361 APPENDIX III. MITRED ABBEYS AND PRIORIES IN IRELAND. FATE OF THE FIRST POSSESSORS. (From Archdall's Monasticon.) [It has been thought right to add these, though the want of Irish County Histories renders it impossible to trace the fate of the greater number of their possessors.] 1. Mellifont...... 2. Baltinglass.... 3. Jeripoint.. 4. Tracton 5. Rathtoo The Abbey turned into a dwelling-house; which, holding for the King, was besieged by the rebels in 1641. It surrendered on promise of quarter: but many of its defenders were murdered* in cold blood. Granted to Baron Fitz Eustace, Viscount Baltinglass, in 1541: family extinct in 1583. Granted to James, Earl of Ormond: elder branch of family, after suffering great hardships, extinct by the death in exile of the twelfth earl, 1746. Of its earlier possessors we find nothing: the title, Baron Tracton of Tracton, granted in 1781, is now extinct. Abbey-house seized, and burnt by the rebels, 1600. 6. Louth, S. Mary Granted to Plunket, Lord Louth: title" forfeited 1641. 7. Dublin, S. Mary James, earl of Desmond, was the grantee. His son, Gerald, earl of Desmond, fifteenth in succession of a family dating its honours from 1329, engaged in the rebellion of 1582. Reduced to extremities, he lived like a wild beast, continually hunted by his enemies in Harlow Wood: *Cox's History of Ireland, ii. 92. and once he and his countess only escaped 8. Dublin, S. Thomas. 9. Douske. 10. Bective. 11. Trim, S. Peter's. 12. Caral. We cannot learn the grantees. 21. Monaster Evan, Thomas Clinton. Of whom we can learn nothing. James, earl of Ormond. (See 3, iii.) place. George, lord Audley: family exists, but the property is not in it. Hence it appears, that of the possessors of the eleven Mitred Abbeys, of which we have any data, not one family remains in possession of the estate:-one exists in the direct, and one in the younger line. * Cox's History of Ireland, ii. 369. (But the book is so badly paged in that part, as to make the numbers nearly useless.) + But query whether this be the Mitred Abbey. 363 APPENDIX IV. THE CURSE PRONOUNCED ON THE SPOLIATORS OF ABBEYS. THE following may be taken as a fair specimen of the Curses pronounced on the violators of the privileges and property of Monastic Institutions. There does not appear to have been one universal form; the tenor of the imprecation varied according to the will of the Founder. Those which we give are selected at random, one from Martene, the other from Horstius' Edition of S. Bernard. Tenor Maledictionis ferendæ in pervasores, latrones et prædones rerum Fontanella. Auctoritate Omnipotentis DEI et B. Petri Apostolorum principis, cui à DOMINO DEO collocata est potestas ligandi atque solvendi super terram, fiat manifesta vindicta de malefactoribus, latronibus et prædonibus possessionum et rerum juriumque et libertatum Monasterii Sancti Wandregisilii de Fontanellâ totiusque congregationis ipsius Monasterii, nisi de malignitate suâ resipiscant cum effectu. Si autem prædicti malefactores hoc in quo ipsi commiserint emendari voluerint, veniat super illos benedictio Omnipotentis DEI et retributio bonorum operum. Si verò in suâ malignitate corda eorum indurata fuerint, et possessiones cæteraque reddere noluerint, seu ad statum debitum redire non promiserint et emendare pœnitentialiter malitiosè distulerint, veniant super illos omnes maledictiones quibus Omnipotens DEUS maledixit qui dixerunt DOMINO DEO, Recede à nobis ; viam Scientiarum Tuarum nolumus: et qui dixerunt, hæreditate possideamus Sanctuarium DEI. Fiat pars illorum et hæreditas ignis perpetui cruciatûs. Cum Chorâ, Dathan et Abiron, qui descenderunt in infernum viventes; cum Judâ et Pilato, Cayaphâ et Annâ, Simone Mago et Nerone cum quibus cruciatû perpetuo sine fine crucientur. Ita quòd nec cum CHRISTO nec cum Sanctis Ejus in coelesti quiete societatem habeant, sed habeant societatem cum diabolo et sociis ejus in inferni tormentis deputati et pereant in æternum. Fiat. Fiat. Modus exequendi hujusmodi maledictionem in die Dominico et quotidianis diebus in dicto Monasterio. Finito Evangelio à Diacono, stans Presbyter ante altare dicat: Domini Fratres, nullus fidelium æstimet aut credat ut hanc maledictionem quam pro inimicis nostris ante DEUM et pretiosissimum principemque Apostolorum Petrum, cui data est licentia ligandi et solvendi à DOMINO, quotidiè fundimus, ullâ nostrâ temeritate aut præsumptione advenissemus ; sed potestate acceptâ à sede Apostolicâ quo et ipsi potestatem hoc agendi dederunt patrono nostro S. Wandregisilio et maledictionem quam ipsi pro prosecutoribus sanctæ DEI Ecclesiæ exequebantur, congregatio S. Wandregisilii ubicumque necessè fuisset si non resipiscerent similiter fecisset. Et post hæc maledictionem istam confirmaverunt Sancti Pontifices, S. Audoenus Archiepiscopus, &c., &c. [Here follow the names of many persons who had confirmed the right of Malediction.] Invocatio ad DEUM. Omnipotens DEUS, Qui solus respicis afflictionem omnium ad Te clamantium, Qui lacrimas pupillorum ac viduarum ad aures Tuas misericorditer pervenire concedis, respice super nos famulos Tuos, sanctissimis ac piissimis confessoribus Tuis Wandregesilio, Ansbroto, Wulfrano et Erembroto monachis [intercedentibus,] et vindica nos de inimicis nostris qui villas nostras tenent et prædant unde vestire et administrationem habere debeSi autem, quod totis viribus optamus, hoc etiam dare studuerint, veniat super illos benedictio Omnipotentis DEI et re mus. tributio bonorum operum. At si induraverint et res atque prædia suprà dictorum SS. reddere noluerint et emendare pœnitentialiter malitiosè distulerint, veniant super illos omnes maledictiones quibus DEUS Omnipotens illos maledixit, qui dixerunt DOMINO DEO, Recede à nobis, scientium viarum Tuarum nolumus; et qui dixerunt, hereditate possideamus Sanctuarium DEI. Fiat pars eorum et hereditas ignis perpetui cruciatûs cum Dathan et Abiron, Judâ atque Pilato, Sapphirâ et Ananiâ, Cayaphâ et Annâ, Simone et Nerone, cum quibus cruciatu perpetuo sine fine torqueantur. Ita ut nec cum CHRISTO et Sanctis Ejus in cœlesti quiete societatem habeant: sed habeant societatem cum Diabolo et sociis ejus in inferno tormentis deputatis et pereant in æternum. Maledicti sint in civitatibus, maledicti in agris, maledicti in castellis, maledicti in insulis. Maledictus fructus ventris eorum, maledicti in domibus, maledicti ingredientes, maledicti in omnibus locis. Mittat DOMINUS super eos famem esuriem et increpationem et in omnia opera eorum quæ faciunt donec conterat eos et perdat velociter de terrâ. Sit cœlum quod super eos est æreum, et terra quam calcant ferrea. Percutiat eos DOMINUS amentiâ et cæcitate ac furore mentis, et palpent in meridie sicut palpare solet cæcus in tenebris, et nesciant dirigere vias suas. Omni tempore calumniam sustineant et opprimantur violentiâ nec habeant qui liberet eos. Sit cadaver eorum in escam volatilibus cœli et bestiis terræ, et non sint qui sepeliant illud. Constitue super eos peccatorem et Diabolus stet à dextris eorum. Omnes istæ maledictiones veniant super eos et persequentes apprehendant eos donec intereant. claviger ætherie Petre beatissime, exaudi nos famulos tuos suppliciter ad DEUM orantes et ante confessores CHRISTI Wandregisilium, Ansbrotum, Wulfranum et Erembrotum reclamantes de inimicis nostris. Exaudi nos etiam famulos tuos pro peccatis nostris talia patientes ad DEUM et ad te cum quodam singultu graviter suspirantes et sæpiùs reclamantes de cunctis omnibus qui nobis mala fecerunt. Ergò ponantur et isti similiter ut rota et sicut stipula ante faciem venti et sicut participes omnium maledictionum, earum scilicet quæ suprà insertæ sunt, donec erubêscant et resipiscant. Quod si non erubuerint ces |