over to Ireland at the time of the invasion full of bitter anti-Irish prejudice, and of an illimitable credulity. With these two grains of salt all that he says must be taken. Still to any discerning reader he throws great light on the Ireland of the 12th century. A translation of the book appeared in Bohn’s series. Next I Would name the work of his antagonist (five cen- turies after him), Dr Lynch’s “ Cambrensis Dversus,” republished by the Celtic Society, with the translation of Dt Kelly, of Maynooth. Con- cerning the time before the invasion, on which so much that is valuable has been written by your correspondent, I will only add a word in favour of Miss Stokes’ beautiful work on “ The Early Christian Architecture of Ireland,” a book marked by a deeply devotional spirit as well as by refined taste and mastery of the subject. Coming down to the wars of the 17th century and the Confedera- tion of Kilkenny, a prominent place must be given to the letters and despatches of the Nuncio Rinu- ccini, published at Florence in 1845, and after- wards translated into English by the lamented Miss Annie Hutton. Bearing on the same period are the memoirs of Lord Castlehaven, written w'ith scant sympathy for the Irish, though he fought on their side, but throwing considerable light on the military causes of the shortcomings of the Irish in the war from the point of view, so to speak, of a soldier of fortune. I have not yet found time to read Mr. Bagwell’s recent book on “ Ireland under the Tudors,” but I look forw'ard with much interest to its perusal. King Henry VIII had more statesmanlike ideas on the subject of t.iie Government of Ireland than any monarch of England since. He meant to conciliate the Irish chiefs, and bind them to the Crown, while he left them free in their patriarchal lordship over their people. What destroyed this idea was the atti- tude assumed by the dominant power on the vital question of religion. “ Historicus ” gives great pgid just praise to Sir John Davies’ “Discovery of the True Causes why Ireland was never Sub- dued.” It is a composition of wonderful pith, brevity, and force. But another emanation from tiio same pen should be mentioned — namely. Sir John Davies’ despatch to Cecil Lord Salisbury in 1610, giving an account of his own iniquitous pro- ceedings in Fermanagh when the new policy of extirpation and transplantation was inaugurated — a document which sheds more light upon the true causes of the Ulster rising, thirty years after, and its excesses, than any other I know. I concur with “ Historicus” also in his praise of the “ political arithmetic” of Sir WiUiam Petty, the army surgeon of Cromw'ell, who after- wards became tlio surveyor of the Down Survey, and who was so little neglect- ful of his private interests that it Wiia pithily said of him that he became “ inonarcli of all he surveyed,” at least of a considerable share of it. The history of the 17th century is beyond c<unpariaon the most important in the modern annals of Ireland. It is to be hoped that Mr. L('Ci’.y, who besides his charm of style and trans- p:u-ent honesty of purpose possesses taolus historic ous beyond any modern writer I know of except Lingard and Freeman, will, when ho has cotn- pleted his gieat work on the 18th century, ad- dress himself to this. Jn the meantime I may mention (lie savage Cromwellian Statute for the Settlement of Irclajid found in “Scol>eirs Acts and Ordinances,” and the two Acts of Settlement piisscd after the restoiation of King Charles 1 1 These, of course, cannot be tertne-l b«iokfc, tney contemporary records indispensable* V' the studenti of history. I am glad to see that Fatner Meehan courageously stood up for his own works on 17th century subjects, the “ Confederation of Kil- kenny,” “ The Flight of the Earls,’' and the “ Franciscan Monasteries,” all of winch win our admiration and sympathy. Concurring with much of the laudatory criti- cism of “ Historicus,” I cannot follow him in hia praise of Mr. Froude’s chapters on Ireland in his earlier work, “ The History of England.” Froude’s account of iShane O’Neill shows an utter inability to comprehend the man or the time. His com- ment on the first attempt of the Earl of Sussex to murder Shane may fairly seek its fellow. After giving Sussex’s letter written to Queen Elizabeth, informing her of his having suborned an assassin tr “serve her Highness” by murdermg ShaneO’Neiil, the historian adds the following — “ English ho- nour like English coin lost something of its purity ir the sister island.” And what are we to thiuK of the information of tiie writer who could speak of the great code of Brehon laws as being “ a con- venient system which was called law, but w’bi.ch in practice was a happy contrivance for the compo- sition of felonies,” Mr. Froude had read Spen- ser’s poor dialogue of “ Eudoxus and Irenaeus,” and had read nothing else on the subject. I regret that Mr. Greene, of whose “ History of the English People”” Historicus” speaks highly, and in the main justly, follows the [)revalent fiction by speaking of the massacre of tens of thousands of Protestants at the outbreak of the insurrection in October, 1641. Dr John M'Donnell has effectually dis- posed of that fable. His book is a remarkable one coming from any one, as the work of a non- agenarian it is wonderful. Dr Ferdinanclo Warner’s history of that war, written in the middle of the last century, is somewhat heavy reading, but it is done with much pains, and wonderful impartiality, considering his time and position. Coming down to 1798 we miss the “ Pieces of Irish History,” written shortly after by two of the principal actors, Thomas Addis Emmet and MacNeviu, and also the “ Personal Narrative” of Teeling. it is superfluous to men- tion Moore’s “ Lord Edward Fitzgerald.” Now, as to our orators. Great speeches when published ought, I conceive, to find a place amongst the best of a nation’s books, unless Demosthenes and Cicero be banished from those of Greece and Rome. Lord Byron says, somewhere ui his journal, “I doubt if we, English, have anything properly called oratory, but the Irish have had a great deal.” Nothuig in English prose equals tho music of some of Grattan’s sentences. Grattan, Curran, Lord ITunket, Shell, O’Connell, Thomas Meagher, liord O’Hagan — the speeches of these men are not mere materials. They are achievements to which Ireland can point with pride in the face of the nations. Surely also the Life of Curran by his son ought to be given, and above all the brilliant and interesting sketches of the Irish Bar, by Shell and the younger Curran, and the other os.'^ays in the same volumes. Shell’s account of the Clonmel Assizes of 1828, and of the Clare Election are models of narrative, clear, vivid, impressive. 1 say nothing of our poets, iui 30 many of your c.oi respondents have dealt wnth them. There aeftins to be a cousensuB that tho four Irish poets in the first nuik since Moore ar» Mangan, Sir S Ferguson, MacCarthy, and De Vere. For the same reason I am silent to do
