and St. Patrick, prince and chief of the saints of our nation, and go thither bare-footed? Finally, if the Prophet Isaiah was commanded to walk naked for the sins of others, why should we not enter this place of penance bare-footed and bare-headed, to expiate our enormous crimes?"

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Moreover, we pass into the island by water, that the words of the Royal Prophet(Psalm lxv.) may be applied to us: 'We have passed through fire and water, and thou leadest us into a place of refreshment:' that by the fire of devotion and waters of tribulation God may lead us hence, to the spiritual refreshment of our souls and consciences."

'Having humbly received the superior's blessing, the pilgrims kneel before the altar of St. Patrick, signing themselves with the sign of the cross, saying, “In whose name we begin our pilgrimage ;" and there they say one Ave, one Pater, and Creed. "The one Pater is to signify the unity of the Divine nature, who, according to Isaiah and St. Paul, worketh all our works in us (Isaiah xxvi. 12; 1 Cor. xii. 11); especially our penance, which we now begin. We say an Ave, that, as we received our Saviour and Redeemer by the blessed Virgin Mary, so we would by her intercession

obtain grace and remission of our sins from God, and perseverance in doing penance, and eternal bliss. We say a Creed, that by it we would make a profession of our faith before God; for it is impossible to please God without faith. (Heb. xi.) These same reasons may serve for all Paters, Aves, and Creeds said hereafter. Rising from the altar, we kiss its stone, that we may be cleansed from our sins; like Isaiah, who was purged and cleansed when his. lips were touched with a stone taken from the altar. (Isaiah vi.) Afterwards, kneeling at the corner of the chapel, we repeat three Paters, three Aves, and one Creed, to obtain from the Holy Trinity three things necessary for penance; to wit, the fear of the Lord, whereby sin is banished away (Ec. xiii.); humility, by which our prayers penetrate the clouds; and patience, by which we possess our souls (Luke xxii.) In our first going round the chapel we kiss the cross, which standeth before the chapel door, to signify that we ought to embrace and lift up our cross, and follow Christ, who spilt his precious blood seven times for us: first, in his circumcision; secondly, in the Garden of Gethsemani; thirdly, by the scourges when he was bound to the pillar; fourthly, when he was crowned with thorns; fifthly, when he was

stripped naked upon Mount Calvary; sixthly, when he was nailed to the cross; seventhly, after his death, when his side was pierced with a lance. And we touch it with our shoulders; by which we signify that we ought to persevere in it in carrying our cross to the end*."

Is this account true, or is it not? While sceptics are wandering to their several conclusions, it will argue little temerity on the part of Protestant believers, if-and without any violation of the law of love-they DEFY Dr. Doyle, and the whole titular episcopacy of Ireland, even to attempt the abolition of the penances of Lough Dearg. No: let them, at their peril, venture to prohibit their own slaves from riveting new links to the fetters which already gall them; and we shall soon witness the loss of an influence which its present possessors cannot afford to surrender.

I venture upon these statements in direct opposition to the opinion of many excellent persons, some of them being personal friends; and whose general sentiments on the subjects under discus

* Roman Catholic Expositor, No. I.-The publication quoted in the text is entitled, "The Pilgrimage of Lough Dearg. I will give thee understanding, and instruct thee in his way by which you are to go. Psalm xxxi. 5, 10. Approved and written by B. D. Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven.'

sion perfectly coincide with my own. But we differ in this: they insist, that the monks of Assisi, and the priests of Lough Dearg, are alone responsible for their respective acts of profaneness; while their present opponent recognises such deeds as part and parcel of the Papal laws. The policy of the court of Rome can only be paralleled by that of Pekin; which regulates its vast machine of government with a nicety, and persevering vigilance, such as might seem to be unattainable by the limited powers of man. Even the Jesuit missionaries were baffled by the mandarins—a fact which none but themselves can fully understand. And shall any man persuade us, that such things as the Blessing of St. Francis, and the penances of the Holy Lake, are not among the wheels and levers necessary to the movements of the Papal machinery; kept in constant repair, oiled, and cleaned, by engineers appointed and paid-by whom, but the very persons who almost deny their existence?

It is difficult, and indeed all but impossible, to write on these highly offensive and revolting points with the moderation demanded by the religion of Jesus Christ. We breathe a polluted atmosphere; and, being predisposed to imbibe contagion, it is well if we do not sicken of the

same distemper which we would cure in others. How easy is it to declaim against Popery in the spirit of a Jesuit and of an Inquisitor! If I have done this in any portion of these papers, the inconsistency is all my own. It is not forced upon myself, or any writer, by the current of controversy, however strong and impetuous; since the power of temptation is no excuse for yielding to it.

In the relation we bear to the Catholics, never let us forget our several advantages. As a body, they are in a state of comparative darkness. With ourselves it is far otherwise; and it becomes us to remember, what was said by the only infallible Teacher of the Christian church, "That servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required." The emotions of a Christian, when contemplating the worst crimes of Antichrist, should be all resolved into compassion. They should also stimulate him to acts of intercession, and of self-recollection.

The exercise, however, of the most devotional.

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