Virgin Mary, or the saints." The king being informed of this, received him into his favour, and advanced him to the archbishoprick, to which he was consecrated, March 19th, 1534-5, by Archbishop Cranmer, assisted by the bishops of Rochester, and Salisbury. A few months after his arrival in Ireland, Lord Cromwell signified to him his Majesty's pleasure that his Irish subjects should renounce the supremacy of the pope, after thẻ example of the English; and appointed him one of the commissioners for the execution of the royal mandate. This he faithfully endeavoured to accomplish; and in the parliament which met at Dublin, May 1st, 1536, was very instrumental in obtaining the act which was passed, that King Henry VIII. should be acknowledged "Supreme head of the church of Ireland upon earth."" In the same parliament, which was holden, under Leonard Lord Grey, as lord lieutenant of Ireland, the pope's authority in that island was abrogated; several abbeys and one priory were suppressed, and granted to the king; and all those that acknowledged themselves to be the king's subjects were commanded to speak English, and tó be clothed after the English fashion." Another act was passed the next year, 1537, by which it was appointed, that parochial English schools should be established in the country, which were intended to be compulsory, as well on the people as the clergy, for the purpose of introducing the knowledge and practice of the English language, then unknown to the native Irish. Every person was enjoined to "use and speake commonly the English tongue and language;" "to cause and procure his childe and children" to do so; and it was further enacted, that "spiritual promotions should only be given

(41) Chalmers' Gen. Biog. Dict. VII. p. 122.

Sir J. Ware's Annals of Ireland, ch. xxviii. p. 94. Dublin, 1705, fol.

(42) Ware's Annals of Ireland, ut sup.

to such persons as could speake English, unless, after four proclamations, made in the next market town, such could not be had:" to prevent also returning to the Irish language, in consequence of intermarriage, by those who had acquired the English, it is mentioned as necessary to all who will acknowledge themselves true and faithful subjects; that they continue to use the English tongue, "without ceasing, or returning at any time." But nothing in these acts seems to militate against the printing of books in the vernacular Irish, or preaching in that language."

In April, 1538, Archbishop Browne addressed a letter to Lord Cromwell, in which this first Protestant prelate of Ireland thus states the case of the Irish: "The people of this nation be zealous, yet blind and unknowing; most of the clergy being ignorant, and not able to speak right words in the mass, or liturgy, as not being skilled in the Latin Grammar, so that a bird may be taught to speak with as much sense, as several of them do in this country." Soon after the archbishop had written this letter, the pope sent over a bull of excommunication of those who had acknowledged, or should own, the king's supremacy. A form of confession was also transmitted from Rome, in which a declaration occurs, which places the exclusive and unnatural influence of popery in a strong point of view: "I do further declare him, or her; father, or mother; brother, or sister; son, or daughter; husband, or wife; uncle, or aunt; nephew, or niece; kinsman, or kinswoman; master, or mistress; and all others, nearest, or dearest relations, friends, or acquaintance whatsoever, accursed, that either do, or shall hold for the time to come, any ecclesiastical, or civil [authority] above the authority of the mother church; or that do or shall obey, for the time to come, any of her, the mo(43) Anderson's Memorial on behalf of the Native Irish, pp. 14, 15 Lond, 1815, 8vo.

ther church's opposers, or enemies; or contrary to the same."

Archbishop Browne, however, continued his efforts for the diffusion of truth, and within five years from his advancement to the see of Dublin, caused all superstitious relics and images, to be removed out of the two cathedrals of Dublin, and the rest of the churches in his diocese ; and instead of them, caused the TEN COMMANDMENTS, the LORD'S PRAYER, and the CREED, written in gold letters, to be placed in frames about the altar." In 1541, a parliament was held in Dublin, under Sir Anthony St. Leger, the governor, when Henry VIII. was declared King of Ireland, and Ireland erected into a kingdom; the sovereigns before that time only styling themselves Lords of Ireland, without the title of king. On this occasion there were great rejoicings; and "feasts, comedies, and sports," followed the passing of the act. In the same parliament, "the full and free disposal of all the abbeys in Ireland, in the statute expressed, were confirmed to the king."46

After the accession of Edward VI. to the throne, and the publication of the Liturgy in English, measures were adopted for the use of it in Ireland. Accordingly the king sent an order to Sir Anthony St. Leger, the governor, dated Greenwich, February 6th, 1550-1, to notify to all the clergy, that they should use the English LITURGY and BIBLE in all their churches. On imparting this order to the clergy, by Sir Anthony, on the 1st of March following, George Dowdall, primate of Armagh, vehemently opposed it; but Archbishop Browne expressed his satisfaction at receiving it. On Easter-day the Liturgy was read, for the first time in Ireland, in Christ

(44) Ware's Annals of Ireland, Life and Death of George Browne, pp. 150-155.

(45) Ware's Annals, p. 148.

(46) Ibid, ch, xxxiii. pp. 104, 105.

Church, Dublin, in presence of the mayor and bailiffs of that city, the lord-deputy St. Leger, Archbishop Browne, and other official characters. The archbishop, on this occasion, preached a sermon against keeping the Scriptures in the Latin tongue, and the worship of images, which is printed at the end of his life by Sir J. Ware. Dowdall was shortly afterwards deprived of his title of "Primate of all Ireland," which was conferred on Archbishop Browne, and his successors in the see of Dublin for ever, by letters patent bearing date October 20th, 1551; but the archbishop did not long enjoy his new dignity, for in 1554, he was deprived both of it, and his archbishoprick by Queen Mary, under pretence that he was married; and Archbishop Dowdall was restored to the title of primate, and also to the bishoprick of Armagh, which had been given to Hugh Goodacre. Archbishop Browne died about the year 1556; "adorned," says Archbishop Usher, "with every good and valuable qualification.""

When Mary ascended the throne of England, many Protestant families removed to other countries, to avoid the gathering storm; among these were several who fled to Ireland. Sir James Ware has preserved the names of certain persons, who with their families left Cheshire, their native county, and went over to Dublin, with "their goods and chattels," and settled in that city, in 1554. These were John Harvey, Abel Ellis, John Edmonds, and Henry Haugh. "These families having one Thomas Jones, a Welshman, a Protestant priest, privately amongst them, who read service, and the Scripture to them upon Sundays and other days secretly; all this not being discovered until Queen Mary's death. Then the Lord Fitz-Walters, earl of Sussex, took him, the said Thomas Jones, for one of his chaplains, to read to his servants."48

(47) Ware's Annals of Ireland, p. 154.

Chalmers' Gen. Biog, Dict. VII. pp. 123, 124.

(48) Ware's Annals of Ireland, p. 135.

During the reign of Mary, the English Liturgy and Bibles were banished from the churches, but were restored on the accession of Elizabeth. In 1559, Dr. Heath archbishop of York, sent over, at the queen's expense, to the deans and chapters of the cathedrals of Christ Church, and St. Patrick, in Dublin, two large BIBLES, to be placed in the middle of the choirs for public perusal; which "at their first setting up to public view, caused a great resort of people thither, on purpose to read therein, for the small Bibles were not common then as now; and it appears by the account of John Dale, a bookseller, that he sold 7,000 Bibles in two years' time, for the booksellers of London, when they were first printed, and brought over to Ireland, in - - - - 1566." But although this change was highly pleasing to the Protestants and English residents, it was not satisfactory to the papists and native Irish; and the latter, particularly, expressed their dissatisfaction at the public worship being no more intelligible to them than it was before. Yet such was the absurd determination to introduce the English language into Ireland as a political measure, that rather than use the Irish tongue in church, when Englishmen could not be found, or when the Irish clergymen could not read English, which a good part of them could not, then the prayers were to be read in Latin by the Irish clergyman! The general establishment of the Protestant religion in Ireland took place in 1560, in consequence of an order to that effect from Queen Elizabeth to the earl of Sussex, the lord lieutenant."

In the parliament which sat at the commencement of the year 1570, it was ordered, that "The chief governor of the island should have the nomination of all deans, archdeacons, chanters, chancellors, and treasurers of all cathedrals, in Munster and Connaught, for ten years to (49) Anderson's Memorial, p. 16.

Ware's Annals, Reign of Eliz. p. 4.