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 CURRAN 358 with the vigour of imen leagued in such a cause, and advanced their standard till they saw it waving without one to answer it. In this praise of an admirable time there is no giddy praise of popular violence. The revo- lution of 1780 was to Ireland what the revolution of a century before had been to the paramount country, a great and reviving effort of nature to throw off that phantom which sat upon her breast, and gave her the pereeption of life only by the struggles that must have closed in stagna- tion and death. The policy of the English minister was too enlarged to offer resistance to an impulse awaked on English priociples. For him a great service had been done; the building which he had wished to shake was cast down in dust, and the soil left open for the visitations of all the influences of good government. The country had lain before his eye a vast commonage, incapable of cultivation, and breeding only the rank and pernicious fertility of a neglected morass; but he had dreaded to disturb its mul- titude of lordly pauperisn, and hereditary plunder. It was now cleared and enclosed for him, a noble expanse for the out-pouring of all that civilization could give to its various and maguificent nature. The bistory of those years is yet to be written; whenever the temple is to be erected, the name of Curran must be among the loftiest on its portal, " But the time of those displays which raised him to his highest distinction as an orator was of a darker shade. His country had risen, like the giant of Scripture, refreshed with wine; her vast original powers doubly excited by an elating but dangerous draught of liberty. She had just reached that state in which there is the strongest demand for the wisdom of the legislator. The old system had been disbanded, but the whole components of its strength survived. The spirit of clanship was still up and girded with its rade attachments; the hatred of English ascen- dancy had sheathed the sword, but kept it still keen, and only waiting the word to leap. from the scabbard.. The ancient Irish habits of daring gratification among all ranks,