All  the  features  in  the  foregoing  sketch  were  taken  from

69


GLOSSARY

the  life,  and  they  are  characteristic  of  that  mixture  of
quickness,  simplicity,  cunning,  carelessness,  dissipation,
disinterestedness,  shrewdness,  and  blunder,  which,  in  dif-
ferent forms  and  with  various  success,  has  been  brought
upon  the  stage  or  delineated  in  novels.
It  is  a  problem  of  difficult  solution  to  determine  whether
a  union  will  hasten  or  retard  the  amelioration  of  this  coun-
try. The  few  gentlemen  of  education  who  now  reside  in
this  country  will  resort  to  England.  They  are  few,  but
they  are  in  nothing  inferior  to  men  of  the  same  rank  in
Great  Britain.  The  best  that  can  happen  will  be  the  intro-
duction of  British  manufacturers  in  their  places.
Did  the  Warwickshire  militia,  who  were  chiefly  artisans,
teach  the  Irish  to  drink  beer?  or  did  they  learn  from  the
Irish  to  drink  whisky  ?


GLOSSARY.
Some  friendSy  who  have  seen  Thadfs  history  since  it  has  been
printed^  have  suggested  to  the  Editor^  that  many  of  the  terms
and  idiomatic  phrases^  with  which  it  abounds^  could  not  be  in-
telligible to  the  English  reader  without  further  explanation.
The  Editor  has  therefore  furnished  the  following  Glossary.
Page  I.  Monday  morning. — Thady  begins  his  memoirs  of  the
Rackrent  Family  by  dating  Monday  morning,  because  no  great
undertaking  can  be  auspiciously  commenced  in  Ireland  on  any
morning  but  Monday  morning.  **  Oh,  please  God  we  live  till
Monday  morning,  we'll  set  the  slater  to  mend  the  roof  of  the
house.  On  Monday  morning  we'll  fall  to,  and  cut  the  turf.
On  Monday  morning  we'll  see  and  begin  mowing.  On  Monday
morning,  please  your  honour,  we'll  begin  and  dig  the  potatoes,"
etc.
