ow I shook your honour by the hand, saying, I am glad to see your
honour, and your honour's son, and your honour's royal military
Protestant regiment. And now I have you in the house, and right proud I
am to have ye one and all: one, two, three, four, true Protestants every
one, no Papists here; and I have made bold to bring up a bottle of claret
which is now waiting behind the door; and, when your honour and your
family have dined, I will make bold too to bring up Mistress Hyne, from
Londonderry, to introduce to your honour's lady, and then we'll drink to
the health of King George, God bless him; to the 'glorious and
immortal'--to Boyne water--to your honour's speedy promotion to be Lord
Lieutenant, and to the speedy downfall of the Pope and Saint Anthony of
Padua."

Such was the speech of the Irish Protestant addressed to my father in the
long lofty dining-room with three windows, looking upon the High street
of the good town of Clonmel, as he sat at meat with his family, after
saying grace like a true-hearted respectable soldier as he was.

"A bigot and an Orangeman!" Oh, yes! It is easier to apply epithets of
opprobrium to people than to make yourself acquainted with their history
and position. He was a specimen, and a fair specimen, of a most
remarkable body of men, who during two centuries have fought a good fight
in Ireland in the cause of civilisation and religious truth; they were
sent as colonists, few in number, into a barbarous and unhappy country,
where ever since, though surrounded with difficulties of every kind, they
have maintained their ground; theirs has been no easy life, nor have
their lines fallen upon very pleasant places; amidst darkness they have
held up a lamp, and it would be well for Ireland were all her children
like these her adopted ones. "But they are fierce and sanguinary," it is
said. Ay, ay! they have not unfrequently opposed the keen sword to the
savage pike. "But they are bigoted and narrow-minded." Ay, ay! they do
not like idolatry, and will not bow the knee before a stone! "But their
language is frequently indecorous." Go to, my dainty one, did ye ever
listen to the voice of Papist cursing?

The Irish Protestants have faults, numerous ones; but the greater number
of these may be traced to the peculiar circumstances of their position.
But they have virtues, numerous ones; and their virtues are their own,
their industry, their energy, and their undaunted resolution are the