o; it has reached them that you are about to substantiate a
a disreputable--excuse the phrase--co-partnership wid four of the most
ornamental villains on Hibernian earth, by which you must understand me
to mane that the villains aforesaid are not merely accomplished in all
the plain principles and practices of villainy, but finished off even
to its natest and most inganious decorations. Their whole life has been
most assiduously and successfully devoted to a general violation of the
ten commandments, as well as to the perpetual commission of the seven
deadly sins. Nay, the 'reserved cases' themselves can't escape them, and
it is well known that they wont rest satisfied wid the wide catalogue of
ordinary and general iniquity, but they must, by way of luxury, have a
lick at blasphemy, and some of the rarer vices, as often as they can,
for the villains are so fastidious that they won't put up wid
common wickedness like other people. I cannot, however, wid anything
approximating to a safe conscience, rest here. What I have said has
reference to the laws of God, but what I am about to enumerate relates
to the laws of man--to the laws of the land Wid respect, then, to them,
I do assure you, that although I myself look upon the violation of a
great number of the latter wid a very vanial squint, still, I say, I
do assure you that they have not left a single law made by Parliament
unfractured. They have gone over the whole statute-book several times,
and I believe are absolutely of opinion that the Parliament is doing
nothing. The most lynx-eyed investigator of old enactments could not
find one which has escaped them, for the villains are perfectly black
letter in that respect; and what is in proper keeping wid this, whenever
they hear of a new Act of Parliament they cannot rest either night or
day until they break it. And now for the inference: be on your
guard against this pandemonial squad. Whatever your object may be in
cultivating and keeping society wid them, theirs is to ruin you--fleece
was the word used--an I then to cut and run, leaving Mr. Hycy--the
acute, the penetrating, the accomplished--completely in the lurch. Be
influenced, then, by the amicitial admonitions of the inditer of this
correspondence. Become not a smuggler--forswear poteen. The Lord forgive
me, Mr. Hycy--no, I only wished to say forswear--not the poteen--but
any connection wid the illegal alembic from which it is distillated,
otherwise they will walk o