The ingenuity with which the conversation between the Pope and Father Tom is developed to the reader, forms no little part of its felicitousness. A hedge priest, one Michael Heffernan, of the National School of Ballymacktaggart, is the interlocutor. This keeper of a ragged school, under the shadow of an Irish hedge, is the exponent of theological controversies that have shaken the world! Happy satire! which like summer lightning, clears up the atmosphere, and makes even the skies bright, blue, beautiful and buoyant. To us! poor mortals! to whom a touch of nature shakes the laughter out of us, or brings the tears into our eyes, such books are the treasures of our language. If out of the sorrow and misery of this world, wit has managed to alleviate one shade of human suffering; if it has lifted up its hand against tyranny; if it has sometimes by the pen of Cervantes lessened the ridiculous power of a so-called chivalry; or in the satires of Swift, destroyed the prestige of hereditary birth; if it has done any good in this world, let so much good be accounted to it. [Illustration] FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 1: In 1827.] CHAPTER I. HOW FATHER TOM WENT TO TAKE POT-LUCK AT THE VATICAN. When his Riv'rence was in Room, ov coorse the Pope axed him to take pot look wid him. More be token, it was on a Friday; but, for all that, there was plenty of mate; for the Pope gev himself an absolution from the fast on account ov the great company that was in it--at laste so I'm tould. Howandiver, there's no fast on the dhrink, anyhow--glory be to God!--and so, as they wor sitting, afther dinner, taking their sup together, says the Pope, says he, "Thomaus"--for the Pope, you know, spakes that away, all as one as one ov uz--"Thomaus _a lanna_," says he, "I'm tould you welt them English heretics out ov the face." "You may say that," says his Riv'rence to him again. "Be my sowl," says he, "if I put your Holiness undher the table, you won't be the first Pope I floored." Well, his Holiness laughed like to split; for, you know, Pope was the great Prodesan that Father Tom put down upon Purgathory; and ov coorse they knew all the ins and outs ov the conthravarsy at Room. "Faix, Thomaus," says he, smiling across the table at him mighty agreeable--"it's no lie what they tell me, that yourself is the pleasant man over the dhrop ov good liquor." "Would you like to thry?" says his Riv'rence. "Sure, and amn't I thrying all I can?" says the Pope. "Sorra betther bottle ov wine's betuxt this and Salamancha, nor's there fornenst you on the table; its raal Lachrymalchrystal, every spudh ov it." "It's mortial could," says Father Tom. "Well, man alive," says the Pope, "sure and here's the best ov good claret in the cut decanther." "Not maning to make little ov the claret, your Holiness," says his Riv'rence, "I would prefir some hot wather and sugar, wid a glass of spirits through it, if convanient."