cular images are occasionally mentioned, as of St. John the Baptist, in the priory which bore his name in Dublin; of St. Dominick, in the monastery of the Dominican Friars at Cork 33; of St. Patrick, St. Brigid, and St. Columba, over the east window of the cathedral church of Down"; and of St. Patrick, in his pontifical habiliments, and St. Francis and St. Dominick in the habits of their respective orders, over the northern door of the principal church of Clonmacnois. Below these were portraits of the same three saints". Not to venture, however, on an extended exemplification of general image-worship, it may suffice to specify a few instances from the chief class of Christian idolatry, as practised in Ireland; and to observe that the image of our blessed Saviour in the cathedral of the Holy Trinity, or Christ Church, Dublin, and that of his virgin mother in the same cathedral, the latter wearing a crown, which was borrowed for the purpose of crowning Lambert Simnell in 1487, when he assumed the character of the murdered Richard, duke of York; another beautiful image of the Virgin with the child Jesus in her arms, in the abbey of the same city, which bore her name; another in the abbey of Trim, and another in that of Irrelagh, and another in the Dominican monastery of Youghal, all gifted with miraculous endowments; and another of the same character at Kilcorban; are distinguished examples of the reverence paid to images. Concerning the last of these, namely, that which was worshipped in the chapel, called the chapel of the Blessed Virgin of the 32 ARCHDALL, P. 405. 33 Ib., p. 67. 34 HARRIS'S Down, p. 27. 35 LEDWICH'S Antiq. of Ireland, p. 75. Examples of crosses, distinguished as objects of religious veneration. The sanctified resorts of numerous devotees. Rosary, at Kilcorban, Burke, in his History of the Dominicans, gives the following citation from Heyn: "The frequent miracles which God performs through that statue, daily confirm the Catholicks in the true faith, and in the worship of the queen of heaven".” With respect to the former objects of religious veneration mentioned under this head, in Armagh alone there were, about the middle of the twelfth century, four stone crosses, and the fragment of a fifth, besides two in the burying-ground annexed to the cathedral. In the fifteenth century, about the year 1441, the primate removed to Armagh from the cathedral of Raphoe, another cross, which is supposed to have been the source of considerable profit to the dean and chapter of Raphoe from the miraculous power attributed to it". Many of these objects of misguided devotion, either singly or associated with each other, gave a character of sanctity to different parts of the country, where they had been erected, and which were frequented by numerous devotees. In the cemetery of the principal of the seven churches at Glendaloch, and near Temple Mac Dermot, one of the nine churches of Clonmacnois, were several of these erections, one of which, in each case, being formed of a single entire stone, and distinguished from its companions by superior height, respectively of eleven and fifteen feet, was a favourite object of popular adoration". The still greater altitude of eighteen feet contributed, with its rude sculpture, to give additional celebrity to the ancient cross of St. Boyne, with which the abbey of Monasterboice was deco38 ARCHDALL, 773, 292, 491. LEDWICH, 76. 36 ARCHDALL'S Monasticon, pp. 167, 147, 577, 303, 289, 82. 37 STEWART'S Hist. of Armagh, pp. 143, 197. particulars of crosses. rated. The cross of Clonmacnois likewise was ornamented on its face, and on the sides of the shaft, with handsome but rude commemorative sculpture, representing, in a succession of relieved compart- Forms and other ments, the principal events in the life of St. Kiaran, the founder and patron of the neighbouring abbey. A more usual erection was a simple shaft, with a cruciform head; adorned with no carving at all, as in the cross of Finglas, which gives a name to two baronies of the county, or at least with no carved figure, as in the above-named example at Glendaloch, or with a figure intended to represent our blessed Saviour's crucifixion, such as I have seen at Kilfenora. A circular mass of solid stone, with one vertical and two lateral projections, was a common form of the upper part of the monument, as in the lastmentioned instance, and in that of Finglas; in some instances, as at Clonmacnois, and at Kilclispeen, in Tipperary, whither the cross was brought by supernatural agency, the stone was cut away, and intervals left between the straight pieces and the circular. These intervals had their appropriate use. In the church- Their miraculous yard of Tallagh, near Dublin, were various crosses; one of which, mounted on a pedestal, had in its head four perforations, through which it was usual to draw childbed linen, for securing the easy delivery of the parent, and health to the infant 9. A similar provision, and applied to the like purpose of affording relief and comfort to the wearers, by drawing through the perforations their articles of dress, distinguished another remarkable cross at Monaincha". 39 efficacy. miracles. 9. Fictitious miracles are another article in the Fictitious catalogue of the superstitions of the Irish Church. * GROSE's Irish Antiq., p. 15. 40 LEDWICH'S Antiq., p. 116. An unextinguishable fire. Miraculous cures wrought by images. Displeasure indicated by them. These were attributed, sometimes to the efficacy of their material objects of veneration, and sometimes to the agency of their saints. With respect to the former, in the nunnery of St. Brigid, at Kildare, was a fire, which had been preserved for many ages by the nuns, and was said to be unextinguishable, though it had been extinguished by the Archbishop of Dublin in 1220. The fire, however, was re-lighted, and continued to burn till the suppression of monasteries; one miracle attendant on it was, that, notwithstanding its perpetual consumption of fuel, ashes never increased". About 1321, a great flood in the river Nore destroyed all the bridges and mills in Kilkenny, but dared not approach the high altar of the Franciscan abbey-church". In 1397, the Annals of the Four Masters relate, that Hugh Matthews, by fasting and prayers in honour of the miraculous cross of Raphoe, and of the image of the Blessed Virgin at Trim, recovered his lost eye-sight. And in the year 1411, that from the five wounds of the crucified figure there flowed forth a stream of blood, whereby various kinds of infirmity were healed". Indications of displeasure, also, as well as of good will, were supposed to be thus supernaturally attested. When Comyn, archbishop of Dublin, in the early part of the thirteenth century, visited an offence committed against him by the Lord Justice with the extremest ecclesiastical vengeance, he caused the crucifixes and images in the cathedral to be taken down and laid upon thorns, as if the passion of the Redeemer were renewed in the per42 lb., i. 37. 41 GROSE's Irish Antiq., i. 37. secution of the minister; and his sufferings were supposed to be reiterated in one of the figures, which was exhibited to the beholders with the face inflamed, the eyes shedding tears, the body bathed in sweat, and the side pouring forth blood and water". It was from the same feeling of veneration for images, and belief in their potency, that, at a somewhat later period, namely, in 1611, a fabulous story, the sequel of the history of early times, was told of Babbington, bishop of Derry: that he in vain attempted to burn an image of the Virgin Mary, which belonged to the Dominican friary of Coleraine; and that, thereupon, he was instantly seized with a violent illness, and died". Miracles agency of saints. With respect to the miracles attributed to the agency of saints, may be particularly mentioned wrought by the what ensued, when, in 1108, the great altar of the abbey of Clonmacnois was robbed of many valuable effects. "Whereupon," as related by a Romish historian, "the clergy of the abbey made incessant prayers to God and St. Kieran to enable them to discover the guilty person. Twelve years afterwards, in 1120, the stolen jewels were found in the possession of a Dane of Limerick, who was delivered by the King of Munster to the community of Clonmacnois for execution: when he openly confessed, that he had been at the several ports of Cork, Lismore, and Waterford, and continued some time at each, expecting a passage to another kingdom: that all the other ships left their harbours with fair winds; but as soon as any vessel which he had entered into had set sail, he saw St. Kieran with his 4 HOVEDEN, referred to by WARE, Bishops, p. 317. 45 ARCHDALL, p. 84, |