Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/376

 362 IRELAND IREN^EUS church of Ireland. The church is governed by a general synod, meeting annually in Dub- lin, and consisting of a house of bishops and a house of clerical and lay delegates. The house of bishops have the right of veto, and their veto prevails also at the next synod. The bishops are elected by the diocesan convention, but whenever the latter fails to elect a candi- date by a majority of two thirds of each order, the election devolves upon the house of bish- ops. The primate (archbishop of Armagh) is elected by the bench of bishops out of their own order. The property of the church is vested in a " representative church body," which is composed of all the archbishops and bishops, of one general and two lay representa- tives for each diocese, and 12 coopted mem- bers. At the first general synod of the church several resolutions against the introduction of ritualistic practices were adopted. As late as 1833 the church of Ireland, notwithstanding its small membership, had four archbishoprics and 18 bishoprics ; in that year the number of archbishoprics was reduced to two, Dublin and Armagh ; and the number of bishoprics to ten, five for each archbishopric. The number of benefices in 1873 was 1,648; the number of curates 022. The population connected with the church of Ireland, according to the census of 1861, was 693,357, or 11-9 per cent, of the total population; in 1871, 683,295, or 10 per cent, of the total population. Immediately on the passing of the Irish church act, the church temporalities commissioners took charge of all the property formerly belonging to the estab- lished church, and issued forms of claims to be filled up by clergymen or other persons en- titled to receive a continuance of clerical in- come or compensation. The total number of clergy and officers who had commuted under the provisions of the act to the end of 1873, when the time expired, was 6,162, of whom 1,459 were incumbents, 921 curates, 579 non- conformist ministers, and 3,203 church officers. The total number of non-commutants was 415, of whom 20 were incumbents, 15 curates, 30 nonconformist clergy, and 300 church officers. The total amount of commutation paid in re- spect of claims investigated up to February. 1873, was 8,259,673. 1UKLA.M). I. Samuel, an English engraver and author, born in London, died there in July, 1800. After learning engraving, he be- came a dealer in curiosities, scarce books, prints, &c., but ultimately turned tourist and author. He visited Holland, Brabant, France, and various parts of England, and published several illustrated works of travel and scenery, none of which have now much interest or repu- tation. He also published " Graphic Illustra- tions of Hogarth" (1794-'9). II. William Hen- ry, son of the preceding, born in London in 1777, died there, April 17, 1835. He was educated in France, and at the age of 16 was apprenticed to a conveyancer in his native city. Having accompanied his father to Strat- ford-upon-Avon, and noticing his enthusiasm for Shakespearian relics, he forged a deed or lease containing a pretended autograph of the poet, which he said he had found among some old law papers. The eagerness with which his father believed this tale induced him to manu- facture other documents of the same descrip- tion; and he finally produced a play calico " Vortigern," purporting to be by Sh&kefpeare. It deceived many literary men, and Sheridan purchased it for Drury Lane theatre, where it was produced with John Kcmble in the leading- part ; but the total failure of the play, joined with the attacks of Malone and others, soon led to a general conviction of young Ireland's dishonesty. "Vortigern" and "Henry II.," a similar production, were printed in 1799, and the former was republished in 1832, with a facsimile of the original forgery. Being re- quired to show the source from which he had derived the manuscripts, he confessed his de- ception, left his father's house, and abandoned his profession. lie passed the rest of his life in literary pursuits, publishing several novels which never had much popularity, " Neglected Genius," a poem (1812), &c. A new edition of his " Confessions " (1805), containing a full account of his literary forgeries, was publish- ed in New York in 1874, with additional fac- similes, and an introduction by Eichard Grant "White. HJi;i:i S, Saint, one of the fathers of the church, supposed to have been born near Smyr- na about 135, died in Lyons about 202. In a letter to the Valentinian Florinus, Irenajus re- minds him of their having been both disciples of Polycarp ; he also studied under Papias, ac- cording to Jerome. He probably accompanied Pothinus into Gaul, was ordained priest by him, and labored under him among the Greek colonists on the Rhone. In the beginning of 177 he was sent to Rome by the church of Ly- ons and Vienne, to consult with Pope Eleuthe- rus about the spread of the Montanistic doc- trines, and was while there elected and conse- crated bishop of Lyons. In the controversy relating to the celebration of Easter, Irenajus acted as mediator between the eastern bishops and Pope Victor I. About 181 he published in five books his work Adversus ffareses, which is considered the most valuable relic of early patristic literature. Of the original Greek, only the greater part of the first book has been preserved in the writings of Epiphanius and of Hippolytus, who was a pupil of Irenasus ; but the existing Latin version, in five books, is very ancient, and perhaps contemporary with the author. Four Greek fragments of other com- positions attributed to him were discovered by Pfaff at Turin in 1715. The first edition of his works is that of Erasmus (Basel, 1526, fre- quently repnblished) ; the best are those of Grabe (Oxford, 1702), Massuet (Paris, 1710, and Venice, 1734), Stieren (Leipsic, 1851-'3), Harvey (Cambridge, 1857), and in vol. vii. of Migne's Patrologie grecque.