THE PROPOSED PLUNKETT MEMORIAL.

We are at last enabled to present our readers with a copy of the design which has been furnished by Messrs. Dunn and Hansom for the tomb and memorial of the venerable Archbishop and martyr, Oliver Plunkett, whose remains now repose in the new Church at Downside.

How came it about that the body of an Irish Archbishop, put to death for the faith more than two hundred years ago is now enshrined at St. Gregory's? The story is not without interest and shall be here briefly told.

When Dr. Oliver Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland, was sent to London for his trial, he made the acquaintance in prison of Father Maurus Corker, President General of the English Congregation of the Order of St. Benedict,1 himself a captive for conscience sake. Between these two holy confessors a warm friendship soon sprang up, and it was the blessed privilege of Father Maurus Corker to assist the future Martyr in his preparation for death, and to cement their mutual love and confidence by admitting him to the confraternity of the Benedictine Order.2

Dr. Challoner in his Memoirs of Missionary Priests, etc., has printed several letters which Dr. Plunkett wrote from his condemned cell to Father Corker, and has given a large portion of a letter wherein the latter describes the last hours of the saintly Primate. We have ventured to give this valuable record in its entirety.

1 Father Corker, a prisoner under sentence of death for his priesthood from 1679 to 1685, became President General of the English Benedictines in 1680, and the ceremony of installation was performed in his prison cell at Newgate.

2 See Dodd's Church History, III., 284, and Wood's Athenæ Oxon. 221. On this most ancient practice, an anticipation by several centuries of the medieval institutions known as "Third Orders," see an article in this number of the "Downside Review," entitled "Some Ancient Benedictine Confraternity Books."

3 From the Downside Archives. The letter is endorsed, "A copy of certain letters writ by Bp. Plunket and Mr. Corker during their imprisonment, and one of Mr. Corker's to a Lady of their acquaintance concerning ye Martyrdom of ye said Venerable Bp." Only the last mentioned letter now remains in our collection; the others were lent at some distant period for transcription, (perhaps to Dr. Challoner himself), and have not been returned.

"Madam,

I cannot as yet soe much as pretend to give (as you desire) a description of the virtues of the glorious Archbishop and Martyr, Dr. Oliver Plunket. I am promised the particulars of his life and actions both at Rome where he studyed and taught almost twenty years, and in Ireland where he exercised his Episcopall or rather Apostolicall function till he became a champion of Faith, but these particulars are not as yet arrived at my hands.

After his transportation hither he was (as you know) close confined and secluded from all human conversation, save that of his keepers untill his arraingement, so that here also I am much in the darke, and can only informe you of what I learnt as it were by chance from the mouthes of the said keepers (viz) that he spent his tyme in almost continuall prayer: That he fasted usually three or four dayes a week with nothing but bread : That he appeared to them alwayes modestly cheerful without any anguish or concerne at his danger or strict confinement: That by his sweet and pious demeanour hee attracted an esteeme and reverence from those few that came neare him. When he was arraigned, it is true I could write to him and he to mee, but our Letters were read, transcribed and examined by the officers before they were delivered to either of us, for which cause wee had little other communication than what was a necessary in order to his tryall.

But the tryall being ended, and he condemned, his man had leave to wait on him alone in his chamber, by whose meanes we had free intercourse by letters to each other. And now it was I cleerely perceived the Spiritt of God in him, and those lovely fruites of the Holy Ghost, Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, etc., transparent in his soul. And not onely I but many other Catholicks who came to receive his benediction and were Eye witnesses (a favour denyed to us) can testify. There appeared in his words, in his actions, in his very countenance something so divinely elevated, such a composed mixture of cheerfulness, constancy, courage, love, sweetness and candour, as manifestly devoted the divine goodness had made him fitt for a victime and destined him for heaven. None saw or came neare him, but received new comfort, new fervour, new desires to please, serve and suffer for Christ Jesus by his very presence.

Concerning the manner and state of his prayer: He seemed most devoted to pathetick sentences taken out of scripture, the Divine office, and Missall, which he made me procure for him three months before he dyed. Upon these sentences hee let his soule dilate itself in love, following herein the sweet impulse and dictate of the Holy Ghost, and reading his prayer writt rather in his heart then in his booke, according to that of the Apostle (Rom. 8. v. 26). Spritus adjuvat infirmitatem nostram.—nam, quod oremus sicut oportet nescimus; sed ipse Spiritus postulat pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus; Qui autem scrutatur corda scit quod desiderat Spiritus; nam secundum Deum postulat pro Sanctis. And (1 Jo. 2, 27). Unctio ejus docet vos de omnibus. For this reason I suppose it was, that, when with great humility, he sent me his speech to correct, hee also writ mee word, he would not at the place of execution make use of any other sett forme or method of prayer then the Pater Noster, Ave Maria, Credo, Miserere, In Manus tuas Domine, etc. And for the rest he would breathe forth his soule in such prayers and ejaculations as God Almighty should then inspire him withal.

He continually endeavoured to improve and advance himselfe in the purity of Divine love and by consequence alsoe in contrition for his sins past, of his deficiency in both which this humble soule complayned to mee, as the onely thing that

troubled him. Indeed the more wee love God, the more we desire it; and the more we desire it, the more we love; for desire encreaseth our Love, and Love our desire. And if wee may measure this happy martyr's love by the Rule of our Saviour. (Jo. 19. v. 13). Majorem hac dilectionem nemo habet ut animam suam ponat quis pro amicis suis, we shall find him perfect in love; for in him was fulfilled that of the Cant (8. v. 6). Fortis est ut mors dilectio; Thy love it was extinguished in him all feare of death: timor (saith the Apostle of love, 1 Ep. 4. v. 18) non est in charitate, sed perfecta charitas foras mittit timorem, quoniam timor pœnam habet. A lover feareth not but rejoiceth at the approach of the beloved. Hence the joy of our holy Martyr seemed still to encrease togeather with his danger, and was fully accomplished by assurance of death. The very night before he dyed being now as it were at heart ease, he went to bedd at eleaven a clock, and slept quietly and soundly till foure in the morneing, at which time his man who lay in the Roome with him awaked him, so little concerne had hee upon his spiritt, or rather soe much had the lovelyness of the end beautifyed the horror of the passage to it. Non sunt condignae passiones hujus temporis (Sayth St. Paul, Rom. 8) ad futuram gloriam quæ revelabitur in nobis, nam expectatio creaturae revelationem filiorum Dei expectat.

After he certainely knew God Almighty had chosen him to the crowne and dignity of Martyrdome, hee continually studyed how to divest himself of himself, and become more and more an entire, pleasing, and perfect Holocaust. To which end as he gave up his soule with all its facultyes to the conduct of God, so for God's sake he resigned the care and disposall of his body to unworthy mee, and this in such an absolute manner that he looked upon himself to have noe further power or Authority over it. For an instance of this, the day before he suffered, when I sent a barber to trim him the man asked him, if he should leave anything on his upper lipp, Hee answered, He knew not how I would have it, and he would doe nothing without my order, soe that they were forced to send to mee before the Barber could finish his worke. Another remarkable instance of his strange humility and resignation herein was, That about an hour before he was carryed to execution being desired to drink a little glass of sack to strengthen his spiritts, he answered he was not at his owne disposal but mine, and that he must have leave from me before he could either take or refuse it, whereupon though I was locked upp, yet for his satisfaction, his man and the keeper's wife came to my chamber and then returning back told him I enjoyned it, upon which he readily submitted. But I neither can nor dare undertake to describe unto you the signall virtues of this blessed Martyr there appeared in him something beyond expression, something more than humaine. The most savage and hard hearted people were mollifyed and attendred at his sight. Many protestants in my hearing wisht their soules in the same state with his; All believed him innocent, And he made catholicks, even the most timercus, in love with death. When he was carryed out of the pressyard to execution, hee turned him about towards our chamber windowes, and with a pleasant aspect and elevated hand gave us his benediction.

:

How he comforted himself after he was taken from hence, with all the circumstances of his happy passage, you yourself can give a more exact account than I or indeed any other, seeing your piety rendered you soe eminently assistant at his death and buryall. I shall therefore conclude this letter with blessing and praising the holy name of God who in his faithfull servant hath confounded the wicked, comforted the good, illustrated the church, glorified himself, and encreased the number of martyrs in heaven. Sweet Jesus grant us grace to follow his example

to the end we may deserve his present patronage, and future company in eternal glory which is the dayly prayer of,

Madam,

Yr devoted servt. in our Ld.,

J. CORKER.

By good fortune I reserved some of ye holy Bishopp's letters, writt to me dureing our short time of correspondence. The copyes of which letters (togeather with one of mine) I send here according to your comand fairly transcribed.

Archbishop Plunkett was put to death on July 1st (old style), 1681, and his remains (with the exception of the head and arms to the elbows, which were disposed of elsewhere,) were deposited in the church yard of St. Giles in the Fields, London.4 Four years later Father Corker, after his release from imprisonment, found means to convey most of the above relics to his monastery of Lambspring, near Hildesheim, and on being elected Abbot of that house in 1690 he erected over them a handsome tomb, which may still be seen in the crypt below the choir of the quondam Abbey Church of the English Benedictines.

After the violent suppression of the Lambspring community by the Prussian Government in 1803, it is probable that very few pilgrims from England or Ireland ever visited the tomb of the illustrious Archbishop, the last who died for the faith in these kingdoms. In 1881, however, just two centuries after the martyrdom of Oliver Plunkett, curiosity and devotion led the writer of the present article to Lambspring, to view the decaying monastery and handsome church of the English monks, and visit the almost forgotten tomb of the noble confessor. A desire of translating the body to England, first conceived on the occasion of that visit, was realised some eighteen months later, when all the necessary formalities had been gone through: What they were may be gathered from the following extract from a letter address el to Dom Gilbert Dolan, of Downside, by the Parish priest of Lambspring :

Mon Révérend et bien cher Père,

Lamspringe, près Freden,

le 12 Décembre, 1882.

Je suis heureux de vous indiquer par ces lignes que Sa Grandeur Monsigneur l'evêque de Hildesheim m'a donné tout à l'heure l'autorisation de vous delivrer le saint corps du vénérable Oliver Plunkett. En conformité des lois prussiennes il me fallait demander aussi la permission

* See the inscription on his temporary resting place in Challoner.

5 The head of the Archbishop, given by the Benedictines to Cardinal Howard O.P., and by him presented to Dr. Plunkett's successor in the primatial see of Armagh, now reposes in the Sienna convent of Dominican nuns at Armagh. An arm, long preserved at Sarnsfield Court, in Herefordshire, is now at the Franciscan Convent, Taunton, Somersetshire.