Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/267

 GRATTAN. 263 in consequence of this vile and mean, selfish and beastly monopoly, your state becomes an oligarchy, the worst species of oligarchy, a plebeian oligarchy. I love the protestants, I love the presbyterians, and I love the catho lics, that i s , I love the Irish; i f ever my affection abates, i t i s when they hate one another.” He said h e approved o f the British ministry, when they liberalised towards the catholic, and condemned the ministry i n 1795, when i t renounced i t s liberality and i t s honour, and returned t o i t s barbarity, and employed christian sects, like hell-hounds, t o hunt down one another. That i n consequence o f this, they have set u p i n Ireland a proscriptive state—a pro scriptive parliament—a proscriptive monarchy—a pro scriptive connexion; they have done so, when the condi tion o f the empire i s i n a great degree feeble, and that o f the constitution i n the last degree corrupt. Thus they make the empire feeble, and the constituted authorities profligate, and after purpose t o make them proscriptive; and d o this when they are t o encounter abroad, not only the triumph o f arms but o f revolutions, a s one way o f defeating both and setting them a t defiance.” The motion, however, was lost. On the 15th o f May following, Mr. W. B. Ponsonby moved his great question o f parliamentary reform; a very spirited debate ensued, and Mr. Grattan closed a n energetic speech, with these words:–“We have offered you our measure, you will reject i t we deprecate yours, you will persevere; having n o hopes left t o persuade o r dissuade, and having discharged our duty, we shall trouble you n o more, and after this day shall not attend the House o f Commons.” From this time Mr. Grattan ceased t o attend i n the senate; and a t the ensuing dissolution, i n a n address t o the freemen and freeholders o f Dublin, dated July 29th, 1797, h e published his reasons for declining a seat i n the new parliament. I n this resolution h e was followed by his colleague Lord Henry Fitzgerald, who also published a similar address.