The political anatomy of Ireland with the establishment for that kingdom when the late Duke of Ormond was Lord Lieutenant ... : to which is added Verbum sapienti, or, An account of the wealth and expences of England, and the method of raising taxes in the most equal manner ... / by Sir William Petty ...

Of the future Settlement of Ireland, Proro∣gation of Rebellions, and its Union with England.

THE English invaded Ireland about 500 years since; at which time, if the Irish were in number about 1,200,000. Anno 1641. they were but 600 M. in num∣ber, 200 years ago, and not above 300,000 M. at the said time of their Invasion; for 300,000 people will, by the ordinary Course of Generation, become 1200 M. in 500 years; allowance being made for the Extraordinary Effects of Epidemical Diseases, Famines, Wars, &c.

There is at this Day no Monument or real Argument that, when the Irish were first invaded, they had any Stone-Housing at all, any Money, any Foreign Trade, nor any Learning but the Legend of the Saints, Psalters; Missals, Rituals, &c. viz. nor Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy, Archi∣tecture, ••nginery, Painting, Carving, nor any kind of Manufacture, nor the least use of Navigation, or the Art Military.

Sir Iohn Davys hath expressed much Wit and Learning, in giving the Causes why Ireland was in no measure reduced to Eng∣lish

Government, till in Queen Elizabeths Reign, and since; and withal offers several means, whereby what yet remains to be done, may be still effected.

The Conquest made by the English, and described in the Preamble of the Act of Par∣liament past Ann. 1662. for the Settlement of Ireland, gave means for any thing that had been reasonable of that kind; but their Forfeiters being abroad, and suffering with His Majesty from the same usurping hands, made some diversion.

Wherefore (Rebus sic stantibus) what is now to be done is the Question, viz. What may be done by natural possibility, if Au∣thority saw it sit?

Some furious Spirits have wished, that the Irish would rebel again, that they might be put to the Sword. But I declare, that mo∣tion to be not only impious and inhumane, but withal frivolous and pernicious even to them who have rashly wish'd for those occasions.

That the Irish will not easily rebel again, I believe from the memory of their former Successes, especially of the last, had not many Providences interpos'd; and withal from the consideration of these following Particulars, viz.

1. That the British Protestants and Church have ¾ of all the Lands; ⅚ of all the Housing; •••••• of all the Housing in wall'd Towns, and Places of strength ⅔ of the Foreign Trade. That 6 of 8 of all the Irish live in a brutish nasty Condition, as in Cabins, with neither Chimney, Door, Stairs nor Window; feed chiefly upon Milk and Potatoes, whereby their Spirits are not dispos'd for War. And that although there be in Ireland 8 Papists for 3 others; yet there are far more Soldi∣ers, and Soldierlike-Men of this latter and lesser Number, than of the former.

That His Majesty, who formerly could do nothing for, and upon Ireland, but by the help of England, hath now a Revenue up∣on the Place, to maintain, if he pleases, 7000 Men in Arms, besides a Protestant Mi∣litia of 25000 more, the most whereof are expert in War.

That the Protestants have Housing e∣nough within Places of strength within 5 Miles of the Sea-side; to receive and pro∣tect, and harbour every Man, Woman and Child belonging to them, and have also places of strength of their own properly, so situate in all parts of Ireland, to which they can easily travel the shortest day of the year.

That being able so to secure their Persons, even upon all sudden Emergencies, they can be easily supplied out of England with Food sufficient to maintain them, till they have burnt 160 M. of their afore-described Cabins, not worth 50 M. l. destroy'd their Stacks and Haggards of Corn, and distur∣bed their Tillage, which the embody'd Bri∣tish can soon and easily atchieve.

That a few Ships of War, whereof the Irish have none, nor no Skill or Practice of Navigation, can hinder their relief from all Foreign help.

That few Foreigners can help them if they would. But that none, not the King of France, can gain advantage by so doing, even tho he succeeded. For England hath constantly lost these 500 years by their med∣ling with Ireland. And at this day, than when Ireland was never so rich and splen∣did, it were the advantage of the English to abandon their whole Interest in that Coun∣trey; and fatal to any other Nation to take it, as hath been elsewhere (as I think) de∣monstrated; and the advantage of the Land∣lords of England, to give them the Equiva∣lent of what they should so quit out of their own Estates in England.

Lastly, Let the Irish know, That there are, ever were, and will be men disconten∣ted with their present Conditions in England, and ready for any Exploit and Change, more than are sufficient to quell any Insurrection they can make and abide by.

Wherefore, declining all Military means of setling and securing Ireland in peace and plenty, what we offer shall tend to the trans∣muting one People into the other, and the thorough union of Interests upon natural and lasting Principles; of which I shall enume∣rate several, tho seemingly never so uncouth and extravagant.

1. If Henry the II. had or could have brought over all the people of Ireland into England, declining the Benefit of their Land; he had fortified, beautified and enrich'd England, and done real Kindness to the I∣rish. But the same Work is near four times as hard now to be done as then; but it might be done, even now, with advantage to all Parties.

Whereas there are now 300 M. British, and 800 M. Papists, whereof 600 M. live in the wretched way above mentioned: If an Exchange was made of but about 200 M. I∣rish, and the like number of British brought

over in their rooms, then the natural strength of the British would be equal to that of the Irish; but their Political and Artifici∣al strength three times as great; and so visi∣ble, that the Irish would never stir upon a National or Religious Account.

3. There are among the 600 M. above∣mentioned of the poor Irish, not above 20 M. of unmarried marriageable Women; nor would above two thousand per Ann. grow and become such. Wherefore if ½ the said Women were in one year, and ½ the next transported into England, and disposed of one to each Parish, and as many English brought back and married to the Irish, as would improve their Dwelling but to an House and Garden of 3 l. value, the whole Work of natural Transmutation and Union would in 4 or 5 years be accomplished.

The charge of making the exchange would not be 20,000 l. per Ann. which is about 6 Weeks Pay of the present or late Ar∣mies in Ireland.

If the Irish must have Priests, let the number of them, which is now between 2 and 3 thousand Secular and Regulars, be reduced to the competent number of 1000, which is 800 Souls to the pastorage of each Priest; which let be known persons, and

English-men, if it may be. So as that when the Priests, who govern the Conscience, and the Women, who influence other pow∣erful Appetites, shall be English, both of whom being in the Bosom of the Men, it must be, that no massacring of English, as heretofore, can happen again. Moreover, when the Language of the Children shall be English, and the whole Oeconomy of the Family English, viz. Diet, Apparel, &c. the Transmutation will be very easy and quick.

Add hereunto, That if both Kingdoms, now two, were put into one, and under one Legislative Power and Parliament, the Members whereof should be in the same pro∣portion that the Power and Wealth of each Nation are, there would be no danger such a Parliament should do any thing to the pre∣judice of the English Interest in Ireland; nor could the Irish ever complain of Partiality, when they shall be freely and proportionably represented in all Legislatures.