of Cork and Waterford are said to have refused to proclaim the king, because they did not proclaim him precisely at the time Bacon on the same occasion, then attorney-general, and afterwards chancellor, took care to observe, that poisoning was a popish trick. Stowe tells us, that when this king came to Newcastle, on his first entry into England, he gave liberty to all the prisoners, except those confined for treason, murder and papistry. Such, says my author, were the bigotted prejudices which prevailed in this age."-See Hume's Hist. of England, vol. iv. p. 84.

Lord Mountjoy, in a letter to the sovereign of Wexford, acquaints him, "that whereas they excused their erecting of popish rites, by the report they had heard of his majesty's being a Roman catholic, he could not but marvel at their simplicity." Morris. Hist. fol. 287.—And in a letter to the mayor of Cork, he says, "I am given to understand that you have suffered the public celebration of the mass to be set up in your city, of your own fancies; and I assure you, contrary to the religion which his majesty zealously professeth.—Morris. ib. fol. 288.

Indeed his majesty's notions in that respect, seem to have been, on some occasions, perfectly wild and romantic: for in one of his public speeches we find the following strange déclaration addressed to the papists: "ye are intolerably silly," said he, " for thinking that the government of your souls was committed by God to the pope. For my part, I swear, and call God to witness, that if I had found out now, after all my deep study, daily reading, frequent conferences and disputations with learned men, and my most intense meditation on all I have read and heard, that the pope was Christ's vicar on earth, and that the same authority which Christ delegated to Peter, descended to him, I would not only turn papist, but would also kill any king, whose subjec: I was, that persecuted or opposed the popish religion, if the pope commanded me to do so." Porter, p. 270.-Had his majesty been sincere in this speech, is it credible that he would have suffered any person to live in his dominions, who really believed the pope to be Christ's vicar on earth, (as all Roman catholics do) and who consequently must be supposed capable and ready to execute that, by the pope's command, which he himself thus solemnly declares he would do, in consequence of such belief.

66

In the eleventh year of this king's reign " John Boys, D. D. dean of Canterbury, gained great applause by turning the Lord's prayer into the following execration, when he preached at Paul's cross on the fifth of November. "Our pope, which art in Rome, cursed be thy name, perish may thy kingdom, hindered may thy will be, as it is in heaven, so in earth. Give us this day our cup in the Lord's supper, and remit our monies, which we have given for thy indulgences, as we send them back unto thee, and lead us not into heresy, but free us from misery; for thine is the infernal pitch and sulphur, for ever and ever. Amen."-Grainger's Biograph. Hist. Eng. vol. i. p. 356.

Such was then, the almost incredible malignity and rancor against popery, that so prophane and ridiculous a travesty should be celebrated, as a performance of singular merit, in a dignified protestant divine.

appointed by the deputy; and the citizens of Cork would not, it seems, suffer the king's munition and artillery, which was entrusted to their keeping, to be conveyed to a new fort, built within their franchises, but against their consent. But we can easily make it appear, that these passages admit of a much more favorable interpretation, than that which has been given them. For it is not surely probable, that men who had preserved their allegiance under a severe persecution of their religion, during all the time of queen Elizabeth's reign, would, without any new cause, all at once become rebels to a prince, from whom they hourly expected a toleration of it; and whom they generally believed to be privately of their own way of thinking in that respect. They excused their delay in proclaiming the king, by assuring his excellency, that it was occasioned,« only by their desire of doing it with the greater solemnity;" which excuse appears to have been accepted; for when they had, soon after, proclaimed his majesty, in the solemn manner they intended, lord Mountjoy told them," that in regard of their joyful and solemn way of doing it, he was willing to interpret their actions to the best, and took their good performance for an excuse." And as to the hindering the munition and artillery to be carried to the fort, they alleged, "that the fort was commanded by a person, who had, on several occasions, shewn great contempt and enmity to their city; and that the soldiers there had offered them many abuses, shooting at their fishermen and at the boats sent out for provision; and using them at their pleasure." And they made it their request to his excellency, that, as the fort was built within their franchises, they might have the keeping of it for his majesty, which they would do to their utmost peril. They had, besides, another excuse, which was not altogether disapproved of by his lordship; they knew that the deputy's power had determined with the queen's life; but they did not know it was renewed by her successor.9 may be," says his excellency, in his letter to them on this occasion, "that you have rashly and unadvisedly done this, upon some opinion of the ceasing of authority in the public government, upon the death of our late sovereign, which is somewhat more, though no way in true and severe judgment, excusable; 8 Id. ib. 9 Id. ib. fol. 288,

• Morrisson's Hist.

7 Id ib.

"It

and, I think otherwise, you never would have been so foolish." And it was then only that he first undeceived them as to that matter, by telling them, 10" That his authority, as lord deputy, was renewed, and confirmed by his then majesty's royal letters patent, under his seal; requiring them upon their allegiance, to pay obedience to it ;" and adding, "that if he should find they did so, he would be glad to have occasion to interpret all things past in the better part, and take as little notice as he could thereof."

But his lordship seems not to have waited for the effects of this letter, which is dated April the 27th; for on the first of the following month, he marched out with an army towards Munster, and on the 4th entered a place called Gracedieu, near the city of Waterford; the citizens of which, refused at first, to receive his army into the town, being authorised thereunto by their charter; but they offered to give free and prompt admittance to his lordship, and his retinue, the chief of them having, for that purpose, come forth, and attended him in his camp.

What lord Mountjoy seemed principally to resent in these people, to such a degree as thus suddenly to draw down the army upon them, was the boldness of several of the towns, and corporations," in setting up, of their own heads, the public exercise of the popish worship." For, in all his letters to the magistrates of that province, he takes particular notice of that boldness; frequently assuring them," "that his majesty was a good protestant; and even threatening one of these towns,11 "that if they did not desist from the public breach of his majesty's laws, in the celebration of the mass, he would think them fit to be prosecuted with the revenging sword of his majesty's forces."

12 Id. ib.

13 Id. ib

10 Morrisson, ib. fol. 288. 11 Id. ib. • About the beginning of this reign, "one Hewson, an English minister of Swords, fell violently on one Horish of that place, and took from him a crucifix, and hung the same upon a gallows, with these words under it, "help all strangers, for the God of the papists is in danger." Upon Horish's complaining to the state, and producing the mangled and defaced crucifix, sir Geoffry Fenton, secretary, insulted the poor man, snatched the crucifix from him, and cast it on the ground under his feet, and Horish, for offering to complain of that abuse, was thrown into prison.-Theatre of Catholic and Protestant Religion, p. 117.

The same sir Geoffry Fenton did set a poor fellow on the pillory in Dub

And in truth his excellency, in this expedition to Waterford, appears, at first sight, to have acted the part rather of a meek and zealous protestant missioner, than that of an incensed leader of an hostile army. For, upon the citizens coming forth to pay their respects to him in his camp, 14 he immediately required them to bring unto him one Dr. White, a famous Jesuit of that city," with whom," says Morrisson," "he disputed against some erroneous positions of popery; all which,” adds my author, "his lordship did (as no layman, I think, could better do) most learnedly confute." It is but justice to observe, that his lordship, at the same time, did as learnedly confute an erroneous position in the citizens' charter, granted by king John; by which they supposed themselves privileged to deny his soldiers entrance into their city. For his lordship told them roundly, without entering into the merits of the matter, 16" that if they did not presently open their ports to him and his army, he would cut king John's charter in pieces with king James's sword; and that, if he entered the town by force, he would ruin it, and strew salt upon the ruins,"

14 Morris. ib. 15 Id. ib.

16 Morrisson, ubi supra.`

lin, with the picture of Christ about his neck, for having carried the same before a dead friend at his funeral."-Id. ib. p. 118.

"I ask" says my author on this occasion, "if any should hang the king's picture upon the gallows, whether he should incur the king's, or his subjects ill will, or no, by referring herein the indignity of abusing his picture to the king's own person? Certain it is, that one of the principal articles against O'Rorke, an Irish nobleman, who was executed in England for high treason in the former reign, was his having caused queen Elizabeth's picture to be fastened to a horse's tail, and afterwards dragged about and defaced, in scorn and derision.-Cambden's Elizabeth, p. 589.

"But this storm," says an adverse writer," as soon as the lord deputy presented himself with an army before their walls, was appeased; and not long after, larger liberties and immunities were granted unto them, than formerly they had." Desid. Curios. Hibern, vol. i. p. 416.-Such privileges were afterwards granted them, " that the justices of assize having no authority to hold their assizes there, the laws of religion (against recusants) could not be executed."-Ib. vol. i. p. 359.

CHAP. II.

A general act of oblivion

KING James had succeeded to the English throne without opposition; and his catholic subjects, throughout the three kingdoms, made signal rejoicings on that account. Upon this occasion, he not only confirmed Tirone's pardon, but also received him in England, (whither he was conducted by lord deputy Mountjoy) with singular marks' of favour; and soon after sent him back with honor, to take possession of his estates in Ireland; having set forth a proclamation, forbidding all persons to reproach him, at any time after, with the rebellion formerly raised by him, and then happily suppressed.

But although, by the suppression of this rebellion, the minds of the people were broken, and prepared to obedience, yet the state, upon good reason, did conceive, that the public peace could not be settled, till the hearts of the people were also quieted, by securing them from the danger of the law, which most of them had incurred, one way or other, in that great and general confusion; therefore, by a general act of state, called the act of oblivion, published by proclamation under the great seal, all offences against the crown, and all particular trespasses between subject and subject, were to all such as would come in to the justices of assize, by a certain day, and claim the benefit of this act, pardoned, remitted, and utterly extinguished,† never to be revived, or called in question. And by the same proclamation, all the Irishry, who for

1 Morris. ubi supra.

2 Sir John Davis's Historical Relations.

'Tirone's reception by the people of Beaumorris, where he landed, was very different. "For no respect to the lord deputy," says Morrisson, " in whose company he rode up to London, could contain many women in these parts, who had lost husbands and children in the Irish war, from flinging dirt at him, with bitter words. And when he was to return, he durst not pass by these parts, without directions to the sheriffs to convey him, with troops of horse, from place to place, till he was safely embarked."-Morriss. History of Ireland, fol. 296.

↑ Happy indeed had it been for the proprietors of six entire counties in Ulster, had this solemn promise of oblivion been faithfully observed; or rather not so scandalously broken, in a few years after, as we shall presently see it was.