William Nicolson (1655-1727)

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Bibliographical details
William [Nicolson] Bishop of Derry, The Irish Historical Library, pointing at most of the Authors and Records in Print or Manuscript which may be serviceable to the compilers of a general History of Ireland, by William, Lord Bishop of Derry [John vi.12, ‘Gather up the Fragments’] (Dublin Aaron Rhames for R. Owen[,] Skinner Row 1724), 246pp. + index [8°]. Ded. William Conolly, Esq, Speaker of the House of Commons. The author translated from see of Carli[s]le to Derry, dedication dated 30 Nov. Dublin, signed William Derry. CONTENTS, 1] Of the writers on the general and special geography, natural history and state government of Ireland, 1-26. 2]. Of the general historians of this kingdom, 27-66. 3] Of our Ecclesiastical historians, 67-80. 4] Writers of the lives of Irish saints, 81-107. 5] Of the register-books, of cathedrals, monasteries, &c., 108-118. 6] Of the Irish biographers, 119-132. 7] Of Irish records and Law-books, 133-53. 8] Of Irish coins and medals, 154-175. [See under Quotations, infra.]

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The Irish Historical Library (Dublin Aaron Rhames for R[.] Owen Skinner Row 1724), Preface: ‘The general acceptance which my English and Scottish libraries met with, in the neighbouring kingdom, easily drew me into a resolution of endeavouring to do the like agreeable Service to Ireland ... In the gathering of collections for the two aforesaid books, I had frequent opportunities of observing what Irish historians were contemporaries, and wrote of the same times, with those of the then separate kingdoms of England and Scotland; and twas a matter of no great labour to throw these into some short distinct Adversaria ... paying my dying respects to the country which gives me and my family the present comfortable supports of life. ... / ... began with Cotton library ... Harleyan ... Sir Symonds Dewes had from T. Stafford, publication of Carew’s Pacata Hibernia ... [at] Trinity we have the greatest part of Archbishop Usher’s collection of manuscripts relating to the history of this kingdom, though (to our sorrow) several of these, and particularly the famed Liber Lecanus, are lately lost and embezled. Whatever of this kind was pick’d up by the late ingenious Mr Madden MD, is happily fallen into the hand of the present bishop of Clogher, whose collection will be frequently referred to in the following Papers. ... his Grace the Duke of Chandois’s library is the most richly stored with our Irish manuscripts of all sorts.’ Remarks follow on the Irish Language, including allusions to the Abecedarian and Bethluisnion letters [ogham]; runick monuments; Cambrensis quoted on destruction of places of learning by Turgesius [xv] cites ‘Richard Creagh, ‘titular archbishop of Ardmagh ... wrote a treatise De Origine Linguae Hibernicae; which is quoted by the Analectes and said by Sir James Ware to be still extant in manuscript ... the anonymous Rudimenta Grammatica Hibrnice in the late Primate Marsh’s library in Dublin may supply the want of Creagh’s book, if it be really lost. Besides these, E. Lhuyd has obliged us with an abstract of a Latin-Irish grammar, published at Rome by Father Ó Molloy in the year 1677. References also to Dr Davies; Mr Flaherty [Ogygia, ftn.] had three genealogical sonnets ‘the chief pillars whereon our old history is founded’, 1] G. Coeman 2] G. Modude 3] Conan Ó Malconar. Also Colman Ó Sefnan.

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The Irish Historical Library (Dublin Aaron Rhames for R[.] Owen Skinner Row 1724), Preface - cont.: Further remarks on Keating [xviii]: ‘If what Keating and others report of the care taken by the government of the publick records be true, tis hardly possible to imagine that any kingdom of the world should outdo Ireland; either in the antiquity or certainty of her histories’. Cites Ollamh Fodhla; Psalter of Taragh; Book of Ardmach; Psalter of Cashel; Book of Glean da Loch. Nicholson discusses ‘seminaries of learning’ called universities, as Ardmagh, Cashel, Dundaleathglass, and Lismore. [xx] ‘That these Irish filadha and the northern Skialdi (or bards &c) were of the same class, and that the histories composed upon the credit of their poems and ballads, were of the like Matter and Manner in their Texture, will easily appear to any that shall take the trouble of comparing the late edition of our Keating with the Heims Kringla of Snorro Sturloson who wrote about five hundred years ago in the Icelandic tongue.’ [xxi] An paraphrastic account of Heims follows, xxi-xxv. The late Mr Toland valu[e]d himself much on the Historical Discoveries which he met with in an old Latin Manuscript of the four Gospels in Irish characters; and fell foul upon Fr Simon for affirming that the Book was written in Saxon letters, that the writer was an English Benedictine monk, and his name Dom. Aelbrigte, whereas, says Nazarenus, the truth of the matter is, Do is an Irish prepositive Particle; and Maelbrigte, the Transcriber’s name, signifies servant of Brigit ... Mr Toland’s book is (since he first perused it) fallen into other good Company in the Harleyan Library’ [xxvi] There is a venerable vellum manuscript in the college Library at Dublin of the four Latin Gospels ... prefixed [material] in Irish ... called Book of St Columbkille ... given by Dr Jones ... I shall not dispute Mr Toland’s skill in the Irish tongue [xxvii] lest I give my self an air of knowing what I do not ... [author disputes Toland’s interpretation of -anus suffix in inscription of said Book]. Also disputes Toland’s account of the Culdees as a ‘sort of Lay-religious who had th power of electing their own bishops’ [xxix] ... Scottish culdees [xxx] Wdward Lhuyd’s catalogue of Welsh manuscripts [xxx] tuatha de Dannan, ’tis a very blind account which our writers give of the TDD; whom they represent as a barbarous and bloody generation of strangers, who for some time domineer’d in this country. It calls to mind what the English say about ... their Lord-Danes’ [xxxiii].

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The Irish Historical Library (Dublin Aaron Rhames for R[.] Owen Skinner Row 1724), Preface: In his closing remarks, he mentions books viewed since the body of the present work went to press, 1] English trans. of Book of Tighernach 2] Archdeacon Lynch to M. Boleus proving the Scoti were Irish ‘tis only an enlargement of the 17th chp. of his Cambrensis Eversus 4] Hibernia resurgens, ascribed by Usher to Lynch, said on title page to be b Donat Rourke ‘whose sole business it is to lash Tho. Dempster and to rescue some scores of Irish saints who had been kidnapped by that Northern Rover; J. Lynch, tit. bishop of Killala, prob. author of Analecta 5] a pamphlet on ‘bloody doings’ of 23 Oct 1641 to 15 June 1642 by Henry Jones 6] John Richardson of Belturbet’s history of attempts to convert Popish natives to the Establish’d religion, who published about the same time Irish sermons translated from Bishops Tillotson, Beveridge et al., &c . INDEX inc. Bedel [sic], Book[s] of (Leabar) [24 in number]; Edmund Borlase [whose Brief Reflections was in defence of his father and William Parsons, and whom Dr Nalson [has censured as ‘being openly and avowedly a favourer of faction’ and ‘an author of such strange Inconsistency’ that he is ‘rather a paradox than a history’, noting that Clarendon’s manuscript has been ‘very unartfully blended it with his own rough and unpolish;d heap of Matter’ (Nelson, intro. to Impart. Collect., ii p.8) [56]; Richard Bulkely; Cambrensis; George Carew; Castlehaven; Colgan; Richard Cox; Ó Daly; John Davis [sic]; G. Dowdale; Galafy Mac V Firbis; Rod Ó Flaherty [19, 48, 244]; [F]lanagh[an]; Gratianus Lucius v. Lynch; Hanmer; Holinshed; Henry Jones; Keating; Lhuyd; John Lynch; Mac Curtin; Messingham [his Florilegium gave John Dempster occasion for his ‘book of pyracy’ which he called Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum Libris XIX qua viri Sanctitate, Literis, dignitatibus, toto orbe illustres, et familiae etiam Scoticae in varias Urbes transmissae, &c., recensentur [84]; Dan., Will, and Tho. Molyneux; Monasticon Hibernicum [anonymous publisher of this, very modestly, owns that the forementioned French author [M. Alemand, Monastique d’Irlande] did not only lay the foundations of the work, but also provided most of the materials ... yet he will not allow it to be called a bare translation ... it pretends to give its readers a perfect and full view &c. [79]; Richard Plunket; Maurice Regan; John Richardson; David Rothe; Tho. Stafford; Richard Stanihurst; Sir John Temple; John Toland; Viscount Castlehaven Touchet; James Usher; Hugh Ward; Sir James Ware; Sir Thomas Ware; Robert Ware.’

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The Irish Historical Library (Dublin Aaron Rhames for R[.] Owen Skinner Row 1724), Appendix I [179-84], An alphabetical account of several ancient Irish historians, annals, &c. pp.176-190, Antiquaries [Ollamh Fodhla et al.]; Books [Cion Droma Sneachta et al.]; Boiremhe Laighen; Cambrensis Girald [‘this author deserves no manner of regard or credit to be given to him; and his chronicle is the most partial representation [182] of the Irish history that ever was impos’d on any nation of the world. He has endeavoured to make the venerable antiquities of the Island a meer fable; and given occasion to the historians that came after him to abuse the World, with the same fictitious relations’]; Caoilte MacRonain; Chronicle of the Saints; Cogadh Gall ra Gaoidhealuibh; Columkil [amhra]; Cormac Mac Cuillenan; Creagh; The Irish tongue; MacCarty, Florence; Psalters of I; Poets, the office of the poet in the necessary retinue of the kings of Ireland was to transmit to posterity the heroick and memorable actions of famous men, or whatsoever quality they were; to compose satyrs upon debauchery and vice; and to [?blast] the immorality of courtiers and inferior person, without partiality or affection ... dromceat [185-88]; Romantick Tales [Tain Bo Cuailgne, et al.]; Ruanus, i.e., Caoilte mac Ronain; Sanders, Nic; Usher, ‘that prodigy of learning and industry’. [Dublin ed. of Keating cited in this part, whereas London ed. cited in foregoing chaps.]’

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The Irish Historical Library (Dublin Aaron Rhames for R[.] Owen Skinner Row 1724), APPENDIX II, A Translation of the Irish Preface, to Mr Lhuyd’s Irish Dictionary’ [191-215]. Lhuyd apologises for writing in a language which he never learnt from a speaker, though he travelled in Ireland, and explains that he compiled his dictionary from Keating’s History, have set out to make a dictionary of the British language. He marks the words from Keating with K. He has taken words from Bedell and O’Donnell’s biblical translations and inserted the entire of Michael Ó Clery’s Seanasan Nuadh (‘Glossary of difficult words’) into his own dictionary, marking the obsolete and unintelligible with a dagger. Cites a dictionary completed by Richard Plunket, Trim, 1662. Long discussion of orthography, proposing an alphabet made up of Latin and Irish characters, and Greek chars. as alternatives where the presses will not support the Irish ones; prints CREED in Irish, Roman letters, using K [Kreidim]; VI, Molloy’s grammar ‘defective’; Lhuyd’s book sold by Jeremiah Pepyat in Dublin. He ends with 6 reasons for the preservation of Irish, following the statement, ‘I have already declared that it was through Ignorance that many Persons would have Language and ours buried in Oblivion; and I have no reason upon any account to recal [sic] my words, but rather to make this additional Remark, that it argues so great a want of Judgement, that any Man, who would pretend to Learning, ought to be ashamed. (Ded. To the gentlemen and other learned persons of the Irish Nation, whether Irish, Scots, or other Foreigners, Long Health and happiness. 1 May 1706, Oxford).’

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The Irish Historical Library (Dublin Aaron Rhames for R[.] Owen Skinner Row 1724), APPENDIX III [216-242], ‘Translation of the Welsh Preface to Mr Lhuyd’s Gloss[o]graphy’ [Ded. to the Welsh] This includes a list, p.225-27, of old Spanish and present Irish words, displaying their supposed affinity. As for Wales, ‘the Irish must have been the inhabitants where those names were imposed on them [rivers]’ [228] A further list, 230-232, adduced to show that Welsh and Irish are related to the Galli whom the Romans called Celtae. In the following para., he asserts that Vergobretus, called a magistrate by Caesar, was Ir. fear go breath, a judge, verbatim, ‘man who judges’. [232] Belgae [Teutons] are fir bolg ‘as it seemed probable also to the learned Irish antiquary Mr Roderic Ó Flaherty [233] ... the Irish is one of the Teutonic Languages, though it has antiently borrowed some words frm the British, and the latter ages a great number for the Latin and French [233]. APPENDIX IV [243-246], ‘An Account of Several Chronicles and Annals brought to me since the printing of the foregoing sheets’, incl. Ulster annals; Annals of Inch-mac-creen, Annals of Donegal signed by Four Masters, Collection of Flowers made by John Lynch; abstract of Annals drawn up by Roderick O’Flaherty, 1187-1327, being loose papers in his handwriting ‘and ought to be preserved with due respect, since we all [245] know with what scrupulous care he endeavour’d to ascertain its own time to every Occurrence under the sun.’ Also Conry, extracts from Liber Lecanus (in a Collectanea); H. Ward, or Vardaeus acc. Ware, and mentions John Colgan in connection with him. ‘I cannot here but take notice of the good services done to this Kingdom, by Tho. Dempster’s robbing us of our Irish saints, and transporting them (by scores) into his own Albanian territories. This rais’d a just resentment in the Antiquaries of Ireland; who forthwith betook themselves to Arms, and march’d out in Troops for the recovery of their stol’n Goods. That the Scoti of antient times were (all of ’em) Irishmen has been clearly prov’d by our Author Ward, Lynch, and others, who have also occasionally illustrated a great many darker passages in our oldest Histories.’ [End]

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Notes
RIA: Nicholson became a member of the RIA Standing Committee on Antiquities, fnd. 14 May 1772 under the chairmanship of Lucius O’Brien, with Charlemont, Moira, the Bishop of Cloyne, Vallancey, Leland, and the Speaker of the House of Commons (Gilbert, ‘The Streets of Dublin’, p.36; cited in Ward and Ward, eds., Letters of Charles O’Conor, 1988, p.275, n.4.

Church schools: Bishop Nicolson of Derry, sitting in the Irish House of Lords, helped to forward a bill to set up Church administered schools (Robert E. Ward, Encyclopaedia of Irish Schools, Lewister NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1995, p.12; citing Francis Godwin James, ‘North County Bishop’, in Yale Historical Publications, Miscellany 65 (1956).

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