284 



Respect, My Lord, your Lordship's most obedient and most 



humble servant, 



" Jonath: Swift. 



"Deanery-House October 7 th, 1737." 



Dr. Todd was permitted by the Rev. Edward S. Abbott, 

 Prebendary of St. John's, to exhibit to the Academy an origi- 

 nal Bull of Pope Nicholas III., which is preserved in the ar- 

 chives of Christ Church Cathedral, dated in the second year 

 of his pontificate, a. d. 1279. It commissions the Archdeacon 

 of Leighlin to inquire into the case of the Prior and Chapter 

 of Christ Church, who complained that the prior and two 

 other canons had been unjustly excommunicated by John, vi- 

 car of Balrothery. The following is a copy of this docu- 

 ment : — 



" Nicolaus episcopus, servus servorum Dei, dilecto filio. . . 

 Archidiacono Lechlinensi salutem et apostolicam benedictio- 

 nem. Conquesti sunt nobis . . . Prior et Capitulum Cathedra- 

 lis ecclesie Sancte Trinitatis Dublinen. ordinis SanctiAugustini 

 quod Johannes perpetuus vicarius ecclesie de Balitridir* Dub- 

 linen. dioc. in Willm tunc priorem,| Reginaldum tunc ofHci- 

 alem ipsius capituli sede Dublinen. vacantej ac Philippum 

 de Schitsebyr ejusdem ecclesie canonicos in quos nullam habe- 

 bat jurisdictionem ordinariam seu etiam delegatam communiter 

 excommunicationis sententiam temeritate propria promulgavit. 

 Ideoque discretioni tue per apostolica scripta mandamus qua- 



* Bilitridir.] Now Balrothery. 



t Wdlih tunc priorem.] William de Gran, who was prior of Christ Church 

 1263 to 1280, and also was Lord Chancellor of Ireland. 



J Sede Dublinen. vacante."] The See of Dublin was vacant from the death 

 of Archbishop Fulk Sandford, in 1271 to 1279, in which year the Pope hav- 

 ing declared null the elections of the Chapters of Christ Church and St. Pa- 

 trick's, who had chosen two different persons, nominated to the see John de 

 Derlington, an Englishman, who had been collector of Peter pence for the 

 Court of Rome in England. 



