ing. The next perfon we faw was Matt Snarl-he feemed to have forgotten all his tear-office humbugging, or to have laid it alide for the more prudent and more important duty of promoting the profperity of Ireland. Halloo rabble, halloo, out of the way for Sir John Weathercock, from Weathercock Hall, Efq He is come to promote the profperity of Ireland;— and as he is of too much confequence, to be thrust into fuch an article as this, we muft in fome future number fpare a few columns for bis individual self, where we can put his tiles, his whole titles, and nothing but his titles at the top. Now comes Peter Veto from Kingftreet. Peter will we, or will we not, referve you for a weathercock article? No, your's indeed is an old Catholic fat mily, and though you have grofsly deviated from the Catholicity of your ancestors, you may yet regain their refpectability, by turning off that road. which your pride of the moment tempt ed you to travel. Redmond Clyfter, you are fcarcely deferving our notice as you are, however, one of the Farmers' Club, we will give you a paffing word, by telling you, you are like a man on the top of a very high steeple, where the people underneath appear little, and where he certainly appears less in their eyes. here? And Kervan what brings you Is not one apothecary enough for the Half the farming business of the day is now over; the prosperity of Ireland is promoted--and the cloth is removed, when the other object of the club is in troduced by Doctor Four Eyes. Mr. Chairman, fays this well looking man, I rife-I rife to propofe the condemna tion-the condemnation of those three I have never read Magazines in toto. the Irish Magazine, but all I was told of it by bifhop O'Beirne-I think then we fhould purge the town of fuch as you called it before dinner, an infamous production. The head of the club bowed affent, and was pleafed to declare himfelf perfectly convinced, and perfuaded, and fatisfied, that whilft that venerable prelate's influence extended to Kilkenny, and whilft fuch liberality, as the gentleman juft fat down had fhewn, prevailed ahongft them, the growing profperity of Ireland must be manifétt. The increafing oppofition to the Irif Magazine kept pace with the confumption of the claret-till at length roofed by that patriotifm, by which that very feb were ever known to be actuated, they paid for the wine and the dinner, and each teftified a wish that they could find fome perfon to PACK to our agent in Kilkenny, to top the fale of the barefaced Frith Magazine. Thus, and thus ended all the farming busi nefs tranfacted either then, or ever, by the old fpurious farthing club." farmers' club? Yes you are no farmer; A Critical Essay on the Scoto Mile you have more fenfe than to be apeing sian Antiquities. (Continued from page 518.) Jofeph Scaliger enumerates eleven mother tongues; the Hebrew, the Latin, the Greek, the Teutonic, the Scla vonian, the Epirotic, the Hungarian, the Finlandifh, the Irish, the British, and Bifcayan. The number of mother tongues of lefs extended Europe, avs Sampfon (Introd. à la Geog. 2. par. It appears that Bolandus, a man of diftinguished abilities in other refpects, has not duly investigated the fubject in queftion. His miltake proceeds merely from a falfe confequence he draws from what he had read in Nennius, Colgan, Ware, and others, with regard to St. Patrick. Thefe authors mention, that this Saint had given the abjectoria, or par. liv. 3. c. 5.) is better known to us than that of the other three quarters of the Globe; they may be reduced to fix, namely, the Irish, Finlandifh, the Armoric or Welch, the Bifcayan, the Hungarian, and Albanefe. The Irish, continues he, befides Ireland, is still fpoken in the North of Scotland. The Finlandifh is uted in Scandinavia, and comprehends Finland and Lapland.-aş Nennius calls it, the abjetoria, that The Bretpon, which is the language of Lower Brittany in France, is alfo called Welch, because it is the verna cular language of Wales, one of the provinces of England. The Bifcayan comprehends the Lower Navarre, with, Labour in France, and Bifcay in Spain. The Hungarian, is that of Hungary and Transylvania, which are provinces of Turkey in Europe; and the Albanefe, fo called from Albany, a province in the fame Turkey in Europe. To refufe a nation the ufe of letters, s to undermine the foundations of her history, to deprivé her of the means that are neceffary to hand down her records to pofterity. It is poffible to preferve by oral tradition, fome rem nants of history, as they fay, the works of Homer were preferved for many ages by memory alone, without the help of alphabetical characters; but fuch a tra dition must be very imperfect. Bolandus is the first who afferted, that the Milefians had not the ufe of letters. He lays that the Pagan Irish, as well as the Germans, before the time of St. Patrick, had neither the ufe of letters, nor any method to preferve on paper, or other materials, the recollection of facts; that of all the liberal arts, they were only acquainted with a fpecies of poetry in rhyme, which was highly esteemed by them, and ferved as a fubftitute for memoirs and hiftory: and that St. Patrick, who was verfed in Roman literature, was the first that introduced the ufe of letters amongst them. is, the abecedarium, to the people, whom he had converted. The Roman characters were unknown to the ancient Irish before the time of St. Patrick ;—. but this truly Apoftolical man was de-, firous to confirm in the faith, the new converts, by the perufal of the holy fcriptures, and render that infant Church conformable to the Univerfal Church in the rites, ceremonies, and the manner of celebrating the divine myfteries, and by the ufe of other Church books, took the refolution to give them the Roman characters, that they might learn that language; becaufe the tranflation of those books from Latin into Irish, would have been difficult to a man not perfectly verfed in the latter. But these authors, in mentioning the Roman characters, do not exclude all kinds of characters from among the Milefians:- -on the contrary, they pre fuppofe that they had characters peculiar to their language.For in the fame chapter, where Colgan afferts, that St. Patrick had given to Fiech, one of his difciples, the alphabet written with his own hand, he fays that the fame Fiech was fent fome time before into Conaught, by Dubhthiach, to prefent fome poems of his compofition, in the Irish language, to the princes of that province. He fpeaks alfo of a hymn in Irish, that Fiech compofed in honour of St. PatrickFinally, he fays, that Fiech had made fuch a progrefs in Roman literature, that in lefs than three weeks he knew the entire Pfalter, what would have never been poffible without the knowledge of other characters. Ware fays, that Benignus, a difciple of St. Patrick, and his fucceffor in the See of Armagh, had written a book, partly in Irish, partly in Latin, on the virtues and miracles of St. Patrick, and that from it Jocelyn collected materials to write the Jife of this Saint. If the Scoto-Milefians were ignorant of letters before this period, as Bolandus pretends, how fays Harris, could Fiech and Benignus have written fo elegantly in profe and verfe in that language, and make ufe of characters unknown among them until then? (To be continued.) FRENCH CLERGY. The opinion of Abbe Maury, Deputy of The calin, profound filence with which we yesterday heard the difcuffion of a caufe, in which the Clergy of France is denounced with fuch rigour and feverity, gives us this day room to expect that you will with the fame attention and impartiality hear and liften to the facts and principles we are to bring forward in our lawful defence. Your neutrality and juftice must be manifeft. We hear from every quarter that our lot is fettled, our doom pronounced by the decifions of your committees, that the decree has been already proclaimed, and that it is in vain for us to oppofe a determination inva riably adopted; and that the majority of the National Affembly is infpatient to pronounce the fatal fentence of fupremacy, by which all the ecclefiaftics of the kingdom are to be profcribed and doomed to destruction. The folemnity of this difcuffion puts us in a fituation the more critical and dangerous, being inferior as to number, and attacked with unequal arms. Our adverfaries attack us with philofophical principles, and they invite us to oppofe, them with the means that divinity furnishes us. Alas, Gentlemen, this di vine fcience should and ought to be a ftranger to this Tribunal: but as the is called upon this day, you will allow us to fpeak her language, as neceffity' obliges us in order to enlighten your juftice. Let us then go to the fource and origin of this Conftitution, and we will find from a chain of facts that your de liberations have gone beyond your power, and fignalized both your inability and incompetence. At the moment we have been told for the first time in this Af fembly that the Conftitution of the Cler gy was to be the object of your labours, we forefaw that this pretended civil organization was intended as a fpiritual code for the minifters of the Church. ' And our apprehenfions have not been but too much juftified. The Lord-Bifhop of Clermont, whom we had cho. fen as our organ, renewed the homage of our refpe&ful deference for your de crees, merely, purely and only temporal:After having acquitted our debt as citizens, we declared to you by him, that as the ecclefiaftical jurifdiction was ab: folutely ftrange to you, it would be impoffible for us to adhere or even enter into any deliberation whatfoever rela tive to the rights and difcipline of the Church. We have been faithful to our folemn engagement and have obferved the most profound filence during the courfe of thefe difcuffions that fapped, fubverted, and undermined our rights and principles. The fame prelate, who has made known to you loyally the motives of our non-adhesion faid, that if the nation demanded or required a falutary reform,' the clergy would with the greatest ala crity and zeal come forward, provided they were allowed to proceed according the canons of the Church. He even propofed, in our name, the convocation of a National Council; however, this propofal, though conformable to rule and method, you would not even fo much as difcufs, was rejected. There remained but one canonical road for us to follow, which was, to have recourfe to the visible head of the Church, this we have done-we had recourfe to one of the greatest Pontiffs that led the chair for a long time-to the illuftrious fucceffor of Benedict XIVth. who, for the greatness of his virtues, and the enlightened integrity of his principles, and the great reputation of wifdom, prudence and forefight, for which he is renowned all over Europe, render equally worthy of your confidence and ours,éfpecially in a cafe on the decifion of which the Church alone is to be confulted. The Pope is the fupreme head and organ of the univerfal Church, the ordinary defender of the holy canons, and lawful reformer of the abufes that may be introduced into the government of the Church. You have faid nothing about the legal form to which we had folemnly appealed; and without informing us whether you intended to proceed in a definitive, pofitive, decifive manner, free from ambiguity, or merely preparatory in order to bring forward the new con. Aitution of the Clergy. You went on precipitately, without being flopped by any oppofition, or even by any reprefentation, that from our mouth would have been a dangerous avowal of your Fight or authority. The voice of the public was, that the King had fanctioned your decrees, but that he had fent them to the fovereign Pontiff for his approbation, as otherwife they could not be legal without the intervention of the pontifical authority. We have waited with the most religious fubmiffion and refignatiou for the decifion of the vicar Jefus Chrift, frictly adhering to the rules that have been for ages moft con ftantly and invariably obferved and followed by the Church of France. The answer of the Holy Father Piuś the VIth whom France fhould have chofen as an arbitrator or an umpire, had not Providence defigned him as judge, has not as yet come to the hands of his Majefty; this delay fhould cause no furprize, his Holiness had not received his Majefty's letter only in September, the congregations of the Court of Rome never fit during the months of September and October, confequently the ordinary councils of the Holy See never tranfact bufinefs until after the feaft of All Saints. The important examination of a conftitution, whofe fole view is to deftroy, and renovate all the organization of the Clergy of France, requires time, efpecially in a Court that never precipitates its decifions, and whofe flow and profound wisdom is always fubject to delays, efpecially in the difcuffion of a queftion of fuch extenfive, weighty, and momentous importance as the prefent. At the request of his Majefty, his Holiness has formed a congregation of Cardinals? all thofe commiffaries apoftolic are deeply verfed in the study of ecclefiaftical history and canon law, befides, they have feveral divines, who form their private Council, who lay the refult of their conferences before the auguft fenate, prefided by the fovereign Pontiff, who forms his fupreme decifion of all the learned opinions for the elucidation of all the questions fubmitted to his judgment. This is the method adopted by the visible head of the Church in all his deliberations, when they concern the inte reft of Chriftianity. He will undoubt→ edly take all the neceffary precautions that his wifdom can fuggeft, with regard to fo important and complic t da matter as the prefent; let not then th natural impatience, with which our na ion is reproached, refufe or deny the Holy See the time neceffary to manus.ly, com. pletely pletely, and with deliberation inveftigate this great question: when a man is neyer to return, he fhould not accelerate nor halten his fteps; but in order to affure and perfuade reftlefs minds, who, as they have never reflected, they never pardon, and perhaps they dont even conceive what reflection is, I fhall obferve, that the Popes, whom the Divine Author of the Chriftian religion has invefted with a pre-eminence of honour and jurifdiction in the univerfal Church, can take but three different parts in the prefent circumftances; either his Holinels will give no answer, or he will only purely and fimply accept the king's propofition, or he will not confider himself bound to confecrate your decrees with the feal of his authority. It is impoffible to fuppofe that he will give no aniwer. The refpect he owes to fuch a great nation, fo precious a portion of the Catholic Church, of which he is the head, is a fure pledge to us of the great intereft with which he is this noment examining all the means of conciliating as far as is in his power, the wifh of the majority of this Affembly, with his confcience, his honour and principles. His Holiness will much Jefs avoid an explanation, by reducing his eminent dignity to a miniftry purely palive and unrefifting, that would leave us expofed to the greatest dangers, that his filence would be confidered by all Europe as an approbation. It fhould feem very extraordinary, and even indecent, that the King, after having confulted the Holy See, fhould not expect an anfwer, that according to the ordinary courfe and form, could not as yet arrive. If the head of the Church fhould only purely and fimply receive the petition addrefled to him, relative to the clergy of France, would not this legal, meek, pacific, religious measure be preferable to the rigorous, fevere, cruel measures that are propofed to you? what an unknown, uncommon, and strange manner of bringing a reform, by commencing with perfecution. Should not fuch ti lent and extreme remedies, fuch tyran nical convulfions, that are the greatest of misfortunes in the opinion of all par. ties, be even according to our adverfaries, the last of all refources and expedients? What juft and eternal reproaches would you not make to yourselves, if, from any miferable oftentation of authority, you would prefer harth meafures to mild, that would put an end to all contefts by reconciling all parties. Ah, Gentlemen, that a man, whofe power is precarious, uncertain and tranfitory, fhould fubflitute his own will for his reafon-I comprehend-but that a nation, whofe power is perpetual, conftant, eter nal, fhould fear to wait for time to execute its plans and defigns-to accom. plifh them without oppofition, denotes a pufillanimous precipitation, a fhameful diffidence, difhonourable and unbecoming the reprefentatives of a mighty, great people, that doing even good should act with great prudence, caution, forefight and circumfpection-becaufe patience is the courage of legiflators, and genius wisdom. Finally, fhould the Pope refufe to ac cede to your projects, weigh and examine his motives in your juftice, then it will be time to decide definitively, but according to the common rules of prudence, it fhould not be a provisional expedient. As for our part, Gentlemen, who fix months ago folemnly declared to you by the organ of the Lord Bishop of Clermont, not only that our principles would not permit us in fpiritual affairs to adhere to your new decrees relative to the clergy, that we would take no part nor even difcufs your plans. You fhould not be then furprifed, that we could not without the interpofition of the Church, execut ethem. Our refolu. tions have been notified to you in this Tribunal, andyou have not difapprov ed them. You might well foresee our anfwer, as you have known our legal refervation |