1 Irish College
Rome 27th May 1916 My Lord Bishop I enclose a Rescript; I
suppose it is for a mixed marriage,
about which Fr O Driscoll wrote
to me lately. Your letter gave me great joy:
I pray that God spare you to
celebrate the Golden Jubilee of
your Episcopate, for the reply you made
to that military autocrat. I
hope he has brains enough to learn 2 the lesson. I am glad the
people are awakening from their
political hypnotism. But the
price paid for the lesson is awful.
Many in Ireland must have searching
of consciences for their acts and speeches
during the past two years. But for the
thoughtless talk of these, that military
man would not have dared to send you
such a letter. But they were let feel
that they might do as they willed.
Persons have gone mad on both sides
of the war. I never discuss it: but I
enjoy intensely others fighting over it
yet my neutrality has not saved me. A
few days ago I heard that Bp Dontonville,
(new General of the Oblates) — a Frenchman
or French Canadian, said to a lady

What can you think, when the Rector of the
Irish College is a Fenian. Directly I
heard it I wrote to him for an explanation
& for evidence of my Fenian tendencies,
and asked for an immediate answer.
He sent me; very apologetically. I wrote
back to say it was not satisfactory.
He came back personally twice to the College
to see me, & explain. He found me in
the second visit. He was like a
drowned rat: and his explanation
was not very intelligent; but offered
to do whatever I told him about the
matter. I said I did not want him to
do anything more than he had done
already: that should take no more
notice of it, unless I found that he's
word was going the round, on which
happening I wouldwill have the matter 3 laid before the Pope. That ends that
affair: It will make others take care. I have not seen the Pope since
the troubles in Dublin. I hope to
see him in a few days. I suppose he
will ask me about it. I have in
mind what I shall say as to the
cause of it; and curious to say, the
train of thought I have had about
it is practically what Mr Birrell
had (partly at any rate) in the
statement he read before the
Commission. I am gathering
materials from the evidence before the
Commission, and from speeches by Mr
Asquith & c; and I will write a
statement on the whole, which I will 4 distribute in the proper quarters.
I want others to have time enough
to exhaust their lying first. Then
I will come, with cold facts, based
on official testimony. If it will
do no good, it will prevent possible evil. I transcribe for you a note
Cord de Lai sent me for your
last Pastoral. [Foreign language text.] 5 bene che esso sia fatto e sia
pubblicals; giacche verva
tempo in cui si dira che non tulle
erano cieche e sordi, ma c'erano
pasori in Israile che vigilavano
et ammoniconao et alzavano la
voce in Salutern. Le prgeo di
filicitare in mio home quil Veneraundo
Trelato.Con particulao respetts
19.Maggis 1916
I was asked a few days ago, if it
is true that Mr Asquith wished to
see the Pope — amongst other things —
to get the Bp of Limerick to keep
silent. The person who asked me

is one of the officials at the Vicariate.
He said he had heard it from me
at the Vatican. I told him to
tell his informant that there is no
truth in it whatever; that Mr
Asquith did not speak of such a
thing, nor of any such things to
the Pope. It is pretty clear that the wish
has been further to the thought with
some persons, who have been trying
to make persons believe that Mr
Asquith has spoken to the Pope;
that the inference should be that
the Pope is displeased with you, &
so on etc etc. And those people
are so distracted that they are
not left sense enough to see 6 that to be displeased with your
Pastorals would be to feel dipleasure
with himself; since you have
simply followed the line he
for peace. I am doubly glad now that those
writings have been translated and
distributed. For those, whose
thoughts are of any value, will
have always been made up, at
first hand, from the texts themselves,
in what you have really written. The fools are forestalled; although
that was not my primary purpose
originally. Still the thought occurred
to me now & then. The same
tribe and race whisper now as they
have been whispering always. 7 that to be displeased with your
Pastorals would be to feel dipleasure
with himself; since you have
simply followed the line he
for peace. I am doubly glad now that those
writings have been translated and
distributed. For those, whose
thoughts are of any value, will
have always been made up, at
first hand, from the texts themselves,
in what you have really written. The fools are forestalled; although
that was not my primary purpose
originally. Still the thought occurred
to me now & then. The same
tribe and race whisper now as they
have been whispering always. distribute in the proper quarters.
I want others to have time enough
to exhaust their lying first. Then
I will come, with cold facts, based
on official testimony. If it will
do no good, it will prevent possible evil. I transcribe for you a note
Cord de Lai sent me for your
last Pastoral. [Foreign language text.]