Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/217

 GRATTAN. 213 when she has lost her empire; when she still feels the wounds of the last unhappy war, and comforts herself only with the faithful friendship of Ireland. If in 1769, when the liberties of Ireland were denied, and those of America in danger, it was thought unadvisable to retrench our army, there can be no such reason to reduce it now, when both are acknowledged and confirmed. When we voted four thou sand men to butcher our brethren in America, the honour able gentleman should have opposed that vote; but per haps he will be able to explain the propriety of sending four thousand Irishmen thither. But why not look for retrench ment in the revenue and other departments. In my mind, the proper mode would be, to form a fair estimate of what would be a reasonable peace establishment, and reduce our several departments to it.” - Mr. Flood. —“The right honourable member can have no doubt of the propriety of my saying a word in reply to what he has delivered; every member in that House can bear witness of the infirmity I mentioned, and there fore, it required but little candour to make a nocturnal attack upon that infirmity: but I am not afraid of the right honourable member; I will meet him any where, or upon any ground, by night or by day. I would stand poorly in my own estimation, and in my country's opinion, if I did not stand far above him. I do not come here dressed in a rich wardrobe of words to delude the people; , I am not one who has promised repeatedly to bring in a bill of rights, yet does not bring in that bill or permit any other person to do it; I am not one who threatened to impeach the chief justice of the king's bench, for acting under an English law, and afterwards shrunk from that business; I am not the author of the simple repeal; I am not one who, after saying the parliament was a par liament of prostitutes, endeavoured to make their voices subservient to my interest; F am not one who would come at midnight, and attempt by a vote of this House, to stifle the voice of the people, which my egregious folly had raised against me; I am not the gentleman who sub