I Shall not make Reflections upon the Author , more than to affirm , That the apparent insufficiency of his pretended Reasons seem to make him one of the late King James's Counsellors , who are fam'd for nothing but Impudence , and _____

He begins with the Mischief that would attend His Majesty's Forces in Ireland , by lying in the Fields , burning the Country , murdering the Protestants now in the hands of the Natives , increasing , and continuing a constant Charge to England ; all which , he says , would be the consequence of excepting the most considerable Men : and the Reasons that he gives , are , That these great Men will stifle the King's Declaration of Pardon ; or , the Clergy will baffle the Credit of it .

Now , to use the late Duke of Ormond's Character of an Irish-man , Let him alone , said that great and good Man , and he will spoil his own business , is what we shall find true , if we examine the several parts of this Argument .

For , First he tells us , That the considerable Men would stifle , and keep the Pardon from the rest . If this were true , he needed not to have proceeded any further ; but he can hardly trust himself so much as to express this Argument , before he flies to another , as improbable as the former ; and that is , The Clergy will blast and baffle the Credit of the Declaration . Had any but an Irish understanding undertook this assertion , he would not have insisted upon two Points , so apparently irrational , and inconclusive , that every Man of Ireland can prove to be notoriously false , and at the same time have omitted that which seems to be considerable , ( viz. ) That the Grandees of the Irish have such an Influence over the Commonalty , and they such a Love for their Lords , that nothing could disengage them from their Interests ; but that they would either have a General Pardon , or else Universally Suffer . But this it seems he thought not of , but grants that if they knew of the Pardon , unless the Clergy baffled the Credit of it , there was a probability of their submission . Now to shew the palpable weakness of this Argument : Can any imagine that when almost half of Ireland is in the Possession of His present Majesty , the Vulgar Irish establish'd there in the same Peace and Security they enjoy'd before the Rebellion , that they will not Communicate this to their Friends , and Relations in other Parts of the Kingdom , and give them assurance of the same Pardon , which has been so happily vouchsafed to themselves ? They that best understand the disposition of the Irish , know them to be the most inquisitive People in the World. A Fellow under a Ditch , looking to his Cows , will ask every one he meets , What News ? And 't is impossible to keep publick Transactions from being divulg'd to the Populace , when the Irish will pass undiscovered through the Kingdom . This ( I think ) puts their being acquainted with the Pardon out of doubt ; and for that of their Clergies baffling the Credit of it , that is as easily answered ; for persuasions against matter of Fact will take no place . When a considerable part of the Kingdom do actually enjoy the full benefit of the Pardon , who will believe a Man , that only confidently affirms , they will not ? So far is this from a Question , that the Irish have not the least occasion of suspicion , because they never failed of an Inviolable performance of Articles from the English .

I think there needs no Reply to all the Direful effects he mentions , as consequential to their standing out ; because by his own Concession , it seems they will submit , if they hear of , and believe the Pardon : And , I presume , 't is plainly prov'd that they will do both .

His second Head is allowed . No doubt but the Irish will lay down Arms , and consequently the Country will be preserv'd , and immediately put into His Majesty's hands .

His Third Paragraph , as to what of it relates to the Protestants of Ireland living upon the Charity of England , the ordinary sort 't is true have done so , but not a Gentleman of an Estate has receiv'd any thing . The rest of it needs no answer as to what is to come , but something may be said of what is past ; the Protestants of Ireland have in a great measure undergone what he presages of the future , and therefore think they have reason to hope His Majesty will Graciously vouchsafe them some reparation out of the Estates of the most notorious Rebels , which can be interpreted no otherwise than as an Act of Justice to the present Sufferers , and as well as a determent to the Natives , not to commit the like Barbarity for the future , which if conniv'd with in this Juncture , will animate them to play the same Game at the next Opportunity .

The Fourth is allowed , and no fear of the Rebels doing any thing in their power to oblige the English . They are already cloy'd with King James's Brass Sixpences , and have made a sufficient experiment of the Success of the Protestant Arms , who having so destroyed the flower of their Forces , when but an handful of Men , what can they expect now from so Great a Captain as Duke Schomberg at the Head of a Royal Army ?

In his Fifth Reason the Irish man appears bare-fac'd , for none but such would presume to meddle with the Secrets of Kings ; he tells us of the Kings justifying himself to his Foreign Roman Catholick Allies , that it is not for Religion he prosecutes the War , &c.

This Politician wants good Manners , and should be taught that our King is the greatest Monarch of Europe , and not ( thought it might be more modestly express'd ) accountable to Allies , especially in Matters of Religion , which however this Spark undertakes to acquaint the World that 't is none of His Majesties Business ; yet we must crave leave to diffent from his ipse dixit , and both to hope , and believe the contrary , and that in respect of Religion , as well as Property , he hazarded his Sacred Person for the purchasing the unspeakable Priviledges we now enjoy , as well in Religions as Civil Rights .

He Closes his Politicks with two Observations ; one is upon the Reasons given for excluding some from Pardon , though he is so wise as to mention more of them . But he is Positive in his Opinion , that if God put us in Possession of Ireland , we have greater security than ever , being safe from a Popish King ; I hope we are , though I suppose he does neither wish nor believe it . But whatever Prospect of security we have of not being re-inslaved by a Popish King , yet are we not free from Popish Pretenders : Where is this Proselites beloved Sham Prince of Wales , and his Bloody Protector the French King ? Is it not possible for them upon any Revolution either Forreign or Domestick , to send ( when we are least aware of it ) Arms , and Assistance to cut off the Protestants , when not a Man of these great Rebels are disabled from Re-acting the former Tragedies ? Nay they are by so much in the better capacity than ever , by how much they are Possessors of the Treasure and Riches of the Protestants .

He closeth this Paragraph like his Brothe Teague , that swears if he had Noting he would give you Someting ; so this Blade has been emptying his Budget , to prove that nothing will shorten the War , but by pardoning all the Grandees ; and yet at last he tells you , that you shall be satisfy'd with enough that will forfeit their Estates , and never accept of the Indemnity ; he might then have saved his labour in his Learned Argument , for the number , excepted is but Seventy odd , and they such Monsters , that if any in Ireland should stand out , we may suppose it to be them : but I cannot grant him so much Carriage in any of his Countreymen as to refuse Pardon ; we know them to be so far from that , that an Irish-man will twist a Gad to hang his Father , so that he may have the favour of being hang'd last .

And now comes the Blade to that which we may justly call Libellous , in offering that to the English Nobility , and Gentry of Ireland , which I fear he never had himself , a Consideration ; and that is , whether they can propose any thing that will encrease the charge and danger of England , since the work is to be effected by English Lives and Purses , and that they that prescribe these hazardous and chargeable methods , do not lay their Fingers to the Work.

This , I say , is a mischievous and false Insinuation , and gives the Lye to the Grand Council of the Nation .

The Gentlemen of Ireland have always , and still do propose that which may soonest and most scecurely establish that Kingdom in the Hands and Government of the English , which they believe can never be effected without making Examples of some few , tho not one of ten thousand .

They own their Preservation ( under God ) from the King and English of England ; but he asserts a falshood , which we appeal to the Honourable House of Commons to justifie us against , in affirming , that we will not so much as lay our Finger to that Burthen we pull upon the Lives of the English in the reduction of Ireland .

The House of Commons received the Address of the Gentlemen of Ireland , praying to be recommended to his Majesty for that Service , and that not done in a general manner , but the name of every individual person return'd ; his Majesty was pleas'd to employ all he could find room for : since that twice before the King and Counsel they have offered their Service to go in the Head of the Army against the Irish Rebels , many are gone Voluntiers , and those that are left , would according to their several Circumstances do the same , had they conveniencies to carry them . It is strange confidence , that in the Face of the King and Parliament , he should assume to print such a notorious untruth , as that the Nobility and Gentry of Ireland will not lay their Finger to the War they engage England in .

I have thus briefly shewn the Folly and rashness of this Irish Minister of States pretended Reasons for a General Pardon to the Irish , not excluding Seventy Persons , as Victims for more Thousands of Protestants they have ruin'd . I might say much more , but that is done to my hand , in a Letter call'd the Mantle thrown off , or the Irishman dissected , which bears date before these Reasons set forth by Teague , who , I presume , was angry for taking off his Mantle , and would cover himself with the Fig-Leaves of an unwarrantable and irrational Discourse .