Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/154

 150 FLOOD. per annum; to Miss Cockburn, a lady who lived with Lady Frances, 1000l.; to an old steward, 1000l.; and to his own servant, 200l. He makes his dear wife, Lady Frances, together with his friend, Ambrose Smith, Esq. joint-executors, requesting Mr. S. to act in the trust, and advise Lady Frances in every thing; and for his advice and trouble he gives him an annuity of 300l. per annum, and after the death of Lady Frances (whom he makes his residuary legatee) an estate of that value, in fee simple, subject to these bequests: he devises his whole estate to his wife, for her life, and after her death, to the Univer sity of Dublin, or to Trinity College, near Dublin, by whatever name it is most properly and legally charac terised; willing and desiring, that immediately after the said estate shall come into their possession, they shall appoint two professors, one for the study of the native Erse or Irish language; and the other for the study of Irish antiquities and Irish history, and for the study of any other European language illustrative o f , o r auxiliary to, the study o f Irish antiquities o r Irish history; and that they shall give, yearly, two liberal premiums for two com positions, one i n verse and the other i n prose, i n the Irish language; and also two other liberal premiums for com positions i n the Greek o r Latin languages, one upon any point o f literature, ancient o r modern, and the other upon some great action o f antiquity, “seeing that nothing stimulates t o great actions more than great examples.” After these purposes shall have been answered, h e directs that the remaining fund shall b e employed i n the pur chase o f books and manuscripts for the library o f the university. And i f h i s directions i n these respects shall not b e complied with, the devise t o them i s made null and void; and i f b y any other means they shall not take the estate s o devised t o them, according t o his intentions, then h e bequeaths the whole o f h i s estate t o Ambrose Smith, Esq. i n fee simple, f o r ever. And h e desires that Colonel Vallancey, i f living, shall b e one o f the first pro fesssors.