I shall, with your leave good reader, give an account of its modern state as recorded by an eye witness, who, more fortunate than I, was witness to the process of the pilgrimage during the busy time of the station.

"The island is about half a mile from the shore; on approaching it we found all the people walking round one of the buildings, in the direction of the sun.

"There are two chapels, one for confession, and another for general worship. In the former no strangers are admitted; but on entering the latter by one of the galleries, a mighty multitude of the most apparently devout worshippers I ever beheld, presented themselves. All were kneeling except the choir, and every one busy for himself, without the smallest interruption from his neighbour. The only instruments they used were their beads, crucifix, and manual. Their food is a small quantity of bread, which they bring into the island with them, and water, which by the Priest's blessing, is supposed to be made equally nutritive as wine.

They take this only once a day, except when in the prison, where they remain twenty-four hours. During this period they are prohibited from tasting food of any kind. Twenty-four Priests are the regular number for officiating in this place, each one hour. The prison is a dungeon into which the light of day is not allowed to enter. A man with a switch is kept in regular exercise here, to keep the pilgrims in a wakeful state. Sleep is very dangerous, for a single nod may lose the soul for ever, without the interference of all the fathers and saints of the calender, and a considerable sum of money.'

THE FOLLOWING IS EXTRACTED FROM BISHOP HENRY JONES'S ACCOUNT, PUBLISHED 1647.

"The island called St. Patrick's Purgatory is altogether rocky, and rather level: without the compass of the island, in the water towards the north east, about two yards from the shore stand certain rocks, the least of which and next the shore, is the one

St. Patrick knelt on for the third part of the night in prayer, as he did another third in his cell, which is called his bed, and another third in the cave or Purgatory; in this stone there is a cleft or print, said to be made by St. Patrick's knees; the other stone is much greater and further off in the lake, and covered with water, called Lachavanny : this is esteemed of singular virtue; standing thereon healeth pilgrims' feet, bleeding as they are with the cuts and bruises, got in going barefoot round the blessed beds.

"The entrance into the island is narrow and rocky; these rocks they report to be the guts of a great serpent metamorphosed into stones. When Mr. Copinger, a gentleman drawn thither by the fame of the place, visited it, there was a church covered with shingles dedicated to St. Patrick, and it was thus furnished: at the east end was a high altar covered with linen, over which did hang the image of our Lady with our Saviour in her arms; on the right did hang the picture of the three kings offering their

presents to our Saviour; and on the left the picture of our Saviour on the cross: near the altar, and on the south side did stand on the ground an old worm-eaten image of St. Patrick; and behind the altar was another of the same fabric, but still older in appearance, called St. Arioge; and on the right hand another image called St. Volusianus.

"Between the church and the cave, there is a small rising ground, and a heap of stones with a little stone cross, part broken, part standing; and in the east end of the church was another cross made of twigs interwoven: this is known by the name of St. Patrick's altar, on which lie three pieces of a bell which they say St. Patrick used to carry in his hand. Here also was laid a certain knotty bone of some bigness, hollow in the midst like the nave of a wheel, and out of which issue, as it were, natural spokes this was shewn as a great rarity, being part of a great serpent's tail-one of those monsters the blessed Patrick expelled out of Ireland.

"Towards the narrowest part of the

island were six circles; some call them saints' beds, or beds of penance. Pilgrims are continually praying and kneeling about these beds; and they are compassed around with sharp stones and difficult passages for the accommodation of such as go barefooted.

"In the farthest part northward of the island are certain beds of stone cast together as memorials for some that are elsewhere buried; but who trust to the prayers and merits of those who daily resort to this purgatory. Lastly in this island are several Irish cabins covered with thatch, and another for shriving or confession; and there are separate places assigned for those who come from the four provinces of Ireland.

"In all, the pilgrims remain on the island nine days-they eat but once in the twentyfour hours, of oatmeal and water-they have liberty to refresh themselves with the water of the lake, which, as Roth says, 'is of such virtue that though thou shouldst fill thyself with it, yet will it not offend; but is as if it flowed from some mineral.'