A. D. 1613. tion and tumult, had now passed since any parliament had been convened in this kingdom; and in the mean time seventeen additional counties had been called into existence; and these, with a number of newly created boroughs, which the Lord Deputy was daily increasing by virtue of a royal commission, seemed to afford a prospect that in the next parliament the inhabitants of every class and order, old English, new British, and aboriginal Irish, should be fully represented. But at these proceedings the recusants, (that is to say, such as held aloof, under the influence of Rome, from the communion and worship of the Church,) were not a little alarmed. The summoning of a parliament, after so long an interval, must be, as they conceived, for some purposes of moment; and what those purposes might be, unless for promoting the Reformation, or persecuting its opponents, they knew not. The newly formed boroughs too, they feared, must be entirely subject to government influence, and sure to return only its creatures and dependents.

Exertions of

party on this occa

Agents were therefore despatched from the the Papal Pale into every province by the members of this party, to support the elections of their friends, and to secure the interest and aid of every influential person for their side in this great struggle. The Romish clergy preached up "the

sion.

L

cause of religion," and uttered their denuncia- A. D. 1613. tions of excommunication against those who should presume to vote in opposition to the friends of the Holy Roman Church. With the lower classes of the Irish they occasionally proceeded still further, assuring them that "Tyrone was coming" to invade the kingdom. once more, and that if they would only stand firm to the faith, they should soon prove triumphant over all its enemies. At the same time the recusant lawyers were using all their influence, for similar ends, with the better classes of society. And their efforts were crowned with no small success, for most of the privy councillors who stood for knights of the shire, although supported by all the influence of the crown, and of their party, were in the issue defeated; their opponents being young barristers "whose chief recommendations were some factious notoriety, and the favour of the priesthood" of Rome.*

and lawyers

These lawyers, it must be observed, were now The bishops beginning to attract much notice, the precip- of Rome atitate legislation of King James for Ireland hav- tain to great ing suddenly brought out their order into po- over the litical existence, and invested them with no

Phelan, 254. See for an account of the proceedings of this parliament, Sir R. Cox's History of Ireland. Rothe's Analecta. Burke's Hibernia Dominicana, and the Desiderata Curiosa Hibernica, Vol. i.

influence

multitudes.

A. D. 1613.

small consequence. An important social revolution had been effected in the county by the act which emancipated the people of Ireland from the tyrannous rule of their native lords, and made them free subjects of the king. Thus endowed with liberty before they had been educated for the use of it, and before they were capable of appreciating its sweets or its responsibilities, we need not wonder if they were found very willing to lay down the new and irksome gift at the feet of their spiritual instructors; so that by this means the agents of Rome, her priests and prelates, became suddenly invested with a dominion over the populace for which their order had long and obstinately struggled in vain. A subordinate share of their newly acquired power was prudently given to the lawyers, who in their turn have ever willingly repaid the patronage of their Church by a vigorous and submissive co-operation. "By the abrupt introduction of English law, the advice of these men had become a matter of almost daily necessity to multitudes of the natives, who were ignorant of their new rule of life: from advice it was no difficult step to authority, and authority acquired somewhat of a sacred character from the sanction of the ecclesiastics."

Thus, instead of their ancient native princes

*Phelan, p. 245.

Ireland se

blood" in

chiefs, and nobles, the Irish were henceforth to find A. D. 1613. their popular guides among the bishops, priests, Bad huand lawyers of the communion of Rome; those of mours in English extraction in particular being, it seems, creted from the ones who were by far the most apt to lead the "English them on in traitorous designs against the peace particular. and welfare of the Church and government of their native land.* The populace of Ireland, for ages despised, crushed, and persecuted by the influence of the Italian prelate and his court, were now for the future to be caressed, flattered, and won over, as valuable auxiliaries in the struggle against British power. It had been the policy of Rome in former times to arm England against Ireland. Now on the contrary Ireland was to be armed against England. In both cases alike, international hatred and strife were employed by that foreign ecclesiastical dynasty, for maintaining in these islands its usurped and unnatural influence.

bling of

And now, the elections being over, the recu- The assemsant members, elated by their victories, " set parliament out in triumphant procession from the scenes of accomtheir respective contests to the seat of govern- popular

"It is known by experience," says Father Walsh, a cotemporary," that one prelate or churchman of the old English stock, hath been heretofore and is at present, more able to work the laity of the same extraction to traitorous designs than a whole hundred of the other." Phelan, 247, note, see also pp. 677,788, &c. sup.

panied by

demonstra

tions.

A. D. 1613. ment; the rustic populace, men, women, and even children received them with shouts of tumultuous greeting, and admonitions to take care of the Catholic' faith: as they passed along, the contagion of enthusiasm added incessantly to their cavalcades, and they made their entry into the capital at the head of troops of armed retainers."* Romish priests also at the same time were crowding to Dublin from all quarters of the country to direct and animate the exertions of their political representatives.

Opening of

preceded by

Parliament assembled accordingly on Tuesparliament, day, the 18th of May, and was on that day attendance opened in great state by the Lord Deputy, Arthur, Lord Chichester; after that he had preworship; viously been present at public worship in St.

at public

from which

Patrick's Cathedral; where, divine service having ended, the Lord Primate, Christopher Hampton, (who had been consecrated in Dublin however the on the 8th day of the same month,) preached recusant before the nobility, prelates, and clergy of the absent realm, excepting the recusant nobility. For of themselves. the latter we are particularly informed, that on

nobility now

this occasion they "went not into the Church, neither heard divine service or sermon,† notwithstanding they were lords of the parliament house, and rode towards the Church with other lords of estate; yet they stayed without during † See p. 854, sup.

Phelan's Policy, 255.