The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IVGreville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 1 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 3): A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- George IV, 1820-1830; Great Britain -- History -- William IV, 1830-1837
Moore gave an account this morning of his being examined in
Trinity College, Dublin, when a boy, during the rebellion. Many
of the youths (himself, and he says he is pretty sure Croker,
among the number) had taken the oath of the United Irishmen[13]
(Emmett[14] and some others who were in the College had
absconded). The Chancellor (Lord Clare) came to the College,
erected his tribunal, and examined all the students upon oath. He
asked first if they had belonged to any society of United Irish,
and, if the answer was in the affirmative, he asked whom they had
ever seen there and what had passed. Contumacy was punishable by
expulsion and exclusion from every profession. At the end of the
first day's examination Moore went home to his parents, and told
them he could not take an oath which might oblige him to
criminate others (as he should be forced to answer any question
they might choose to put), and though they were poor, and had
conceived great hopes of him, they encouraged him in this
resolution. The next day he was called forth, when he refused to
be sworn, stating his reasons why. The Chancellor said he did not
come there to dispute with him, but added that they should only
ask him general questions, on which he took the oath, but
reserved to himself the power of declining to answer particular
questions. They only asked him such questions as he could
conscientiously answer (they had got all the information they
wanted, and were beginning to relax), but when they had done with
him Lord Clare asked him why he had demurred to answer. He said
he was afraid he might be called on to criminate others, and that
he had never taken an oath before, and naturally felt some
reluctance and dread on such an occasion.
[13] He did not take the oath till after this examination.
[14] He had lived in intimacy with Emmett.
Moore told a story of an Irishman who saw from the pit a friend
of his acting Othello, and he called out, 'Larry, Larry, Larry,
there's the least taste in life of your linen hanging out!' One
day in America near the falls of Niagara Moore saw this scene:--
An Indian whose boat was moored to the shore was making love to
the wife of another Indian; the husband came upon them unawares;
he jumped into the boat, when the other cut the cord, and in an
instant it was carried into the middle of the stream, and before
he could seize his paddle was already within the rapids. He
exerted all his force to extricate himself from the peril, but
finding that his efforts were vain, and his canoe was drawn with
increasing rapidity towards the Falls, he threw away his paddle,
drank off at a draught the contents of a bottle of brandy, tossed
the empty bottle into the air, then quietly folded his arms,
extended himself in the boat, and awaited with perfect calmness
his inevitable fate. In a few moments he was whirled down the
Falls and disappeared for ever.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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