After Limerick
tion in which England found herself. At this time England was engaged in a great military struggle with France, and it was to her of the utmost importance that her available sources of revenue should not be impaired. Ireland was a country of comparatively small industrial development, and to English statesmen it did not seem particularly harsh to endeavour to direct her trade and industry into those channels in which they could not interfere with the existing industries in the mother country. Industries were being fostered in England to get wealth; this wealth was needed to fight France and the forces of Catholicism. And after all we need only consider the history of Europe during the years directly succeeding the revolution in order to understand this dislike and suspicion of Roman Catholicism.
But there were still further reasons for interfering in Ireland. It was not only jealousy of Ireland which influenced the English legislature and English statesmen in their policy; it was partly also jealousy and fear of the English Crown. To the Englishmen of that day experience seemed to show that Irish prosperity was dangerous to English liberty. Under Strafford in the reign of Charles I., and under Ormond in the reign of James II., something had been done to
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