective Hands, and zealous Hearts, for the Service of the
Crown, or Defence of his Country; and reap many signal Advantages to the
public and private Concernments of Life, not possibly derivable from the
anti-social Monopolizers and Forestallers of Farms; who ever fondly
attribute their Growth to their own Sagacity and Cleverness, without any
the least Gratitude or Obligation to the Land-owner. These Sentiments, it
is hoped, will every Day gain more and more Consideration with our wise
and beneficent Legislature, Nobility and Gentry.
Many intelligent Persons, of all Ranks, complain much of the Want of some
Establishment in the Way of a national Bank, to secure popular Credit, and
the Kingdom from the various alarming Shocks it is so frequently incident
to, on Account of the Failure of particular Banks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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