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prejudiced rumour.—He seems to write con amore, whenever he can place an obnoxious Catholic under suspicious appearances. The substance of Sir Richard Musgrave's Quarto may be comprised in a very few sentences, both as to the doctrine which he explodes, and the facts which he summons to his purpose. The doctrine of his book is, that the Catholic religion commands the persecution of all other Christians, as Heretics; that, in consequence of such tenets, the Irish Catholics have aimed at the extirpation of their Protestant countrymen; and that the late insurrection in Ireland was a Popish Rebellion, springing out of those causes. This doctrine he endeavours to prove by a reference made to the decrees of the council of Lateran, made during the Pontificate of Innocent the Third, in the year 1215!!! And that the fact of the Rebellion was Popish he attempts to prove from local circumstances, and, among others, by those which he alledges took place in the City of Cork. This doctrine I do most explicitly deny altogether. And those facts, which my situation in that city gave me the most competent means of being informed of, I do impeach for great inaccuracy, and, I must be excused for saying, very gross mis-statement." He likewise adds that "the magistrates of the City of Cork, who were fully as ardent exclusive Protestants as our Historian of all the Rebellions, in their loyal discernment of guilt, out of all the inhabitants arrested only three Roman Catholics, (one of whom only was proved to be guilty) and very many Protestants; and those in a city where the Catho.

lics were beyond comparison infinitely more numerous,"

These proofs of the wickedness and falsehood of Sir R. Musgrave's History, shall be closed with the following declarations:

Declarations of the Clergy of Wexford.

Wexford, May 12, 1801.

"At a meeting of the Roman Catholic Clergymen residing in the Convent of Wexford, a book entitled, "A History of the Rebellions, &o." published in the name of, and said to be written by, Sir Richard Musgrave, Bart. being taken into consideration, the following Declarations were unanimously adopted:

"We most solemnly deelare in the face of Heaven and in the awful presence of God, that we disclaim and disavow the horrid principles in said book, attributed to us as Roman Catholics; principles which, though often disavowed with horror and detestation, we are sorry to find unrelenting bi gotry and prejudice still labour to attach to us; and we can consi der the unfounded and malicious assertions with which said publication is replete, as tending only to sever the bonds of society, tọ irritate one part of the community against the other, and to petuate those deplorable animosities, that would disgrace even savages, and have too long distracted this country.

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"We most solemnly declare, that far from promoting or conniving at the horrid and atrocious murder of Protestants in the late detestable Rebellion, we have on

the contrary used every effort in our power (often at the risk of our own lives amidst a drunken and infuriated rabble) to save both their persons and property-that we flew to their assistance when called on-that we furnished them with every succour, and every means of safety, which our limited abilities enabled us to do, during that melancholy period.

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We most solemnly declare, that it is a vile and cruel calumny to assert that we had any authority over the rebels, except what prayers, supplications, and entreaties could obtain; and which, we are sorry to say, were generally ineffectual.

"We most solemnly declare, that it is a false and atrocious calumny to assert, that we were previously apprised of the intended murders on the bridge of Wexford, the 20th of June, 1798, and that we dreaded something extremely bloody on that particular day. We had less apprehension of a massacre on that day, than on any of the preceding; because we had that day learnt that a court-martial was appointed by the rebels for trying two individuals, Messrs. Turner and Gainfort, who were particularly obnoxious to them: for those two alone we had apprehensions for those two we addressed our prayers and supplications; but were turned out of the court-martial-room with insult and contumely.

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"We most solemnly declare, that we hold and always held in abhorrence the conduct of the few misguided clergymen, who joined the rebels. To impute their faults to us, is, we conceive, in

justice and bigotry in the extreme.

"Father Broe most solemnly declares, that he never called on Elizabeth Edwards, or any other Protestant, for money for baptising her or them. It is, indeed, customary for one or other of us to make a charitable collection, once every year, among our Protestant and Catholic neighbours. To pervert such a collection into baptising fees, and to recruit an affi davit to prove it, is, alas! a melancholy proof of the malignity of this compiler of calumnies.

"We most sincerely and solemnly declare, that as Christians, as ministers of the living God, as preachers of the gospel of peace and goodwill, we behold with grief and abhorrence the violation of that Christian charity, which should unite all mankind in bonds of love, but more especially the worshippers of the True and Living God; and we most earnestly entreat our Protestant brethren not to credit the false and malicious assertions of this shameless writer, without a full, candid, and impartial examination of our conduct, or before we can in a more ample manner wipe off the aspersions of this calumniator.

JOHN BROE,
PAT LAMBERT,
MATHIAS COLFER,
RICHARD SYNNOT,
PATRICK PETTIT,
THOMAS SCHALAN,

Wexford, July 20, 1801."

Form of the Canonization of a Saint in the Catholic Church. Extracted from a Book, entitled The Court of Rome, &c. Translated from the Italian, by Henry Cogan. 1654.

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FTER that, the fame of the excellency of life, and holiness of some certain person, together with the miracles he hath done, have been spread abroad, and that the Pope hath been made acquainted therewith, by some king, prince, or people, which do pray, that the said person being dead, may be enrolled in the catalogue of saints, and be declared and honoured for a saint, his Holiness doth advise of the matter with his brethren; whereupon if he thinks fit to proceed to inquisition, he requires some prelates which are resident in those parts where the said person lived, and lies buried, diligently to inform themselves, and carefully to inquire of the fame, opinion, and people's devotion, concerning the said person; which inquisition they are to make without the legal examination of witnesses, and what they find, faithfully to report, by their letters, unto the Pope, who doth then propound all that bath been related by the said prelates unto the Sacred College, and with them deliberates whether their relation seem worthy enough of a future inquiry, which if it do, the same or other prelates are equired most diligently to inquire of the matter, to examine witnesses, and thoroughly to search into all things which may conduce

VOL. I.

to the finding out the truth thereof; and articles and interrogatories are sent under the Apostolical bull to the said prelates, wherewith they are to examine witnesses upon oath, concerning the excellency and sanetimony of life, and purity of faith, of the said person; as also touching the miracles he hath wrought; which being accordingly performed by them, they are to send all that they have done, together with the depositions of the witnesses, faithfully written in their letters, sealed with their seals, to the Court, which the Pope having received, commits the examination thereof to some auditors of the Sacred Palace, who make processes, to the end they may see whether the inquisition and probation be legitimate, and sufficiently made. Then if they report that all is as it ought to be, the Pope again, by the advice of his brethren, appoints three Cardinals diligently to examine the inquisitions, proofs, and depositions of the witnesses, and carefully to consider all things that are to be considered, especially concerning the said person's excellency of life and purity of faith, which if they shall be judged by the College to be well proved, and worthy of sanctification, th Pope, with the consent of the Cardinals, proceeds to the approbation of the said person's life and miracles, which have been so sufficiently proved, and decrees the canonization of him. After this, the prelates of the court, with the Pope and Sacred College, assemble together in the Secret Consistory, where his Holiness briefly propounds to what end they are there met, and declares with what

diligence and faithfulness the inquisition of this matter bath been made, how full and legal the attestation thereof hath been, aud with what instance princes and people have sued unto him about it; wherefore he requires them, that in discharge of their consciences, they would each of them in particular deliver their opinion freely and sincerely; and when they have done so, he gives them thanks for their good counsel, exhorting them to pray unto God, that he will not suffer them to err in so weighty a business, and so they all go away. The day of canonization being determined, there is in the mean time a wooden scaffold erected in St. Peter's Church, of that bigness, as upon it may be fitted a chapel, with an altar, a pontifical throne, seats for the cardinals assisting the Pope, for ambassadors, for a choir of singing men, and places for all the orders of the Roman Court, like unto the chapel of the apostolical palace, with lattice windows, and of that capacity, and with such manner of seats: there is also a fair pair of stairs made to ascend unto that scaffold, which on the outside is strewed all over with herbs and flowers, and on the inside is hung with goodly pieces of tapestry: the church too is very richly adorned, and the arms of the Pope, and of the church, as also the image of him that is to be canonized hanged round about it. The day of canonization being come, the Pope in all his pontificalibus, and with his triple crown on bis head, goes under a canopy of state, borne over him in procession, with all the cardinals, prelates, and officers, each of them with a new wax light burning in his hand, unto the said

church of St. Peter; where being arrived, his Holiness ascends the said scaffold, and sitting down on the throne prepared for him, all the cardinals come, and pay him obeisance. After that, he repairs, to the altar, and places himself in another seat made ready for him, where he makes a speech, relating summarily, and in general terms, all that hath been done in the business, as also the life and miracles of the person aforesaid; exhorting them all, to join with him in prayer unto God, that he would not permit his church to err in this affair. That done, the proctor of the cause humbly beseecheth the Pope, in the name of the princes or people, which are suitors to him for it, that he will pronounee and declare N, to be a saint, and that he will cause him to be enrolled in the catalogue of saints, and as a saint to be honoured of all faithful Christians; whereupon the Pope with a loud voice saith thus: To the honour of the invisible Trinity, for exaltation of the Catholic faith, and augmentation of the Christian Religion; we by the authority of the said God Almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, do by the advice of our brethren decree and declare N. of blessed memory to be a Saint, and to be enrolled in the catalogue of Saints; ordaining, that his feast shall by the church universal be ou such a day every year devoutly, and solemnly celebrated. moreover by the same authority grant unto all that, being truly penitent, and confest, shall with devotion visit the shrine of the said Saint N. pardon of their sins for an hundred and forty days. Now some Popes do grant plenary in

And do

dulgence to such visitants, as we read Boniface the Ninth did, when he canonized Pridged for a Saint : The Pope having finished in the manner aforesaid, Te Deum laudamus is sung by the gentlemen of the chapel, at the end whereof the Deacon saith, Pray for us blessed Saint N. whereupon the Pope addeth, Hear us, O Lord, for the prayers and merits' sake of holy Saint N. After this his Holiness sings the mass of the day, with the commemoration of the said saint; and whilst the creed is sung, three cardinals offer unto the said saint in the offertory three white wax lights, three turtle doves also white, and other birds. Mass being done, the Pope departs away, accompanied with the cardinals, as he used to be.

Of the Pope's washing of Poor

ON

Men's Feet.

N Monday and Thursday, after the solemn benediction, the Cardinals accompany his Holiness, who is carried in his chair by his Palfreymen, unto the Ducal Hall, where being arrived, he puts off his papal ornaments, and by the deacon cardinal assisting him being adorned with a purple stole, a red* pluniate, and a plain mitre, * Pluniate is a long black coat.

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he sits down in the pontifical seat prepared for him; then putting incense into the censer, he blesseth the Deacon Cardinal, who is to read the gospel; that done, he kisseth the text which is held forth unto him by the apostolical subdeacon; and so being censed by the said cardinal-deacon, the anthem of mandatum novum, beginning to be sung by the singing men, he lays by his pluniate, and an apron before him, in which habit he washeth the feet of twelve poor men, unto each of whom he causeth to be given, by the treasurer-general successively, certain medals of gold and silver; and by the master of the household the towell, wherewith their feet were wiped; that done, the Pope returns to his seat, after he hath put off his apron, washed and dried his hands, the bason of water being held unto him by the greatest secular nobleman or prince there present, and his hands wiped by the chief priest-cardinal. Then putting his red pluniate on again, and laying down his mitre, he says the Pater Noster, together with the verses, and prayer them. After this, he placeth himself anew in hi seat, puts on his mitre, goes on foot to the chamber of dressing, and se returns to his lodging,

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