The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume IV | Page 7

our Church, which they
look upon at least three degrees worse than Popery; and it is natural it
should be so, since they come over full fraught with that spirit which
taught them to abolish Episcopacy at home.
[Footnote 12: From this passage, perhaps, Johnson derived the famous
definition of oats, in his Dictionary, as the food of horses in England,
and of men in Scotland. [S.]]

Then we proceed farther, and observe, that the gentlemen of
employments here, make a very considerable number in the House of
Commons, and have no other merit but that of doing their duty in their
several stations; therefore when the Test is repealed, it will be highly
reasonable they should give place to those who have much greater
services to plead. The commissions of the revenue are soon disposed of,
and the collectors and other officers throughout this kingdom, are
generally appointed by the commissioners, which give them a mighty
influence in every country. As much may be said of the great officers in
the law; and when this door is open to let dissenters into the
commissions of the peace, to make them High Sheriffs, Mayors of
Corporations, and officers of the army and militia; I do not see how it
can be otherwise, considering their industry and our supineness, but
that they may in a very few years grow to a majority in the House of
Commons, and consequently make themselves the national religion,
and have a fair pretence to demand the revenues of the Church for their
teachers. I know it will be objected, that if all this should happen as I
describe, yet the Presbyterian religion could never be made the national
by act of Parliament, because our bishops are so great a number in the
House of Lords, and without a majority there, the Church could not be
abolished. But I have two very good expedients for that, which I shall
leave you to guess, and I dare swear our Speaker here has often thought
on, especially having endeavoured at one of them so lately. That this
design is not so foreign from some people's thoughts, I must let you
know that an honest bellwether[13] of our house (you have him now in
England, I wish you could keep him there) had the impudence some
years ago, in Parliament time, to shake my Lord Bishop of Kilaloe[14]
by his lawn sleeve, and tell him in a threatening manner, "that he hoped
to live to see the day when there should not be one of his order in the
kingdom."
[Footnote 13: Supposed to be Mr. Broderick. [F.]]
[Footnote 14: Dr. Lindsay, afterwards Lord Primate. [S.]]
These last lines perhaps you think a digression; therefore to return: I
have told you the consequences we fully reckon upon from repealing
the Sacramental Test, which although the greatest number of such as
are for doing it, are actually in no manner of pain about it, and many of
them care not threepence whether there be any Church, or no; yet

because they pretend to argue from conscience as well as policy and
interest, I thought it proper to understand and answer them accordingly.
Now, sir, in answer to your question, whether if an attempt should be
made here for repealing the Sacramental Test, it would be likely to
succeed? The number of professed dissenters in this Parliament was, as
I remember, something under a dozen, and I cannot call to mind above
thirty others who were expected to fall in with them. This is certain,
that the Presbyterian party having with great industry mustered up their
forces, did endeavour one day upon occasion of a hint in my Lord
Pembroke's speech, to introduce a debate about repealing the Test
clause, when there appeared at least four to one odds against them; and
the ablest of those who were reckoned the most staunch and
thorough-paced Whigs upon all other occasions, fell off with an
abhorrence at the first mention of this.
I must desire you to take notice, that the terms of Whig and Tory, do
not properly express the different interests in our parliament. I
remember when I was last in England, I told the King, that the highest
Tories we had with us would make tolerable Whigs there; this was
certainly right, and still in the general continues so, unless you have
since admitted new characteristics, which did not come within our
definition.[15] Whoever bears a true veneration for the glorious
memory of King William, as our great deliverer from Popery and
slavery; whoever is firmly loyal to our present Queen, with an utter
abhorrence and detestation of the Pretender; whoever approves the
succession to the Crown in the House of Hanover, and is for preserving
the doctrine and discipline of the