In one of their papers published here by some obscure printer (and probably with no good design) we are told, that “the Papists in Ireland have entered into an association against his coin,” although it be notoriously known, that they never once offered to stir in the matter; so that the two Houses of Parliament, the Privy-council, the great number of corporations, the lord mayor and aldermen of Dublin, the grand juries, and principal gentlemen of several counties are stigmatized in a lump under the name of “Papists.”

This impostor and his crew do likewise give out, that, by refusing to receive his dross for sterling, we “dispute the King’s prerogative, are grown ripe for rebellion, and ready to shake off the dependency of Ireland upon the crown of England.”  To countenance which reports he hath published a paragraph in another newspaper, to let us know that “the Lord Lieutenant is ordered to come over immediately to settle his halfpence.”

I entreat you, my dear countrymen, not to be under the least concern upon these and the like rumours, which are no more than the last howls of a dog dissected alive, as I hope he hath sufficiently been.  These calumnies are the only reserve that is left him.  For surely our continued and (almost) unexampled loyalty will never be called in question for not suffering ourselves to be robbed of all that we have, by one obscure ironmonger.

As to disputing the King’s prerogative, give me leave to explain to those who are ignorant, what the meaning of that word prerogative is.

The Kings of these realms enjoy several powers, wherein the laws have not interposed:  So they can make war and peace without the consent of Parliament; and this is a very great prerogative.  But if the Parliament doth not approve of the war, the King must bear the charge of it out of his own purse, and this is as great a check on the crown.  So the King hath a prerogative to coin money without consent of Parliament.  But he cannot compel the subject to take that money except it be sterling, gold or silver; because herein he is limited by law.  Some princes have indeed extended their prerogative further than the law allowed them; wherein however, the lawyers of succeeding ages, as fond as they are of precedents, have never dared to justify them.  But to say the truth, it is only of late times that prerogative hath been fixed and ascertained.  For whoever reads the histories of England, will find that some former Kings, and these none of the worst, have upon several occasions ventured to control the laws with very little ceremony or scruple, even later than the days of Queen Elizabeth.  In her reign that pernicious counsel of sending base money hither, very narrowly failed of losing the kingdom, being complained of by the lord-deputy, the council, and the whole body of the English here:[5] So that soon after her death it was recalled by her successor, and lawful money paid in exchange.