The following extracts have been selected and arranged by person or topic for teaching purposes. For a copy of the full text of the novel, see RICORSO Library, “Irish Classics”, infra.

[...] We cannot judge either of the feelings or of the characters of men from their actions or their appearance in public; it is from their careless conversations, their half finished sentences, that we may hope with the greatest probability of success to discover their real characters.’

The life of a great or of a little man written by himself, the familiar letters, the diary of any individual published by his friends, or by his enemies after his decease, are esteemed important literary curiosities. We are surely justified in this eager desire to collect the most minute facts relative to the domestic lives, not only of the great and good, but even of the worthless and insignificant, since it is only by a comparison of their actual happiness or misery in the privacy of domestic life, that we can form a just estimate of the real reward of virtue, or the real punishment of vice.

[...] the merits of a biographer are inversely as to the extent of his intellectual powers and his literary talents. A plain unvarnished tale is preferable to the most highly ornamented narrative. Where we see that a man has the power, we may naturally suspect that he has the will to deceive us, and those who are used to literary manufacture know how mush is often sacrificed to the rounding of a period or the pointing an antithesis.’

[calls Thady’s idiom incapable of translation’ into plain English]; It is a problem of difficult solution whether the Act of Union will hasten or retard the amelioration of this country’;

Nations as well as individuals gradually lose attachment to their individuality, and the present generation is amused rather than offended by the ridicule that is thrown upon their ancestors. When Ireland loses her identity by an union with Great Britain, she will look back with a smile of good-humoured complacency on the Sir Kits and Sir Condys of her former existence. (1800, Edn., pp.x-xi; Everyman Edn. 1964; pp.1-5.)

THADY: to look at me, you would hardy thing “poor Thady” was the father of attorney Quirk; he is a high gentleman and n[e]ver minds what poor Thady says, and having better than 1,500 a year, landed estate, looks down upon honest Thady, but I wash my hands of his doings, as I have lived so will I die true and loyal to the family. (OUP edn., p.8.)

[...] for the estate came straight into the family, upon one condition, which Sir Patrick O’Shaughlin at the time took sadly to heart, they say, but thought better of it afterwards, seeing how large a stake depended upon it, that he should, by Act of Parliament, take and bear the surname and arms of Rackrent. (Georger Watson, World Classics Edn, p.9.)

I made the best of a bad case, and laid it all at my lady’s door (p.12); [I] laid it all to the fault of the agent. (p.21.)

telling [Sir Condy] stories of the family and the blood from which he was sprung (p.39.)

just as you see the ducks in the kitchen yard after their heads are cut off by the cook, running round and round faster than when alive (p.58.)

As for all I have here set down from memory and hearsay of the family, there’s nothing but truth in it from beginning to end, that you may depend upon, for where’s the use of telling lies about the things which everybody knows as well as I do? (Rackrent, p.96.)

SIR PATRICK: [died] just as the company rose to drink his health with three cheers (p.11.)

WIDOW SKINFLINT: [departs] without a word more, good or bad, or even a half-a-crown (p.18.)

MURTAGH RACKRENT: was a very learned man in law (p.16.)

LADY MURTAGH RACKRENT’S ECONOMY: However, my lady was very charitable in her own way. She ha[d] a charity school for poor children, where they were taught to read and write gratis, and where they were kept well to their spinning gratis for my lady in return; for she had always heaps of duty yarn from the tenants, and got all her husband’s linen out of the state from first to last [...] With these ways of managing, ‘tis surprising how cheap my lady got things done, and how proud she was of it. (p.13.)

Thady’s view of LADY KIT: I took care to put the best foot forward, and passed her for a nabobb [sic] in the kitchen (George Watson, ed., CR, 1987, p.26.)

HER CONFINEMENT: The country, to be sure, talked and wondered at my lady’s being shut up, but nobody chose to interfere or ask any impertinent questions, for they knew my master was a very apt man to give short answers himself and likely to call a man out afterwards [...] he had killed his man before he came of age, and nobody scarce dare look at him whilst in Bath.’

No sooner was it certain that he was dead than all the gentlemen within twenty miles of us came in a body, as it were, to set my lady at liberty, and to protest against her confinement, which they now for the first time understood was against her own consent. The ladies too were as attentive [...] but thought it a pity that [the diamonds] were not bestowed, if it had so pleased God, upon a lady who would have become them better.

All these civilities wrought little with my lady, for she had taken an unaccountable prejudice against the country and everything belonging to it, and was so partial to her native land that, after parting with the cook [...] she was pacing up to leave us.

It was a shame for her, being his wife, not to show more duty, or to have given it up when he condescended to as so often for such a bit of a trifle in his distresses, especially when he all along made no secret that he married for money.

SIR CONDY: [...] born to little or no fortune, he was bred to bar, at which having many friends to push him, and no mean natural abilities, he doubtless would in process of time, if he could have borne the drudgery of that study, have been rapidly made king’s counsel at least - But [...] he never went circuit but twice, and then made no figure for want of a fee, and being unable to speak in public.

Sir Condy was educated with Jason in a little grammar school with many others, and my son amongst the rest, who was in his class, and not a little useful to him in his book learning, which he acknowledged with gratitude ever after. (p.39).

[...] he neglected to apply to the law as much as was expected of him, and secretly many of the tenants advanced him cash upon his note in hand value received, promising bargains of leases [...]

[CONDY IN PARLIAMENT:] He never spoke good or bad - but, as the butler wrote down word to my son Jason, was very ill used by the government about a place that was promised him and never given, after his supporting them against his conscience very honourably, and being greatly abused for it, which hurt him greatly, he having the name of a great patriot in the country before.

[...] to my mind Sir Condy was rather upon the sad order in the midst of it all, not finding there had been such a great talk about himself after his death as he had always expected to hear.

JASON’S ADVANCEMENT: The agent was one of your middle men who grind the face of the poor [...] the agent was always very civil to me when he came down into the country, and he took great notice of my son Jason.

Seeing how he was as good a clerk as any in the county, the agent gave him his rent accounts to copy, which he did first of all for the pleasure of obliging the gentleman, and would take nothing for his trouble, but was always proud to serve the family.

[T]he value of lands, as the agent informed [Lord Rackrent], falling every year in Ireland, his honour wrote in haste a bit of a letter, saying he left it all to the agent [...] with this the agent gave me a hint, and I spoke a good word for my son, and gave it out in the country that no one need bid against us’ [?err. him].

The agent wrote over to stop the drafts [...] for I saw the letter before it was ever sealed, when my son copied it [...]. The agent was turned out; and my son, who had corresponded privately with his honour occasionally on business, was forthwith desired by his honour to take the accounts into his own hands and look them over until further orders [...] Then, in a private postscript, he condescended to tell us that all would be speedily settled to his satisfaction, and we should turn over a new leaf [...] and several other words I could not make out because, God bless him! he wrote in such a flurry. My heart warmed to my new lady when I read this [...]

My son Jason, who was now established as the agent, and knew every thing, explained matters out of the face to Sir Connolly, and made him sensible of his embarrassed situation [...].

While this was going on, my son demanded to be paid for his trouble, and many years service in the family gratis [...]

[Sir Condy] gave my son a bargain for some acres which fell out of lease at a reasonable rent [...]

Jason [...] got 200 a year profit rent, which was little enough considering his long agency. He bought the land at twelve years purchase two years after, when Sir Condy was pushed for money on an execution [...]

Well, when things were tight with them about this time, my son put in a word again about the lodge [which had been let to Moneygawl, now alienated by the marriage] and made a genteel offer to lay down the purchase money to relieve Sir Condy’s distresses[...]. my son bought the fee simple of a good house for him and his heirs for little or nothing, and by selling of it for that same my master saved himself from goal. (Watson, ed., CR., 1964, p.54.)

This fellow had the impudence, after coming to see the chicken-yard, to get me to introduce him to my son Jason - little more than the man that was never born did I guess his meaning by this visit; he gets him a correct list fairly drawn out from my son Jason of all my master’s debts, and goes straight round to his creditors and buys them all up [...] he takes him out a custodiam on all the denominations and sub-denominations [...] upon the estate.

[...] and my son Jason said, said Condy must soon be looking for a new agent, for I’ve done my part and can do [no] more - if my lady had the bank of Ireland to spend, it would go all in one winter, and Sir Condy would never gainsay her, though he doesn’t care the rind of a lemon about her all the while.’ Further, [...] ever since he had lived at the Lodge of his own he looked down, howsomever, upon poor old Thady, and was grown quite a great gentleman, and had none of his relations near him - no wonder he was no kinder to poor Sir Condy than to his own kith and kin.

[The CUSTODIAM:] I could scarcely believe my old eyes, or the spectacle with whch I read it, when I was shewn my son Jason’s name joined in the custodiam; but he told me it was only for form’s sake, and to make things easier, than if all the land was under the power of a total stranger. [62] - Well, I did not know what to think - it was hard to be talking ill of my own, and I could not but grieve for my master’s fine estate, all torn by these vultures of the law; so I said noting, but just looked on to see how it would all end.

[THE LETTER:] and, sure enough, I had no time to examine, or make any conjecture more about it, for into the servants’ hall pops Mrs. Jane [...] [he then proceeds to fix the window which gives him overhearing of the conversation].

“Sarrah bit of a sacret [...] has [Jason] learned from me these fifteen weeks come St. John’s Eve [...] for we have scarce been on speaking terms of late [...]”.

[A]nd the man who brought in the punch witnessed it, for I was not able; and besides, Jason said, which I was glad of, that I was no fit witness, being so old and doating.

Castle Rackrent was seized by the gripers, and my son Jason, to his shame be spoken, amongst them - I wondered, for the life of me, how he could harden himself to do it, but then he had been studying the law, and had made himself attorney Quirk; so he brought down at once a heap of accounts upon my master’s head.

[Jason: ] “[...] it’s all, and a great deal more to the back of it, lawfully mine was I to push for it”’ [Watson ed., CR, p.76]

[...] and when the report was made known, the people one and all gathered in great anger against my son Jason, at the terror of the notion of his coming to be landlord over them.

Sir Condy, “nothing for nothing, or I’m under a mistake with you, Jason.”

I said noting for fear of gaining myself ill-will.’ [55]

I saw the halfpenny in the air, but I said nothing at all, and when it came down, I was glad I had kept myself to myself, for to be sure it was all over with poor Judy [...] and I had no more to say but wish [Isabella] joy.

RELIABILITY OF SERVANTS REPORTS: [...] couldn’t tell what to make of her, so I left her to herself, and went straight down to the servants’ hall to learn something for certain about her. Sir Kit’s own man was tired, but the groom set him talking at last, and we had it all out before ever I closed my eyes that night.

[Can Thady possible be sincere when he says to Judy,] “You’ll have no luck, mind my words ..” and all I remembered about my poor master’s goodness in tossing for her afore he married at all came across me, and I had a choaking in my throat that hindered me to say more.

JUDY: What signifies it to be my lady Rackrent and no Castle? Sure what good is the car and no horse to draw it?

shaking the ink out of the pen upon the carpet [Cf. Swift’s Instructions to Servants].

End

[ Some remarks on Notes & Glossary [BS] Some of the notes are written in a mixed spirit of of curiosity and ridicule - viz, wigs (p.68) but another sort are plainly intended as indictments of the agent class. See also the note on wakes (p.81) which ends with “gossipping and debauchery”, itself greatly extended by a note in the Glossary section afterwards. Another note is merely jocular and has no bearing on the story, “at the coronation of one of our monarchs, &c.” The note on kilt (pp.84-85) is given in both the Glossary and the footnotes. In general the tone of the footnotes is philological while that of the glossary is facetious, signally in regard to the saying: “In Ireland, killing is no murder.” ]