THE HYACINTH. 189 



enemy, in ihe very heart of one of his strongest 

 holds, coukl not but lead to great excitement ; per- 

 secution, carried to the utmost extent short of mur- 

 der, was the certain lot of those poor victims of 

 popery who dared to inquire what ihey should do 

 to be saved, and join the congregation of the zeal- 

 ous servant of God, who had left some comfortable 

 preferment in his native land, to assume the office 

 of a missionary among his wretched countrymen 

 here. Many were, however, found to encounter 

 the worst that man could do, rather than forego the 

 word, the sweetness of which they had once been 

 brought to taste : and to this hour, a little flock is 

 regularly assembling, who, having cast away the 

 trammels of popish delusion, are able, even in the 

 extremiiy of wretchedness and want, to rejoice in 

 Christ as their only and all-sufficient Saviour. 



It was in the spring of 1831, that a Scripture- 

 reader, attached to the Irish church and school, 

 was visited one evening by a young countryman, 

 who requested his assistance in penning a memo- 

 rial or petition, by which he hoped to obtain some 

 employment. It appeared that he was a most ex- 

 travagant and dissipated character, who had, through 

 his own vicious conduct, forfeited every advantage 

 that he acquired. Still, being ' a good Catholic,^ 

 all was right with him ; and the sins for which, 

 with sixpence, he could any day purchase absolu^ 

 tion, never gave him a moment's concern. 



