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324 CURRAN. be over-virtuous: it shews, that in proportion as our distresses increase, the munificence of the crown increases also-in proportion as our clothes are rent, the royal mantle is extended over us. But notwithstanding that the pension list, like charity, covers a multitude of sins give me leave to consider it as coming home to the mem bers of this house- give me leave to say, that the crown, in extending its charity, its liberality, its profusion, is lay ing a foundation for the independence of parliament; hereafter, instead of orators or patriots accounting for their conduct to such mean and unworthy persons as free- holders, they will learn to despise them, and look to the first man in the state, and they will by so doing have this security for their independence, that while any man in the kingdom has a shilling they will not want one. Suppose at any future period of time the boroughs of Ireland should decline from their present flourishing and pros perous state-suppose they should fall into the hands of men who would wish to drive a profitable commerce, by having members of parliament to hire or let; in sucha case a secretary would find great difficulty if tbe pro prietors of members should enter into a combination to form a monopoly; to prevent which in time, the wisest way is to purchase up the raw material, young members of parliament, just rough from the grass, and when they are a little bitled, and he has got a pretty stud, perhaps of seventy, he may laugh at the slave-merchant: some of them he may teach to sound through the nose, like a barrel organ; some, in the course of a few months, might be taught to cry 'hear! hear! some, chair! chair! upon occasion, though those latter might create a little confu sion, if they were to forget whether they were calling inside or outside of those doors. Again, he might have some so trained that he need only pull a string, and up gets a repeating member; and if they were so dull that they could neither speak nor make orations, (for they are different things) he might have them taught to dance, pedi bus ire in sententia.-This improvement might be extend