There are, however, three tracts specially on the subject of Irish
writers. First is Bishop Nicholson's "Irish Historical Library." It
gives accounts of numerous writers, but is wretchedly meagre. In
Harris's "Hibernica" is a short tract on the same subject; and in
Harris's edition of Ware's works an ample treatise on _Irish Writers_.
This treatise is most valuable, but must be read with caution, as Ware
was slightly, and Harris enormously, prejudiced against the native
Irish and against the later Catholic writers. The criticisms of Harris,
indeed, on all books relative to the Religious Wars are partial and
deceptious; but we repeat that the work is of great value.

The only more recent work on the subject is a volume written by Edward
O'Reilly, for the Iberno-Celtic Society, on the Native Irish Poets: an
interesting work, and containing morsels invaluable to a picturesque
historian.

By the way, we may hope that the studies for this prize history will be
fruitful for historical ballads.

Too many of the original works can only be bought at an expense beyond
the means of most of those likely to compete. For instance, Harris's
"Ware," "Fynes Moryson," and "The State Papers of Henry the Eighth,"
are very dear. The works of the Archaeological Society can only be got
by a member. The price of O'Connor's "Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores
Veteres" is eighteen guineas; and yet, in it alone the annals of
Tigernach, Boyle, Innisfallen, and the early part of the "Four Masters"
are to be found. The great majority of the books, however, are
tolerably cheap; some of the dearer books might be got by combination
among several persons, and afterwards given to the Repeal
Reading-rooms.

However, persons resident in, or able to visit Dublin, Cork, or
Belfast, can study all, even the scarcest of these works, without any
real difficulty.

As to the qualities of such a history, they have been concisely enough
intimated by the Committee.

It is to be A HISTORY. One of the most absurd pieces of cant going is
that against history, because it is full of wars, and kings, and
usurpers, and mobs. History describes, and is meant to describe,
_forces_, not proprieties--the mights, the acted realities of men, bad
and good--their historical importance depending on their mightiness,
not their holiness. Let us by all means have, then, a "graphic"
narrative of what was, not a set of moral disquisitions on what ought
to have been.

Yet the man