may well claim him as an ornament and a benefactor to their faculty.  The College of Physicians was without a President from 1657 until 1690, when Sir Patrick Dun was elected.  The cause of this was the unfortunate illiberality of the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, who refused to confirm the election of Dr. Crosby, simply because he was a Roman Catholic.  In 1692 the College received a new charter and more extended privileges; and these, with certain Acts of Parliament, form its present constitution.

In medieval cities the castle was the centre round which the town extended itself.  Dublin was no exception to this rule, and in this century we find High-street and Castle-street the fashionable resorts.  The nobility came thither for society, the tradesmen for protection.  Castle-street appears to have been the favourite haunt of the bookselling fraternity, and Eliphud Dobson (his name speaks for his religious views) was the most wealthy bookseller and publisher of his day.  His house was called the Stationers’ Arms, which flourished in the reign of James II.  The Commonwealth was arbitrary in its requirements, and commanded that the printer (there was then only one) should submit any works he printed to the Clerk of the Council, to receive his imprimatur before publishing the same.  The Williamites were equally tyrannical, for Malone was dismissed by them from the office of State Printer, and tried in the Queen’s Bench, with John Dowling, in 1707, for publishing “A Manuall of Devout Prayers,” for the use of Roman Catholics.[532]

There were also a great number of taverns and coffee-houses in this street; the most noted was the Rose Tavern, which stood nearly opposite to the present Castle steps.  Swift alludes to this in the verses which he wrote on his own death, in 1731:—­

    “Suppose me dead; and then suppose
    A club assembled at the Rose."

Political clubs, lawyers’ clubs, and benevolent clubs, all assembled here; and the Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick had their annual dinner at the Rose, at the primitive hour of four o’clock, annually, on the 17th of March, having first transacted business and heard a sermon at St. Patrick’s.

The first Dublin newspaper was published in this century, by Robert Thornton, bookseller, at the sign of the Leather Bottle, in Skinner’s-row, A.D. 1685.  It consisted of a single leaf of small folio size, printed on both sides, and written in the form of a letter, each number being dated, and commencing with the word “sir.”  The fashionable church was St. Michael’s in High-street.  It is described, in 1630, as “in good reparacion; and although most of the parishioners were recusants, it was commonly full of Protestants, who resorted thither every Sunday to hear divine service and sermon.”  This church had been erected originally for Catholic worship.  Meanwhile the priests were obliged to say Mass wherever they could best conceal themselves;