Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/59

 DAVIS. 55 to his talents and character; a circumstance which we are told was highly honourable to Condorcet, as he had been most unjustly the continual-object of Darcy's aver sion and hatred. Darcy's Essays, printed in the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences, are various and very ingenious, and are contained in the volumes for the years 1742, 1747, 1749, 1750, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 1760, 1765, and in No. 1. of the “Savans Etrangers.” ROWLAND DAVIS, A divine of some note, was born at Gilla Abbey, near Cork, in 1649, and received his education at Trinity Col lege, Dublin, where he took his degree of doctor of laws, and was accounted an eminent civilian. Having entered into holy orders, he was shortly after advanced to the deanery of Cork, and was afterwards vicar-general of the diocese, both which preferments he retained until his death, which happened in 1721, in the seventy-second dear of his age. He wrote “A Letter to a Friend, concerning his chang ing his Religion,” Lond. 1649. 4to. The friend here mentioned was a Mr. Turner, recorder of Limerick, who went over to the Catholic persuasion during the reign of King James. “The truly Catholick and old Religion, shewing that the established Church in Ireland, is more truly a member of the Catholic Church than the Church of Rome, and that a l l the ancient Christians, especially i n Great Britain and Ireland, were o f her communion. Dublin, 1716, 4to.” This book was i n the course o f the same year replied t o b y Dr. Timothy O'Brien”, o f Toulouse, a native o f Cork, O'Brien (Doctor Timothy) was born i n the county o f Cork, but i n what year has not been recorded. He went t o France when very young, i n the year 1661, the year following the capitulation o f Limerick. He pur sued his studies with great assiduity i n the Irish college a t Thoulouse, and there took his degree o f doctor o f divinity. I n 1706, h e was elected superior o f the college, which office h e filled t o the satisfaction o f a l l par