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Quid Est Veritas? (Poetry), 219.

Raymond Lully, 43.

Saxon and Gothic Architecture, 428.
Sheaf of Sonnets, A (Poetry), 229.
Side by Side, 544
Sorrow (Poetry), 693.

Tobacco Question (The), 279.
Transported to Siberia, 659.
Two Centuries of Irish Literature:-Early
Press Work in Ireland; The Ussher
Family; How Lord Strafford interpreted

"Liberty of Conscience;" Literature of the Great Rebellion; Plays and other Unwarlike Productions; Earliest Irish. Printed Bibles; Some old Dublin Prin. ters; Our Earliest Newspapers; John Dunton's Irish Experiences; 1.

Ugo Foscolo and his Age, 87.
Under a Cloud (Poetry), 600.
United Italy, 241.

Voice of Summer, The (Poetry), 41.

Youth and Age (Poetry), 60.

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WHETHER the ancient Irish were much devoted to reading or not, is a question which we are not called on to decide. The chiefs had their minds pretty fully occupied by the troubled state of the country. Their wives and daughters could scarcely have found time for the perusal of fiction; even had Faust discovered printing, and Miss Braddon brought the sensational novel to perfection six hundred years since. While the early printers were bringing their noble art to perfection, Irish princes and chiefs, and Anglo-Irish lords, left no leisure to each other to inquire into the results of the new invention. They now and then listlessly took up an Irish or English MS., jealously guarded as an heirloom, endeavoured to get through a page or two of the close-written, contracted writing, and fell asleep. That our scribes were as industrious and as numerous as those of any country in Europe-more so, indeed, may be safely said, but the writers of original matter saw no prospect of a large sale for their lucubrations, if put in type, and the mere copiers had no more welcome for the hand

press and composing-stick than my lord's mowers and reapers for the new-fangled substitutes for hook and scythe, introduced by his Scotch steward. We might adduce other stringent causes for the late visit of the printer and his machine to Dublin; the reader will find abundance of them in the preface to the work about to be quoted; but it is sufficient here to note the date of the issue of the first printed book in Ireland, viz.—1551, the memorable volume being the "Book of Common Prayer." A unique copy is to be seen in Trinity College. In this paper we mean to touch on the progress of the typographic art from that time till the issue of the first Irish newspaper, our attention being thenceforward chiefly given to the periodical press. For the information here conveyed, our readers are indebted to Dr. R. R. Madden, author of many valuable works, chiefly on Irish subjects.'

The stereotyped formula of critics, "The author has brought to his task great ability, unparalleled diligence," &c., is not applicable in the present case. We have good

1 The History of Irish Periodical Literature from the End of the Seventeenth to the Middle of the Nineteenth Century: its Origin, Progress, and Results; with notices of Remarkable Persons connected with the Press in Ireland during the past two Centur By Richard Robert Madden, M.R.I.A., Author of "Life and Correspondence of Blessington," &c, &c. London: Thomas Cautley Newby.

authority for asserting that Dr. Madden is blessed with leisure, and competence in worldly goods, that he has ready access to every library worth consulting in the British Empire or on the Continent, but above all that, he is the most determined and the most insatiable collector of books on Irish subjects to be found. So we give him no credit for a foregone intent to write a history of Irish literature, and then an industrious collection of materials, and a weary succession of visits to the great libraries, to fit him for this task. He had visited the libraries, and in all probability bought up every valuable work on Irish subjects which came within his reach, before thinking of publishing these two portly volumes. It is our belief that he first entertained the project during a fit of ennui on finding his

no

more curious works on favourite subject to be had for money. Had Alexander been as wise in his generation, and set about to write the history of his conquests when he found no more to be made, he would not have died of a drunken fever in the prime of manhood. We shall therefore not say that Dr. Madden has brought to his most commendable task, rare abilities, full knowledge, love of his subject, facility of reference, and abundance of materials. All these were undoubtedly in his possession, and to keep his head and hands healthily employed he engaged them on the history of printed literature in Ireland.

If the estimable historian of Irish literature protests against our assumption of the knowledge of circumstances which should be best known to himself, he will thereby show himself unaware of the chief and primal relation existing between author and reviewer,-viz., that this latter personage is in most cases better acquainted with all the circumstances attending the composition and issuing of a book, and the

intimate sense of every passage in it, than the writer himself.

We have access to old newspapers, and will probably endeavour to amuse and interest our readers with curious extracts from them at a not distant date; but for all the information given to our readers in the present paper, they are indebted to Dr. Madden's most ably and carefully-executed work ;-no need to travel out of it. Whether the author paid innumerable visits to libraries, and collected his mass of materials with a view to publication, or published in order to get his materials off his mind, the advantage to his readers is the same. No one in the three kingdoms was more happily gifted, or better fitted to bring out the truly national work.

EARLY PRESS-WORK IN IRELAND.

The first book printed from moveable type in Ireland was, as already mentioned the "Book of Common Prayer," latterly discovered by Dr. Madden in the library of Trinity College Dublin, and purporting to be "imprinted by Humfrey Powell, Printer to the King's Majesty in His Highnesses Realme of Ireland, dwelling in the cittee of Dublin, in the great Toure by the Crane Cum Privilegium (sic) ad imprimendum solum. Anno Domini, M.D.L.I."

The public crane then stood between the old Bridge and that part of Essex-street into which Cranelane opens, a locality not favourable to literature in our days. Within thirty years we have seen Swift's bust occupying a niche in the wall of the corner house, Parliamentstreet and Essex-street. We are under the impression that it was stationed there by the reverential care of George Faulkner the printer. Dublin citizens are very incurious on the subject of printing and publishing in their city during last century. Few would be able to point out the house in Dame-street whence "Walker's Hibernian Magazine"

was issued for forty years. Of a thousand people who pass "Saunders' News-letter" office in the day, does any one of them, on looking down Coghill's-court towards its back entrance, know or remember that the Camissard leader, Jean Cavallier, had an English version of his fighting in the Cevennes printed in that court in the early years of last century? Few would be now so hardy as to venture up Molesworth-court, Woodquay, where the "Drapier's Letters" were printed. A zealous man of ⚫ letters from the country now ascending into Hoey's-court from the Castlesteps to refresh his eyes with the sight of the house in which Dr. Jonathan Swift was born, will again descend with a heavy heart after gazing with sad disappointment on a dead wall, where the skeleton (at least) of the building stood some years since. Were it not for the loving labour of Mr. Gilbert, the localities connected with many interesting occurrences and notable personages of ancient Dublin would soon be impossible to be ascertained.

Three books bearing a Waterford imprint were to be seen by diligent seekers some time since, till the love of a unique literary relic of the old Danish city prevailed over some individual's sense of duty to his neighbour, and made him guilty of appropriating to his own use what belonged to every literary visitor to our venerable seat of learning. supply the titles of the two, which have till now escaped the concupisence of learned klephts, and are still to be consulted in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

We

1. "The Acquittal or Purgation of the Most Catholyke Christen Prince, Edward, VI., Kinge of Englande, Fraunce, and Irelande, &c. of the Church of Englande, Reformed and Governed under Hym, against all such as blasphemously and traitorously infame Hym or the said Churche of Heresie or Sedicion (writ

ten by John Olde, an exile for the Protestant religion under Queen Mary). Emprinted at Waterford, the 7th day of November, 1555."

2. "An Epistle by John Scory, the late Bishop of Chichester, unto all the Faythful that be in Pryson in Englande, or in any other trouble for the defence of Goddes Truthe." The book does not bear the name "Waterford;" but it corresponds in type, paper, and press-work with the other.

The book, whose possession overcame the moral scruples of the still undiscovered conveyancer, had for title

"Archbishop Cranmer's Confutation of Unwritten Verities; 8vo., Waterford 1855." It was stolen from the library of Trinity College Dublin.

Perhaps, after all, these books were printed in London, but attributed to a Waterford press, to put the authorities on a wrong scent.

We have no record of any other volume or volumes printed in Ireland after the date of the Waterford books, till the year 1566; and the literary world would still be ignorant of the solitary work printed in Dubin that year, only for the industry of Archdeacon Cotton, who, some years ago, discovered in the Thorp Collection (a portion of the Library of the Royal Dublin Society), a volume of whose title the following is a transcript ::

"A Breefe Declaration of certain Principall Articles of Religion, set out by order and authoritie, as well of the Right Honourable Sir Henry Sidney, Knight of the most noble order, Lord President of the Councel, in the principalitie of Wales and Marches of the same, and General Deputie of this Realme of Irelande, as by the Archbyshops, and Byshops, and other Her Majesty's High Commissioners for causes Ecclesiasticall in the same Realme.

"Imprynted at Dublin by Hum

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frey Powell, the 20th of January, proper for every one to adopt, who

1566."

Sixteen years have elapsed since the introduction of printing. We are now at 1571, and still no novel or romance has appeared for the entertainment of youth or age, or newsletter or magazine for the study of the country gentleman or the merchant. As we look through the windows of the commercial buildings, Dame-street, and gaze on the hundred men of business, more or less, occupying their leisure minutes with reviews, magazines, weekly periodicals, and newspapers, we endeavour, but with little success, to realize the fashion in which Dublin merchants, assembled in 1571, for the transaction of business, amused their unoccupied moments.

However, the press was at work in the above year, but not for the production of novel or newspaper. It was put in motion by a Godfearing man, one anxious to farm the customs of Dublin, as he found by experience that the greater part of his well-to-do acquaintance were used to act on the system then known by the name of "Catch he that catch can," and he saw no evil in attending to his own interests rather than to those of his neighbours.

THE USSHER FAMILY,

This was John Ussher of Bridgefoot Street, who had been mayor in 1561. Being anxious to render the religion of his sovereign acceptable to the natives, he employed a certain John o'Kearney to translate the English Church Catechism into Irish, and had it printed at his own expense in the Irish character, Queen Elizabeth having graciously sent over the type. The production consisted of sixteen pages, 16mo., and was thus entitled,

"The Irish Alphabet and Catechism, Precept or Instruction of a Christian, together with certain Articles of a Christian Faith, which are

would be submissive to the ordinance of God and the Queen of this kingdom. Translated from Latin and English into Irish by John O'Kearney. . Printed in the town of the Ford of Hurdles, Dublin, at the cost of Master John Ussher, Alderman, at the head of the bridge, the 20th of June, 1571, with the privilege of the Great Queen. 1571.

The Usshers and Molyneuxs zealously, and worthily contributed to the advancement of knowledge and its exponents, in our country. William Ussher, son of the estimable citizen above mentioned, had the first Irish New Testament, printed in his premises Bridgefoot-street, in 1602. The version made from the original Greek by William O'Donnell, and still the standard one, was printed by John Francke, and dated The Town of Hurdles. It was dedicated to James I., but he contributed nothing to the expense of publication. This was followed in 1604, by Sir William Ussher's instructions to his children.

However, the press was not left unoccupied from 1571 to 1602. The first Dublin Almanack (is it in existence?) was issued in 1587, by William Farmer. Surely in the half century in question some broad-side ballads and accounts of gamblers and other miserable sinners taken in the manner, and carried away bodily by Satan, were struck off in the Cook-street of the day. As Dr. Madden mentions no specimen by him, we may take for granted that

none are extant.

In 1608 the translator of the New Testament translated into Irish and got printed the Book of Common Prayer except the psalms. Francton, the printer, incurred the expense of publication. Next year the worthy William O'Donnell was promoted to the archbishopric of Tuam, where he died, 1628.

The seventeenth century brought with it some literary activity. Arch

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