deed, they find a
large revenue in lands let at one quarter value, which consequently must
be paid while there is a penny left among us; and, the public distress
so little affects their interests, that their fines are now higher than
ever, they content themselves to suppose that whatever a parish is said
to be worth, comes all into the parson's pocket.

The poverty of great numbers among the Clergy of England, hath been the
continual complaint of all men who wish well to the Church, and many
schemes have been thought on to redress it; yet an English vicar of L40
a-year, lives much more comfortably than one of double the value in
Ireland. His farmers generally speaking, are able and willing to pay him
his full dues. He hath a decent church of ancient standing, filled every
Lord's day with a large congregation of plain people, well clad, and
behaving themselves as if they believed in God and Christ. He hath a
house and barn in repair, a field or two to graze his cows, with a
garden and orchard. No guest expects more from him than a pot of ale; he
lives like an honest, plain farmer, as his wife is dressed but little
better than Goody. He is sometimes graciously invited by the squire,
where he sits at humble distance; if he gets the love of his people,
they often make him little useful presents; he is happy by being born to
no higher expectation, for he is usually the son of some ordinary
tradesman or middling farmer. His learning is much of a size with his
birth and education, no more of either than what a poor hungry servitor
can be expected to bring with him from his college. It would be tedious
to shew the reverse of all this in our distant poorer parishes, through
most parts of Ireland, wherein every reader may make the comparison.

Lastly, the honourable House of Commons may consider, whether the scheme
of multiplying beggarly clergymen through the whole kingdom who must all
have votes for choosing parliament men (provided they can prove their
freeholds to be worth 40s. per annum, _ultra reprisas_) may not, by
their numbers, have great influence upon elections, being entirely under
the dependance of their bishops. For by a moderate computation, after
all the divisions and subdivisions of parishes, that, my lords, the
bishops, have power to make by their new laws, there will, as soon as
the present set of clergy go off, be raised an army of ecclesiastical
militants, able enough for any kind of service, except that of t