205 



heresy against the Irish, in his celebrated letter to Segienus in A. D. 

 650.* 



It would be far beyond the scope of this Essay, to enter into the 

 whole evidences of the Christian doctrine, as professed at that period, 

 it involves a controversy which is cheerfully committed to those, who 

 may be more disposed or able to conduct it. Primate Usher on the 

 one side endeavours to establish, " that the ancient Irish Christians 

 differed much from the faith and doctrine now received in the Roman 

 Church, particularly concerning the books of canonical Scripture, 

 justification, purgatory, the real presence, confession, absolution, Eas- 

 ter, church power, and the supremacy,"'!' while Doctor Lanigan, in 

 his Ecclesiastical History of Ireland, combats these opinions with 

 much learning and authority. 



It might, however, be considered a desertion of our subject, were 

 we not to examine the Confession of Saint Patrick and his Letter to 

 Coroticus, as well as the works of two authors, who are more especially 

 considered the indices of Irish theology at this period. We allude to 

 Coelius Sedulius, and Cumian ; the former was the author of several 

 religious comments, written, according to Trithemius, about A. D. 

 430: the latter has left behind him that well known Essay "De men- 

 sura Pcenitentiarum," which is preserved in the " Bibliotheca Patrum," 

 (vol. 12. p. 42, &c.) and which DupinJ considers the best criterion 

 extant of the doctrine of the ancient Irish. These works have, there- 

 fore, been examined with a view of here furnishing a simple summary 

 of their contents, and the following analysis is the result of the inves- 

 tigation. 



• See Sylloge, p. 17. . ja.H -i : 



f Nicholson's Irish Hist. Lib. p. 68. See also De La Roche's Bibl. Angloise, torn. 4. 

 p. 320, and the Irish MS. there alluded to. 

 t Bibliotheque ad sept. cent. 



