52
AN GAOḊAL.
biṫ níos mailísiġe nó níos cliste a ċu¬
maḋ le sgrios spioradálta ar anam¬
naiḃ na n-daoineaḋ, nó na cuiḃreaċa
sgiúrsaċa a cuireaḋ ar bun le creid¬
eaṁ ḃeannuiġṫe Naoṁ Ṗáḋraic a reub¬
aḋ as croiḋṫiḃ ciniḋ na nGaoḋal; aċt
buiḋeaċas le Dia & leis an Maiġdean
Ṁuire & le eidirġuiḋe Naoṁ Pádruic,
ní raḃ sluaiġte ifrinn nó Sacsan ion¬
ann leis an g-creideaṁ Caitil¬
iceaċ a reubaḋ ó ċroiḋṫiḃ dílis na n-
Éireannaċ.
An ceaṫraṁaḋ dliġe sgiúrsaċaċa in
aġaiḋ cléir & bráiṫreaċ na h-Eaglaise.
Ar réir an dliġe seo deunaḋ díbirt
ar na sagairtiḃ amaċ as tír na h-Éir¬
eann, & dá ḃ-fillfeaḋ aon acu go deo,
ḃí sé faoi ḃreiṫ ḃeiṫ croċta, tarraing¬
ṫe & geárrṫa ó ċéile. Cia 'n ċuma ar
ċuir na tioránuiġe an dliġe malluiġte
sin i ḃ-foirm? Mar seo: ċuir siad
spíodóiriḋe ag cuartuġaḋ & ar ṫóir
na sagart; insin anuair a ġeiḃṫuiġe a¬
maċ dá m-beiḋeaḋ maoin ar biṫ saoġ¬
alta aige, 'sé sin le ráḋ, capall, bó nó
caora, ḃí an ṁaoin sin le ḃeiṫ roinnte
eidir an spíodóir & an riġ no an ḃain¬
rioġan, & mar a m-beiḋeaḋ niḋ ar biṫ
eile ag an sagart, ḃí a ċloigeann aige
ar a laiġead, & ar an g cloigeann sin
beo nó marḃ, ġeiḃṫeaḋ an spíodóir
ċúig ṗunt, sé sin cúig dollair ar ḟiċid,
an luaċ ceudna ḃí ar ċloigeann faol¬
ċon nó mactíre Faoi 'n dliġeaṁ mal¬
luiġṫe sgiúrsaiḋe sin dá d-tarlóċaḋ
Naoṁ Páḋruic é féin go h-Éirinn ins
an aimsir anróiḋte sin ġaḃfaḋ siad é
& ġeaḃṫaḋ an spíodóir ċúig ṗunt ar a
ċloigeann beannuiġṫe.
Mar ṡompla ar an trócaire a ṫais¬
beán na rópairiḋe Sacsanaċa d' easb¬
ogaiḃ & do ṡagartaiḃ, aiṫrisim an dún¬
ṁarḃaḋ a tugaḋ ar Ḋiarmad Ó' h-Iar¬
ḟlaiṫiġ, árd easbog mór-uramaċ Ċais¬
il. Agus, ar d-tús, fiafruiġmís cia'n
ċoir a rinne sé? Freagramuid ar an
nós go raḃ sé cionntaċ in gaċ dliġeaṁ
sgiúrsaiḋe air ar laḃair mé ċeana;
aċt go h-airiġṫe mar ċúis ḃáis mar
aoḃar naċ n-adṁóċaḋ sé fomós an
Ṗápa ṫaḃairt do 'n ṁnaoi sin i dtug-
could not invent fetters more galling
or more active for the spiritual des¬
truction of the peoples' souls than the
scourging shackles which were forged
to wrest the holy religion of St Pat¬
rick from the hearts of the Gael.; but
thanks be to God and to the Virgin
Mary, and to the intercession of Saint
Patrick, the hellish hordes of England
were not able to banish the Catholic
Faith from the faithful hearts of the
Irish.
The fourth scourging laws were
against the clergy and friars of the
Church. According to this law the
clergy were banished out of Ireland,
and should any of them return for ever
he was condemned to be hung, drawn
and quartered. In what manner did
the tyrants put this cursed law into
effect? Thiswise: They sent spies
to hunt up and capture the priest,
Then if it were discovered he possess¬
ed any earthly means, that is to say,
if the priest possessed a horse, a cow
or a sheep — that means was to be divi¬
ded among the informers and the
king or queen ; and if tho priest had
nothing else, he had his head, at least,
and on that head, dead or alive, the
informer got five pounds, that is, twen¬
ty five dollars — the same price that
was on the head of a wolf. Under
that cursed, scourging law, if St. Pat¬
rick himself sojourned in Ireland at
that time of tribulation they would
seize him and the informer would get
five pounds for his holy head.
As sample of the mercy which the
English robbers extended to bishops
and priests, I relate the murder of
Dermott O’Herily, the esteemed arch¬
bishop of Cashil. And, at first, let us
ask, What crime had he committed?
We answer in a manner that he was
guilty of every scourging law of which
I have already spoken, but partiular¬
ly, as a death penalty, that he would
not consent to give the obedience
due to the Pope to that woman called
queen Elizabeth, that is to say, Betty
