THE GARDEN. 235 



of those means. He told of the funeral of a 

 policeman, whose mangled remains he buried amid 

 menacing thousands of those whose hands had shed 

 his blood, or whose hearts applauded the deed. 

 They pressed on the heretic minister, with thoughts 

 of similar violence ; but the Lord put it into his 

 heart to use his knowledge of the vernacular tongue 

 for their benefit : he continued the beautiful service 

 in Irish ; and the effect was wonderful. They 

 listened, they joined in it ; and at the close they 

 opened a passage for him with uncovered heads, 

 pronouncing a blessing on him in the tongue that 

 they loved : and such was the influence that its 

 use had given him over them, that, when frankly 

 declaring their purpose of not leaving a Protestant 

 alive in the parish, they told him his blood would 

 be the last that they should shed ! 



I cannot forget the thrilling reality of all this : 

 neither could I, nor\vould I, forget that he who so 

 feelingly, so tenderly, interceded fox his deluded 

 countrymen, had, within a few short weeks, beheld 

 the grey hairs of his own beloved father brought 

 down in blood to the grave, by the murderous hands 

 of such as he was pleading for. He alluded not to 

 this : but surely the blessing of him who prayed 

 for His murderers, could not but sanctify the effort 

 made : and surely a portion of that blessing will 

 accompany even my poor record of it, to re* h the 

 heart of some on behalf of Ireland's guilty Papists 



