nce
attacking the British race at its weakest point. Never would she cease
to assail it until the Union was indissoluble. Commerce, he said, was
the source of wealth; and the wealth needed to withstand the predatory
designs of France would be enhanced by a free interchange of British and
Irish products. The Union would encourage the flow into the poorer
island of British capital which it so much needed. Next, adverting to
the religious feuds in Ireland, he remarked on the danger of granting
concessions to the Irish Catholics while Ireland remained a distinct
kingdom. He then uttered these momentous words:

On the other hand, without anticipating the discussion, or the
propriety of agitating the question, or saying how soon or how
late it may be fit to discuss it, two propositions are
indisputable; first, when the conduct of the Catholics shall be
such as to make it safe for the Government to admit them to the
participation of the privileges granted to those of the
established religion, and when the temper of the times shall be
favourable to such a measure--when these events take place, it
is obvious that such a question may be agitated in an United
Imperial Parliament with much greater safety, than it could be
in a separate Legislature. In the second place, I think it
certain that, even for whatever period it may be thought
necessary after the Union to withhold from the Catholics the
enjoyment of those advantages, many of the objections which at
present arise out of their situation would be removed, if the
Protestant Legislature were no longer separate and local, but
general and Imperial: and the Catholics themselves would at once
feel a mitigation of the most goading and irritating of their
present causes of complaint.

Pitt then deprecated the effort to inflame the insular pride of
Irishmen. Could Irishmen really object to unite with Britons? For it was
no subordinate place that they were asked to take, but one of equality
and honour. Most happily then did he quote the vow of Aeneas for an
equal and lasting compact between his Trojans and the Italians:

Non ego nec Teucris Italos parere jubebo,
Nec nova regna peto: paribus se legibus ambae
Invictae gentes aeterna in foedera mittant.[557]

He ended his speech by moving eight Resolutions on the question; and the
House approved their introduction by 140 votes to 15. This statesma