m several great patriots in England, that they have engaged to
procure an act to secure the sole benefit of informing, on this swearing
act, to the agents and servants of this new bank. Several of my friends
pretend to demonstrate, that this bank will in time vie with the South
Sea Company: They insist, that the army dispend as many oaths yearly as
will produce one hundred thousand pounds _net_.

There are computed to be one hundred pretty fellows in this town, that
swear fifty oaths a head daily; some of them would think it hard to be
stinted to an hundred: This very branch would produce a vast sum yearly.

The fairs of this kingdom will bring in a vast revenue; the oaths of a
little Connaught one, as well as they could be numbered by two persons,
amounted to three thousand. It is true, that it would be impossible to
turn all of them into ready money; for a shilling is so great a duty on
swearing, that if it was carefully exacted, the common people might as
well pretend to drink wine as to swear; and an oath would be as rare
among them as a clean shirt.

A servant that I employed to accompany the militia their last muster
day, had scored down in the compass of eight hours, three hundred oaths,
but as the putting the act in execution on those days, would only fill
the stocks with porters, and pawn-shops with muskets and swords: And as
it would be matter of great joy to Papists, and disaffected persons, to
see our militia swear themselves out of their guns and swords, it is
resolved, that no advantage shall be taken of any militiaman's swearing
while he is under arms; nor shall any advantage be taken of any man's
swearing in the Four Courts provided he is at hearing in the exchequer,
or has just paid off an attorney's bill.

The medicinal use of oaths is what the undertaker would by no means
discourage, especially where it is necessary to help the lungs to throw
off any distilling humour. On certificate of a course of swearing
prescribed by any physician, a permit will be given to the patient by
the proper officer of the bank, paying no more but sixpence. It is
expected, that a scheme of so much advantage to the public will meet
with more encouragement than their chimerical banks; and the undertaker
hopes, that as he has spent a considerable fortune in bringing this
scheme to bear, he may have the satisfaction to see it take place, for
the public good, though he should have the fate of most projectors, to
be undone.