subject, I would refer Dr. Cheyne to his spiritual director, Rev. Mr. Daly, who, we must suppose, is eminently versed in the scriptures.

A combination of strong circumstances well ascertained and well proved surround the miracle lately performed at Ranelagh, I shall not enumerate them, as I fear I have trespassed too long on some of your readers. But if Dr. Cheyne ventures to give his reasons to the public, I promise, Mr. Editor, I shall soon revisit your columns.

Truth, Mr. Editor, was never more persecuted than in the present age. It is not that which is true, but that which is pleasing, flattering, and lucrative, that engages general attention: and, as the stern accents of truth are ever in discordance with the soft music of pleasure and profit, truth is assailed on all sides by an host of enemies. Never were the enemies of justice more numerous or more various, from the insidious petty pickpocket and petty pick lock, to the daring robber, who knocks down and destroys. You, Mr. Editor, are among the few who dare to step forward in defence of truth, and to hold no compromise with misrepresentation and falsehood. I prefer your company to that of more exalted personages, and remain your very faithful and obedient servant,

EDWARD SHERIDAN, M. D. 46, Great Dominick-street, August 28, 1823.

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SUPPRESSION OF MONASTERIES.

THE suppression of monasteries by Henry VIII. being entrusted to ignorant or interested individuals was attended by the destruction of many valuable libraries. Bayle, bishop of Ossory, in his preface to Leland's New Year's gift to Henry VIII. laments the havock that was thus made in literature; he says, “a great number of those who purchased the monasteries reserved the books, some to scour the candlesticks and some to rub the boots. Some they sold to the grocers, and some they sent over the sea to the bookbinders, not in small num bers, but at times whole ships full, to the wondering of

foreign nations. Yea, the universities of this realm are not at all clear in this detestable fact. I know a merchantman, that bought the contents of two noble libraries for forty shillings; a shame to be spoken of. This stuff hath he used instead of grey paper for the space of more than these ten years, and has yet store enough for as many years more to come."

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FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS.

FOR THE CATHOLIC MISCELLANY.

MR. EDITOR, Among the variety of means resorted to by the needy, or by the avaricious, to draw money from the pockets of the lower orders of society, perhaps none have been more successful than the publication of the many cheap tracts and periodical works which crowd the stall of the petty bookseller, or fill the window of a modern stationer-some of these are not without their share of literary merit, others are suffi ciently dull and badly written, many, however, have a mischievous tendency; but the same spirit generally pervades the whole, a determined hostility to the Catholic religion; and it frequently happens, that in indulging a blind zeal for attacking the priesthood of the Catholic church, the writers of these periodical productions overshoot their mark, and their shafts fall upon the ministers of the reformed churches. From amongst this heap of motley scribbling a prospectus has fallen into my hands, which has been distributed by an association established in the Borough, for the purpose of preventing the alarming growth of popery. The sapient members of this society have, in a truly edifying manner, employed their time in reprinting the appalling tales and prophetic reveries of the tolerant sir Harcourt Lees-by means like these they may obtain a few pence from the credulous, and may perhaps have the good fortune to frighten an old nurse or two. Another set of a "few plain Christians," taking advantage of "the period when the fears of every reflecting Protestant are justly excited by the unceasing efforts of the Catholics to diffuse their religion

throughout the kingdom, &c." have made an attempt to lighten the pockets of " that portion of their fellow Christians whose circumstances preclude them from the purchase of numerous and expensive volumes," by furnishing them with an edition, in twopenny numbers, of part of the fabulous history of John Fox; and to add to the attractions of this jumble of falsehood and credulity, they have kindly undertaken to supply their readers with an additional stock of fiction and absurdity—and to catch the taste of the ignorant fanatic, they have introduced priests exhibiting imaginary representations, which, however, have no reference to the subject of the text; but this is a mere trifle with such zealous editors, for having determined that the climax of inconsistency shall be complete, they have habited their executioners in Spanish dresses—have made the pope* a calm spectator of the martyrdom of saint Lawrence, and have exhibited an indelicate engraving, which they dignify with the term of "the martyrdom of a Christian lady." It seems to me somewhat suprising that the acts and monuments of John Fox, a work every day to be met with in the workshop of the mechanic, and in the closet of the more elevated enthusiast, should have so rarely attracted the notice of any modern Catholic writer. That Parsons, a nearly cotemporary Catholic author, accuses Fox of wilful corruptions, forgeries, and lies; and that he asserts that more than one hundred and fifty one species of falsehood alone are to be found in the small space of three pages, many of us have read; and yet the work of Parsons is little known, and rarely to be met with. That Wood, the

* Pope Xystus, or Sextus, was put to death, for the faith, three days before St. Lawrence, who was chief of the deacons of the Roman church, consequently a Roman Catholic. It is related, that Saint Lawrence seeing his holy bishop led away to martyrdom, and himself left behind, thus addressed him—" Whither art thou going, O father, without thy son? Whither art thou hastening, O holy priest, without thy deacon? Thou wast never accustomed to offer sacrifice without me, thy minister; try me then now, and make the experiment, whether thou hast chosen a fit minister to whom thou hast committed the dispensing the blood of our Lord." To whom the holy pope replied-" I am not going to leave thee, my son, nor to forsake thee, but only am going a little before thee; after three days thou shalt follow me. I am old, and therefore my conflict is more light and easy; but thou art young, and shall sustain far greater conflicts for the love of Christ, and shall triumph in a more glorious manner over the tyrant!" This prophecy was literally fulfilled.

Oxford historian, speaks with the greatest contempt of Fox and his work, and that he relates a ludicrous story in confirmation of his opinion is not unknown to the Catholic biographical reader-yet these authors, although uncontradicted, make but little impression, as they do not fall into the hands of the generality of Catholics. Might it not therefore be useful to dedicate a few pages of your valuable Miscellany in analyzing a little this huge mass of deceit, and in giving a brief but true account of many of the pretended martyrs and confessors noted in the ancient calendar of John Fox. Should you be of this opinion I will attempt the task, although I am aware that it cannot be done without some difficulty, for the examinations of many have been purposely destroyed by their reformed friends, some have had no existence but in the inventive head of John Fox, and, generally speaking, the martyrs who are said to have suffered from Catholic intolerance being from the lowest classes of society, little more than details of their vices, or of their obstinacy, have been handed down to posterity. Yet materials, some of which have been furnished by John Fox himself, and which have never yet been called in question or disproved, are sufficiently numerous to give a pretty correct idea of these Protestant martyrs. It will also be necessary to define the meaning of the term Protestant—this is no easy thing--for does it mean anything or nothing? Men may believe every article of the Catholic faith separately, and yet be good Protestants, they may revile their Catholic neighbour, and persecute him unto death for his religious opinions, and yet be a liberal and tolerating Protestant. It seems, therefore, to me, that the creed of the party is not to be considered, but that he may be allowed to believe anything or nothing, provided he opposes the Catholic faith, and that he will still be a true Protestant. It is, therefore, in this acceptation of the term, that I shall, in the following letters, consider the word Protestant.

I also think it right to premise that many persons have doubtless been unjustifiably put to death in this kingdom for their religious opinions alone, both by Catholic and by Protestant princes. Yet the refined cruelty of the application of the rack, the hoop, and the gauntlet, was the invention of our merciful and enlightened reformers, it was unknown in the

dark days of superstition and ignorance, although constantly resorted to in the mild and beneficent reign of the tender hearted Elizabeth. For many executions in the reign of Mary I offer no apology; for although in these she imitated her father and her brother, and was by far surpassed in butchery by her virgin sister, yet persecutions for religious opinions alone, always has been, and always must be held in just abhorrence. The Acts and Monuments of John Fox were first published in Latin, at Basle, in Switzerland, during the voluntary exile of their author; they were soon after translated into English, and filled three large folio volumes. In these was inserted a new Protestant calendar, in lieu of the one generally used by the Catholics of this country. In the new catalogue of saints and martyrs, the term Protestant is to be taken in its widest latitude, for it will appear that many of these were executed for sedition and treason, some for felony, others for maintaining opinions diametrically opposite to each other, and which generally had a seditious tendency, and some were living when the book was first published; yet such was the infatuation of the times, that every church in the kingdom was furnished with a copy of the Acts and Monuments, with the new calendar. By degrees, however, many of the established religion grew ashamed of their new saints, and the work was gradually excluded from every church, the last which retained it, is said to have been in Bishopsgate-street. The sectaries still cherished the precious work; but in their eyes it soon appeared too popish; the calendar of saints and martyrs savoured too much of old times. This, therefore was expunged in the succeeding editions, which have appeared in every shape and at every price, all abridgements of the original, but with additions to suit the taste and opinions of the prevailing sectarians of the day. I perceive, Mr. Editor, that I am encroaching too far upon the pages of the Catholic Miscellany, I will therefore defer all further observations for some future number. In the meantime, permit me to subscribe myself your sincere wellwisher, A CATHOLIC.

September 10th.