Page:A Compendium of Irish Biography.djvu/317

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taking that ever devoted himself to the investigation of Irish history. His son, Rev. William Lodge, born in 1742, the only survivor of nine children, was in 1790 Chancellor of Armagh Cathedral and rector of Kilmore, in the same diocese. Through him several of John Lodge's books with marginal notes and corrections, came into the Armagh Library; and a further accession was made about 1867 by the purchase from his grandson, son of Rev. William Lodge, rector of Killybegs, of a large collection of his great-grandfather's papers, with rough draughts of his clerical and other lists. John Lodge must not be confounded with Edmund Lodge (born 1756; died 1839), who edited the Gallery of Portraits. 128* 233 254(2)

Loftus, Adam, Archbishop of Dublin, and Lord-Chancellor of Ireland, was born at Swineshead, Yorkshire, in 1534. His graceful deportment at a Cambridge examination attracted Queen Elizabeth's notice, and he was appointed, after his ordination in 1559, chaplain to the Bishop of Kildare. This conscientious bishop, Craike, eventually desired to be relieved of his Irish charge, as "he could not preach to the people, nor could the people understand him." Loftus was advanced rapidly, and when but twenty-seven was consecrated Archbishop of Armagh. Six years afterwards he exchanged the primacy for the archbishopric of Dublin. His anathemas against O'Neill in 1566, for burning the Cathedral of Armagh, passed unheeded, that chief ostentatiously disregarding a Protestant excommunication. A general system of Irish education was a favourite project with the Archbishop, and by his influence, in 1570, an Act was passed directing that free schools should be established in the principal town of each diocese, at the cost of the clergy. Not satisfied with being appointed Lord-Chancellor in 1573, he, either for himself or his family, grasped at every public place that became void. In the Parliament of 1585 he was amongst the prelates that defeated the Bill for the repeal of Poyning's Act. Although he opposed Sir J. Perrot's plan for the application of the revenues of St. Patrick's Cathedral to the establishment of an Irish university, he was foremost in supporting and carrying out Queen Elizabeth's foundation of Trinity College on the site of the suppressed monastery of All-Hallows. At a meeting convened at the Tholsel he addressed the Mayor, citizens, and Council on the subject; and on 29th December 1591 the Queen's licence was obtained for the foundation of the College. Loftus was named the first Provost. The charter was dated the following year, when FitzWilliam, the Lord-Deputy, made an appeal to the country at large on behalf of the institution, "whereby knowledge, learning, and civilitie may be increased, to the banishing of barbarisme, tumults, and disordered lyving from among them." Some time after this he fell into disgrace, and was reprimanded in a letter from the Queen for committing a servant of hers on a frivolous pretext to the Marshalsea, "a noysome place, repleat with sundry prisoners." The spirit of the time was shown by Archbishop O'Hurley being tortured and executed at his instance, for keeping steadfast to the open profession of Roman Catholicism. His daughters made fortunate marriages; one of them, who married Sir Henry Colley, was ancestress of the Duke of Wellington. He expired at the palace of St. Sepulchre's, Dublin, 5th April 1605, aged about 71, and was buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral. 76

Loftus, Dudley, writer and publicist, son of Sir Adam Loftus, was born at his father's castle (built by his great-grandfather Archbishop Loftus) at Rathfarnham, near Dublin, about 1618. He took his degree of B.A. at Trinity College, and finished his studies at Oxford, being incorporated Bachelor of Arts in 1639. Returning to Ireland after the breaking out of the War of 1641, he for a time held command at Rathfarnham, and defended Dublin from the incursions of the Irish of the Wicklow mountains. He was afterwards made a Master in Chancery, Vicar-General of Ireland, and a Judge of the Prerogative Court. Ware says: "His greatest excellence lay in the knowledge of the tongues, so that by the time he was twenty years of age he was able to translate as many languages into English. Yet, notwithstanding his learning, he was accounted an improvident and unwise person, and his many levities and want of conduct gave the world too much reason to think so. They gave occasion to a very satyrical reflection made by a great but free-spoken prelate, who was well acquainted with him, viz.: 'That he never knew so much learning in the keeping of a fool' " His mind became much impaired with years; when seventy-six he married a second wife, and died the following year, June 1695. He was buried in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Part of his large collection of books is now in Marsh's Library. Both Harris's Ware and Wood's Athenoe Oxonienses give a list of his writings, some thirty in number. The most important were in Latin — many being commentaries on the Scriptures and philosophical works translated from Syriac into Latin. 14 37* 110 339

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