interesting, if it had been detailed with that extent, minuteness and accuracy which it fo well deferved. Instead of this, we are offered nothing but panegyrics on princes who never existed, and a conftitution equally imaginary. An exact tranfcript of an old Brebon roll would have afforded more pleasure and real information, than fifty pages of the frothy ftuff contained in two fections. Infinitely more may be learned of the constitution and internal regulations of the Irish from Davis's relation and reports, than from him. Some of our author's political errors you have corrected with spirit and judgment, but many more, and of confiderable magnitude, remain for future caftigation, When Mr. O'Conor became the fatellite of the editor of the Collectanea, he degraded his genius and accomplishments, though nothing but his name could induce the public to purchase that work. He was the editor's decus et tutamen; yet even these well-written essays will not fave him from the oblivion which begins to envelope him. You, Ierneus, feem defigned by fate to draw that curtain which will for ever close the catastrophe of fuch writers. I fhall not apologize for the following admirable epigram of Martial, applicable to these authors, as the conclufion is to you: Qui legis Oedipodem, caligantemque Thyeftem, OTHO. For Ape i For the DUBLIN CHRONICLE. SIR, MR To IERNEUS. R. O'Conor commences his fecond letter, with another short attack upon Mr. Whitaker and Richard of Cirencester, from whence he obliquely adverts to fome papers in the Collectanea; but as he has not thought proper to specify in particular the subjects, no notice can be taken of that article. In page 650, he recurs to the old Irish MSS. and afferts the competency of them, "in "affording fome ufeful information, which we "fhould otherwise never obtain." And hopes the truth will foon be discovered," whether the Pagans "of Ireland had a local literature and civilization, "improved by time, in their long repofe from fo reign interruption, or whether they had been the "rudeft, as they were the moft fequeftered barba"rians in Europe." I hope fo too, but this truth muft certainly be difcovered, by a pen widely different from that of Mr. O'Conor. He, however, judicioufly obferves, in page 650, and 651, that "mythological and poetical compofitions of anci"ent times, have involved the earliest accounts of "nations in the greatest obfcurity: and that the "elements of arts once imported into remote and "detached countries, might, by a number of con66 tingent circumstances, be entirely obliterated, and "the "the inhabitants be again reduced to their original favage life." But according to this learned hiftorian, this was not the cafe with Ireland; the ancient inhabitants remaining in a free and unconquered ftate until the arrival of the English, had never loft the elements imported by their Spanish or Celtiberian ancestors. This may be true, but to use the author's own method of confutation, Where is the proof? At least the affertion ftands in contradiction to those of Keating, M'Curtin and others, who relate that the ancient Irish were first conquered by African pirates or feamen; then, by the Milefians from Spain; and laftly by the Danes. But in order to make the Irish a learned people, the author afferts, that, "the Irish and Greeks were of the fame origin," and confequently proves the early introduction of literature into the Britannic Iles by the Phoenicians. Here is not only vague affertions, without the leaft fhadow of proof! but falfe confequences drawn therefrom.-Why fhould the Phoenicians introduce literature into these Islands, in confequence of the Irifh being of Greek origin?-Yet Mr. O'Conor fays, that "the Irish being derived from the Greeks, 66 proves the early introduction of the elements of "arts and literature into the Britannic ifles ;" fuch flimfy declamation does not deserve the leaft ferious confutation; however the author himfelf has thought proper to confute it in page 652, where he alerts that the Greeks knew little of Ireland, and the Romans nothing, but by the battles fought between them in Britain. Here are contradictory affertions, equally groundlefs, in which the Irish are made to be acquainted with the traditions and literature of the Greeks; but the Greeks are to know nothing of the Irish. Refpect is now paid, in page 653, to Offian and those writers who have been hardy enough to affert, that the ancient inhabitants of Ireland were ignorant of literature, prior to the introduction of Christianity; for (page 654) "the fragments "left "left us by the old natives-are abstracts from the .. larger works which efcaped the Norman combuf"tione, which raged in Ireland through the latter "part of the eighth century. On the repulfion of "the northern barbarians, fome, only, of our great "men fat down to collect as much as poffible of our historical wreck. Cormac King and Archbifhop of Cafhel, began a compilation at Cashel in "the ninth century; and he complains of the neglect of his countrymen at the time, relative to the hiftory of their ancestors: Imprudens gens Scoto"rum (fays he) rerum fuarum oblivifcens ; acta eorum quafi inaudita funt. The rebuke had its effect. "The example of that Prince fet other compilers to work, and the check given to the common hea"then enemy, afforded leifure and patronage for "the undertaking. Pity it is, that they confined "themselves to epitomes, but to the labours of "these epitomizers we owe the preservation of our "earliest traditions; the Scytho-Celtic or Celtibe"rian origin of the ancient Scots, and their inter"courfes with the orientals before their arrival in "Ireland."-Unfortunately for Mr. O'Conor, these affertions are not only incorrectly stated, but effectually militate against what he would advance, relative to the authenticity of the early part of the old Irish documents, and corroborates the affertions of M'Curtin, that in the 6th century, the ancient bards had neglected every fpecies of hiftoric compofition; nor do they appear to have applied themselves to that study, from the above period to the time of Cormac, for Sir James Ware could not obtain information of any authentic hiftoric writing which derived its origin from this period. Cormac moft probably collected the scattered traditions then remaining in the old compofitions of the bards, in conformity to the fashion of the times, not only in Britain but on the continent; for about the middle of the 8th century, the European chriftian clergy first be gan 66 gan to turn their thoughts to the hiftory and antiquities of their respective countries, to compose which, traditions were obtained from the old poems of the bards, reduced to the form of old chronicles and epitomes, in which fpecies of compofition, they were followed by the monks of after-ages. Those of Ireland, in the process of time, became adulterated with the poetical works of the latter bards, in which Mr. O'Conor, page 655, justly observes, "truth 66 was mixed with the heroic and marvellous; fo "that little dependence is to be had relative to the "affairs of Ireland prior to the 6th century;" as is fully confirmed by the old Irish documents, and Mr. O'Conor himself. Probably conscious of this felf-confutation, the hiftorian in speaking of the Scots (p. 655) fays, "arts were yet in their infancy through all the regions of the West. It was only in a courfe of a time, that local fcience "was improved, and that laws were framed and promulgated in this Ifland. These improvements "were the work of the Fileas." Then recovering himself from the inadvertent blow in p. 668 afferts that "the Scuit or Scots from Spain had more "knowledge in arts than the other inhabitants;" but probably recollecting that Juftin may be right in his affertion (L. 44. c. 2.) that " during the time "of the Punic War, the Spaniards were an un"cultivated people, and led a favage life;" and fearing that this and several other quotations from ancient foreign hiftory, might be brought against the learning and civilization of the Spanish Milesian Scots, afferts roundly. (p. 659) "the Scots were a "felf-civilized people," thereby not only preventing all confufion from the collation of foreign documents, but flies in the face of all true history and the natural circumstances of things. In page 663. "When Cæfar invaded Britain " (fays Mr. O'Conor) "Ireland was peopled by Scots, Belgians, Damnonians, Danans and Galenians." 66 Yet |