On the record
It was not English arms, but the English Constitution, that conquered Ireland.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “It was not English arms, but the English Constitution, that conquered Ireland.”
Editor's note · Context
Burke argues that it was the English Constitution, rather than military force, that ultimately brought Ireland under English control.
Share
More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
As he is not to obey us, but we are to obey the law in him, our Constitution has made no sort of provision towards rendering him, as a servant, in any degree responsible.
Jan 1, 1790
They look upon the legal hereditary succession of their crown as among their rights, not as among their wrongs,--as a benefit, not as a grievance,--as a security for their liberty, not as a badge of servitude.
Jan 1, 1790
Governments must be abused and deranged indeed, before it can be thought of; and the prospect of the future must be as bad as the experience of the past.
Jan 1, 1790
The ceremony of cashiering kings, of which these gentlemen talk so much at their ease, can rarely, if ever, be performed without force.
Other voices in this conversation
