Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 7.djvu/366

 HEZEEIAH

320

HIBERNIANS

his wit. He wrote poems in her honour and is said to have been present at her last moments. Anthony k Wood quaintly tells us that "after her decease he left the nation for religion sake, and settled at Mechlin in Brabant, which is a wonder to some who will allow no religion in poets, that this person should above all of his profession be a vohmtary exile for it". He probably lived at Mechlin till his death.

Heywood's chief writings consistof: (1) three inter- ludes (i. e. "short comic pieces containing an element of action that entitles them to be called dramatic ") of which the most famous is "The Four P's ". These pieces form a dramatic link between the morality plays and comedy proper, the personified abstractions of the morality being superseded by personal types; (2) "The Play of the Weather", a kind of mythologi- cal morality; (3) "The Play of Love", a disputation between four characters, with slight dramatic action ; (4) "The Dialogue of Wit and Folly"; (5) "Prov- erbs and Epigrams ". All the above are comprised in the edition of Heywood's works issued by the Early English Drama Society (2 volumes, London, 1905-6); (6) " An Allegory of the Spider and the Fly ", in which the flies are the Catholics and the spiders Protestants, and Queen Mary the maid with a broom sweeping away cobwebs (not reprinted since 1556).

All the works of Heywood show wit and humour with some underlying pathos. His humour has been defined by Dr. Ward as "of a kind peculiarly charac- teristic of those minds which, while strongly con- servative at bottom, claim a wide personal liberty in the expression of opinion, and are radically adverse to all shams". A devout Catholic, Heywood did not hesitate to satirize the folly or vice of imworthy mem- bers of the Church. Some of his wit is marked with the coarseness of his age, though less so than that of many other sixteenth-century writers. To judge justly of the literary quality of his work it must be viewed with its own backgroimd of the "dull and tedi- ous" dramatic literature of the time. Certain judges have even gone so far as to regard him in wit and satire as a not altogether unworthy follower of Chaucer.

Ward in Diet. Nat. Biog., s. v.; Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry, ed. Hazlitt, IV (London, 1871); Ward. Hist. English Drama, I (London, 1899); Wood, AlhmiF. cd. Bliss, I (Oxford, 1813); Symonds, Predecessors of Shakspere (London, 1900) ; Col- lier, Hist. Dram. Poetry (IjOndon, 1879): Ga.tl.ey, Representa- tive English Comedies; Pollard, Introduction to Heywood (New York and London, 1903).

K. M. Waeren. Hezekiah. See Ezechias.

Hibernians, Ancient Order of (in America). — This organization grew up gradually among the Catho- lics of Ireland owing to the dreadful hardships and persecutions to which they were subjected. It is im- possible to give the exact date of the foundation of the order in Ireland. Some authorities contend that the first impulse towards forming such an association was due to the publication of an edict against the Catholic religion by the Earl of Sussex (Thomas Ratl- cliffe), who was made Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland in 1562. He prohibited all monks and Catholic priests from either eating or sleeping in Dublin, and ordered the head of each family to attend Protestant services every Sunday, under the penalty of a fine. Not only did the English begin a bitter persecution of the Cath- olics, they also confiscated the property of the Irish nobles. The prince Rory O'Moore with his compan- ions took up the cause of religion and the protection of the priesthood as well as the defence of their domin- ions, and through their assistance the priests said Mass, on the mountains, in the valleys and glens, while "The Defenders", as they were called, acted as faithful sentinels to guard them from danger. The principality ruled over by Rory O'Moore was called Leix; it covered the greater part of Queen's County and part of County Kildare. The O'Moores belonged to the Clan Rory of the Province of Ulster, and were

descended from the celebrated hero, Conall Cearnach, who was the chieftain of the Red Branch Knights at the beginning of the Christian Era. This famous Rory O'Moore was victorious over the English forces in many battles during the reigns of Queens Mary and Elizabeth, and in consequence recovered the princi- pality of Leix, which had been the property of his forefathers and which he governed until his death in 1578.

It is claimed that this Rory Oge O'Moore organized and foimded Hibernianism in the year 1565, in the County of Kildare, in the Province of Leinster, and gave to his faitliful followers the name of "The De- fenders ". After the death of Rory, " The Defenders " rallied around the Irish chieftains, and after many glorious battles betook themselves to the mountains and defied the tyranny of England. In the course of time branches sprang up among their descendants in opposition to the Protestant organizations, such as the " Hearts-of-Steel", the "Oak-Boj's", the " Peep- O'Day-Boys", the "Protestant-Boys", the "Wreck- ers", and finally the "Orangemen". The principal Catholic organizations were the " Wliite-Boys", so called from wearing a white shirt, the "Rapparees", who received this designation on account of a half pike which they carried, and the "Ribbon-Men", so called because their badge was two pieces of green and red ribbon. In due time there arose also the " Terry-Alts " and the " I'>nians ". The spirit of these organizations gave rise to what is known in Ireland as the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Anyone familiar with the history of Ireland imder English and I'rotes- tant domination will recognize that it was natural enough for such organizations to be formed among Irish Catholics. When the laws were made against the interests of the great mass of the people, it was necessary to erect a barrier of defence. No doubt, some abuses were occasionally connected with the operation of these societies, but, in the main, they defended the religious and civil liberties of the Irish people.

While we have no authentic information as to when the Ancient Order of Hiljernians was formall.y estab- lished under that title in Ireland, we know that, in 1S.S6, certain Irishmen in New York, who desired to establish a branch of the organization in America, communi- cated with their brethren in Ireland, and received the followng reply: —

" Brothers, Greeting: Be it known to you and to all whom it may concern that we send to our few brothers in New York full instructions with our authority to establish branches of our society in America. The qualifications for membership must be as follows: All the members must be Catholics, and Irish or of Irish descent, and of good and moral character, and none of your members shall join any secret societies contrary to the laws of the Catholic Church, and all times and at all places your motto shall be: 'Friend- ship, Unity, and True Christian Charity' * * *."

'This letter concluded with the date: "This fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord, 1836", and it is signed by fourteen officers representing the organiza- tion in Ireland, Scotland, and England. The associa- tion rapitlly increased in membership, but, after a few years, factions arose. They vainly attempted to heal the breach by consultation among themselves, and then referred their difficulties to the present writer, who was selected as arbitrator. Mr. P. J. O'Connor, of Savannah, Georgia, was national president of the faction called "The Ancient Order of Hibernians of America", and Rev. E. S. Phillips, of the Diocese of Scranton, national delegate of the other faction, called " The Ancient Order of Hibernians of the Board of Erin ". The arbitrator, after several months' deliber- ation with the principal leaders of both organizations, successfully adjusted all difficulties, and the unified body became henceforth known as "The Ancient Order