s. The bloody tyrants! too long has their foot been upon the
neck of poor old Ireland."

"How do the English tyrannise over Ireland?"

"How do they tyrannise over her? Don't they prevent her from having the
free exercise of her Catholic religion, and make her help to support
their own Protestant one?"

"Well, and don't the Roman Catholics prevent the Protestants from having
the free exercise of their religion, whenever they happen to be the most
numerous, and don't they make them help to support the Roman Catholic
religion?"

"Of course they do, and quite right! Had I my will, there shouldn't be a
place of Protestant worship left standing, or a Protestant churl allowed
to go about with a head unbroken."

"Then why do you blame the Protestants for keeping the Romans a little
under?"

"Why do I blame them? A purty question! Why, an't they wrong, and an't
we right?"

"But they say that they are right and you wrong."

"They say! who minds what they say? Haven't we the word of the blessed
Pope that we are right?"

"And they say that they have the word of the blessed Gospel that you are
wrong."

"The Gospel! who cares for the Gospel? Surely you are not going to
compare the Gospel with the Pope?"

"Well, they certainly are not to be named in the same day."

"They are not? Then good luck to you! We are both of the same opinion.
Ah, I thought your honour was a rale Catholic. Now, tell me from what
kingdom of Ireland does your honour hail?"

"Why, I was partly educated in Munster."

"In Munster! Hoorah! Here's the hand of a countryman to your honour.
Ah, it was asy to be seen from the learning, which your honour shows,
that your honour is from Munster. There's no spot in Ireland like
Munster for learning. What says the old song?

"'Ulster for a soldier,
Connaught for a thief,
Munster for learning,
And Leinster for beef.'

"Hoorah for learned Munster! and down with beggarly, thievish Connaught!
I would that a Connaught man would come athwart me now, that I might
break his thief's head with my Alpeen."

"You don't seem to like the Connaught men," said I.

"Like them! who can like them? a parcel of beggarly thievish blackguards.
So your honour was edicated in Munster--I mane partly edicated. I
suppose by your saying that you were partly edicated, that your honour
was intended for the clerical profession, but being over fond of the drop
was forced to lave college before your ed