s of 1772.

[T. S.]

A PROPOSAL THAT ALL THE LADIES AND WOMEN OF IRELAND SHOULD APPEAR
CONSTANTLY IN IRISH MANUFACTURES.

There was a treatise written about nine years ago, to persuade the
people of Ireland to wear their own manufactures.[119] This treatise was
allowed to have not one syllable in it of party or disaffection; but was
wholly founded upon the growing poverty of the nation, occasioned by the
utter want of trade in every branch, except that ruinous importation of
all foreign extravagancies from other countries. This treatise was
presented, by the grand jury of the city and county of Dublin, as a
scandalous, seditious, and factious pamphlet. I forget who was the
foreman of the city grand jury; but the foreman for the county was one
Doctor Seal, register to the Archbishop of Dublin, wherein he differed
much from the sentiments of his lord.[120] The printer[121] was tried
before the late Mr. Whitshed, that famous Lord chief-justice; who, on
the bench, laying his hand on his heart, declared, upon his salvation,
that the author was a Jacobite, and had a design to beget a quarrel
between the two nations.[122] In the midst of this prosecution, about
fifteen hundred weavers were forced to beg their bread, and had a
general contribution made for their relief, which just served to make
them drunk for a week; and then they were forced to turn rogues, or
strolling beggars, or to leave the kingdom.

The Duke of Grafton,[123] who was then Lieutenant, being perfectly
ashamed of so infamous and unpopular a proceeding, obtained from England
a _noli prosequi_ for the printer. Yet the grand jury had solemn thanks
given them from the Secretary of State.

I mention this passage (perhaps too much forgotten,) to shew how
dangerous it hath been for the best meaning person to write one syllable
in the defence of his country, or discover the miserable condition it is
in.

And to prove this truth, I will produce one instance more; wholly
omitting the famous case of the Drapier, and the proclamation against
him, as well as the perverseness of another jury against the same Mr.
Whitshed, who was violently bent to act the second part in another
scene.[124]

About two years ago, there was a small paper printed, which was called,
"A Short View of the State of Ireland," relating the several causes
whereby any country may grow rich, and applying them to Ireland.[125]
Whitshed was dead, and consequently the printer was no