A History of Ireland: Containing a Compendious Account of Her Woes, Afflictions and Suffering, with a Direct Reference to Her Political Reno

Excerpt from A History of Ireland: Containing a Compendious Account of Her Woes, Afflictions and Suffering, With a Direct Reference to Her Political Renovation

T6 saturation, with recommendatory remarks, and receives the unanimous sanction and approbation of the competent, literary and scientific men of our country. In anticipation of this encouragement and favor, I have attempted to draw historically, and in poetic verse, a picture of ill-fated Erin, the land of my birth, once the land of strangers; Once the land of mirth, festivity, song, music and poetry; once the land of love, lore, abundance and hospi tality, and once the land of saints; but, alas, at present the land of sorrow, pestilence a'nd starva tion, caused by the perfidious legislation of despots and strangers; now the ribald's jest, scoff, laugh and scorn of every uncultivated genius, whose faculties have been untouched by the influence of neither liberal nor limited education, or historical burnish, that could sufficiently inform him of Erin's former splendor and greatness, and the cause of her present degredation. An Irishman, or any other countryman, writing her history, and possessing the fine and delicate feelings of human nature, and having been conversant with the woes, afflictions and sufferings of the Irish people, since the time Strongbow and his myrmidons polluted and ulcer ated her shores with the track of their feet, will make use, in spite of every laudable restraint, per haps of uncharitable language, as he is precipitated by an admixture of feeling and indignation beyond the boundaries of a charitable description, but ex aggeration is impossible, as it is not in the power of language to exaggerate in description, the cruelty exercised by the English government on the Irish people, for centuries past; or since English domi nion eclipsed and contaminated the heavenly bril liancy of national self-legislation in that unfortunate country. The English government fill and fatten on the spoils of perfidious cruelty, as a savage and ferocious beast does on the flesh and destruction of the animal it devours, nor is this cruelty limited to the Irish alone; it is visible and severely felt inall nations that they conquered; the plague Spot is there incurably, and will continue so whilst under the control of that government. English historians and others might think this history chimerically digested, or the result of a raving imagination, saturated with the foul breath Of prejudice and hereditary animosity; but it is no such a thing, as I have quoted nothing but the honest testimony Of Protestant historians, irrefragably founded on facts, and therefore cannot be doubted. Ireland had been discovered three hundred years after the deluge, which is proved by the authenticity of the Book of Invasions; but the permanent settlement of the whole island,'had been accomplished by Milesius the 5th, adventurer, in the year of the world 2756. Here the sterling investigation of some eminent historian who signs himself Hibernicus, of that unfortunate country. From the landing of the Milesians to that epoch in the annals of Ireland, 1172, a period Of 2240 years, Ireland flourished under her own laws, as a blooming rose under the dews of Heaven. But scarcely had the foot prints Of the usurper polluted her shores, than her lovely valleys were changed into a literal Golgotha. The happiness Of Ireland during her own legislation, is beautifully portrayed by her own gifted Goldsmith, in the following couplet A time there was ere England's griefs began, When every rood of ground maintained its man.

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