"The pilgrims at night lodge or lie on straw, without pillow or pallet, rolling themselves in their mantles, and wrapping their heads in their breeches; only on some one of the eight nights they must lie on one of the saint's beds, whichever they like."

This Purgatory, with all its superstitions is very ancient.-Cæsarius (quoted by Keating) who lived 500 years, (says mine author,) after Christ, asserts' whoever doubts whether there be such a place as purgatory, let him go to Scotia-let him enter into the Purgatory of St. Patrick, and he will no longer doubt the pains of purgatory.' And as a sample of the stories which grave historians could palm upon poor credulous Papists, I shall contract for the reader's edification a tale full of unction, delivered by Phil O'Sullivan, in his Historia Catholica Hibernicæ, tom. 1, lib. 2, which story this veracious annalist asserts to be full worthy of remembrance, as both delightful and wonderful; serving to exhort sinners to

observe God's commandments, to avoid sin, and wonderfully setting forth the pains of purgatory, so that they may be feared :

THE HISTORY OF A SPANISH VISCOUNT.

"I Ramon, by the grace of God, Viscount of Perels, Baron of Lereta, was a follower of Charles King of France; and in his court I did hear persons discoursing of strange things, especially what concerned Patrick's Purgatory; and when Charles the French King, died, I did repair to John King of Arragon, whose subject I was, my patrimony lying in his dominions. He al ways esteemed me as a King should a subject; and my observance of him was great; he gave me a command of three gallies in the Pope's service; and while therein engaged, news was brought to me of the King's death; and at the relation thereof being troubled in mind, I did earnestly desire to know in what estate the King's soul was; and if in purga tory-what pains it suffered there. Where upon I called to mind what I had heard of

M

St. Patrick's Purgatory, and I resolved to visit it, to know some certainty concerning the King's soul, and also to obtain pardon for my own sins."

The grave historian then proceeds to relate how the curious and loyal Ramon obtained leave from Pope Benedict XIII. to go to Purgatory; and how he set out from Avignon on that day in September, sacred to the blessed Virgin, in the year of our Lord, 1328.-Proceeding then to Paris, he obtained letters from the French to the English King-and under the protection of that puissant monarch he arrives at Dublin; and receiving all honour and escort from the Lord Deputy, the Primate, and O'Neal King of Ulster, he arrives at Patrick's Purgatory. Here he is introduced to the Prior of the monastery, who dissuades him from the adventure-warning him how he has undertaken a difficult task; and informing him how many have failed in the attempt, and made shipwreck of body and soul.-But the sturdy commander of the Pope's gallies, re

solves to proceed, and is therefore initiated into those preliminary rites, which were by St. Patrick appointed; and which are now observed.-Going then into the convent, and the mass for the dead being said, he is brought in procession to the cave, being well sprinkled with holy water. Then said the Prior most solemnly, addressing him just as he was entering into the cave, 'Behold the place into which you desire to enter; and particularly attend to what I say, while I prepare you for what shall happen :-First God's messengers shall meet you, and you shall be taught by them what to do; afterwards you shall see Satan, who will seek to destroy you: first, by flattering speeches, and afterwards by threats; but you may escape from all his cruelty by saying these words, "JESUS THOU SON OF THE LIVING GOD, HAVE MER

CY ON ME A SINNER." The Viscount thus

warned, after kissing the prior and all the friars, proceeds into the cave, followed by an English knight, with whom he was forbidden to discourse on pain of death. The door being

then closed, "I," says Ramon, "observed that the size of the cave in which I was shut, was about four elnes, and I found the inner part to turn to the left; and as I went on I perceived the ground under me so weak and shaking, that it scarcely seemed able to support a man; therefore fearing to fall into some untried depth, I did slip back, and fell on my knees to pray. In about an hour I began to tremble, to sweat, to be heartsick, to vomit,-in which trouble I was overtaken by sleep, but was awoke by the noise of thunder; and while the fear of these awful peals was scarce over, a new and sudden terror seized me, as I felt myself sliding downwards with inconceivable rapidity; and with the fall I was so astonished, that I did not recover myself until I said the words taught me by the prior,-"Jesus thou Son of God have mercy on me a sinner." And now I found myself in a place very dark, but the gloom soon passed away, and I perceived I was in an immense hall, arched and standing on pillars, but there was no more light