ence possessed by a person of stern volition over one of a feeble will or nervous temperament, we leave mesmerism an open question, though convinced of the folly and impiety of cultivating it as a science to be taught on platforms by impostors; but we certainly entertain feelings of contempt and pity for those whose faith, in an over-ruling and creative Providence, is inert or dead, in the presence of the wonders of physiology, botany, or astronomy, and who yet will run after every humbug of the above description, who, for the sake of sixpences and shillings, dares to arrogate to himself such awful powers, and pretends to rend the veil separating us from the world of spirits, and which, if the thing were possible, would only add intolerable evils to the ordinary sorrows of our mortal

state.

To dupes and dupers we recommend the study of one of Cruikshank's sketches, where a figure intended by the artist for one of that class who rush in "where angels fear to tread," with bandage on eyes, asses' ears on head, and one leg on the edge of a precipice, has the other leg flung out over the void, into which the next move will send the wretch, a thousand fathoms down. Another profitable piece of study will be the passages in Zanoni where the student, by intense research, and heavy sacrifices has the partition wall dividing him from the impalpable and invisible removed. They will there learn the price to be paid for the possession of such powers: and when they find that the adept would give all the possible treasures and enjoyments of the world to get dispossessed of his horrible privilege, perhaps they will pause in their unholy search after forbidden knowledge. Possibly, neither Cruikshank's sketch, nor Bulwer's sublime and matchless description is, for the moment, attainable. Well then we refer them to the Book of Samuel; and if, after witnessing the appalling presence of the shade of the Prophet, and his no less appalling denouncement, so swiftly to be realized, they persist in imitating the impious practice of the summoning medium or the unhappy consulter, we are persuaded that nothing we could urge will reduce them to a rational mode of conduct or thought; and so, for the present, we resign the wand, and commend our selection to the kind construction of the reader. But if Reybaud could find in French Social Life the materials for a novel so scathing as Jerome Paturot, English writers, like Dickens, Thackeray,

and that rapidly rising and really clever novelist, Shirly Brooks, may, in the social every day life of these kingdoms, discover all the characters, and all the fourberies distinguishing our less thoughtful neighbours. Jerome Paturot is not altogether a fiction, or a picture of French social life only, in it English readers can discover much that resembles the follies of their own country.

ART. II. THE STREETS OF DUBLIN.

NO. VII.

THE early history of the cathedral of the holy Trinity at Dublin, commonly called Christ Church, is involved in much obscurity. The local manuscript known as the "Black book of Christ Church," compiled in the fourteenth century, states that "the vaults or crypts of this church were erected by the Danes before Saint Patrick came to Ireland, the church not being then built or constructed as at the present day; wherefore Saint Patrick celebrated mass in one of the crypts or vaults, which is still called the crypt or vault of. Saint Patrick. And the saint, observing the great miracles which God performed in his behalf, prophesied and said that after many years here shall be founded a church, in which God shall be praised beyond all the churches in Ireland." The statement of the vaults of the church having been built by the Northmen previous to the arrival of Patrick is obviously erroneous, as the Danes were unknown even by name in Europe until late in the sixth century; and as an inquisition in the time of Richard II. decided that the institution "was founded and endowed by divers Irishmen, whose names are unknown, time out of mind, and long before the conquest of Ireland," we are inclined to believe that the site of the church was originally occupied by the oratory of some native saint, most probably that of saint Cele Christ, whose festival is recorded as follows on the fifth of the nones of March in the Festology of Oengus, a native writer of the early part of the ninth century: Cele Crist, eprcop ó chill cele Crist 1 b Fortuaċajb & Laignsb. Do Chenel Eogain mic Néill do;—" Cele Christ, bishop of

Cill Cele Christ, or the church of Cele Christ, in Ui Dunchadha, in Fortuatha, in Leinster. He was of the race of Eoghan, son of Niall." We learn, moreover, from Dr. O'Donovan that the gloss adds that this saint's church, called Cill Cele Christ,* was situated in Ui Dunchadha, in Lagenia, or Leinster. The river Dothair (Dodder) is referred to more than once as in Ui Dunchadha, coupling which with the fact that Mac Gillamocholmog was lord of that territory, and his known connection with the vicinity of Dublin, we thence, with probability, infer that the cathedral of the holy Trinity was erected on the site of the ancient Cill Cele Christ.

may

About the year 1038 Sigtryg, chief of the Northmen of Dublin, and son of Gormlaith, an Irish princess, gave to Donogh, or Donatus, bishop of Dublin, "a place on which to build a church of the blessed Trinity, where the arches or vaults were founded, with the following lands: Beal-duleck, Rechen, Portrahern, with their villeins and cows and corn; he also contributed gold and silver enough wherewith to build the church, and the whole court thereof." A French writer, commenting on this record, observes: "On a depuis basty une eglise sur celle qui estoit sous terre, ce qui n'est pas sans exemple en France, ou nous avons la cathedrale de Chartres, l'eglise de saint Victor de Marseille, et quelques autres encore qui sont basties de la mesme façon.'

The nave and wings of the cathedral were constructed by Donogh, who also built an episcopal palace contiguous to it, on the site of which a deanery house was subsequently erected. The jurisdiction of the see of Dublin was, we may observe, originally confined to the city, beyond the walls of which it did not extend until after the synod of Kells in 1152.

Prior to the Anglo-Norman descent, the church had acquired importance as the seat of the archbishop of Dublin, as well as from its possession of a miraculous cross, said to have spoken twice, together with the following reliques enumerated in the Martyrology of the priory, which states that they lay concealed in a case from the episcopate of Donogh to the time of his successor Gregory, when they, together with their case, were placed in a shrine:

* Celé Christ (Cele Criosd), which signifies literally the servant of Christ, has been latinized "Basallus Christi," Christ's vassal. For a notice of prince Gillamocholmog, see IRISH QUARterly Review, Vol. II.

"A portion of the cross of our Lord, and of the cross of the holy apostles Peter and Andrew. A portion of the staff and of the chain of St. Peter. The sandals of Saint Silvester the pope. Part of the reliques of the eleven thousand holy virgins. Part of the reliques of saint Pinnosa, virgin and martyr. Portion of the vest of the Virgin Mary. Part of the sepulchre of our Lord and of Lazarus. Part of the sepulchre of Audoen, bishop and confessor; and some of the reliques of the holy father Benedict. The reliques of SS. Basil and Germanus, bishops. Part of the vestment of king Olave, the saint. Part of the vestment of Hubert, bishop of Cologne. The reliques of David, the confessor. Also part of the reliques of saint Patrick, apostle of the Irish, and of the reliques of saint Lorcan, archbishop of Dublin."

Of the cross above referred to the following notices have been left by a Latin writer of the twelfth century, who was well acquainted with the cathedral:

"How a cross at Dublin spoke, and bore testimony to the truth.

"In the church of the holy Trinity at Dublin there is a certain cross of great virtue, exhibiting a representation of the countenance of our crucified saviour, which, in the hearing of several people, opened its mouth and spoke, not many years before the coming of the English; that is, in the time of the Ostmans. For it happened that one of the citizens invoked it as the sole witness to a certain contract, but afterwards failing to fulfil his engagement, and constantly refusing to pay the money stipulated to him who had trusted to his good faith, he one day invoked and adjured the cross in the church to declare the truth in the presence of many citizens then standing by, who considered that his appeal was more in jest than earnest; but when it was thus called upon, the cross bore testimony to the truth.

"How the same cross became immoveable.

"When earl Richard first came with his army to Dublin, the citizens, fearing much disaster and misfortune, and mistrusting their own strength, prepared to fly by sea, and desired to carry this cross with them to the islands. But notwithstanding all their most persevering efforts, the entire people of the city, neither by force nor ingenuity, could stir it from its place.

"How a penny offered to the cross leaped back twice, but remained the third time, after confession had been made; and how the iron greaves were miraculously restored.

"After the city had been taken, a certain archer, amongst others, made an offering of a penny to the cross, but on turning his back the money immediately flew after him, whereupon he took it up and carried it back to the cross, when the same thing again happened, to the surprise of many who witnessed it. The archer thereupon publicly confessed that on the same day he had plundered the archbishop's house, which is located in this church, and restoring

all he had taken, he, with great fear and reverence, carried back the penny to the cross for the third time, and it then remained there at length without further movement. It also happened that Raymond, constable to earl Richard, having been robbed of his iron greaves by a certain young man of his train, obliged all his followers to clear themselves of the theft by an oath taken upon the aforesaid cross in the church of the holy Trinity; a short time after, the young man returned from England, whither he had gone unsuspected, and threw himself, pale and haggard, at Raymond's feet, offering satisfaction and craving pardon for his fault. He, moreover, confessed in public and in private, that after swearing falsely upon the cross he experienced the greatest persecution from it, for he felt it, as it were, oppressing his neck with an immense weight, which prevented him from sleeping or enjoying any repose. These and many other prodigies and miracles were performed at the first arrival of the English by this most venerable cross."

In 1162 Lorcan Ua Tuathail, corruptly styled Lawrence O'Toole, was consecrated archbishop of Dublin here by Gelasius, archbishop of Armagh, assisted by many bishops; and we are told that from this period the custom of bishops of certain towns in Ireland going to Canterbury for consecration entirely ceased:

"Lorcan immediately converted the secular clergy of his church into canons regular of the order of Arras, to whose habit and rule of living he submitted himself. Although he studiously avoided all popular applause, yet his charity to the poor, and hospitality to the rich could not be concealed. He caused every day, sometimes sixty, sometimes forty, and at the least, thirty poor men to be fed in his presence, besides many whom he otherwise relieved. He entertained the rich splendidly and elegantly, with variety of dishes and several sorts of wines, yet never tasted of the repast himself, contented with coarser fare. He was tall of stature, and of a comely presence. His outward habit was grave, but rich; underneath it he wore that of a canon regular. He frequently visited Gleanndaloch and spent much of his time there in the recesses of St. Kevin."

From the Anglo Normans the convent received a confirmation of its privileges, with endowments of land; and Lorcan O'Tuathal, Richard Fitz-Gislebert, surnamed "Strongbowe," Robert Fitz-Stephen, and Raymond "le Gros," undertook to enlarge the church, and at their own expense built the choir, the steeple, and two chapels-one dedicated to St. Edmund, king and martyr, and to St. Mary, called the White, and the other to St. Laud. A third chapel in the south aisle, adjoining to the high choir, was first dedicated to the Holy Ghost, but subsequently acquired the name of St. Lorcan O'Tuathal's