The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
THE IRISH ECCLESIASTICAL RECORD.
OCTOBER, 1864.
PRAYER OF ST. COLGA.
THE SEE OF ARDAGH IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
THE SACRED CONGREGATION OF RITES ON THE SIGNS OF MARTYRDOM IN THE CATACOMBS.
UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN IRELAND.
LITURGICAL QUESTIONS.
DOCUMENTS.
NOTICES OF BOOKS.
"Christian is my name, Catholic my surname", said one of the early Fathers, when he wished to give an adequate description of his religious belief. In the same way, the name and surname of this publication sufficiently indicate its character and scope. First of all, it is Ecclesiastical, by reason of its subject matter, of the class which it addresses, and of the sanction under which it appears. Next, it is Irish, because, to the best of its humble ability, it is intended to serve the Catholic Church of our native country. Father Segneri tells us in one of his sermons, that in his day men used to flock to the religious houses in Italy, eagerly asking: "What news from Ireland?" Those were the stormy days of the latter half of the seventeenth century. How often, on such occasions, in the cool cloisters of Roman colleges, where he had spent so much of his blameless life, was the name of Archbishop Plunket pronounced by the old friends to whom his worth was so well known! How many a listener went straight out from such conferences to pray for his stricken brethren of the suffering Irish Church! At that time the trials, the wounds, the sorrows, the triumphs, the hopes of Irish Catholics were the subject of many a discourse, the anxious care of many a heart. To-day all this is changed in great part. No foreign preacher now-a-days would allude to his hearers' widespread interest about the Irish Church, as one of the signs of the times. And why? Not because—due allowance made for changes—our country has become less interesting; for surely our Catholicity, in the bloom of its second spring, is not less remarkable than it was when torn and beaten to the ground by persecution. And if fraternal love made our distant brethren look sorrowfully over the sea upon our Church when in ruins, surely the same love would teach them not to turn away their eyes from us now that we are once more setting in fair order the stones that had been displaced. Brothers share each other's joys as well as each other's sorrows. The reason of the change is, that Irish Catholic intelligence does not find its way abroad. There is much to be said about the Church in Ireland, there are many anxious to hear it, but there is no messenger to bear the news. It is not, perhaps, too much to say, that there is less known abroad about the state of the Irish Church in these days of telegraph and railway, than there was when Dr. Plunket had to borrow a name under cover of which to write to the internuncio, and when Irish news was not thought out of place among the Epistolae Indicæ et Japonicæ of the Jesuit Fathers. The Irish Ecclesiastical Record will endeavour to meet this want. It will give some account of the necessities, the progress, the efforts of the Irish Church. Facts of Ecclesiastical administration, Episcopal letters of general interest, various documents that go to make up the history of a Church, shall find their place in its pages. By these means we shall have at hand a ready answer, when we are asked what are we doing in Ireland. Otherwise, our silence is likely to be taken as an admission that we have nothing to show worthy of the Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum.
Besides, as the world goes on, history is ever repeating itself, but with a difference. In Father Segneri's time the Catholics of Italy asked after the news from Ireland; now it is our turn to ask: "What news from Rome?" Then the Head was tenderly solicitous about the suffering members; now the members are troubled for the perils of the Head. This being the case, it is intolerable that modern journalism, with its lies, clumsy or clever, should be teachers of Pontifical history to the Irish Clergy. The sheep should hear the very voice of the Chief Shepherd, and not the distorted echo of that voice. We want no unfriendly medium between us and our Holy Father's words as they run in his Allocutions, Briefs, Decisions, or in the responses of the Sacred Congregations. It will be the privilege of the RECORD to publish from genuine copies those documents, which, if left to hostile or indifferent channels, might otherwise either be cast away as useless or mutilated in the carrying. In addition, we shall give from time to time Roman Intelligence of general interest to the Clergy.
A distinguished German scholar has lately said that the candlestick of theological science has been moved in our days from its primitive seats, and that upon the German mind has devolved the charge of becoming the principal support and guardian of theological knowledge. We do not share this view. The science of Theology being supernational in its nature, although at a given date it may flourish more in one country than another, can never become the special property of any. In Rome, above all, and in Italy generally, in Belgium, in France, in Spain, in America, as well as in Germany, much is being done for Theology. The literary and scientific labours of Catholics in all these countries ought to be better known amongst us. Surrounded by a literature which, non-Catholic at its best, is fast losing all colour of Christianity, we have need to profit by all that modern research has anywhere contributed to the Catholic solution of the great questions of which the age has been so fertile. Nor is Catholic Ireland without her own proper treasures to give in exchange for what she receives from abroad. Not to speak of the actual labours of Irish Divines in Theology and History, it may be said that few Churches are so rich as ours in remains of ecclesiastical antiquity of the highest importance. A catena could be formed from the unpublished writings of Irish Fathers so complete and so full, that scarcely a single dogma of faith or practice of religious life would be left outside the circle. Fresh researches will every day bring new treasures to light, and the application of sound critical principles will teach us to estimate at their true value those already in our possession. These remains have been scattered over many countries, but pious bands are even now bringing them together once more. The Record will tell how the work of restoration progresses, and give from time to time some
The Record would thus be, in some degree, a link between the clergy of Ireland and their foreign brethren. It would likewise serve as an organ for direct communication between the Priests of Ireland themselves. We have, no doubt, many excellent Catholic newspapers and periodicals which are of material service to our holy religion. But it is quite true, nevertheless, that ecclesiastical subjects cannot well be treated of in publications devoted to general literature. Liturgical decisions, rubrical questions, remarkable cases, points of theology, notices of books treating of clerical or pastoral duties, Christian archæology, if they can gain admission to their pages at all, look strangely out of place in the midst of an indiscriminate gathering of the changing topics of the day. Besides, the general reader might complain, were too much space given in such works to the discussion of new phases of Protestantism or infidelity, to accounts from the Foreign Missions, to the claims of Catholic Education; whilst the clergyman would regret to find his letter or paper on some ecclesiastical matter cut down to a size altogether out of keeping with its importance. In one word, the Catholic Clerical body requires a special organ for itself. This want has been felt in Italy, in France, in Belgium, in Bavaria; and in all these countries the clergy now have a publication exclusively devoted to what concerns their sacred calling. We have abundant assurance from many quarters that these periodicals are esteemed as of great advantage to the clergy. To-day the Irish Ecclesiastical Record takes an humble place among them, content to do even a little in so great a work. We are confident that it will receive the sympathy and support of our brother Priests of this country; for the feeling that has called it into existence is a feeling that lies close to the heart of every one amongst us, namely, a true love for the Catholic Church of Ireland.
PRAYER OF ST. COLGA.
The learned Professor O'Curry devotes the sixteenth and following lectures of his work on the Manuscript Materials of Irish History to the early ecclesiastical MSS. In the eighteenth lecture (page 378, and foll.) he says:—
"The fifth class of these religious remains consists of the prayers, invocations, and litanies which have come down to us: these I shall set down in chronological order, as far as my authorities will allow me, and, when authority fails, guided by my own judgment and experience in the investigation of these ancient writings".
Of the first piece of this class mentioned by O'Curry, the Prayer of Saint Aireran, or Aileran the Wise, we hope to treat in a future number of this RECORD.
"The second piece of this class", he continues, "is the Prayer or Invocation of Colgu Na Duinechda, a classical professor of Clonmacnoise, who died in the year 789".
In the Martyrology of Donegal, just published by the Irish Archæological and Celtic Society, we find the following notice of the Author of this prayer on the 20th of February, the 10th of the Kalends of March:
"Colga, Mac Ua Duinechda,[1] i.e. Lector of Cluan-mac-nois. It was he that composed the kind of prayer, called the Suꞃαb Cꞃαḃαιḋ.[2] It was to him Paul the Apostle came to converse with him, and to help him on his road, and he took his satchel of books at Moin-tire-an-áis, and it was he that pleaded for him to the school of Cluain-mac-Nois, and the prologue or preface which is before that prayer states that this Colga was a saint, was a priest, and was a scribe of the saints of Erin, etc. And there is a Saint Colga, with his pedigree, among the race of Dathi, son of Fiachra, son of Eochaidh Muidhmhedhoin, and he may perhaps be this Colga".
[1] Dr. Todd, one of the learned editors, here adds a note: "Duinechda. The later hand inserts here: Marian. vocat. Cαolcu, Marianus O'Gorman calls him Cαolchu". But in the Brussels MS. of M. O'Gorman, as copied by Mr. O'Curry, the name is written Colchu.
[2] That is the Besom or Broom of Devotion. See Colgan, Acta SS. p. 378.
Through the gracious permission of their Lordships the Board of the Catholic University, who have placed at our disposal the manuscripts belonging to the late lamented Mr. O'Curry, now in possession of the University, we are enabled to give our readers this interesting and valuable document. In doing so we do not pretend to enter on a critical or philological examination of it. We shall confine ourselves to some remarks on those points which seem most interesting to ecclesiastics.
Speaking of this document, the learned Professor says: "This prayer is divided into two parts. The first consists of twenty-eight petitions or paragraphs, each paragraph beseeching the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus through the intercession of some class of the holy men of the Old and New Testament, who are referred to in the paragraph, or represented by the names of one or more of the most distinguished of them. The first part begins thus:—'I beseech the intercession with Thee, O Holy Jesus! of thy four Evangelists who wrote thy Gospel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John'. The second part consists of seventeen petitions to the Lord Jesus, apparently offered at Mass time, beseeching Him to accept the sacrifice then made for all Christian Churches, for the sake of the Merciful Father, from whom He descended upon the Earth, for the sake of His Divinity, which the Father had overshadowed, in order that it might unite with His humanity, for the sake of the Immaculate body from which He was formed in the womb of the Virgin. The second prayer begins thus: 'O Holy Jesus! O Beautiful Friend!' etc., etc."
The prayer is found in the Leabhar Buidhe Lecain (or Yellow Book of Lecain), in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, (MS. H. 2. 16, T.C.D., col. 336).
The Yellow Book of Lecain is a volume consisting at present (notwithstanding many losses) of 500 pages of large quarto vellum; and with the exception of a few small tracts in somewhat later hands, is all finely written by Donnoch and Gilla Isa Mac Firbis, in the year 1390. It would appear to have been, in its original form, a collection of ancient historical pieces, civil and ecclesiastical, in prose and verse. O'Curry enumerates these pieces at page 191 of his work on the MS. Materials of Irish history.
Oratio Colgani sancti[3] (Ua Duinechda, ob. A.D. 789). Sapientis et Prespiteri et Scripæ omnium Sanctorum incipit qui cunque hanc orationem cantaverit veram penitentiam et indulgentiam peccatorum habebit et alias multa gratias, id est, Ateoch fuit a Isa naemh do cheithre suiscela, etc.
[3] This title is from Michael O'Cleary's copy, made in 1627.—The Prayer is from a vellum MS. written in 1390.
[PART I.]
1. I beseech the intercession with thee, O holy Jesus, of thy Four Evangelists, who wrote thy Divine Gospel, viz., Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
2. I beseech the intercession with thee of thy four chief Prophets, who foretold thy Incarnation, Daniel, and Jeremiah, and Isaiah, and Ezechiel.
3. I beseech the intercession with thee of the nine degrees of the Church on Earth, from the Psalm-singer to the Bishop.
4. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the elect who have taken these degrees from the commencement of the New Testament to this day, and who shall adopt them from this day to the day of judgment.
5. I beseech the intercession with thee of the nine degrees of the Heavenly Church, viz., Angels and Archangels, Virtutes, Potestates, Principatus, Dominationes, Throni, Hirophin, Sarophin.
6. I beseech the intercession with thee of the noble Patriarchs, who foretold thee through the spiritual mysteries.
7. I beseech the intercession with thee of the twelve Minor Prophets, who figured thee.
8. I beseech the intercession with thee of the Twelve Apostles, who loved, and who desired, and who adhered to, and who followed, and who chose thee before all others.
9. I beseech the intercession with thee of all thy sons of pure virginity throughout the world, both of the Old Testament and the New Testament, together with the youthful John, thine own bosom child.
10. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the repentant saints, with Peter the Apostle.
11. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the perfect virgins of the world, with the Virgin Mary, thine own Holy Mother.
12. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the repentant widows, with Mary Magdalene.
13. I beseech the intercession with thee of all righteously tempted persons, with afflicted Job, who was visited with tribulations.
14. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the holy martyrs of the whole world, both of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, from the beginning of the world to Eli and Enoch, who shall suffer the last martyrdom on the brink of the judgment; with Stephen, with Cornelius, with Cyprian, with Lawrence, with Georgius, with Germanus.
15. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the holy monks who made battle for thy sake throughout the whole world, with Eliam, and with Elisium, in the Old Testament; with John, with Paul, with Anthony, in the New Testament.
16. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the chosen of the Patriarchal Law, with Abel, with Seth, with Eli, with Enoch, with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob.
17. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the chosen of the written Law, with Moses, with Jesu, with Calep, with Aaron, with Eliazar, and with Jonas.
18. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the chosen of the Law of the Prophets, with Elias and with Elisium; with David, with Solomon.
19. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the chosen of the Law of the New Testament, with thine own Holy Apostles, and with all the saints to the end of the world.
20. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city in Jerusalem, with Jacob of the knees, thine own holy brother.
21. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city in Rome, with Lin, with Cleit, with Clement.
22. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city in Alexandria, with Mark the Evangelist.
23. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city after them, with the Apostle Peter.
24. I beseech the intercession with thee of the holy Innocents of the whole world, who suffered crucifixion and martyrdom for thee, with the two thousand one hundred and forty youths who were murdered by Herod in Bethlehem of Juda, with the boy Ciric.
25. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the hosts of the perfect, righteous elders, who preached of thee in their old age, and their perfection, and their righteousness, with Eligib in the Old Testament, and with the noble, perfect, righteous elder Simeon, at the beginning of the New Testament, who caught thee upon his wrists and upon his knees and upon his arms, rejoicing over thee, when he said: Nunc dimitte secundum tuum Domine secundum verbum tuum in pace. Quia viderunt oculi mei salutem tuam. Quod parasti antefaciem omnium populorum lumen adrevelationem gentium et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.
26. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the holy disciples, who learned all the spiritual knowledge, both of the Old Testament and the New Testament, with the seventy-two disciples.
27. I beseech the intercession with thee of all the perfect teachers, who preached the spiritual sense (ꞅιαꞃꞅ), with the seventy-two disciples themselves, and with the Apostle Paul, that thou take me this night, O Holy Trinity, under thy protection and shelter, and with ardour to defend me and to protect me from the demons with all their solicitations, and from all the creatures of the world; from the desires, from the transgressions, from the sins, from the disobediences, from the dangers of this world; from the pains of the next; from the hands of enemies and all dangers; from the fire of Hell and eternity; from disgrace before the face of God; from the pursuit of demons, that they prevail nought with us in our passage to the other world; from the dangers of this world; from every person whom God knows to be unfriendly to us throughout the ten points of the Earth. May God put away from us their fury, their power, their valour, their bravery, their cunning; may God light up meekness, and charity, gratitude, and mercy, and forgiveness in their hearts, and in their thoughts, and in their souls, and in their minds, and in their bowels.
[PART II.]
1. O Holy Jesus
O Beautiful Friend.
O Star of the Morning.
O Full Noonday Sun.
O Resplendent.
O Noble torch of the righteous, and of the truth, and of the eternal life, and of eternity.
O Fountain ever new, everlasting.
O Heart's-love of the illustrious Patriarchs.
O Longing of the Prophets.
O Master of Apostles and Disciples.
O Bestower of the Law.
O Precursor of the New Testament.
O Judge of the Judgment Day.
O Son of the Merciful Father, without a Mother in Heaven.
O Son of the truly perfect Virgin Mary, without a father on Earth.
O true brother of the heart.
2. For the sake of thy consanguinity, hear the supplication of this poor miserable being, that thou receive the offering for all Christian Churches and for myself.
3. For the sake of the Merciful Father, from whom thou didst come unto us upon Earth.
4. For the sake of thy Divinity, which that Father modified so as to receive thy humanity.
5. For the sake of the Immaculate Body from which thou didst come (wert formed) in the womb of the Virgin.
6. For the sake of the Spirit with the seven forms, which descended upon that body in unity with thyself and with thy Father.
7. For the sake of the holy womb from which thou didst receive that body without destruction of virginity.
8. For the sake of the holy following, and the holy pedigree from
9. For the sake of the seven things which were foretold of thee on Earth, namely, thy conception, thy birth, thy baptism, thy crucifixion, thy burial, thy resurrection, thy ascension, thy coming to the judgment.
10. For the sake of the holy tree upon which thy side was torn.
11. For the sake of the innocent blood which trickled upon us from that tree.
12. For the sake of thine own body and blood, which are offered upon all the holy altars which are in all the Christian Churches of the world.
13. For the sake of all the scriptures in which thy news is recorded.
14. For the sake of all the truth in which thy resurrection is recorded.
15. For the sake of thy charity, which is the head and the top of all the testaments, ut dicitur, caritas super exaltat omnia.
16. For the sake of thy royal kingdom, with all its rewards and glorious gifts and music.
17. For the sake of thy mercy, and thy forgiveness, and thy loving friendship, thy own bountifulness, which is more extensive than all wealth, that I may obtain the forgiveness and the annihilation of my past sins from the beginning of my life to this day, after the words of David, who said: Beati quorum remissæ sunt iniquitates et quorum tecta sunt peccata, id est: dispense, and give, and bestow thy holy grace and thy holy spirit to defend and shelter me from all my present and future sins; and to light up in me all truth, and to retain me in that truth to the end of my life, and that thou receive me at the end of my life into Heaven, in the unity of illustrious patriarchs and prophets, in the unity of Apostles and Disciples, in the unity of Angels and Archangels, in the unity which excels all unities, that is, in the unity of the bright, holy, all-powerful Trinity, Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit. For I can effect nothing unless I effect it in the language of the Apostle Paul, who said: Quis me liberavit a corpore mortis hujus peccati nisi gratia tua Domine Jesu Christe qui regnas in secula seculorum. Amen.
The dogmatic importance of this document is very great, as showing the belief of the Church of Ireland on many points, which are now set down by Protestants as of recent introduction.
We are struck in the first part with the invocation of the saints, whose powerful intercession is asked, not with God the Father only, but with the Son of God made man, the Mediator of God and man, Christ our Lord; and the intercession with Him is asked of the saints of the Old Testament as well as of the New.
In the nine degrees of the Church on Earth, (3) we find allusion to the four minor and three greater orders, of which the names are given by the Council of Trent; and to them are added the office of bishop, which is the completion of the priesthood, and that of psalm-singer, which, as we are told by an ancient Irish canon, was given to any clerk, not by episcopal ordination, but by delegation from a priest.
The nine choirs of blessed spirits (5) are those mentioned by Saint Gregory (Hom. 34 in Evang. ante med.), and are enumerated almost in the same order: "Novem Angelorum ordines dicimus, quia videlicet esse testante sacro eloquio scimus: Angelos, Archangelos, Virtutes, Potestates, Principatus, Dominationes, Thronos, Cherubim, atque Seraphim. Esse namque Angelos et Archangelos pene omnes sacri eloquii paginae testantur. Cherubim vero atque Seraphim saepe, ut notum est, libri Prophetarum loquuntur. Quatuor quoque ordinum nomina Paulus Apostolus ad Ephesios enumerat, dicens: Supra omnem Principatum et Potestatem et Virtutem et Dominationem. Qui rursus ad Colossenses scribens, ait: Sive Throni, sive Potestates, sive Principatus, sive Dominationes. Dum ergo illis quatuor, quae ad Ephesios dixit, conjunguntur Throni, quinque sunt ordines; quibus dum Angeli et Archangeli, Cherubim atque Seraphim, conjuncta sunt, proculdubio novem esse Angelorum ordines inveniuntur". We ought, perhaps, to add that the coincidence with Saint Gregory's enumeration is not, perhaps, altogether casual, for there is reason to believe that in the eighth century there was in Ireland a very extensive acquaintance with that great pontiff's writings.
In the verses (9, 11) St. Colga clearly shows the feeling of the ancient Church of Ireland with respect to the practice of holy virginity, and in honouring the ever blessed Mother of God. "I beseech the intercession with Thee of all thy sons of pure virginity, etc. I beseech the intercession with Thee of all the perfect virgins of the world, with the Virgin Mary, Thine own holy Mother, O Son of the truly perfect Virgin Mary".
In verse (14) our saint seems to allude to the special honour in which Saint Germanus of Auxerre was held in Ireland, perhaps on account of his close connection with our holy Apostle, Saint Patrick. Saint Colga invokes him along with some of the most distinguished saints of the early Church; and as if to mark the great labours of that apostolic man, the holy men with whom he joins him are all martyrs.
The honour to be shown to the monastic state is indicated by associating (15) with all the holy monks who made battle for thy sake throughout the whole world, the great names of Elias and Eliseus under the Old Law, and of John the Baptist, Paul, the first hermit, and Anthony, the first founder of the monastic state, in the New Testament.
In the next eight verses the prayer follows a chronological order: our Saint first invokes the early patriarchs: Abel, Seth, etc., to Jacob. He then calls upon the chosen of the written Law, including Moses, Josue, etc., and the chosen of the law of the Prophets—Elias, Eliseus, David, and Solomon. He then passes to the New Testament, begging the intercession of thine own holy Apostles, and all the saints to the end of the world. Saint James, "Frater Domini", is then mentioned as first bishop of Jerusalem, which was the earliest of the Churches; then follow all the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city in Rome. After them mention is made of Mark the Evangelist, the founder of the Church of Alexandria. And then, as if to sum up under one heading the whole Church of Christ on Earth, and to indicate its chief foundation and corner-stone after our Lord Himself, our Saint, still addressing the Son of God, exclaims "I beseech the intercession with Thee of all the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city, after them, with the Apostle Peter". Were it not for this special invocation of Saint Peter, it might seem strange that his name was omitted when invoking the holy bishops of the Church of Rome; but our Saint seems to wish to call upon him here, not in connection with any particular Church, but in his relation to the whole ecclesiastical edifice, the city of God, which is the Church.
In indicating the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city in Rome, St. Colga follows the order of the Canon of the ancient Roman Liturgy: Linus, Cletus, Clement, showing by this the close connection of our ancient Church with the other churches of Europe, and especially with the Church of Rome. Whether this be really the chronological order, is (as all are aware) a vexata questio among ecclesiastical historians. Nearly all the monuments and authorities bearing on this point set down Saint Linus as the immediate successor of the Prince of the Apostles; and, although Saint Augustine (Epistola ad Generosum) and Saint Optatus of Milevi (Lib. 2, adv. Parmenianum, cap. 3) give Saint Clement as next in order to Saint Linus, still the weight of testimony is in favour of the order followed by our Saint. Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. lib. 3, cap. 16), says: "Per id tempus Clemens Romanam adhuc gubernabat Ecclesiam, qui post Paulum et Petrum Episcopalis illius dignitatis gradum obtinuit: Linus primus erat, secundus Anacletus".
THE SEE OF ARDAGH IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
We are indebted to the learned priest of the Roman Oratory, Father Theiner, for some valuable papers connected with the See of Ardagh in the sixteenth century, published in his recent work, "Vetera Monumenta Hibernorum et Scotorum historiam illustrantia" (typis Vaticanis, 1864), the more important on account of the general darkness which shrouds our Ecclesiastical history of that period, and of the inextricable confusion in which the succession of bishops in the See of Ardagh seemed hitherto involved.
During the first years of the century, this see was governed by Dr. William O'Farrell, who, together with the mitre, retained the hereditary chieftaincy of his family, and was styled by his contemporaries Bishop of Ardagh and Dynast of Annaly. The brief of his appointment to the episcopal see is dated the 4th of August, 1479 (ap. Theiner, pag. 486), and Ardagh is described as having been rendered vacant by the demise of John, his immediate predecessor. The new bishop is said to be descended from the ancient chieftains of that district, and he is styled Abbot of the Cistercian Monastery of St. Mary's of Lera, better known by its more modern name of Granard; he is, moreover, described as remarkable for his learning, piety, and every virtue which should adorn the episcopal character.
Dr. William O'Farrell governed the see of Ardagh for thirty-seven years, and died in 1516. The historian Ware, anxious to find room for two supposed bishops, viz.—Thomas O'Congalan, and Owen, who should have presided over this see between 1500 and 1510, asserted that Dr. O'Farrell resigned his see many years before his death. However, these two bishops never held the see of Ardagh; they were Bishops of Achonry, and the Latin name of that diocese, Achadensis, probably gave occasion to the error of the learned writer.
In Father Theiner's collection there is another document of the year 1517, which illustrates this point. It is entitled "Processus Consistorialis", that is, a consistorial inquiry for the appointment of a successor to Dr. O'Farrell. This consistorial record presents to us a series of very important monuments. It opens with a letter of King Henry VIII., addressed to the great Pope Leo X., and dated Greenwich, 26th July, 1517. We give the whole original text of this letter, as it forms such a contrast with the subsequent iniquitous career of that unfortunate monarch:
"Sanctissimo Clementissimoque Dño. nostro Papae.
"Beatissime Pater, post humillimam commendationem et devotissima pedum beatorum oscula. Expositum nobis fuit Cathedralem Ecclesiam Ardakadensem perexigui census ac proventus in dominio nostro Hiberniae per obitum Reverendissimi in Christo patris, Dñi. Wilhelmi ejus novissimi Episcopi, impraesentia vacare suoque pastore esse destitutam, et cogitantibus tum nobis ei providere propositus fuit venerabilis vir Magister Rogerius O'Moleyn, Cathedralis Ecclesiae Cluamensis canonicus, vir modestus, circumspectione, probitate et doctrina non mediocriter probatus, quem et nos idoneum existimavimus cui dictae Ecclesiae Ardakadensis cura committatur eique praeficiatur. Quocirca Vestrae Sanctitati eum commendamus ut eundem Magistrum Rogerium praedictae Ecclesiae praeficere ac Episcopum et Pastorem constituere dignetur, quod et honori atque utilitati ejusdem Ecclesiae futurum putamus et nobis erit admodum gratum: et felicissime valeat Vestra Beatitudo. Quam Deus Altissimus longaevam conservat", etc.
In the next place the Cardinal to whose care had been entrusted the inquiry as to the merits of Dr. O'Malone, presents a petition to the Holy Father, in which he states that the Vice-Chancellor of the Roman Church, to whom the task should belong, being impeded by sickness, it had become his duty to propose the candidate for the vacant see: a diligent investigation being made, Roderick O'Malone, canon of Clonmacnoise, recommended by the English king, was found to be a person well suited for that important post, and as he was actually present in the city of Rome, his Eminence prays the Holy Father to sanction without delay his appointment to the See of Ardagh.
The evidence of three Irish witnesses in regard of the vacant see is also produced. From their depositions we cull the following particulars:
1. That the Diocese of Ardagh formed part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Armagh, and was vacant for about a year, by the death of William, its last Bishop.
2. That the town of Ardagh was situated in a hilly country, surrounded by woods and forests. In this town there were no more than four houses, all built of wood, and its inhabitants were very few, in consequence of the continual quarrels between the late bishop and his neighbours; for Dr. O'Farrell had wished to insist upon his rights as chief dynast of Annaly; but some of his clansmen refused to recognize his claims, and having assembled their forces, assailed and reduced to absolute ruin the mere remnant of the former city of Ardagh.
3. The cathedral shared in the ruin of the metropolitical city. Its walls alone were now standing. There was only one altar, and it was canopied by the azure vault of Heaven. Moreover, there was only one priest in the district, and the Holy Sacrifice was rarely offered up. There was neither sacristy, nor belfry, nor bell; in fact, there were scarcely vestments and altar ornaments sufficient for one Mass, and these were ordinarily kept in a common box in the body of the church.
4. The Deanery is valued at ten ducats, equal to £2 10s. The archdeacon's revenue was eight ducats. There were also twelve Canons and a few minor Prebendaries of little or no income. The extent of the diocese is said to be about twenty miles, and, it is added that there were some few rural benefices in the patronage of the bishop.
5. As regards the bishop elect, Dr. Roderick O'Malone, he is described as "honestis parentibus natus aetatis annorum fere XL., sanus mente et corpore, ac bonae conversationis et famae, in jure canonico bene instructus et litteratus, ac in sacerdotii ordine constitutus et ad ipsius Ecclesiae regimen et gubernationem aptus et idoneus" (p. 521.). The Holy See readily approved of the appointment of such a worthy successor of St. Mel, and in the hope that through the prudence and zeal of such a bishop, the ancient Diocese of Ardagh would soon regain its former splendour, Dr. O'Malone was proclaimed in consistory of 4th December, 1517. He was moreover permitted to retain his former canonry and benefice in Clonmacnoise, on account of the poverty of the see of Ardagh; for, though it was rated in the books of the Apostolic Datary with the tax of 33-1/3 ducats, its whole annual revenue was now reduced to the sum of ten ducats.
Such are the principal points of this important consistorial record, as far as it relates to the Diocese of Ardagh. There are, however, some incidental statements introduced into it which may not be uninteresting to the reader:
"The island of Hibernia", it says, "was called Ierne (Iuverna) in the time of Pliny, and at a later period received from the barbarians the name Ireland (i.e. Western Land). The inhabitants of the coasts which look towards England, are somewhat modernized in the usages of life; the remainder of the island retains its primitive simplicity, and uses wooden or straw houses. The great majority of the population roams through the open country following their flocks; they travel barefoot, and are fond of plunder. The chief produce of the island is corn; its horses are of a superior merit, being swifter than those of England, and at the same time having a softer and more agreeable pace. They were formerly known as Asturcons, having come from the Asturias in Spain. Amongst the chief saints of Ireland are numbered Sts. Malachy, Cathaldus, and Patrick, by whom the inhabitants were first led to the fold of Christ. It gave birth to William Ocham, who was famed for his skill in Dialectics, and flourished under Pope John XXII.; as also to Richard Fitz Ralph, Archbishop of Armagh and Cardinal, who about 1353 was conspicuous for his learning and writings".
This statement in regard of Dr. Fitz Ralph decides the controversy which was raised by Ware, as to the fact of this archbishop having been decorated with the Roman purple. Raffaelle da Volterra expressly attested it: but Ware deemed the silence of Ciacconius and other historians conclusive against his claim. However, the Roman Consistory itself now confirms the statement of Volterra, and hence we may further deduce another important conclusion, that, viz., in general the silence of Ciacconius and other such historians is of little weight in regard of our Irish prelates, especially when their elevation to the purple has positive testimony in its favour, such, for instance, as is more than once met with in the writings of Lopez and others.
Dr. Roderick O'Malone continued to govern the see of Ardagh till the year 1540, under which year his death is recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters. His successor was Dr. Patrick Mac Beathy Mac Mahon, of the Order of St. Francis, whose appointment is registered in the Consistorial Acts on 14th November, 1541, the see being described as vacant per obitum Roderici.
During the first years of Dr. Mac Mahon's episcopate, the temporalities of the see were possessed by Richard O'Ferral, who, being temporal dynast of the district, wished also to enjoy the episcopate, and had his usurpation readily confirmed by the crown. The writ for his consecration bears date the 22nd of April, 1542, when already the canonically appointed bishop had for six months dispensed the bread of life to the faithful of Ardagh. It was only in 1553, on the demise of the schismatical nominee, that the Catholic bishop was allowed his full rights and privileges, and received possession of the temporalities of the see.
Dr. Mac Mahon died in 1576, and had for his successor another member of the Franciscan Order, Richard Mac Brady, who was proclaimed bishop of Ardagh in the Consistory of 16th January, 1576-7. He, however, held the see for little more than three years, and was then transferred to the diocese of Kilmore. His successor as bishop of Ardagh was the renowned Edmund Mac Gauran, who, being translated to the Primatial See on the 1st July, 1587, closed his career by adding his name to the long list of the martyrs of Ireland.
It is now time to draw a few practical conclusions from the historical facts which we have thus faintly sketched.
1. In the first place, the assailants of the Catholic cause contend that Henry VIII., when assuming to himself the appointment of bishops to the Irish sees, and rejecting as nugatory the sanction of Rome, merely continued the long-practised usage of England, and asserted the time-honoured privileges of his crown. Now we have seen the submissive letter with which Henry himself petitions Pope Leo to confirm Dr. O'Malone in the see of Ardagh; and hence it results that the course subsequently pursued by the English monarch was confessedly an usurpation of the rights of the Vicar of Christ and a trampling on the traditions of the kingdom.
2. We have also seen how the schismatical bishop, D. Richard O'Ferral, can have no claim to be ranked amongst the successors of St. Mel. The canonically appointed bishop was already engaged for six months in dispensing the food of life to his flock, when the schismatical nominee was intruded into the see of Ardagh. During Elizabeth's reign another Protestant bishop was similarly nominated to this see. His name was Lisach O'Ferral, and as we learn from Harris, his letters patent bear date the 4th November, 1583. This date alone suffices for his condemnation. The Catholic bishop was long before divinely chosen to rule that spiritual fold; and a rival bishop appointed by royal authority must be regarded not as a true shepherd, but as a plunderer whose mission it is to scatter the flock of Christ.
3. We have also seen how the so-called Reformation was ushered into the diocese of Ardagh. The altar was despoiled, the cathedral was in ruins, and the general destruction which dismantled the material house of God, seemed to forebode the spiritual desolation which should soon prevail. It is now cheering to contemplate the happy change that reigns in that favoured diocese. Once more the altars are clothed with gladness; a noble cathedral, which is an ornament not to the diocese alone, but to the whole island, honours the memory of St. Mel; and we may confidently hope that under the wise guidance of its holy bishop and clergy, this material restoration is the harbinger and token of the spiritual progress of its faithful people, and of the rapid strides made by the whole country in regaining its former proud position as Island of Saints.
P. F. M.
THE SACRED CONGREGATION OF RITES ON THE SIGNS OF MARTYRDOM IN THE CATACOMBS.
DECREE.
Postquam saeculo XVI., laboribus praesertim et studiis Antonii Bosi iterum sacra suburbana patuere Coemeteria, quae a saeculo VIII. exeunte Summorum Pontificum cura penitus interclusa remanserant ne barbari Romanum solum devastantes ibi aliquam inferrent profanationem, in iis conquiri coeperunt Martyrum
I. An Phialae vitreae, aut figulinae sanguine tinctae quae ad loculos sepultorum in Sacris Coemeteriis vel intus vel extra ipsos reperiuntur, censeri debeant Martyrii signum?
II. An ideo sit standum vel recedendum a Decreto Sacrae Congregationis Indulgentiarum, et Reliquiarum, diei 10 Aprilis 1668?
Respondit ad primum: "AFFIRMATIVE";
Respondit ad secundum: "PROVISUM IN PRIMO".
Ideoque declaravit confirmandum esse decretum anni 1668.
Facta autem de praemissis Sanctissimo Domino Nostro PIO PAPAE IX. a subscripto Secretario accurata omnium expositione, Sanctitas Sua sententiam Sacrae Congregationis ratam habuit et confirmavit, atque praesens decretum expediri praecepit.
Die 10 Decembris 1863.
C. Episcopus Portuen. et S. Rufinae CARD. PATRIZI,
S. R. C. Praef.
D. Bartolini S. R. C. Secretarius.
This Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites contains the decision of a most important and interesting question. The decision itself is prefaced by an historical summary by help of which even those who hear of the question for the first time, are placed in a position to understand without trouble its nature and bearing. It is unnecessary to say anything concerning the early phases of the controversy about the value of the phial of blood, as a sign of martyrdom. Nor, after the decision just delivered, is it necessary to dwell upon the difficulties that have been urged in our own day against the ancient practice. In face of the clear and explicit declaration of the Sacred Congregation, such difficulties lose in Catholic eyes all the value which once might have been claimed for them. Nevertheless, it will not be without advantage to make some observations on the objections which have furnished the matter for the rigorous examination alluded to in the Decree.
Three of these objections are deserving of special attention.
1. Many of the sepulchres marked by the presence of the phial of blood bear, likewise, the names of consuls who flourished after the reign of Constantine. Now, the reign of Constantine put an end to the persecutions and brought peace to the Church. How, then, can the phials of blood be a sign of martyrdom, when they appear upon graves opened to receive those who died when the period of martyrdom had passed?
This difficulty, so serious at first sight, becomes much less serious when we consider that we must except from the number of these inscriptions, all such as belong to the reign of Julian the Apostate, in whose days there was certainly no lack of martyrs. This deduction made, the number of inscriptions, hitherto found, marked with the names of consuls posterior to Constantine, and in connection with the phial of blood, amounts to the comparatively insignificant number of about thirty. To account for this number of martyrs after Constantine, it is not necessary, on the one hand, to suppose a general persecution; and on the other, we have ample testimony to the existence of partial persecutions and outbreaks against the Christians, more than sufficient to have caused the death of a much greater number. In the first place, some of the Christian emperors were Arians, and as such little careful to protect the Catholics against the fury of the Pagans or of the heretics. Saint Felix II., Eusebius the Priest, and many others received the crown of martyrdom from this cause. In the next place, the orthodox emperors generally did not reside at Rome, which they governed by prefects, who were for the most part Pagans. Besides, the Roman nobility long continued, not only Pagan, but violently attached to Pagan superstitions. Among the people, too, there were many Pagans whose rage at the decay of their own religion, was provoked still more by the sight of the progress made by Christianity.
The state of Rome during this period will best be understood by the two following facts. In the year 369, the Prefect of Rome having rebuilt the portico of the Dei Consenti under the Capitol, whilst Valentinian I. was Emperor, and Saint Damasus was Pope, was bold enough to place on its front an inscription still to be read: "Deorum Consentium Sacrosancta Simulachra". The famous Altar of Victory, in the Capitol, was kept in its place of honour as late as the reign of Theodosius, notwithstanding the efforts of the preceding emperors to remove it. Nor could even that great emperor effect its removal without exciting tumults on the part of the Pagan senators. In such a state of society, lasting more or less for a century and a half, is it hard to find a place for the martyrdom of many and many a Christian?
2. The second difficulty is as follows: Many of the graves marked by the phial of blood are also marked by the presence of that special form of the monogram of Christ which belongs to the period of Constantine; they cannot,
What has been already said in reply to the first difficulty applies equally to the second. But is it certain that the use of the monogram in question does not go farther back than the time of Constantine? There is good reason to believe that it is by no means certain. In many portions of the catacombs which, undoubtedly, were excavated before the fourth century, tablets have been found most distinctly marked with this form of monogram. Besides, the same form is sometimes found close by other forms which are beyond doubt of most remote antiquity, and this, too, in corridors which, for the most part, appear to have been excavated before the time of Constantine. Examples of this collocation are to be seen in the cemetery of Cyriaca, in that of Maximus, or Saint Felicitas, in the Via Salaria Nuova, in the cemetery of Saint Hypolytus, in the cemetery of Saint Agnes. It is the well-considered opinion of almost all antiquarians, that the use of the monogram alluded to in the difficulty was by no means infrequent at the close of the third and the commencement of the fourth century—that is to say, at the period of the persecution of Dioclesian.
3. The third difficulty denies the supposition that the slight red coating found on the side of the phials, has been deposited there from blood. Some have been bold enough to say that it is due to the Eucharistic species of wine which the vessels once contained, and which gradually dried up; others say that it has been caused by the decomposition of the glass, or that water trickling through the reddish earth has left behind it a coloured sediment upon the vessel's sides. But it results from careful chemical analysis, frequently repeated, that the red coating is due to the presence of the colouring matter of the blood, and not to any of the causes above recited. The opinion which ascribes it to the Eucharistic species is, above all others, singularly destitute of proof from history or monuments.
Since the publication of the Decree we have given above, an important discovery has been made in the Basilica Ambrosiana of Milan, which goes far to justify the accuracy of the decision of the Sacred Congregation. In the year 386 Saint Ambrose discovered at Milan the relics of the two illustrious Milanese martyrs, Saints Gervasius and Protasius. He caused them to be translated to the Basilica, and buried them beneath the altar, on the right or Gospel side. "This spot", said he, in his discourse on the occasion, "I had destined for myself, for it is meet that the bishop should repose where he was wont to offer the Divine Sacrifice. But to these sacred victims I give up the right portion". Saint Ambrose died in 397, and was buried on the left or Epistle side of the same altar, beneath which he had placed the bodies of the holy martyrs.
In the ninth century Anglebert II., Bishop of Milan, placed in one and the same urn the remains of the three saints, and built over them a new altar, which was so richly ornamented with gold and precious stones that it has ever since been styled the Pallio d'Oro. This altar has remained intact down to our days. On the evening of the 15th January, 1864, the authorities of the Basilica, in course of excavations directed by the provost and a special commission, made search for the primitive sepulchre in which Saint Ambrose had laid the two martyrs. They found it formed of slabs of rare marbles, and within it a little earth mixed with small fragments of bones, together with a fragment of an ampolla or glass phial. Of this ampolla, the illustrious Cavalier De Rossi, in his Bulletino di Archeologia Cristiana (anno ii., No. 3, p. 21), thus writes: "It now remains for me to speak of a fact lately established by chemical science—a fact of the greatest importance, and worthy of the attentive consideration of all students of Christian archæology. In Biraghi's first account (of the discoveries in the Basilica Ambrosiana) we read that the bottom of a glass ampolla was found in the sepulchre to the right, that is, in the sepulchre of the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius. The same gentleman has since written to me to say that a chemical analysis of the deposit found in the fragment of phial has resulted in the discovery of the presence of blood. Now, this is certainly the most notable instance we have of a phial containing blood being placed at the sepulchre of martyrs known as such to history, and what especially distinguishes this ampolla beyond every other are the solemn words of the great Doctor Saint Ambrose, which have especial reference to it. He had discovered the tomb of Saints Gervasius and Protasius, and describing his discovery in a letter to his sister Marcellina, he says that within the urn he found 'plurimum sanguinis'. In the same epistle he adds: 'Sanguine tumulus madet, apparent cruoris triumphales notae, inviolatae reliquiae loco suo et ordine repertae avulsum humeris caput' (Ep. xxii. ad Marcellin.). It was of the blood of the same martyrs that Gaudentius, of Brescia, uttered the well-known words: 'Tenemus sanguinem gypso collectum, qui testis est passionis' (Serm. in ded. SS. XL. Mart.). But neither Ambrose nor any one else had informed us that besides the blood copiously sprinkled in the sepulchre, and in which the chalk or cement was soaked, there was also some collected in a glass ampolla. The late discovery certifies to this fact, and shows that phials filled or stained with blood were placed in the sepulchres of martyrs, and that these phials were alluded to in the celebrated words of Ambrose and his contemporaries, who speak of blood found in tombs, and bearing witness to martyrdom. This important fact comes most opportunely to strengthen the principle followed by the Church; and lately confirmed by a new decree of the Congregation of Rites, namely, that the bloodstained ampolla was placed in the sepulchres of martyrs to the end that it might bear witness to their glorious death for the faith of Christ".
UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN IRELAND.
There are two Universities recognized by law in this country. One of these, the University of Dublin, or Trinity College, although it has shown of late years a more liberal spirit towards Catholics than formerly, must always remain essentially Protestant in character, until the way is open for Catholics to be appointed on its governing body—a change, of which there does not appear to be the slightest probability.
As a matter of fact, its governing body, consisting of the provost and senior fellows, are all members of the Church as by law established, and, with two exceptions, are Protestant clergymen. The other fellows, and the scholars on the foundation, are likewise Protestants; and this in a city where, of a population of 254,000, only 58,000 are Protestants (of all denominations), and in a country in which only 11.8 per cent. of the inhabitants are members of the Established Church.
It is true that within the last few years some scholarships of small value have been opened for Catholics and Dissenters. Masters of Arts, even such of them as are not Protestants, have votes in the election of members to represent the University in Parliament; but these scholarships are not on the foundation, the holders of them do not belong to the corporation, and no Catholic has any share in the government of the University, nor (with one trifling exception) in its teaching. Trinity College was founded for the purpose (as stated in its original charter) of destroying Catholicity and promoting the ascendancy of the Established Church in Ireland. It has religiously endeavoured to discharge that trust; and, although some of its members have been and are men of liberal and enlarged views, still it continues to the present day the work
We need not be surprised, then, that the number of Catholics entering Trinity College has steadily diminished during the last thirty years, and that they now form only six per cent. of the total number of entrances. In the official return contained in the last report of the Census Commissioners, we find that on the 17th May, 1861, of one hundred and forty-seven students resident in Trinity College, only five were Catholics.
In order to remedy, in some measure, this evil, the late Sir Robert Peel founded the Queen's Colleges. But the remedy was ineffectual. These colleges incurred the reprobation of the authorities of the Catholic Church, and, consequently, by far the greater part of Catholics object to these institutions on conscientious grounds, and many of them on political and social grounds also.
According to the last census, there were in Ireland in 1861, ninety-eight classical schools under the management of societies or boards, and two hundred and three private classical schools. The total number of pupils in these schools was 10,346, of whom 5,118, or about one-half, were Catholics. There were also 1,242 Catholics returned as receiving collegiate education on the 17th of May of that year. We have thus a total of 6,360 Catholic youths receiving a superior education in Ireland. Few, if any, of the Catholic institutions to which these pupils belong look with favour on the existing universities. On the other hand, none of these youths ought to be excluded from University education on account of conscientious objections: and yet by far the greater number are practically excluded at present, at least they are excluded from participation in the highest University dignities, and from the management of those seats of learning and centres of intellectual progress, one of which is essentially Protestant, the other is condemned by their Church. Is this justice? is it equality? is it intellectual freedom?
The unfairness of the present system will appear more clearly, if we consider the question of professional education. In the profession of the Law, out of 758 barristers in Ireland in 1861, 216 were returned as Catholics; 674 out of 1,882 attorneys; of 2,358 physicians and surgeons, 761 were Catholics; and 210 out of 419 apothecaries, many of whom hold a medical license. Of 1,065 members of other liberal professions, not ecclesiastics, the Census Commissioners state that 358 belonged to the Catholic religion; and of 267 professors in colleges, and tutors, 141 held the same faith. To these we must add 83 law students, 40 of whom are Catholics; and 329 Catholic medical students out of a total of 954. We have thus 2,729 Catholics out of a total of 7,758 persons engaged in the liberal professions, or aspiring to them.
Let us now see the disabilities under which this large number, more than one-third of the whole, labour, when on conscientious grounds they object, as is generally the case, to existing University arrangements.
With respect to the profession of the Law and to Attorneys, the following arrangement is at present in force by Act of Parliament, or by the resolution of the Benchers.
All graduates of Trinity College or of the Queen's University can be called to the Bar at the end of three years from the date of their registration as law students; while non-graduates are inadmissible to such call until the expiration of five years from such date.
Graduates are obliged to attend only two courses of lectures, either at the King's Inns or at Trinity College, or (in the case of students of the Queen's University) at any one of the Provincial Colleges; while non-graduates are required to attend four courses, viz.:—two courses at the King's Inns, and two additional courses at Trinity College. Moreover, graduates are required to attend twelve terms' commons, viz.: six in the King's Inns and six in any Inn in London; while non-graduates are required to attend seventeen, terms' commons, viz.: nine in the King's Inns and eight in England. Finally, the fees payable by graduates are less than those imposed upon non-graduates.
With regard to the apprentices of solicitors and attorneys, all matriculated students of Trinity College and of the Queen's Colleges are exempt from the preliminary examination imposed upon all other apprentices who have not been so matriculated. They may further be admitted to the practice of their profession two years earlier than non-matriculated apprentices, and are exempt from one of the courses of lectures appointed by the Benchers for such apprentices.
From this it appears that Catholics, and indeed all who object to the Protestant University and to the Queen's Colleges, are delayed in their course to a profession one or two years longer than the graduates of the favoured institutions, and are obliged to attend additional lectures and to pay extra fees, irrespectively of their proficiency in literature and science, or in law. Nearly one thousand Catholics (930) must submit to these inconveniencies, or must, on the one hand, choose between a University founded to maintain the ascendancy of the Established Church in Ireland, and, on the other hand, institutions condemned by their Church.
With respect to the Medical Profession, every one knows the high value set by practitioners, and by the public, on the title and degree of "Doctor of Medicine". Now, no one can obtain that high distinction in Ireland unless by becoming a member of one of the two Universities recognized by law; and the 329 Catholic medical students must either give up all chance of that honour and professional advantage,