Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A54704
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The interest of England in the preservation of Ireland humbly presented to the Parliament of England / by G.P., Esq.
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Philips, George, 1599?-1696.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing P2027; ESTC R1613
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18,021
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38
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of Europe and retaining an implacable Resolution to destroy all sorts of Protestants and utterly to root out that Pestilent Northern Heresie abounding in Wealth and Treasure follow'd by mighty Armies strengthned by a numerous Fleet of Ships as nothing in humane Probability can defeat his execrable Designs of Aggrandising himself by the Ruin of his Neighbours but the scarcity of convenient Ports and Havens in any of his Dominions so it must be his Principal Aim and endeavour to be Master of Ireland whereby he will be sufficiently accommodated with excellent good Harbours in which he may securely place his Fleet to extend his Soveraignty over the Seas and opportunely annoy his Enemies 2. This being accomplish'd not only the Revenue and Trade of Ireland will be utterly lost the Auxiliary Aid of two hundred thousand Protestants diverted and taken away and many thousands of them forced to depend upon the Charity of England the Trade to America and all the Western Islands will not only be intercepted but in a short time those Countries be wholly conquered and reduced to the Possession of the French and annexed to his Dominion and made a Prey to glut his restless Ambition 3. The French King will make Ireland a Magazine and Store-house for the victualling His Ships and the Harbours as so many Docks to shelter them where his Fleet riding in safety an Opportunity will be given him not only to ingross all manner of Trade but that of England will be intirely interrupted if not infallibly destroyed since no Ships can peep out from thence in their Navigation toward the Streights or to the Indies but they must pass within view of some Ports of Ireland or very near them and consequently must be exposed to the Attacks of that rapacious Leviathan or be necessitated to sail in great Fleets and very strong Convoys under Frigats and Men of VVar to the inestimable charge of the State and detriment to the Merchants of England 4. Let it be consider'd that since VVooll and VVoollen Manufactures are the ancient Staple of England and a main support to their trading into all Foreign Countries if it should so come to pass that Ireland be alienated from it which abounds with that Commodity and from whence it may be exported at far cheaper Rates than can be afforded in England how unspeakable a Prejudice will it be to the Trade How will it impoverish the People and bring an unavoidable ruin on many Towns and Families 5. Tho it is to be hoped that the Power of France with the Addition of Ireland shall never be able to make a Conquest of England nevertheless by such an unwelcom Neighbourhood it is more than probable the French King may discompose the Peace and Quiet of Great Britain when at any time of the year he can transport an Army from Ireland or land small Forces in North VVales in six hours time in South-VVales in twelve or in the space of four Hours in the VVest of Scotland And this not to be prevented by the English Fleet or by all the Art and Contrivance of Mankind The CONCLVSION I wish the People of England may see now in this their Day what belongs to their Peace before it be hid from their Eyes That they may not be deluded by false Glosses and sinister Interpretations of Publick Acts nor be cajol'd by jealous Misprisions and groundless Censures on private Councils That they may understand and consider how much their safety and the Interest of the Protestant Religion is concerned and involved in the Fate of Ireland and that if the Enemy chance to possess the Out-works the City will be in great danger That they may not be abused by Chimerical Notions of Obeying without Reserve or being destroyed without Resistance That they would rest contented with obtaining their Desires in being happy under the Establishment of a Protestant King and Queen and not hanker after a Change or be bewitched to make a wanton Experiment of Indulgence and Protection under a Popish Government FINIS
will be Thorns in our Sides and who since the first Conquest of them were never able to accomplish that Design which was bequeath'd from Generation to Generation till this late unhappy Juncture do not derive their Pedigree from Strangers they are the legitimate Offspring of England and Scotland there is scarce a Man there of British Extraction except such as by very long continuance are degenerated into mere Irish but in one of those Kingdoms will Challenge a Father Brother or near Kinsman They are not estranged in their Language Habit Manners or Customs they retain the natural Propensions disseminated from their respective Families and own a filial Reverence to their Countries as to their lawful Parents not their Step mothers who not being able to make a competent Provision for all their Issue at home have sent some of their Children abroad to seek for their Livelihood on the other side of the Ferry where in their Manners and Humour they bear an exact Resemblance to that Original whereof they are the Transcript except only in their profuse Hospitality and luxurious Consumption of Meat and Drink to which perhaps they are inclined by the Constitution of the Air or disposed by the Genius of the Country or tempted by the incredible Plenty and Cheapness of all sorts of Provisions yet in their Language they have gone beyond their Teachers having refined the English Tongue from the odd Tones and uncouth words used in several Counties distant from London and reformed the Scotch from the Clownish Dialect spoken by the vulgar People So that the People of England are bound in Conscience and common Reason to regard the English in Ireland as Bone of their Bone and Flesh of their Flesh and the Scots as naturalized and incorporated with them to sympathize with them in their Sufferings to participate in their Adventures and from the Principles of Generosity as well as the Impulse of Nature and a prudential Foresight of the same Calamities hovering over their Heads to use their utmost Effort to re-assure that Kingdom in its Appendage to England and absolutely to eradicate the Irish Papists and all French Intruders VI. The Imployments Ecclesiastical Civil and Military Since England is bounded by the Sea and cannot be inlarged by the Discovery of any Newfound Land since the Inhabitants are as fruitful as the Soil Prolific and continually multiplying and increasing since the Vigor and Generosity of their Temper spurs them on to Business and Activity and that the List of Places Offices and Preferments in Church and State do bear no Proportion with the number of Competitors Candidates and Pretenders It is an unexpressible Benefit and Advantage that they can so easily inlarge their Quarters and spread through a Kingdom in Polity Subordinate but in natural Fertility no way Inferior to that from whence they sprang I think it very well worth the Observation That among all the Bishops Deans and Dignitaries in the Church of Ireland in the first year of the late King so very few were born in that Kingdom but almost all of them transplanted from England so were the Lord Chancellor Lord Chief Baron Attorny General and many of the Judges and Officers in the Civil List by such also was the Revenue managed And for the Army it was perfectly a Detachment out of the several Shires in England In a word there did Divines and Scholars get Preferment Lawyers Attornies and others of the Long Robe met with Practice and Promotion Clerks Accountants and Men of ingenious Education were gratified with Imployments the younger Sons of the English Nobility and Gentry were honoured with Military Commands and thousands of the meaner sort train'd up in the Discipline of War. All which must have met with a Check in their Fortunes and been subjected to a less generous course of Living and remain'd as Shrubs in their own Soil while by this Transplantation they grow up to tall Trees shoot out their Branches and bring forth abundant of Fruit. The Advantage to the Trade of England Hitherto I have endeavoured by a few short Hints to represent the many valuable Benefits and Advantages accruing to the Kingdom of England in general by the Conjunction and Preservation of Ireland I shall now proceed to set down how palpably and remarkably it doth contribute to the Advancement of Trade which is the Glory Strength and Security of the English Nation the Fountain and Source of the Riches Wealth and Plenty which render it the Envy and Astonishment of all the Neighbouring Kingdoms and without which it were impossible to provide Sustenance for the innumerable Company of Inhabitants wherewith the Country is sufficiently furnished and the Cities and Towns are absolutely crowded It is Trade that preserves the Body Pelitick in health by Recreation and Exercise by Evacuation and Repletion carrying off such Things as are unnecessary and redundant and bringing in a constant supply of whatsoever is useful and profitable It is Trade that ransacks the Indies joins remote Islands in an imaginary Contiguity with England and makes the whole World but a large Mart for Negotiation and Traffic Trade is the Blood that Circulates in the Veins and Arteries of the Commonwealth and disperseth the animal Spirits to all the Limbs and extreme parts of the Body This so necessary an Ingredient to the Honour and Felicity of England has been signally augmented and improved by the Trade of Ireland co-incident with it will suffer a mighty Detriment by the present Obstruction of Commerce and will as eminently gain by its Revival and Recovery The Advantage to Trade arising from Ireland is demonstrable by these Particulars 1. The Scituation 2. The Exportation 3. The Importation 4. The Ingenuity of the Inhabitants 5. The Benefit to the King. I. The Scituation In the Description of Ireland I might expatiate in recounting the many Benefits and Advantages which it enjoys in Common with her Neighbour Countries and the several Immunities which God and Nature have indulged to it in peculiar above other Places in its exemption from poysonous Insects and noxious Vermin as Frogs Toads Snakes and Adders Neuts Effs and hurtful Spiders but above all in the Freedom from Moles which are the Epidemical Nusance of England and are so sensibly injurious to Orchards Gardens Medows and Pastures in a temperate and benign Air in an infinite number of Fountains Springs Loughs or Lakes and fresh Rivers in an incredible store and variety of Land and Sea-Fowls among which I would mention the incredible Number of Woodcocks and how the Parson of Clownish farms the Tyth of the Woodcocks catcht in his Parish at thirty Pounds per annum where they are generally sold at Twelve-Pence per dozen the innumerable Flocks of Swans and Barnacles that haunt the River of Loughfoyl but that it would exclude the wonder due to the rest But because these Priviledges are inherent to the Soil and not communicable to the Use and Benefit of the Neighbours I shall pass over the further