i dreariness of their future prospects, and she entreat ed the priest not to turn them out of house and home.

"The priest, who really was himself in great need, absolutely refused to grant any lenity. Dolly, therefore, who was not so tractable as her husband, at length put the question to rest, by taking an oath to the Holy Vargin, that not a stick should be moved out of the house to please e'er a praist in Christendom.'

"Then,' said M'Donough, I'll give Phelim such a pinance as was niver seen or heard of in this world or the next.'-Having said this, he departed from the cottage, exceeding wroth.

"Phelim's wounds being nearly healed, he was summoned before the holy father, who lectured him severely on the crime of drunkenness; but more particularly on the heinous one of ingratitude and roguery to his priest, which he designated as the sin against the Holy Ghost!-In conclusion, he enjoined upon him the penance of fasting and praying in a greater degree than usual, the chastisement of his body by flagellation night and morning, and abstinence from the marriage bed, for six months; besides standing in the chapel during the performance of mass, for three Sundays successively, having a saddle on his back and a bridle in his mouth!-All this was to be strictly performed, under pain and penalty of excommunication.

"The poor bride and bridegroom were in a sad state of mind when this dreadful sentence was pronounced. Dolly, however, who had but a small portion of the penance to endure, thus consoled her hus

band-Niver mind, Phelim, my dear;-take the pinance; take it any how better that, than be turned out of house and home, without a bit to ate, or a blankit to cover us. Ye needn't lay the bating on very heavy, Phelim, as nobody 'll be bye to see ye:I can go to sarvice the while; and sure the six months won't last for ever; and maybe, by that time, the master 'll give me a pig, if I ax him and tell him our misfortin.'

"The instant I was informed of this transaction, I resolved to put a speedy end to the maceration of poor Phelim's body. Accordingly, next morning, I walked over to the chapel, and there, sure enough, I witnessed the disgraceful sight of a priest-ridden human being, standing ready saddled and bridled in the midst of the congregation!

I

"I held up my finger to M'Donough, who was just going to begin his sermon, and he came out. remonstrated with him on the barbarity-the brutality of this transaction; threatening to report him to his Diocesan. He made answer that he was compelled to it for his own safety; for if M'Murrough got off, subordination would be at an end, and all future. bridegrooms would play him the same trick.

"I agreed to the justness of his argument, and paid him his fee on the spot, on his agreeing to unhorse the poor man, and promising to give him absolution at the end of the service. He insisted, however, on the propriety of keeping Phelim to his prayers and fasting, in order to serve as a warning to others. Why,' said I, as to the prayers, you may do as you please, for I have nothing to do with his soul: my concern is with his body, so we'll drop the fast

ing, if you please; for, I dare say, the poor fellow has had his belly full of that already.'

"This arrangement being agreed on, the priest mounted the pulpit, and thus addressed the culprit :— 'Aren't ye ashamed of yourself, Phelim M'Murrough,' said he, to be standing there like a horse in full armour! Ye 've been guilty of a grate and wicked sin, ye have, ye reprobate !-instade of buying the pigs, to get drunk and lose all the money which were the just dues of me, your lawful praist ;-ye know they were, Phelim. But I forgive ye, as in duty bound to his honur, who has intersaded for you and paid the money,-every copper; so, take off the saddle and bridle, and fall down on your knees to his honur, who has done ye so great a kindness.-Let me see ye in the Confessional after divine sarvice is over.'

"The priest enjoined certain prayers on the penitent, who was glad enough to escape thus easily. When he came out on the green he expressed a multitude of thanks, and would have gone on his knees to express his gratitude, had I permitted him. I advised him to be more careful in future; never again to drink potyeen, and to mind what his priest had said to him on that subject; also to come to the Castle for Dolly, in the evening, when they should both drive a couple of pigs home to their cottage.

"The poor fellow's gratitude now knew no bounds: he danced and capered about like a madman, and said, 'By J-s, your honur's the true jontleman, after all. -Dolly and my silf will take an oath to the Virgin, this very blessed night, niver to taste a drop of putyeen at all at all,-barrin' at a christening or so; and as for the pinnance that I am going to get from Father

M'Donough, I won't mind it the value of a porati peeling; for Dolly will say the prayers with me, and we'll niver forgit to remimber yer honur in them, wishing ye long life in this world and the next one after it.'”

The company were highly amused by this story; but one of them observing that the narrator had failed to demonstrate the position which he had laid down at the commencement, and indeed that Phelim's blind submission rather tended to prove the reverse; the gentleman thus continued :—

"You are so far right, Sir; but you are to observe that Phelim's offence came strictly within the cognizance of his priest. Had M'Donough presumed to meddle with his amusements or his occupation, or with any other matter not strictly religious-that is, in the way of reprehension-Phelim would instantly have hoisted the standard of rebellion.-It is in the performance of their clerical functions that the Irish peasantry respect their priesthood: when the surplice is laid aside, religious awe hangs with it on the same peg.

"Thus, we daily see the priest enter into mixed society, where he is welcomed as a boon companion, with Hail fellow, well met!' there, he jokes with the jester, laughs and sings with the merry, drinks with the thirsty, is jovial with the jolly, and quaffs off his native beverage with as much good-will as any toper among them all. At the altar, in the confessional, in the pulpit, and in the sick-chamber, he is every inch a priest, and his very finger nails are held sacred:every where else he is an Irishman: he feels himself such, and as such is he treated. Of this, and of the

immoral and degraded state of the people in general, I will give you an example.

THE PENKNIFE.

"I was one day informed,-some years ago, that a regular shilelagh fight was to take place in the province of Munster, between two large parties, on the next Sunday, immediately after mass. In these barbarous combats, which I had frequently been successful in repressing, and which generally arose from a quarrel between two individuals, bloodshed was not uncommon; indeed, I have sometimes known one or two to be killed on each side. I was resolved to prevent this one from taking place, as the intended scene of action was not above eight miles from my own door.

"Accordingly I rode to the spot; but, on entering the chapel, perceived the congregation to be apparently so devout in the performance of their religious duties, and joining with so much fervour in the prayers and responses, that I thought some one had played off a hoax upon me. I waited until the conclusion of the service, and was exceedingly well pleased with the becoming demeanour which reigned throughout the assembly.

"As I was going out, however, I observed the men range themselves in two parties, to the number of about one hundred on each side each assumed an attitude of defiance; and I saw from this, and by the almost instantaneous erection of two or three drinking booths, that hostilities would soon commence, if not speedily prevented.

"The priest, who had disrobed himself of his canonicals, soon joining his flock upon the green-sward,