1829.3 Irish Priests in particular. 507 



"Where is he now, father?" — " He is now on the shore of repentance, 

 within view of the gates of salvation, where the Virgin and the angels are 

 waiting for him. Two guineas more, my son, and we will soon bring 

 him through his troubles." Two guineas more were put down, and the 

 priest grew loud in his Latin. " Now, father, where is he ?" — " The 

 angels are round him, my son ; now they have seized him in their arms ; 

 and now — now they carry him up into the skies : I hear their shouts ; 

 put down three guineas more, my son, and he will soon be up in hea- 

 ven." Three fresh guineas were deposited, and the Latin was again 

 repeated with increased fervour and violent ejaculations. " Where is 

 he now, father ?" — " Now he approaches the walls of Paradise ; now I 

 hear the hynms of the blessed ; now he enters, he is free now ; now he 

 is in the very bosom of St. Anthony." — '' Are you sure, father !" — " Yes, 

 my son, I see him as plain as I see you." — " I am glad of it, father ;" 

 and the man, finding that his friend was released, took the money off the 

 plate, and putting it in his pocket, walked away, leaving the priest to 

 take the sinner out of heaven if he could. 



This anecdote is almost too good to l^e true. I can believe the 

 priest's part, but can scarcely credit the wit of the layman. It is of that 

 contumacious kind which one rarely meets amongst Catholics. 



This paper wiU appropriately close with a sketch of an Irish priest's 

 sermon, in which there is a mixture of the cunning and simplicity — the 

 politics and superstition — that seem indigenous to the race. It refers to 

 the time when the Bible Societies were making great exertions to convert 

 the Catholics, and to spread amongst them a knowledge of the sacred 

 scriptures. The scene was a country chapel of the poorest description — 

 half of the roof wanting — and the whole in a state of dilapidation. 

 Imagine his reverence mounted upon a few boards raised on barrels, and 

 eurrounded by a dense crowd of ragged listeners, stretching out in all 

 directions in the open air round the holy ruin, and you have the picture 

 complete. 



Sacerdos Loquitur. 



" When I begin to spake, boys, you must all listen to me, or where's 

 the use of my wasting my breath upon you. And I haven't much of that 

 same to spend upon the likes of ye. — (Never mind, Mr. Corrigan, if I don't 

 trouble you one of these nights for a httle of your peppermint- water 

 for my asthma. And have you got none of the belly-bacon hanging vip 

 beside the hob .'' Then I'll wait till next year when the pigs are all at 

 home with you again, for I know they're on their way, Mr. Corrigan. 

 You've a pretty snug spot in it, and more's the pity that you don't know 

 how to save your bacon.) — But I was going to bring you all to tax for a 

 mortal sin. Do you know the raal difference between mortal and venal 

 sin ? To be sure you don't ; where would the likes of ye learn any 

 thing about it ? Well then, I'U tell you : mortal sin is of two kinds — i 

 words and deeds — when you daar to say a word against the true church, 

 and when you don't pay up your dues — that's mortal sin ; as for venal 

 sin, that's a matter to be settled at confession ; it dipinds entirely upon 

 myself, and its 'cute ye are if I don't find you out. JMay be you think 

 I don't know what you're all doing when there's nobody looking at you ; 

 you might as well say that I don't know what Abraham is saying to 

 the poor creature that's lying, like a bug in a rug, in his hiizom this 

 thousand years. — (Stand out of the <loorway, Judy Kelly, I can't see 



3 T 2 



