governor was, they went as publicly and uninterruptedly to their devotions, as he went to his."

CHAP. III.

The free gift or contribution continued for the service of the government.

THE free gift before-mentioned, having been continued longer, and grown more troublesome than was expected, the people "began to entertain frightful apprehensions, lest it might, in fine, turn to an hereditary charge on their estates." The protestants especially complained loudly of it; those of Cavan in particular, who signed a petition to the lords justices against it, setting forth, "That it was plotted and collected without the consent of the protestants of that country, and partly by force, praying their lordships favorably to forbear any further imposition of any such burden upon them, until they represented their humble remonstrance to his majesty."

Richard, earl of Cork, then one of the lords justices,3« privately set the protestants against this contribution; and several of the bishops joined him in opposing it." His grace of Canterbury told bishop Bedel,* on that occasion," 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 statute of the 2d of Elizabeth in strict execution. Accordingly, the lords justices. and council informed his majesty,5 "That it was impossible to improve that part of the revenue,† save only by imposing the twelve-pence a Sunday on the recusants." This proposal was readily agreed to by the king: "We approve well," says his 2 Id. ib. f. 150.

1 Lord Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. f. 184.

6 Id. ib.

3 Lord Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. fol. 76. 4 Id. ib. fol. 134. 5 Id. ib. vol. ii. fol. 91. "Bedel had united with the inhabitants of his diocese, in a petition to the late lords justices, representing the new contribution as irregularly obtained and oppressively levied.”—Leland's Hist. of Ireland, vol. iii. p. 26.

"The present lords justices advised, that the recusants should be strictly presented; and the weekly fines imposed for their absence from the established worship, as a means of providing for the army."--Ib. p. 8.

تقدم

majesty in his answer, "that this business, as you desire, may be presently put into such a state as that the money, which shall by that means grow due unto us, may be ready to be levied by Michaelmas next. And as the best and surest way to bring it to effect, we do hereby authorise and require you, forthwith to assemble our council there, and with their privity to cause presentments to be duly made through the whole kingdom, according to the law you mention doth appoint." These presentments were accordingly made, and fines were imposed on such juries as refused to find them.

8

Lord Wentworth, then appointed deputy, did not, it seems, like this method of raising a supply for the maintenance of the army. Not," says he, "but that every good Englishman ought, as well in reason of state as conscience, to desire the kingdom were well reduced to a conformity of religion; but because it is a great business, that has many roots lying deep and far within the ground, which should be first thoroughly opened before we judge what height it may shoot up to, when it shall feel itself once, struck at, to be loosened and pulled up." He was, therefore, for continuing the contribution as it then stood, "because he thought it more safe, considering the inequality of numbers and the ill provision of the army, to take the contribution against the will of the protestants, than to raise the twelvepence a Sunday, against the liking of the recusants." But his principal reason for not depending on the execution of this statute, for raising this supply, was the uncertainty of its success or sufficiency; for as he pleasantly observed, "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 so would prove a covering narrower than a man could wrap himself in."

66

His lordship soon brought the king over to his opinion in this particular; but was obliged to have recourse to Laud's assistance, to convince the Irish bishops of the impropriety of executing the statute of the 2d of Elizabeth at that juncture.10 ❝ As for the laying aside," says his grace in his letter to bishop Bedel," the twelve-pence a Sunday, and not expecting it for the present, his majesty conceives he did it upon all the considerable 7 Lord Strafford's State Letters, vol. i. fol. 75. 9 Ib. fol. 47. 10 Ib. vol. ii. fol. 91

8 Ib. fol. 76.

reasons that could be, and those very well weighed; and therefore, I do heartily pray both you and your brethren, to lay aside all jealousies, and to advance his majesty's service by all the good means you can, for that he would be very sorry to find the carriage of any bishop especially should cast a damp upon his majesty's service."

CHAP. IV.

Lord Wentworth continues the contribution.

THE established clergy of Ireland, who made religion a pretence for pressing the execution of the before-mentioned statute,'" were themselves generally ignorant and unlearned, and loose and irregular in their lives and conversations.”* "As scandalous livings," says Mr. Carte in the same place, “naturally make scandalous ministers, the clergy of the established church were negligent of their cures, and very careless of observing uniformity and decency in divine worship." Of this particular obstacle to the reformation lord Wentworth was fully sensible, and mentioned it in several of his letters to the ministry in England.3 "An unlearned clergy," says he in one of them, "who have not so much as the outward form of churchmen to cover themselves withal, nor their persons any way reverenced or protected; the churches unbuilt; the parsonage and vicarage houses utterly ruined; the people untaught through the non-residence of the clergy, occasioned by unlimit ed shameful numbers of spiritual promotions, with cure of souls, which they hold by commendams; the rites and ceremonies of the church run over, without decency of habit, order, or gravity in the course of their service; the bishops alienating their very principal houses and demesnes to their children, to strangers and farming out their jurisdictions to mean and unworthy persons;" so that with respect to their project of propagating religion by enforcing this statute, his lordship justly observed,+ 1 Carte's Orm. vol.i. fol. 68. 2 Id. ib. 3 State Lett. vol. i. f. 187. + Id. fol. 172.

Ignorance, negligence, and corruption of manners in the established clergy were the consequences of their poverty."—Leland's Hist. Ireland, ubi supra, p. 26,

"that such brainsick zeal would work a goodly reformation surely, to force conformity to a religion, when there was hardly to be found a church to receive, or an able minister to teach the people." Laud✶ in answer to this account of the Irish clergy, tells him," the anatomy, which you make of the Irish ecclesiastical disease, makes it apparent, that it is spread so universally over the body, that a very wise physician can scarce tell where to begin the cure."5

The method lord Wentworth proposed for improving this part of the revenue, in preference to the tax on the consciences of the natives, was first, to continue the contribution for another year; and secondly, to summon a parliament, in order to settle a constant and regular supply for the army. But, in order to make trial of the temper of the catholics, (who had first proposed, and actually paid more than two-thirds of the former contribution,) with regard to the continuance of it for a longer term," he sent a private messenger of his own to Ireland, who was himself a catholic, with instructions to invite them to make an offer to his majesty of half a subsidy, to be paid the next year; upon the condition, that all further prosecution upon the statute of the 2d of Elizabeth might be respited till his coming over. "The instrument I employed," says he, "knows no other, but that the resolution of the state here is set upon that course, and that I do this privately, in favor and well-wishing to divert the present storm, which else would fall heavy upon them all, being framed and executed by the earl of Cork; which makes the man labor in good earnest, taking it to be a cause pro aris, et focis."

5 Straff. ib. fol. 212,

*"1633, Ireland.

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

"Here are divers of the clergy (protestant) whose wives and children are recusants, and there I observe the church goes most lamentably to wreck, and hath suffered extremely under the wicked alienations of this sort of pastors, wherein I could already give many instances."-Straff. State 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 sacrilegious alienations.”-- Id. ib. fol. 213. Archbishop Laud, in this year 1634, takes notice, that the church in Ireland was then so poor (by the above alienations) “that six benefices were not able to find the minister cloaths; and that, in six parishes, there were scarce six to come to church."-Ib. fol. 254.

The answer which this artful message produced, was7 “ that the catholics of Ireland were all very willing to continue the contribution to his majesty, 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."

CHAP. V.

Lord deputy Wentworth arrives in Ireland.

"His

says Mr.

IN July 1633, lord Wentworth landed in Dublin. lordship began his administration in a manner.” Carte," that was ungracious, and could be hardly expected from a man of his wisdom, and experience, who knew the consequence of the first steps that a governor takes, and the impressions which they leave in the minds of the people. For four days after his arrival, he summoned the council by a pursuivant, according to the usual manner in that point; but summoned only a particular number, as if he intended to consult with a committee, rather than the whole body of it. This disobliged all that were omitted in the summons; 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 assembled at two o'clock according to their summons, but the lord deputy, whether out of an affectation of state, or not attending to the hour through a more agreeable cause (for he had a day or two before declared his marriage to Mrs. Elizabeth Rhodes, a young lady of extraor dinary 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 business, under pretence of which they were summoned, was not handled as they expected." It was, perhaps, for this, among other reasons, that at their next meeting in council, his lordship's proposal for continuing the contribution for another year was far from being agreeably received; so far indeed, that he said, "he was put to his last refuge on that occasion, which was to tell them plainly, that

7 Id. ib.

1 Id. ib. fol. 57.

2 Id. ib. fol. 98.