Such were the men, whose new religious doctrine, and difcipline, these people were required to embrace, against the conviction of their confciences, and at the peril of their liberties, fortunes and lives. At the fame time that the ignorance, and immorality of the reforming miffionaries caufed the Irifh to hate and defpife their doctrine, these people held the perfons of their own clergy, in the highest esteem and veneration.d Of this, I fhall mention one remarkable instance, out of many others, that occur in their history. every kind, fo as to leave the fhrine of their favourite faint, Kiaran, an hideous monument of facrilege. Nor do fuch complaints appear to be intirely groundless, for we find that Sir James Crofts, the fucceffor of St. Leger, who had been remanded into England, was particularly inftructed to prevent the sale of bells, and other church furniture." Hift. of Ireland, vol. iii. p. 196. These prejudices were originally occafioned by the mad licentioufnefs, which appeared in the conduct and writings of the firft reformers, particularly those of Martin Luther for to fay nothing of his libidinous practice and doctrine, in marrying a nun, and preaching to his married followers, Si non vult uxor, veniat ancilla. The manner in which he drew up his laft will and testament, on which occafion men are apt to exert their best and most serious thoughts, feems totally void of humility and common sense; though his panegyrift, Dr. Robertson, fays, "there is a certain elevation of fentiment in it." "I am known, says he, in heaven, on earth, and in hell: and have authority enough to expect, that credit fhould be given to my fingle teftimony (without the ufual legal forms in fuch cafes) fince God has entrusted the gospel of his Son to me, though a damnable finner. And truth has owned me for its teacher, in contempt of the authority of the Pope, and Cæfar, and of the hatred of all the devils in hell. Why then should it be fufficient to fay, "Mr. Martin Luther wrote this will, God Almighty's notary, and the witnefs of his gofpel?" Life of Charles V. vol. ii. p. 68. note. It's a great wonder," fays the fame Mr. Spencer, "to fee the odds, which is between the zeal of popifh priests and the ministers of the gofpel. For they fpare not to come out of Spain, from Rome, and from Rheims, by a long toil and dangerous travelling hither; where they know peril of death awaiteth them, and no reward, or riches to be found, only to draw C history.2 "Towards the end of. queen Elizabeth's reign, her majefty's forces befieging the caftle of Cloghan, and understanding that in the fame there. was a Romish priest," (to which order of men they never gave quarter,) having alfo in their hands, the brother of the conftable, who had the charge of the caftle, the commanding officer fent him word, that if he did not presently furrender the castle to him, he would hang his brother in their fight. But to fave the prieft, whofe life they tendered, they perfevered obftinately not to yield: whereupon the officer in their 2 Pacata Hibernia, fol. 358. fight, draw the people to the church of Rome. Whereas, fome of our idle minifters, having a way for credit and eftimation thereby offered, and having livings of the country offered to them, without pains, and without peril, will neither for the fame, nor for any love of God, or zeal of religion, be drawn forth from their warm nefts, to look out into God's harvest."; State of Ir. p. 114. In this reign, among many other Roman catholic priests and bishops, were put to death for the exercife of their function in Ireland, "Glaby O'Boyle, abbot of Boyle of the diocese of Elphin, and Owen O'Mulkeren, abbot of the monaftery of the Holy Trinity, in that diocefe, hanged and quartered by lord Gray, in 1580; John Stephens, prieft, for that he faid mafs to Teague M'Hugh, was hanged and quartered by the lord Burroughs, in 1597; Thady O'Boyle, guardian of the monaftery of Donegal, was flain by the English in his own monaftery; fix friars were flain in the monaftery of Mognihigan; John O'Calyhor and Bryan O'Trevor, of the order of St. Bernard, were flain in their own monaftery, de Santa Maria, in Ulfter; as alfo Felimy O'Hara, a lay brother; fo was Eneas Penny, parifh-prieft of Killagh, flain at the altar in his parish church there; Cahall M'Goran, Rory O'Donnellan, Peter O'Quillan, Patrick O'Kenna, George Power, vicar-general of the diocefe of Offory, Andrew Stretch of Limerick, Bryan O'Murihirtagh, vicar-general of the diocefe of Clonfert, Doroghow O'Molowny of Thomond, John Kelly of Louth, Ste. Patrick of Annaly, John Pillis, friar, Rory M'Henlea, Tirrilagh M'Inifky, a lay brother. All those that come after Eneas Penny, together with Walter Fernan, prieft, died in the castle of Dublin, either through hard ufage and reftraint, or the violence of torture." Theatre of Catholic and Proteftant Religion, p. 582. 66 fight, hanged the conftable's brother. Nevertheless, within four days afterwards, the priest being fhifted away in fafety, the conftable fued for a protection, and rendered the castle. I do relate this accident," adds my author, to the end that the reader may the more: clearly fee, in what reverence, and estimation these ignorant, fuperftitious Irish do hold a popish prieft; in regard to whofe fafety the conftable was content to fuffer his brother to perish." CHA P. III. The conduct of the English chief governors of Ireland, towards the natives. MR. Ofburne informs us', that in England, during queen Elizabeth's reign, to be a catholic was thought to fignify nothing elfe, but an enemy to God, and the prince. I Ofburne's works. a a One of the crimes, of which the unfortunate earl of Effex was accused, was that he had promised, when he was in favour, a toleration to a papist, Sir Chriftopher Blunt; to which accufation Effex at his trial answered," that he knew Blunt was a papist, and never, indeed, liked that any chriftian should be tormented on account of his religion." Cambd. Eliz. 318. But this apology did not leffen the enormity of his crime in the opinion of his judges. Yet the loyalty of the generality of their clergy and people there, was at the fame time known, and confeffed, even by their enemies. Holyfhead teftifies, that there were many fuch subjects then known in the realm, that did not forbear to profess their religion, and alfo did profefs loyalty and obedience to her majefty; and offered readily to her majesty's defence, to impugn and refift any foreign force, though it fhould come from the pope. Among the reft Dr. Heath, archbishop of York, a faithful and quiet fubject, alfo Dr. Poole, bishop of Petersborough, Dr. Tonftal, bishop of Durham, a man of great reputation, Dr. White and Dr. Oglethorpe, the one of Winchester, the other of Carlisle, bifhops; and he of Carlifle fo inclined to dutifulness to her majesty, as he did the office at the confecration and coronation of her majefty: to thefe are added Dr. Thurlby, and Dr. Watson, the one of Ely, and the other of Lincoln, bishops; prince. The like prejudice prevailed alfo, at the fame time, in Ireland; and the name of Irifhman, or papist, was deemed a fufficient justification of any act of cruelty, or injuftice, committed on the person who bore it. I fay not this, merely on the teftimony of Irishmen, and papists, but on that alfo of Englishmen, and protestants; fome of them eye-witneffes of the facts they relate, who had the virtue to publish their deteftation of them. 2 b In a memorial prefented to her majefty and council, by an officer, who had ferved several years in her army in Ireland; fome of those unconscionable courses of her ministers are fet forth, particularly those frequent breaches of public faith, and the insecurity of any pardon granted to these people, on their submitting to the government; who, fays the memorialist, "without being guilty of any new crime, and without a legal trial, were afterwards condemned, and executed, to the great difhonour of her majefty, and difcredit of her laws." It would be equally fhocking and tedious, to recite all those well attefted acts of cruelty and perfidy, which were perpetrated on these people, by the order, or connivance of her majesty's principal ministers in that kingdom. Two or three inftances only, which include hundreds of fufferers, will fuffice for the prefent. 2 When, * Manufcript in Trinity College, Dublin. See append. No. 1. bishops; befides fome abbots and deans, and a great number of laymen of good poffeffions and credit in the country." Vol. 3. anno Eliz. 26. 1358, &c. "The catholic lords and bifhops with all speed repaired to London to proclaim her majefty (Q. Elizabeth); the archbishop and chancellor of England made a public oration to perfuade the people to acknowledge her majefty." Id. ib. p. 1170. The author, in the body of his memorial, offers the following trial and proof of his veracity. "I defire not that your majesty fhould either fimply credit me, in this my plain dealing, in detecting them," (her minifters in Ireland,)" nor them in excufing themselves. But, if it please your highness to appoint commiffioners in that realm for the trial; if I prove not directly all that ever I have declared, let me lofe your gracious favour for ever." 1 When, in the year 1583,3 the garrifon of Smerwick, in Kerry, furrendered, upon mercy, to lord deputy Gray, he ordered upwards of feven hundred of them to be put to the fword or hanged.* "Wingfield was commiffioned to difarm them; and when this fervice was performed, an English company was fent into the fort, and the garrifon was butchered in cold blood: nor is it without pain that we find a service so horrid, and deteftable, committed to Sir Walter Raleigh. The ufual, and obvious excufes for this feverity, could not efface the odioufnefs of it; on the continent it was received with horror." 3 Borlafe's Reduction of Ireland, p. 136. About "Repeated complaints were made of the inhuman rigour practifed by this deputy, and his officers. The queen was affured, that he tyrannised with such barbarity, that little was left in Ireland for her majefty to reign over, but afhes, and dead carcafes." Lel. Hift. of Ireland, vol. ii. p. 287. "The Italian general, and fome officers, were made prifoners of war, but the garrifon was butchered in cold blood." Lel. Ib. p. 283. For this and other fuch exploits, Sir Walter Raleigh had forty thousand acres of land bestowed upon him in the county of Cork, which he afterwards fold to Richard, firft earl of Cork. See Cart. Orm. vol. 5. fol. 67. f The Irish annals thus relate this maffacre. "A. D. 1580. In the war of the Fitzgeralds, an Italian fleet belonging to the pope, landed its men, in the month of September, on the coast of Kerry, in an ifland called Oilean an Oir, which the Fitzgeralds had fortified in the former year. The intention of this expedition was to affift the Fitzgeralds, much diftreffed through their attempts to fupport the catholic religion in Ireland. On the news of this landing, the lord deputy Gray ordered Thomas earl of Ormond to head an army, and lead it towards the island, where the Italians were fortifying themselves. The earl delayed not. He marched into Kerry, where an army of the Fitzgeralds were preparing to oppose him; an engagement enfued, and Ormond had, at laft, the way left open to him, till he arrived in fight of the ifland, and took a view of the entrenchments which were thrown up by the Italians. He concluded, that it was too defperate an undertaking to attack them within their lines; he retired, and waited for the lord deputy, |