NOTE.
Writing to Sheridan, under date April 24th, 1736, in a letter
written partly by herself and partly by Swift, Mrs. Whiteway,
Swift's housekeeper, refers to the occasion of this speech in
the
following words:
“The Drapier went this day to the Tholsel[195] as a merchant,
to
sign a petition to the government against lowering the gold,
where
we hear he made a long speech, for which he will be reckoned a
Jacobite. God send hanging does not go round.” (Scott's
edition,
vol. xviii., p. 470. 1824.)
The occasion for this agitation against the lowering of the
gold
arose thus. Archbishop Boulter had, for a long time, been much
concerned about the want of small silver in Ireland. The
subject
seemed to weigh on him greatly, since he refers to it again
and
again in his correspondence with Carteret, Newcastle, Dorset,
and
Walpole. On May 25th, 1736, he wrote to Walpole to inform him
that
the Lord Lieutenant had taken with him to England “an
application
from the government for lowering the gold made current here,
by
proclamation, and raising the foreign silver.” Silver, being
scarce, bankers and tradesmen were accustomed to charge a
premium
for the changing of gold, as much as sixpence and sevenpence
in the
pound sterling being obtained. (See Boulter's “Letters,” vol.
ii.,
p. 122. Dublin, 1770.)
There was no question about the benefit of Boulter's scheme in
the
minds of the two Houses of Commons and Lords: Swift, however,
opposed it vehemently, because he thought the advantage to be
obtained by this lowering of the gold would accrue to the
absentees. In 1687 James had issued a proclamation by which an
English shilling was made the equivalent of thirteen pence in
Ireland, and an English guinea to twenty-four shillings.
Primate
Boulter's object (gained by the proclamation of the order on
September 29th, 1737) was to reduce the value of the guinea
from
twenty-three shillings (at which it then stood) to £1 2s.
9d.
Swift, thinks Monck Mason, considered the absentees would
benefit
by this “from the circumstances of the reserved rents, being
expressed in the imaginary coin, called a pound, but actually
paid
in guineas, when the value of guineas was lowered, it required
a
proportionately greater number to make up a specific sum"
(“History
of St. Patrick's,” p. 401, note c.)
Swift, as he wrote to Sheridan, “battled in vain with the duke
and
his clan.” He thought it “just a kind of settlement upon
England of
£25,000 a year for ever; yet some of my friends,” he goes on
to
say, “differ from me, though all agree that the absentees will
be
just so much gainers.” (Letter of date May 22nd, 1737.)
In a note to Boulter's letter to the Duke of Newcastle
(September
29th, 1737) the editor of those letters (Ambrose Phillips)
remarks:
“Such a spirit of opposition had been raised on this occasion
by
Dean Swift and the bankers, that it was thought proper to
lodge at
the Primate's house, an extraordinary guard of soldiers.”
This,
probably, was after the open exchange of words between Boulter
and
Swift. The Primate had accused Swift of inflaming the minds of
the
people, and hinted broadly that he might incur the displeasure
of
the government. “I inflame them!” retorted Swift, “had I but
lifted
my finger, they would have torn you to pieces.” The day of the
proclaiming of the order for the lowering of the gold was
marked by
Swift with the display of a black flag from the steeple of St.
Patrick's, and the tolling of muffled bells, a piece of
conduct
which Boulter called an insult to the government.
It is à propos to record here the revenge Swift took on
Boulter
for the accusation of inflaming the people. The incident was
put by
him into the following verse:
“At Dublin's high feast sat primate and dean,
Both dressed like divines, with hand and face clean:
Quoth Hugh of Armagh, 'the mob is grown bold.'
'Ay, ay,' quoth the Dean, 'the cause is old gold.'
'No, no,' quoth the primate, 'if causes we sift,
The mischief arises from witty Dean Swift.'
The smart one replies, 'There's no wit in the case;
And nothing of that ever troubled your grace.
Though with your state sieve your own motions you s—t,
A Boulter by name is no bolter of wit.
It's matter of weight, and a mere money job;
But the lower the coin, the higher the mob.
Go to tell your friend Bob and the other great folk,
That sinking the coin is a dangerous joke.
The Irish dear joys have enough common sense,
To treat gold reduced like Wood's copper pence.
It's pity a prelate should die without law;
But if I say the word—take care of Armagh!”
With the lowering of the gold the Primate imported £2,000 worth
of
copper money for Irish consumption. Swift was most indignant
at
this, and his protest, printed by Faulkner, brought that
publisher
before the Council, and gave Swift a fit of “nerves.” (MS.
Letter,
March 31st, 1737, to Lord Orrery, quoted by Craik in Swift's
“Life,” vol. ii., p. 160.) Swift's objection against the
copper was
due to the fact that it was not minted in Ireland. “I quarrel
not
with the coin, but with the indignity of its not being coined
here.” (Same MS. Letter.)
Among the pamphlets in the Halliday collection in the Royal
Irish
Academy, Dublin, is a tract with the following title:
“Reasons why we should not lower the Coins now Current in this
Kingdom ... Dublin: Printed and Sold by E. Waters in
Dame-street.”
At the end of this tract is printed Swift's speech to “an
Assembly
of above one Hundred and fifty eminent persons who met at the
Guild
Hall, on Saturday the 24th April, 1736, in order to draw up
their
Petition, and present it to his grace the Lord Lieutenant
against
lowering said Coin.” It is from this tract that the present
text
has been taken. The editor is obliged to Sir Henry Craik's
“Life of
Swift” for drawing attention to this hitherto uncollected
piece.
[T. S.]
SPEECH DELIVERED ON THE LOWERING OF THE COIN.
I beg you will consider and very well weigh in your hearts, what I
am going to say and what I have often said before. There are several
bodies of men, among whom the power of this kingdom is divided—1st,
The Lord-Lieutenant, Lords Justices and Council; next to these, my
Lords the Bishops; there is likewise my Lord Chancellor, and my Lords
the Judges of the land—with other eminent persons in the land, who
have employments and great salaries annexed. To these must be added the
Commissioners of the Revenue, with all their under officers: and
lastly, their honours of the Army, of all degrees.
Now, Gentlemen, I beg you again to consider that none of these
persons above named, can ever suffer the loss of one farthing by all
the miseries under which the kingdom groans at present. For, first,
until the kingdom be entirely ruined, the Lord-Lieutenant and Lords
Justices must have their salaries. My Lords the Bishops, whose lands
are set at a fourth part value, will be sure of their rents and their
fines. My Lords the Judges and those of other employments in the
country must likewise have their salaries. The gentlemen of the revenue
will pay themselves, and as to the officers of the army, the
consequence of not paying them is obvious enough. Nay, so far will
those persons I have already mentioned be from suffering, that, on the
contrary, their revenues being no way lessened by the fall of money,
and the price of all commodities considerably sunk thereby, they must
be great gainers. Therefore, Gentlemen, I do entreat you that as long
as you live, you will look on all persons who are for lowering the
gold, or any other coin, as no friends to this poor kingdom, but such,
who find their private account in what will be detrimental to Ireland.
And as the absentees are, in the strongest view, our greatest enemies,
first by consuming above one-half of the rents of this nation abroad,
and secondly by turning the weight, by their absence, so much on the
Popish side, by weakening the Protestant interest, can there be a
greater folly than to pave a bridge of gold at your own expense, to
support them in their luxury and vanity abroad, while hundreds of
thousands are starving at home for want of employment.