day of the consecration, Napoleon made his Holiness wait a full hour and a half seated on the throne near the altar, and how all the arrangements which had been agreed on for the ceremony were set aside; I will not tell how the Emperor himself placed the crown on his own head, having rudely snatched it from the altar before the Pope stretched out his hand to take it up; I will not tell how at the imperial banquet on that day the Pontiff was made to sit in the third place at the table where sat the Emperor, the Empress, and the Prince Elector of Ratisbon; nor will I say a word of the second coronation which, contrary to solemn pledges, took place in the Champ de Mars, nor of the way in which Napoleon, although as it were in his own house, took the right of his Holiness on all occasions when they made their appearance together in public, nor of the little respect he showed him. He never paid him those marks of veneration which so many great kings and emperors have been proud to pay to the Sovereign Pontiffs. Finally, I will be silent about the humiliations which Pius VII. was made to undergo during the whole period of his sojourn. I have but enumerated these sufferings, to the end that all may understand how much virtue, moderation, and goodness the Pope had need of to follow the magnificent examples of self-abasement which the God whose vicar he was here below, has bequeathed to the world. I have wished, likewise, to expose conduct on which I will not allow myself to pass judgment, for I could not do so with becoming coolness and self-respect".

These insults would have been more sweet to the Holy Father if he had been able to realise all the good he had promised himself to achieve for religion at the price of his condescension. But here, too, he was disappointed. After many memorials on the subject to the Emperor, and after many interviews, he was forced to surrender all hopes of seeing the organic laws abolished. Napoleon was simply false to his solemn promises. Nor would the government fulfil its engagement to force the constitutional bishops to a retractation. But what the power of the state would not do, the force of the Pope's gentle virtues happily effected. He called the bishops several times to an audience; and his affectionate manners, his kind language, and the charm of his goodness, made such an impression on their minds, that they avowed their schism, and made a solemn retractation in the form prescribed by the Holy See. Nor did any one of them ever afterwards, by word or deed, give sign of their ancient errors. The Pope thus had the unspeakable delight of having, by his journey, extinguished that dangerous schism, to effect the destruction of which he had before agreed to the Concordat.

We must pass over the other indignities which the Pope had to endure before he could effect his departure from Paris. It was while the Pope was his guest that the Emperor changed the Italian republic into the kingdom of Italy, taking formal possession of the three Legations, and adding the pontifical keys to his coat of arms. He was also disrespectful enough to neglect his duties as host, by setting out for Italy before the Pope left his palace. He even compelled his Holiness to follow him, and wait at every post for the use of the horses which had been employed to draw the imperial carriages. He was too jealous to allow the Pope to officiate in public at any religious ceremony, even on Christmas Day, on which festival the Sovereign Pontiff had to go to the parish church to say a low Mass. Even the presents which he gave in return for the magnificent gifts which Pius VII. had brought from Rome, where Canova had selected them, were disgracefully mean, with the exception of a costly tiara, of which, however, the most precious jewel was a diamond taken from the pontifical tiaras under Pius VI., to pay the exactions of Tolentino. The newspapers were filled with the description of a wonderful altar, two rich carriages, and other splendid presents; but these objects never found their way to the Pope.

On his way home Pius VII. had the consolation of receiving back into the Church the famous Mgr. Ricci, whose name is so well known in connection with the Synod of Pistoia. This prelate made before the Pope a full and sincere retractation of all his errors. At length the Holy Father arrived at Rome amidst the enthusiasm of his subjects, who so soon were to be torn from him by the very man to do honour to whom he had undertaken and suffered so much.

THE UNITED DIOCESES OF CORK AND CLOYNE.

As early as the year 1326, Pope John XXII. gave his sanction to the contemplated union of the Dioceses of Cork and Cloyne. The Pontifical letter conveying this sanction bears date the 2nd of August, tenth year of his pontificate. The motive alleged by King Edward III. when soliciting this union, was the poverty of both sees. Cork is described as having a revenue of only sixty pounds per annum, and it is added that both sees "adeo in facultatibus et redditibus suis tenues et exiles sunt, quod earum praesules singulariter singuli ex eis nequeunt juxta episcopalis status decentiam commode sustentari". Nevertheless, this contemplated union was not carried into effect, and for more than one hundred years we find a distinct and regular succession of bishops in each see. It was only in 1430, when both sees happened to be vacant at the same time, that Jordan, chancellor of Limerick, was appointed by Pope Martin V., first bishop of the united dioceses of Cork and Cloyne.

Thirty years later intelligence was conveyed to Pope Pius II. that this bishop, weighed down by the burden of eighty years, was no longer able to exercise his episcopal functions, the more so as he was subject to frequent infirmities, and suffered from an excessive weakness of sight. Hence, on 27th of May, 1461, we find William Roche (alias De Rupe) appointed auxiliary bishop of Dr. Jordan, with right of succession to the united sees. In the brief of appointment he is styled "Archdeacon of Cloyne, of noble lineage, distinguished by his zeal, prudence, and learning": "aliarumque virtutum donis quibus eum Altissimus insignivit" (Monument. Vatic., pag. 430). This prelate, however, was not pleasing to the aged bishop, whilst he was specially distasteful to the English monarch: and to restore peace to our southern see, Rome found it necessary, in the following year, to relieve Dr. Roche of the duties of auxiliary bishop.

On the 31st of January, 1462-3, Gerald Fitzgerald was appointed by the Sovereign Pontiff bishop of the united sees, vacant by the resignation of the aged Bishop Jordan. Many efforts were subsequently made to set aside this appointment; however, it was irrevocably recognized by Rome. The chief difficulty arose from the former coadjutor, Dr. Roche, who, finding the see now vacant by the resignation of Bishop Jordan, claimed it as belonging to him by that "right of succession" which had originally been accorded to him. It was only in December, 1471, that this controversy was finally closed, when a letter was addressed by Pope Paul II. to the Archbishop of Cashel, commanding him to put Gerald Fitzgerald in full possession of all the temporalities of the united sees. Peace being thus restored, Dr. Fitzgerald remained in undisturbed possession till his death in 1479. William Roche, by his submission to the former decisions of the Holy See, merited to be appointed his successor; thus all rival claims were happily adjusted, and Dr. Roche for eleven years continued to administer this see. When at length he resigned the arduous charge, Thady Mechar or Maher was appointed the next bishop in 1490. Most of the temporalities of the see, however, were seized on by the Fitzmaurices and other southern chieftains; so much so that Pope Innocent VIII. was