Year: 1872

James Anthony Froude on the history of Ireland
There was large audience at the first lecture,
and the Academy was full to overnowing, while the
enthusiasm was even greater and the eloquence
and humOr OF the reverend speaker were applauded
to the echo The special subject treated was
"lreland Under the Tudors."


Father Burke said he would now speak on
period Of Irish history which covered the reigns OF
Henry the Eighth, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth.
Mr.. Froude had begun his lecture with the asser-
tion that Henry the Eighth was


HATER OF DISORDER.


Every man, consciously or unconsciously, had
hero in history whom he admired until at last he
almost worshpped him, and, using this privilege,
MIR. Froude had made the singular selection Of
Henry VIII. This spoke volumes for the integrity
and sublime charity Of this gentlemaR's mind. And
among the many shining virtues that he had dis
covered in the English hero he had found out that
Henry was great lover OF order. But how far
was this trueP All order in the State was based
upon the supremacy Of the law, respect for and
liberty OF the conscience and the sanctity Of the
marriage VOW No man in the State, much less the
head OF 1t, could plead exemption from the suprem-
acy OF the law. Was Henry an uphoder OF the
law2 No, he was one Of the greatest enemies OF
freedom and OF law that the world had ever seen.
AS an example OF this his conduct when he


BROKE WITH THE POPE


might be cited. He called upon all his subjects to
recognize him as the spiritual head of the Church.
Three abbOts who refused to thus acknowledge his
supremacy were arrested by Henry and tried be-
fore jury. The jury refused to convict the
abbots, on the plea that their conscience would
not allow them to do Henry then sent word to
the jury that they should find the abbots guilty or
he would punish them in their place. Was not this
nagrant violation of the great bulwark OF English
ttNOR Vnftf
in regard to respect for the freedom OF conscience
Henry was also fiagrantly guilty He ordered the
people Of England to change their religion and to
renounce the grand dogmatic system Of the
Catholic Church. Yet Henry was not q Protestant,
and on the last day OF his life he would have


MADE TOAST


OF one II he could have laid his hands on him. He
offered the English people, in place of the old faith
the simple religion that they were to think and do
as he thought and did. He was not only the enemy
but the annihator of conscience. 81 am your
conscience" cried he ''and II any one differs from
me will stain my hands in his hearts blood.n The
sancty OF the marriage VOW, lastly was also shame
lessly trampled upon by Henry. No power on heaven
or earth or hell, except the Angel OF Death, could
dissolve valid marriage. Yet Henry brutaly put
away his lawful wife, and while she was still living
took woman who was supposed to be his own
daughter. Was It fair for Mr.. Froude to come be-
fore an intelligent American audience and ask
them to believe that Henry was lover of orderS
At least however, Mr. Froude claimed that Henry
was hater OF disorder In Ireland and that he put
an end to


by taking away their lands and givingt hem away to
others. But how was this During the Wars OF the
Roses some Of the Norman "a settlers In Ireland went
dOned their estates. Henry took these estates and
gave them away to his friends, although in the IN
terim the Irish had come back and taken posses
sion OF the deserted soil. BY all law these Irish
holders had q just claim to what they thus
been lover of order when he drove away the
Irish for the second time from their land and in
stalled resident English landlords in their places
over the Earl of Surrey to Ireland in the hope that
he would restore the country t. order But why
claimed that the disorder was due to the


STRANGE INHUMAN LEGISLATION


Anglo.Norman lords, whose interests were best
served by turmoil. Surrey tried in vain to restore
and % to et If Ss be i'm
10 reduce the irirsh to subjection with the
,an%1 .bss hand Then en was when be
that Henry tried the policy Of conciiiation, for for
which Mr.. Froude go much praised him. But
Irish we're more orderly than many OF the English
who were settled in Ireland. Surrey also: adopted
the policy Of stirring up strife between the great
Henry, "that the more they quarrelled the better
it would be for His Malesty's poor subjects in Ire:
",
then Henry, as Mr.. Froude said, tried


HOME RULE


in Ireland. Home rule meant that Irshmen should
manage their own affairs and make their own laws
But did Henry Wills home rule mean this? All he
did was to place an Anglo Norman, the Earl OF XII.
dare, at the head or Ireland for few years. He did
not call an Irish Parliament or ask for the counsel
OF the great Irish chieftains. No. He merely said
to clique of Anglo-Norman lords, the most rest
less pack in history, and handed over the country
to them. The first thing Kildare did was to 20 out
e ems
tered into reasonable correspondence with
France and Germany: AT last Henry called him to
kildare's son revolted and the result was the


UTTER DEsOLATION


OF nearly One-half OF Ireland. Perhaps they would
ask II Ire.and's people took part in this war; SO as
to deserve this terrible punishment 1t was an
important Irish chieitains taking any share what
ever in 1t. Mr.. Froude had said that the Irish got
fond OF Harry at last, because ne never showed any
disposition to dispOssess them OF their lands to
exterminate them. Was this truep The state pa.
pers OF that time showed that project after project
was framed to drive the Irish across the Shannon
into Connaught. This was what Henry and the
Anglo-Normans and the English people all desired.
once contemplated the utter extirpation Of 1.-THE the
irish race. His Council wrote to him that this
scheme was impracticable, because the land was
80 large that no prince could spare enough people
to settle IL after IL had been swept clear of inhab
itants. They told him also that


would be very great, and, further that such a
thing had never before been heard of in history.
such was Henry's love of order and his good will
TO the irish people But the Irish people were
really and in truth better pleased with Henry than
with any OF his predecessors, because great as was
the evil he meditated against them, he kept 1t to
himself, and he treated the Irish outwardiy with
great courtesy. He was great scoundrel, but he
was gentleman. He did not say, as his prede-
cessors had "You are barbarians and will put
you to death" On the contrary, he said. "Let US
see II we can't arrange matters and settle upon
some plan OF conciliation." But Henry's popu-
larity showed at least that II England had chosen
to treat irishmen with respect they would have,
perhaps, succeeded better than they had. Mr.
Froudc gave the proof OF this love for Harry by say
ing that the Irish, at his request.


THREW THE POPE OVERHEARD.


Tne Iacts were that Henry about 1880, denied the
authority and the supremacy OF the head Of the
Catholic church, and then picked up an apostate
monk named Brown and gave him commission