520
AN GAODHAL
Locusts — this is the empire of Protestantism; and
following it was to be developed the great, mighty
and populous empire of the Horses which is to
subdue the world and universally overthrow the
enemies of God. After this last mentioned power
in as far as can be inferred from the prophecies
no new government shall ever arise in the world
which will be successfully inimical to the Catho¬
lic Church. The kingdom of the horses, as I hint¬
ed in my last letter, is that of the Catholic Church
in a general sense, but especially it will be that of
the Celeres or Celtae whose generic name signifies
those who are swift; and is derived from the Lat¬
in word celer, swift. Horses in Hebrew are called
susim or swift ones. and hence I do not hesitate
to opine that the great army of horsemen menti¬
oned in the 9th chapter of the Apocalypse shall be
composed in part of the French and Irish Celts.
and other Christian nations in alliance with them
through whose veins circulates a racial current of
Celto-Scythian blood. In German a horse is call¬
ed gaul, which term is pronounced like the Irish
word Gall, a foreigner or Gallican. In Swedish
a horse is denominated hasta, implying haste on
speed. According to my view of the prophecies
and the future the whole space of time from the
beginning of the Christian era to the end of the
world, inclusively, consists of six periods of time of
unequal duration. The first of these reaches from
the birth of Christ to the time of the emperor Con¬
stantine; the second from Constantine to Maho¬
met or Antichtist: the third from Mahomet to Pe¬
ter the Hermit and the crusades: the fourth from
Peter the Hermit to Martin Luther; the fifth shall
extend from Luther to Elias and the Angelic Pope
who is Enoch. And the six period from their
time to the so-called end of the world. This last
epoch will begin before the year 1890 with the
loosing of the four angels and the great army or
organization of horsemen who are to overthrow or
kill the third part of men. I do not attempt to
define who the third part of men are who are pro¬
phetically doomed to inevitable destruction, but
in the Chalde Targum I find that "men" are sty¬
led gevarim, which term in the Irish dative plural
would be written
gabharaibh,
i.e. goats, which figuratively signify heretics.
The sixth period will reach to the end of the
world, and unless the time be shortened by faith
and prayer will end about, or after the year 2000.
As regards the eventualities of the seventh period
which is to follow, the prophecies seem to be com¬
pletely silent; but we infer from the prophet Dan¬
iel that in it the “People of the saints" or in other
words, the Catholics shall be in complete possess¬
ion of this mundane sphere.
About a year ago, Mr. Editor, through your
kind patriotic courtesy, and liberal condescension,
I was allowed to publish in the columns of the
GAEL the simple rules and principles of a society
having for its object to accelerate and bring about
the autonomy of Ireland; and I am happy to think
that neither you nor I have reason to regret our
action in that respect: for our native land now pos¬
sesses a brighter prospect of freedom than she has
presented at any time during the last seven hun¬
dred years. I would therefore earnestly advise e¬
very true Gael to speedily adopt the insignia of
the Order of the Cross, and fervently pray for the
freedom of Ireland, the conversion of England and
the universal triumph of the Catholic Church, as
heretofore recommended in my last as was na¬
tural enough I avowed my prophetic knowledge
was rather the result of understanding than of in¬
spiration, unless that anything had been revealed
to me in dreams of sleep: Now in this last reg¬
ard I will enter into a concise explanation by stat¬
ing that in the year 1858, while engaged in the
study of seven histories of Ireland, I came to the
conclusion that I understood the mode of deliver¬
ing my country, and in consequence I prayed to
God to enlighten me as to the time of her redemp¬
tion, and as to the character who would be instru¬
mental in bringing about that consummatoin; pur¬
suant to which I received an answer in sleep to
to the effect that I was transported in spirit
to the city of Dublin and was present
at the coronation of the new ruler of
free Ireland; but I understood by a voice
in the assembly that the ceremony would
take place in thirty years after the date of the vis¬
ion. About sixteen years ago, being greatly dis¬
pleased with the bungling of Irish political lead¬
ers. I had a mind to write a letter to the Pope em¬
bodying my views as to the true method of eff¬
ecting the freedom of my native isle, but while ear¬
nestly deliberating for a couple of days as to the
wisdom of the sentiments which such an epistle
should contain, a voice spoke to me in sleep plain¬
ly and audibly the following precise sentense, —
"Ireland cannot become free in the reign of Pope
P IX., but in that of his successor." In con¬
sequence of this prediction I changed my purpose
and desisted from writing the intended letter.
Now if these dreams or visions be from God
they will be certainly verified, but if they be the
vain result of mental illusion it will be otherwise.
As for myself I decide nothing in the premises
but submit the curious matter to the impartial
test of impending time.
Having now greatly removed the seals of
mystery from the recondite book of the future —
and while announcing my next letter in some res¬
pects as the most important as well as the most
incredible that has ever been written in explication
of unfulfilled prophecy: Believe me in the faith
of St. Patrick — an ardent lover of our Celtic ver¬
nacular, and yours most truly,
GAEL GLAS.
