man had recently travelled all the way to Rome, that he might there obtain symbols of slavery for the Church of his fathers. Then, Ireland was free, and honoured as the land of saints and of scholars; now, she was under the yoke of the stranger, and represented as a land of darkness and of the shadow of death!

CHAPTER II.

FROM THE SYNOD OF CASHEL TO THE DEATH OF KING JOHN. A.D. 1172 TO A.D. 1216.1

THOUGH the Bull of Adrian, conveying a new kingdom to Henry II., was obtained in the beginning of his reign, several modern writers have asserted that, for twenty years afterwards, neither the clergy nor people of Ireland were aware of its existence. This statement is as unsupported by evidence as it is destitute of probability. A bull is an official deed, attested with all due formality; and no proof whatever can be given that any special secresy was observed in reference to this memorial. It was well known to the English nobility; for, when it was procured, Henry, in a meeting held at Winchester, discussed with them the expediency of an immediate invasion; but, after mature deliberation, they arrived at the conclusion that, in the present state of his affairs, he was not in a position to attempt the undertaking. A papal legate was now constantly resident in the island; he kept up a correspondence with Rome; and it is not to be supposed that a project, which his Italian master had determined to promote, was kept concealed from such a functionary. The Popes at this period had reached the very meridian of their power: they claimed temporal as well as spiritual dominion

1 Henry II. ▲.D. 1172 to A. D. 1189; Richard I. A.D. 1189 to A.D. 1199; John, A. D. 1199 to A.D. 1216.

2 See, for example, Lanigan iv. 164, 222; and Haverty's History of Ireland, p. 205. 3 See Ussher's Sylloge. Epist. xlvi. Recensio, Works, iv. p. 548. The ring of investiture, as lord of Ireland, which Henry received from the Pope, was publicly exhibited-" Idemque adhuc annulus in curiali archio publico custodiri jussus est."-Ibid.

over countries such as Ireland; and, on the principles promulgated by Hildebrand, and avowed by his successors, Adrian would have defended his donation to King Henry, as a perfectly legitimate exercise of his pontifical prerogative. It has been asserted, and not without evidence, that the Irish prelates at the time were informed of the transaction; and that it met with their approval.1 There are good grounds for believing that even the Irish princes soon heard of the papal document. Dermod McMurrough-the deposed King of Leinster, who has ever since been consigned to infamous notoriety as the betrayer of the national independence—was apparently apprized of the contents of the Bull when he entered on his inglorious This worthless prince was a great favourite with the clergy, for he had loaded them with benefactions; and, when he sought to recover his throne, he pursued a course which no Irish monarch in like circumstances had ever before ventured to adopt, but which a knowledge of the Roman diploma would have obviously suggested. He sought out the King of England; threw himself at his feet; implored his protection; and, in the event of his successful interference, promised, on behalf of himself and his heirs, to acknowledge Henry as his liege lord, and to hold his territories as the vassal of the British sovereign.2

career.

The conduct of the Irish prelates, when Henry made his appearance on their shores, is well fitted to sustain the charge that they were privy to the invasion. Instead of standing aloof, and waiting until compelled by necessity to acknowledge the usurper, they came to him from all parts of the country, and bound themselves to him by an oath of allegiance. Nor did they stop here. According to the testimony

1 See Keating, book ii. 212-3. Dr. O'Conor endorses the statement of Keating with a slight modification. See his Historical Address, part i. 67-8. See also Leland, i. 10. Henry was well aware of the power of the clergy; and we may presume that so politic a prince, with the Pope on his side, would at once quietly endeavour to secure their support.

2 Leland's History of Ireland, i. 17-18.

3 Hoveden Annal. A.D. 1171. See before, p. 216, note (2). Brompton has the same statement, but he is a somewhat later authority. Hoveden belonged to the household of Henry II., and was subsequently a theological professor at Oxford. We could scarcely desire a better witness.

of trustworthy contemporary writers, Henry received from every archbishop and bishop letters, in form of charters, with their seals pendent, whereby they confirmed the kingdom of Ireland to him and his heirs, and constituted the English monarch and his successors their lords and kings for ever.1 Copies of these letters were in due time transmitted to Rome, and were received most graciously by the Sovereign Pontiff.

Certain writers are exceedingly unwilling to admit that the Irish prelates espoused the cause of Henry so promptly and decidedly at the time of the English invasion. But the course which they pursued is attested by contemporary authors of high respectability, whose statements are clear and circumstantial, and who had the best means of information. According

to these witnesses, the bishops took the lead in submitting to the new ruler, whilst the princes and chieftains followed their example. Nor is it strange that the king received such a ready recognition from the hierarchy. The prelates were deeply pledged to obey the Pope; and they regarded him as empowered to set up and depose sovereigns. They were,

1 "Et inde recepit ab unoquoque archiepiscopo et episcopo litteras suas in modum cartae extra sigillum pendentes, et confirmantes ei et haeredibus suum regnum Hiberniae, et testimonium perhibentes ipsos eum et haeredes suos sibi in reges et dominos constituisse in perpetuum."-BENEDICT OF PETERBOROUGH, Gesta Regis Henrici Secundi, p. 26. London, 1867. The Irish writers are silent as to this affair. Though Cambrensis does not mention it, he makes other statements which quite accord with it. The testimony of Benedict is confirmed by Hoveden, Chronica, ii. p. 30. London, 1860. Matthew Paris, writing some time afterwards, bears exactly the same testimony. See his Historia Anglorum, vol. i., p. 370. London, 1866. Irish writers suppress these facts evidently because they were ashamed of them.

2 In the Chronicle of Benedict of Peterborough, described by Mr. Stubbs, regius professor of modern history in the University of Oxford, as "indisputably the most important chronicle of the time," (Preface, p. 57) the writer gives the names of four Irish archbishops and twenty-nine bishops who swore fealty to Henry II. on his arrival in Ireland. Gest. Reg. Hen. Sec. Bened. Abbat., 26-37. Henry had sent trusty agents before him into Ireland to announce his coming; and thus it was that the prelates so soon waited on him. Dr. Doyle, who was well acquainted with Irish history, did not hesitate to assert that the Irish prelates sold their country to Henry II. "Tithes," said the Roman Catholic bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, were the price paid by Henry II. and the Legate Paparo to the Irish prelates, who sold for them the independence of their native land, and the birthright of their people."- Vindication of the Irish Catholics, by J. K. L. edition, p. 33. Dublin, 1823.

VOL. I.

Q

Second

therefore, bound, .in consistency, to bow to his dictation; and to give a cordial- greeting to the new master of his appointment. Nor were they altogether disinterested in the transference of their loyalty. They hoped under the great King of England to have wealth, rank, and influence, such as they could not have otherwise enjoyed.

The canons of the Synod of Cashel were duly forwarded to Rome, accompanied by a letter from the assembled prelates. Alexander III., the reigning Pontiff, was highly gratified when he heard of Henry's successful progress; and accordingly, in September 1172, dictated no less than three epistles relating to Ireland-one addressed to its kings, princes, and nobles—another, to Henry II.—and a third, to the hierarchy. These letters, which are still extant, throw considerable light on the ecclesiastical state of the country at this crisis. The letter to the kings and chieftains is but brief, and yet sufficiently significant. The Pope tells them how happy he had been to learn that they had wisely submitted to such a potent and magnificent monarch, and exhorts them to adhere faithfully to their oaths of allegiance. In his epistle to the English sovereign, he urges him to persevere in his endeavours for the enlargement of the Church of Rome. "Your Excellency is aware," he says, "that the Roman Church has by right an authority over islands different from what she possesses over the mainland and continent. Having, therefore, such a confident hope in the fervour of your devotion as to believe it would be your desire, not only to conserve, but also to extend the privileges of the said Church, and to establish her jurisdiction, as you are in duty bound, where she has none, we ask and earnestly urge your Highness to study diligently to preserve to us in the aforesaid land the rights of St. Peter; and if the said Church have no such jurisdiction there, that your Highness should assign and appoint it to her." These

1 Lanigan, iv. 217.

2 In the new edition of Rymer's Foedera, vol. i. 45. They may also be found in the supplementary volume of King's Primer, pp. 1085-1091, and in the Liber Munerum Publicorum Hiberniae, part iv. p. 54.

3 "Et quia sicut tuae magnitudinis Excellentia [recognoscit], Romana ecclesia aliud jus habet in insulâ quam in terrâ magnâ et continuâ, nos eam de tuae devotionis fervore spem fiduciamque tenentes, quod jura ipsius ecclesiae non solum