to light during a period when all is popularly regarded as complete and unredeemed ignorance and darkness. One of the Primate's first cares was to establish, in July 1670, a college for three Jesuit Fathers, which, in a short time, numbered no fewer than one hundred and fifty pupils within its walls. We shall allow the facts to be gathered from one of the Primate's own letters, the original of which is preserved in Trinity College, Dublin. This letter possesses all the curious interest of an "intercepted letter.' It was addressed to Padre Oliva, General of the Society of Jesus, but seems never to have reached its destination, having probably fallen into the hands of the Government.

"Very Reverend Father.-Dr. Creagh, the agent of the Prelates of this kingdom in the Roman court, has written to me declaring his many obligations to your Paternity for your affability, kindness, and patronage in his regard, which is of great assistance to him. By long experience in Rome, I learned how great a benefactor you were, and your kindness has been experienced in like manner by all my fellow-countrymen in Rome; each and every one of whom attest your anxiety in their regard, and as they cannot otherwise correspond with this kindness and prove their gratitude, than by loving and doing good to the members of your Order in this kingdom, I can assure you that in this they are not cold or negligent, and the Fathers, on the other hand, by the great good which they do, merit to be thus loved, praised, and caressed. I have three Fathers in the Diocese of Armagh, who by their virtue, learning, and labours, would suffice to enrich a kingdom.

"The Founder of the Armagh Residence is Father Stephen Rice, learned man, successful in preaching, prudent in his labours, and of profound religious virtue; nor is he ever weary of teaching, instructing, and attending to the pupils and to the young priests, of whom he is the examiner and director. Oh! how much he had to suffer during the past two years and four months, in founding that residence! Sudavit et alsit: and he is so modest, so reserved, that he seems as though he had come on yesterday from the novitiate of St. Andrew's. He was educated in Flanders, where, indeed he was imbued with the true spirit of the society; he retains that spirit, and is a son worthy of such a Father as St. Ignatius; in a word, Father Rice is another Father Young.*

"The second is Father Ignatius Browne, a celebrated preacher in the English language, a learned man, and of exemplary life. He was educated in Spain, and preaches on every festival with great applause in the principal chapel.

"The third is Father Murphy, a good theologian, and good reli

A distinguished Irish Jesuit.

gious: he also preaches well in Irish, and is a young man of great talent.

"There is a lay-brother named Nicholas, who is like a real brother of Brother George of holy memory.

"In the schools there are 150 boys; for the greater part children of the Catholic nobility and gentry, and there are also about 40 children of the Protestant gentry. You may imagine what envy it excites in the Protestant masters and ministers to see the Protestant children coming to the schools of the Society.

"In the city of my diocese, where the residence is, there are also houses of the Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians, and Capuchins; the city is called Drogheda, or Dréat in our English and Irish languages, and Pontana in Latin: it is distant from Dublin as far as Tivoli from Rome; it is a maritime port, situated on the noble river Boyne, or Boina, and from its bridge (pons) it derives its Latin name 'Pontana.' It is well supplied with corn, with flesh of every description, and with fish. The country around is for the most part inhabited by orthodox noblemen and gentlemen, and in the city there are rich merchants and respectable artisans.

: "When I introduced the Fathers to my diocese, and the schools commenced to flourish, Dr. Talbot reprehended the undertaking as rash, imprudent, precipitate, and vain, and said that it would be short-lived, especially in such a busy city. But he was only half acquainted with the matter. The Viceroy, my Lord Berkeley, was most friendly to me, and esteemed me much more than I deserved: -et in verbo ipsius laxavi rete-and I founded the residence; and the present Viceroy, the Earl of Essex, a wise, prudent, and moderate man, is nowise inferior to his predecessor in his kindness towards me, as also to the schools. As they have lasted these two years and four months, so we may hope that God, through the intercession of St. Ignatius, will grant them a longer duration. But be this as it may, whilst the wind is favourable, we must raise the sails and pursue our course, and when it becomes contrary or tempestuous, we shall lower them and seek shelter in some small port beneath a mountain or rock."--p. 100-1.

These wonderful results were not attained without much labour and great personal sacrifices on the part of the Primate. He assures the Internuncio that in two years he expended out of his own miserable resources more than four hundred crowns. He'dressed in cloth at two shillings a yard; he employed but a single servant, with a boy to attend to the horses, and he kept a most sparing table, in order that all his little economies might be devoted to the maintenance of his beloved school.

We are tempted to add, as a companion sketch, the Primate's account of the various Irish Colleges in for

eign countries. This paper likewise was addressed to the Internuncio.

"And to begin with the Irish Colleges in Rome, it was founded by Cardinal Ludovisi, nephew of Gregory the Fifteenth: he bequeathed to it a thousand scudi a year, besides a good house and a good vineyard in Castel Gandolfo, and it maintains about seven or eight students, three Jesuits, and two servants. But in a separate letter, I shall write more particularly about the college. Its revenue is capable of supporting twelve students, who would be better prepared for this mission than they now are. In Spain there are four colleges, all directed by the Fathers of the Society; one of them is St. Jago, which supports at one time six, at another seven students; another in Salamanca of the same kind, and another in Lisbon, which maintains eight or ten students. These three colleges were founded by Philip the Second, and in doing so he proved himself a zealous Catholic and a good politician; by this means he won the affection of the Irish, and when the students returned to Ireland they won for the Spaniards the hearts and the esteem of all their friends; in a word, they could speak of nothing but Spain, totam spirabant Hispaniam, whence it happens that the Irish go more freely to serve the King of Spain than any other Prince.

"In France there is a college at Bordeaux which maintains twenty-four students, as I have heard, founded by the Archbishops. of Bordeaux and others; but contrary to the institution and intention of the founders, this college does not admit any excepting from Cashel and Munster; and the colleges of Spain do not willingly receive students from Ulster, which is a serious injury and a manifest injustice. It truly moves one to compassion to see high families of the houses of O'Neil, O'Donnel, Maguire, MacMahon, Maginnis, O'Cahan, O'Kelly, O'Ferrall, who were great Princes till the time of Elizabeth and King James, in the memory of my father and of many who are yet living; it moves one to compassion, I say, to see their children without property and without maintenance, and without means of education, and yet for the faith they suffered joyfully the loss of property, cum gaudio susceperunt direptionem bonorum; but it is intolerable that they should be excluded from college education, for the colleges were not founded for this or that province, but for the whole Kingdom. As to the college in Rome, I can propose a plan according to which it may be able to support sixteen students, and with more profit to religion, than it now supports six; but this must be kept as a secret much like that of the holy office till it be carried into execution. At present, as I said it maintains eight students, and three Jesuits, and two servants, in a1thirteen; it has a thousand scudi per annum, and a house and vi yard; let the house be sold, which is worth 6,000 scudi, as al-ofless, vineyard, which, with the house that is in it, is worth 2,00-place of let these 8,000 scudi be put in the Montes Pietatis,' and distich

VOL. L-No C.

give 240 scudi per annum, which, with the 1,000 scudi above, will make in all 1,240 scudi per annum; and let the whole sum be given to the College of Propaganda et erigatur alumnatus Hibernicus, which may also be called alumnatus Hibernicus Ludovisianus, for it was Cardinal Ludovisi that left the money, and instead of Jesuits and servants, it will maintain so many students. Of what use is it to keep a little college with so few students, whilst for the same funds a larger number can be maintained for the service of the Missions? But two difficulties have to be solved; the first is, how can the testament of Cardinal Ludovisi be interfered with? I answer, that the Holy Father, by a brief, can arrange this, for it is nowise injurious to that Cardinal, or to his intentions: supponetur enim interpretativé Cardinalis quamvis defuncti consensus, ac fore ut idem Cardinalis consentiret si modo vixisset; it being the intention of the Cardinal to propagate the faith, which is better realized by placing the students in Propaganda, where a larger number may be educated. It is certain that the Cardinal had the intention of erecting a larger and more numerous College, but, morte præventus, he could not carry his noble ideas into execution. The second difficulty is that the Jesuits will oppose the project, but this is of little matter, when we are acting for the greater glory of God. The money was left to maintain Priests for the missions, and not Jesuits; and indeed, many of the students become Jesuits, and never return to their country, which is contrary to the intention of the Cardinal. But some one will say that the Ludovisi family will give opposition; to this I reply that the greater glory of God is to be preferred to such opposition; for there is no reasonable ground of complaint, and it is a greater glory for the Ludovisi family to have an alumnatus in so renowned a College, which is frequented by so many Cardinals, than to have so small a College, which serves rather for the Jesuits than for carrying out the intention of the founder. But then, everyone knows how the Ludovisi family now stands, and that it will make little opposition when it is well informed about the matter; all that is wanted is determination and secrecy, and whilst our Holy Father is solicitous for the propagation of the faith, there will be but little difficulty in it.

"There is a College at Seville, which maintains sixteen students, and is supported by alms.

"The Bishop of Ferus can give better information about the Colleges in Spain, and perhaps, also, about that in France. The Canon Joyce can give it concerning those in Flanders. There is a College, as I hear, in Toulouse, but I do not know in what state it is; I believe it is of little importance.

in

the 30th September, 1671."

"OLIVER PLUNKET.

We another letter written on the same day he adds a postscript, Primath he says:-I forgot a College founded in Alcala, by Passe Silviéra, a Portuguese; he left 5,000 scudi a-year,

but a great deal has been expended in building. The Bishop of Ferns can give you an account of it.' "—p. 110-11.

Dr. Moran has completed this enumeration by a brief sketch of the Irish College, Paris; but as our readers are already familiar, from many references in this Journal, with the history of that establishment, we shall not dwell upon it.

In addition to the Primate's labours in his own extensive diocese, he was also charged with the duty of visitation in his provinces. We should gladly transfer to our pages the entire body of Reports and other, documents connected therewith which Dr. Moran has brought together in illustration of this visitation. They are full of interest in themselves, and still more curious as illustrative of the condition of Ireland at the time. But we must content ourselves with a few specimens, referring the reader to Dr. Moran's Memoir for the other documents of the series. The only separate report of the Primate's visitation of the dioceses of his province, from his own hand, which Dr. Moran has recovered, is that upon Down and Connor; but he has added, from letters and various other sources, much miscellaneous information regarding the rest of Ulster, and even of the other provinces. There is another Report of a general visitation of the province in 1675, but we shall content ourselves with the report on Down and Connor.

"Relation concerning the canonically united dioceses of Down and

Connor.

"These united dioceses are about 50 miles in length and 15 in breadth: they are rather mountainous than level, and abound in milk, oats, and barley. Great peace is enjoyed there.

There are about two thousand five hundred Catholic families, The Marquis of Antrim, a good Catholic, is very powerful and very zealous; there is no other Catholic that has property there. Thanks to God, the Catholics enjoy great toleration.

"There is no Bishop, but a Vicar-General, by name Patrick O'Mulderig, an old man, 60 years of age, a good and practical priest, though not distinguished for literature; he lives with his brother in a private house, and has converted many to the faith.

"The cathedral churches of Down and Connor are now roofless, but that of Down is very celebrated as being the burial-place of Saint Patrick, Columba, and Bridget, according to the old distich