Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/274

 270 GRATTAN. by undisguised terror and unqualified bribery; and this he calls no attack on the honour and dignity of the king dom. The thing which he proposes to buy is what cannot be sold—liberty. For it he has nothing to give. Every thing of value which you possess you obtained under a free constitution: if you resign this, you must not only be slaves, but idiots. His propositions are built upon nothing but your dishonour. He tells you ( i t i s his main argument) that you are unfit t o exercise a free constitu tion; and h e affects t o prove i t b y the experiment. Jacobinism grows, h e says, out o f the very state and con dition o f Ireland. I have heard o f parliament impeaching ministers; but here i s a minister impeaching parliament. He does more; h e impeaches the parliamentary constitu tion itself. The abuses i n that constitution h e has pro tected; i t i s only i t s existence that h e destroys: and o n what ground Your exports since your emancipation, under that constitution, and i n a great measure b y i t , have been nearly doubled; commercially, therefore, i t has worked well. Your concord with England since the emancipation, a s far a s i t relates t o parliament, o n the subject o f war, has been not only improved, but has been productive; imperially, therefore, i t has worked well. To what then does the minister i n fact object 2 that you have supported him, that you have concurred i n his system therefore h e proposes t o the people t o abolish the par liament, and t o continue the minister. He does more; h e proposes t o you t o substitute the British parliament i n your place, t o destroy the body that restored your liber ties, and restore that body which destroyed them. Against such a proposition, were I expiring o n the floor, I should beg t o utter my last breath, and t o record my dying tes timony.” Mr. Corry replied a t large t o Mr. Grattan. On the division about ten o'clock i n the morning, ninety-six voted for the amendment, one hundred and thirty-eight against i t . This majority o f forty-two ex ceeded the warmest expectations o f government; and the