FLORENCE MACARTHY.

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fashionable part of the audience; and at last got through the sundry charges against Padreen Gar, Dennis Tully, Shamus Joy, Dan Brogan, Teague Mac Mahon, Owny Sullivan, and others, who came under the denomination of " PADREEN GAR'S BOYS.".

They stood accused of feloniously assembling for purposes of rebellion, and breach of the king's peace, at Saint Gobnate's well, under the pretence of celebrating the feast of that saint; and of acting under the influence of Terence Oge O'Leary (who had absconded, and whose papers, being seized), betrayed a regular plan of insurrection, aided by several catholic gentlemen of the country, in correspondence with Spain and France.

Baron Boulter now folding his letter, called for a lighted candle and sealingwax, and addressing the prisoners, said,

"My honest friends, it appears to me, from the depositions which have been just set forth, that you all have incurred the chance of being hanged; an event that must, in all probability, have taken place at one time or other of your lives and I dare say you will agree with me, my honest friends, that whether a little sooner, or a little later, is a matter of but trifling importance. (I'll trouble you, Sir, to snuff the candle.) You see, my friends, I wish to do nothing in the dark, and am endeavouring to throw every possible light upon your case. There now, is my young and clever friend, Mr. Conway Townsend Crawley, smiling at me; and my old friend Mr. Crawley, his venerable father, smiling also. The Crawleys, gentlemen, are good-humour

1

ed men, and cheerful men. I am, myself, a good-humoured man; and in that point, at least, I resemble Lord

Mansfield. And now, my friends, with such active magistrates and loyal as the Mister Crawleys among you, the one an high sheriff, the other an high treasurer; the one a sitting barrister, and another a serjeant, (not, however, I trust a permanent serjeant); with such enlightened guardians of the law, to keep you quiet, and put you up, and put you down, it is singular that you should meet at Saint Gobnate's well, for the purposes of sedition and rebellion. For Mr. Crawley, Sen. may be justly styled the grand conservator of the peace of Ballydab; and with his worthy sons, I must say, forms an aula regis, (a term, by-thebye, borrowed from the Norman law, as you well know, my honest friends, none better). (I'll trouble you, Sir, for a little black wax.) As for Counsellor Conway Crawley, I look upon him as the very repertorium of the laws; one

who has read every thing; Burn's Justice, Blackstone's Commentaries, the Registrum Brevium, and Paley's Evidences; deep read in the Saxon law, the Norman law, the Brehon law, and the game law-apropos to game laws! Would you, Mr. Footman, step out to my servant, and tell him to take the grouse out of the gun case, and present them to the cook, with Baron Boulter's very best compliments? But, my honest friends, the point to establish is this-were you de facto at Saint Gobnate's well for the purposes of sedition ? Can you prove that you were not? I address myself in particular to you, Mr. Padreen Gar, as chief of this conspiracy were you at Saint Gobnate's well this morning? and for what purpose?"

"Is it for what purpose, my lord?" said Padreen Gar, advancing intrepidly into the centre of the hall, and display

ing a bold and careless countenance. "Is it, what brought me there, Sir? Sure your lordship knows right well, what would be bringing a poor man to the holy well, plaze your lordship's honor, Sir; isn't it his dewotion, my lord? what else, Sir. And has been going to the well an hundred years, and more, my lord-troth we have." "Will you make affidavit of that, Mr. Padreen Gar?"

"I will, plaze your lordship." "Then, Mr. Padreen, I can only say, that a pitcher that goes so often to the well is liable to come home broken at last, which I think I shall be able to prove to you before I have done. But who is that in the red shanavest? (I believe that is good Irish for a waistcoat, as some of you know, my friends, to your cost;) he who is seeking my attention, as I judge by his expressive countenance.”