prietors against the predatory effects of it." But as this business was prosecuted with the greatest violence in the ensuing reign, under lord Wentworth's government, I shall defer the consideration of it till I come to speak of that period.

One would imagine, that some cause had been given by the Irish, or at least pretended by their enemies, for such continued severity; but nothing of that kind appears to have been the case; for all historians agree, that, except O'Dogherty's short-lived tumult, and the forged plot of the earls, there was not the least commotion in Ireland, during that whole reign; although, had the Irish been disposed to rise, it is certain, that no people could have a more tempting opportunity, or a more plausible pretence, than they then had," for king James. never kept up a greater force in that kingdom, than one thousand seven hundred and thirty-five foot, and two hundred and twelve horse; and these in a miserable condition, sometimes three years unpaid; and not a penny of money in the hands of either of the treasurers, or any to be borrowed from private persons. Yet he was, all this time settling the plantations in different parts of the kingdom, changing the properties of lands, transplanting the old inhabitants, and settling colonies of strangers; while the old Irish chieftains and petty lords, were discontented at the loss of their antient power, and while there were, in remote parts of the kingdom, numbers of idle, young, and active fellows, who being unprovided for a liveli hood, and not caring to earn it by the sweat of their brow, were full of complaints, and eager for alterations. In Connaught alone there were seven thousand of these idle fellows booked down by officers, and given in a list to the lord deputy, that were fit for nothing but arms; and who then living on their friends and relations, must have been forced to seek, and push their fortunes."

2 Carte's Orm. vol. i. fol. 45.

*

In these plantations, "the commissioners appointed to distribute their lands, scandalously abused their trusts; and by fraud and violence deprived the natives of those possessions which the king had reserved for them."-Lel. Hist. vol. ii. p. 467.

We are told on this occasion, "that there are not wanting proofs of the most iniquitous practices, of hardened cruelty, of vile perjury, and scandalous subornation, employed to despoil the fair and unoffending proprietor of his inheritance.—Id. ib. p. 470,

The State of the Irish under Charles 1.

DURING the first two years of king Charles's reign, the catholics of Ireland enjoyed some little tranquillity, for which they were indebted not to the lenity of the Irish government, but to his majesty's goodness alone," which had limited, from time to time, the lord deputy Faulkland and the council of that kingdom, by several instructions, directions, and letters, concerning them."* Their gratitude for this forbearance was, indeed, extraordinary; and the generosity of their offer to his majesty, on that account, could scarce be exceeded by any thing, but by that folly and fanaticism, which induced the govern ment to reject it.

In the year 1626,2 « The condition of the king's affairs was much perplexed in England; he was at war with the two most powerful kings in Europe, and his subjects in the English parliament would afford him little or no assistance but upon hard and dishonorable terms, though they had engaged him in the first war; and seemed glad of the last, it being in defence of religion."

In this perplexity of his majesty's affairs,3" The Roman catholics of Ireland offered constantly to pay an army of five thousand foot, and five hundred horse, for his majesty's service, provided they might be tolerated in the exercise of their religion. The toleration they desired was no more, than some respite from the oppressions and extortions of the ecclesiastical

Lord deputy Faulkland's " strict, though legal administration, in regard to the papists, whom the court was inclined to favor, raised the loudest clamors against him from that party, who caused him to be dismissed from his viceroyalty with some circumstances of disgrace."— Grainger's Biograph. Hist. of England, vol. ii. p. 147.

courts, and to have all proceedings against them in these courts, for religion, suspended'; to be released from those exorbitant sums which they were obliged to pay for their christenings and marriages; and particularly, to have the extravagant surplice-fees of the clergy, and the extraordinary warrants for levying them, abolished."

But the clergy were too much interested in these matters not to oppose, with all their powers, the acceptance of such an offer. Upon the first tender of it, a protestation was drawn up against it, by primate Usher, and subscribed by twelve bishops; which Dr. Downham, bishop of Derry, pronounced in Christ-church, Dublin, before the state; upon whom it had so powerful an effect; that the catholics' offer was scornfully rejected, and their religion scurrilously abused.*

"I will not take upon me," says sir Edward Walker on this occasion, " to determine, whether it be against the law of God to give a toleration of religion to the papists, nor examine whether bishop Downham's protestation, subscribed by the bishops in Ireland, be agreeable to the doctrine of the church of England; only it must lie as a blot upon those who had the free exercise of religion, with all advantages of honor, safety and profit, as the people of England then had, and yet that so many of them, both in and out of parliament, should be so averse from supplying their king, under whose gracious government they so happily enjoyed their freedom; and, on the contrary, that persons, whose religion is penal to the professors, should, for a toleration, offer constantly to pay an army of five thousand foot, and five hundred horse, for his majesty's service.”

These bishops set forth in their protestation, "That to grant a toleration, in respect of money to be given, or a contribution to be made by the catholics, was to set religion to sale, with the souls of the people." And Mr. Downham had 5 Harris's Fiction Unmasked. Usher's Life.

6 Hist. Discourses, fol. 338.

7 Foxes and Firebrands, part ii. p. 80,

were

"All the protestant clergy," says Dr. Leland on this occasion, seriously averse to popery; many to a degree of rancor, imbibed among the English and Scottish puritans."-History of Ireland, vol. ii. p. 481.

h

1

no sooner pronounced these words, but all the people in the church cried out aloud, "Amen, Amen."*

But how shamefully these bishops themselves had exposed their religion to both sale and contempt, in their ecclesiastical courts (from whose tyranny the catholics were willing to purchase their redemption at so dear a rate), was then notoriously manifest. "In these courts," says bishop Burnet,8❝ bribes went about almost barefaced; and the exchange they made of pennance for money was the worst sort of simony." The good bishop Bedel told primate Usher himself, the author and principal promoter of this protestation?" whereas he was wont to except one of these courts (meaning the primate's) from the general corruption, yet he heard it was said, among great personages, that his grace's court was as corrupt as others; some said, it was worse; and that of his grace's late visitation, they saw no profit but the taking of the money."

Nay it appears, by the journals of the Irish commons, even in 1640,† that the judges of these courts were guilty of “barbarous and unjust exaction; and that too, for such rites and customs, as had been formerly in use with the popish natives,

10

Life of bp. Bedel. 9 Burnet ib. 10 Commons Journal, vol. i.

* Mr. Bayle justly observes on this occasion," that Usher and his suffragans proceeded on the principles of the most extravagant intolerance; that this protestation was not founded on maxims of state, which are the principles that moderate opposers of toleration ground their reasoning upon; but merely and solely upon the religious worship of the church of Rome."-Art. USHER.

"The humble remonstrance of the knights, citizens and burgesses of the house of commons assembled in this present parliament (1640):

"To the lord deputy,

"THEY humbly represent unto your lordship, that divers complaints have been referred to them by sundry persons, from several parts of this kingdom, of many grievous exactions, pressures and other vexatious proceedings of some of the clergy of this kingdom, and their officers and ministers, against the laity, and especially the poorer sort, to the great impoverishing and general detriment of the whole kingdom; which the said house of commons, after many debates thereof, having taken into consideration, it was conceived by the unanimous votes of the house, that all of them were very great and enormous grievances. Some whereof being most exorbitant and barbarous, they were of opinion ought to be quite abolished, being repugnant to law and reason; and the rest to be reformed, &c."-Commons Journal, vol. i. fol. 258.

but were now condemned and renounced by protestants, viz. money for holy-water clerk, for anointing, mortuary-muttons, mary-gallons, St. Patrick's ridges, soul-money, and the like."*

Thus while these bishops were simoniacally extorting large sums of money from the catholics, for their own private use (for to that alone they were applied), they expected to be considered as taking only their lawful dues: but for the king to accept of the same, or less, from these people, to enable him to carry on the most necessary public servicet (on condition only of freeing them from such barbarous and unjust extortions) was, in their lordships' opinion, nothing less than “ setting religion to sale, with the souls of the people."+

* "Great sums of money received by several bishops of this kingdom, for commutation of penance; which money, by his majesty's instructions, should be converted to pious uses; not observed, but made a private profit."—Commons Remonstrance. See Commons Journal, vol. i. fol. 261.

"In Connaught and elsewhere, sixpence per annum of every couple (holy-water clerk); of every man that dies a muttue, by the name of anointing-money: from a poor man that has but one cow, they take that for mortuary: from one that is better able, his best garment for mortuary. If a woman, her best garment for mortuary: and a gallon of drink for every brewing, by the name of mary-gallons: for every beef that is killed for the funeral of any man, the hide and tallow, and they challenged a quarter besides : fourpence or sixpence per annum from every parishioner, for soul-money: a ridge of winter-corn, and a ridge of oats for every plough, by the name of St. Patrick's ridges: for portion-canons, the tenth part of the goods, after debts paid, &c.-Ib. p. 260.

"We are told in the life of primate Usher, that this protestation (of the bishops) had a considerable effect in retarding a project, the success of which was absolutely necessary to the king's affairs.”—Lel. ubi supra, vol. ii. p. 482, note.

It has been observed on this occasion, "that on the plantations made in the reign of James, the new colonists had been supplied with teachers principally from Scotland, they formed their churches on the presbyterian model, and many refused to accept episcopal ordination. To quiet such scruples, the bishops, by the approbation of Usher, their learned metropolitan, consented to ordain them to the ministry, without adhering strictly to the established form, and to admit some of their brethren of the Scottish presbytery to a participation of their office. Thus these Scottish teachers enjoyed churches and tythes without using the liturgy. Such men clamored loudly against the horrid design of selling the truth, and establishing idolatry for a price: their brethren of the other provinces readily united in the clamor.”—Lel. Hist. vol. ii. p. 48.