PADDY MURPHY ON THE TERENCE CONTROVERSY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1998, 23 May 1885, Page 2

PADDY MURPHY ON THE TERENCE CONTROVERSY.

The May number "of'the New Zealand Schoolmaster contains the following amusing letter from the celebrated Paddy Murphy, supposed to be in reply to a letter from a member of the. Uhi\ easity Senate, enquiring whether the works of Paddy's ancestor,' Terence, were fit for lady students : Lambton Kay, Willinton, April 28,1885. Me Larned an' Dear Frind,— Bythehokeyl'msorrythatlcan'tgiveme ancisthor Terence Murphy'a good karacther.forthruthcompilsmeto state that he was one av the most ondaycint blackguards in the sivin parishes, so he was. From the family thradishuns threaslmred inthearkhiye av the Murphies, I-find that me ancisthor was born ataveryearly age an'that when he was'only a mere goshune the bad dhrop broke out in him, so it did. He picked'up wid a sit av' sthrolin'actors who wor performin 1 in the nayborhud, an'. begorra he ,tuk to wiitin' naughty phlays, bo he did. The priest of the parish, hearin' av his qua're going on, ordhered him to laive the country, and be the mortial, he had to clear out from Ireland' bag and baggage,' so he had. Terry nixt turned up in Rome, where he projooced his cilibrated dhrama, " Heautontimerumenos." I may minshin' ■ that Rome was a haythin city at that time, an' begorra, Terry had his full fling, so he had, Whin ramblin round the Call-an-seeum (where the play acthora used to have great goins on) he made the acquaintance av a counthryman be the name of O'Vid—one av the biggest blackguards that iver lived—an' be me conshins, from thatday outhebegan to decline in.thesocial scale, so he. did. Mister O'Vid, in order to flatter him, wrote a work called "The* §et:a-murphysis" to celebrate their first meetm'"a'nd oiiJE ay compliment to the name of Murphy, He tW Tnilrojooced Terence to the Roman Imps—a Bohamian Club that met ivery Sunday night in the Cattycombs. This was the place tha; Terence became acquainted with Vargil an' Horace (I may minshin ong possong— Frincli—that Horace's rale..naino was O'Race, bekays he waR tho devil's own,.-boy?■■'for' the 'Turf afore he left' Ireland) an' Luke Creshius, a' Kit Tullus, an' Sisero, and Livy, and Sal Lust .(Sal was a rale bad lot),'an' all the gay young Itinerary dudes an' mashers that rambled about the sthrectso' Rome! Musha, bad.cess to the day's luck he iver had after that night. He wint from b'ad to, yorse'until the lowest larrykin in the sthropfc felt ashamed to. jead his pomes and plays. 'ljow, 'altliquglj Terqnge js an ahejsthor av meoiyn, be the father's side, I'm compelled to state that in my opinion his works are not lit to be read be any dacint boy,, much less be fair girl grajuutes.—l am, me larnod an' dear frind, yours fraternally, P. Murphy.