Project Gutenberg 2003-05-01 Public domain in the USA. 73 Smith, Sydney 1771 1845 Plymley, Peter Dyson, Mr. Smith, Sidney Peter Plymley's Letters, and Selected Essays Peter Pymley's Letters -- Historical Apology for the Irish Catholics -- Ireland and England -- Moore's Captain Rock. Transcribed from the 1893 Cassell & Company edition by David Price "Peter Plymley's Letters and Selected Essays" by Sydney Smith is a collection of satirical letters written in the early 19th century that address the contentious issue of Catholic emancipation in Ireland. Through the persona of Peter Plymley, Smith engages in a witty and incisive critique of political and religious bigotry, advocating for the inclusion and rights of Catholics in a predominantly Protestant England. The letters are not merely a reflection of the historical grievances of the time but also showcase Smith's keen intellect and ability to intertwine humor with serious commentary. At the start of the work, the reader is introduced to the character of Peter Plymley, who writes to his brother Abraham, a cleric living in the countryside. Plymley's tone is both affectionate and mocking, as he first compliments Abraham before launching into a robust defense of Irish Catholics. He counters common prejudices and fears about Catholics with logical reasoning and historical context, while also highlighting the absurdity of religious exclusion in matters of national security. The opening establishes a combative yet humorous framework in which Smith tackles the deeper societal issues of his time, signaling that this collection will be both an exploration of personal and political themes, rooted in wit and eloquence. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Essays Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1800-1837 Catholic emancipation Catholics -- Great Britain -- History Catholics -- Ireland -- History PR Text Browsing: History - British Browsing: Literature Browsing: Politics 336077 335977 2024-10-02T11:03:48.140272 2023-10-02T09:37:10.995323 text/html text/html 333479 2014-09-08T16:55:21 text/html 229930 2014-09-08T16:58:30 text/html application/zip 305290 2024-10-02T11:03:55.621255 application/epub+zip 309163 2024-10-02T11:03:51.419257 application/epub+zip 197763 2024-10-02T11:03:50.122268 application/epub+zip 504861 2024-10-02T11:03:58.849216 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 486693 2024-10-02T11:03:54.747258 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 353052 2022-09-02T12:56:41.553898 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 325331 325282 2024-10-02T11:03:47.715311 2023-10-02T09:37:10.669316 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 325451 2014-09-08T16:54:53 text/plain; charset=utf-8 124841 2014-09-08T16:58:30 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 20959 2024-10-02T11:03:59.005232 application/rdf+xml 17112 2024-10-02T11:03:50.666287 image/jpeg 3934 2024-10-02T11:03:50.391272 image/jpeg 301539 2024-10-02T11:03:48.177273 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia