is friends called upon one
another to subscribe, and they formed themselves into a committee, and
wrote all his circular letters for him, and engaged all his agents, and
did all the business unknown to him; and he was well pleased that it
should be so at last, and my lady herself was very sanguine about
the election; and there was open house kept night and day at Castle
Rackrent, and I thought I never saw my lady look so well in her life as
she did at that time. There were grand dinners, and all the gentlemen
drinking success to Sir Condy till they were carried off; and then
dances and balls, and the ladies all finishing with a raking pot of tea
in the morning [See GLOSSARY 25]. Indeed, it was well the company made
it their choice to sit up all nights, for there were not half beds
enough for the sights of people that were in it, though there were
shake-downs in the drawing-room always made up before sunrise for those
that liked it. For my part, when I saw the doings that were going on,
and the loads of claret that went down the throats of them that had no
right to be asking for it, and the sights of meat that went up to table
and never came down, besides what was carried off to one or t'other
below stair, I couldn't but pity my poor master, who was to pay for
all; but I said nothing, for fear of gaining myself ill-will. The day of
election will come some time or other, says I to myself, and all will
be over; and so it did, and a glorious day it was as any I ever had the
happiness to see.

'Huzza! huzza! Sir Condy Rackrent for ever!' was the first thing I hears
in the morning, and the same and nothing else all day, and not a soul
sober only just when polling, enough to give their votes as became 'em,
and to stand the browbeating of the lawyers, who came tight enough
upon us; and many of our freeholders were knocked off; having never a
freehold that they could safely swear to, and Sir Condy was not willing
to have any man perjure himself for his sake, as was done on the other
side, God knows; but no matter for that. Some of our friends were
dumbfounded by the lawyers asking them: Had they ever been upon the
ground where their freeholds lay? Now, Sir Condy being tender of the
consciences of them that had not been on the ground, and so could not
swear to a freehold when cross-examined by them lawyers, sent out for a
couple of cleavesful of the sods of his farm of Gulteeshinnagh; [At St.
Patrick's meeting, London, March 1806