To beget the greater reputation to this fictitious Purgatory, the people was made to beleeve, that St. Patrick, by whom the Irish were converted to the Christian-faith about four hundred yeares after the nativity of Christ, had caused the same, and obtained it of God by his prayers, to convince the unbeleevers of the immortality of the soul, and of the torments which after this life are prepared for the wicked persons; wherefore also they gave it the name of St. Patricks Purgatory. But it is very certain, that nothing of it was known in Ireland during the life of the holy person, nor in a huge while after, it having been devised some Ages after his death, when that the general darkness of the times ministred a great opportunity of such like inventions, to those kind of men that knew how to abuse the blind devotion of ignorant and superstitious people to their own profit and filthy lucre. Sect. 8. Of the property of Lough Neaugh of turning Before we make an end of this Chapter, we must say something of the wonderfull property which generally is ascribed to Lough Neaugh, of turning Wood into Stone; whereunto some do add, to double the wonder, that the Wood is turned not only into stone, but into Iron; and that a branch or pole being stuck into the ground somewhere by the side where it is not too deep, after a certain space of time one shall find that peece of the stick which stuck in the ground, turned into Iron, and the middle, as far as it was in the water, into Stone; the upper-end, which remained above the water, keeping its former nature. But this part of the History I beleeve to be a Fable: For my Brother, who hath been severall times in places not far distant from that Lough, and who of the English thereabouts inhabiting hath inquired this business with singular diligence, doth assure me, that he never could learn any such thing; but that the turning of Wood into Stone was by every one beleeved for certain, as having been tried divers times by severall persons: saying moreover to have understood of them, that the water hath this vertue only at the sides, and that not everywhere, but only in some few places, especially about 69 about that part where the River Blackwater dischargeth herself into the Lough. He could never come to speak with any persons, who themselves had tried this matter; but with severall, who affirmed, that to their knowledge it had certainly been done by others of their acquaintance. For further confirmation of this particular (which in it self is credible enough, seeing that in many parts of the world there are found waters indued with that vertue) serveth, that here and there upon the borders of that Lough are found little stones of a pretty length, some of them round in their compass, others flat, or flattish, and some angulous, the which being looked on, as well neer as from afar off, seem to be nothing else but Wood, and by every one are taken for such, untill one come to touch and handle them: for then by their coldness, hardness, and weight it appeareth that they are not Wood but Stone: Whereby it may probably be conjectured, that the same formerly having been Wood indeed, and so having kept their old shape and fashion in length of time have been turned into a stony substance by the vertue of that water, whereinto they were fallen through the one accident or other. Giraldus writeth, to have heard of a Well or Fountain in the North-quarters of Ulster, the which in seven years space turneth into Stone the Wood cast into it: but seeing that no body now a dayes knoweth of any such well, and that with all my enquires I could never come to hear any news of it, I will beleeve, that Giraldus hath been mis-informed, and that they have told him that of a Well which was proper unto this Lough. CHAP. X. Of the Nature and Condition of the Land, both for the Sect. 1. Distinction of Ireland into Champain Lands, TH HE Lands of this Iland, as of most all other Countries, are of a various kind and fashion: For some parts are goodly plain Champain, others are Hilly, some Mountainous, and others are composed of two of these sorts, or of all three together, and that with great variety, the which also is very great, in those three un-compounded sorts. Sect. 2. A necessary observation about the use of the words Hill and Mountain. To avoid all ambiguity, and make our selves cleerly understood in what we have said, and are further to say upon this subject, we think it necessary to forewarn our Reader, that we do use the word Hill in a narrower signification, than what is given to it in the ordinary use of speech. For whereas all, or most other Languages, both those which are now in vulgar use, and those which are only preserved in books, have two severall words for to signify those observable heights which appear above the ground, calling the bigger sort by one name, and the lesser sort by another: The English language useth one and the same word for both, calling hills as well the one as the other, without any other distinction, but that sometimes the word small or great is added. Now because this word so indifferently used would cause some confusion in the matter we treat of, that hath made us restrain it to one of the sorts, and to call hills only the lesser sort, called in Latin collis, in French colline, in Dutch heuvel, and in Irish knock. As for the other and bigger sort, whose name in the aforesaid four languages is mons, mountain, berg, slew, we call them mountains: which word mountains, although it be good English, yet in common speech it is seldom made use of in that sense whereunto we apply it, but only to signifie a country wholly consisting of those great Hills, especially when the soil thereof is lean and unfruitful. Sect. 3. Of the Mountains of Ireland, and first of the lower sort. The difference betwixt Hills and mountains consisting in bigness, is of two sorts; for in the number of mountains are counted not only those which lift up themselves very high into the air so as they may be seen many miles off, but also those, the which take up the more in length and breadth, what is wanting to them in height, ascending slopingly by degrees. The Mountainous parts of Ireland do for the most part consist of this second part of Mountains, most of them in one quarter being much what of the same height, so as sometimes one shall ride some houres together, through the mountainous country, without meeting with any one Mountain that greatly excelleth in height above the rest: the which in particular may be observed in the Mountainous Country of the Fuse, betwixt Dundalk and Armagh; in that of Mourne, betwixt the Nurie and Dondrom (each of those two being above twelve miles long) in all that space which is betwixt Kelles, a walled town in the County of Eastmeath, and Killacolie, alias Bailieborough, in the County of Cavan, which being ten miles long, is almost nothing else but a continuance of hills of no great bigness, all very fruitful land both Pasture and Arable. In the County of Westmeath, from Lough-Crew to Lough-Sillon, and beyond it, as far as Ballaneach, where Mr. William Fleving had built a fair house and Farm ten yeares before the late detestable Massacre and bloody Rebellion of the Irish. These hills are for the most part low and small, yet some of a good height and bigness, the ground lean, in many places very stony, in some rocky, not of any one continuall rock, but by peecemeals here and there rising and appearing. Yet are these hills in severall places wet and moorish, as well in the rocky as other parts. These hills serve only for pasture of sheep. In the major part of the Mountainous country of Wickloe, the which 72 which beginning five miles to the South of Dublin, doth extend it self above fiftie miles in length; and in severall other parts. It hath been observed in many parts of Ireland, but chieflie in the county of Meath, and further Northward, that upon the top of the great hills and mountains, not only at the side and foot of them, to this day the ground is uneven as if it had been plowed in former times. The inhabitants do affirm, that their forefathers being much given to tillage, contrarie to what they are now, used to turn all to plow-land. Others say that it was done for want of arable, because the Champain was most everywhere beset and overspread with woods, which by degrees are destroyed by the wars. They say further, that in those times, in places where nothing now is to be seen, but great logs of a vast extent, there were thick woods, which they collect from hence, that now and then trees are digged out there being for the most part some yards long, and some of a very great bigness and length. Sect. 4. Of the higher sort of Mountains in Ireland. As for those other mountains, the which with an excessive height rise up towards the Skies, they are not very common in Ireland; and yet some there be, which although not comparable with the Pyrenæi, lying between France and Spain, with the Alpes, which divide Italy from France and Germany, or with other mountains of the like vast height, nevertheless may justly be counted among the loftie mountains. Of this number are the Mountains of Carlingford, betwixt Dundalke and Carlingford, the which in a clear day may easily be seen from the Mountains to the South of Dublin, the which are more than fortie miles distant from them; the Mountains about Lough Suillie, in the North parts of Ulster, the which may be seen many miles off in the Sea; the Curlews, that sever the counties of Sleigo and Roscomen in Connaught; the twelve Mountains in the North-quarter of the County of Tipperary in Munster, the which far exceeding the rest of the mountains there, are known by the name of the twelve hills of Phelim ghe Madona; Knock-Patrick, in the West-part of the county of Limmerick, not far from the bay of Limmerick, 73 which |