Anecdote of Q. Mary and the Irish Reformation. [Book VI. directly to the castle, he presented the box to the lord lieutenant in full council, who ordered the secretary to read her majesty's commission; but when the box was opened, it was found to contain nothing but a pack of cards, to the astonishment not only of the lord deputy and council, but of Dr. Cole himself, who assured them solemnly that he had a commission, but could not tell what had gone with it. Then the lord deputy answered, "Let us have another commission, and we will shuffle the cards in the mean time." The doctor much confounded went his way, and returning to England, obtained another commission; but while he waited for the wind at the water side, news came to him that Queen Mary was dead, and thus God preserved the Protestants of Ireland. It is said that Queen Elizabeth was so delighted with hearing the story afterwards from the lord lieutenant, that she sent for the good woman, Elizabeth Edmonds, and settled on her a pension of forty pounds a year for life, for saving her majesty's Protestant subjects of Ireland.*

*See Cox, i. 308. Mant i. 250, 251.

CHAP. IV.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE REFORMATION IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN

ELIZABETH.

Accession of

and restora

Ireland.

THE death of Queen Mary having put an end A.D. 1558. to the cruelties of her reign, her sister Elizabeth succeeded to the throne of England on the 17th Elizabeth, of November, 1558. One of the first measures tion of the of importance adopted by the new government use of the English with reference to the Irish Church, was the res- liturgy in toration of the use of the Church service in English. This had been introduced, as we have already seen, in the reign of Edward VI.; and in consequence an edition of the Book of Common Prayer had been published in Dublin, (being the first book ever printed in Ireland,) in A.D. 1551. But on the death of Edward VI. the English liturgy ceased to be read publicly, nor was its use resumed here until several months after the accession of Queen Elizabeth. It was a part of the instructions given to her viceroy, the earl of Sussex, on his coming to Ireland in August, 1559, that he should " set up the worship of God as it is in England ;" an injunction which the lord deputy appears to have faithfully obeyed.

748

A.D. 1558.

A weakness

observable

in the pub

those times.

The Restoration of the Reformed Worship [Book VI.

It is somewhat remarkable that the person thus employed by the queen for the restoration of principle of the reformed English worship, should have been the very same individual who had in the lic men of preceding reign of Queen Mary been selected as her instrument for promoting the Romish religion. In like manner, Sir Anthony St. Leger, who had been appointed viceroy under Edward VI., with instructions for the advancement of the reformed religion, was again re-appointed under Queen Mary, at the very time when measures were set on foot for the complete restoration of Romanism in Ireland. But unfortunately the public characters of those times, both in Church and state, appear to have been only too generally influenced by other motives than those originating in high conscientious principles, or sincere religious convictions.

The English liturgy very

many.

The prospect of a restoration of the reformed offensive to Worship was little pleasing to the more bigoted of the Romish party; who were ready to go any length, or have recourse to any expedient, rather than resign without a struggle the use of the Latin mass. The historian Strype gives us the following account (in his Life of Archbishop Parker) of the means which they made use of to throw discredit on the English service, and to prevent if possible, its introduction into the churches of Ireland.*

* Mant, i. 254.

CH. IV.]

opposed by a Romish Miracle.

749

According to the queen's instructions "the A.D. 1559,

defend the

3, 1559,

Litany was sung in English in Christ Church, A pretended Dublin. * This gave great offence to some of miracle is the Popish zealots-reckoning aright, that the employed to use of the mass was in danger of being laid aside mass, Sept. in that cathedral. Something therefore was to be done, now or never, to keep the reputation of the old superstition; and a miracle was to be shown in the said church the next Sunday, when the lord lieutenant, the archbishop, and the rest of the privy council, were there at service.

"There was in that cathedral an image of Christ in marble, standing with a reed in his hand, and the crown of thorns on his head. And while service was saying before this great assembly, blood was seen to run through the crevices of the crown of thorns, trickling down the face of the crucifix. The people did not perceive it at first; therefore some, who were in the fraud, cried out to one another, and bade them see how our Saviour's image sweat blood! Whereat several of the common people fell down with their beads in their hands, and prayed to the image. Vast numbers flocked to the sight; and one present, who indeed was the contriver, and formerly belonged to the priory of this cathedral, told the people the cause; namely, that he

i. e. on Wednesday, August 30, on which day the lord deputy was sworn into office in Christ Church cathedral.

750

ما

Account of the pretended Miracle

[BOOK VI. A.D. 1559. could not choose but sweat blood, whilst heresy was then come into the Church.' The confusion hereupon was so great, that the assembly broke up. But the people still fell upon their knees, thumping their breasts; and particularly one of the aldermen, and mayor of the city, whose name was Sedgrave, and who had been at the English service, drew forth his beads, and prayed with the rest before the image. The Lord Sussex and those of the privy council hastened out of the choir, fearing some harm.

detected by

Curwen.

"But the archbishop of Dublin, being disArchbishop pleased, caused a form to be brought out of the choir, and bade the sexton of the church to stand thereon, and to search and wash the image, and see if it would bleed afresh. The man soon perceived the cheat, observing a sponge within the hollow of the image's head. This sponge, one Leigh, some time a monk of this cathedral, had soaked in a bowl of blood; and early on Sunday morning, watching his opportunity, placed the said sponge, so swollen and heavy with blood, over the image's head within the crown; and so, by little and little, the blood soaked through upon the face. The sponge was presently brought down, and showed to those worshippers; and some of them cursed Father Leigh, who was soon discovered, and three or four others that had been contrivers with him.