indeed sharing more, and some less, of the public spoil, and some of them being more and some of them being less rapacious in their exactions, but still as a class of persons, all alike objects for public ridicule, and opposition to what they claimed, as undoubted, though law-supported, plunderers. This opposition, the Irish people were instructed to give, in that happy form of Quakerism or "passive resistance," which soon became equally general and effective. The Parson demanded his tithes. The people were directed to give him the same answer that Leonidas gave to Xerxes, when, on asking for the arms of Leonidas and his companions, he was told to "Come, and take them !"that is, if he could! The Parson accordingly came, with a due attendance of police, yeomanry, soldiers, auctioneers, &c. to get his tithes as well as he could, by seizing and auctioning the crops or cattle of the refractory. These, however, through the aid of a well-arranged system of signals from natural or artificially-constructed heights, were very often effectually removed, secreted, or driven away: or, if actually set up to auction, there were either no bidders for fear of the generally certain vengeance of the assembled people; or else the cattle sold at such a low price as only to occasion an additional loss to the Parson by not defraying the expenses of the sale; or lastly, if the animals, not bid for or not sold, were brought off to be disposed of elsewhere, they were branded with the inscription of " TITHE"

or

SEIZED FOR TITHE," tracked by men appointed for the purpose, refused shelter, with their drivers, as having been so seized, and had finally either to be restored to their original owners, or disposed of in a lean and consequently depreciated condition, for what would not cover the mere cost of their journey! The success of this system of anti-tithe tactics, thus generally recommended by the Comet Club, was unprecedentedly rapid, though not more so than they anticipated, both from the intolerable nature of the abuse attacked, and the mode of literary hostility selected for its destruction. This mode was the same as that adopted by the philosophers in France, before the Revolution, for overturning the Church Establishment in that country, namely, the employment, not merely of reason and discussion, but of satire and ridicule, in every shape that could be likely to suit the light taste of a people exquisitely susceptible to such impressions—a susceptibility, which, as it furnished such an excellent ground to work upon in France, would, it was judged, be equally capable of being triumphantly worked upon in Ireland, from the admitted resemblance of the Irish to the French character. With this resemblance in view, the more serious argudefence of the Church

ments brought forward in

were regularly answered by artillery of a similarly ponderous caliber and a more effective execution. But, while sufficient care was taken to reply to every discharge of heavy ball in proper style, the main

reliance of the Club was placed in the less massy indeed, yet more extensive, unceasing and biting fire of invective and contempt-a fire, which was accordingly kept up in every form, from the larger and more sweeping grape and canister of a dashing article, sketch, or dialogue, in prose, to the smaller but keenly-peppering snipe-shot of a volley of epigrams in verse. Exclusive of various original contributions in the poetical line from from members of the Club, different passages from the classics," and extracts from our leading poets, as well as numbers of the most familiar songs, (a few of which effusions are given in this volume,) were parodied with great effect against the ecclesiastical incubus. In prose, in addition to several sharp anti-clerical parables and other compositions in imitation of Scripture, the gnarled and smashing humour of the author of the first volume of the "Parson's HornBook," with his amusing and eccentric productions called "Buckthorns," at once broke the bones of the "Bishops, Parsons, and small fry of the Establishment," and evinced such comic and original powers of execution in the performance of his task, that his victims were only laughed at in proportion

6 For a specimen of this last-mentioned mode of composition, in imitation of Voltaire, vide Appendix, No. II.

7 See, also, in Appendix, No. III, the excellent parody from Virgil, entitled "Paddy and the Bishop." It first appeared, in October, 1831, in the second part of "The Parson's HornBook," by the original Comet Club, but is now given, in a more correct form, by permission of the author, from the papers of that body and the Irish Brigade.

to the merciless vigour of his belabouring vivacity. In short, the Quarterly Review, the ablest and best periodical of the Tory and High-Church party, was soon abundantly justified in saying that the Comet Club" exhibited public PROOFS that its labours were NOT frivolous or unproductive." Prepared as the public mind had been for a fiercer and more constant application of light and heat by the combustible matter which had been first piled around the Church by "The Parson's Horn-Book," the tails of Sampson's foxes did not spread a quicker and more destructive flame through the crops of the Philistines than that which the Parsons were involved in

6

8 "There were in Ireland, of late years," says the Quarterly Review for June 1836, "two societies, not simultaneous, but successive-one denominated the COMET CLUB, the other the IRISH BRIGADE; both instituted, it was said, for the accomplishment of the same great work 'NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE'; both suspected of having been concerned in some occupations which shunned the light, and each known to have exhibited public proofs that its labours were NOT frivolous or unproductive. When we say 'the other,' we are not to be understood as intimating that the second apparition was substantially different from its predecessor. The COMET had shaken from its horrid hair' a too portentous and too significant monition; vulgar minds interpreted it into an advice to the Irish peasantry to massacre the Protestant clergy,—the enterprising and judicious discovered that the advice was given rather prematurely, and a court of law was illiberal enough, to pronounce it a seditious libel.' The rebuked 'COMET' withrew, and the COMET CLUB dissolved. But, if we may borrow the expression from well-known optical illusions, it dissolved itself into a new SOCIETY; and, with an altered name, and its periodic time extended, 'alter et idem' the eclipsed luminary came forth from temporary occultation, to lighten, as the IRISH or the Catholic Magazine,' we believe, the same projects and purposes over which, when bearing a bolder name, it had shed a disserviceable, because too FULL and THREATENING an ILLUMINATION."

by the tail of the Comet. The anti-church insurrection extended itself "far and wide," and so effectually, that the then Secretary for Ireland, the present Lord Stanley, stated in the House of Commons, that an attempt by the government, with the aid of the army, to levy tithes, could, from an arrear of £60,000, collect only £12,000 worth, at an expense of £27,000! And if, in spite of every precautionary admonition to the people, a series of bloody affrays, from that of Newtownbarry in June, 1831,'

9 The subjoined particulars of this revolting tithe-carnage, entitled by the Evening Mail" a little salutary blood-letting,' have been supplied to the author by a friend, from information derived through the relatives of some of the sufferers. The cattle of a Mr. Patrick Doyle, a farmer, were seized in June, 1831, for tithe, claimed by the Rev. Mr. M'Clintock, a connexion of the pious Lord Roden and his episcopal brother of philanthropic notoriety. Though the sum claimed did not amount to more than about £2. 6. 0, which, moreover, was denied to be LEGALLY due till November, the cattle were advertised to be auctioned, in the Parson's name, on Saturday, the 18th of June. This was the market-day, and there was accordingly a large crowd assembled to attend the sale. Lord Farnham's Orange yeomanry, and the police, who were kept in readiness in the yard of his Lordship's agent, Captain Gwere turned out to guard the cattle, on their being taken from the pound. Some of the people began to jeer the yeomen upon the use to which they were applying their new clothing and arms, and a few stones having been likewise thrown by some children from amongst the gathering multitude, the yeo. manry fired, until 14 persons were shot dead upon the spot, and several wounded! Some saved their lives by swimming through the river Slaney. A ball grazed the head of Mr. Patrick Doyle's eldest son, John Doyle, sweeping away one of his eyes and depriving him of the sight of the other. He is still living-a melancholy monument of the Moloch effects of the "union of Church and State !"—Another young man, whose name was Miley Doyle, was also killed on that day. He was a fine handsome fellow, six feet high, made in proportion, universally liked in the neighbonrhood, and only in his