protection), in 1679 was preferred to a chan- cellorship of St, Patrick's, and next year wa3 made Dean of the Cathedral. He took a prominent part in forwarding the in- terests of the Prince of Orange, and on James II.'s accession to power in Ireland, suffered several months' imprisonment. Eventually he was liberated and permitted the free exercise of his religion. At this period he prepared the materials for one of his great works — The State of the Pro- testants of Irelatid under the late King James's Government (London, 1691). This book was characterized by Burnet as "not only the best book that hath been written for the service of the Government ; but without any figure it is worth all the rest put together — and will do more than all our scribblings for settling the minds of the nation." It is indeed an extremely in- teresting and valuable work, containing a mass of information regarding James II.'s Irish career. Heavy spiritual cares devolv- ed upon him until after the battle of the Boyne, in consequence of many Protestant clergymen having fled to England. He was by William III. preferred to the bishopric of Derry, left vacant by the death of Bishop Walker at the battle of the Boyne. In his diocese he did much to re- pair churches burned or dilapidated during the war ; he improved the episcopal palace, established a library, and was altogether untiring in the affairs of the see, and in ex- ertions for the amelioration of the condition of the clergy. In 1703 he was promoted to the archbishopric of Dublin. On four occasions he acted as one of the Lords-Jus- tices. Harris says : " He knew the temper, disposition, and genius of the nation most exactly, and as he was remarkably happy in a quick and clear conception of things, a piercing judgment into the consequences of political affairs, and a marvellous saga- city and readiness in properly executing business 0' the greatest importance; so he exerted all these excellent qualities with continued vigour and resolution to their utmost stretch to promote the public good and his Majesty's interest in the kingdom." Disappointed in his expectations of being raised to the primacy on the death of Arch- bishop Lindsay (the excuse being that he was too old), we are told that he received the new Primate, Dr. Boulter, without get- ting out of his chair, remarking, " My lord, I am sure your grace will forgive me, because you know I am too old to rise." Archbishop King died at his palace of St. Sepulclire's, Dublin, 8th May 1 729, aged 79, and was by his own desire buried in Donny- brook old churchyard. In Harris's list his works number some twenty. The State of
the Protestants was replied to in 1692 by the Rev. Charles Leslie, a non-juror. The Encyclopaedia Britannica, in commenting on Archbishop King's writings, says : "The greatest of all his works was his essay On the Origin of Evil, published in Latin at Dublin in 1702. In this essay he advo- cated what is known as the optimist view, which, with differences on subordinate points, is that adopted by Augustin and Leibnitz. According to this view. King, in common with these great thinkers, at- tempts to reconcile the existence of evil with the government of a perfectly holy, good, and powerful being, by treating it as the necessary result of creature limitation. His work attracted great attention both at home and abroad. Among its assailants was Leibnitz, who, while holding the monoistic hypothesis, denied much of King's reasoning and many of his conclu- sions on minor points ; and Bayle, the last and greatest defender of the dualistic hy- pothesis. King did not publish any reply to either of his assailants, but left notes of a defence, which, after his death, were given to the world by Edmund Law, Bishop of Carlisle, along with an English version of the Be Origine Mali. Amongst his other works maybe mentioned his Dis- course on Predestination, which has been edited, with valuable annotations, by Arch- bishop Whately. King's personal charac- ter stood very high through life ; and his correspondence with Swift shows him to have been a man of fine wit and great general accomplishments." Interesting notes upon his correspondence will be found in Notes and Queries, 4th Series ; and upon other matters relating to his life in the 2nd and 3rd Series, ^s ^^, 254 33^ 339
Einrechtin, Maurice, Bev., was born in Kilmallock in the i6th century, entered the priesthood, was appointed chaplain to Gerald, Earl of Desmond, and continued true to his cause through the succeeding years. Falling into the hands of the English soldiery, he was thrown into prison at Clonmel, where he was con- fined in chains for more than a year. His jailer was bribed by a wealthy Catholic to let the father out to celebrate Easter, 1585. The English commander, however, caused the house where mass was being secretly celebrated to be surrounded, and Father Kinrechtin was taken prisoner. He was executed 30th April, in the same year. — " When he came to the place of execution, turning to the people, he ex- horted, as far as time would permit, and at the end, begging all Catholics to pray for him, and blessing them, he was hung from the gallows, and, being taken down
