to what he himself, in a strain of lamentation, expreffes, upon the fubject of the Druidical learning, which muft, if ever, have flourished at that time: "We are forry that it is not in our power to quote any paffage of the Druidical Ogham, fuch books "not having fallen into our hands."

Now would not a reader of plain understanding have expected that a Grammar, written before the Christian æra, for the inftruction of a people, whofe Divines and Lawgivers were Druids, fhould have at least exhibited the Druidical character. But this we fee was not the cafe. Yet our author avers, that "before the writing on parchment was "introduced by St. Patrick, the Irifh had two al

phabets, one for the Druids, and another for the "Bards." At which ignotum per ignotius I suppose our wonder is to ceafe: especially when in another place he confeffes, that " no other characters have "been found in use among the ancient Irish, but "the old Roman or Etrufcan."

But this author is generally fortunate enough to bring to light, from his dark treasures of recondite antiquarianifm, fufficient matter to overturn whatever fyftem he would eftablish. Thus when he would difplay the literature of the Irish (not before, but) after Chriftianity was established among them, his exprefs words are: "No Irish manuscripts ftill "extant, or even in Mr. Lhuyd's time, can with any well grounded authority, be efteemed of higher antiquity than the beginning of the ninth "century, or at most the end of the eighth.” But a chronological Bouftrophedon will reduce fuch titling difcordancies to harmony, with as much ease as the lion thakes the dew drops off his mane.

But if we are enlightened, not corrupted by reading, we fhould at length understand, that if those fragments of antiquity, which are handed down to us, have not only elcaped the cenfure of the unlearned ages, but have obtained praise in this one,

it

it is because they have acquired an accidental value,
as fo many data for the picfophy of the Lumas
mind; as falient points from whence the curious and
inquifitive may trace a gradual progretion from
rudeness to refinement, and mark the total
racter, in its several tages, from in frt an Í
illumination, covered in efays of

gination, to its meridian attitude, crowned
claffical works of bifory and wormen

a man of take mer ometimes truk of a cower from an old paper or parchment: ir tie n fometimes rake im the founas 1 21 DI church or monakery; and for ti te na into a Tuntune or expire a Serg need nerther fig tan vi ette them with fi

ble, the probe z

egregiouf n al the t

in every ine a

the learner tar
not fai u im

N the eighth century fhined forth that great lu minary Virgilius, from his love of folitude furnamed, Solivagus. He went, however, from Ireland in company with feven others, as was the cuftom of thofe days, to vifit the Holy Land. And remarkable it is, that one of the ftars, which (if I may use the figure) made up this conftellation of piety, was a Grecian Bishop. On which circumftance our Jearned Primate, Ufher, has this memorable obfervation: "I fhould be furprised to hear of a Grecian "leaving Ireland upon fuch an expedition, did I "not know, that at Trim in the county of Meath "there is a facred edifice, which, to this day, re"tains the name of the Greek Church."

His biographer, from the chronicles of the ScotoHibernian Abbey at Ratifbon, fays, he was natione Hibernicus ex nobile progenie ortus, an Irifhman of a noble family; and the letter of Pope Zachary, more of which we fhall foon fee, is intitled de caufa Virgilii Hiberni, &c. He was graciously received, and, for near two years, entertained by Pepin king of the Franks, and by him recommended to the guardianship of the Abbey of Saltzbuig, and at length he was appointed Bishop of that See. During his government of which, he was engaged in a controverfy with Boniface, Archbishop of Mentz. Some ignorant Prieft had, it seems, baptized the children in bad Latin, and the Archbishop thought it neceffary to have them baptized over again. But Virgil withstood

him

him in this, and maintained that the want of grammatical knowledge in the Minister, did not invalidate the Miniftration of the Ordinance. An appeal was made to the Pope, who decreed, that Boniface, maintained an error, and that Virgilius held nothing, in that point, but found doctrine.

But he was not fo lucky in respect to his philo fophical opinions. He had been the reputed author of a treatise on the antipodes, in which he held the fphæricalness of the earth, and combated the opinions of Lactantius, Auguftine, and other fathers of the church, who fuppofed that the earth had a plain furface. His old antagonist, Boniface, accused him to the Pope of holding and propagating heretical doctrines. And fuch was the undiftinguishing blind. nefs of that age, even in the highest stations, that the Pope writes in the following manner to Boniface : "But concerning that profane and wicked doctrine, "which Virgilius hath broached against God, and to the perdition of his own foul, if it fhall appear that he maintains it, that there is another "world, and other men under the earth, let him, upon cc calling a council, be excommunicated and degraded." "De perverfa autem & iniqua doctrina, quam contra Deum et animan fuam locu"tus eft, fi clarificatum fuerit ita eum confiteri, quod alius mundus eft, et alii homines fub terras "fint, hunc, accito concilio, ab Ecclefia pelle, fa"cerdotii honore privatum.'

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From which it appears that neither the Pope, nor his council, understood the doctrine fuppofed to have been broached by Virgil. For though he maintained that the inhabitants of the different hemifpheres muft have their feet diametrically oppofite to each other, he did not dream that there were other men under the earth, or another fun, or another moon.

But it was, is, and ever will be, the fate of men, who rife above the standard of the times they live

in, to be first misunderstood, next mifrepresented, and at last approved and followed. But they are followed, when approbation or contempt are quite indifferent, when they are funk into the grave, perhaps overwhelmed by the obloquy and perfecution of bigots, who cannot diftinguish between innovation and reformation, whether in philofophy, religion or politics.

This great man fentenced to degradation, upon his conviction of being a Mathematician, by Pope Zachary, in the eighth century, is canonized by Pope Gregory IX. in the thirteenth. I call him great who had acutenefs fufficient to pierce the depths of science in an unfcientific age, and who had courage to publifh fentiments fo repugnant to popular opinion and perfonal aggrandizement.

In the fame century alfo flourished Sedulius Scotigena, as he subscribes himself, and fometimes called Secundus, to distinguish him from Calius Sedulius, of whom I have fpoken above. To him is afcribed a "book entitled, "Concordantia Hifpanice atque "Hiberniæ a Sedulio Scoto, genere Hibernienfi, " & Epifcopo Oretenfi." But his principal work is his Annotations upon the Epiftles of St. Paul. Primate Ufher, in his difcourfe of the religion anciently profeffed by the Irish, frequently cites them. And indeed his opinions, refpecting the fupremacy of the Pope, are worthy of the most enlightened age. "The foundation of the Church, fays "he, is attributed to Chrift, to the Apostles and to "the Prophets. It is certain, that by the rock or

ftone, mentioned by Efaias, Chrift is fignified. "And though, in the epiftle of St. Paul to the Ephe"fians, it be faid that the household of God is "founded upon the Apoftles and Prophets, yet "Chrift himfelf is called the corner-ftone; fo that "he is the foundation of the Apoftles themfelves: "in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth into an holy temple to the Lord, by

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him