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country, and partly by force, praying their lordships favourably to forbear any further impofition of any fuch burden upon them, until they reprefented their humble remonstrance to his majesty."

Richard Earl of Cork, then one of the lords jufti ces," privately fet the proteftants against this contr.bution; and feveral of the bifhops joined him in opposing it." His grace of Canterbury told bishop Bedel, on that occafion, that his, and the other bishops behaviour, was not well taken by his majesty." A scheme was, however, formed by them, for levying the whole contribution on the catholics, by putting the ftatute of the 2d of Elizabeth in ftrict execution. Accordingly, the lords juftices and council informed. his majefty, "That it was impoffible to improve that part of the revenue, fave only by impofing the twelvepence a Sunday on the recufants." This propofal was readily agreed to by the king: "We approve well," fays his majesty in his anfwer, "that this bufinefs, as you defire, may be presently put into fuch a ftate as that the money, which fhall by that means grow due unto us, may be ready to be levied by Michaelmas next, And as the best and fureft way to bring it to effect, we do hereby authorise and require you, forthwith to affemble our council there, and with their privity to caufe prefentments to be duly made through the whole kingdom, according to the law you mention doth appoint.' These prefentments were accordingly made, and fines were imposed on fuch juries as refufed to find them.

3 Lord Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. fol. 76.

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4 Id. ib. fol. 134. 5 Id. ib. vol. ii. fol. 91. 6 Id. ib.

a "Bedel had united with the inhabitants of his diocefs, in a petition to the late lords juftices, reprefenting the new contribution as irregularly obtained and oppreflively levied." Lel. Hift. of Ireland, vol. iii. p. 26.

"The prefent lords juftices advised, that the recufants should be strictly prefented; and the weekly fines impofed for their abfence from the established worship, as a means of providing for the army." Ib. p. 8.

Lord Wentworth, then appointed deputy, did not, it feems, like this method of raising a supply for the maintenance of the army.7 "Not," fays he, "but that every good Englifhman ought, as well in reason of state as confcience, to defire the kingdom were well reduced to a conformity in religion; but because it is a great business, that has many roots lying deep and far within the ground, which fhould be firft thoroughly opened before we judge what height it may shoot up to, when it shall feel itself once ftruck at, to be loofened and pulled up." He was, therefore, for continuing the contribution as it then stood," because he thought it more fafe, confidering the inequality of numbers and the ill provision of the army, to take the contribution against the will of the proteftants, than to raise the twelve-pence a Sunday, against the liking of the recufants." But his principal reafon for not depending on the execution of this ftatute, for raifing this supply, was the uncertainty of its fuccefs or fufficiency; for as he pleasantly obferved, "If it took that good effect for which it was intended, which was to bring the Irish to a conformity in religion, it would come to nothing; and fo would prove a covering narrower than a man could wrap himself in."

10

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His lordfhip foon brought the king over to his opinion in this particular; but was obliged to have recourse to Laud's affiftance, to convince the Irish bifhops of the impropriety of executing the statute of the 2d of Elizabeth at that juncture. "As for the laying afide," fays his grace in his letter to bishop Bedel, "the twelve-pence a Sunday, and not expecting it for the prefent, his majesty conceives he did it upon all the confiderable reasons that could be, and those very well weighed; and therefore, I do heartily pray both you and your brethren, to lay afide all jealoufies, and to advance his majesty's fervice by all the good means you can, for that he would be very forry to find the carriage of any bifhop especially fhould caft a damp upon his majesty's fervice."

СНАР.

7 Lord Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. fol. 75. • Ib. fol. 76. 9 Ib. fol. 47.

10 Ib. vol. ii. fol. 91.

CHA P. IV.

Lord Wentworth continues the contribution.

1966

THE established clergy of Ireland, who made religion a pretence for preffing the execution of the beforementioned statute," were themselves generally igno rant and unlearned, and loofe, and irregular, in their lives and converfations." ". "As fcandalous livings," fays Mr. Carte in the fame place," naturally make fcandalous minifters, the clergy of the established church, were negligent of their cures, and very careless of obferving uniformity and decency in divine worship."? Of this particular obftacle to the reformation Lord Wentworth was fully fenfible, and mentioned it in feveral of his letters to the miniftry in England. An unlearned clergy," fays he in one of them," who have not fo much as the outward form of churchmen to cover themfelves withal, nor their perfons any way reverenced, or protected; the churches unbuilt; the parfonage and vicarage-houses utterly ruined; the people untaught through the non-refidence of the clergy, occafioned by unlimited fhameful numbers of spiritual promotions, with cure of fouls, which they hold by commendams; the rites and ceremonies of the church run over, without decency of habit, order, or gravity, in the courfe of their fervice; the bifhops alienating their very principal houses and demefnes to their children, to trangers, and farming out their jurifdictions to mean and unworthy perfons;" fo that with refpect to their project of propagating religion by enforcing this ftatute, his lordship juftly obferved, "that fuch brainfick zeal would work a goodly reformation furely, to force conformity

4

'Carte's Orm.vol. i. fol. 68. 2 Id. ib. 3 State Lett. vol. i. f. 187. 4 Id. fol. 172.

"Ignorance, negligence, and corruption of manners in the eftablished clergy were the confequences of their poverty.” Lel. Hift. Irel. ubi fupra, p. 26.

formity to a religion, when there was hardly to be found a church to receive, or an able minister to teach the people." Laud in anfwer to this account of the Irish clergy, tells him, "the anatomy, which you make of the Irish ecclefiaftical disease, makes it apparent, that it is fpread fo univerfally over the body, that a very wife phyfician can scarce tell where to begin the cure."

995

The method Lord Wentworth propofed for improving this part of the revenue, in preference to the tax on the confciences of the natives, was first, to continue the contribution for another year; and fecondly, to fummon a parliament, in order to fettle a constant and regular fupply for the army. But, in order to make trial of the temper of the catholics, (who had first propofed, and actually paid more than two thirds of the former contribution,) with regard to the continuance of it for a longer term," "he fent a private mesfenger of his own to Ireland, who was himself a catholic, with inftructions to invite them to make an offer to his majefty of half a fubfidy, to be paid the next year upon condition, that all further profecution upon the ftatute of the 2d of Elizabeth might be refpited till his coming over." The inftrument I employed," fays he, "knows no other, but that the refolution of the ftate here is fet upon that course, and that I do this privately, in favour and well-wifhing to divert the prefent

s Straff. ib. fol. 212.

b" 1633, Ireland.

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6 Carte's Orm. vol. i. fol. 74.

"Here are divers of the clergy (proteftant) whofe wives and children are recufants, and there I obferve the church goes most lamentably to wreck, and hath fuffered extremely under the wicked alienations of this fort of paftors, wherein I could already give many inftances." Straff. St. Lett. vol. i. fol. 188. In 1633," the church of Ireland had no canons set by public authority at all." Id. ib.

Keep the bishops from their facrilegious alienations.” Id. it. fol. 213.

Archbishop Laud, in this year 1634, takes notice, that the church in Ireland was then fo poor (by the above alienations) "that fix benefices were not able to find the minifter cloaths; and that, in fix parishes, there were scarce fix to come to church."

Ib. fol. 254.

present ftorm, which elfe would fall heavy upon them all, being framed, and executed by the Earl of Cork; which makes the man labour in good earnest, taking it to be a cause pro aris, et focis."

The anfwer, which this artful meffage produced was,' "That the catholics were all very willing to continue the contribution to his majefty, as it then was, until his lordship's coming over; and, in order to testify their forwardness to comply, they sent his lordship a letter to that effect, from the Earl of Antrim and others."

CHA P. V.

Lord Deputy Wentworth arrives in Ireland.

IN July 1633, Lord Wentworth landed in Dublin.*

"His lordship began his administration in a manner," fays Mr. Carte," that was ungracious, and could be hardly expected from a man of his wisdom, and experience, who knew the confequence of the first steps that a governor takes, and the impreffions which they leave in the minds of the people. For, four days after his arrival, he fummoned the council by a pursuivant, according to the ufual manner in that point; but fummoned only a particular number, as if he intended to confult with a committee, rather than the whole body of it. This disobliged all that were omitted in the fummons; and even the few he had called together were offended by a neglect, which they thought unbecoming his lordship to offer, or themselves to bear; they affembled at two o'clock according to their fummons, but the lord deputy, whether out of an affectation of state, or not attending to the hour through a more agreeably caufe (for he had a day or two before declared his marriage to Mrs. Elizabeth Rhodes, a young lady of extraordinary merit, whom after a long absence he had met at Dublin), made them wait two hours and more, before he came to them; and then the bufinefs, under

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