FN 137 Story’s Continuation; London Gazette, Oct. 22. 1691; D’Usson and Tesse to Lewis, Oct. 4/14., and to Barbesieux, Oct. 7/17.; Light to the Blind.

FN 138 Story’s Continuation; London Gazette Jan. 4. 1691/2

FN 139 Story’s Continuation; Macariae Excidium, and Mr. O’Callaghan’s note; London Gazette, Jan. 4. 1691/2.

FN 140 Some interesting facts relating to Wall, who was minister of Ferdinand the Sixth and Charles the Third, will be found in the letters of Sir Benjamin Keene and Lord Bristol, published in Coxe’s Memoirs of Spain.

FN 141 This is Swift’s language, language held not once, but repeatedly and at long intervals.  In the Letter on the Sacramental Test, written in 1708, he says:  “If we (the clergy) were under any real fear of the Papists in this kingdom, it would be hard to think us so stupid as not to be equally apprehensive with others, since we are likely to be the greater and more immediate sufferers; but, on the contrary, we look upon them to be altogether as inconsiderable as the women and children . . . .  The common people without leaders, without discipline, or natural courage, being little better than hewers of wood and drawers of water, are out of all capacity of doing any mischief, if they were ever so well inclined.”  In the Drapier’s Sixth Letter, written in 1724, he says:  “As to the people of this kingdom, they consist either of Irish Papists, who are as inconsiderable, in point of power, as the women and children, or of English Protestants.”  Again, in the Presbyterian’s Plea of Merit written in 1731, he says

“The estates of Papists are very few, crumbling into small parcels, and daily diminishing; their common people are sunk in poverty, ignorance and cowardice, and of as little consequence as women and children.  Their nobility and gentry are at least one half ruined, banished or converted.  They all soundly feel the smart of what they suffered in the last Irish war.  Some of them are already retired into foreign countries; others, as I am told, intend to follow them; and the rest, I believe to a man, who still possess any lands, are absolutely resolved never to hazard them again for the sake of establishing their superstition.”

I may observe that, to the best of my belief, Swift never, in any thing that he wrote, used the word Irishman to denote a person of Anglosaxon race born in Ireland.  He no more considered himself as an Irishman than an Englishman born at Calcutta considers himself as a Hindoo.

FN 142 In 1749 Lucas was the idol of the democracy of his own caste.  It is curious to see what was thought of him by those who were not of his own caste.  One of the chief Pariah, Charles O’Connor, wrote thus:  “I am by no means interested, nor is any of our unfortunate population, in this affair of Lucas.  A true patriot would not have betrayed such malice to such unfortunate slaves as we.”  He adds, with too much truth, that those boasters the Whigs wished to have liberty all to themselves.