they were seemingly so powerless, that he had no prospect of doing good by undertaking their cause. He consequently alludes to them, but cautiously and incidentally.* We can conceive something of their situation in towns and cities from two petitions sent into the Irish Parliament in Anne's reign. One, from "the Protestant coal porters of Dublin," complained that Darby Ryan, "a captain under the late King James, and a Papist notoriously disaffected, bought up whole cargoes of coal, and employed those of his own persuasion and affection to carry the same to customers." Another petition was from the hackney coachmen, praying "that it might be enacted that none but Protestant hackney coachmen might have liberty to keep or drive hackney coaches."† How these "prayers" must have edified the Dean of St. Patrick's!

So low had the once high spirit of that people fallen, that these indignities were patiently born by the majority. All of spirit, who could do so, exiled themselves. Others, unable to emigrate, and unable to control their indignation, suffered severely for occasional exhibitions of manly spirit. The meanest Protestant regarded himself as far above the noblest Catholic. The former were known by their audacity and assurance of manner, while, in 1730, a shrewd observer declares that a Catholic might be told by his stooped carriage and subdued manner. We hear, without surprise, therefore, that the Irish abroad are a good deal disgusted with their brethren at home; that when, in 1715, "the old pretender" (James III.) makes a desperate effort to regain the triple crown of the islands, no help for him issues out of Ireland. He has Irishmen in his army, of course, but they come from the continent, not from "home." They do their devoir bravely, according to the custom of their country, at Killiecrankie, and some of them lie long in prison

In Reasons for repealing the Test in Favor of Roman Catholics, in Dublin Cries, and his Correspondence.

† Quoted in Captain Rock, p. 124.

Life and Writings of Charles O'Connor, vol i. p. 179. ́

after the battle of Preston. Conspicuous among them is Sir Charles Wogan,* descended of that dashing Cavalier who cut his way through Puritan England, in Cromwell's days, and, with his stout two hundred horse, joined the friends of King Charles in the Scottish Highlands.

Perhaps the indifference of the Irish at home to the Stuart cause, in 1715, helped them; in 1745, it certainly did. Though additional penal laws continued to be passed till the middle of the century, it is certain that the actual persecution somewhat abated after the accession of the present dynasty.

Shall we venture to describe the effects of these penal laws of Queen Anne? The most eloquent Catholic of this century declared that language failed him in the attempt, and, in the poverty of language, he borrowed Edmund Burke's striking description: "It was a machine of wise and elaborate contrivance, and as well fitted for the oppression, impoverishment, and degradation of a people, and the debasement in them of human nature itself, as ever proceeded from the perverted ingenuity of man."

* Sir Charles was a worthy descendant of that famous Cavalier mentioned in the text. He won his knightly rank from the hands of the pope, by rescuing, alone and unhelped, the Princess Sobieskiy, betrothed to "the old pretender," from the fortress of Innspruck, in the Tyrol, and conveying her safe to Rome. After his English imprisonment, he had command of a regiment in Spain, from which he sent Swift a present of pure wine, accompanied by a Latin poem, and one of the noblest pieces of English prose in the language. In this letter, Wogam says of his fellow refugees, "They have shown a great deal of gallantry in the defence of foreign states and princes, with very little advantage to themselves but that of being free, and without half the outward marks of distinction they deserved. These southern governments are very slow in advancing foreigners to considerable or gainful perferments.". coe's Edition of Swift's Works, vol. ii. p. 667." The entire letter is worthy of repeated readings.

"Ros

CHAPTER V.

IRISH CATHOLICS ABROAD.-IRISH COLLEGES AT LOUVAIN, PARIS, ROME, LISBON, &c. - IRISH SOLDIERS IN FOREIGN SERVICE. - THE IRISH BRIGADE IN FRANCE. - HOW THEIR REPUTATION REACTED ON ENGLAND.

In this desperate struggle for the maintenance of religion in Ireland, she had numerous auxiliaries in the colleges founded for the education of her students on the continent. Of these and their founders some account

is called for.

The native Irish schools had never fully recovered from the effects of the Danish wars. The revival of Irish education by St. Malachy was extinguished under the Norman invasion, and the greater foreign institutions founded at Paris, Salamanca, and Rome, became the favorite resorts of Irish scholars during the middle ages. When England adopted a new faith, and her rulers began to wage their deadly warfare against Catholic education, what had been before the choice of the islanders became then their necessity.

From its situation and renown, the University of Louvain, founded by John, Duke of Brabant, in 1425, was much frequented by the Irish, even in the sixteenth century. Peter Lombard, afterwards Archbishop of Armagh, (King James's special friend,) and O'Hurley, the martyred Archbishop of Cashel, graduated there, with high honor. In conjunction with this university, Florence Conroy, Archbishop of Tuam, (“ who, for various reasons, would not be safe among the English," says his friend O'Sullivan,) founded the Irish College of St. Anthony, A. D. 1617. The funds for this purpose were generously supplied by the viceroys, Albert and Isabella, then governing at Brussels. Dr. Conroy caused an Irish press to be erected, from which, for more than a century, the greater part of the catechisms and manuals used in Ireland were secretly obtained. Here the learned founder prepared his Commentaries on St. Augustin, and here Ward,

Colgan, and O'Clery prepared their Acts of the Irish Saints, and arranged the Annals of the Four Masters. Conroy died in 1629. A tablet, still legible, commemorates his name amid the ruins of St. Anthony's College. In 1624, Matthew, Archbishop of Dublin, aided by Pope Urban VIII., founded, also, in conjunction with this university, the Collegium Pastorale Hibernorum, for seculars only. Dr. Nicholas Aylmer was the first president. With its after history are associated the honorable names of Stapleton, French, Arsdekin, and Peter Walsh, all eminent scholars and constant Catholics.

In 1659, Dr. Gregory, and two brothers named Joyce, founded the Irish Dominican college at Louvain, under the invocation of St. Thomas of Aquin. The fathers O'Sullivan, O'Daly, and Burke are among the first doctors of this school.

that

Like all other institutions in the Netherlands common battle field of Europe these Irish colleges underwent various vicissitudes. When, in 1633, the Dutch, with sixty thousand men, besieged Louvain, the Irish students shared in all the dangers of the defence. They formed a regiment of their own number, and under Preston, the confederate, "distinguished themselves for deeds of valor and renown." In that stirring siege, cassock and shako were strangely blended; the Jesuits formed a corps of pioneers, and constructed or attacked works with all the coolness of veterans; the Walloon regiments acted with proverbial courage, and Louvain was saved from its powerful assailants.

As an evidence of how Irish piety, even in the worst of times, devoted itself to the service of God, we give an abstract of the endowments received by the Irish Pastoral College, during the two centuries of its exist

ence:

"Matthew, Archbishop of Dublin, in 1624 founded a "bourse of 2000 florins, which produced a yearly reve"nue of 48 florins, for natives of his diocese, being stu"dents in theology and philosophy; the collation was "in the Archbishop of Dublin; Edward Purcell was in "the enjoyment of this from 1784 up to the time of the

"visitation. The archbishop founded a second bourse "of 2871 florins, the same year, producing about 100 "florins yearly for his next of kin in the first instance, "and secondly for natives of the diocese of Clogher. "Charles McKenna held this since 1780. The presen"tation was in the gift of the Bishop of Clogher.

"James, Normel, in 1653, granted 993 florins for stu"dents in philosophy, theology, humanity, law, and med"icine. The visitors and president of the college had "the presentation; and the grant was to be held by the "founders next of kin in the first instance, and then a preference, in the following order, was to be given to "natives of Clonmel, Lismore, Munster, and Ireland. "Edward Cantillon enjoyed this since 1784.

Hugh Mauricy, in 1680, granted 2373 florins for stu'dents in the same departments as the last, and in the 'gift of the same persons; to be enjoyed by his next of "kin in the first instance, and then, in default, by natives "of Galway, Connaught, Ireland, and lastly, Buygenhout, "in Flanders. Patrick Rouland enjoyed this since 1784. Roger Nottingham, in 1692, granted 1000 florins for "the same studies as last, excepting humanity and law; "and this was also in the gift of the same persons, with "the Archbishop of Dublin, to be enjoyed by his next "of kin to the fourth degree; then by natives of Dublin, "Leinster, and the parish of St. Nicholas at Ghent. "Charles Finn held this since 1783.

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"Matthew Theige, in 1652, gave 5702 florins for stu"dents in philosophy and theology, to be presented by "the visitors and president, to be held by the kindred of "the founder, then by natives of Limerick, or, in default, "by natives of Ireland. Held by Patrick Cleary and "Edward Cantillon since 1780 and 1784.

"Nicholas French, in 1683, granted 600 florins for stu"dents in rhetoric, philosophy, and theology. The pres"entation was in the Bishop of Ferns and the president "of the college; his next of kin had the preference, then "natives of the diocese of Ferns, and, in default, natives "of Ireland. E. Ennis enjoyed it since 1781.

"Thomas Hurley, in 1697, granted 3200 florins for