Wm. Newbury's Easter tale noticed. The AngloNorman improvement of Ireland quarrelled, what law of nations forbade one of them to seek aid in Ireland, or an Irish king to aid which party he might please? Or if it were an English earl that rose against an English king, might not the Irish according to their own discretion interfere to aid the weaker party, when they were themselves no subjects of England at the time, but an independent people; as justly as the English could interfere, as they did, with the royalties of Ireland. As for the story told by William of Newbury, it is very probable that some disorderly and foolish people, in the locality where the narrator lived, may have observed such Easter customs as he mentions; but not being spoken of elsewhere, they could hardly have been generally prevalent in the province, and are not worth particular notice here. And for the notices of the improvement of Ireland under the Normans, (which are however to be read with attention to Prov. xxvii. 2,) as not unqualified. there was great room for improvement, they may easily be in part true. But the AngloNormans themselves were answerable for tutoring the Irish, by their wicked example in many instances, in deeds of horrid barbarity and most atrocious perfidy. (Vid. pp. 1030, 1127, 1128, sup.) "But what of Dermod Mac Murrough ?" At Murrough's all events he was not more Dermot Mac connection, " "barbarous than many murderers born in England within the to whom past century. The Irish, however, expelled him disgraceful? from their island for his crimes, as a "beastly prince;" while the Anglo-Normans and their Welsh abettors received him with open arms to their sympathy and confidence, and found in him a congenial friend and most effective ally in the execution of their scheme for the conquest of Ireland. count of the author of nies above After having heard so much, one other ques- Some action remains, which may now interest the reader, viz., Who is this author that has been the calumthus rashly aspersing the ancient people of Ire- noticed. land, or how far may his name be considered influential in the literary world? To this inquiry the following reply is furnished in the Quarterly Review of March, 1848, in the article on Antiquarian Club Books, pag. 319: "Mr. Wright, the coadjutor in the Reliquiæ, and one of the chief working members of the Camden and other societies, has employed himself during a pretty long period with the literature of the middle ages, and has had considerable practice in extracting and editing MSS. reliques of various sorts. On the strength of this he has in a manner constituted himself editor general in AngloSaxon, Anglo-Norman, Middle English, and Middle Latin, and seems to be regarded by a certain clique as a supreme authority in all departments of archæology. Extent of his literary He has indeed some requisites for making himself useful qualificain a field where industrious workmen are greatly wanted. tions. But his activity is so counterbalanced by want of scholarship and acumen, that he can never be more than a third or fourth-rate personage, bearing about the same relationship to a scientific philologist and antiquarian that a law stationer does to a barrister, or a country druggist to a physician." The Quarterly then proceeds to illustrate this judgment of our author, by adducing in proof of its correctness a number of absurdly amusing mistakes observable in some of his literary productions; in summing up which, it arrives at the apparently just conclusion, that "A performer capable of blundering so dreadfully where every thing is easy and straightforward, cannot be expected to succeed very well where there is a little scope for criticism." THE END. ABBREVIATIONS.-Abp., Archbishop; Abpk., Archbishopric; Bp., Bishop; Bpk., Abbey-building, regarded as a propitia. tion for sin, 584. Abbey tithes, paid to Jesuits, after the Abbey Odorney (Kerry) 1216. Abbots, ancient, resemblance of their of- Aberteivi Castle, 1038. Aberystwyth Castle, 1032, 36, 37. Accountant, or Agent, the office, forbid- 895. Acharius, Bishop of Noyon and Tour- Acolythes, 443. Adamnanus, abbot of Iona, his life of St. Ademar of Angouleme, his Chronicle Adoration of the Saints, views of Sedu- Adrian IV., Pope, 488, 542; his motive for Ferns, 126; studies in Wales, ib.; Edan, Bishop of Clogher, appointed by Engus the hagiologist, account of, 353; Engus, king of Cashel, converted by S. Africa de Courcy, founds the Grey Ab- Africa, conquered by the Vandals, 935. Agilbert, Bishop of Paris, consecrates ib.; and to Pope Boniface IV. on the Aidan, St., of Iona, consecrated bishop, Aidan, king of the British Scots, his in- Aidh, or Aodh, son of Ainmerech, king Ailbe, Bishop, said to have preached in Airthirmuighe, Armoy, 991. Alan, Abp. Dublin, see Allen. Alba Landa, (Carmarthenshire,) 575. Albania, ancient name of the present Alchfrid, prince of Northumberland, a Alcuin's Life of S. Willibrord qd., 330. Aldhelm, abbot of Malmesbury, his ac- count of the quarrels of the British and Roman Christians, 152; his argu- Aleyn, John, Dean of St. Patrick's, his Alexander, king of Scotland, in 1113, en- Alexandria, its worship at first in the Alfrid, king of Northumberland, edu- Alitherus, abbot of Clonmacnoise, 102. Allen river, Flintshire, miraculous battle Allen, Irish Jesuit, accompanies James Allen, John, Archbishop of Dublin, All Hallows, or All Saints', Priory, Altarages, what, 783. Altars, of stone substituted for wooden |