,the ,irish ,ecclesiastical ,record     
,volume #a                              
,july #ahfe            ,,contents       
,judge ,keogh ,and ,catholic ,doctrines4
  ,the ,see ,of ,killaloe ,in ,the      
,sixteenth ,century4  ,the ,sacrament   
,of ,penance ,in ,the ,early ,irish     
,church4  ,richard ,fitz-,ralph1        
,archbishop ,of ,armagh4  ,purgatory ,of
 ,st4 ,patrick ,in ,lough ,derg4        
,liturgical ,questions4  ,notices ,of   
,books4  ,footnotes              ,,judge
 ,,keogh ,,and ,,catholic ,,doctrines4  
,we have read the address of ,mr4       
,justice ,keogh7#a7 with feelings of    
surprise  and sorrow4 ,it is            
un-,catholic in its language1 it is     
un-,catholic in its  spirit1 it is      
un-,catholic in its principles4 ,if it  
had come from a member  of a hostile    
sect1 we could well afford to let it    
pass unnoticed2 to let  it live its     
short life1 and die a natural death4    
,but when the calumnies1  the sneers1   
the sarcasms of our enemies are turned  

against us by one who  is enrolled under
 the banner of ,catholic faith1 we can  
no longer remain  silent in safety4 ,the
 weapons which are powerless in the     
hands of a  declared enemy1 are         
dangerous indeed when they are wielded  
by a traitor in  the camp4    ,mr4      
,justice ,keogh is no ordinary man4 ,his
 mind is adorned with talents  well     
fitted to amuse1 to delight1 to instruct
 an audience4 ,in his short  but        
brilliant career as an orator and a     
statesman1 he won for himself a  great  
name at the bar and in the senate4 ,and 
now he is lifted up above his  fellows1 
and placed in a position of high trust  
and extensive influence4  ,when such a  
man comes forward1 with forethought and 
preparation1 as one of  the instructors 
of the age1 he is a conspicuous object  
of interest and  attraction4 ,he is     
looked upon1 by those who are not       
acquainted with his  antecedents1 as the
 exponent of ,catholic views1 the       
representative of  ,catholic            

intelligence and education4 ,we are     
therefore compelled1 in  self-defence1  
to declare that the opinions he has     
expressed are not the  opinions of the  
,catholic ,church1 and the language he  
has thought fit to  use cannot be       
regarded1 by the ,catholic people of    
,ireland1 but as  offensive and         
insulting4    ,his lecture contains     
little originality of thought or novelty
 of argument4  ,it does but reflect the 
spirit of the age in which we live4 ,the
 opinions  and the views which it sets  
forth have long been familiar to our    
ears3  they pervade the shallow current 
literature of ,england1 of ,germany1 of 
,italy1 of ,france4 ,intellectual       
freedom1 unbounded1 unrestrained2       
freedom  of thought in the search after 
truth1 without any regard to authority2 
freedom of speech in the circulation of 
every view and opinion2 freedom to  pull
 down old theories1 freedom to build up 
new theories2 freedom to roam  at large 
without any guide over the vast fields  

of speculation1 adopting  that which    
private judgment commends1 rejecting    
that which human reason  disapproves2   
these are the popular dogmas of the     
present day2 and these  are the topics  
which ,mr4 ,justice ,keogh proposes to  
illustrate and to  enforce by the life  
and writings of our great ,english poet4
    ,now1 we are not the enemies of     
freedom4 ,the ,catholic ,church is not  
the  enemy of freedom4 ,but we should   
expect that one who comes forward to    
enlighten the world on this important   
subject1 would tell us how far  human   
reason is to be left without restraint  
in the search after truth4 ,it  is easy 
to talk of intolerance1 persecution1    
narrow-minded bigotry2 but  these words 
have no meaning unless we first clearly 
understand what that  freedom is--in    
thought1 in word1 in action--which is   
the natural right of  all men2 which it 
is intolerance to deny1 which it is     
tyranny to  extinguish4 ,first of all1  
if the fact of a ,divine ,revelation be 

once  admitted1 it is clear that human  
reason is not exempt from all           
restraint3 it must be controlled at     
least by the ,word of ,god4 ,we are     
surely bound to believe what ,god has   
taught3 and when reason would lead us   
to conclusions contrary to ,his         
teaching1 as may sometimes happen1 we   
are  bound to check our reason and to   
abandon those conclusions4 ,for1 reason 
may be deceived1 but ,god can not4 ,this
 is what we understand by the  words of 
,st4 ,paul when he speaks of 8bringing  
into captivity every  understanding unto
 the obedience of ,christ0--,,ii4 ,cor41
 x4 #e4    ,with this preliminary remark
 we shall now submit to our readers the 
opinions of ,mr4 ,justice ,keogh3--     
8,could words of mine prevail to induce 
you to devote a small      portion of   
your leisure hours1 stolen though it be 
from the      pleasure paths of         
sensational or periodical literature1 to
 those      great productions of ,john  
,milton1 in which the staunchest friend 

of freedom and of truth that ever lived 
has made the most      successful war   
against tyranny and falsehood--in which 
he has      proclaimed in tones not     
unworthy of the ,apostle of the         
,gentiles17#b7 that education really    
free is the only source of              
political and individual liberty1 the   
only true safeguard of      states and  
bulwark of their renown--in which he has
 for ever      #8justified the ways of  
,god to man'1 by asserting the right of 
all      men to exercise unrestrained   
their intellectual faculties upon all   
the gifts of ,god--to determine for     
themselves what is truth and      what  
is falsehood--to circulate their        
thoughts from one to another1      from 
land to land1 from tribe to tribe1 from 
nation to nation1      free as #8the    
winds that from four quarters blow'--to 
raise their      thoughts and to pour   
forth their words above the level of    
vulgar      superstition1 unrestricted  
by any illiberal or illiterate          

licenser--then you will find that he has
 risen1 as mortal man never      did    
before1 to the height of greatest       
argument1 and proclaimed in             
language which is affecting the fate of 
millions1 even at this      hour1 on the
 banks of the ,mississippi1 and in the  
remote forests      of the far west1    
that ,he who has made 'of one blood all 
nations of      men to dwell on all the 
face of the earth1 willeth not that men 
shall any longer hold in bondage as a   
property the bodies or the      souls of
 men1 but that all alike shall have1    
unobstructed by any      ordinance1 a   
free book1 a free press1 a free         
conscience'4 ,if any      words of mine 
shall tempt you to approach these       
considerations1 to      ponder upon them
 as they are to be found in the         
tractates of      ,milton1 in a         
tranquil1 in a large and comprehensive  
spirit1 and      when you have done so1 
to make their fit application not only  
at      home but abroad1 not only abroad

 but at home1 then we shall not         
have met in vain in this assembly04     
,we do not propose to offer any remarks 
on the subject of political  liberty4   
,but the principles here enunciated are 
of universal application4  ,milton waged
 the 8successful war0 of freedom not    
less in matters of  religion than in    
matters of state4 ,and ,mr4 ,justice    
,keogh adopts his  principles without   
any limitation4 ,he asserts with ,milton
 8the right of  all men to exercise     
unrestrained their intellectual         
faculties upon all  the gifts of        
,god--to determine for themselves what  
is truth and what is  falsehood04 ,if we
 take these words literally as they     
stand1 they are  inconsistent not with  
the ,catholic religion only1 but with   
every system of  ,christianity that has 
ever existed4 ,luther1 the great        
champion of  intellectual freedom1      
though he shook off the yoke of church  
authority1  set up in its stead the     
authority of the ,bible4 ,even he was   

willing to  admit that the wanderings of
 the human mind should be restricted by 
the  teaching of the ,word of ,god4 ,it 
is clearly contrary to the common       
principles of ,christianity to assert   
that in metaphysics1 in ethics1 in      
psychology1 in any human science1 the   
mind is at liberty to embrace  opinions 
incompatible with the truths which ,god 
has revealed4 ,and if it be  not at     
liberty to do so1 then it is not        
8unrestrained04    ,it may be said1     
however1 that the author of this address
 does not really  intend to assert what 
his words seem to convey4 ,how then are 
we to guess  at his meaning8 ,he insists
 upon 8the right of all men to exercise 
unrestrained their intellectual         
faculties0 in the pursuit of truth4 ,if 
he does not mean this1 what does he     
mean8 ,if he does not wish to exclude   
all restraint on the 8intellectual      
faculties0 of men1 what restraint is  he
 willing to admit8 ,upon this point     
there seem to be just two opinions      

between which he has to choose3 the one 
is the common doctrine of all           
,catholics2 the other is the fundamental
 principle of the ,protestant  ,church4 
,let us pause for a moment to examine   
these two systems4    ,according to     
,catholic faith1 our ,divine ,lord has  
established in ,his ,church  an         
infallible tribunal1 to pronounce1 in   
matters of religion1 what is true  and  
what is false4 ,hence1 it is never      
lawful1 whether there be question of    
religious belief or of human science1 to
 adopt opinions at variance with  the   
teaching of this infallible tribunal4   
,here indeed is a check upon            
intellectual freedom1 but a check which 
must1 of necessity1 be admitted by  all 
who belong to the ,catholic ,church4    
,and surely it is no great sacrifice  to
 submit our finite understanding1 so    
frail and erring1 to the authority  of  
,god's ,word1 explained by a tribunal   
which ,he has ,himself established1  and
 to which ,he has promised ,his         

never-failing help4    ,protestants1 on 
the other hand1 maintain the right of   
each one to  interpret for himself1     
according to the best of his private    
judgment1 the  ,revelation which ,god   
has given to man4 ,the liberty of the   
human mind is  therefore unfettered by  
any human authority4 ,in this all sects 
are agreed4  ,some1 indeed1 believe that
 the ,church has authority to teach1 and
 some  reject this opinion2 but all     
maintain that there is no obligation in 
conscience to accept her teaching4 ,she 
has not the gift of infallibility4      
,just as individuals may fall into      
error1 so too may the ,church herself   
fall into error4 ,her teaching may be   
true1 or it may be false2 each one is   
to judge for himself4 ,the only check   
upon the freedom of thought is the      
,divine ,message sent to us from on     
,high1 and recorded in the pages of     
,holy  ,writ4    ,we maintain1 of       
course1 that the ,catholic system which 
we have just  explained is true1 and the

 ,protestant system false4 ,if we were  
engaged in  controversy with a          
,protestant1 it would be our duty at    
once to establish  and to defend our    
doctrine2 to demonstrate that the       
,church of ,christ is  infallible1 and  
that the right of private judgment is   
contrary alike to  the teaching of      
,scripture and to the dictates of common
 sense4 ,but in the  case before us1    
there is no call for proof3 ,mr4        
,justice ,keogh is a  ,catholic4 ,it    
remains then only to examine if the     
language of his address  is not         
calculated to convey an opinion quite   
inconsistent with the faith  which he   
professes4    ,the question we wish to  
raise is simply this3 8,does the address
 before us  admit that the human mind in
 the pursuit of truth should be         
restrained by  the authoritative        
definitions of the ,catholic ,church1 or
 does it rather  exclude this           
restraint80 ,now1 in the first place1 it
 is to be remembered  that this         

restriction of intellectual freedom is  
denied by all ,protestants  in this     
country1 and maintained by all          
,catholics4 ,when a lecturer1 then1     
addressing a mixed audience1 in a       
written discourse1 tells them that 8all 
men have a right to exercise their      
intellectual faculties unrestrained01   
do not the circumstances of the case fix
 upon his words a ,protestant           
signification8 ,will not his hearers    
naturally say that he has chosen the    
,protestant side of the controversy1 and
 not the ,catholic8 ,again1 according   
to the ,protestant doctrine1 each one is
 at liberty to construct a system  of   
religious belief for himself3 according 
to the ,catholic doctrine1 every  one   
should accept the tenets of his faith on
 the authority of the ,church4  ,now we 
are told in the address1 that all men   
have 8a right to determine  for         
themselves what is truth and what is    
falsehood04 ,has this phraseology  a    
,catholic or a ,protestant complexion8  

,lastly1 the lecturer exhorts his       
hearers to go themselves to the pages of
 ,milton1 there to learn the  doctrine  
of intellectual freedom4 ,it will1      
therefore1 naturally be  supposed1 that 
the doctrine is defended by the lecturer
 in the same sense  in which it is      
defended by the poet4 ,now ,milton      
denied again and again1  not in his     
writings only1 but also by his acts1    
that the ,church has any  right to      
interfere with the speculations of the  
human mind4 ,it is evident1  therefore1 
that the language of ,mr4 ,justice      
,keogh1 whether considered in  itself1  
or understood by the light of the       
context1 is incompatible with  the      
principles of the ,catholic ,religion4  
,freedom of thought is not enough3      
freedom of speech is also an essential  
dogma of the new philosophy4 ,we are    
assured that all men have a right 8to   
circulate their thoughts from one to    
another1 from land to land1 from  tribe 
to tribe1 from nation to nation1 free as

 #8the winds that from four  quarters   
blow'2 to raise their thoughts1 and to  
pour forth their words  above the level 
of vulgar superstition1 unrestricted by 
any illiberal or  illiterate licenser04 
,accordingly1 amongst the various prose 
works of  ,milton1 there is one which   
our lecturer selects for especial       
commendation4  ,it is entitled3         
,areopagitica1 a ,speech for the        
,liberty of ,unlicensed  ,printing4     
,this little tract is distinguished1 no 
doubt1 for its learning1  wit1 and      
eloquence2 but these high qualities are 
devoted to the defence of  opinions     
which we cannot accept4 ,the book and   
its principles are thus  introduced to  
his audience by ,mr4 ,justice ,keogh3   
8,if all the works he produced were     
cancelled and forgotten 444 yet         
give one in hand1 the treatise for the  
liberty of unlicensed      printing1 the
 ,areopagitica1 and ,i would boldly     
maintain1 not      only that he had     
satisfied every call which his country  

could make      on the most devoted of  
her sons1 but that he had vindicated    
their      rights and sustained his own 
reputation in the greatest pen          
writing in the ,english language4 ,he   
wished1 as he tells us in this          
treatise1 to deliver the press from the 
restraints with which it      was       
incumbered1 that the power of           
determining what ought to be            
published and what suppressed1 might no 
longer be entrusted to      captious    
lawyers or knavish priests1 or even     
grave chancellors and      venerable    
chief justices4444 ,i shall give you1   
even at the risk of      trying your    
patience1 some extracts from this       
treatise2 but first      let me tell    
you1 that it establishes in the clearest
 way1 not only      that ,milton was the
 fast friend of toleration1 but that the
      charges of being an enemy of all  
order and of all monarchy1 so           
industriously made against him1 are     
without foundation4444 ,and      then he

 gives expression to this noble         
sentiment1 fit to be      engraven in   
letters of gold4 ,let statesmen hear it1
 and tyrants1      civil and            
ecclesiastical1 dwell upon it3          
#8,although ,i dispraise not      the   
defence of just immunities1 yet love my 
peace better1 if that      were all1    
give me the liberty to know1 to utter1  
and to argue      freely1 according to  
conscience1 above all liberties'4 ,i    
cannot      bring myself to hurry over  
this noble tract4 ,i have read it over  
again and again2 ,i read it years and   
years ago1 and often since1      and now
 again1 for the purpose of addressing   
you2 and the oftener      ,i read it1   
the more ,i take it to my heart4 ,if    
such be its effect      upon me1 as ,i  
fondly hope it may be upon many of you01
 etc4      ,notwithstanding this ardent 
and enthusiastic declaration1 we yet    
think it  would be unfair to impute to  
the learned lecturer every casual       
expression  or even every deliberate    

opinion set forth in the speech he so   
much  admires4 ,it is1 however1 clear   
that he adopts as his own at least the  
main  features of the doctrine          
enunciated1 and the general character of
 the  argument by which it is defended4 
,this doctrine may be explained in two  
words3 unbounded liberty1 on the one    
hand1 to publish and to circulate all   
manner of opinions2 unbounded liberty1  
on the other1 to read all manner of     
books4 ,the ,state1 it is contended1 has
 no right to forbid1 or to repress1     
those publications which are dangerous  
to the welfare of society2 neither  has 
the ,church a right to forbid or to     
repress those publications which  are   
hostile to the spiritual interests of   
the faithful4 ,these views we  believe  
to be false and pernicious both as      
regards the power of the ,state  and the
 power of the ,church4 ,it is1 however1 
under the latter aspect alone  that we  
propose to consider the subject4    ,the
 pastors of the ,church have received a 

divine command to guard the  integrity  
of faith and to watch over the purity of
 morals4 ,therefore have  they also     
received from ,god that authority which 
is necessary for the due  fulfilment of 
this high charge4 ,and such is the      
authority to prohibit and1  as far as   
may be1 to repress those publications of
 which the only tendency  is to         
introduce error and to disseminate vice4
 ,for it is impossible to  preserve     
truth incorrupt in a community1 if error
 may be circulated  without restriction1
 dressed up in the delusive garb of     
sophistry2 it is  impossible to preserve
 morals pure1 if vice may be freely     
exhibited in the  most seductive and    
alluring forms4 ,a great writer and a   
wise philosopher1  ,samuel ,johnson1    
even though a ,protestant1 had the      
vigour of mind to seize  this important 
principle1 which he has expressed with a
 singular felicity  of diction and an   
epigrammatic power peculiarly his own3  
8,if every  murmurer at government01 he 

says1 8may diffuse discontent1 there can
 be no  peace2 and if every sceptic in  
theology may teach his follies1 there   
can  be no religion047#c7    ,we confess
 indeed that this is a question full of 
difficulty to members of  the           
,protestant ,church4 ,they believe that 
each one has a right to judge for       
himself what is true and what is false3 
and it is not easy to see how this      
right can be exercised1 unless each one 
be free to examine every form of        
belief1 every variety of error4 ,but we 
are at a loss to understand how a       
,catholic should go astray on a subject 
so plain4 ,from the earliest ages  the  
,catholic ,church has ever claimed and  
exercised the right to condemn  and     
prohibit those books which are contrary 
to faith and dangerous to  morals4 ,now 
it would be an error in doctrine to     
suppose that the ,catholic  ,church     
could claim such a right if she had not 
received it from her ,divine  ,founder4 
,if we pass from the doctrine of ,milton

 to his arguments1 we shall have  much  
greater reason to wonder how it should  
have come to pass that we are  asked1 by
 a ,catholic lecturer1 to accept his    
views4 ,he does not defend the          
circulation of bad books as a necessary 
evil1 which it is inexpedient or        
impossible to check4 ,on the contrary1  
he maintains it is a positive good1     
which ought to be encouraged4 ,according
 to his notion1 the promiscuous  reading
 of bad books is the furnace in which   
our love for truth and virtue  is to be 
tried4 ,there can be no merit in truth1 
he argues1 for him who is  not          
acquainted with error2 there can be no  
merit in virtue for him who is  not     
familiar with vice4 ,these are          
sentiments so utterly repugnant to the  
common instincts of our nature1 that we 
could not believe they came from  our   
illustrious poet1 if his own words did  
not bear witness against him3--         
8,as1 therefore1 the state of man now   
is1 what wisdom can there he      to    

choose1 what continence to forbear1     
without the knowledge of      evil8 ,he 
that can apprehend and consider vice    
with all her baits      and seeming     
pleasures1 and yet abstain1 and yet     
distinguish1 and      yet prefer that   
which is truly better1 he is the true   
wayfaring      ,christian4 ,i cannot    
praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue1
      unexercised and unbreathed1 that  
never sallies out and seeks her         
adversary1 but slinks out of the race1  
where that immortal garland      is to  
be run for notwithstanding dust and     
heat4 ,assuredly we bring      not      
innocence into the world2 we bring      
impurity much rather3 that      which   
purifies us is trial1 and trial is by   
what is contrary4 ,that      virtue1    
therefore1 which is but a youngling in  
the contemplation      of evil1 and     
knows not the utmost that vice promises 
to her      followers1 and rejects it1  
is but a blank virtue1 not a pure4444   
,since therefore the knowledge and      

survey of vice is in this world      so 
necessary to the constituting of human  
virtue1 and the scanning      of error  
to the confirmation of truth1 how can we
 more safely and      with less danger  
scout into the regions of sin and       
falsity1 than      by reading all manner
 of tractates1 and hearing all manner of
      reason8 ,and this is the benefit  
which may be had of books               
promiscuously read047#d7      ,we shall 
offer no commentary on this passage4    
,principles like these carry  with them 
their own condemnation4 ,and yet such   
are the principles advanced  in a tract1
 which has made so favourable an        
impression on ,mr4 ,justice  ,keogh1    
that the oftener he reads it1 the more  
he takes it to his heart1  and which he 
fondly hopes may make a like impression 
on the minds of his  audience4    ,when 
we are assured by ,mr4 ,justice ,keogh  
that ,milton was 8the fast friend  of   
toleration01 we can scarcely believe    
that he is serious4 ,lest1 however1  our

 readers should be led astray1 we shall 
briefly tell them what ,milton  really  
thought and said on the subject of      
religious toleration4  ,towards the     
close of his life1 he wrote a very      
important treatise7#e7 in  which he     
discusses the question1 and explains his
 views with his usual  clearness and    
force4 ,he maintains in this treatise   
that all religious  sects are to be     
tolerated1 with one exception2 and that 
exception is the  ,roman ,catholic      
,church4 ,lutherans1 ,calvinists1       
,anabaptists1 ,socinians1  ,arminians1  
in a word1 all ,protestants1 whatever   
their religious opinions  may be1 should
 have liberty to preach1 to discuss1 to 
worship1 unmolested3  but ,catholics    
must not be tolerated2 they must not be 
permitted to defend  their doctrines2   
they must not be permitted to worship   
either in public or  in private47#f7    
,this1 he contends1 is one of the best  
means to prevent the  growth of         
,popery47#g7 ,here is the champion of   

intellectual liberty that  ,mr4 ,justice
 ,keogh would hold up to the admiration 
of his audience6 ,here is  8the fast    
friend of toleration01 8the staunchest  
friend of freedom and  truth that ever  
lived01 the man who 8has made the most  
successful war  against tyranny and     
falsehood06 ,we must charitably suppose 
that the  learned lecturer has formed   
his opinion of ,milton without reading  
his  works4    ,we are told by the      
biographers of ,milton that his father1 
who was the son  of a zealous ,roman    
,catholic1 abandoned the religion of his
 ancestors1 and  was on that account    
deprived of his inheritance4 ,the act of
 apostasy is  one that the ,catholic    
,church can never contemplate without   
the deepest  sorrow and abhorrence4     
,according to the principles of our     
faith1 he who  separates himself from   
the one ,true ,church transgresses the  
command of ,god  and forfeits his claim 
to everlasting happiness4 ,yet1 it would
 seem1 ,mr4  ,justice ,keogh finds in   

this act nothing to deplore1 but much to
 admire4  ,speaking of the poet1 he     
says3--          8,he was in early youth
 instructed by a father who had         
sacrificed      for conscience' sake a  
fair inheritance1 with all scriptural   
lore1      of which he drank with a     
thirst which was never satisfied04      
,if we understand these words aright1   
our author regards with complacency  the
 conduct of one who renounced the true  
faith1 to embrace a religion  which1 in 
the eyes of all ,catholics1 is false and
 heretical4 ,to his mind  the act of    
apostasy is a sacrifice for conscience' 
sake4 ,this is  liberality of sentiment 
indeed6 ,but it is a liberality of      
sentiment which  we cannot reconcile    
with the maxims of sacred ,scripture4   
,not so did the  great apostle speak of 
those who had 8made shipwreck concerning
 the  faith04 8,of whom01 he said1 8is  
,hymenaeus and ,alexander1 whom ,i have 
delivered up to ,satan1 that they may   
learn not to blaspheme0--,i4 ,tim41 i4  

#ai4 #bj4 ,and again3 8,and their speech
 spreadeth like a canker2 of whom is    
,hymenaeus and ,philetus1 who have erred
 from the truth1 saying that the        
resurrection is past already0--,,ii4    
,tim41 ii4 #ag1 #ah4    ,our readers1   
perhaps1 will not be unwilling to know  
what was the effect of  this training on
 the religious principles of ,milton4   
,his rich and vigorous  mind was1       
indeed1 a fertile soil4 ,the seed which 
was sown in the spring  time of youth1  
did not fail to grow up into a luxuriant
 tree1 and to bring  forth fruit in due 
season1 according to its kind4 ,in the  
maturity of life  he constructed a      
system of theology which he professed to
 derive from  ,scripture alone4 ,it is  
recorded by his own pen in his treatise 
,de  ,doctrina ,christiana1 which1      
having been lost for a hundred and fifty
  years1 has come to light within the   
present century4 ,the peculiar tenets   
which he sets forth in this remarkable  
book may be briefly told4 ,he  defends  

the lawfulness of polygamy and divorce2 
he maintains that matter  exists from   
eternity2 he denies the doctrine of the 
,trinity2 the ,son is  inferior to the  
,father1 and produced in time2 the ,holy
 ,ghost is inferior  to the ,father and 
the ,son4 ,an able writer has described 
8the result of the  whole work0 as 8a   
system of theology not merely in        
discordance with the  ,church of        
,england1 but with every sect by which  
we are divided2 an  incoherent and      
conflicting theory1 which combines      
,arianism1 ,anabaptism1                 
,latitudinarianism1 ,quakerism1 and we  
know not what to add1 on account of  his
 opinions on polygamy1 but              
,mahometanism047#h7 ,these results are  
the ripe  fruit of that early           
instruction in 8all ,scriptural lore0   
which ,milton  received1 and for which  
,mr4 ,justice ,keogh would seek our     
sympathy and  approval4    ,after what  
we have seen1 we cannot be surprised    
that our learned lecturer  should point 

the finger of scorn and ridicule at the 
,roman ,inquisition4  ,speaking of      
,milton's travels in ,italy1 he says3   
8,there it was his fortune  to visit    
,gallileo1 confined in the prison of the
 ,inquisition for thinking  in astronomy
 otherwise than the ,franciscan and     
,dominican believers04 ,we do  not      
propose here to defend the ,inquisition3
 neither shall we attempt to  disprove  
the charge1 which ,mr4 ,justice ,keogh  
would fain convey1 that the  ,catholic  
,church is the enemy of scientific      
truth4 ,we shall wait for an  adversary 
who deals in arguments and not in       
sneers4 ,we cannot1 however1  forbear to
 notice a gross inaccuracy in the       
statement of fact4 ,it is  asserted that
 it was the fortune of ,milton 8to visit
 ,gallileo confined in  the prison of   
the ,inquisition04 ,this assertion is   
simply false4 ,milton's  visit must have
 occurred about the year #afch1 and it  
is well known to all  who are acquainted
 with the subject1 that ,gallileo was   

then living at home  in his own house at
 ,arcetri1 quietly pursuing his         
astronomical studies4 ,in  point of law1
 indeed1 he was still technically a     
prisoner of the  ,inquisition1 but this 
is widely different from being confined 
in the  prison of the ,inquisition4 ,it 
is only fair to observe that the words  
of  ,milton himself1 from whom the      
lecturer has taken his statement1 are1  
on  this point1 strictly correct4       
8,there it was that ,i found and visited
 the  famous ,gallileo1 grown old1 a    
prisoner to the ,inquisition1 for       
thinking  in astronomy otherwise than   
the ,franciscan and ,dominican licensers
  thought047#i7 ,our lecturer1          
therefore1 in borrowing the language of 
the  poet1 has not only contrived to    
introduce an error1 but he has taken    
care  that this error shall be on the   
side most unfavourable to the ,catholic 
,church4    ,we shall not trouble the   
reader with our own views or arguments  
on the  hackneyed controversy of        

,gallileo's persecution4 ,we shall be   
content to  contrast the opinion of ,mr4
 ,justice ,keogh with that of a learned 
and able  ,protestant writer1 who has   
devoted much study to the life and times
 of the  great astronomer1 and who is   
himself honourably distinguished in     
kindred  fields of science4 ,sir ,david 
,brewster1 with all his strong          
anti-,catholic  prejudices1 distinctly  
maintains that the trials of ,gallileo1 
such as they  were1 are not to be       
ascribed to his opinions in matters of  
astronomy1 but  rather to his 8personal 
imprudence0 and to his 8irreligious     
sentiments047#aj7 ,the character of the 
persecution which he had to endure  at  
the hands of the ,catholic ,church may  
be gathered from the testimony of  the  
same eminent writer4 ,in the year #afbc1
 long after he had been tried  before   
the tribunal of the ,inquisition1 having
 occasion to come to ,rome1  he met with
 a noble and generous reception from the
 ,father of the  faithful4 8,the        

kindness of his ,holiness01 says ,sir   
,david ,brewster1 8was of  the most     
marked description4 ,he not only loaded 
,gallileo with presents1  and promised  
him a pension for his son ,vincenzo1 but
 wrote a letter to  ,ferdinand ,,ii41   
who had just succeeded ,cosmo as ,grand 
,duke of ,tuscany1  recommending        
,gallileo to his particular             
patronage047#aa7 ,and again he says3    
8,thus honoured by the head of the      
,church1 and befriended by its          
dignitaries1 ,gallileo must have felt   
himself secure against the              
indignities of its lesser               
functionaries4444 ,but ,gallileo was    
bound      to the ,romish hierarchy by  
even stronger ties4 ,his son and himself
      were pensioners of the ,church2   
and having accepted of its alms1        
they owed it at least a decent and      
respectful allegiance4 ,the      pension
 thus given by ,urban was not a         
remuneration which      sovereigns      
sometimes award to the services of their

 subjects4      ,gallileo was a         
foreigner at ,rome4 ,the sovereign of   
the ,papal state      owed him no       
obligation2 and hence we must regard the
 pension of      ,gallileo as a donation
 from the ,roman ,pontiff to science    
itself1      and as a declaration to the
 ,christian world that religion was not 
jealous of philosophy1 and that the     
,church of ,rome was willing to         
respect and foster even the genius of   
its enemies047#ab7      ,there are many 
other blots in the address of ,mr4      
,justice ,keogh1 which a  severe critic 
would not pass by without censure4 ,he  
would ask1 perhaps1  how comes it that  
the lecturer takes his ,scriptural      
quotations from the  ,protestant and not
 from the ,catholic ,bible8 ,is it that 
the ,protestant  ,bible is the only one 
with which he is familiar8 ,can it be   
that the  ,protestant ,bible is the     
source from which he derives his views  
in  philosophy and in theology8 ,we     
fully recognize the literary merits of  

the  ,english ,authorized ,version2 but 
there can be no doubt that the religious
  prejudices of its authors have led    
them into many serious errors4 ,at all  
events it is not usual for a ,catholic  
to quote from its pages without some    
apology or some explanation4 ,again1 why
 does he tell his audience that the     
names of ,spenser1 of ,shakespeare1 of  
,scott1 are to be found on the ,index   
,expurgatorius8 ,did he consult the     
,index himself and find these names     
upon it8 ,it cannot be3 they are not    
there4 ,was he induced to make the      
assertion on the authority of some      
trustworthy witness8 ,we can scarcely   
believe it was so3 no writer who cares  
for his reputation would commit  himself
 to a statement so easily disproved4    
,was it1 then1 that he wished  to cast  
unfounded aspersions on the ,catholic   
,church1 and to bring her  institutions 
into discredit with all who cherish the 
names of those  illustrious writers8    
,once more3 ,mr4 ,justice ,keogh1       

forgetting1 for the  moment1 his country
 as well as his religion1 introduces to 
the favourable  notice of his audience  
8our glorious deliverer1 ,william       
,,iii406 ,what a  startling phrase to   
hear from the lips of an ,irishman and a
 ,catholic6  ,william ,,iii4 possessed  
many eminent qualities3 he was a brave  
soldier and  an able statesmen4 ,but in 
the annals of ,ireland his name must be 
for ever  associated with persecution   
and with perfidy47#ac7    ,our limited  
space is now drawing to a close2 and1 in
 good truth1 we are  weary of passing   
censure4 ,it is time that we lift up our
 eyes from the  right honourable        
lecturer to fix them for a few moments  
on the more noble  and majestic         
proportions of the great poet himself4  
,when we contemplate  that venerable    
figure1 as it stands forth to view on   
the canvas of  history1 if we speak in  
the language of censure1 it must be     
blended with  the language of genuine   
love and veneration4 ,his errors we     

cannot defend2  his faults we do not    
wish to extenuate2 we are obliged to    
protest against  his principles1 and    
those who eulogise them4 ,but amidst the
 varied  fortunes of his chequered      
career he displayed many great          
qualities1 which  cannot fail to win the
 admiration of every generous heart4    
,of his public conduct as a statesman we
 cannot indeed speak with approval4  ,it
 seems to us that all the arguments     
advanced in his defence carry with  them
 also his condemnation4 ,he sided with  
the parliament against the king1        
because1 it is said1 he wished to uphold
 the constitution of his country2  and  
yet he defended the trial and execution 
of the king1 which were  conducted in   
defiance of that same constitution4 ,he 
abandoned his lawful  sovereign to      
support the fortunes of ,cromwell1      
because he believed that  ,charles was a
 despot2 and yet he clung to the cause  
of ,cromwell when  ,cromwell was not    
only a despot but an usurper4 ,if the   

constitution was to  be upheld1 then the
 execution of the king was indefensible4
 ,if a tyrant  should forfeit the       
allegiance of his subjects1 then        
,cromwell had no claim  to be obeyed4   
,yet however much he erred1 it must be  
ever borne in mind  that those who took 
a part in the turbulent events of the   
great rebellion1  had not the same      
opportunities to form a calm and        
impartial judgment which  we now        
possess4 ,men distinguished by great    
vigour of mind and great public  spirit1
 were to be found on opposite sides in  
the senate and in the camp4  ,none could
 have told1 when the breach first       
appeared between ,charles and  his      
parliament1 that it would lead to civil 
war and end in the crime of  regicide4  
,it was necessary to make a choice2 and 
the choice once made1 it  required more 
than ordinary virtue1 more than ordinary
 courage1 to recede2  virtue and courage
 with which ,milton was not endowed4    
,those1 however1 who would form a just  

estimate of ,milton's character must    
seek him far away from the din of war   
and the strife of parties4 ,he had      
borne a conspicuous part in a memorable 
political struggle2 his fame had  been  
carried abroad to distant lands2 and yet
 he retires without regret  from public 
life1 to commune with his own mind in   
the obscurity of an  humble lodging4    
,the world admires the magnanimity of   
the old ,roman who1  having saved his   
country from destruction1 returned again
 to his plough  and to the simple       
pleasures of his rustic home4 ,but there
 is far more to  admire in the closing  
period of ,milton's career4 ,the hour of
 his  prosperity had passed away2 the   
vigour of youth was gone4 ,disappointed 
in  his hopes1 neglected by an age      
unworthy of his genius1 poor1 and blind1
  and old1 his splendid mind rose       
superior to all these calamities1 which 
would have crushed a less noble spirit4 
,as if now1 at length1 released  from   
the captivity of earthly bonds1 he soars

 aloft to higher thoughts1  and pours   
forth from an overflowing soul the lofty
 strains of his  unrivalled poem1 the   
glory of ,english literature1 the wonder
 and delight  of every succeeding age4  
,not often does the history of the world
 present  to us a spectacle so sublime4 
,yet how little does genius avail in the
 one great and important affair of      
religion1 unless guided and controlled  
by that infallible authority which  ,god
 has established in ,his ,church6 ,the  
great doctrinal errors of ,milton       
cannot be imputed to any want of        
intellectual power2 for1 in the natural 
gifts of intellect1 he was eminently    
conspicuous4 ,much rather must they be  
ascribed to the erroneous system he     
employed in the search of ,revealed     
truth4 ,starting from false principles1 
the more boldly he advanced1 the  more  
deeply did he plunge into error4 ,in    
common with other ,protestants1 he      
accepted the doctrine of private        
judgment2 but he was distinguished from 

others by the logical consistency and   
inflexible resolution with which he     
ever clung to this fundamental          
principle4 ,having been taught not to   
subject his reason to the authority of a
 ,church which claimed to be            
infallible1 he refused to submit to the 
teaching of a ,church which had         
renounced that claim4 ,his errors were  
more extravagant than those of other    
,protestant writers1 only because he was
 more fearless in his speculations1     
more consistent in his principles1 more 
honest in his speech4 ,others are  often
 saved from error because they hesitate 
to follow the light of  reason1 when    
reason would lead them too far from the 
beaten track of  received opinions4 ,but
 such timidity and inconsistency were   
little in  harmony with the spirit of   
,milton4 ,he had learned in early youth1
 as a  first principle1 that1 in the    
matter of religion1 ,scripture should be
 his  only authority1 reason his only   
guide2 and in after life he was ever    

prepared to follow that guide           
whithersoever it might conduct4    ,the 
religious career of ,milton appears to  
us1 therefore1 in a remarkable  manner1 
at once to illustrate and to disprove   
the ,protestant ,rule of  ,faith4 ,in   
him it was fairly tried1 and it was     
found wanting4 ,it would be  difficult1 
we believe1 to select from the whole    
range of ,protestant  writers any one   
who possessed in a higher degree1 those 
qualities which  are favourable to the  
exercise of private judgment4 ,his      
distinguished  biographer1 ,mr4         
,mitford1 who was himself a ,protestant 
clergyman1 has  spoken on this subject  
with great candour and ability4         
,referring to the  treatise ,de         
,doctrina ,christiana1 he says3--       
8,it is acknowledged by all that it is  
written with a calm and                 
conscientious desire for truth1 like    
that of a man who had      forgotten or 
dismissed the favourite animosities of  
his youth1 and      who had retired     

within himself1 in the dignity of age1  
to employ      the unimpaired energies  
of his intellect on the most important  
and      awful subject of inquiry4 ,the 
haughtiness of his temper1 the          
defiance of his manner1 his severe and  
stoical pride1 are no      longer seen4 
,he approaches the book of ,god with an 
humble and      reverential feeling1 and
 with such a disposition of piety1      
united      to so powerful an intellect1
 and such immense stores of learning1   
who would not have expected to have seen
 the #8star-bright form' of      truth  
appear from out the cloud2 but wherever 
we look1 the pride      of man's heart  
is lowered1 and the weakness of humanity
 displayed4      ,with all his great    
qualifications for the removal of error 
and the      discovery of truth1 he     
failed047#ad7      ,he not only failed1 
but he seems to have been a perfect type
 of that  unsteadiness in error which   
,st4 ,paul describes in his ,epistle to 
the  ,ephesians3 he was as a little     

child 8tossed to and fro1 and carried   
about  with every wind of doctrine04 ,he
 wandered1 we are told1 8from           
,puritanism  to ,calvinism1 from        
,calvinism to an esteem for ,arminius1  
and finally1 from  an accordance with   
the ,independents and ,anabaptists to a 
dereliction of  every denomination of   
,protestants047#ae7 ,when this was the  
fate of his  gigantic intellect1 how can
 humbler minds hope to attain success if
 they  employ the same means8    ,it    
seems to us1 therefore1 that we can find
 some excuse for the errors of  ,milton 
in the false principles which he had    
imbibed in his youth4 ,and1  with all   
his faults1 we cannot but revere the    
magnanimity of his spirit1  the         
splendour of his genius4 ,but we have no
 sympathy with those who1  having the   
rich inheritance of an infallible       
authority for their guide in  matters of
 religion1 would yet claim for          
themselves the right to launch  forth   
into the boundless sea of thought       

without restriction or restraint2  who  
blindly embrace the conclusions of      
,milton1 while they reject his          
premises2 and who imitate him in his    
wanderings1 while they cannot imitate   
that nobility of sentiment and that     
loftiness of eloquence which shed a     
lustre even around his errors4          
,,the ,,see ,,of ,,killaloe ,,in ,,the  
,,sixteenth ,,century4      ,in the year
 #adfc1 ,matthew or ,mahoun ,o',griffa  
was appointed by ,pope  ,pius ,,ii41    
,bishop of ,killaloe4 ,he had hitherto  
held the canonry and prebend  of        
,teampul-monin1 in the diocese of       
,limerick1 the annual revenue of which  
amounted to twenty marks1 and the       
,monumenta ,vaticana preserve an        
interesting fragment1 which records the 
appointment of ,donald  ,magillapadrig  
as his successor in that dignity3       
8,confertur ipsi  canonicatus et        
prebenda de ,tampolmonin in ,ecclesia   
,limericensi quorum  fructus viginti    
marcharum sterlingorum non excedunt et  

quos ,mattheus  electus ,laonensis      
tempore suae promotionis obtinebat0 7#ag
 ,decemb41 #adfc2  pag4 #dee74    ,dr4  
,o',griffa died in #adhb1 and was       
succeeded the same year by ,terence     
,o',brien1 who ruled the see for        
forty-three years1 and1 as ,ware informs
 us1  8was a prelate of great account   
among his people for his liberality and 
hospitality04    ,richard ,hogan1 a     
,franciscan1 was chosen his successor in
 #aebe1 and after  an episcopate of     
fourteen years1 was translated to       
,clonmacnoise by ,pope  ,paul ,,iii41 on
 #afth ,june1 #aeci4 ,he1 however1      
enjoyed this new dignity only  for a    
little while1 as1 a few days after his  
translation1 he was summoned  to his    
eternal reward4    ,it is remarkable    
that the episcopate of his successor in 
the see of  ,killaloe was equally short2
 for1 ,tirlogh1 in ,latin ,theodoricus  
,o',brien1 appointed its bishop in      
,june1 #aeci1 died before ,december the 
same year4 ,both sees being thus vacant 

at the same time1 ,dr4 ,florence        
,o',gerawan1 i4e4 ,kirwan1 was appointed
 bishop of ,clonmacnoise and  ,killaloe 
on #aeth ,december1 #aeci1 the union of 
these sees being at the same  time      
limited to the lifetime of this bishop4 
,the following is the  consistorial     
entry3--          8,anno #aeci1 #ae     
,decembris3 ,sua ,sanctitas providit    
,ecclesiis      ,claonensi et ,laonensi 
in ,hibernia vacantibus per obitum      
,richardi      et ,theodorici de persona
 fratris ,florentii ,igernam 7sic7 ord4 
,fratrum ,min4 cum dispensatione ex     
defectu natalium et unione      duarum  
,ecclesiarum ad vitam dicti ,florentii04
      ,we have already had occasion to  
speak of this bishop when treating of   
the  see of ,clonmacnoise 7,record1 part
 #a41 pag4 #aeg72 his episcopate was    
marked by many signal events1 and his   
zeal in the defence of the ,catholic    
faith merited for him the hatred of the 
enemies of our holy ,church4 ,he  died  
in #aeed1 and had for his successor     

,terence ,o',brien1 who received his    
appointment in the beginning of ,queen  
,mary's reign1 and continued to         
administer the see till his death1 which
 is registered by the ,four  ,masters in
 #aefi4    ,malachy ,o',molony was next 
proclaimed in consistory on #ajth       
,january1  #aega4 ,he suffered much from
 the agents of the ,protestant          
establishment3  8,plurima ab haereticis 
mala et nonnunquam carceris acrumnas    
passus est0  7,mooney1 ,,ms4 ,hist4     
,francis472 and on #bbnd of ,august1    
#aegf1 his  translation to ,kilmacduagh 
was solemnly promulgated in the ,roman  
court4    ,his successor1 ,cornelius    
,o',melrian1 ,o4,s4,f41 was appointed   
the same  month1 viz41 #bfth ,august1   
#aegf1 and for forty-one years1 till his
 death in  #afag1 he continued bishop of
 this ancient see4 ,this prelate played 
an  important part in the last great    
struggle of the ,desmond chieftains2 and
  we have intentionally passed rapidly  
over the preceding bishops1 that  space 

might remain for dwelling on the        
unpublished documents connected  with   
his history4 ,at the time of his        
appointment to the see of ,killaloe1    
,james ,fitzmaurice was actively engaged
 on the ,continent in enlisting the  aid
 of the ,catholic powers in favour of   
the ,irish confederates4 ,before        
setting sail from ,lisbon on #cjth      
,october1 #aegg1 this chieftain wrote to
  ,gaspar de ,quiroza1 ,archbishop of   
,toledo1 acquainting him with the       
disaster  which had befallen our ,bishop
 ,cornelius1 who1 a little while before1
  having sailed from ,rochelle for the  
,irish coast1 was captured by pirates1  
and being despoiled of all he possessed1
 was obliged to return to the           
,continent4 ,fitzmaurice adds3--        
8,he 7,dr4 ,o',melrian7 is most devoted 
to us1 and we confide to him      all   
the secrets which are to be communicated
 to you connected with      the succour 
which is to be sent to us2 it would be  
most useful      that he should         

accompany the expedition of troops1 to  
instruct      them as to the place for  
landing2 as well as to conduct them to  
our quarters04      ,the letter         
terminates with the sweet old ,irish    
invocation 8spes nostra  ,jesus et      
,maria04    ,when at length a           
considerable body of ,spanish troops set
 sail for ,ireland1  under the command  
of the unfortunate colonel ,st4 ,jos1   
the bishop of  ,killaloe accompanied    
them1 but soon quitted their ranks to   
join the ,irish  camp and assist the    
native ,desmond princes by his sacred   
ministry and  counsel4 ,in #aehb he was 
instructed by the ,earl of ,desmond to  
proceed to  ,spain and ,rome1 and       
negotiate whatever measures might tend  
to the succour  of ,ireland4 ,the       
following letters addressed by this     
,irish chieftain to the  reigning       
pontiff ,gregory ,,xiii41 will be read  
with interest by all who are  acquainted
 with that sad period of our history2   
they are extracted from  the ,vatican   

archives3          8,,sanctissime       
,,pater1        8,in vinca ,domini      
exercituum laboramus expugnando         
luteranam istam      ,angliae ,reginam2 
toto enim hoc triennio elapso1 prout jam
 bellum      gerimus1 in armis sumus4   
,nostrum omnemque statum omniaque nostra
      exposuimus periculo evidentissimo 
semper perdendi1 bellumque istud      in
 ,hibernia propter causas subsequentes  
his tribus annis elapsis      in manus  
libentissime assumpsimus1 nimirum quod  
sanctae matris      ,ecclesiae causa    
erat1 ac quod ,vestra ,sanctitas jussit1
 atque      hortabatur ut rem           
inciperemus4 ,mihi meisque omnibus      
minime      peperci1 oppida1 villas et  
pagos1 arces et castra cum fratribus    
nostris ,joanne et ,jacobo de           
,geraldinis ac sexdecim aliis ex nostra 
domo1 in hoc bello perdidimus3          
nihilominus quamdiu vita comes          
fuerit istud bellum prosequemur contra  
,angliae maledictam ,reginam      donec 
,s4 ,sanctitas ac sua majestas          

,catholica nos juverit ut      possimus 
haereticos propellere ex ,hibernia      
totumque ,regnum      subjicere legibus 
sanctae matris ,ecclesiae4 ,et quia     
hactenus      praestolationem istius    
subsidii experimur1 harum latorem       
,episcopum      ,laonensem nostro et    
omnium nobilium hujus causae consensu   
ambasciatorem et sollicitatorem universi
 negotii ad ,suam      ,sanctitatem et  
ad ,s4 majestatem ,catholicam mittimus  
cui ,v4      ,sanctitas omnem fidem     
dabit1 illumque ita auscultet non secus 
quam      nos si praesentes fuissemus   
auscultaret1 rogantes obnixe ,v4        
,sanctitatem 7cui pedes humili animo    
exosculamur7 ut nostram                 
inquietudinem et longam perturbationem  
animadvertat auxiliumque      cum hoc   
nostro ambasciatore mittatur quo        
poterimus confringere      audaciam     
adversariorum ,christi ,ecclesiae4      
,expediret denique ut ,v4               
,sanctitas auctoritatem nuncii in       
negotiis ecclesiasticis mitteret      ad

 ,laonensem ,episcopum et potissimum ut 
ipsi liceat pontificalia      officia   
exercere ubicumque se invenerit cum     
licentia ordinarii2      vir enim       
spectatae vitae et virtutis magnaeque   
spei apud omnes      est1 huicque causae
 addictissimus1 ac fidelissimus4        
8,datum in ,castris ,catholicorum in    
,hibernia1      die #a ,septembris1     
#aehb4      ,sanctitatis ,vae4          
addictissimus servus1      8,,gerol     
,,desmond04      ,two months later the  
second letter was addressed to the same 
great  pontiff3          8,,sanctissime 
,,pater1        8,accepimus a presbytero
 ,hiberno ,sanctitatis vestrae litteras 
per      ,cardinalem ,comensem datas    
,romae #fto ,augusti1 quibus nobis      
patuit      ,sanctitatis ,vestrae       
propensissimus animus1 curaque          
vigilantissima      nedum erga nos sed  
etiam erga salutem totius ,regni        
,hiberniae1 adeo      ut ad ejus        
voluntatem in hoc nihil addi potest1    
quam pollicetur      nos reipsa         

experturos supern elementia opitulante4 
,quod vero      commissum erat latori   
qui tulerit litteras ut spem nobis      
augeat ac      ut in negotio hoc sancto 
persistamus pedefixo1 suo muneri in hoc 
satisfecit4 ,intelligat ,v4 ,sanctitas  
quod quamquam nos omnia pene            
temporalia in hoc bello1 fidei          
defensionis causa1 amisimus1 et         
quod multo vehementius nos angit in     
conflictibus contra ,anglos             
,ecclesiae feroces hostes nostrum       
consobrinum ,d4 ,jacobum ,geraldinum    
cum nostris postremo fratribus ,d4      
,joanne et ,jacobo ac nonnullis         
aliis ex nostra domo qui successive in  
hoc bello occubuere1      nihilominus   
tamen in hac ,dei et ,sanctitatis       
,vestrae causa      immobilis permaneo1 
superni ,dei optimi maximi ac           
,sanctitatis      vestrae praestolaturus
 auxilium quo possem severos ,ecclesiae 
hostes propellere ex ,regno1 illiusque  
integrum statum legibus      sanctae    
matris ,ecclesiae subjicere2 proinde ,v4

 ,sanctitas      quemadmodum in ea omnem
 spem habemus non differat nos juvare et
      quod reliquum erit cum ,rege      
,catholico ferventissime et quam        
citissime agere ut auxilium jam nobis   
mittatur plenum et      sufficiens quo  
finem huic rei intentae imponamus4      
8,ad sollicitandum istud negotium1 mense
 ,septembri praeterito      misimus     
nostrum ambasciatorem ,epum4 ,laonensem 
ad ,s4 ,vestram et ad      ,regem       
,catholicum quem plurimi faciat ,v4     
,sanctitas omnem fidem illi             
praebendo in omnibus rebus attinentibus 
ad nos et ad universum      statum      
illius belli2 post cujus discessum      
ducentos ,anglos in uno      conflictu  
interfecimus1 ea enim quae ,deus        
operatus est per nos      contra ,anglos
 ante ejus discessum1 autumo illum ,s4  
,sanctitati      aperuisse3 expediret   
denique omnino ut cum hoc subsidio      
postulato      veniat aliquis ,nuncii   
auctoritatem habens inter nos1 qui      
judicio      omnium censendus esset     

,laonensis1 ad quem ,s4 ,sanctitas      
dignetur      etiam harum responsum     
dirigere ut via sibi cognita nos mox    
certiores reddat4 ,vivat ,v4 ,sanctitas 
nobis in multos annos4        8,ex      
,castris ,catholicorum in ,hibernia1    
die #fto ,novembris1 #aehb4             
8,,gerol ,,desmond04      ,a third      
letter1 dated #ahth ,june in the        
following year1 repeats the same        
sentiments of devoted attachment to the 
,holy ,see1 and petitions that the      
lands of the deceased ,james ,geraldine 
should be granted to his son1  ,gerald4 
,it thus concludes3          8,litteras 
vero super praedictas terras confectas1 
,v4 ,sanctitas      dignetur mittere per
 ,nuntium ,apostolicum ,hispaniarum ad  
nostrum      ,ambasciatorem ,cornelium  
,episcopum ,laonensem cui cupimus ut ,v4
      ,sanctitas fidem in omnibus       
adhibeat1 eumque fretum auctoritate     
,nuntii cum subsidio mittendo ad nos    
dignetur mittere1 quia aliis      palmam
 praeripit1 quibus hoc esset            

concedendum4 ,valeat ac vivat ,v4       
,sanctitas in ,nestoreos annos4         
8,ex ,castris ,catholicorum in          
,hybernia1 #ah ,junii4      8,stis4     
,vae4 servus addictissimus prout opera  
ipsa comprobant                  contra 
adversarios hostesque ecclesiae4        
8,,desmond04      ,in the ,vatican      
archives is also preserved a series of  
letters of our  bishop ,cornelius1      
addressed to ,rome in the years #aehb1  
#aehc1 and #aehd4  ,they are all        
connected with the diplomatic mission   
which he received from  the ,geraldine  
princes1 and some of them throw         
considerable light on the  contemporary 
civil and ecclesiastical history of our 
island4    ,before1 however1 we present 
them to the reader1 we deem it necessary
 to  remark that the relations of our   
bishops and of the ,holy ,see with the  
native princes during the wars of       
,elizabeth's reign have often been      
misconstrued1 in the writings of those  
who were led away by the frenzy of      

political agitation4 ,the ,irish        
chieftains had at this period the title 
and  privileges of independent princes2 
and as such they were entitled to       
defend with the sword those religious   
and civil rights which the  government  
of ,elizabeth attempted to destroy4     
,hence1 their struggle  merited the     
sympathy of the ,holy ,see and the      
blessing of our  martyr-clergy4 ,but far
 more distant than heaven is from earth 
were the  chivalry of ,james            
,fitzmaurice and the heroism of ,hugh   
,o',neill from that  accursed ,fenian   
blight which1 alas6 has now-a-days      
fallen upon some of our  benighted and  
deluded countrymen6    ,we give these   
letters in chronological order1 and in  
their original  language1 that thus our 
readers may be the better able to       
appreciate the  sentiments of this      
distinguished bishop of ,killaloe4      
#a4 ,the first letter is dated ,lisbon1 
#bbnd ,september1 #aehb1 and was        
addressed to his ,eminence ,cardinal de 

,como3--          8,,illustrissime      
,,domine1        8,litteras comitis     
,desmoniae ,generalis ,catholicorum in  
,hibernia cum      nostris litteris     
mittimus ad suam ,sanctitatem ex quibus 
sua      ,dignatio ,illustrissima       
plenius intelligat negotium1 operamque  
det1      quaeso1 ut huic sanctissimae  
caussae jam tandem subveniatur3         
alioquin actum erit de comite ,desmoniae
 caeterisque ,catholicis qui      arma  
elevarunt fidei defensionis caus1       
patriaque illa ,hibernia      impi      
potestate reginae maledictae ,angliae   
omnino subjiciatur4 ,sua      ,dignatis 
,illustrissima dignetur responsum       
illarum litterarum suae                 
,sanctitatis per ,nuntium ,apostolicum  
,hispaniarum ad nos mittere4            
,caeterum talis clausula habetur in mea 
,bulla quod extra meum      episcopatum 
etiam cum licentia ordinarii non possem 
exercere      pontificalia4 ,proinde    
rogo suam ,dominationem ,illmam4 ut     
dignetur      alloqui ea de re ,suam    

,sanctitatem1 mihique hinc oris oraculo 
vel      in scriptis impetrare ut possim
 cum licentia ordinarii exercere        
pontificalia1 multum enim hoc proderit4 
,valeat sua dominatio                   
,illustrissima in ,christo ,jesu4       
8,ex ,ulissipona #bb mensis ,sept41     
#aehb4        8,illustrissimae          
,dominationis vestrae1                  
8addictissimus servus1                  
8,,cornelius ,,laonensis ,episcopus04   
#b4 ,the second letter is addressed to  
,pope ,gregory ,,xiii41 from ,madrid1   
the  #dth ,december1 #aehb3             
8,,beatissime ,,pater1        8,cum     
primum appuleram ,ulissiponam ex        
,hibernia1 scripsi ,suae                
,sanctitati omnem statum totius istius  
negotii ,hiberniae      litterasque     
comitis ,desmoniae ,generalis           
,catholicorum per ,nuntium              
,apostolicum ,hispaniarum suae          
,sanctitati misi4 ,tandem usque modo    
omni diligentia egi cum rege ,catholico1
 ut negotio subveniret3      hanc       

resolutionem jam recepi1 usque quod sua 
,majestas sit parata      ut subveniat  
ac quod in ,lusitania habet milites     
paratos ad      expeditionem istius     
negotii1 et quod istud cum sit negotium 
sanctae matris ,ecclesiae et fidei      
restituendae in ,hibernia1      necesse 
esse1 ut ,vestra ,sanctitas juvet atque 
subveniat1 et istud      subsidium quod 
exigitur est pecuniarum ut praedictis   
militibus      stipendia solvantur4     
,tandem jussum est ut ego conferrem me  
,madritium ut cum ,nuntio ,apostolico et
 ,cardinali ,granvelano agerem      ut  
ipsi cum ,sua ,sanctitate solertes      
agant1 ut ,sua ,sanctitas      ordinet  
quibus mediis et quo ordine hoc fiat3   
quare cum istud      negotium sit       
positum in sinu ,sanctitatis ,vestrae1  
atque ab ipso      omnino emanat1 rogo  
atque obtestor ,s4 ,sanctitatem ut      
dignetur      subvenire1 ordinemque     
praescribere1 ut pecuniae in subsidium  
et ad      expeditionem istius negotii  
dentur ut militibus stipendia           

solvantur1 digneturque cum sua          
,majestate agere ut videlicet sine      
dilatione incipiat vel cum ipsa         
postulat1 ut non differatur1            
alioquin actum erit de statu totius     
regni ,hiberniae et scintilla      fidei
 quae illic adhuc remanet omnino        
extinguetur1 illudque ,regnum      quod 
semper in gremio sanctae matris         
,ecclesiae quievit et floruit           
omnino subjicietur impiae potestati     
,reginae maledictae ,angliae4           
,comes enim ,desmoniae postquam perdidit
 in hoc bello suos fratres      germanos
 cum nonnullis nobilibus ex sua domo1   
ingenue fatetur se      non posse       
amplius sustinere istud bellum sine     
subsidio sibi      pollicito3 est igitur
 illi cito subveniendum antequam viribus
      omnino enervetur4 ,vestra         
,sanctitas recordetur hanc caussam esse 
suam1 fidei et sanctae matris ecclesiae1
 et ,hibernorum qui semper      vere    
filii ,sedis ,apostolicae sunt1 et      
potissimum comitis ,desmoniae      qui  

omnia sua omnemque suum statum periculo 
semper perdendi      exposuit fidei     
defensionis caus4 ,valeat et vivat      
,sanctitas ,vestra      in ,nestoreos   
annos4        8,madritii1 quarto die    
mensis ,decembris #aehb4                
8,sanctitatis ,v4 humilis filius et     
addictissimus servus1                   
8,,cornelius ,,laonensis ,episcopus04   
#c4 ,the letter to the ,holy ,father was
 accompanied by another short letter    
addressed to the ,cardinalis ,comensis  
as follows3          8,,illustrissime   
,,domine1        8,in litteris ,suae    
,sanctitatis poteris videre responsum   
regis      ,catholici3 respondet enim se
 habere milites in ,lusitania ad        
expeditionem nostri negotii ,hiberniae1 
sed necesse esse ut ,sua      ,sanctitas
 subministret pecunias ut parti militum 
stipendia      solvantur4 ,proinde cum  
regis ordine veni ,ulissipona ,madritium
 ut      satagerem cum ,nuntio          
,apostolico et ,cardinali ,granvelano1  
et hoc      ,suae ,sanctitati detegatur 

ut cum ejus ordine et subsidio res      
incipiatur2 demonstrat enim rex nobis se
 promptissimum esse ut jam              
subveniat4 ,cum igitur istud negotium   
omnino emanet a      sollicitatione     
,dominationis suae ,illmae4 tum cum ,sua
 ,sanctitate1      tum etiam cum ,rege  
,catholico1 rogo atque obtestor suam    
,dominationem ,illmam4 ut omni          
diligentia agat1 ut non differatur      
istud subsidium mittere ad illos nobiles
 qui toto hoc triennio      elapso istud
 exspectant quique omnia sua fidei      
defensionis causa      perdiderunt4444  
8,ex ,madritio #d ,decemb41 #aehb4      
8,illustrissimae ac ,reverendissimae    
,dominationis ,vestrae1                 
8,,cornelius ,,laonensis ,episcopus04   
#d4 ,on the #bfth of ,may1 the following
 year1 the next letter was addressed    
from ,madrid to the same cardinal3      
8,,illustrissime ,,ac ,,reverendissime  
,,domine1        8,accepi suae          
,dominationis ,illustrissimae litteras  
datas ,romae die      #d ,januarii      

quibus hactenus distuli respondere donec
 ultimam      resolutionem a sua        
,majestate ,catholica reciperem1 quam   
suae      ,dominationi ,illustrissimae  
significare censui ut eam detegat ,suae 
,sanctitati4 ,quae quidem est haec1     
nempe quod sua ,majestas sit            
impedita donec videat exitum classis    
euntis in insulas ,tertiae1 et      ea  
ratione ducebatur ut me detineret quia  
comes ,desmoniae scripsit      ad suam  
,majestatem quod si in meo adventu 7in  
quem tum ipse tum      caeteri nobiles  
tantum confiderunt7 istud negotium      
,hiberniae non      haberet prosperum   
successum1 statim sisteret gradum       
gerendi      bellum1 inducias foedusque 
componeret cum regina maledicta         
,angliae4 ,jam vero ad nutriendum       
interim bellum in ,hibernia1 sua        
,majestas ,catholica praestitit nobis   
magnam summam pecuniarum1      armorum  
et victualium cum quibus ego hinc       
proficiscor ad portum      maris ut illa
 necessaria sine dilatione et cum omni  

diligentia      illinc transmittam ad   
comitem ,desmoniae4 ,restat jam ut ,sua 
,sanctitas persaepe commendet istud     
negotium ,hiberniae suae      ,majestati
 ,catholicae ut finito negotio          
praedictae insulae statim      negotium 
nostrum incipiat4        8,caeterum     
secretarius suae ,majestatis ,catholicae
 rogat me ut      exerceam ,pontificalia
 in quodam episcopatu hc cum certa      
pensione      donec sua ,majestas parata
 erit ad mittendam classem in ,hiberniam
      gratumque hoc esse1 minusque      
fastidiosum regi affirmat qui tantis    
oneribus sumptibusque premitur4 ,jam in 
superioribus litteris petii             
facultatem exercendi pontificalia et de 
hoc jam recepi responsum      ,suae     
,sanctitatis per suam ,dominationem     
,illustrissimam videlicet      ,suam    
,sanctitatem dixisse hoc adversari      
decretis concilii      ,tridentini et   
propterea nullatenus posse concedi4     
,intelligat ,sua      ,sanctitas hanc   
clausulam non esse positam in mea ,bulla

 propter      meam culpam1 neque etiam  
esse positam in ,bullis ,episcoporum    
,hibernorum post me creatorum qui nihil 
perpessi sunt in hoc bello              
,hibernico1 quemadmodum ego perpessus   
sum nullaque praeclara      facinora    
ediderant quemadmodum longe lateque     
constat me edidisse1      nobilesque    
,hibernos esse valde offensos quando    
dicebam1 in campo      me non posse     
exercere pontificalia extra meum        
episcopatum etiam      cum licentia     
ordinariorum loci4 ,proinde sua         
,dominatio      ,illustrissima rogabit  
,suam ,sanctitatem ut dignetur in       
praemium      laborum susceptorum et    
suscipiendorum in hoc bello ,hibernico  
mihi      vivae vocis oraculo vel in    
scriptis concedere facultatem exercendi 
pontificalia1 et hc interim quoad rex me
 detineat1 cum licentia                 
ordinariorum1 vel1 sede vacante1 jussu  
regis et in ,hibernia eodem      modo et
 ubi non sunt ,episcopi ,catholici1     
jussu comitis ,desmoniae      generalis 

,catholicorum possem similiter exercere 
pontificalia1      servatis servandis a 
jure et a sacro concilio ,tridentino1   
contra      quod aliquid moliri         
illicitum esse semper duxi4 ,quare      
obtestor      suam ,dominationem        
,illustrissimam ut statim et sine       
dilatione      dignetur de hoc agere cum
 ,sua ,sanctitate1 hancque licentiam    
mihi      mittere per ,nuncium          
,apostolicum ,hispaniarum1 hocque       
intelligat non      minus gratum esse   
regi quam comiti ,desmoniae1 aliisque   
nobilibus      ejus partem tuentibus in 
,hibernia4 ,christus ,jesus suam        
,dominationem ,illustrissimam perquam   
diutissime nobis sospitem               
conservet4        8,madritii1 die #bf   
,maii1 #aehc4        8,illustrissimae   
,dominationis ,suae1                    
8addictissimus servus1                  
8,,cornelius ,,laonensis ,episcopus04   
#e4 ,six weeks later1 the ,bishop of    
,killaloe again writes to the ,cardinal 
de  ,como1 acquainting him with the     

measures taken by the ,spanish monarch3 
8,,illustrissime ,,ac ,,reverendissime  
,,domine1        8,quamquam ternas ante 
has de eadem scripsi tibi litteras      
superioribus diebus1 tamen ne forte ad  
ejus manus minime      devenerint1      
censui rursus has tibi scribere litteras
 ut intelligat      regem ,catholicum   
mihi respondisse impossibile esse jam   
classem      mitti in ,hiberniam        
antequam sua ,majestas intelligat exitum
 classis      quae jam proficiscitur ad 
insulas ,tertiae contra ,dominum        
,antonium4      ,interim tamen ut bellum
 facilius sustentetur1 in ,hibernia     
praestitit mihi subsidium pecuniarum1   
armorum et victualium                   
transmittendum mox in ,hiberniam ad     
comitem ,desmoniae2 quorum      omnium  
causa et ex mandato regio in hoc portu  
permaneo1 donec      praedicta omnia    
mittam ad ,hiberniam quod spero fiet    
propediem cum      nihil aliud          
praestolatur nisi ventus prosperus4     
,interea ,rex      ,catholicus jussit ut

 pensio mihi assignaretur qua honeste   
potuissem me sustentare super           
,episcopatu ,tigitanensi1 interimque    
classis praeparabitur1 cujus proprius   
pastor oblitus sui status se      junxit
 ,domino ,antonio contra ,regem         
,catholicum444        8,ex portu de     
,scetufill1 #e ,julii1 #aehc04      #f4 
,the next letter is dated from ,lisbon1 
the #ast ,august1 #aehc1 and is         
addressed to the ,holy ,father ,gregory 
,,xiii43          8,,sanctissime        
,,pater1        8,comes ,desmoniae      
generalis ,catholicorum ferventer       
scripsit ad me      superioribus diebus 
ut cum ,sua ,sanctitate agerem ut       
dignaretur per      ,bullam authenticam 
vel per ,breve ,apostolicum concedere   
terras      possessionesque illorum qui 
interfecerunt ,dominum ,jacobum         
,geraldinum generalem vestrae           
,sanctitatis in ,hibernia1 ,geraldo     
,geraldino filio praedicti ,d4 ,jacobi  
ut ipsi ,geraldini vehementius          
habeant ansam inserviendi ,sedi         

,apostolicae atque ,suae ,sanctitati1   
ac ut adversarii hoc concedendo         
terreantur ne ,sedem ,apostolicam       
impugnent neve istius ,sedis            
,sanctissimae sint adversarii inter nos 
qui ,anglis faveant atque opitulentur   
posthac quemadmodum hactenus4           
,quocirca nonnihil conducet negotio     
atque ad augmentationem fidei      in   
,hibernia ut ,sua ,sanctitas consideret 
servitium ,geraldinorum et              
potissimum ,jacobi ,gerald generalis    
,vestrae ,sanctitatis et istius         
postremo comitis ,desmoniae qui totis   
viribus impugnat maledictam      reginam
 ejusque fautores quique progressus     
felices ipsam      impugnando hactenus  
habuit4 ,proinde in praemium horum      
omnium      ,vestra ,sanctitas dignetur 
concedere litteras atque possessiones   
istorum qui interfecerunt ,d4 ,jacobum  
,geraldinum1 ,domino ,geraldo           
,geraldino filio praedicti ,d4 ,jacobi  
,generalis ,vestrae ,sanctitatis        
prout comes ,desmoniae ,suae ,sanctitati

 fusissime scripsit3 quod si            
fecerit ,sua ,sanctitas rem gratissimam 
comiti factura sit      coeterosque pene
 nobiles ,hibernos concitabit ut sibi   
,sedique      ,apostolicae inserviant1  
domumque ,geraldinorum semper sibi      
addictissimam et promptissimam          
experietur4 ,christus ,jesus ,suam      
,sanctitatem nobis sospitem conservet in
 multos annos4        8,ex ,ulissipona1 
#a ,augusti1 #aehc4        8,sanctitatis
 ,vestrae1        8filius atque         
addictissimus servus1                   
8,,cornelius ,,laonensis ,episcopus04   
#g4 ,the seventh letter is addressed    
from ,lisbon on #bfth ,nov4 #aehc1 to   
,cardinal de ,como3          8,persaepe 
hactenus egi litteris cum ,sua          
,sanctitate atque      praesentia et    
verbo cum sua ,majestate ,catholica ut  
omnia tandem      dignentur subvenire   
,regno ,hiberniae misere hactenus       
desolato4 ,sed      cum jam tempus adest
 subveniendi1 censui rogare suam        
,dominationem      ,illustrissimam ut   

dignetur agere cum ,sua ,sanctitate1 ut 
cum ,rege      ,catholico agat1 ut haec 
classis quae revertitur ex insula       
,tertiae      transmittatur ad          
,hiberniam1 qua transmissa ,hibernia    
legibus      sanctae matris ecclesiae   
atque ,anglia propediem subjicietur4    
,denique haec erit proximior via qua sua
 ,majestas habebit ,flandriam           
quietam sibique subjectam4444           
8,valeat ,dominus meus ,illustrissimus1 
in ,christo ,jesu4        8,ex          
,ulissipona1 #bf ,novemb41 #aehc4       
8,dominationis ,suae ,illustrissimae1   
8addictissimus servus1                  
8,,cornelius ,,laonensis ,episcopus04   
#h4 ,three months later another letter  
was addressed to the same cardinal1     
conveying the sad intelligence of the   
assassination of the ,earl of  ,desmond3
          8,,illustrissime ,,domine1    
8,suam ,dominationem ,illustrissimam    
certiorem reddere censui de hoc         
negotio ,hiberniae ut ,suam ,sanctitatem
 dignetur de illo informare4            

,imprimis intelligat ,illustrissimus    
,dominus1 ,geraldum ,comitem            
,desmoniae generalem ,catholicorum qui  
erat caput istius belli      ,hibernici 
occubuisse nuperrime et traditorie in   
bello1 ejusque      caput post ejus     
mortem a nefariis ,anglis erat abscissum
 et      transmissum ex ,hibernia ad    
maledictam ,angliae nominatam reginam4  
,tristissima ac longe moestissima nova  
nobis sunt ista ac prorsus      de      
reductione ,hiberniae ad fidem principia
 desperandi1 nisi ,s4      ,sanctitas   
mox manus adjutrices porrigat1 tum      
subveniendo militibus      aut pecuniis1
 tum etiam scribendo quam               
effectuosissime ad suam      ,majestatem
 ,catholicam1 ut non differat jam       
mittere classem ad      ,hiberniam1 qua 
transmissa universa ,hibernia legibus   
sanctae matris      ,ecclesiae          
subjicietur eritque etiam principium et 
solidum      fundamentum reductionis    
,angliae ad fidem3 quod si hoc non fiet 
mox      antequam ,regina maledicta     

iniquis suis legibus subjiciat sibi     
regnum cum non sit aliquis principalis  
qui resistat1 actum erit de      toto   
negotio et scintilla fidei quae huc     
usque illic viguit omnino               
extinguetur1 eritque ,hibernia non secus
 quam ,anglia referta      iniquis      
legibus maledictae ,reginae4444         
8,ex ,ulissipona1 #ac ,februarii1 #aehd4
        8,illustrissimae ,dominationis  
,vestrae1        8addictissimus servus1 
8,,cornelius ,,laonensis ,episcopus04   
,,ix4 ,on the #gth of ,september1 #aehd1
 our ,bishop again writes to ,his       
,eminence3--          8,,illustrissime  
,,domine1        8,hactenus praestolabar
 cupidissimo animo profectionem classis 
,suae      ,sanctitatis ac majestatis   
,catholicae in ,hiberniam quod cum mihi 
in      mandatis a magnatibus ,hiberniae
 et potissimum a ,comite ,desmoniae     
incumbebat1 ut hoc sollicitarem1 officio
 non defui hactenus ut      probe novit 
,sua ,dominatio ,illustrissima4 ,jam    
vero cum praedictus      comes          

,desmoniae generalis ,catholicorum sit  
interfectus in bello      neminemque    
alium moliri bellum in ,hibernia post   
ejus mortem1      quinimo omnes         
obtemperant ,reginae1 comperio negotium 
esse tepidum      frigidumque1 ac       
proinde censui oratum iri suam ,dominem4
      ,illustrissimam ut dignetur       
alloqui ,suam ,sanctitatem1 erga meam   
penuriam et necessitatem rerum          
necessariarum1 ob id quod nihil ex      
propriis reditibus recipio1 et cum ,sua 
,sanctitate satagere ut      aliquid    
mihi quolibet mense vel annue           
subministretur per      collectorem     
,apostolicum commorantem ,ulissiponae1  
ubi cupio      commorari prope nova     
,hiberniae1 donec co classis mittatur   
aut      ,regina moriatur1 quia sine una
 aut altera nequeo adire                
,hiberniam4444        8,ulissiponae1 #g 
,septembris1 #aehd4        8,sua        
,dominatio ,illustrissima dignetur      
favere ,roberto ,laseo      ,cancellario
 ,limericensi qui nedum est vir probus  

ac generosus sed      etiam quam multa  
perdidit in bello praeterito ,hibernico 
cum ,comite      ,desmoniae4            
8,illustrissimae ac ,reverendissimae    
,dom4 ,v4        8addictissimus servus1 
8,,cornelius ,,laonensis ,episcopus04   
,x4 ,another letter was addressed to the
 ,pope on the same day3                 
8,,beatissime ,,pater1        8,postquam
 in campo ,catholicorum cum comite      
,desmoniae1 caeterisque      nobilibus  
,regni ,hiberniae solus episcopus tribus
 annis manseram      labores improbos   
sustinens praedicando1 admonendo et     
imperando      quae expediebant saluti  
hominum progressuique belli contra      
rabidissimos ferocesque ecclesiae hostes
 ,anglos1 nihilque interim              
recipiens ex proprio ,episcopatu1 cujus 
redditus percipiuntur a      quodam     
haeretico nominato ,episcopo qui illic  
residet ex parte      ,reginae          
maladictae ,angliae1 me tandem contuli  
ad has partes jussu      comitis        
,desmoniae ,generalis ,catholicorum     

caeterorumque nobilium      sibi        
adhaerentium ut officio ,ambasciatoris  
fungerer1 nedum cum ,sua                
,sanctitate sed etiam cum sua ,majestate
 ,catholica ut dignaretur      sibi     
mittere classem vel saltem mediocre     
subsidium quo bellum      feliciter     
incoeptum ad optatum finem deduceret1   
quemadmodum ipse      comes suis        
litteris adhuc vivens persaepe detexit  
,suae ,sanctitati4      ,ego hactenus   
saepissime egi cum sua ,majestate sed   
subsidium illud      exiguum quod       
extorsi a sua ,majestate adeo dilatum   
erat ut comes      ,desmoniae viam      
universae carnis ingrederetur in bello1 
antequam      navicula illa cum armis   
illis et pecuniis ,hiberniam appulerat1 
unde rediit cum eodem subsidio ad       
ministros suae ,majestatis              
,ulissiponam4 ,porro post mortem        
praedicti comitis ,desmoniae nullus     
est in ,hibernia qui agit bellum contra 
,reginam neque autumo fore      postquam
 viderant comitem ,desmoniae se suumque 

statum exspectando      subsidium tanto 
tempore1 ne se suumque statum similiter1
 deperdant      quin potius tota        
,hibernia obtemperet ,reginae4 ,proinde 
opus non      erit posthac subsidio     
mediocri sed classi3 quod ,sua          
,sanctitas      dignetur agere cum sua  
,majestate4 ,quod si transmittatur1     
statim      universa ,hibernia atque    
postmodum ,anglia legibus sanctae matris
      ecclesiae subjicietur2 brevior1   
aptiorque haec via quoque erit ut       
,rex ,catholicus habeat ,flandriam      
quietam sibique subjectam4              
8,ulissiponae1 #g ,sept41 #aehd4        
8,sanctitatis ,v4 filius1        8atque 
addictissimus servus1                   
8,,cornelius ,,laonensis ,episcopus04   
,,xi4 ,the last and most important of   
,dr4 ,o',melrian's letters is dated the 
#bith ,october1 #aehd4 ,it is addressed 
to ,cardinal de ,como1 and besides many 
particulars connected with the          
,archbishops of ,cashel and ,tuam1 and  
the  ,bishops of ,emly1 ,ferns1 ,ossory1

 ,ross1 and ,limerick1 we also gather   
from it  that our bishop1 before his    
promotion to ,killaloe1 had held some   
other  see1 probably that of            
,kilmacduagh3          8,,illustrissime 
,,domine1        8,decem sunt anni      
elapsi ex quo ,sua ,sanctitas me creavit
 ,episcopum3      tamen postquam me     
contuli ad ,hiberniam nullum ingressum  
habui ad      meum ,episcopatum qui     
occupatus a quodam ,pseudo-,episcopo    
,reginae      qui dumtaxat colligit     
reditus1 minime gerens curam animarum1  
totoque hoc tempore neque ingressum     
unius diei in ,episcopatum1      neque  
obolum ex meis redditibus potui habere  
neque spero me      habiturum nisi post 
mortem ,reginae1 aut nisi classis a ,s4 
,sanctitate et ,majestate ,catholica    
mittatur cum qua eo irem4 ,itaque       
hactenus cum ,comite ,desmoniae         
caeterisque nobilibus sibi              
adhaerentibus mansi in ,hibernia in     
castris ,catholicorum1 me      praebens 
ut decuit praeclarum exemplar omnium    

virtutum improbos      labores et       
inediam sustinens1 praedicando1         
exhortando1 admonendo1      severitatem 
aliquoties cum lenitate adhibendo in    
corrigendis      vitiis1 et persuadendo 
semper quae expediebant saluti hominum  
progressuique belli contra rabidissimos 
atque feroces ,ecclesiae      hostes    
,anglos4 ,placuit tandem comiti         
,desmoniae generali      ,catholicorum1 
caeterisque proceribus me mittere huc1  
fretum      auctoritate ,ambasciatoris  
ut cum ,sua ,sanctitate atque ,majestate
      ,catholica agerem de classe vel   
subsidio mittendo ad ,hiberniam quod    
cum omni diligentia cum ,sua ,sanctitate
 litteris egi ut probe novit      sua   
,dominatio ,illma42 verbo voce et       
praesentia egi cum sua      ,majestate  
,catholica vixque extorsi naviculam unam
 cum armis et      pecuniis1 quae       
antequam appulerat ,hiberniam1 repererat
 comitem      ,desmoniae interfectum    
esse in bello1 caeterosque suos dilapsos
      esse adeo ut mentio belli minime  

habebatur3 tunc rursum idem             
subsidium rediit huc1 quod ego integrum 
restitui ministris suae      ,majestatis
 ,catholicae4 ,jam nihilominus solerter 
ago cum sua      ,majestate ut dignetur 
classem vel saltem subsidium mediocre   
mittere ad ,hiberniam cum ,domino       
,mauritio ,geraldino consobrino         
comitis ,desmoniae qui his diebus caus  
implorandi subsidium tum a      ,s4     
,sanctitate tum a ,rege ,catholico      
evolavit ex ,hibernia huc4              
,vehementer etiam rogo suam             
,dominationem ,illustrissimam ut        
dignetur      agere cum ,sua ,sanctitate
 ut hinc subveniatur ac ut ,s4          
,sanctitas      mox dignetur ea de re   
agere cum sua ,majestate2 quia iste est 
vir      strenuus1 nobilis et           
expertissimus in rebus bellicis1 qui in 
bello      hoc praeterito comitis       
,desmoniae nonnullas victorias          
principales      habuit contra ,anglos3 
,sua enim ,sanctitas plurimum tenetur   
,geraldinis qui se suumque statum       

exposuerunt periculo semper             
perdendi in servitio ,suae ,sanctitatis4
 ,caeterum sua ,dominatio               
,illustrissima intelligat me hic        
,ulissiponae morari prope nova          
,hiberniae et sollicitando continue cum 
sua ,majestate ut mittat      subsidium 
alicujus momenti vel classem ad         
,hiberniam4444        8,creatio         
,episcoporum jam1 nisi mittatur classis 
nedum est inutilis      sed nociva quia 
hoc tempore aegre possunt creari atque  
prodesse in      ,hibernia vel in       
,anglia 7praeter partes ,ultoniae in    
,hibernia7 quia      utrobique non      
habent nisi latere et incedere vestitu  
saeculari vel      militari strictis    
cinctisve gladiis et pugionibus sine    
tonsura aut      corona1 sine habitu    
clericali sine reditibus et obedientia a
 suis3      et ita adhuc si convincantur
 episcopos esse poena capitis vel       
perpetui carceris plectentur et eorum   
parentes vel consanguinei      apud quos
 versabantur secrete1 omnia bona sua et 

terras per      edictum ,reginae fisco  
perdent4444        8,archiepiscopus     
,cashellensis gloriosissime et          
constantissime      martyrium perpessus 
est ,dublinae1 qui quamvis acerrimis    
poenis      agitabatur nullo pacto      
poterat duci1 ut iniquis legibus        
,reginae      obtemperaret2 qui ex primo
 die quo se contulit ad ,hiberniam in   
habitu saeculari 7aliter enim non       
potuit7 versabatur1 donec erat          
comprehensus ut explorator1 qui quidem  
cum erat percontatus si      erat       
,ecclesiasticus necne1 fassus est se    
,archiepiscopum esse et in      fide    
constantissime et gloriosissime mortuus 
est4 ,sed1 quod doleo1      jam non     
publice sed secreto et sine plebe       
martyrio coronantur1      quem ad modum 
iste archiepiscopus a tribus dumtaxat   
militibus erat      suspensus ne alios  
incitaret aut inflammaret ad            
,christianam      religionem4           
8,episcopus vero ,imolacensis constans  
in fide carceribus ,dublinae            

detinetur cui jam preparant ocreas      
plumbeas ut adhibito igne 7quem      ad 
modum fecerunt prius ,archiepiscopo7 in 
tormentis fidem deneget4      ,episcopus
 vero ,feruensis1 prius consentiens     
,anglis1 poenitentia      ductus ultro  
se obtulit pro fide qui jam teterrimis  
carceribus      sine foramine lucis     
detinetur4 ,archiepiscopus ,tuamensis   
non aliter      erat in ,hibernia quam  
in habitu saeculari1 qui postquam rediit
 ad      ,hispaniam1 diem clausit       
extremum4 ,thomas vero ,ossoriensis     
,episcopus mansit in ,hibernia aliquot  
mensibus in habitu saeculari1           
tandem contulit se ex ,hibernia ad      
,hispaniam4 ,episcopus                  
,limericensis et ,episcopus ,rossensis  
postquam venerant ,roma in      curia   
,regis ,hispaniarum degunt4             
8,videat ,dominus meus ,illustrissimus  
quod horum ,episcoporum creatio         
magis obest quam prodest1 quamvis illic 
affirmarunt se posse      prodesse2     
proinde alii non sunt audiendi qui      

petunt promoveri ad      ,episcopatus1  
quum obesse potius possunt quam         
prodesse4 ,valeat      ,dominus meus    
,illustrissimus in ,christo ,jesu4      
8,ulissiponae1 #bi ,oct4 #aehd4         
8,illustrissimae ac ,reverendissimae    
,dominationis ,v4        8addictissimus 
servus1        8,,cornelius ,,laonensis 
,episcopus04      ,this is the last     
letter we have met with from the        
illustrious ,bishop of  ,killaloe1 ,dr4 
,o',melrian4 ,his episcopate continued  
till #afag2 yet the only  event recorded
 concerning him during this long        
interval is his having  examined the    
work of ,stanihurst1 ,de ,moribus et    
,rebus ,hiberniae1 and on  the margin   
opposite each error his solemn          
condemnation was found marked  with the 
simple formula3 mentitur 7,hist4 ,cath41
 pag4 #aba74    ,as regards the bishops 
of the ,establishment1 that of ,james   
,curyn1 or  ,corrin1 seems to have been 
the first appointment made by ,king     
,henry  ,,viii4 ,some call him ,bishop  

of ,killaloe as early as #aebi1 during  
the  episcopate of ,dr4 ,hogan2 others  
date his appointment from #aeci_/dj4 ,at
 all  events it is probable he is the   
bishop that is referred to in the letter
  of ,dr4 ,browne to ,lord ,cromwell on 
#afth ,february1 #aeci_/dj1 when he     
complains that the ,lord ,deputy in     
,o',brien's country 8deposed a bishop   
who was promoted by the king's highness1
 444 and he that the ,lord ,deputy  hath
 now promoted to the same is a ,gray    
,friar 7,dr4 ,o',kirwan71 one of the    
holy confessors of the late ,garrantys1 
even as rank a traitor as ever they     
were0 7,state ,papers1 iii4 #abc74 ,dr4 
,corrin resigned the see in #aedf1 and  
,cornelius ,o',dea was appointed by the 
king in ,july1 the same year1 and1 as   
,ware tells us1 he held the see about   
nine years4 ,the next crown nominee  was
 ,moriertach ,o',brien4 ,though         
appointed by ,queen ,elizabeth in #aegj1
 he  was for a long time content with   
the enjoyment of the temporalities of   

the  see1 and it was only in #aegg that 
he received episcopal consecration4     
,john  ,rider1 the next ,protestant     
bishop1 was appointed in #afab3 he is   
chiefly  remarkable for a ,latin        
dictionary which he compiled1 and in    
which he was  accused of taking both the
 substance and words from the ,lexicon  
of ,thomas  ,thomatius4            ,,the
 ,,sacrament ,,of ,,penance ,,in ,,the  
,,early ,,irish ,,church4      ,the name
 ,soul's-friend 7in ,irish17 was a      
characteristic title used in  the old   
,irish language to designate those who  
are now called confessors1  whose       
mission it is to receive the confessions
 of the faithful and to heal  by the    
sacrament of penance1 the spiritual     
wounds inflicted on the soul  after     
baptism4 8,sure we are01 writes ,usher1 
8that it was the custom of the  faithful
 in our ancient ,church1 to confess     
their sins to the priests1 that  they   
might be made partakers of the benefit  
of the keys for the quieting  of their  

troubled consciences0--,discourse on the
 ,religion1 etc41 p4 #df4    ,our old   
commentator1 ,claudius1 more than once  
repeats this doctrine1 and  teaches that
 the power of forgiving sins was granted
 by the divine  ,redeemer to ,his       
apostles and their successors in the    
priesthood3 8,the  power of loosing and 
binding01 he says1 8was granted to all  
the apostles  by our ,saviour1 when1    
appearing to them after ,his            
resurrection1 ,he  breathed upon them1  
and said3 ,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost3 
whose sins you  shall forgive1 they are 
forgiven1 and whose sins you shall      
retain1 they  are retained4 ,even to the
 present day this duty devolves upon the
 ,church  in its bishops and priests1   
and having examined each sinner's cause1
 they  absolve those whom they find     
humble and truly penitent1 from the fear
 of  eternal death1 but such as they    
find to persist in their sins1 these are
  bound down unto never-ending          
torments0--,in ,matth4 ,codex ,vatican41

 fol4  #adi1 b4    ,elsewhere1          
expounding the history of the man who   
was sick with the palsy1  he remarks3   
8,the scribes say truly that none can   
forgive sins save ,god  alone1 who also 
it is that forgives through those to    
whom he has given the  power of         
forgiving04 ,and again1 8,st4 ,john     
teaches us1 in regard to the  remission 
of sins1 that our ,saviour after ,his   
resurrection promised to ,his  disciples
 that those shall be bound whom they    
shall bind1 and those shall  be loosened
 whom they shall loosen0--,in ,matth4   
ibid41 fol4 #ha1 and  ,usher1 loc4 cit41
 pag4 #dh4    ,the old penitential      
canons of our ,church will serve as a   
practical  commentary on these texts of 
,claudius4 ,thus1 in the synod held by  
our  apostle1 together with ,auxilius   
and ,isernimus1 about the year #dej1 we 
find  the canon3          8,a ,christian
 who has committed murder1 or           
fornication1 or gone to      a          
soothsayer after the manner of the      

gentiles1 for every such      crime     
shall do a year of penance3 when his    
year of penance is      accomplished he 
shall come with witnesses1 and          
afterwards he shall      be absolved by 
the priest047#af7      ,st4 ,finnian too
 prescribes3          8,si quis rixam   
faciat de clericis aut ministris ,dei1  
hebdomadam      dierum poeniteat cum    
pane et aqua et petat veniam a ,deo suo 
et      proximo suo1 plena confessione  
et humilitate et sic potest ,deo        
reconciliari et proximo suo047#ag7      
,the synodical canons de ,arreis1 in one
 decree declare as the substitute  for  
the penance of a year3          8,tres  
dies cum mortuo sancta in sepulchro1    
sine cibo et potu et      sine somno sed
 cum vestimento circa se1 et cantatione 
psalmorum et      oratione horarum per  
confessionem et votum sacerdoti04       
,and in another case they enact a       
similar penance3          8post         
confessionem peccatorum coram sacerdote 
et plebe post      votum047#ah7         

,the penitential of ,st4 ,cummian       
commands him who had innocently told an 
untruth 8to confess his fault to the    
person whom he deceived and to the      
priest047#ai7 ,again1 youths before     
their twentieth year committing certain 
sins1 were ordered for the first offence
 8having confessed1 to do penance  for  
twenty days before they should approach 
the holy ,communion047#bj7    ,st4      
,columbanus is even more minute in      
treating of this sacrament4 ,thus1 in   
canon the fourteenth1 he lays down the  
penance for the sin of adultery1  and   
adds that this penance being performed  
by the sinner 8culpa illius per         
sacerdotem abstergatur04 ,should his sin
 be a sin of desire1 8,confiteatur      
culpam suam sacerdoti et ita quadraginta
 diebus in pane et aqua                 
poeniteat047#ba7 ,special diligence1    
too1 was to be observed when preparing  
to approach the ,holy ,eucharist1 and   
not only the heinous crimes1 but even   
the venial faults were to be confessed4 

8,confessiones autem dari  diligentius  
praecipitur1 maxime de commotionibus    
animi1 antequam ad missam  eatur1 ne    
forte quis accedat indignus ad altare1  
id est si cor mundum non                
habuerit047#bb7    ,in the ancient      
collection of canons made for the use of
 our ,irish ,church  about the year     
#gjj1 there is one book 7the #dhth7     
entitled de  ,poenitentia4 ,the         
thirty-three chapters into which it is  
divided are for  the most part moral or 
disciplinary3 as1 for instance1 the     
twenty-fifth  chapter1 which enjoins    
that all penitents should receive       
imposition of  hands from the priests   
during ,lent1 moreover1 should carry the
 dead to  the place of sepulture1 and   
there inter them1 and1 in fine1 should  
present  themselves kneeling at all the 
functions of the ,church from ,easter to
  ,pentecost4 ,there are1 however1 some 
incidental passages which beautifully   
illustrate the idea entertained by our  
fathers of the necessity and  advantages

 of sacramental confession4 ,thus in the
 third chapter the words  of ,st4       
,augustine are adopted3          8,why  
will the sinner seek to conceal what he 
committed in the      presence of ,god8 
,why will he blush to confess those sins
 with      which he did not blush to    
stain his own soul8 ,therefore1 let him 
defray by confession what he has        
contracted by sinning2 let him by       
satisfaction wash away the stains which 
defile his soul2 let him      by        
vigilance supply for his former neglect2
 let him for the future      be a       
follower of ,christ by virtuous deeds1  
as hitherto he had      followed ,satan 
by his sins2 and he may rest assured    
that ,god will      not punish him for  
those crimes which he has confessed04   
,subsequently it adopts the well-known  
passage from the ,homilies of ,st4      
,gregory the ,great3          8,as the  
physician cannot apply his remedy unless
 he knows in what      the malady of his
 patient consists1 so cannot sins be    

healed      without confession2 for1    
with our heart we believe unto justice1 
but with our lips confession is made    
unto salvation4 ,he who      conceals   
his sins cannot be directed2 but he who 
confesses them      and relinquishes    
them all1 will obtain mercy0--,collect4 
,hib4      ,canonum1 xlviii4 #c4        
,in the other fragments which are still 
preserved of our early literature1  we  
find many passages connected with the   
same great sacrament4 ,thus ,st4        
,mochta1 in his ,apologia1 amongst the  
other articles of faith1 professes3     
8,poenitentiam peccatorum plenissima    
fide suscipimus ac veluti secundam      
gratiam suspicamur0 7see ,essays on the 
,early ,irish ,church1 pag4 #cjb72  that
 is to say1 it is the only plank that   
remains to him after shipwreck4         
,amongst the ,irish ,,mss4 preserved in 
the public library of ,basle1 in        
,switzerland1 there is one 7,ff4 iii4   
#ae7 which presents a curious form of   
prayer to be observed by our clergy when

 administering the sacrament of         
penance4 ,we give it in full in its     
original language2 the reader will      
remark that it omits the form of        
absolution1 for which it refers to the  
sacramentary1 and the words which we    
here enclose within parentheses are     
written as rubric in the original       
manuscript3          8,incipit ordo ad  
poenitentiam dandam4        8,credis in 
,patrem et ,filium et ,spiritum         
,sanctum8 ,respondet3      ,credo4      
8,credis1 quod istae tres personae1 quo 
modo diximus1 ,pater et      ,filius et 
,spiritus ,sanctus1 tres sunt1 et unus  
,deus est8      ,respondet3 ,credo4     
8,credis1 quad in ista ipsa carne in qua
 nunc es1 habes resurgere      in die   
judicii et recipere sive bonum sive     
malum quod egisti8      ,respondet3     
,credo4        8,vis dimittere illis    
quicumque in te peccaverint1 ,domino    
dicente1      si non remiseritis        
hominibus peccata eorum1 nec ,pater     
vester      coelestis dimittet vobis    

peccata vestra8 ,respondet3 ,dimitto4   
87,et require diligenter2 si est        
incestuosus1 si non vult ipsa           
incesta dimittere1 non potes ei dare    
poenitentiam3 et si vult ipsa           
incesta dimittere1 fac eum confiteri    
omnia peccata sua1 et ad      ultimum   
diecre47        8,multa sunt peccata    
mea1 in factis in verbis et in          
cogitationibus04        7,tunc da illi  
poenitentiam et dic istas orationes     
super eum47        8,oremus4 ,praeveniat
 hunc famulum tuum ,n4 ,domine1         
misericordia      tua1 et omnes         
iniquitates ejus celeri indulgentia     
doleat4 ,per1      etc4        8,oremus4
 ,exaudi1 ,domine1 preces nostras et    
confitentium tibi parce      peccatis ut
 quos conscientiae reatus accusat1      
indulgentia tuae      pietatis absolvat4
        87,et caeteras1 si tempus       
habueris sicut in sacramentario         
continentur4 ,si tibi non vacat1 istae  
sufficiant4 ,et si homo      ingeniosus 
est1 da ei consilium ut veniat tempore  

statuto ad te      aut ad alium         
sacerdotem in coena ,domini et          
reconcilietur sicut in                  
sacvamentario continetur4 ,quicquid     
manens in corpore consecutus      non   
fuerit hoc est reconciliatione1 exutus  
carne consequi non      poterit4 ,si    
vero minus intelligens fuerit1 quidquid 
ipse non      intelligit in uno statu   
reconciliare1 potes eum ita dicendo37   
8,oremus4 ,praesta1 quaesumus ,domine1  
dignum poenitentiae fructum      huic   
famulo ut ecclesiae tuae sanctae a cujus
 integritate deviarat      peccando1    
admissorum veniam consequendo reddatur  
innocens4 ,per      ,dominum4           
87,si infirmus est homo1 statim         
reconciliare eum debes470      ,thus    
terminates this curious fragment of the 
ritual observances of our  early        
,church4 ,another ,irish manuscript of  
the same library in ,basle  contains a  
long penitential prayer1 the language of
 which has a striking  resemblance with 
the prayers of ,st4 ,colgu and ,aileran1

 already published  in the early numbers
 of the ,record4 ,it thus begins3       
8,de conscientiae reatu ante ,altare1   
8,domine ,deus omnipotens1 ego humiliter
 te adoro1        8,tu es ,rex ,regum et
 ,dominus ,dominantium1        8,tu es  
arbiter omnis saeculi1        8,tu es   
redemptor animarum1        8,tu es      
liberator credentium1        8,tu es    
spes laborantium1        8,tu es        
paraclitus dolentium1        8,tu es via
 errantium1        8,tu es magister     
gentium1        8,tu es creator omnium1 
8,tu es amator omnis boni1        8,tu  
es princeps omnium virtutum1        8,tu
 es amator virginum1        8,tu es fons
 sapientium1        8,tu es fides       
credentium1        8,tu es lux lucis1   
8,tu es fons sanctitatis1        8,tu es
 gloria ,dei ,patris in excelsis1       
8,tu sedes ad dexteram ,dei ,patris1    
8,in alto throno regnans in saecula4    
8,ego te peto ut des mihi remissionem   
omnium peccatorum meorum1      ,deus    
meus ,jesu ,christe4        8,tu es qui 

neminem vis perire sed omnes vis salvos 
fieri et ad      agnitionem veritatis   
venire4        8,tu es qui ore tuo      
sancto et casto dixisti3 in quacumque   
die      conversus fuerit peccator1 vita
 vivet et non morietur4        8,ego    
revertor ad ,te4444        8,ideo       
confiteor tibi ,domine ,deus meus1 qui  
solus sine peccato es3      et obsecro  
te1 ,jesu ,christe1 ,deus               
misericordiarum per passionem et        
per effusionem sanguinis tui1 atque per 
signum ligni salutiferi      crucis tuae
 ut concedas mihi remissionem omnium    
peccatorum meorum1      non secundum    
meum meritum1 sed secundum magnam       
misericordiam      tuam04      ,the     
8,rule for the ,celi-,de01 composed by  
,st4 ,maelruan about the year #ghj1     
reckons 8the divulging of confession1 so
 as to say1 this is what the man  did01 
as so heinous a crime 8that it is not   
penanced in the land of  ,erinn047#bc7  
,it also contains several regulations   
connected with the  sacrament of        

penance4 ,thus1 on the eve of the chief 
festivals1 all  feasting is prohibited1 
8because of going under the hand        
to-morrow04 ,to  which words ,dr4       
,reeves adds the following note3 8,the  
priest raises his  hand in the          
absolution1 whence the modern expression
 going under the hand  of the priest    
denotes going to confession0 7pag4      
#bjb74 ,subsequently the  ,rule enacts3 
8,when they do not go to hand 7i4e4 to  
confession7 on ,sunday1      they go on 
the ,thursday after2 it would be too    
long to wait till      the ,sunday      
following for the person who habitually 
goes to hand      every ,sunday1 because
 these two days are always special with 
them      at ,mass4        8,it is not  
necessary to delay minute confessions of
 thoughts and      idle notions1 and    
abuse and anger1 till ,sunday1 but to   
confess      them immediately as they   
occur4        8,he who makes his        
confession to a soul-friend1 if he      
performs      the penance according to  

his directions1 need not confess them to
      another soul-friend1 but only what
 has subsequently occurred4             
,frequent confession is not profitable  
when the transgressions are             
frequent too04      ,some instructions  
are also given for the guidance of the  
confessor3          8,difficult1 indeed1
 is the duty of the soul-friend1 because
 if      he gives the proper remedy1 it 
is oftener violated than observed2      
but if the soul-friend does not give it1
 its liability falls upon      himself2 
because several are satisfied with      
making the confession      without doing
 the penance2 but it is better to       
proclaim their      welfare to them1    
though they do not respond to the       
penance      enjoined by the confessor4 
,another soul-friend may be gone to1 if 
necessary1 after the permission of the  
first soul-friend4        8,it is right 
to refuse the confession of a person who
 does not      perform penance according
 to the soul-friend1 unless there       

happens      to be a soul-friend near1  
whom he considers more learned in rules1
      in the ways of the ,scripture1 and
 in the practices of the saints4        
,let him heed what he receives from the 
learned soul-friend whom he      first  
met1 to whomsoever he may reveal his    
confession each time1      and let      
penance be enjoined him according to the
 rules of frequent      confession04    
,in fine1 it is also decreed that the   
bishop 8who confers noble orders upon   
any one who is not able to instruct in  
religion and reading1 and               
soul-friendship1 and who has not a      
knowledge of laws and rules1 and of the 
proper remedy for all sins in general1  
is an enemy to ,god and man2 for  that  
bishop has offered an insult to ,christ 
and ,his ,church1 and hence  shall do   
penance for six years1 and he shall pay 
seven cumhals in gold  as a penalty to  
,god47#bd70    ,the ,rule of ,st4       
,carthage 7who was familiarly called    
,mochuda7 has already  been published in

 full in the ,december and ,january     
numbers of the  ,record4 ,frequent      
mention is made in it of the holy       
sacrament of penance1  and as ,st4      
,carthage died before the year #fdj1 we 
are thus enabled to trace  back the     
,catholic tenets of our fathers even to 
the beginning of the  seventh century4  
,at page #aaf1 among the duties of a    
priest is  commemorated3          8,if  
you go to give communion        ,at the 
awful point of death1      ,you must    
receive confession        ,without      
shame1 without reserve4      ,let him   
receive your sacrament        ,if his   
body bewails4      ,the penitence is not
 worthy        ,which turns not from    
evil4444      ,if you be anybody's      
soul-friend1        ,his soul thou shalt
 not sell2      ,thou shalt not be a    
blind man leading the blind2            
,thou shalt not allow him to fall into  
neglect2      ,let them give thee their 
confession        ,candidly and         
devoutly04      ,whilst confession was  

thus enjoined on the faithful1 it was   
not less  necessary for the religious   
themselves3          8,when you come    
unto the mass--        ,it is a noble   
office--      ,let there be penitence of
 heart1 shedding of tears1        ,and  
throwing up of the hands1 444      ,with
 confession of vices1        ,when you  
come to receive04      ,and again1 when 
laying down special rules for monks1    
,st4 ,carthage commands  them to        
exercise modesty and meekness3          
8,with inculcation of every truth2      
,with denunciation of every wickedness2 
,with perfect frequent confessions1     
,under the directions of a holy         
abbot047#be7      ,the testimony of     
these religious rules is of great       
importance3 they not  only convey to us 
the teaching of individuals remarkable  
for their piety  and learning1 but they 
moreover record for our instruction     
those  disciplinary enactments which    
received the solemn sanction of the     
greatest  saints of our ancient ,church1

 and which guided in the paths of       
perfection  thousands of our countrymen 
whose virtues and miracles won for our  
island  a wide-spread fame for sanctity 
throughout the sixth and succeeding     
centuries4    ,we may now refer to facts
 connected with these sainted fathers of
 our  ,church which throw much light on 
the practice of confession1 from the    
earliest period of faith in our island4 
,thus1 of ,st4 ,adamnan we read that1   
being troubled about some sin of his    
early youth 8he resorted to a priest    
from whom he hoped to learn the way of  
salvation1 and confessing his fault     
prayed for such counsel as might enable 
him to flee from the avenging  anger of 
,god047#bf7    ,in the life of ,st4     
,columba1 too1 it is recorded that one  
day an ,irishman  from ,connaught1 by   
name ,ildran1 landed on the beach of    
,iona and proceeded  to the guest-house 
of the monastery4 ,on the following     
morning he made  known to the saint the 
object of his journey1 viz43 to do      

penance for his  sins1 and 8at the same 
hour he confessed all his sins and      
promised to  fulfil the laws of         
penance047#bg7 ,on another occasion ,st4
 ,columba was  visited by a person named
 ,fiachna1 who1 being touched with      
remorse for  some crime1 fell at the    
saint's feet and 8confessed his sins    
before all  that were there present01   
whereupon the holy man weeping embraced 
him1 and  said1 8,arise1 my son1 and be 
comforted2 thy sins are forgiven thee1  
for1  as it is written1 the contrite and
 humble heart ,god doth not             
despise047#bh7    ,in the case of a     
chieftain named ,suibhne1 it is         
mentioned that1 though  truly penitent1 
he was ordered by ,st4 ,pulcherius to   
confess his sins47#bi7  ,we find also   
,st4 ,maidoc of ,ferns earnestly        
soliciting to have a wise  confessor    
divinely destined for his guidance4 ,st4
 ,molua of ,clonfert-molua  was the     
person chosen by him1 and hence1 amongst
 other titles given to  this last-named 

saint1 is 8,father of the ,confession of
 ,maidoc047#cj7 ,again1  in the life of 
,st4 ,finbar it is mentioned that a     
young man from ,leinster  went to ,iona 
to be guided by ,columba3 being obliged 
soon after to return  to his native     
country1 he thus affectionately         
addressed the holy abbot3 8,o  sancte   
,dei6 quomodo in patria mea vivam et    
tibi confitear peccata  mea807#ca7      
,in the ,martyrology of ,donegal1 ,st4  
,meallan of ,loch ,oirbsen1 in          
,connaught1 is styled the ,anmehara of  
,st4 ,furse1 who since the middle of    
the seventh century is venerated as     
patron of ,peronne in ,france 7pag4 #dj1
  ,i4,a4,s41 #ahfe74 ,in the ,felire of 
,aenghus1 ,st4 ,donnan of ,eigg is also 
said  to have gone to ,st4 ,columcille  
8to make him his soul's friend0         
7,reeves'  ,columba1 p4 #cje74 ,this    
title of ,anmchara is given to the      
divine  ,redeemer himself by ,st4       
,aileran1 in the beautiful prayer       
printed in the  ,record1 pag4 #fd1 and1 

as we have already said1 was the name   
given by the  faithful in our early     
,church to those who in the ,latin      
records are styled  ,confessarii1 or    
,patres ,confessionis4 ,the ,book of    
,fenagh in one of  its most ancient     
records states1 that 8,columba plus     
venit ad ,s4 ,kilianum  et ei confessus 
est peccata sua0 7,i4,a4,s4 ,miscellany1
 vol4 i41 pag4 #aah74  ,of ,st4 ,finbarr
 it is also recorded that1 on the death 
of his spiritual  director1 he went to  
,st4 ,olan to make him patrem           
confessionis suae1 or  at least to be   
directed by him as to the person whom he
 should select2 and  the legend adds    
that ,st4 ,olan replied3 8,christ       
,himself will be your  confessor1 and   
,he will receive your hand02 meaning1   
probably1 that the  hour of his death   
was come1 for the next fact mentioned in
 ,st4 ,finbarr's  life is his happy     
passage to eternity 7,life of ,st4      
,finbarr1 edited by ,r4  ,caulfield4    
,london1 #ahfd1 pag4 #ba74    ,probus1  

in the life of our great ,apostle 7chap4
 #bj71 mentions that one of  the chief  
petitions which he made to ,god1 during 
the time of his  penitential retirement 
on ,croaghpatrick1 was3 8,ut unusquisque
 homo fidelis  ,hibernorum per          
poenitentiam et confessionem ,deo       
satisfaciens licet in  extremo vitae    
suae spatio1 ab ipso elementer          
suscipiatur04 ,it was to  become sharer 
of this great privilege that ,st4       
,cormac1 ,bishop and ,king of  ,cashel1 
baying foretold his death1 summoned to  
him ,st4 ,macsuach1 ,abbot of           
,castledermot1 to whom he made his      
confession1 and received from his hands 
the holy sacrament of the ,eucharist4   
7,i4,a4,s4 #ahfj4 ,annals1 pag4 #bjc74  
,the confession even of venial faults   
was especially dwelt upon by ,st4       
,molua4 ,one of his religious was       
negligent on this head1 and ,st4 ,molua 
took  occasion to correct him by his own
 example4 ,as they were journeying      
together on a certain day1 ,st4 ,molua  

said to him3 8,peccavi vere hodie quia  
confessionem alicui seniori non feci de 
his quae egi hodie3 me igitur hic       
sustine modicum donec vadam illuc et    
confitear04 ,the religious was struck   
with terror1 and asked 8would it not    
suffice to confess these sins to ,god   
alone80 but the saint replied that      
unless we confess even our venial       
transgressions1 we can only obtain      
pardon for them by severe penitential   
deeds here and hereafter1 and added the 
well-known illustration3 8,sicut        
pavimentum domus scop quotidie tergitur1
 ita anima quotidian  confessione04 ,the
 ancient life concludes2 8,hoc audiens  
monachus a suo  sancto ,abbate1 promisit
 confiteri sua offendicula2 et          
confitebatur  fideliter1 et sanatus est 
ille frater a sua praeterita audacia0   
7,vita ex  ,vet4 ,cod4 ,armac41 edited  
by ,fleming1 cap4 #cb47    ,there is    
only one document to which the enemies  
of our holy faith can  appeal as        
evidencing a disregard for the sacrament

 of penance in our early  ,church3 it is
 a letter of ,alcuin1 addressed1 in the 
text of ,canisius1  dilectissimis viris 
fratribus et patribus  in provincia     
,scotorum1 in  which he mentions the    
rumour which had reached him1 that the  
laity had  refused 8confessionem        
sacerdotibus dare04 ,here 7writes ,dean 
,murray7 is a  clear rejection of       
,popery4 ,however1 antiquarians have    
long since decided  that this text has  
no reference to sacramental confession  
7see ,lanigan1  iv4 #fg73 and as the    
good ,protestant dean had given his     
citation from  ,usher1 he should have   
added that in ,usher's opinion the title
 of this  letter of ,alcuin was         
erroneous1 and that it was addressed to 
some faithful  quite distinct from our  
old ,celtic forefathers4 ,this opinion  
no longer  admits of any doubt4         
,canisius himself remarked 8that in the 
,,ms4 from which  he published this     
letter1 it was addressed de             
dilectissimis1 etc4 in  provincia       

,gothorum01 and he merely substituted   
the word ,scotorum1 as a  conjecture1   
not knowing that there were any people  
in the days of ,alcuin  who still       
retained the name of ,gothic4 ,later    
discoveries1 however1 have  proved that 
the very province of ,languedoc1 in     
which territory ,alcuin  lived for a    
long time1 was designated by this name4 
,the learned  ,quercetanus discovered a 
letter of ,alcuin himself 7ep4 #ii71    
addressed to  the faithful 8in diversis 
,gothiae partibus02 and ,baluzius1 in   
his  ,miscellanea 7i4 #cgg71 published  
another letter of the same ,alcuin1 8iis
  qui sunt in ,gothiae partibus04 ,the  
errors of ,felix ,urgellitanus1 which   
are here referred to1 fix more and more 
the district to which this letter  was  
addressed2 for whilst they had begun to 
creep in amongst the faithful  of       
,france1 they were wholly unheard of in 
the ,island of ,saints4                 
,,richard ,,fitz-,,ralph1 ,,archbishop  
,,of ,,armagh4          8,many a mile   

have ,i gone1 and many did ,i walk1     
,but never saw a holier man than        
,richard of ,dundalk04        ,old      
,couplet47#cb7           ,i4            
,introduction4      ,in all the habits  
of social life many of the early        
,english settlers in  ,ireland soon     
became more ,irish than the ,irish      
themselves4 ,in the vigorous  tenacity  
of their attachment to the ,catholic    
religion some of these  families have   
ever remained as ,irish as the ,irish   
themselves4 ,having made  our people    
their people1 they became sharers in our
 grace of faith1 so as  to keep ever    
since our ,god their ,god4 ,to the      
,talbots and the ,plunkets we  owe two  
great archbishops1 whose figures stand  
out prominently even among  the         
illustrious band of prelates who fought 
the good fight in the days of  the      
persecutors4 ,and as our ,church reckons
 ,anglo-,irish bishops among her        
martyrs1 so among her doctors who       
guarded and enriched the sacred deposit 

of faith we may count ,anglo-,irish     
prelates equally illustrious3 and of    
these the subject of the present notice 
offers a distinguished example4 ,a      
variety of great qualities1 rarely      
united in one individual1 gives a       
singular attractiveness to the history  
of ,richard ,fitz-,ralph1 ,archbishop   
of ,armagh4 ,extraordinary holiness of  
life--of which proof remains not only   
in the popular couplet at the head of   
this paper1 and in the appellation  of  
,st4 ,richard of ,dundalk1 by which he  
was known for centuries1 but in the     
stronger evidence of a ,pontifical      
commission issued by ,boniface ,,ix4 to 
examine into his miracles with a view to
 his canonization2--rare  intellectual  
power exhibited in every branch of      
theology--erudition both  various and   
profound--eloquence of a high order1 to 
which his sermons still  extant bear    
testimony2 all these are qualities      
which1 especially when  exercised under 
the trying vicissitudes of a great      

controversy within the  ,church1 could  
not fail to constitute a remarkable     
career4 ,of this career  we now propose 
to lay before our readers an outline as 
perfect as the  materials within our    
reach will allow us to sketch4 ,we do so
 with the hope  that others1 in whom    
better skill is backed by richer        
materials1 may be  led to supplement    
from their store our slender            
contribution to the history  of an      
illustrious successor of ,st4 ,patrick4 
,,ii4 ,the ,fitz-,ralph ,family3        
,richard's ,parentage4      ,ralph1     
founder of the ,fitz-,ralph family1 held
 forty-nine lordships in  ,england in   
the reign of ,william the ,conqueror4   
,from this stem various  branches       
issued1 and several families of         
,fitz-,ralphs were to be found in  the  
twelfth and thirteenth centuries4 ,to   
which of these ,richard belongs is  a   
matter of uncertainty4 ,prince1 in his  
anxiety to enrol him among the  worthies
 of ,devonshire1 refers him to the      

,fitz-,ralphs of ,widecomb in the       
,moor1 who1 about the time of ,edward   
,i41 changed their names and residence1 
henceforth calling themselves           
,stillingford1 from their new abode near
  ,exeter4 ,but this is mere guess work4
 ,it is far more probable1 in our       
opinion1 that he belonged to the        
,derbyshire ,fitz-,ralphs1 of which     
family  the ,frechevilles and ,musards  
of ,staveley7#cc7 became in after times 
the  representatives4 ,our reasons are  
these4 ,ralph 7,musard7 ,baron          
,staveley1 a  direct descendant of      
,ralph1 the founder of the family1 had a
 daughter  ,margaret1 who1 on his death1
 became co-heir with her brother        
,nicholas and  her sister ,isabella4    
,margaret married an ,irishman1 named in
 the pedigree  ,joannes de ,hibernia1   
and died in the year #acjh4 ,three      
children were born  of this             
marriage--,john de ,hibernia1 ,ralph1   
and ,alicia4 ,thus1 we actually  have   
the heir of the ,fitz-,ralphs born of an

 ,irish father4 ,as his mother's  heir  
,john de ,hibernia was owner of the     
third part of the manor of  ,staveley1  
and this property he gave and granted to
 ,ralph de ,frecheville1  ,the evidence 
taken at an inquisition held at         
,staveley1 in #acaf1 asserts  that the  
said ,john 8had no other lands in       
,england04 ,this would lead us to       
conjecture that he had lands in         
,ireland1 and after this time the       
pedigree  no longer adds the words de   
,hibernia to any of the ,fitz-,ralphs4  
,now1 it  is certain that ,richard must 
have been born about this time2 and     
although  the precise year of his birth 
is not known1 the date of his promotion 
to  ,armagh would allow him to have been
 the son of this ,john1 or of his       
brother ,ralph4 ,but1 setting conjecture
 aside1 one thing is proved beyond a    
doubt1 viz41 that about the time of     
,richard's birth the ,fitz-,ralphs of   
,staveley had a close connection with   
,ireland4           ,,iii4 ,his         

,birthplace4      ,an almost universal  
tradition fixes his birthplace at       
,dundalk4 ,according  to ,wadding1 the  
tradition was1 that his parents came to 
,dundalk from the  well known territory 
in the north of ,ireland1 called ,ruta1 
or the ,route4  ,wood states that almost
 all writers--auctores pene omnes--make 
him an  ,irishman4 ,this tradition is   
also clearly expressed in the           
appellation of  ,richard of ,dundalk1 by
 which he was universally known4 ,it was
 the custom  of the age to designate men
 by the name of their native place4 ,of 
this we  have an excellent example in   
the name of ,john ,baconthorpius1 or of 
,baconthorpe1 who1 as we shall see1 was 
,fitz-,ralph's professor at ,oxford4    
,cotton1 in his ,fasti1 tells us that   
8it has been contended1 with some       
appearance of truth1 that this prelate  
was born in ,england04 ,he here  alludes
 to the opinion maintained by ,rev4     
,john ,prince17#cd7 who considers  it   
probable that our prelate was born in   

,devonshire1 adding1 8some tell  us1    
that he was an ,irishman1 and born in   
the town of ,dundalk in that  kingdom1  
and hence called by the name of ,richard
 of ,dundalk4 ,whereas1 it  is possible 
he might be so denominated1 not from his
 birth1 but from his  long residence1 or
 his doing some eminent exploit there1  
or from some  other like occasion there4
 ,others say he was an ,englishman1     
which is not  improbable1 for these     
reasons3 that he had his education at   
,oxford2 that  he was chosen commissary 
of that university2 that he was made    
archdeacon  of ,lichfield2 and that he  
was encouraged against the friars by    
,english  bishops04    ,these are the   
only arguments alleged to prove that    
,archbishop ,fitz-,ralph  was born in   
,england4 ,they are of no weight        
whatever when compared with the  mass of
 testimony on the other side4 #a4--,the 
name of ,richard of ,dundalk  could not 
have arisen from the primate's long     
residence in that town1 for  he resided 

in his diocese only for about nine      
years1 and certainly did not  spend all 
his time in ,dundalk4 #b4--,nor is it   
told in history that he  performed any  
eminent exploit here4 #c4--;,it does not
 make against the ,irish  origin of     
,archbishop ,fitz-,ralph that he had his
 education at ,oxford4 ,it is  well     
known that at the beginning of the      
fourteenth century there were very  many
 ,irishmen at ,oxford4 ,bale gives the  
names of several most  distinguished    
,irishmen who flourished there at that  
period--in #acaj1  ,malachias ,minorita2
 in #acbj1 ,david ,o',buge of ,kildare2 
in #accj1 ,gilbert  ,urgalius1 who1     
consueto ,hibernorum hominum more1 went 
to ,oxford after  completing his        
rudimentary studies4 ,besides1 among the
 nations whose  contests in the         
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries so  
often made ,oxford  anything but a quiet
 abode of learning1 the ,irish had their
 place and  generally went with the     
,southernmen4 ,and the ,archbishop      

himself1 in his  discourse at ,avignon1 
relates how he had sent to ,oxford four 
priests of  the diocese of ,armagh4     
#d4--,that the appointment of ,richard  
as chancellor or  vice-chancellor of    
,oxford does not necessarily suppose him
 to have been an  ,englishman1 will     
appear from what we have to say farther 
on concerning  this office4 #e--,nor was
 it strange that an ,irish ecclesiastic 
should hold  benefices in ,england4     
,clement ,,vi41 in #acea1 granted to    
,john de ,briane1  ,dean of ,st4        
,patrick's at ,dublin1 who held at the  
same time the parish of  ,hatfield in   
,lincoln1 permission to retain his      
benefices during his five  years' course
 at a ,university47#ce7    ,summing up  
the evidence1 we have1 on the one hand1 
the almost universal  tradition that our
 prelate was born in ,dundalk2 we have  
an established  connexion between the   
,derbyshire ,fitz-,ralphs and ,ireland  
about the time of  his birth4 ,on the   
other hand1 against his ,irish origin1  

we have no  argument stronger than mere 
probabilities1 which1 when examined1 are
 found  to have no substance4 ,we       
conclude1 therefore1 that ,richard      
,fitz-,ralph was  born in ,dundalk4     
,this conclusion receives some          
confirmation from a  narrative in       
,fox17#cf7 where we are told that a copy
 of the entire ,bible1  translated into 
,irish by ,archbishop ,fitz-,ralph1 was 
found1 many years  after his death1 in  
the walls of his cathedral4 ,now1 if    
this story be  true1 and it is          
indirectly confirmed by ,usher1 it is   
plain that the  ,archbishop must have   
been born in ,ireland4 ,it is hard to   
believe that nine  years1 broken as they
 were by provincial visitations and     
other labours1  would have been         
sufficient to make an ,english prelate  
master of a language  so difficult as   
the ,irish1 and that to the degree of   
perfection requisite  for a translation 
of the sacred text4           ,,iv4 ,his
 ,studies ,and ,university ,career4     

,richard ,fitz-,ralph went to ,oxford1  
and was entered of ,balliol ,college    
7then recently founded71 where he       
remained until he had taken his degree  
of ,master of ,arts4 ,the statutes in   
force at that time required him to      
leave ,balliol4 ,as soon as he received 
his degree in ,arts1 he accordingly     
passed to what is now known as          
,university ,college1 but which after   
#accb  was called ,magna ,aula          
,universitatis1 and which owed its      
origin to the  liberality of ,william de
 ,durham1 who dying in #abdi1 bequeathed
 a sum of  money for the benefit of ten 
or twelve poor masters4 ,by a decision  
of  congregation in #abhj1 four masters1
 8whoever might be considered fittest   
for promotion in ,holy ,church01 were to
 be chosen to enjoy these funds1  each  
master being entitled to fifty shillings
 sterling yearly for his  maintenance4  
,the same document enjoins that the     
abovementioned masters1  living         
together1 shall attend lectures on      

theology1 and shall be able1 at  the    
same time1 to hear lectures on the      
decrees and decretals4 ,as to their  way
 of living and learning1 they shall     
behave as they are directed by some  fit
 and experienced men appointed by the   
,chancellor47#cg7    ,his residence at  
,balliol gave him special opportunities 
to become  proficient in arts4 ,the     
college had been endowed to enable      
sixteen  scholars to study in arts1 each
 scholar receiving a yearly revenue of  
twenty-seven marks4 ,his residence in   
,university ,college enabled him to     
cultivate theology4 ,thus all the       
materials of knowledge then existing    
were  brought within his reach4 ,at that
 date the course of studies had changed 
a  good deal from the ancient narrow    
limits of the ,trivium7#ch7 and         
,quadrivium47#ci7 ,out of the logic of  
the ,trivium the new philosophy was     
developed1 and the sciences of the      
,quadrivium became mere preparatory     
studies to the ,facultas ,artium47#dj7  

,it is mentioned by ,tanner and others1 
that ,richard ,fitz-,ralph attended the 
theological lectures of the famous      
,carmelite ,john ,baconthorpe4 ,this    
remarkable man was one of the most      
illustrious scholars of the day1 and    
exercised a powerful influence on the   
mind of his pupil4 ,it has been         
observed1 that when the latter had      
become  ,archbishop of ,armagh1 and had 
entered upon his controversy with the   
friars1 he ever showed a marked         
affection for the ,carmelites4    ,the  
early half of the fourteenth century was
 a season of much agitation in          
philosophical and theological opinions4 
,the ancient struggle between the       
,nominalists and the ,realists entered  
at this time upon a new phase4 ,the     
,realism of ,st4 ,thomas of ,aquin was  
opposed by the ,nominalism of ,occam1   
and  ,fitz-,ralph found ,oxford still   
agitated by the controversies that      
master  had excited4 ,the ,franciscans  
were generally ,nominalists2 the secular

  clergy1 as a body1 were ,realists4    
,the entire university was divided into 
two opposite camps4 ,the 8,northern men0
 declared for ,realism1 the 8,southern  
men0 for ,nominalism47#da7 ,fitz-,ralph 
became a leading ,realist1 and the      
marked divergence between his views and 
those of the ,franciscans was  probably 
not without its influence on the        
controversy to which hereafter  we shall
 have occasion to refer4    ,how deep   
and how extensive were the studies of   
,fitz-,ralph shall best be  learned from
 the list of his works at the conclusion
 of this notice4 ,it  will be enough for
 our present purpose to state here1 that
 his labours  cover almost the entire   
field of ,catholic controversy with the 
,greeks and  ,armenians1 as well as 7by 
anticipation7 with the ,reformers4 ,a   
remarkable  element in his writings1 and
 one the presence of which reveals the  
form of  scepticism current in his age1 
is the contribution he has made to the  
literature of the ,christian            

,demonstration4 ,he defends the         
,christian  religion against the ,jews  
by contrasting the sacraments and       
ceremonies of  the ,new ,law with those 
of the ,jewish dispensation4 ,this line 
of defence  was called for by the       
altered method of attack which the ,jews
 about the  twelfth century began to    
employ against the ,church4 ,in the     
early ages the  controversy turned upon 
the question whether our ,lord was the  
,messiah4 ,in  the middle ages they had 
recourse to the scriptural defence of   
their own  position1 and calumnious     
attacks on ,christianity4 ,it is not    
strange that  he should have combated   
,mahometanism4 ,it should be borne in   
mind that the  age of ,frederic ,,ii4   
had witnessed the birth of a strange    
admiration for  ,mahometan literature2  
that ,pope ,gregory ,,ix4 had fought    
against this novel  danger2 that against
 the ,arabian ,averroes and his         
philosophy ,st4 ,thomas of  ,aquin      
himself had entered the lists4 ,it is   

not surprising therefore that  the      
archbishop's zeal urged him to provide a
 remedy for the evil by  proving that   
the ,saracenic law itself confirmed the 
authority of the books  of the ,old and 
,new ,testament4    ,before #accc he    
proceeded to his degree of ,doctor of   
,theology4           ,v4 ,his           
,preferments ,in ,england4              
,ware7#db7 declares that ,dr4           
,fitz-,ralph was made ,chancellor of    
,oxford  ,university in #accc4 ,on the  
other hand1 ,wood asserts in his history
 that no  record of this chancellorship 
exists either in the ,university or the 
,episcopal archives4 ,however1 the same 
,wood admits him to have been           
,commissarius of the university in that 
year1 or1 as we may describe it1        
vice-chancellor4 ,is there any way by   
which these different statements may  be
 reconciled8 ,it appears to us that an  
attentive consideration of the  various 
phases through which the office of      
chancellor of ,oxford has passed  will  

supply a very probable solution of the  
difficulty4    ,first of all1 we must   
bear in mind that ,oxford was not at    
that time the  seat of a bishop1 but was
 included within the diocese of         
,lincoln4 ,next1 we  should consider    
that even during the course of the      
fourteenth century the  chancellor was  
an episcopal officer1 not an academical 
one2 he represented  the ordinary of the
 diocese1 and from him drew all his     
jurisdiction and  authority4 ,as the    
university grew in importance and       
extent1 the position  of the chancellor1
 as a power extern to the university1   
became untenable1  and by degrees1 the  
nomination to the office passed from the
 hands of the  bishop to those of the   
academicians47#dc7 ,for a time the      
bishop struggled  to retain at least the
 right of confirming the election1 but  
in the course  of the fourteenth century
 even this claim was abandoned4 ,the    
period  #acjj-acej forms1 therefore1 a  
peculiar epoch in the history of the    

,oxford  chancellors1 marking as it does
 the transition period between the      
chancellors who were episcopal officers1
 and the chancellors elected by  and out
 of the university4 ,now this transition
 was not effected suddenly1  but almost 
by way of compromise3 there was no sharp
 separation between the  two classes of 
chancellors2 the one gradually merged   
into the other4 ,we  should therefore   
expect to find some confusion in the    
list of chancellors2  the bishop's      
chancellor being considered as the      
legitimate chancellor by  those who     
sided with the bishop1 whereas the      
academicians would naturally  look up to
 their own nominee4 ,now it is quite    
certain that ,richard  ,fitz-,ralph1    
master of theology1 was appointed       
,chancellor of ,lincoln on the  #fth of 
,july1 #accc1 for the appointment is    
entered under that date on the  register
 of ,bishop ,burghers4 ,we may conclude1
 therefore1 either that as  ,chancellor 
of ,lincoln he was ,chancellor of the   

,university1 as the  episcopal officers 
before him had been1 or that his        
appointment having  fallen upon a time  
of some dispute about the nomination of 
the chancellor1  he was styled          
commissarius only1 or that the story of 
his ,oxford  chancellorship took its    
rise from the fact that he was          
chancellor of the  bishop in whose      
diocese ,oxford was situated4 ,according
 to some authors1 he  was also          
,archdeacon of ,chester4 ,but he was    
certainly ,dean of ,lichfield1 at  least
 from #accg1 and held this office until 
his appointment to ,armagh4  ,wood      
relates that shortly before his own time
 the first window on the  northern side 
of the choir of ,lichfield cathedral    
contained a picture of  ,richard        
,fitz-,ralph clothed in his sacerdotal  
vestments1 and above the  following     
inscription3 ,richardus ,radulphi       
filius1 ,armachanus1 ,hujus  ,ecclesiae 
,decanus4    7,,to ,,be ,,continued47   
,,purgatory ,,of ,,st4 ,,patrick ,,in   

,,lough ,,derg4      ,as at this season 
many pious ,christians visit the        
,purgatory of ,st4 ,patrick  in ,lough  
,derg1 for the performance of           
penitential works1 we have been         
requested to supply1 from authentic     
sources1 a history of that pilgrimage4  
,in compliance with this request we give
 the following account of it1  extracted
 from ,dr4 ,moran's ,history of the     
,archbishops ,of ,dublin1 where  he     
treats of ,dr4 ,fleming47#dd7 ,that     
,archbishop writing on the #bjth of     
,august1 #afbe1 to the ,internuncio in  
,brusselles1 makes the following        
statement3          8,the pious and     
innumerable pilgrimages of the faithful 
this year      are a pledge of great    
fervour2 for1 like bees to the beehive1 
so      do they daily flock in such     
numbers from every corner of the        
kingdom1 for penitential purposes1 to a 
certain island1 which is      called the
 ,purgatory of ,st4 ,patrick1 and which 
is situated in the      centre of a     

lake1 that many have been obliged to    
return without      satisfying their    
pious desire1 there being no room for   
landing on      the island4 ,this       
pilgrimage1 though1 through the bitter  
persecutions of heresy1 it has been     
almost abandoned for many      years1   
was once so celebrated throughout the   
,christian world1 that      many from   
the most distant parts even of the      
continent visited it      in a spirit of
 devotion4 ,the manner of performing the
 pilgrimage      as it is now observed  
from ancient tradition1 is as           
follows3--,each      person1 from the   
day he arrives in the island till the   
tenth      following day1 never departs 
from it4 ,all this time is1 without     
intermission1 devoted to fasting1       
watching1 and prayer4 ,if they      wish
 to give rest to their body they must   
sleep on the bare      ground1 and for  
the most part under the broad canopy of 
heaven4      ,they receive but one      
refection1 and that consists of bread   

and      water4 ,it is incredible what  
severe austerities and bodily           
mortifications females1 as well as men1 
and persons of every age      and of    
every condition1 endure1 whilst they    
perform this      penitential course2   
and during twenty-four hours they are   
shut up      in certain caves1 like unto
 prisons1 where they pass the whole day 
and night entirely absorbed in prayer1  
and receiving nothing to      eat or to 
drink4        8,i have thought it well  
to mention this fact1 for1 ,i am sure1  
your      excellency will be rejoiced to
 see that the natives of this           
island1 by this so great and so         
unparalleled an impetus of              
devotion1 seek to appease the anger of  
,god2 and we may confidently      hope1 
that by their fervour ,he will be       
appeased1 who listens to      the       
prayers of those who have recourse to   
,him in their      afflictions40        
,the contemporary1 ,messingham1         
describes the course of penance         

performed in the island somewhat more in
 detail than has been      already given
 in the letter of ,dr4 ,fleming4        
8,during the nine days      of the      
pilgrimage01 he says1 8a rigorous fast  
was observed on      oaten bread and the
 water of the lake4 ,the pilgrim was    
first      conducted barefooted to the  
church of ,st4 ,patrick1 around which he
      moved on his knees seven times    
inside1 and seven times outside1        
repeating all the while stated prayers  
of the ,church4 ,he was then            
conducted to the seven places of        
station1 known as lecti pnosi1          
which were formerly small churches1 or  
sanctuaries1 dedicated to      various  
saints2 and at each of these he repeated
 the visit as      above4 ,the next     
station was around a cross in the       
cemetery1 and      subsequently at      
another cross that was fixed in a mound 
of stones4      ,thence he proceeded1   
over a rough and rocky path1 to a spot  
on      the border of the lake1 to which

 tradition pointed as the place on      
which ,st4 ,patrick had knelt in prayer4
 ,here1 also1 certain prayers      were 
appointed to be recited4 ,all this      
pilgrimage and prayer was      repeated 
three times each day--morning1 noon1 and
 evening--during      the first seven   
days2 on the eighth day it was repeated 
six times2      confession and communion
 followed on the morning of the ninth   
day2      and then the pilgrims entered 
the cave1 where twenty-four hours       
were devoted to fasting and meditation4 
,any that choose not to      enter the  
cave1 passed these twenty-four hours in 
solitude at one      of the former      
stations047#de7 ,the seven lecti pnosi  
were      dedicated to ,,ss4 ,patrick1  
,brigid1 ,columba1 ,brendan1 ,molaisre1 
,catherine1 and ,dabeoc1 who was the    
patron of the place4 ,during            
,catholic times there was an elegant    
church in the centre of the             
cemetery1 and1 besides other relics1 it 
possessed some of our      glorious     

apostle4 ,this church1 with the seven   
cells1 or smaller      churches1 was    
still standing at the time of ,peter    
,lombard1 who      adds1 that 8the      
,english deputy did not dare to prevent 
the      pilgrimage or profane the      
place047#df7 ,he also describes the cave
      as 8situated a few paces to the   
north of the church1 being a      narrow
 building1 roofed with stone1 which     
could contain twelve1      or1 at most1 
fourteen persons1 kneeling two and      
two47#dg7 ,there was      one small     
window1 near which those were placed who
 were bound to      read the breviary04 
8,this solitary island was looked on as 
a place which had been      chosen by   
saint ,patrick for retreat and silent   
prayer1 and for      exercising those   
deeds of penance for which his whole    
life was so      remarkable4 ,hence it  
derived its name of ,purgatory1 or place
 of      ,penance1 of ,st4              
,patrick47#dh7 ,but whilst it was thus  
for the      inhabitants of ,ireland a  

chosen retreat of prayer and penance1   
its      fame on the continent assumed  
another form4 ,with the troubadours     
it became a favourite theme4 ,calderon  
immortalized it in ,spanish2      in    
,italy1 it attracted the attention of   
,dante and ,ariosto2 and      many      
popular tales about ,st4 ,patrick's     
,purgatory are still extant      in     
,french and ,portuguese4 ,it thus became
 a matter of romance2 and      poetical 
imagination conducted the penitents who 
visited the      ,island of ,lough      
,derg1 at first to the regions of       
,purgatory1 and      subsequently to the
 abodes of the blessed or of the damned4
        8,on the dawn of the so-called  
,reformation1 ,protestant writers       
seized on these poetic tales as if they 
were matters of sober      fact1 and    
availed themselves of the fictions of   
romance to cast      ridicule on the    
practices of ,catholic piety and        
devotion4 ,for some      time1 indeed1  
they did not dare to offer violence to  

the pilgrims1      who hastened thither 
with unabated fervour4 ,during the reign
 of      ,james ,i41 however1 the       
chapels or oratories on the island were 
demolished2 but this did not satisfy the
 fury with which the      enemies of the
 ,catholic faith assailed its           
sanctuaries and      shrines4 ,enraged  
at the numbers who1 despite their       
threats1      continued to flock to this
 penitential retreat1 the lords         
justices1 in #afcb1 made a last effort  
to desecrate #8the holy      island'4   
,after publicly announcing that1 in the 
opinion of the      ,papists1 there was 
a passage from this island to the other 
world1      and an entrance to the      
realms of ,purgatory1 they gave orders  
to      have the whole island dug up1   
and that especially no portion of       
the cave should remain undestroyed2 and 
thus1 says ,dr4 ,mant1 was      made    
known #8the imposition of the ,irish    
clergy'4 ,but we should      much rather
 say1 thus did the predecessors of ,dr4 

,mant reveal to      the world the      
blindness of their bigotry1 and afford a
 new      instance of the frenetical    
fury1 by which alone they were guided1  
in upturning the sanctuaries of         
,catholic devotion4 ,borlase1 in his    
reduction of ,ireland17#di7 mentions    
this sacrilegious act1 and      adds1   
that #8,st4 ,patrick's ,purgatory was   
discovered to be a mere      illusion1 a
 little cell hewn out of a rock1 no     
confines of      ,purgatory or          
,hell'47#ej7 ,boate1 too1 in his        
,natural ,history 7p4      #dd71 gives  
some further particulars2 as he states  
that it was on      the #acth of        
,september1 #afcb1 that the order of the
 lords justices      was carried into   
execution1 and that the religious who   
had it in      charge were driven from  
the island1 their monasteries being     
demolished1 and the cell itself broken  
open2 #8in which state'1 he      adds   
7writing in #affj71 #8it hath lain ever 
since'4        8,in the ,antistitis     

,icon1 or ,sketch of the ,life of ,dr4  
,kirwan1      bishop of ,killala1       
written by ,john ,lynch2 the learned    
archdeacon      of ,tuam1 and first     
printed in #affi17ea7 we have a faithful
      description of the penitential    
severities of this place of             
pilgrimage1 and of the true motives     
which impelled the fervent      faithful
 to flock thither in such numbers3--    
8 #8,that he 7,dr4 ,kirwan7 might not be
 wanting in any species of      piety1  
he reverenced in his soul the custom of 
undertaking      pilgrimages4 ,nor was  
he satisfied with visiting such places  
in      ,connaught as were consecrated  
by the sojourn of the saints1 and1      
above all1 the rugged mountain called   
,cruagh ,padrick1 which he      was wont
 to frequent1 often ascending its steep 
sides1 a thousand      paces in height1 
and there staying1 according to usage1  
on the      very summit1 which is       
covered with large stones1 and creeping 
on      bended knees over the rough rock

 fragments1 which struck one with       
horror1 not to speak of the danger of   
yawning chasms and      precipices2 but 
often1 too1 did he go into ,ulster1 to  
the      far-famed ,purgatory of ,st4   
,patrick1 in which the pilgrims are     
wont to abstain from meat for nine days1
 using no food1 save a      little      
bread1 and water from the lake4 ,during 
one of the nine      days1 they are shut
 up in the dismal darkness of a cavern1 
and1      therein fasting1 partake of   
nothing save a little water1 to         
moisten their throats when parched with 
thirst4 ,at noontide and      evening1  
they go on bended knees over paths      
beaten by the feet of      saints1 and  
strewn with sharp stones4 ,in other     
quarters1 they walk      barefooted over
 rugged ways1 in the olden time         
frequented by holy      men1 to satisfy 
for their transgressions4 ,sometimes    
walking and      sometimes on their     
knees1 they advance to a considerable   
distance      into the sea4 ,thus do    

they spend the day1 pouring out their   
prayers to ,god1 and listening to holy  
discourses2 nor in this      sacred     
place is there to be seen or heard      
anything scurrilous or      ludicrous4  
,when night comes on1 they lie down1 not
 to enjoy      repose1 but to snatch a  
few moments' sleep2 their beds are of   
straw1 nor do they use any pillow but   
their garments4 ,thrice each      day   
did ,francis1 with the other pilgrims1  
punctually perform these      duties1   
and1 in addition1 he diligently applied 
himself to hearing      confessions and 
preaching sermons'47#eb7        8,the   
nuncio ,rinuccini1 in the report of his 
nunciatura1 made to      the ,holy ,see 
on his return to home in #afdi1 mentions
 how anxiously      he had desired to   
snatch from the hands of the heretics   
the      far-famed ,purgatory of ,st4   
,patrick2 and he adds3 #8,the devotions 
of this deep cave are of great          
antiquity1 though their first           
origin is uncertain4 ,it is agreed1 that

 the saint chose that spot      for his 
holy retreats2 and the visions7#ec7 with
 which he was there      favoured by    
,god1 were well known1 and approved of  
by succeeding      generations4 ,at     
present1 the fury of the ,calvinists has
 levelled      everything with the      
ground1 and filled up the cave2 and as  
thus      they destroyed every vestige  
of the spot1 so do they seek to         
cancel every trace of its memory4 ,it   
seemed to me that my mission      from  
,rome should embrace this1 too1 as one  
of its special objects1      and ,i     
would have been1 in part1 content1 could
 ,i have re-planted      the cross on   
that island4 ,but ,i was not blessed    
with the      fulfilment of this        
design'47#ed7        8,despite1 however1
 all the efforts of the ,puritans1 it   
continued      to be a place of resort  
for pilgrims from every quarter of      
,ireland2 so much so1 that in the second
 year of queen ,anne1 the               
parliament once more enacted1 #8that1   

whereas the superstitions of      popery
 are greatly increased and upheld by the
 pretended sanctity      of places1     
especially of a place called ,st4       
,patrick's ,purgatory in      the county
 of ,donegal1 and of wells to which     
pilgrimages are made      by vast       
numbers1 444 be it enacted1 that all    
such meetings be      deemed riots and  
unlawful assemblies1 and all sheriffs1  
etc41 are      hereby required to be    
diligent in executing the laws against  
all      offenders'4        8,in the    
year #agad1 ,dr4 ,hugh ,m',mahon1 bishop
 of ,clogher17#ee7      presented to the
 ,sacred ,congregation a ,relation of   
the diocese      entrusted to his care1 
and amongst other things1 he details his
      own experience of the place of    
penitential resort which we have        
been describing4 ,he had visited it     
disguised as a merchant from            
,dublin2 for1 even then1 a bishop       
incurred great risk were he             
publicly recognized2 and he describes in

 detail each particular of      its     
penitential course4 ,from his           
description we may conclude1 that       
some changes had been introduced in its 
ritual since the time when      ,lombard
 and ,messingham penned their           
commentaries4 ,we shall give      the   
extract in full in a note1 as it has    
never before been      published47#ef7  
8,about forty years later1 the          
,purgatory of ,st4 ,patrick was visited 
by another eminent prelate of our ,irish
 ,church1 ,dr4 ,thomas ,de      ,burgo1 
who1 in his ,hibernia ,dominicana1 has  
recorded his      impressions on        
visiting that far-famed sanctuary4 #8,so
 great'1 he      says1 #8are the        
penitential deeds performed there1 that 
they      exceed1 in my opinion1 those  
of any other pilgrimage in the          
universe'27#eg7 and he adds3 #8,non quae
 audivi1 sed quae vidi      refero2 mihi
 enim feliciter contigit1 insulam ipsam 
sanctissimi      ,patritii habitatione  
et miraculis consecratam1 praeclarumque 

austeritatis primorum ecclesiae         
saeculorum praebentem exemplar1         
invisere anno #agdh'4        8,as       
regards the relations of the ,holy ,see 
with this place of      devotion1 we    
learn from the ,bollandists1 that1 in   
#adig1 the cave      was destroyed by   
order from ,rome1 in consequence of its 
being      represented to the ,pope as  
an occasion of shameful avarice1 by a   
monk from ,holland1 who had visited it1 
attracted by its      wide-spread fame1 
and yet saw there none of the wonderful 
visions      which he had heard so often
 described47#eh7 ,the ,ulster ,annals   
also      commemorate this destruction1 
but state that it was occasioned by     
its not being the true cave hallowed by 
,st4 ,patrick47#ei7 ,the      proper    
lessons for the feast of the ,purgatory 
of ,st4 ,patrick were      inserted in  
the ,roman ,breviary1 printed at ,venice
 in #aebb1 but      were expunged by    
order of the ,holy ,father1 in the next 
edition1 by      the same printer1 in   

#aebd4 ,the nature of the devotion was  
subsequently explained to the ,holy     
,see2 and we are informed by            
,messingham1 that indulgences were      
attached to its penitential             
exercises before the close of the       
sixteenth century47#fj7 ,when ,dr4      
,m',mahon wrote his ,relatio1 the term  
of the indulgences granted by      pope 
,clement ,x4 had just expired4 ,a little
 later1 the cardinal      archbishop of 
,benevento1 who was subsequently raised 
to the papal      chair as ,benedict    
,,xiii41 made the ,purgatory of ,st4    
,patrick the      theme of one of his   
homilies to his flock2 and since that   
time      this devotion has been ever   
cherished and encouraged by the         
sovereign pontiffs4        8,in the     
,annals of the ,four ,masters1 and other
 ancient records1      mention of       
pilgrimages to this island seldom       
recurs4 ,it was a mere      matter of   
private devotion1 and did not precisely 
fall within the      province of        

history4 ,in the sixteenth century1 we  
learn from the      ,bollandists1 that  
it was sometimes visited by #a1ejj      
persons at the      same time47#fa7 ,dr4
 ,fleming tells us how such numbers     
flocked to it      in #afbe1 that many  
had to return without finding room to   
land upon      the island4 ,nor since   
then has its celebrity decreased2 and we
      find that1 before the famine years
 of #ahdg1 this sanctuary was           
annually visited by no fewer than       
#aj1jjj pilgrims47#fb7 ,at the          
present day the average number of daily 
pilgrims1 during the      station       
months1 is very considerable1 and the   
total annual      number is estimated at
 several thousands4        8,besides the
 many accounts of this ,purgatory1      
published more as      matters of       
romance7#fc7 than history1 there are    
several valuable      treatises which   
deserve attention4 ,not only ,lombard   
and      ,messingham1 in the works      
already alluded to1 but the ,bollandists

      7#ag ,march72 ,dr4 ,lanigan 7vol4 
iv4 p4 #bij1 seqq472 ,colgan1 in his    
,trias ,thaumaturga 7p4 #bg72 and       
,feijoo1 the celebrated ,spanish        
critic1 in his ,theatro ,critico 7tom4  
vii4 p4 #aeg71 give several             
important facts1 together with many     
judicious remarks concerning      this  
venerated sanctuary of ,lough ,derg4    
,the valuable notes of ,dr4             
,matthew ,kelly to the first volume of  
,cambrensis ,eversus 7pp4               
#ach-aee71 throw much light on the      
subject4 ,see also1 a very rare         
treatise1 entitled1 ,a ,brief ,history  
of ,st4 ,patrick's ,purgatory1          
written by the ,rev4 ,cornelius ,nary1  
parish priest of ,michan's1 and         
published in ,dublin in #agah40         
,,liturgical ,,questions4      ,we      
purpose in this number of the ,record to
 answer a few practical  questions      
connected with the office of the dead1  
which have been forwarded  to us3    #a4
 ,is it proper for the president of the 

choir to wear the alb and  cincture     
during the recitation of the office of  
the dead--the matins and  lauds8    #b4 
,should he wear stole and cope1 or      
either8    #c4 ,is it correct to say the
 ,requiem aeternam after the prayer at  
lauds  when the ,mass follows8    #d4 is
 it proper for the priest who presides  
in the choir to perform the  absolution 
after ,mass8                            
#a4 ,it is not proper for the president 
of the choir to wear the alb and        
cincture at matins and lauds4 ,there is 
a decree of the ,sacred ,congregation   
of ,rites which appears to bear on this 
subject4    ,the question proposed was3 
8,dubium ,,lxi4 ,juxta ,rituale1 dum in 
officio dicuntur laudes3      sacerdos  
cum ministris paratur ad celebrandam    
missam solemnem pro      defuncto4      
,exinde autem oriuntur dubia de modo    
concludendi laudes3      nempe #ao ,ubi 
sunt duo vel plures ,presbyteri1 alius  
debetne      concludere ,laudes dum     
celebrans qui officium inchoavit paratur

 in      sacristia8 #b4 ,ubi unicus est 
,presbyter debetne iste relinquere      
officium ,laudum sine ,praeside et adire
 sacristiam ut paretur ad      missam et
 deinde opportuno tempore redire in     
,chorum1 vel ante      ,altare1 alba1   
cingulo1 et stola indutus ut concludat  
,laudes8        8,ad ,,lxi4 ,affirmative
 ad primam partem4 ,quoad secundam debet
      concludere laudes et postea       
sacristiam petere ut sese vestiat pro   
,missae celebratione4 ,die #ab ,augusti1
 #ahfd04      ,it is evident from this  
decree that the vestments are not to be 
worn at  the office of the dead1 for    
they are not allowed even in a case     
which  would appear one of necessity1   
viz43 when there is only one priest     
present1 and when some delay must       
necessarily occur between the office and
  the mass1 if the celebrant must wait  
to say the prayer at the end of ,lauds  
before he puts on the vestments4 ,if in 
such an extreme case1 when there  arises
 some delay between the office and mass1

 which is most objectionable  and always
 to be avoided in ceremonies1 the alb   
and cincture cannot be  worn1 they      
cannot surely be used on ordinary       
occasions when such necessity  does not 
exist4    #b4 ,with regard to the second
 question1 the ,roman ,ritual does not  
prescribe  even the use of a stole or of
 a cope1 as far as we are aware1 and we 
think  that the practice of not wearing 
one or the other at the office is the   
most correct and to be recommended1     
though we are well aware that the       
contrary practice is adopted by many4   
,the ,roman ,ritual1 treating of the    
procession in which the remains are     
carried to the church1 has the          
following words3          8,parochus    
indutus superpelliceo et stola nigra vel
 pluvali ejusdem      coloris1 clerico  
praeferente crucem et alio aquam        
benedictam ad      domum defuncti una   
cum aliis procedit04      ,but these    
words do not apply to the office4 ,the  
,caeremoniale ,episcoporum1  treating of

 the ceremony on ,all ,souls' ,day1 does
 make mention of the stole  and cope    
7book ii41 chap4 #aj1 n4 #aj73          
8,haec ut dixi servantur si ipse        
episcopus sit in his vesperis aut       
matutinis officium facturus2 sin minus  
posset manere cum cappa in      choro in
 loco suo et ,canonicus hebdomadarius   
paratus pluviali      nigro supra       
,rocchetum vel cottam aut saltem stola  
nigra faceret      aut diceret omnia    
praedicta04      ,the words of the      
,caeremoniale gave rise to the following
 question  proposed to the ,sacred      
,congregation of ,rites3 8,an in officio
 defunctorum  celebrans inducre debeat  
stolam vel saltem possit1 uti erui posse
 videtur  ex ,caeremoniali lib #bo4 cap4
 #aj4    8,resp4 ,negative extra casum  
in caeremoniali contemplatum4 #g        
,septembris1  #ahej04    ,there is      
another decree of the ,sacred           
,congregation of ,rites referring to    
this matter3--          8,dubium        
,,lviii4 ,an sacerdos qui juxta         

,rituale1 superpelliceo et      stola   
indutus praefuit clationi corporis      
debeat retinere stolam      dum praeest 
matutino et ,laudibus quae immediate    
sequuntur8 ,saltem      si in hac       
,functione utatur ,pluviali1 quum in eo 
casu non possit      deponere stolam    
quin per aliquantis ,pluviale exuat8    
8,ad ,,lviii4 ,in utroque casu licere4  
,die #ab ,augusti1 #ahfd04      ,we may 
observe that a direct answer is not     
given to the question1 which  was       
proposed with the view of ascertaining  
what should be done in two  special     
cases1 and the only answer given was 8in
 utroque casu licere04  ,hence a priest 
might wear the stole and cope1 but      
should he not do so1 he  would not      
follow a course at variance with this   
decree4 ,no doubt1 in some  rubrical    
works1 express mention is made of the   
stole and cope1 and still  more         
frequently of one or the other2 but the 
,roman ,ritual1 as we said1  does not   
prescribe either at the office of the   

dead1 and when their use is  pointed    
out1 it generally refers to the         
cathedral churches1 where the           
ceremonies are carried out with greater 
pomp and solemnity1 than in those  rural
 churches to which our correspondent    
refers4 ,we may also observe that  the  
decree above quoted1 does not           
contemplate the use of the stole and    
cope apart from the procession4 ,on the 
whole1 considering the  circumstances of
 our churches1 we would in practice     
dispense with stole  and cope at the    
office1 while we would be slow to       
condemn the use of the  cope1 if such a 
custom existed in any church that in    
other respects  carried out the         
ceremonies of the ,church with accuracy 
and decorum4 ,but we  consider that the 
decree of #gth ,september1 #ahej1 above 
quoted1 clearly  lays down that the     
stole ought not to be used1 though we   
find it more  frequently used on such   
occasions than the cope1 on the ground1 
perhaps1  that it is an emblem of       

jurisdiction in the person who presides4
    #c4 ,in reply to the third question1
 we beg to say that the ,mass should    
commence immediately at the end of the  
lauds1 which terminate with the  prayer1
 and after the prayer1 the ,requiem     
aeternam1 etc41 and ,requiescant  in    
pace should not be said3 it is only when
 the ceremony concludes that  these are 
to be said4          8,in fine ,laudum  
dicta oratione1 non adduntur versus     
,requiem      aeternam1 nec             
,requiescant1 sive sequatur ,missa sive 
hac omissa      statim procedatur ad    
absolutionem1 quia hi versus1 qui       
deserviunt      in ultimum vale         
defunctis1 sunt in fine precum          
reservandi047#fd7      ,the prayer at   
the end of ,lauds on such occasions     
should be said cum  conclusione brevi4  
,we give the following extracts from    
,cavalieri1 a  distinguished rubricist1 
who writes1 in tom4 #c1 cap4 #b1 decr4  
#af1 n4 #ac3--          8,in ,rituali   
oratio ponitur cum conclusione brevi1   

sed hoc ideo1      quia supponit1 quod  
non ibi terminetur officium1 sed        
continenti      filo pergatur ad        
exequias3 quare ut ponatur concordia    
,rituals      inter et ,breviarium1 quod
 longiorem notat conclusionem1          
concludendi orationes haec erit regula2 
quoties una tantum dicitur      oratio1 
et ibi terminatur officium1 conclusio   
sit integra2 brevis      vero quando    
sequantur exequiae1 seu absolutio ab    
tumulum1 sive      haec fiant praesente 
vel absente corpore sive diebus #c4 #g4 
#cj41      anniversario1 vel alio       
officio quolibet4 ,confirmatur ex       
,rubricis      ,breviarii ,romani trium 
,ordinum ,s4 ,francisci1 quae approbatae
      fuerunt a ,pio ,,vi4 an4 #aghe4   
,in die ,commemor4 omnium ,fidelium     
,def4      additur haec annotatio3      
,conclusiones 7orationum in officio pro 
defunct47 longiores adhibentur semper1  
quando unica dicitur      oratio2 nisi  
statim sequatur ,missa de ,requiem1 vel 
absolutio ad      tumulum2 tunc enim    

dicitur conclusio brevis4        87#b7  
,cavalieri1 ib4 n4 #ad4 quia ,rituale1  
terminata oratione sub      brevi       
conclusione1 non subdit versiculos      
,requiem aeternam1 sed      statim      
transit ad ,missam1 et quatenus haec non
 sit dicenda1 ad      orationem ,non    
intres1 nec dubitamus1 quod praedicti   
versiculi      taceri debeant1 quoties  
post ,defunctorum officium sequitur     
,missa      de requiem1 aut absolutio ad
 tumulum4 ,tunc enim ex hujusmodi       
officiis fit unum veluti continuatum1   
unde versus illi1 qui      deserviunt ad
 dandum ultimum vale ,defunctis1 sunt in
 fine precum      reservandi4 ,huic     
doctrinae conformis est praescriptio    
,rubricarum      in praedicto ,breviario
 ,fr4 ,s4 ,francisci4 ,loco cit4        
dicitur3 ,duo      autem ,versiculi     
7,requiem aeternam1 et ,requiescant7    
post orationem      omittuntur1 si      
statim sequatur ,missa de ,requiem1 vel 
,absolutio ad      tumulum04      ,with 
regard to the fourth question the ,roman

 ritual is quite clear4  8,finita ,missa
 sacerdos deposita casula seu planeta et
 manipulo accipit  pluviale nigri       
coloris04444 ,it is always laid down    
that the celebrant of  the ,mass1 unless
 the bishop be present1 performs this   
part of the  ceremony4 ,the             
,caeremoniale ,episcoporum1 cap4 #cg1   
lib4 #bo1 has the  following words1     
which we here quote3--          8,aliquo
 die non impedito infra octavam         
,defunctorum arbitrio      ,episcopi1   
,canonicus aliquis1 seu dignitas        
,ecclesiae ,cathedralis      celebrabit 
,missam pro animabus omnium ,episcoporum
 et ,ecclesiae      ,cathedralis        
,canonicorum defunctorum cum paramentis 
nigris et      caeremoniis prout supra  
dictum est1 cui ,missae ,episcopus      
praesens      erit cum cappa et in fine 
si voluerit1 poterit1 immo debebit      
deposita cappa et accepto pluviali      
absolvere1 prout dicitur capite         
praecedenti4        8,quod si ,episcopus
 hujusmodi ,missae praesens non erit1   

vel      absolvere nequiverit1 celebrans
 finita ,missa1 accedet ad cornu        
,epistolae altaris1 ubi in plano1       
deposita planeta et manipulo            
accipiet pluviale nigrum et stans in    
dicto cornu ,epistolae versus      ad   
altare expectabit finem responsorii04444
      ,it is evident from all this what 
answer is to be given to the fourth     
question1 viz43 that in all cases the   
celebrant1 and no other priest1  should 
give the absolution when the bishop is  
not present4            ,,notices ,,of  
,,books4      ,adjamenta ,oratoris      
,sacri1 seu1 ,divisiones1 ,sententiae1  
et ,documenta de  iis ,christianae vitae
 veritatibus et officiis1 quae          
frequentius e sacro  pulpito proponenda 
sunt1 collecta atque ordine digesta     
opera ,francisci  ,xaverii ,schouppe1   
,s4,j4 ,brussels1 ,goemare1 pp4 #edc4   
#ahfe4    ,from the materials here      
collected and prepared by ,father       
,schouppe1 the  preacher may build his  
discourse with ease and advantage4 ,and 

yet1 though  the materials are placed   
ready to his hand1 the work will still  
be all his  own4 ,the author does not   
undertake to supersede labour1 but to   
lighten the  preacher's fatigue by      
lending his friendly help4 ,he supplies 
matter for  the discourse1 he even      
traces the outline of its form1 and then
 leaves to  the preacher himself the    
task of construction4 ,in the opening   
pages he  addresses himself to the      
question1 how is a priest1 especially a 
young  priest1 to render himself a      
useful and even a perfect preacher of   
the ,word  of ,god8 ,in answer to this  
question1 he touches in a masterly way  
on these  two points1 #a4 ,what is a    
preacher of the ,gospel1 and what is the
  perfection that belongs to him8 #b4   
,by what process may a preacher attain  
to this perfection8 ,part of this       
process consists1 of course1 in the     
preparation of the sermon1 and it is to 
facilitate this preparation that  the   
work before us has been compiled4 ,the  

author reduces to fifty heads  the      
entire cycle of subjects suited for     
pastoral exhortation1 embracing in  this
 number whatever can serve to bring the 
sinner to justification1 to  guide him  
in the path of a ,christian life1 and to
 conduct him to ,heaven4  ,he gives on  
each of these fifty subjects a treatise 
which is a marvel of  brevity and       
fulness4 ,so judicious is the           
arrangement of the texts bearing  on the
 subject2 so clear and full the         
statement of the case2 so simple the    
division of the arguments1 that each of 
these little treatises makes the  reader
 complete master of the subject of which
 it treats4 ,on the more  important     
subjects1 and on those which require    
more frequent handling1 the  author     
supplies many and different divisions or
 outlines of sermons1 thus  guarding    
against the monotony that arises when a 
subject is presented  often under the   
same form4 ,one other merit we would    
signalise in this  work4 ,it deals with 

the wants1 defects1 and vices of the men
 of our own  times4 ,the books of       
sermons which are to be found on the    
shelves of the  clergy generally belong 
to an extinct period2 the exhortations  
they  contain are coloured by           
circumstances that have long ceased to  
exist4  ,modern modes of thought1 modern
 manners1 modern literature1 have given 
rise to a peculiar class of temptations 
and of dangers1 and as these  differ    
quite from those of a century ago1 so   
also do they demand peculiar  treatment 
and special remedies4    ,father        
,schouppe has not forgotten this1 and   
takes care to grapple with the          
difficulties that beset the ,christian  
life of the nineteenth century4 ,two    
indexes close the volume4 ,one exhibits 
a general synopsis of the contents2  the
 other refers to the various passages   
whence materials may be drawn for  a    
sermon appropriate to the gospel of each
 ,sunday and holiday in the year4  ,both
 indexes enhance the practical value of 

this excellent book1 which we  do not   
hesitate to call a real boon for the    
clergy4    ,the ,cromwellian ,settlement
 of ,ireland4 ,by ,john ,p4             
,prendergast1 ,esq4  ,london3 ,longmans1
 #ahfe4    ,this is a valuable accession
 to ,irish history4 ,it gives an account
 of the  cruelties practised on our     
people in the ,cromwellian              
,confiscations4 ,it  confirms1 from     
official sources1 the painful details   
contained in ,dr4  ,moran's lately      
published sketch of the persecutions of 
the ,irish ,catholics  in the           
seventeenth century4 ,the ,irish land   
question cannot be well  understood     
without the aid of ,mr4 ,prendergast's  
excellent book4              ,,footnotes
          #a ,milton's ,prose3 ,a       
,lecture delivered in the ,museum of    
,irish        ,industry1 ,st4 ,stephen's
 ,green1 by the ,right ,hon4 ,judge     
,keogh3 ,the        ,irish ,times1 ,june
 #a1 #ahfe4        #b ,we print the     
words of the judge as we find them1     

though it seems        irreverential1   
not to say worse1 to compare a regicide1
 and a man        who denied the        
divinity of ,christ1 to the apostle of  
the nations4        ,though ,milton was 
gifted with the highest natural powers1 
yet1 not        having the qualities of 
a true ,christian1 he was only like     
sounding        brass or a tinkling     
cymbal4        #c ,works of ,samuel     
,johnson3 ,dublin1 #agic1 vol4 v41 p4   
#gb4        #d ,the ,works of ,john     
,milton4 ,london3 ,bickers and ,bush1   
#ahfc3 vol4 iv4        pp4 #daa1 #dab4  
#e ,it is entitled ,a ,treatise of ,true
 ,religion1 ,heresy1 ,schism1           
,toleration1 and the best means to      
prevent the growth of ,popery4        #f
 8,as for tolerating the exercise of    
their the ,catholic religion1 ,i        
answer1 that toleration is either public
 or private2 and the        exercise of 
their religion1 as far as it is         
idolatrous1 can be        tolerated     
neither way2 not publicly1 without      

grievous and        insufferable scandal
 given to all conscientious beholders2  
not        privately1 without great     
offence to ,god1 declared against all   
kind        of idolatry1 though         
secret0--,milton's ,works1 already      
quoted1 vol4        v4 p4 #dac4         
#g ,see ,bayle2 ,dictionnaire           
,historique et ,critique3 art4 ,milton1 
note        o2 also ,johnson's ,works1  
vol4 v4 pp4 #ie1 #if4        #h         
,quarterly ,review1 ,october1 #ahbe1 p4 
#ddf4        #i ,milton's ,works1       
,bickers and ,bush2 vol4 iv4 p4 #dbh4   
#aj ,see the ,edinburgh ,encyclopdia1   
articles 8,copernicus01 and             
8,gallileo04       #aa ,see ,the        
,martyrs of ,science1 by ,sir ,david    
,brewster2 or the        ,edinburgh     
,review1 ,july1 #ahdd1 p4 #agc4         
#ab ,see ,martyrs of ,science2 or the   
,edinburgh ,review1 ,july1 #ahdd1 p4    
#agd4       #ac ,it is singular that the
 sufferings of ,irish ,catholics should 
meet        with more sympathy from an  

,english ,protestant clergyman than from
 an        ,irish ,catholic lecturer4   
,the relations between our country and  
8our        glorious deliverer0 are thus
 described by the ,rev4 ,sidney         
,smith3--          8,the war carried on 
in ,ireland against ,king ,william      
cannot deserve        the name of a     
rebellion3 it was a struggle for their  
lawful prince1        whom they had     
sworn to maintain1 and whose zeal for   
the ,catholic        religion1 whatever 
effect it might have produced in        
,england1 could        not by them be   
considered as a crime4 ,this war was    
terminated by the        surrender of   
,limerick1 upon conditions by which the 
,catholics hoped1        and very       
rationally hoped1 to secure to          
themselves the free        enjoyment of 
their religion in future1 and an        
exemption from all        those civil   
penalties and incapacities which the    
reigning creed is        so fond of     
heaping upon its subjugated rivals4     

8,by the various articles of this       
treaty1 they are to enjoy such          
privileges in the exercise of their     
religion as they did enjoy in        the
 time of ,charles ,,ii42 and the king   
promises1 upon the meeting of           
parliament1 #8to endeavour to procure   
for them such further        security in
 that particular as may preserve them   
from any        disturbance on account  
of their said religion'4 ,they are to be
        restored to their estates1      
privileges1 and immunities1 as they     
enjoyed them in the time of ,charles    
,,ii4 ,the gentlemen are to be          
allowed to carry arms2 and no other oath
 is to be tendered to the               
,catholics who submit to ,king ,william 
than the oath of allegiance4            
,these and other articles ,king ,william
 ratifies for himself1 his        heirs 
and successors1 as far as in him lies1  
and confirms the same1        and every 
other clause and matter therein         
contained4          8,these articles    

were signed by the ,english general on  
the #crd of        ,october1 #afia2 and 
diffused comfort1 confidence1 and       
tranquillity        among the           
,catholics4 ,on the #bbnd of ,october1  
the ,english parliament        excluded 
,catholics from the ,irish ,houses of   
,lords and ,commons1 by                 
compelling them to take the oaths of    
supremacy before admission4             
8,in #afie1 the ,catholics were deprived
 of all means of educating        their 
children1 at home or abroad1 and of the 
privilege of being        guardians to  
their own or to other persons' children4
 ,then all the        ,catholics were   
disarmed1 and then all the priests      
banished4 ,after        this 7probably  
by way of joke7 an act was passed to    
confirm the        ,treaty of           
,limerick1--the great and glorious ,king
 ,william totally        forgetting the 
contract he had entered into1 of        
recommending the        religious       
liberties of ,catholics to the attention

 of        ,parliament0--,the ,works of 
the ,reverend ,sidney ,smith4 ,london3  
,longman and ,co41 #ahed1 pp4 #bgb1     
#bgc4       #ad ,the ,life of ,milton4  
,by the ,rev4 ,john ,mitford3 prefixed  
to his        ,works4 ,london3 ,bickers 
and ,bush4 ,vol4 i4 p4 cxlvi4       #ae 
,ib41 p4 cxliii4       #af ,ap4 ,usher1 
loc4 cit41 p4 #dg3 ,villaneuva ,synod4  
,s4 ,patricii1 p4        #c4       #ag  
,poenitentiale1 can4 #e4       #ah ,de  
,arreis1  #c and  #d4       #ai         
,poenitent41 v4 #ab4       #bj ,ibid41  
ii4 #af4       #ba ,poenitentiale1 can4 
#ad and can4 #bc4       #bb             
,poenitentiale1 can4 #cj4       #bc     
,curry ,,mss4  #fj2 and ,dr4 ,reeves on 
,the ,culdees1 pag4 #bji4       #bd     
,reeves1 loc4 cit41 pag4 #bjb1 seqq4    
,the cumhal in the ,latin               
documents is expressed by ancilla4 ,its 
literal meaning is        bondmaid1     
whose equivalent was reckoned at three  
cows4 ,see        ,o',donovan1 ,book of 
,rights1 page #aci4       #be ,page     

#agc4       #bf 8,accedens ad sacerdotem
 a quo sibi sperabat iter salutis posse 
demonstrari confessus est reatum suum01 
etc4--,bede1 ,h4 ,eccl41 iv4        #be4
       #bg 8,eadem hora omnia confessus 
peccata leges poenitentiae flexis       
genibus se impleturum promisit0--,vita  
,s4 ,columb41 ii4 #ci1 edit4            
,i4,a4,s41 p4 #aeg4       #bh ,ibid41 p4
 #ei4 ,see also lib4 i4 cap4 #ag1 p4    
#df4       #bi ,vita ,s4 ,pulcher1 alias
 ,mochoemogue1 who lived in the seventh 
century1 cap4 xix41 ap4 ,colgan1 p4     
#eib3 8,videns eum vir ,dei             
visitatum ver poenitentia1 ait ei3      
confitere peccata tua et esto de        
caetero fidelis in omnibus04       #cj  
,see ,martyrol4 of ,donegal1 p4 #baa1   
and ,vita ,s4 ,maidoc1 cap4 xx41        
and liv4 ap4 ,colgan1 p4 #bjh1 seqq4    
,st4 ,dubthach of ,armagh is also       
famous in our annals as being the 8chief
 confessor of ,ireland and              
,albany0 7,colgan1 ,tr4 ,thaum41 p4     
#bih72 and ,st4 ,gormgal of ,ardoilean  

is similarly eulogised by the ,four     
,masters1 ad4 an4 #ajag4 ,conf4         
,colgan1 ,act4 ,,ss41 p4 #ada4       #ca
 ,vita1 cap4 #bb1 ,tr4 ,colgan1 p4 #cec2
 ,reeves' ,columba1 p4 #bac1        note
 k4       #cb ,this couplet is quoted by
 ,prince in his ,worthies of ,devon from
        ,paul ,harris1 c4 #e1 p4 #hh1   
who thus introduces it1 8of whose       
7,fitz-,ralph's7 sanctity the common    
people of ,ireland by ancient           
tradition were wont to chaunt this      
distich04 ,in the loose papers          
prefixed to the ,martyrology of         
,donegal1 the verses are quoted from    
,henry ,harris in ,apolu4 ,this false   
reference has led ,dr4 ,todd        into
 a slight mistake1 vide ,martyr4 of     
,donegal1 ,app4 to ,int4 p4        xlii4
       #cc ,collectanea ,topographica et
 ,genealogica1 vol4 iv4 ,london1 #ahdg4 
,pedigree of the ,frechevilles and      
,musards4       #cd ,danmonii           
,orientales ,illustres1 or the ,worthies
 of ,devon4       #ce ,theiner1         

,monumenta1 p4 #bif-eid4       #cf      
,martyrol4 ,angl41 tom4 i4 p4 #bif4     
#cg ,huber1 ,english ,universities1 vol4
 i41 p4 #dch1 ,newman's edition4        
#ch ,grammar1 logic1 and rhetoric4      
#ci ,arithmetic1 geometry1 astronomy1   
and music4       #dj ,huber1 ,english   
,universities1 vol4 i4 p4 #ec4       #da
 ,huber1 note xx4 p4 #djh1 vol4 i4      
#db ,de ,presulibus ,hib41 pag4 #bj-ba4 
#dc ,huber1 vol4 i4 page #acb4       #dd
 ,for this reason we have enlarged the  
present number by a                     
half-sheet4--,,edd4 ,i4 ,e4 ,r4         
#de 8,messingham1 p4 #ie4 ,see also     
,carve1 who in his ,lyra 7edition of    
#afff71 p4 #aab1 gives a plate of the   
,insula ,purgatorii ,s4 ,patricii2      
and adds3--#8,certum est magnam olim hac
 in peninsula apparuisse                
devotionem in qua etiam varios viri     
sancti circulos seu cavernas            
maceriis introrsum circumdatas          
condiderunt2 atque in iisdem            
corpuscula sua jejuniis1 orationibus1   

aliisque disciplinis assidue            
domantes1 auxiliumque divinae gratiae   
sine intermissione implorantes        ac
 insuper ,deum pro communi ecclesiae    
bono1 conservandaque inter        omnes 
,christianos vera concordia convenienter
 deprecantes'40       #df 8,commentar41 
p4 #bgg40       #dg 8,rothe apud        
,messingham states1 that only nine      
persons were usually        admitted    
into the cave40       #dh 8,it is matter
 of dispute amongst our hagiologists1   
whether the ,st4        ,patrick1 from  
whose deeds of penance this island      
acquired its fame1        was our       
apostle1 or another subsequent saint of 
the same name40       #di 8,the         
,reduction of ,ireland to the ,crown of 
,england1 with the        ,governors1   
etc41 ,london1 #afge1 p4 #bjg40         
#ej 8,had he taken the trouble to open  
the writings of ,peter ,lombard or      
,messingham1 he would have seen that the
 limits of the cell were well           
known1 and that the confines of         

,purgatory or ,hell existed only in     
the distempered imaginations of the     
persecutors themselves40       #ea      
8,this valuable work has been           
republished1 accompanied with an        
elegant translation and notes1 by ,rev4 
,c4 ,p4 ,meehan 7,dublin1 #ahdh740      
#eb 8,ibid41 #fa-fc40       #ec 8,the   
poetical descriptions of #8the          
,purgatory' abound with fanciful        
visions4 ,we shall give a real one from 
a ,,mss4 ,relatio of the diocese        
of ,waterford1 made by ,dr4 ,patrick    
,comerford1 on #afth ,oct1              
#afcb3--#8;,in        dioecesi          
,corcagiensi est quidam ,anglus qui 7ut 
a multis fertur7        biduum vel      
triduum mortuns revixit1 et cum ante    
obitum esset        ,calvinista1 statim 
atque revixit abjuravit ,calvinismum et 
publice        soepius declaravit se    
vidisse in inferno ,lutherum et         
,calvinum et        proinde neminem     
salvari posse qui eorum dogmatibus      
adhaereret2 hinc        excitati        

,protestantes eum iu carcerem           
detruserunt'40       #ed 8,nunziatura1  
p4 #dad40       #ee 8,he was appointed  
in #agjg1 bishop of ,clogher1 and1 in   
#agae1 was        translated to ,armagh4
 ,the ,collections on the ,church       
,history        erroneously mark his    
appointment to ,clogher in #agjh1 and   
his        translation to ,armagh in    
#agji40       #ef 8 #8,in septentrionali
 plaga hujus dioecesis ,clogherensis1   
situs est        locus ille celeberrimus
 vulgo dictus ,purgatorium ,s4 ,patricii
 in        parva insula circumdata lacu1
 quo ab initio ,junii usque ad finem    
,augusti confluunt ex omnibus regni     
partibus etiam remotissimis             
quotannis omnis aetatis et conditionis  
milleni viri et mulieres        ibique  
conficiunt novenam semel in die solo    
pane avenaceo et aqua                   
victitantes1 ac humi cubantes nudis     
pedibus semper1 et non raro             
offendiculo cruentatis3 ter de die      
varias stationes visitant per           

asperum iter acutis stratum lapillis    
cujus magna pars aquis ultra            
genua excedentibus obtegitur1 donec nona
 die1 pracmissa generali                
confessione1 omnibus vitae noxis        
expiatis1 sacro pabulo refecti ante     
diluculum ingrediuntur subterraneam     
foveam quae purgatorium dicitur1        
ibique viginti quatuor horis continuis  
semper vigiles et orantes        sine   
ullo cibi aut potus refrigerio          
perseverant et recurrente eadem         
hora egressi sequenti die se ter        
immergunt algidis aquis sicque          
perficitur peregrinatio cui otiosi      
fabularum fabricatores malta            
commenta addiderunt de spectris ac      
visionibus quae nusquam comparent       
nisi in vitiato cerebro comminiscentium2
 tribus mensibus1 quibus        durat   
haec peregrinatio ab aurora ad meridiem 
celebrantur missae1        excipiuntur  
confessiones1 fitque concio bis terve de
 die ad populum        qui uberrimis    
lachrymis1 gemitibus aliisque           

poenitentiae signis cum        clamore  
editis concionantem frequenter          
interrumpit2 tantaque        misericors 
,dominus asperam hanc et plane austeram 
peregrinationem        interioris       
gratiae suavitate accumulat ut qui antea
 videbantur        obdurati1 vitiorum   
sordibus immersi acerrimos compunctionis
 stimulos        sentiant1 nec contenti 
semel aut iterum accedere ad insulam1   
reperi        in dioecesi qui           
quatuordecim vicibus peregrinationem    
perfecerunt4        ,non leve huic      
devotorum fervori addidit incrementum a 
,s,smo ,d4 ,n4        ,clemente         
visitantibus concessa indulgentia       
plenaria quae brevi        expirabit et 
renovatione opus habet4 ,non absimile   
prodigio censetur        apud omnes quod
 peregrinatio haec primo loco et        
nominatim lege        parlamentaria sub 
gravissimus poenis prohibita1 nullam vel
 certe        raram patiatur remoram a  
circumhabitantibus et alias supra modum 
malignis ,calvinistis ,scotis4 ,et cum  

ipso accederem sub nomine               
mercatoris ,dublinensis 7nam sub        
hujusmodi negotiatoris aut artificis    
involucris latere necesse habent        
communiter ,praelati et non             
registrati sacerdotes71 ministellus     
illius districtus satis        humaniter
 me excepit4 ,dum alibi per totem regnum
 ingruente        persecutione cessant  
functiones ecclesiasticae in hac insula 
quasi        in alio orbe posita1       
liberum fit et publicum exercitium quad 
divinae        providentiae hunc locum  
speciali favore protegenti gratum       
referunt        et meritis ,s4          
,patricii4 ,cum ibi essem haereticus    
,anglus fama loci et        curiositate 
movente eo accessit qui exemplo         
poenitentium compunctus        haeresim 
abjuravit4 ,praeter caeteros            
ecclesiasticos eo accedentes            
strenuissimam navant operam ,patres     
,franciscani4 ,unum in haec             
peregrinatione deprehendi usum1 ne dicam
 abusum2 nam nona die foveam            

ingressuri audiunt ,missam1 quae semper 
est de ,requiem1 seu        defunctorum 
applicata pro iisdem ingredientibus1    
quasi jam mortuis        mundo1 et      
tradendis sepulturae2 quad cum vellem   
abrogare saltem        diebus ,dominicis
 et festivis praesertim majoribus1      
quibus dicenda        est missa         
conformis officio obtenditur            
immemorabilis possessio et              
consuetudo in contrarium1 ut fort       
traditio1 ab ipso ,s4 ,patricio         
primitus instituta quod a viris doctis  
et timoratis constantissime             
assertum me perplexum reddidit et       
propterea humillime rogo edoceri        
ad ,eminentiis ,vestris quid desuper    
agendum censeant4' 0       #eg 8,hib4   
,dom41 p4 #d1 not4 #f4 ,the same learned
 writer justly remarks1        that it  
was from the severity of its penitential
 exercises that this        island      
derived its name3--#8,locus iste luendis
 peccatorum poenis        destinatus    
purgatorium dicitur1 non quidem         

posthumum1 sed vitale        seu        
viatorium in praesenti vita'40       #eh
 8,bollandists1 ,march #ag1 p4 #eij40   
#ei 8,from this1 we might1 perhaps1     
conclude1 that the cave thus            
destroyed was not the present sanctuary 
visited by pilgrims1 but was            
situated on one of the other islands of 
,lough ,derg4 ,in the ,ordnance         
,map1 the site of some such deserted    
cave is marked on the adjoining         
island1 known as ,saints' ,island40     
#fj 8,messingham1 ,florileg41 p4 #abe40 
#fa 8,boll41 ,march #ag1 p4 #eij40      
#fb 8,see notes to ,camb4 ,evers41 vol4 
i4 p4 #adf40       #fc 8,amongst these  
we must reckon the narrative inserted in
 his ,hist4        ,cath4 ,hib4 by      
,o',sullevan ,beare1 pp4 #ah-cj4 ,the   
,work on ,st4        ,patrick's         
,purgatory1 published by ,mr4 ,wright   
7,london1 #ahdd71 is a        mere      
display of blind bigotry1 by which he   
seeks to identify the        teaching of
 the ,catholic ,church with the romances

 about this        ,purgatory of our    
saint40       #fd ,vide ,p4 ,j4 ,b4 ,de 
,herdt1 ,sacrae ,liturgiae ,praxis1 tom4
 #c1 part #f1 no4        #cb4 ,a very   
useful work1 printed in ,louvain in     
#ahee4