In  short,  your  enemies  are  on  the  alert.  They  throw  out  the
language  of  irritation,  and  they  adopt  every  measure  of  oppres-
sion to  goad  you  to  a  violation  of  the  law — to  a  departure  from
your  loyalty  and  peaceable  demeanou;  I*  -i  it  does  not  rest
there.  They  send  round  their  agents  witu  money,  and  with  par-
don for  themselves,  to  preach  in  private  circles  the  doctrine  of
insurrection — to  form  secret  knots  and  associations — to  seduce
you  into  crime  and  then  betray  you.  These  miscreants  endea-
vour to  obtain  your  confidence,  that  they  may  sell  your  lives
in  the  meantime,  the 'Orangemen  stand  to  their  arms,  ready  pre-
pared, primed,  and  loaded  ;  they  stand  with  the  triangle  and  the
gibbet,  to  torture,  to  plunder,  and  to  massacre  !

Alas  !  alas  !  my  countrymen,  see  you  not  the  fatal  snare  ?  l)o
you  not  comprehend  the  cruel  purposes  of  your  betrayers?  Yes!
jay  countrymen  were  never  deficient  in  intellect — they  never
v.  anted  ready  comprehension.  They  do,  and  they  must  perceive
that  if  a  single  parish — if  a  single  village — nay,  if  a  single  indi-
vidual, exhibits  the  symptoms  of  political  crime — if  a  single  wish,
inconsistent  with  loyalty,  allegiance,  peace,  be  expressed,  our
enemies  will  have  an  excuse,  and  a  justification  for  their  crimes
and  oppressions  !  The  Habeas  Corpus  Act  will  again  be  sus-
pended— the  reign  of  torture  and  of  terror  will  again  be  renewed,
and  the  cause  of  Ireland  will  be  lost,  and  lost  for  ever.
