Miscellanea. 2nd ed
Before 1800, Ireland was a thinly populated and lightly urbanized country. English diplomat Sir William Temple (1628-1699) visited Ireland in 1654 and wrote somewhat belatedly An Essay upon the Advancement of Trade in Ireland, first published in 1673, and reproduced here in a second edition of his Miscellanea. He later became a commissioner for the remedy of defective titles in Ireland. By his own admission, Temple was lazy and was never really busy in employment. Horse racing - a popular Irish pastime - obviously took his fancy.