is now in the Chandos library at Stow; the second is in Trinity College, Dublin, where the first volume, copied into two quartos, makes this copy complete. Besides this work, these men collected the " Book of Conquests" and the "Regal Catalogue," &c. Whatever may be thought of these compositions, they afforded O'Clery the best opportunities of comparing Irish manuscript; and as one result, he published at Louvain, in 1643, his "Seanasan Nuadh," a dictionary or glossary of the most obsolete and difficult Irish words. These, which were explained by words still used in modern Irish, were afterwards reprinted by Edward Lhuid, in his specimen of an Irish dictionary. A copy of this work was bought at the sale of Vallancey's library, for six guineas which I presume to be the same that is mentioned in Watts' Bibliotheca Biblica, under this title, "Lexicon Hibernicum pro vocabulis antiquioribus et obscuris, Luvanii, 1643, 8vo."

In 1645, Anthony Gearnon, a Franciscan in the Irish College at Louvain, afterwards resident in Dundalk and Dublin, published a Catechism in Irish,-Parrthas an anma, or Paradise of the Soul-copies of which, though very scarce, are still in the possession of several Irish gentlemen. To glance for one moment on Irish ground, we may notice here one work composed by Richard Plunket, a poor brother of the Franciscans, at Trim, in the county of Meath,--a Foclair or Glossary of Irish, Latin, and Biscayan, which he finished in 1662. The original is in Marsh's library, and there is a copy in that of Trinity College. Lhuid, in his Archæologia Britannica, made great use of it, and commends the author for his judgment and laudable industry; but it was never printed; so that we must still look abroad for any specimens of Irish typography.

The first book which seems to have been printed in English and Irish was an Essay on Miracles, plainly intended for the natives. It was published in 8vo, at Louvain, in 1667, entitled, " Of Miracles, and the new Miracles done by the Relics of St Francis Xavier, in the Jesuits' College at Mechlin." The author, Richard MacGiolla-Cuddy, or Archdekin, born in the county of Kilkenny, in 1619, was a lecturer at Louvain and Antwerp, where he died about 1690. This man published several other works in Latin; one of which, in three volumes 8vo, went through a number of editions in different places. When the eighth was undertaken, sixteen thousand had been sold, and there was a great

demand for more; the eleventh edition was printed at Venice, in 1700.*

The attention of the reader has been hitherto directed only to the Netherlands; but Antwerp and Louvain were not the only places where an Irish press was busy. Whether any thing had been printed at Rome in the Irish character before this, I am not certain; but, in 1676, we find Irish types there, and these employed by natives from Ireland. Lucerna Fidelium," printed in 8vo, at Rome, in 1676, though a Latin title, is an Irish book, containing an explanation of the Christian doctrine, according to the faith of the church of Rome. Its Irish title is, "Lochran an Chreidmheach," or Lamp of the Faithful.

The following year, an Irish-Latin grammar was published, "Grammatica Latino-Hibernica Compendiata," Romæ, 1677, 12mo, which Lhuid regarded as the most complete Irish grammar then extant. It is, however, imperfect, both in syntax and the variation of nouns and verbs; but the printing of it abroad may be contrasted with the fate of such a work as that of Plunket in 1662, already mentioned. Though scarce, both these volumes are in Trinity College library. They were composed by Francis O'Molloy, from King's County, who was afterwards a lecturer in the Irish College of St Isidore at Rome, and for a time general agent for the Irish in Italy. Ten years before this he had published, in 8vo, at Rome" Sacra Theologia."

There must, I think, have been several other compositions in Irish typography. Of these now mentioned, however, editions were printed, and dispersed, or sold, and in one instance there were two if not three distinct impressions, perhaps more.

In concluding these notices of the seventeenth century, in which Britain was tasting even the luxuries of literature, and blest with all the satisfaction and benefit which books afford, let us pause for a moment over the situation of our native Irish fellow-subjects. It was now a hundred and thirty years since Irish types had been sent into the country, and the reader has observed the three or four purposes to which they had, at distant intervals, during that long period, been applied,-that these very types were purchased

Its title is "Theologia tripartita universa, sive resolutiones polemicæ, practice, controversiarum et questionum etiam recentissimarum quæ in schola et in praxi per omnia usum principuum habent: Missionariis et aliis animarum curatoribus et theologiæ studiosis solerter accommodatæ."

for a foreign market, and mixed up with others, not there to remain without use, but to be employed, it is most probable, in some of the prints just specified. The reader has seen individual benevolence endeavouring to put the Book of Life into the hands of the fourth generation, after types had been actually furnished for printing it, and he has seen this frowned upon, instead of being generously and fearlessly encouraged. What had been doing abroad I shall at present leave to the reader's own reflections; but should he feel disposed to inquire what Britain had done for herself all the while, the contrast is sufficiently striking. Take only the English Scriptures as a specimen. By this time there had been one hundred and thirteen editions of the English New Testament, the number of copies being beyond the possibility of calculation. Opposite to these, we have to place two editions of the Irish New Testament, both distant from each other nearly eighty years, and together including only 1000, or at most 1200 copies! Of the English Bible complete, there had been one hundred and twentysix editions, and opposite to these we have only one solitary Irish Bible in quarto of about 600 copies, and that at the close of the century! But, besides these, there had been also about one hundred and ninety-three editions of portions of English Scripture, or, in whole, four hundred and thirty-two distinct publications, of which more than one hundred and twenty had notes or parallel passages, explications, expositions, annotations, or comments.

In entering upon the eighteenth century, a period in which the art of printing has been employed throughout Britain with such distinguished effect, and to an extent altogether incalculable, the contrast presented to us, in the case of the native Irish, would be curious, were it not so painful to follow the workings of unsound policy. About the beginning of this century, an expedient presented itself, then no doubt deemed a happy one- —which was, that, if this Irish language was to be tolerated at all in the British dominions through the medium of books, it must only be by using the English or Roman letter. The jealousy which had reigned for centuries over the language, now settled itself, as a last resort, upon the appropriate character which belonged to it. This, however, it will appear, was only preparatory to the subject being dropped altogether, by almost all parties, public or private, for a hundred years! The Hon. Mr. Boyle had been successful in placing a few copies

of the Scriptures in the hands of the fourth generation from the time that types had been first cast; but three generations more must pass away before the benevolent action can be repeated!

The history of the dismissal of the subject, from that day to our own, is not unworthy of attention, as it may serve to confirm the opinions of those who have now come forward to befriend this people.

In the year 1709, communications having passed between the Irish House of Lords and the lower House of Convocation, respecting the native Irish, and the former having intimated that they had more than ordinary occasion for the assistance of the latter, to prepare and digest what might seem best, various resolutions were agreed to and passed; among which were the following:-Resolved, "That the Holy Bible and Liturgy be printed in the Irish language in the English character." Resolved, "That some person be appointed to prepare a short exposition of the Church Catechism, and that the same be printed in Irish and English."

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The next year, 1710, after several encouraging symptoms of attention to the state of the natives, a memorial by Dr Edward Wettenhall, Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh,* well as several other gentlemen and clergymen in Ireland, previously sanctioned by the Earl of Anglesey and others, was presented to the Duke of Ormond; in which, after stating that there were no printed books of religion then extant in Irish, except a very few Bibles and Common Prayer-Books, it was humbly proposed, "that some numbers of New Testaments and Common Prayer-Books, Catechisms, and expositions thereon, Whole Duty of Man, and Sermons upon the principal points of religion, be translated, and printed in the Irish character and tongue; in order to which the only set of Irish characters now in Britain is bought already." At this moment there seemed to be a

* Dr. W., who had come to Dublin in 1672, and was an excellent scholar, had in that city conducted a large school with success. He was the author of the Greek and Latin grammar well known and often printed, besides seventeen other pieces, chiefly practical divinity. He was now in Bedell's see, and entertained such veneration for his character, as to direct, by his will, that, if he died at Kilmore, "his body should be interred near good Bishop Bedell's." He expired, however, in London, three years after presenting this memorial, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. See also the note in page 45, 46.

These were types from the fount cut at the expense of Mr. Boyle, and they seem to have been purchased by the Rev. John Richardson, of whom the reader will find some notice in a following page. It is worthy of remark, that while this memorial petitioned for Irish books, it immediately implored that English schools should be erected in every parish of Ireland. Not a word is said as to the necessity of Irish schools. I quote the whole that refers to Irish books.

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conjunction of circumstances, which filled with hope the enlightened friends of the native Irish. The Duke himself and Mr, afterwards Sir Robert Southwell, the secretary, were both favourably disposed. The Rev. John Richardson, of whose zeal some account will be found in a subsequent page, was chaplain to the Duke, and during the absence of his excellency, Dr Marsh, now primate, was also senior Chief Justice of Ireland. The Duke of Ormond being then in England, this memorial was forwarded to him, -he received it very kindly,-returned it to Dublin with a letter in its favour, desiring the Lords Justices to lay it before the Primate and other Prelates, then in Dublin. They gave it a favourable reception, but replied, that the help and advice of parliament and convocation were required. The Duke then obtaining license from Queen Anne to enjoin immediate attention to the subject, it was also deemed advisable that the whole affair relative to the natives should be laid before her Majesty. A petition was presented accordingly, the subject-matter of which was recommended by the Archbishop of York as well as the Duke. The Queen not only acceded, but was entirely disposed to countenance and encourage the design; but here, in effect, the whole matter, so far as instruction through the medium of the vernacular tongue was concerned, came to an end. Objections were raised, both to the memorial and petition already mentioned, and the old policy prevailed! The zeal of the petitioners, however wise and well-directed, had gone too far for the prejudices then existing, and the insertion of but a single sentence relative to Irish books or Irish ministers proved fatal to their wishes. By several individuals from Ireland, it was suggested that such proposals were "destructive of the English interest, contrary to law, and inconsistent with the authority of synods and convocations;" and although all such objections not only had no foundation in Scripture, law, or reason, but were grounded on a mistaken view of the memorial, to say nothing of the positive step taken so long before by Elizabeth, and the canons of the Irish church,*-still, that tide of mistaken and injurious prejudice against the language began to set in, which was not to ebb for a hundred years, and it was

"And where all, or the most part of the people are Irish, they (the churchwardens) shall provide also the said books, viz. two books of Common Prayer and the Bible, in the Irish tongue, so soon as they may be had. The charge of these Irish books to be borne also wholly by the parish."-Canon 94 of the Church of Ireland. See also eighteenth line from the top, page 55.