Ireland and Saint Patrick

Front matter

ot the Chenlagirg;

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PRINCETON, N. J.

Introduction

St. Patrick’s undying influence,

Saints images of the unchanging God, ; ; They rule, while dead sages are made to serve our purposes Dr. Todd on St. Patrick’s enduring empire,

St. Martin’s life the key to that of St. Patrick,

The “ Bull of Pope Adrian,”

Unmeaning and incredible,

Rejected by German scholars, .

Jreland and “the Revolution,” ;

Card. Newman and Irish rustic theology,

Faith the power that rules priests as well as ee

The Catechism and Christian chivalry,

ST. MARTIN AND ST. PATRICK.

Vicissitudes of St. Patrick’s history, . ;

The Church the true judge of its authenticity, .

The manner in which that history has been attacked, Connection of St. Patrick and St. Martin,

Imperfect records of early Missionaries,

His life tested by analogy of Catholic Hoe

Denial of the supernatural is denial of the Saints,

And with them of all Christian history, . ‘ Hiddenness of Christianity an evidence of its Deere origin, Marmoutier, and the Patrician traditions of Touraine,

At the age of twenty-two St. Patrick joins St. Martin,

LeSoatnl SX RLV

XXV

XXX wn Ne

PAGE Harmony of the chronology of the two Saints, . : : Agree. The Patria or Fatherland of St. Patrick, ; ‘ 13 St. Patrick’s own writings the only safe foundation of his Histone 13 St. Patrick a Roman citizen, . : : ; : Fe Theory that Scotland was his Gels : c : d sae State of Scotland at the close of the [Vth ee : ; may wk: Abandoned by the Romans, lly!

St. Patrick’s frequent allusions to Tela as a fore na distant country, . : 5 2 y md Incompatible with his alleged Stored hae ‘ : poeery “‘ A stranger and wanderer among barbarian nations,” —_. = 320 His Fatherland more important than his Birthplace, 22 Invalidity of the argument based on the Saint’s use of the ote Britannia, . ‘ swt Assertion that Pecnene can ane apoly to Ghent Br Mone +. = ee Saint’s account of his capture inconsistent with the Scotch theory, 26 Slemish, and the Saint’s captivity in Ireland, . : ; a eae Narrative of his escape, points to Gaul as his country, . = 28 His journey to the ship, took him away from Scotland, . NAS His first acquaintance with the people near the “ Western Sea,” 29 He recognises them on his return to Ireland asa missioner, . 31 St. Patrick’s account of his journey to Marmoutier, . : ; hee The evidence of Probus agrees with the Confession, . : . 34 He identifies the line of the Saint’s journey to Tours, 30 The country between Trajectus and Tours described by St. Patrick, . 2 36 The traditions of St. Panic, at the Set ee of the ane ey, Lr The “ Flowers of St. Patrick,” : gees And the ancient Church of St. Pabeek on hes same cae) . 40 Marianus Scottus, and Probus on the Saint’s connection with St. Martin, . : : , : : . 438 St. Patrick’s longevity no Tree a aitienlty: : é . | 44 Chronology of his history is supported by that of St. Mar tin, . 45 Supernatural character of St. Patrick’s early life, . . 46 His austerity and prayers during his captivity, . 47 The monastery of Marmoutier in the year 393, : : i (48 Extent and permanence of St. Martin’s work, . ; ; J eaO St. Patrick’s four years under his guidance, .. nore fond Striking resemblance between their lives and work, . , Nee

Their success impossible without a supernatural mission, . homes

SUMMARY. se

PAGE St. Patrick’s character as revealed by his writings, . ; 54 In the Lorica and the Confession we see the Saint in ate aspects, he il ; ; f 55 St. Patrick’s life as ieee ‘i as fe more ; Z BAL its: His writings are in keeping with the style of his Ropmaphor aya!) The modern assailants of his Roman mission, . ‘ ea 5O The argument against the Roman origin of the Irish Chron al) Would be equally cogent if applied to the Church in Gaul, . 60 St. Leo and St. Patrick (a.p. 441), . : A “61 Loyalty of France and Ireland to their Tatonal Eyaeilen! LES The spiritual empire founded by St. Patrick’s children, . AE OS The purity of Irish faith the pledge of its future triumphs, . 64 ADRIAN IV. AND HENRY PLANTAGENET.

Alleged gift of Ireland to Henry IL., ‘ : : a goo Believers in the “ Bull”: sources of their information, . naay OG Story of the donation sleeps until the 16th century, . : ene 7 Supposed origin in 1155, . : a G8 Inconsistent with the relations of eating oe Teclaital 3 in 1152, By Oe “ Bull” ignores all existing ecclesiastical authority in Ireland,. 69 Confers unlimited spiritual authority upon the king, : ey (0) Public and private character of Henry IL., : “ ; otal St. Thomas of Canterbury a check upon the king, . EaMLLhe Appointed Lord Chancellor, . : ; 5 ; . 74 Henry dreaded in Rome before his accession, . : LOT Adrian IV.’s nationality a strong argument against the Sieh Oe the Friendship of the Anglo-Saxons ne the Irish, . : La ath : ‘ ih vse

Common victims of Norman rapacity,

Anglo-Saxons in Irish schools and monasteries, 78 History and character of Pope Adrian IV., .. ; : mS) The sufferings of the Saxons under Norman rule, Hee79 Cruelty of the barons, ; : 81 Adrian IV.’s early life and aoleseaiel Gating: : ‘ Oe The monks of Saint-Ruf revolt against his rule, PRY B. Eugenius III. supports him, and creates him Cardinal, oD bey His work as Papal Legate, and Apostle of Norway and Denmark, — 83 Venerated in Rome ; unanimously elected Pope, . MESS

Humbles the pride of the Emperor Frederick, . His defence of ecclesiastical authority against the civil power, . 85 x SUMMAR Y.

Assertion that Ireland had lapsed from the Christian faith,

Process by which this indictment has been constructed,

Unsatisfactory state of the history of Pagan, and Christian Ireland, : : :

Religious ae in Per Ae land in ae 12th Me.

St. Thomas describes the tyranny of Henry IL.,

Condition of Ireland on the accession of the ca

Pagan foreigners in Ireland : evil influence of the Danes,

Irish missionary ieee : meagre accounts by native writers,

Religious state of Ir are Be ae alee wi he concession to Henry, .

Lingard deceived by St. Bevaare S one eh

Character of Giraldus Cambrensis as an historian, :

Exaltation of the Church in Ireland under St. Malachy, .

The Irish discredited by Paganism of Danish settlers,

Restricted sense in which St. Bernard uses the word barbarism,

Importance of the evidence drawn from his Life of St. Malachy,

His writings enable us to limit, and explain the charge of “ barbarism,”

Bishops and princes ne St. UGdaciee He age the an e Armagh, :

Sanctity aiaiuenre of Ine Fisuepnuatre 12th i

Pre-eminence of the Archbishops of Armagh, :

St. Malachy at Rome: appointed Papal Lem in Fran

Relations between Rome and Ireland, three years tee the date of the “ Bull,”

Those relations inconsistent with Me alleadl motive i ine Bull? : : : : : F ‘ ‘

St. Laurence O’Toole, Papal Legate, resists the Norman invasion,

Becomes the object a Hoe s melanins eee

And the confidential minister of the Pope,

Sympathy between the Danes, and Normans in ling

Moral abuses follow the denen of the Anglo-Norman cere .

Aspect of the invasion as it pages to the writers of the ancient Irish Annals, . ; : ,

The causes which led to the first Norman incur slon,. :

The Annals condemn the action of Dermot, king of Leinster, .

And stigmatise the invaders as enemies of the Church,

PAGE 85

100 101 101 102

106 106 107 109 110

111 112 113 114

SUMMARY.

Political organisation of Ireland in the 12th century,

Similar to that of ancient Greece, and medieval Italy,

Normans adopt the customs of, and ayngety with, the Trish,

Honour paid by the Rgeibans a Trish women, .

Exalted position of women in Ireland in Pagan, and Ce times, .

Tactics of the eee y aivecates of the > Bull, :

Authority of the collection known as the “ Roman Reitersase,?

The “Bull” of Adrian IV. ineluded in it, on the evidence of English writers,

It is destitute of all the formance ane ala attest its authenticity,

Presents a marked contrast to ie genuine Bie of aren IV,

The “Bull” tested by comparison with sre aa Sanya of Adrian IV., ;

His Bulls perackable for them defence of ihe rele of the Church, :

Rebukes the king of Bence for is Mectontutated Orusade in Spain,

And insists on the eae 65 Peulnie the Rules at ie country, : :

The light thrown by this es upon Rte. cuppowed Taneaetion with Henry, :

Strict formality, the Aiea of oes S earn ate Bulls,. :

he: Bull” not apogee! by Coe IL ait sixteen vend after the Pope’s death, :

And thirty-four years after the date eae to it,

Relations between John of Salisbury and Pope Adrian IV.,

The alleged concession as related in the Metalogicus,

The “ Bull” not mentioned in the 339 Bae letters of J a of Salisbury, . : . 133

Notice of it placed at the and of the ‘Metalog gicus,

And thus in the position best suited for neon oa forgery,

The passage in een ogres iheeneiaient Ww Ae anes tines a John of Salisbury,

Powers conferred by the «Bull’ ” were edhioss ae Ww fa i ing was contending in England, ma SUMMARY.

Character of the accused the chief element in a charge of forgery,

Henry’s denial of canes? in lene ein of St. Thea

His well-known character favours the supposition of forgery, .

His invasion of Ireland Ee by the Papal Legate, and Bishops, :

The King did not pr malice the “ “Bull” aan a was bie injeuee to io SO, :

The causes which have med i give patailte a the is Bull, n

Dr. Lanigan’s injudicious treatment of the evidence,

Wis irritation and prejudices carry him further than Girt Cambrensis,

Lanigan’s great Anat hel sien Trelnna by her ee niators, :

The “ Bull” niccanils Ridey a own ndneammentany aiden

And the bad character of Henry Plantagenet,

ST. PATRICK’S WORK, PAST AND PRESENT.

Sympathy with St. Patrick’s work the test of unity in Faith,

Circumstances forcing us to vindicate his work,

Poverty, and unworldliness of the early Irish Church,

After fourteen centuries they are still her characteristics,

The aspect of the Christian religion disappoints the world,

Ireland perpetuates the simplicity, and aa of the Primitive Church, .

Ordeal through which she ike Peed in me last ‘ire. centuries,

Suffers for her lopats as ole as for her He On

Followers of James II. who died in the service of France,

The exodus which followed the fall of the Stuarts, .

Trish religious conquests in spite of the Penal Laws,

Difficulty of proving the moral pre-eminence of a nation,

In the case of Ireland the evidence is above suspicion,

The scope of our argument,

Mr. Froude the representative assailant es Gaiholie Trélanal

Mr. Lecky encounters Mr. Froude, .

And demolishes his Hnglish wn Ireland,

Froude’s treatment of the documents relating to iil vabellton OWL64

PAGE

137 137 138

140 142 144

148 149 150 151 151

SUMMARY.

Burke’s account of Leland’s history of that period,

Mr. Froude writes a Romance as a sequel to his History, .

His purpose, says Lecky, is to “blacken” Irish Catholics,

The credence which is given to his writings,

Mr. Froude on Irishmen’s teeth,

Mr. Froude appears as a witness on the Irish fie

Contradictory judgments in 1877, 1880, and 1889,

The proportion between his indictments and his proofs,

Comparison between his opinions upon Ireland at various periods,

Sydney Smith on ee ices ene ; :

Mr Froude’s dread of the “ assimilating” power of the Irish,

Remarks of Augustin Thierry, and Mr. Lecky on the same subject,

Testimony of Mr. Lecky e the orl and Pei ane ant a he people,

Mr. Lecky and Mr. F r cane eae in he balances

Arthur Young on the virtues of the Irish,

Mr. Carr and the “ manufacture of Irish outrages,”

Irish love of justice, and respect for law, impartially Ge ministered,

Mr. Dewar on “ Anglo- Hones AnerBAE serve,

Mr. and Mrs. Hall’s eeamite o the haracier of the ioe poor,

Importance of their judgment: extent of their investigations,

Dr. Forbes’ experience among the middle, and lower classes,

He compares the moral standard of Ireland, with England and Wales,

And ascribes the superior eorality if ties fia to are mieeuice of Confession,

Flippant productions of hee ee on ren foal sie domestic life, ;

Mill defends the Irish against the eee af fetes

Sydney Smith’s testimony to Irish truthfulness,

Beggars, not fair samples of national veracity, .

Merits, and defects of Trench’s Realities of Irish Lif

The effect it produced in England, :

Dr. Forbes’ defence of Irish veracity,

Equivocal answers often due to an imperfect oe a

English, ,

” and Irish re-

XIV SUMMARY.

PAGE

Generosity of Protestant ministers in rebuking Protestant ; bigotry, : : 197 Mr. Trench’s pictures of © ish nea Life, : : ‘ - 198 “ Justice’? his remedy for agrarian outrage in Ireland, . . 299 His analysis of motives of crime in Ireland and England, . 200 Pre-eminence of the Irish in the purity of family life, . . 201 Sir Francis Head’s experience of Irish children, ‘ ‘ . 202 His evidence to the virtue of Irishwomen, : . 203 Mr. Lecky on the Virgin Mother, and the Christian aon . 204 Woman raised into a new sphere, . : . . 205 The circumstances of Ireland, antagonistic to morality, : -| a6 Religion draws blessings from adversity, . ; : . 206 And offers the only equality possible in this world, . . 207 Lord Bacon on the spiritual advantages of Averine : - 2208 Burke on Church and State in Ireland, . ¢ ; » 289 The Catholic Church in Ireland and the “ Rovolavion: ‘ . 209 Burke on Jacobinism as the result of “ penury and irritation,” 210 And anarchy from the use of law for party purposes, : 201 William IV. on Irish courage, and loyalty, . : . 212i) Perfect equality in the army and navy : its results, ; . 213 The hospital and the battlefield, : ; : d : . 214 “Spendthrift”’ Ireland, . : : : : . 216 Are her people really the worse for this : 4 ; . 216 The Religion which gives dignity to poverty, . : 5 . “SF St. Patrick’s legacy to mankind, : : ; : 7216

THE SAINTS AND THE WORLD.

1892—The Fourteenth Centenary of St. Patrick, . : . Qb9 The Saints never die, ; : : : ; : . 220 “Modern thought” and modern horney: . , : . - 220 Modern world weary of itself, ; ; ; 5 20% “Spectrum analysis” not the aie, of Gerla ‘ . 222 Poetry in its relations to history, . ; E : . 223 Poetry the severest test of human Ce oe : ; J . 294 Without Faith it is impossible to describe a Saint, : é . 225 Aubrey de Vere as an historical poet, : : : ; . ) 226 His spirit as pure and exalted as that of Dante, § : Bae

Like Dante, inspired by Catholic philosophy, . : : - 228 His St. Patrick has given a soul to lifeless criticism, ; . 229

SUMMAR Y.

St. Patrick amid the Saints, what Dante is amonest the poets,

The battle of the F Wee Meret the Cinaich anil hae aoe

The world now asks to see God manifest in man,

And we point to the Acta Sanctorum,

Tertullian said the soul was “ naturally Ghaatan?

The despair of the rebel bears witness to this truth,

St. Edmund the Martyr conquers Carlyle,

Admiration, inspired by the Saints, impossible in the sehen order,

Napoleon’s estimate ae Fine:

Saints’ lives suited to individual tastes,

Voltaire and St. Louis of France, :

Lord Bacon on the sublimity of oan, :

Philosophy in novels,

British classics invincibly ieee:

Carlyle ‘‘tired to death” with German niileeophie epslabna

St. Paul and “old wives’ fables,”

Dante a witness to the kindred between genius and sanctity, .

How Carlyle missed his place in literature,

Dante, like St. Patrick, an interpreter of the ee

But the Saint was also its impersonation,

And for fourteen centuries he has held his own, :

Cardinal Newman on modern intellectual “ self-conceit,” .

Irish conservatism of the one thing worth preserving,

THE FUTURE?

The Future peopled by our own desires, .

The Past our only safe informant, :

Why should there not be peace between the Bega iste ment and the Irish Church ? |

Gustave de Beaumont lifts the discussion to a fone ered.

Sees great human problems best among an unfortunate people,

Calamities of Ireland born of fidelity to Religion,

Conquest, and confiscation still enduring,

The wounds of religious wars still deep Gad iene in Ir alas

Religion the only ground which has never sunk under the Irish poor,

AV PAGE

230 231 232 232 233

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Hs ~I us ee)

STS) OY SAF STS NSE NOY a SS) or SS re : No) on)

On So or w

On On

ROP ho hobo S65 Ot Or Or oO co

Cae fon)

bo Or ~I

XVI SUMMAR Y.

Justice to this religion, not an indifferent matter to the rest of the world, : Now face to face with power sHaout Erni Danger of depending on mere economic theories, The Irish priesthood on trial, Sympathy and respect for the poor the secret ar thet power, . “The only class,’ says De Beaumont, who “love the lower orders,” : Solomon, and St. Teresa on reaneatie ash aed of tee poor, . Reverence for the poor the animating principle of political Chivalry, Their spiritual elevation the ent problem of erolern soca Only secured by a sense of their dignity before God, Irish virtue not an ingredient in the blood, Their ideal is that of St. Paul, The poor believe in teachers w he come down fe ihe. same Aevel! Godless education robs the poor of their eternal birthright, The Church teaches those virtues by which the State lives, And the wisest men outside Church are our witnesses to the fact, Attempt to enlist Burke on the side of State education, In his opinion, society without religion cannot exist, His horror of the Atheistic schools of France, . His analysis of the limited power of the Catholic priest, And the absurdity of aes the Confessional to be a political engine, Lord Fitzwilliam on och ee W Heh govern ‘i Confessional And the relations of the priest and the penitent, The Encyclicals of Leo. XIIT., : And the intellectual FEE tho necessary for fiert comprehension, ; Religion is self cuppertineenan so wih ‘cianae Cardinal Newman and Higher Education in Ireland, His confidence in the Christian foundations of our literature, . His rejection by our rulers, and its consequences, We demand education in our own way—Why not ? Catholic adherence to the principle in dubiis libertas,

PAGE.

258 259 260 261 262

263, 264

276 277 277 278

Bishop Doyle, and the restraints which religion imposes on ie patriot, . ° : : ‘ And the value of superman Bee in ine government of the poor,

SUMMARY.

Cardinal Newman and the British Constitution,

It can afford to give liberty because of its security, .

‘The Catholic religion in harmony with its best traditions,

Literature stifled in Ireland,

Denial of rights is persecution, ;

Great Britain the foremost teacher of Gonstinmenal Taber: :

Catholics more tolerant than Protestants,

Burke on the coercive power of a State religion,

Why he desired the exaltation of the Catholic hires in Treland, : :

Had his principles prevailed, peace roar now reign in Treland,

Christian principles not ee or teen in hie Bere

The Church has conquered “the Revolution” in Ireland,

And is now the sole bond, and arbiter between rich and poor,.

Lilium inter spinas, .

XV1

295 296 297 297 298

INTRODUCTION.

WHEN it is said that in the history of Christendom there is nothing like the unchanging and sovereign connection of St. Patrick with Ireland, this need not imply that his influence has been more successful or more salutary than that of other Saints. For literary purposes it is enough that it should be pecuhar; for it is that which is singular which arouses interest and curiosity: we do not want to be reminded of common things however wonderful. Although the following Essays have been written at long intervals, the moral is the same throughout ; and just because there is a moral, and a line of argument, a certain ex parte tone is inevitable, and this, I fear, will prejudice some readers against the conclusions. In the writings of Catholics about the Saints this is unavoidable, for we believe that they are the accredited intermediaries between heaven and earth—the greatest, because the only absolute and unquestionable benefactors cf mankind. The noblest and the most unselfish human agent

Xx INTRODOCTION.

can rise no higher than his cause. If he is mistaken, his good intentions will not avail to save himself, and others from the inherent evil which saps the foundations of all things human ; whereas, the mistakes of the Saints are only accidents, and do not affect the substance of that Divine Truth of which they are at once the organs and representatives. We expect to find in the lives and influence of the Saints an image of that consistency : that unity in variety which reveals the co-operation of God. If it were not so they would not be Saints, but mere men like their fellows, the slaves of their surroundings.

It is the fashion with those who have no faith in virtues higher than their own, to accuse the biographers of the Saints of painting an imaginary perfection for the purpose of edification. Saints’ lives, we are told, must be fictions, because the characters they reveal are as perfect as those of romance; as if God was not able to do as much as the imagination of man can invent. ‘They are false, it is said, because they do not reveal the weak side of human nature—they tell us little or nothing about faults ; but what can we do, when, as so often happened, their contemporaries could not discover their imperfections, although from the very fact that they were consistent Christians they were in perpetual conflict with the world, and exposed to. its fiercest criticisms.

No men are so consistent as the Saints, for none are so absolutely under the dominion of the fixed and all-embracing law of God; and when this is manifest in men who are types of that burning enthusiasm which is one form of sanctity, as in the ease of Elias, St. Paul, and St. Patrick, the miracle of consistency is all the more wonderful. That such men should be able to guide with unerring eye and hand the fiery chariot of their own souls, and become, moreover, the instructors and masters of the wise and prudent until the end of time, is a spiritual phenomenon which we do not find in other quarters in this mutable and inconsistent world. It is true indeed that we invoke the aid of the poets, philosophers, and politicians of the past, but not as our masters; it is we who turn them to our own account, taking as much or as little from them as suits our purposes. It would be unreal, therefore, to say that any nation is ruled by its dead sages, whereas, in different degrees and in proportion to the enduring vitality of the faith which they taught, we all feel that Catholic Saints preserve their personal influence from generation to generation. That this has been, and is the case in Ireland is a fact about which Catholics and Protestants are agreed ; and in the following Essays some attempt 1s made to trace the causes, and illustrate the nature of that influence. No one is more eloquent in his

Xxll INTRODUCTION.

acknowledgments of this fact than Dr. Todd,* whose “monumental” life of the Saint, as it has been admiringly styled, is the great stronghold of the Protestant tradition regarding the Apostle of Ireland; but whether the Saint that he pictures was likely to have done the work of an Apostle must be left to the judgment of the reader.

When it is asserted that a spiritual leader has never relaxed his hold on a people for fourteen centuries, the statement is so extraordinary that we may well pardon those who are incredulous and demand proof. But how can this be done, except by going back over the whole period —a work beyond the capacity of reader as well as writer? Surely in such an investigation we may get help from the logic of induction, and if, at intervals in this long period we find the same singular and unmistakable spiritual phenomena in the history of Ireland, we are justified in arguing for their continuity, just

* Beginning rather timorously to resist the old Protestanttheory that the history of St. Patrick is of “recent origin,” he gradually rises to the level of his subject, and continues: “ It is incredible that a whole nation should have combined thus to deceive themselves ; and it is even more incredible that a mythological personage should have left upon a whole nation so indelible an impression of imaginary services ; an impression which continues to the present day in their fireside lore, their local traditions, their warm-hearted devotion and gratitude ; which has left also its lasting memorial in the ancient names of hills and headlands, towns and villages, churches and monasteries, throughout the country.” (Apostle of Ireland, Pref. p. v.)

INTRODUCTION. XX1l1 as the geologist believes in the course of stratas, although he has only dug at the beginning middle and end.

I have always held that St. Patrick’s relations with St. Martin are the key to some of the greatest perplexities in his life, and that the history of the great Apostle of Gaul is the best set-off which we possess to that of St. Patrick. In both we see how, in those simple days, sanctity in an Apostolic Bishop was the chief quality the timesdemanded, and how the supremacy of the Apostle, in the absence of all earthly auxiliaries, made the Saint all in all to his disciples, and stamped his personality upon them. Moreover, the critical and historical importance of the Patrician traditions of Marmoutier, the monastery of St. Martin, can hardly be exaggerated. ‘The most ancient Abbey in Europe,” as it is proudly styled by Dom Marténe, its Benedictine annalist, was one of the chief citadels of the learning of the West in St. Patrick’s time. Venerated by Clovis and his Francs its traditions carry us on through the ten or more centuries of its Benedictine occupation to our own times. Its records and traditions, as well as those of the neighbouring Church of St. Patrick, are unbroken, and have therefore a value which cannot be attached to the early Church history of Ireland or Scotland, the continuity of which has again and again been broken by barbarian inroads,

XXIV INTRODUCTION.

and the still more destructive invasions of the agents and ministers of Henry Tudor and John Knox.

St. Patrick’s life in Ireland is the matter of his biography, which I have tried to deal with elsewhere, so I next take up the study of his work and influence in the twelfth century, the period at which, according to English historians, they were - well nigh extinguished. The supposed letter of Adrian IV. to Henry Plantagenet has given a colour to this most unfounded supposition, and so the discussion of the authenticity of this document has found its way into my pages. Were it not for the argument which it is supposed to carry with it against the character of the Irish Church in the twelfth century, the document itself would not have much importance. It shows a strange ignorance of the constitution of kingdoms in the Middle Ages when the title of Dominus or “Lord,’ which was all that Henry II. aspired to in Ireland, and which was all that the English kings claimed until the time of Henry VIII., is supposed to have been equivalent to that of king. What Dominus meant in the international law of the period is very hard positively to determine, but that it was a title of honour, rather than of authority, is plain from the way in which the English kings themselves, who were vassals of the king of

WANITRODOCTION. XXV

_ France treated their own superior, with whom they were in constant and deadly conflict. If, therefore, as is suggested, Pope Adrian IV. had desired to invest Henry of England with a barren dignity similar to that of the King of France as suzerain of the Duke of Normandy, no violence need have been done to the national life of Ireland. Such an idea, however, as we shall see, is in direct contradiction to all that we know of this uncompromising and heroic Pontiff, who rivalled St. Gregory VII. in his consistent resistance to gigantic tyranny. All the Popes have not been equally successful, but as rulers none have ever laid aside that paternal character which their name implies. It was the beginning and the end of their strength as the Fathers of Christendom. The defence of the weak against the strong is the essence of that ‘‘ priestcraft” which is the only ‘immortal domination; and in what the world calls ~ eraft and policy, Catholics worship that Charity of Christ which has subdued the world. It is true that at times Popes have seemed to side with the strong; but it was when, in their far-reaching wisdom, they saw that it was the only way of saving the weak, It was so in Ireland when the irresistible Norman Free-Lances, who first came over at the invitation of a native prince, but ultimately by innumerable alliances with native Princesses, even