s enough not to avail himself of
this power, which with the greatest good nature, with the utmost
political foresight, you thus put into his hand, quarrels would, in all
probability, soon arise among you. It is well known you cannot boast of
much mutual love, or christian charity; the same spirit which actuated
your ancestors, and kindled the flames of civil war in this country,
still reigns among you, and wants but a single spark to raise a
combustion.

You will tell me, perhaps, that notwithstanding the multiplicity of
governments, you may, like the Swiss cantons, live for ages in harmony
and unity.

But I aver the contrary. The strength of the Protestants and Roman
Catholicks among them, is nearly equal, and keeps them in awe of each
other; but above all, the fear of being crushed by the surrounding
powers in case of intestine dissensions, prevents ambitious projects,
and secures the peace. But as neither of these is your case, you have
little reason to hope that you could preserve your liberties. Greece, as
soon as it ceased to dread the Persian monarch, fell immediately into
the hands of a despotick prince; you have no king of Persia to fear, how
then do you expect to remain free from slavery? Believe me, your safest
course is to continue in your dependence on Britain, where liberty is
naturalized, and where you are entitled to every blessing with which it
is attended.

Can you be so weak as to imagine that the two houses of parliament will
allow you to set up a claim to uncontrollable authority in your several
provinces? Perhaps you do not comprehend how this will in time reduce
them, and consequently you to mere cyphers? I will inform you. The power
of the crown is, of late, greatly encreased, by the vast number of
places, which the last war, and the enormous growth of the national debt
have left at its disposal. Give it also but the management of the
colonies, exclusive of the parliament, and there needs no more, in a few
years, to render it despotick.

Undoubtedly, the weight of this consideration was what moved the
British, to assume a superiority over the Irish parliament; and Ireland,
considerable a country as it is, submits to their controul; how can you
have the front to ask greater privileges? Indeed, till you are placed on
a quite different footing, you cannot expect even this indulgence: such
a number of scattered jarring governments would create so much
embarrassment and perplexity, as to be quite