ROBERT EMMET
A SURVEY OF HIS REBELLION
AND OF HIS ROMANCE
BY
WITH A PORTRAIT
OF
ROBERT EMMET
LONDON
DAVID NUTT, 57-59 LONG ACRE
1904
Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co.
At the Ballantyne Press
LIONEL JOHNSON
in the Land of the Living to remind him of
old thoughts and of things once dear
PREFATORY NOTE
The following unscientific monograph, a sort oflittle historical descant, is founded upon all theaccurate known literature of the subject, and alsolargely on the Hardwicke MSS. These, in so faras they relate to Emmet, the writer was first toconsult and have copied, last winter, before theywere catalogued. But while these sheets were inpress, several interesting fragments from the MSS.appeared in the Cornhill Magazine for September,1903, thus forestalling their present use. Thisdiscovery will condone the writer’s innocent claim,made on page 60, of printing the two letters thereas unpublished matter.
The portrait is after Brocas’s hurried court-roomsketch, made the day before the execution.The original print is in the Joly Collection of the[viii]National Library of Ireland. The head is too sharpand narrow, and yet it bears a marked resemblance,far exceeding that of either of the other portraits,to some of Robert Emmet’s collateral descendants.On such good à posteriori evidence it was chosen.
Oxford, Dec. 9, 1903.
ROBERT EMMET
A SURVEY OF HIS REBELLION AND OFHIS ROMANCE
The four who lived to grow up of the seventeenchildren born to Robert Emmet, M.D., of Cork,later of Dublin, and Elizabeth Mason, his wife,were all, in their way, persons of genius. TheEmmets were of Anglo-Norman stock, Protestants,settled for centuries in Ireland. The Masons, of likeEnglish origin, had merged it in repeated allianceswith women of Kerry, where the Dane, the Norman,and later invaders from nearer quarters had neversettled down to perturb the ancient Celtic socialstream. Dr. Emmet was a man of clear brain andincorruptible honour. The mother of his children,to judge by her letters, many of which have beenprivately printed, must have been an exquisitebeing, high-minded, religious, loving, humorous,wise. Her eldest surviving son, Christopher[2]Temple Emmet, was named for his two paternalgrandparents, Christopher Emmet of Tipperaryand Rebecca Temple, great-great-granddaughter ofthe first Baronet Temple of Sto